High Martial: I Grind Professions

Chapter 556: Chapter 341: The Fight for First (Part 2)

The defeat of Hua Sha didn’t just signify the temporary exit of a top-tier powerhouse.

It also drew everyone’s attention to the two fighters who remained.

A new question spread like an invisible ripple through the crowd.

Could the God of Slaughter, Li Wen, shake Blood Slaughter Barton’s almost mythical position at the top of the leaderboard?

...

「Five days passed in a flash.」

With the conclusion of the final match on the fifteenth day, everyone was once again teleported back to the preparation space.

Now, only five days remained in the third stage of the round-robin tournament.

For five days, Li Wen’s name had stood tall alongside Blood Slaughter Barton’s at the apex of the stone monument.

Fifteen hundred consecutive victories, each one clean and decisive. His points trailed Barton’s so closely that the gap had never widened in the slightest.

This terrifyingly consistent track record put invisible pressure on even his most steadfast doubters.

It also planted a tiny, flickering seed of doubt in the minds of spectators who had previously thought the outcome was a foregone conclusion: ’What if?’

At this moment, in the preparation space, whispers began to rise, merging into a low hum.

All eyes darted back and forth between Barton and Li Wen.

According to the tournament schedule, the ninth match of the following day would be their showdown.

Everyone was waiting with bated breath.

Most people, however, favored Barton.

Barton’s power was already legendary. He was a ruthless man who had clawed his way out of a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood, a candidate for the top spot acknowledged even within the Source Net.

Those who favored Li Wen were few and far between.

Only a handful of people, like Ares and Isabel, gave him encouraging looks.

But behind their encouragement lay an unconcealable worry.

”Li Wen, my friend, take him down!” Ares’s voice, low and powerful, broke the surrounding silence.

”Watch out for his blade, Li Wen,” Isabel added, her voice soft but laced with concern.

Li Wen felt their gazes and gave a slight nod.

A calm smile touched his lips, but he said nothing.

But his steady, profound aura was a response in itself.

「Meanwhile, in every corner of the Virtual Cosmos.」

The hype surrounding the upcoming ”Battle of the Two Kings” was already like boiling magma, far surpassing the excitement for ”God of Slaughter” vs. ”Demon Hand” five days prior.

...

「In the Virtual Cosmos, at a tavern frequented by citizens of the Lain Empire.」

”It’s here! It’s finally here!” The burly man from before slammed his fist on the table, splashing liquor from his cup.

But the certainty he’d had before was gone, replaced by a deep frown.

”Damn... The official Source Net odds are 1.5 to 1.1... That’s a huge gap!” The wiry man stared at the glaring numbers on the light screen, clicking his tongue. ”Looks like even the officials think Li Wen has a slim chance of winning, huh?”

”Dammit, what do those guys know! Do they have any idea what Li Wen’s potential is?” the burly man grumbled, though his voice lacked its usual conviction.

”Li Wen is a Star Lord at only fifty-seven years old! Fifty-seven! Barton might be strong, but he’s an old-timer, over a hundred!”

”That may be so...” a more rational-looking middle-aged man beside them interjected, his tone grave.

”But this tournament is ultimately about raw power... Li Wen is still too young.

The official odds are usually accurate, but that doesn’t mean Li Wen has no chance of winning...”

”Bah! Can data analysis predict a miracle? Hasn’t Li Wen pulled off a miracle every single time?”

The burly man cut him off, a trace of anxiety creeping into his voice. He raised his cup and took a huge swig.

”I don’t care, I’m putting my entire fortune on Li Wen! If I lose, I’ll just have to live on nutrient paste for half a year!”

”Yeah! I’m in too! Let’s go big!” The wiry man’s blood was up.

”Sigh... Let’s hope so...” The rational man sighed, but in the end, he still silently tapped on his light screen.

”I’ll put a little down to support Li Wen, but... my head tells me Barton is just too reliable.”

The worry on his face was plain to see.

Similar scenes were playing out on countless planets and in countless virtual communities.

Most of Li Wen’s supporters had a sense of tragic heroism about them, a feeling of ”knowing it’s impossible but striving for it anyway.”

Barton’s supporters, on the other hand, were filled with confidence and fervent, self-assured zeal.

The majority, the neutral observers, were simply eager to witness history and enjoy a duel between masters.

Deep down, however, the consensus was that Barton’s victory was a foregone conclusion.

Those who had lost to Li Wen or were jealous of his achievements made no secret of their gloating.

They lurked in the corners, eagerly awaiting the fall of the ”God of Slaughter.”

...

Time trickled by in the tense atmosphere of the preparation space, passing in the blink of an eye.

「The sixteenth day arrived.」

When Li Wen appeared in the preparation space right on schedule, he instantly became the absolute center of attention.

The atmosphere in the space was completely different from previous days.

The usual scene of individuals cultivating or conversing in hushed tones was gone, replaced by a profound silence.

Nearly everyone’s gaze was drawn as if by an invisible force, fixed on him and Barton.

Seeing Li Wen, Ares, Isabel, and the others immediately drew near.

The encouragement in their eyes burned brighter than ever, yet it couldn’t hide a deep-seated gravity.

”Today’s the day, my friend!” Ares’s voice was low and powerful.

”Li Wen, give it your all. Leave no regrets,” Isabel said softly, her gaze firm.

Li Wen remained calm, but the fighting spirit in his eyes grew brighter and brighter, like a newly ignited star.

He nodded at his friends. ”Mm.”

...

「Outside the preparation space.」

Across the Virtual Cosmos’s official betting platforms, the total wagers reached a staggering peak just before the match.

Although Li Wen’s odds remained high at 1.5 against Barton’s steady 1.1.

The sheer volume of betting traffic was a testament to the immense attention this showdown had garnered.

Soon, the white light of teleportation enveloped the two thousand geniuses.

On a thousand arenas, matches began and ended in quick succession.

For the first eight matches, Li Wen maintained his efficient pace, reaping one victory after another.

Barton, for his part, was like a hot knife through butter, with no one able to withstand a single blow from his blade.

When the eighth match concluded and everyone was teleported back to the preparation space, the atmosphere was stretched to its breaking point.

No one spoke. All eyes were locked on the seated Barton and the standing Li Wen.

The two names displayed side-by-side on the giant stone monument seemed to radiate a searing heat.

’Will a miracle happen again?’

And yet, deep down, everyone knew that Blood Slaughter Barton was a terrifying existence on a completely different level.

Finally, the teleportation beam for the ninth match descended.

As the light faded, the scene on Arena 1 came into clear view for all to see.

On one side stood Li Wen, dressed in black, his expression stern, a long blade in hand.

On the other, Barton held his blood-red longblade at an angle, his entire being exuding the heart-stopping, murderous aura of one who had waded through mountains of corpses and seas of blood.

The moment the two appeared, a roar like a tsunami erupted from the spectator stands surrounding the arena:

”GOD OF SLAUGHTER! GOD OF SLAUGHTER! GOD OF SLAUGHTER!”

”BLOOD SLAUGHTER! BLOOD SLAUGHTER! BLOOD SLAUGHTER!”

Supporters from the Lain Empire and the Murphy Empire, along with countless spectators from various races across the cosmos drawn in by their charisma.

They screamed the combatants’ titles until their voices were hoarse. The waves of sound crashed against each other, so evenly matched that for a moment, neither could overpower the other.

Hearing the cheers from his home, a rare, almost imperceptible smile surfaced on Blood Slaughter Barton’s eternally frozen face.

He tilted his head slightly, giving the barest of nods toward the sea of people from the Murphy Empire behind him.

This tiny acknowledgment instantly ignited an even greater frenzy.

Li Wen also turned, a gentle yet powerful smile on his face.

He gave a firm wave to the audience from the Lain Empire and everyone else cheering him on.

This gesture was met with an even more thunderous roar from the crowd.

At this moment, the number of people watching the fight via the Virtual Cosmos broadcast reached an all-time high for the Alka District tournament.

Before countless planets, space stations, starships, and personal terminals, billions upon billions of eyes were fixed on this moment.

This wasn’t just a battle for rank—it was the ultimate showdown to decide who would reign supreme in the Alka District!

「On the arena.」

The cold numbers of the countdown ticked down in the air: 10... 9... 8...

In these final seconds, the ever-silent Blood Slaughter Barton spoke on the arena for the very first time.