But Wei Zhao's appearance had broken that rule and thrown the summit contest of the hidden families into utter chaos.

"Could it be that ties are allowed?" Han Xiaopo pressed on.

"Naturally, whoever challenges first is the victor!" Diamond spoke up. "We challenged the peak of the late Earth Rank first, and you did not challenge at all, so we win! If you want to beat us, you must challenge a higher level!"

"That's hardly fair, is it?" Han Xiaopo's expression changed when he heard this.

"Fair? What fairness is there to speak of? The order of challenges was decided by lot, and you took part in the challenge before our Golden Bell Sect did. If you had the ability, you could have challenged first—why whine about it now, after the fact?" Diamond retorted upon hearing Han Xiaopo's words. He was not about to let a victory he had finally grasped slip away just like that!

"Phew..." Wei Zhao let out a breath. The injuries inside his body had by now healed completely, not a trace of trouble left, and his whole spirit had recovered to its peak. Hearing Diamond's words, he could not help but smile faintly. "So ties are not allowed? Excellent—that suits me perfectly! I will continue and challenge the early Heaven Rank! If you want to surpass me, then challenge the peak of the early Heaven Rank!"

With that, Wei Zhao strode gracefully toward the contest platform.

"Early Heaven Rank? Stop bragging! Don't throw your life away here!" Diamond sneered. "Old Master Zhao, since the boy is courting death, let's grant him his wish!"

"Young man of the hidden Han family, are you certain you wish to challenge the early Heaven Rank?" Old Master Zhao was delighted inwardly, though his face betrayed nothing as he asked, "You should know the artifact has no eyes. If you die on the platform, that death is in vain!"

"If I wish to challenge it, then I have made my preparations," Wei Zhao said.

"Good, then prepare yourself!" Old Master Zhao nodded and once again placed his palm on the spot where true qi was channeled into the artifact. Old Master Yu, Old Master You, and Old Master Tang exchanged glances, and a flash of delight passed through their eyes!

They had been searching for a chance to kill Wei Zhao and were vexed that none had come—yet now Wei Zhao had delivered himself to their door. Early Heaven Rank—heh heh, even a skilled early Heaven Rank hand like Old Master Zhao would never dare stand there motionless and take such a blow head-on!

For a fighter of the same level, standing still and taking a blow head-on was the same as seeking death. Even if Wei Zhao was an early Heaven Rank fighter, without divine protection for his body, he would be in dire straits!

To kill a man without a trace and keep one's own hands clean—that was exactly what these old masters had been longing to do!

One by one they placed their palms down and channeled their true qi. This time the energy bar on the artifact did not fill in an instant; it waited a moment before reaching the set early Heaven Rank mark. Then the giant arm suddenly lashed out and smashed into Wei Zhao!

With a "bang," Wei Zhao's body was sent flying again, shooting dozens of meters through the air before landing heavily on the open ground...

"Pff..." Wei Zhao did not hold back, letting a mouthful of fresh blood spray out naturally. He felt as though his five viscera and six bowels had shifted out of place, and most of the meridians within his body had been shattered. He had felt this way only once before—during the rescue of Guan Xin, at the very end of that fight...

It was the feeling of reaching the limit of life, of hovering on the brink of death! It seemed he had still underestimated the power of a single strike from an early Heaven Rank fighter. With his current strength, trying to lock arms with an early Heaven Rank fighter was hardly realistic!

Wei Zhao had not tried the early Heaven Rank blow out of recklessness, nor to seize another championship and win those bets. Wei Zhao was not the sort to fight desperately for a few spoils of war; he had his reasons for making the attempt!

His repeated victories had already aroused the dread and jealousy of the group of old masters and sect heads led by Old Master Zhao. If this continued, they would certainly not let him off easily! Yesterday's endurance contest was proof enough!

These people wanted to join forces and kill him with pressure, so Wei Zhao, sensing their hostility, wanted to test just how badly he would be injured after taking a blow from an early Heaven Rank fighter. Death was impossible; Wei Zhao was confident that with a single blow like that, so long as he gritted his teeth and held on to a breath, so long as his head was not blown off, there was hope of recovery!

So Wei Zhao would first test the might of the early Heaven Rank, and second, if he could take a full-power early Heaven Rank blow and still continue in the contest unscathed, those Heaven Rank old masters would surely be filled with dread and would not dare strike lightly again!

Because they could no longer gauge his strength. Angry or jealous as they might be, until they knew what cards he held, they could not openly tear off all pretense.

Back at the Mystic Rank, how lofty the Heaven Rank had seemed to Wei Zhao, how infinitely majestic, so far beyond reach and unattainable! But now, at the Earth Rank, Heaven Rank strength was no longer so utterly beyond his grasp!

At least he would not be killed in a single move by a Heaven Rank fighter! That was something that made Wei Zhao very happy!

After landing, Wei Zhao did not dare pause. Once inside the jade pendant's space, he began repairing his internal injuries. Of course, he did not heal everything—only the more serious wounds to his five viscera and six bowels and his meridians. As for the broken sternum and the like, there was no rush; it would not be too late to repair them once he returned to his temporary lodging!

Wei Zhao sat cross-legged without a word, which left Han Xiaopo, not far away, frantic with worry! Seeing Wei Zhao sent flying, his heart clenched, and he wanted to go check on him, yet he feared that disturbing Wei Zhao while he circulated his heart method to settle his injuries would only do harm. For a moment, he was caught in a dilemma!

"Wei Zhao, are you alive or dead? Say something!" Old Master Zhao, seeing that Wei Zhao sat motionless where he had landed, could not tell whether he was dead or alive, and so called out. In his heart, though, he still leaned toward having Wei Zhao die on the spot!

"What are you shouting for? Mr. Lin is regulating his breathing to heal his injuries and cannot speak—do you want him to suffer qi deviation?" Han Tianba retorted angrily. It was the first time he had dared to defy these old masters of the other hidden families.

"Hmph!" Old Master Zhao, for his part, would not stoop to a battle of words with Han Tianba just then. He merely said, "Then we'll wait a while for him—though I fear he's already done for! Heh heh, a blow from the early Heaven Rank—even I would not dare take it head-on. Whoever takes it dies!"

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