Super Gene

Boom!

Yu Qielan’s body shattered the atmosphere. It was as if he teleported directly in front of Huang Xiao, with his big hand reaching out for the young man’s head.

Unfortunately, it was too late for Huang Xiao to dodge. It was difficult to comprehend what Yu Qielan had just done all of a sudden. Whatever it was, his speed had increased exponentially. There was nothing Huang Xiao could do.

He gritted his teeth as a golden light enveloped his body. His fist gleamed like molten gold as he cast it forward.

He was not aiming to deflect Yu Qielan’s fist, however; he was aiming for his chest. With his life on the line, he was ready to risk it all for the sake of landing one devastating blow.

"This Huang Xiao is good." Han Sen and the rest of the crowd were very supportive of his efforts.

Huang Xiao’s speed and power were lacking against Yu Qielan, but he was adaptive. If he maintained his defensive posture, he’d be delaying an inevitable loss and would never find a chance to strike back.

Huang Xiao knew this all too well, and that was why he decided not to deflect whatever Yu Qielan was about to do. He knew his strength and speed weren’t a match for his opponent, so he was willing to risk it all for any attack he could make.

He was not being reckless, though. Huang Xiao was very good when it came to timing, and he had complete control of his body. His strike would surely land no matter what. Even though Yu Qielan was stronger, Huang Xiao could inflict damage of his own. And at the very least, Huang Xiao had Golden Buddha on his side.

Although there was a chance of getting severely injured or even dying, Huang Xiao made this decision of his own volition. This was something Han Sen greatly admired, and he was taken aback by how fearless and devoted to the fight Huang Xiao was.

Everyone watched the two fists with their eyes open wide. That single moment seemed to take a lifetime for the people who watched it unfold, hovering at the edge of their seats.

This was especially true for the four people who most worried over Huang Xiao’s wellbeing. Their hearts were already pounding heavily, as if for a release from their chests.

The demi-god human and royal shura would step in if their people were in danger. But right now, no one knew who was going to emerge victorious. Although the combatants were reaching a critical stage in their fight, all they could do was watch. And furthermore, whichever aide stepped in to help would lead to their fighter’s forfeiture.

Huang Xiao was already knee-deep in this situation, and stopping him now would be a worse fate than if he were to die.

Pang!

The moment Huang Xiao’s fist struck Yu Qielan’s chest, Yu Qielan’s fist hit Huang Xiao’s head.

"Aargh!"

Huang Xiao shouted. He fell to the ground with his face drenched in blood, looking grievously wounded.

Yu Qielan was hit, but he was still standing tall. He looked at his opponent on the ground with disdain.

The demi-god stepped forward and called for the immediate aid of a doctor.

Everyone’s eyes were glued to the stage, and their minds held out hope that Huang Xiao would be okay. Winning was important, but it wasn’t worth a young man’s life. They all wished him to be fine.

"Oh, sorry. I believe I may have hit you a little too hard, there." Yu Qielan’s words may have sounded apologetic on paper, but his arrogant face betrayed their meaning.

"You have great skill. We lost," the demi-god said, as he coldly looked upon the shura.

Lin Feng, who was standing next to Han Sen, looked murderous and said, "That Yu Qielan must die for this. If I ever meet him again, I will kill him."

"Why is that?" Han Sen looked at Lin Feng. He knew him quite well, and thought what he had said was rather out-of-character. What had happened had occurred in an established match, after all.

"This asshole should totally die." Tang Zhenliu was fuming with rage, as well, and the twisted flame of a desire for slaughter was alight in his eyes.

"Why?" Han Sen frowned.

"Let’s check on Huang Xiao first; we’ll tell you on the way." Lin Feng spoke as they went towards the medical room Huang Xiao was taken to.

Tang Zhenliu was furious, angrily grumbling as he walked, "That asshole is cheating!"

"What do you mean?" Han Sen frowned. He had no idea what he meant. He watched the match just as they did, and Yu Qielan did not break the rules. There were no weapons employed, either. If he was cheating, Han Sen hadn’t been able to catch him.

"Old Han, you have never been to war. You know little about the shura. They have what is called ’Blood Injection.’ They can inject themselves with the blood of a higher-class shura to temporarily earn their strength. Me and Old Lin have seen this occur many times. Yu Qielan most certainly used Blood Injection," Tang Zhenliu explained.

Lin Feng’s face looked dire. He didn’t often get mad, but there he was. He coldly muttered, "It was okay of him to use Blood Injection, as that is how they fight. It isn’t too dissimilar to our hyper geno arts. But he held back on it and did not use it during the beginning. He let Huang Xiao fill himself with false hope. And just as he was willing to give his life for the fight, that was when Yu Qielan unleashed his power. Yu Qielan attempted to murder him. He could have used it during the beginning and brought the fight to a swift end, or many times during the middle, but he committed to using it during a critical, devastating stage where the demi-god had no opportunity to stop such damage from being inflicted."

"Damn it!" When Han Sen heard the explanation, his new understanding led to him being mad, as well.

Han Sen had noticed that Yu Qielan became strangely powerful during the final few moments. He thought Yu Qielan was just strengthening his own resolve and preparing to take the fight a little more seriously. He never expected this was the reality of what he had seen.

When the four of them reached the medical bay, the doctors had Huang Xiao in surgery. Many of Huang Xiao’s friends nervously awaited him outside.

Lin Feng saw a doctor he knew and pulled him aside to ask, "Doctor Chan, how is Huang Xiao?"

Doctor Chan had a wry smile and said, "If he was injured anywhere else, we could have done an organ transplant. But he received significant blunt-force trauma to the head, resulting in severe damage to the brain. He is still in critical condition, but our neurosurgeons are doing all that they can to stabilize him."

After a pause, Doctor Chan quietly informed Lin Feng, "The punch was far too hard. His skull was split, and it was unable to absorb the entire force delivered. This resulted in his brain sustaining severe damage. Even if he survives, the nerve damage—the extent of which we will have to determine later—will affect him for the rest of his life."

"How bad is it?" Tang Zhenliu asked.

"Paralysis is a very serious consequence of such injuries. If the hit was a touch milder, he might only suffer partial mobility disabilities, or only be affected during certain times or under certain conditions. For example, every now and then he might lose control in his hands. But with the way things are looking right now, there is a high chance of the patient suffering intellectual disabilities," Doctor Chan said.

When they heard this, each of their faces went dim. This was worse than death for Huang Xiao. Even if his injuries extended no further, he would have lost the ability to fight. It would be impossible for him to adventure through the sanctuaries again.