This little fatty was nothing like his previous opponents. The moment he stepped onto the stage, there was no sign of arrogance whatsoever. Instead, he assumed the posture of the weak.
Showing weakness to the enemy!
Jiang Chen's mind remained unmoved. Whether an opponent was brazen and cocky or deliberately feigning weakness, it made no difference to him.
"My name is Lin Hui. My foundation in the martial dao is still shallow. After witnessing your Divine Ability earlier, I know full well that I'm no match for you. I'm really just going through the motions in this fight, so I hope you'll go easy on me."
The little fatty spoke like a lamb awaiting the slaughter.
Jiang Chen's expression didn't change. He didn't even so much as raise an eyelid.
And yet, in that very instant, the little fatty launched his attack. His body, which looked as round and soft as a rubber ball, suddenly bounced forward with startling speed — so fast that it was impossible to reconcile with his ball-like physique.
The fatty's body shot into the air, and in the next instant, like a celestial maiden scattering flowers, a barrage of snow-white hidden weapons came hurtling toward Jiang Chen in an overwhelming wave.
A cunning fatty indeed. A cold arrow from out of nowhere.
But at that very moment, Jiang Chen's dharma body erupted with a blinding surge of golden light. In the next heartbeat, the countless snow-white projectiles froze mid-air, as though caught in some invisible current, halting abruptly within a ten-foot radius of Jiang Chen.
A layer of golden radiance hovered around Jiang Chen's body, and every single hidden weapon hung motionless before him.
The attractive force of the elemental magnetism on metallic hidden weapons was beyond what anyone could imagine. Jiang Chen had never let his guard down from the start.
No matter how the fatty feigned weakness, beneath Jiang Chen's seemingly calm exterior, he had remained in a state of readiness the entire time. The killing intent the fatty had concealed had long since been detected by Jiang Chen's spiritual sense.
So when the fatty bounced into the air like a rubber ball, Jiang Chen felt not the slightest surprise. Everything had gone exactly as he'd expected.
The fatty's sneak attack having failed, he was visibly caught off guard.
Jiang Chen smiled faintly. "Here — I'll return them to you."
The snowflake-shaped hidden weapons hovering within the golden glow of the elemental magnetism reformed into an umbrella-like formation and surged back toward the opponent in a frenzy.
The fatty's body may have been large, but his agility was truly remarkable. His movements were surprisingly nimble — with a single sidestep and a casual scoop of his hand, he somehow deployed a secret technique that swept every last one of those snowflake-shaped weapons back into his possession.
Even Jiang Chen found this mildly surprising. His counterattack had looked effortless, but he had put real skill behind it. He hadn't expected the fatty to be so proficient in both launching and retrieving hidden weapons.
However, the moment Jiang Chen probed with his spiritual sense, he noticed something. Beneath the fluttering of the fatty's sleeves, there was a faint, nearly invisible translucent net.
The naked eye couldn't see it.
But it was the very tool that allowed this little fatty to control his hidden weapons with such ease — launching and retrieving them at will.
Jiang Chen silently acknowledged the danger. This little fatty was no simple opponent. If one weren't careful in battle, that net could easily spell doom. Once caught in it, even the most powerful Divine Ability would be rendered useless for the moment.
The tournament rules only prohibited heaven-defying artifacts and bonded weapons. There was no rule against using tools like this.
If this giant net was simply the fatty's regular weapon, it didn't constitute a violation.
Jiang Chen watched the little fatty darting about the stage with the lightness of a swallow and let out a cold laugh.
"Lin Hui, was it? Given your build, having this kind of footwork is quite impressive. And with that honest-looking face of yours, you've probably fooled quite a few people."
Jiang Chen's voice rang out, calm and flat.
"But if you want to compare movement techniques, then let's compare!"
With that, Jiang Chen activated the Sky Kun Luminous Escape. The moment the technique was deployed, his figure became like lightning streaking through the clouds — here one instant, gone the next, each movement faster than the last.
In an instant, the fatty found himself overwhelmed, his vision swimming. He felt threats pressing in from every direction, closing in from all sides, and his pressure spiked dramatically.
But the little fatty was a composed one. His rotund body dropped sharply, and beneath his sleeves, he quietly readied his giant net, poised to deliver a fatal blow at any moment.
The little fatty was waiting for his chance — like a viper lying in wait for the perfect moment to strike.
Jiang Chen spoke coldly, "You think you're the only one who can use bonded weapons? That net of yours might fool others, but it can't fool my eyes."
As he spoke, Jiang Chen opened his palm wide.
Nine flying swords soared from the void.
The Cloud Summit Golden Tripod Formation — three times three makes nine!
This was the introductory stance of the Cloud Summit Golden Tripod Formation.
Against a mere Emperor realm opponent, Jiang Chen didn't even need to use much. The introductory stance was more than enough.
The nine flying swords multiplied ceaselessly, transforming into an ocean of golden light — a sea of swords that blanketed every direction as they shot toward the little fatty from all sides.
"A sword formation?!" The little fatty knew quality when he saw it. Confronted by such terrifying sword light hurtling toward him from every angle, there was no way he could stay calm any longer.