Chapter 28: A Genius Knocked Out
"Since you're so confident about fighting him, I'll lend it to you. But when you pay me back, remember—20% interest."
Xiao Hongchen: "…" You really are my sister.
"Alright, I got it. Just call me if anything happens."
After being mercilessly ripped off by his own sister, Xiao Hongchen reluctantly paid Xiao Qiang's bill. With that done, he walked confidently toward the Soul Master Battle Arena where Xiao Qiang was already waiting.
Word had already spread that Xiao Hongchen intended to challenge Xiao Qiang. Naturally, this caught the attention of Teacher Jing Yun, who appeared on the scene and took over as referee from the original supervisor. That was also when Xiao Qiang discovered that Jing Yun was actually a powerful seven-ring Soul Saint, although he had no idea what Jing Yun's exact level was.
"Teacher Jing, please be careful. Don't let him die, okay? He's a decent opponent. It would be a waste to lose him," Xiao Hongchen said.
His tone was still proud and arrogant, but Jing Yun—who knew the boy well—noticed a marked difference. Compared to how he used to be, this was actually Xiao Hongchen being polite. As the grandson of the Hall Master of Mingde Hall, such civility didn't come easily.
"Don't worry, I'll keep an eye on him," Jing Yun replied smoothly, though his gaze lingered on Xiao Qiang with subtle interest. Of course… I'll be watching you too, he thought inwardly.
Xiao Hongchen didn't react much to the first part of that sentence. But when he heard the second half, he immediately flared up. "What do you mean, keep an eye on me?! You think I'm gonna get beaten again?"
Jing Yun gave him a meaningful glance, then looked back at Xiao Qiang. Finally, he calmly spoke three words.
"It's hard to say."
"What do you mean it's hard to say?! I'm definitely going to win!"
"You can brag after you've won."
Xiao Hongchen looked like he wanted to argue, but Jing Yun was already busy preparing the field for battle.
As the match officially began, Xiao Hongchen immediately entered combat mode. He activated the core array of his soul tools, and in mere moments, thirty-six soul guide cannons assembled and floated neatly in front of him, responding to his commands with astonishing precision.
Unlike last time, Xiao Hongchen wasn't about to make the same mistake of underestimating Xiao Qiang. His first three soul rings lit up in succession, and he activated his core techniques—Metal Control, Gold Boiling, and Gold Condensation.
"You're one soul ring short of me and lack twelve full levels of soul power, but I won't take advantage of that. I'll restrict myself to using only my first three soul skills, and I've suppressed my soul power to level 35. I'll defeat you using the same power level to prove once and for all—I am the number one genius of the Sun and Moon Empire!"
As he declared this, the thirty-six soul cannons opened fire at once, aiming to completely overwhelm Xiao Qiang in an instant with a barrage of terrifying force.
Faced with the overwhelming firepower, Xiao Qiang didn't panic. Instead, he quickly distanced himself from Xiao Hongchen.
Xiao Qiang had already observed that Xiao Hongchen's artillery fire within seven steps was incredibly fast and accurate. But beyond that range, while the speed remained high, the accuracy dropped significantly.
By widening the distance, Xiao Qiang could reduce the threat considerably. As expected, once he reached a safer range, Xiao Hongchen's artillery barrage became easy to read—and dodge—thanks to the incredible dynamic vision of the Sharingan.
No matter how strong the firepower was, if it didn't hit, it was meaningless.
"This can't go on."
Xiao Qiang frowned as he nimbly dodged another wave of cannon fire. Although the current strategy was wearing Xiao Hongchen down slowly, it was also taxing on him. After all, he was still fighting someone twelve levels above him. If he prolonged the match, even a small mistake could cost him dearly.
"In that case…"
The three magatama in Xiao Qiang's Sharingan began to spin rapidly.
This was Xiao Qiang's first true attempt at using the illusion power of the three-tomoe Sharingan. Because he had awakened the three-tomoe state so quickly, he hadn't fully grasped all its capabilities yet.
Much like Sasuke when he first fought Naruto at the Valley of the End, Xiao Qiang had instinctively gained some abilities thanks to the Sharingan's evolution. He understood the basics of its dynamic vision and the power of its illusions, but was still far from mastering them.
Even so, right now, he didn't need mastery—just effectiveness.
Xiao Qiang cast an illusion—not a powerful, perfect one like Itachi's—but one subtle enough to mess with Xiao Hongchen's perception. The result was simple: a slight misjudgment in targeting.
Under the illusion's influence, Xiao Hongchen's aim was off just enough that, beyond a certain distance, his cannons couldn't land a clean hit. To him, everything still looked normal.
While Xiao Hongchen poured out firepower around what appeared to be Xiao Qiang, the real Xiao Qiang had already rocketed toward him using a soul guide thruster.
Then came the moment that changed the fight.
To Xiao Hongchen's eyes, one of his cannons struck Xiao Qiang square in the head, and he watched, stunned, as Xiao Qiang's skull exploded into fragments. The next round of firepower obliterated what was left of his body. To him, it looked like victory was already won.
Just as he turned to ask Jing Yun if the match was over, a sandbag-sized fist came flying out of nowhere and smashed him straight in the face.
Boom!
Xiao Hongchen hit the ground like a ragdoll. The punch wasn't heavy enough to cause serious damage, but it carried just the right amount of mental shock to knock him unconscious. He lay on the arena floor, peacefully asleep.
Xiao Qiang walked over, looking down at his knocked-out opponent with a sigh.
Losing a match was easy—you just fainted. But winning one came with more responsibility. He couldn't just leave Xiao Hongchen like this.
"I probably shouldn't stuff him into a soul guide capsule…" Xiao Qiang muttered.
In the end, he opted for the most responsible route: he carried Xiao Hongchen to the infirmary himself and paid for a VIP room for his opponent to rest and recover.
Two hours later, Xiao Hongchen finally stirred awake. The first thing he saw was his twin sister, Meng Hongchen, sitting beside the bed and peeling an apple.
"Xiao, you're awake."
"Woo… woo… woo…" Xiao Hongchen tried to speak, but the incoherent noise that came out was painful to hear—even for himself.
"What did you say?"
"Pervert… situation?" he mumbled, confused and still not fully recovered from the punch. Fortunately, Meng Hongchen understood his garbled speech well enough.
"After you lost, Xiao Qiang carried you to the hospital himself and paid for everything. I guess if you're going to pick a fight with someone, it's nice when they cover your medical bills too. He's actually a good person."
"You can't say that so easily," Xiao Qiang said from the side, rubbing the back of his head with a sheepish smile. "After all, I did ask for money earlier… and it wasn't a small amount."
Xiao Hongchen let out a defeated sigh and covered his face with the blanket.
Right now, he didn't want to say a single word.
"Since Brother Xiao is doing fine now, I'll take my leave."
Xiao Qiang stood up politely and exited the ward.
After he left, Meng Hongchen looked at her brother's pathetic state and judged that he probably wouldn't be able to eat the apple anyway. So, she ate it herself.
At the same time, she tried to offer a bit of consolation.
"Xiao… be rational, okay?"
"Lychee! What lychee did you ask me to take back!" Xiao Hongchen suddenly shouted, unable to hold back any longer.