A week went by and Hanzu had finally returned to the Sect and accepted William's challenge. The match would be held today at noon, inside the battle Arena where there would probably be thousands of spectators.
William was currently preparing breakfast for himself and Atticus. He woke up a bit earlier than normal, so Wild Clover wasn't open yet.
It had been ten days since his challenge with Yu Ren, so the Potential Farm had accumulated 30 Potential Points that William claimed. It wasn't much, but it helped.
Will finished his food and washed the dishes before heading to the market for some more food supplies. He still had well over a thousand Gold Coins since food was quite cheap and he rarely purchased any Magical Beast meat, but this time he planned to splurge.
The Sect Master informed William that he would be entering the Gravitas Ruins at the start of the next month, which was in exactly 14 days. The Ruins would open for two weeks before William needed to leave, but Gu Dianlong specifically warned him to prepare at least two months' worth of food if he didn't want to starve to death.
It was a good thing food didn't spoil in a Space Ring; else William would be in some trouble.
By the end of his shopping spree, it was close to noon and William had spent over 400 Gold Coins, leaving him with 642 Gold. He carefully organized all of the food in his second largest Space Ring, then headed for the battle arena.
Hanzu was already waiting. He appeared to be a man in his late twenties, equipped with a short beard and long black hair tied into a ponytail. He was standing alongside three Elders, whom were serving as the referees for today's fight.
The stands were packed, all of William's closest friends on the side directly behind where William would stand. He even saw the Sect Master in a balcony above the stands, who was giving William a stern glare, warning him not to do anything stupid.
William took his position in the arena, then nodded at the Elders. Hanzu was also quiet, giving one of the Elders a quick glance. He didn't intend to forfeit this match like the others. Although William beat Yu Ren, Hanzu felt he had a chance of winning if he could expend all of William's Mana and wear him out.
The Sect Master's voice entered William's head telepathically. Make it quick. Use the same abilities you used on Yu Ren and nothing more.
William already had this in mind. There was no point hiding a strength that he had already used.
The battle started and William weaved a series of Advanced Barrier Arrays around him, guarding against any attack Hanzu may use. He decided to go straight for the meteor spell, but preparation would take a long time.
Hanzu noticed William gathering the surrounding Mana and smirked. You think I haven't prepared for Miss Ren's attacks before? Ha!
He watched as William completed the spell, a massive meteor forming in the sky that threatened to destroy everything in its path. The meteor barreled down at high speeds, but Hanzu wasn't concerned. He raised his hands, a purplish-black Mana forming on the fingertips and becoming a small ball.
The purple ball was thrown at the meteor, connecting when the meteor was only ten meters above the arena. William waited for a massive explosion, but that didn't happen. Instead, the meteor began to slow down until it had reached a standstill, then changed directions and flew back into the sky until it had disappeared from view.
William was appalled. What was that? Hanzu made his meteor strike look like a joke, sending it back into the sky as if he had placed a "return to sender" sticker on a piece of mail.
The Sect Master spoke to him again. Hanzu uses Gravity Magic. A large attack like that won't beat him, use your physical abilities to get close instead.
So it's Gravity Magic, huh? That must be just as rare an Element as Time and Space Magic! William exclaimed in his mind. There were so many different Elements, yet William only had the most common ones. It made him feel that his luck with the System was quite bad.
He did as the Sect Master instructed. William dropped the Barrier Arrays around him, then rushed forward with speed at the limit of the Golden Core Realm, creating multiple afterimages as he approached Hanzu.
Hanzu already knew of this ability since a friend of his had watched William fight Yu Ren. He couldn't react to it, but another solution came to mind. Using the Earth Element, Hanzu drilled underground to evade William's attack, then sealed off the entrance.
William was forced to stop moving to track down Hanzu, using the Life Element to search for clues. Green light filled his pupils as William activated Life Sense, but the overwhelming life force from the spectators in the stands prevented him from accurately locating Hanzu.
He resorted to a different method, discreetly using the Earth Element to sense the underground vibrations. At first there was nothing, but as William fine-tuned the spell, he finally sensed Hanzu digging just a few meters below him. It seemed Hanzu planned to take William by surprise from underneath.
-Developed a new spell: +1 Potential Point
-New Spell: Earth Sense
William jumped into the air as the ground underneath him quaked, Hanzu leaping from underneath with a hand shaped like the head of a large drill.
William prepared a giant fireball, blasting the spot below him the moment Hanzu's head peeked out.
Hanzu wasn't ready for the sudden attack and received a direct hit. He quickly ate a pill that was already in his mouth since the start of the fight, then dove back underground to try again. Fresh chapters posted on n0velfire.net
William was more than prepared this time. He drank a Mana Regeneration potion that he bought a few days prior, then called the surrounding Mana a second time, creating another meteor spell while Hanzu was still underground.
The meteor barreled down, Hanzu completely unaware until it was too late. William jumped out of the way just as Hanzu drilled underneath him, timing the meteor spell to land at the same moment.
Hanzu panicked when he saw the second meteor spell, not expecting William to create one while he was underground. He used Gravity Magic to slow down its descent, but it wasn't fast enough as the meteor's speed reduced by only half by the time it hit Hanzu.
The man was pressed back into the hole he came from by the meteor, which exploded into a dozen large fireballs when it fully landed, crippling any chance that Hanzu would escape unscathed.
One of the Elders used some Mana to destroy the meteor that William created, while another dove into the hole. He came out a few minutes later, carrying a severely wounded Hanzu that only survived because of a protective amulet that his father had given him almost two years ago.
The stands cheered as William had once again proven his incredible talent, making the new disciples proud to be in his group. Many of the boys and girls that previously held grudges had already switched over to William's side when they saw him defeat Yu Ren, and his subsequent victory against the number one Outer Core Disciple on the Ranking Board further cemented their decision.
The third Elder fully healed Hanzu, who was frustrated at his loss but had no choice but to accept the outcome. Hanzu stood up and bowed to William, acknowledging his defeat to a boy half a decade younger than him. "You've won."
The Elders also spoke up, announcing to the crowd this time. "Winner, Disciple William!"
The spectators cheered once again. William smiled, but not at his victory.
-System Quest Completed: +1000 PP
-Secondary Reward: Cultivation Talent (E Rank)
Finally! This is what I've been waiting for! William was overjoyed. His worry about never becoming a Cultivator and dying was the nightmare hanging over his chest.
Of course, the Cultivation Talent came with some risks. If Supreme Left, or even the Sect Master found out that he could Cultivate, things might become dicey. William had thought about this quite a bit the past few days, but he had come up with a solution that worked out quite well for him.
Good job kid, but it's not over yet. The Sect Master spoke mentally.
William nodded his head slightly. The Sect Master was referring to the other Disciples on the Ranking Board. Now that William was Rank 1, anyone in the top 100 could challenge him, and that was the scariest part.
He already learned that some disciples had very strange abilities, such as Su Yanyu's memory-related ability and Filipe's eyes. William would have to work even harder than before to maintain his position.
William didn't know how to communicate telepathically to the Sect Master, but he still chose to respond in his mind.
Don't worry Sect Master. You should know that I'm not a pushover.