Yang Yi was momentarily dazzled by those big white teeth. After collecting himself a little, he gave the man a nod as a gesture of encouragement.
The tall man standing in the center of the crowd received it. In an instant, his eyes lit up with a radiant brilliance, his spirit soaring, even more excited than before.
The result was that the next group ended up getting beaten even more miserably. Before they could react, they were already carried off the field.
This group had already included some second-level warriors, whose combat strength was nothing to scoff at. And yet, they were still mercilessly crushed.
“Does this guy’s strength have no end?! Why does he get stronger the more he fights?!”
Xi Hou ground his teeth in frustration, his feelings tangled—equal parts admiration and resentment.
They had grown up together, fought side by side, so how had the gap between them become so wide?
Up to this point, Hei Lie hadn’t even used his innate ability or any weapon.
“Our chief of the Spark Tribe should be this capable!” Jing was extremely excited, already itching to get in the ring.
For this duel, he had asked Yang Yi to make him a spiked prosthetic. He promised it would be used only for this fight, and that he’d put it back on only after his arm had fully healed.
Jing’s arm was actually already almost fully recovered. It was just that Yang Yi was being extra cautious.
With the experience from before, Jing’s prosthetic turned out even better than Feng’s, and Jing adapted to it quickly.
Xi Hou wholeheartedly agreed, with no trace left of his earlier “resentment”. With a proud tone, he said:
“Hei Lie will become the strongest chief, and our Spark Tribe will become the strongest tribe!”
Wave after wave of people were knocked down by He Lie. He remained composed throughout. Only the thin layer of sweat on his forehead showed that he had been in a fight, standing in stark contrast to those who had been beaten down.
Hei Lie wasn’t simply knocking people over; he also used the opportunity to teach them exactly where their fatal weaknesses lay.
In battle, speed, precision, and decisiveness were key, and Hei Lie understood this principle deeply. He made sure not to waste too much of his strength by getting entangled unnecessarily.
That was why every strike of his hit vital points, executed with clean, crisp movements—sharp, swift, and incredibly accurate.
Jing led the first team of third-level warriors into the arena. Everyone could feel the difference between the warriors of different levels.
Hei Lie wasn’t able to defeat them as effortlessly as before. His entire demeanor and state were noticeably different from earlier.
The duel was tense and spectacular to watch, offering a more direct and vivid demonstration of Hei Lie’s strength.
Most third-level warriors had already awakened their innate gifts. On the ring, many astonishing scenes began to appear.
Over here, someone set fire to the ground; dodge to the other side, and a bolt of lightning would strike. Fire met water, turning into steam that blurred vision, and you never knew when a hidden blade might suddenly appear.
Attacks came from all directions, leaving no place to escape. You even had to watch out for sneak attacks from underground. It was so intense that the spectators couldn’t help but hold their breath.
And yet, Hei Lie was still able to dodge calmly in the face of such tightly coordinated assaults, not a trace of panic visible on him.
“His speed is unbelievable. I couldn’t even see him move.”
“How did Chi’s knife end up in his hand? I didn’t see anything. He just took it!”
“You’re not the only one. Even Chi didn’t understand what happened. He completely froze when the knife was snatched.”
Hei Lie moved like a ghost, flashing into position and disrupting the rhythm of the group. Not only did none of the attacks land on him, but he even managed to lure them into striking their own teammates.
“Watch your aim. Don’t hit me!”
“He’s over there. Ah, wrong target!”
Voices like these rang out one after another. Soon, the whole team began to falter under the weight of their own mistakes. Their coordination and trust were gradually falling apart.
Hei Lie then promptly took down Jing, the soul of the team, leaving him unable to pull everyone back into rhythm.
Very quickly, what was once a team degenerated into scattered individuals, attacking blindly without concern for one another. They were fighting with all their might. But without purpose, their combat effectiveness dropped to rock bottom.
Hei Lie picked them off one by one, knocking each of them to the ground.
This time, everyone witnessed the truly terrifying side of Hei Lie.
A fourth-level warrior was indeed formidable. But facing this many third-level warriors, achieving victory shouldn’t have been so easy.
And yet Hei Lie still managed to retreat completely unscathed. He hadn’t taken any serious injuries, nor had he expended too much of his energy.
This made everyone realize that the battle wasn’t just about relying on brute strength and weapons to brawl. It was about strategy.
Under Hei Lie’s guidance, these people had learned teamwork, but they were still far from good enough.
“You bastard… you’re getting scarier and scarier,” Jing said weakly, being carried off the field on a stretcher.
Hei Lie gave a slight smile, tinged with pride.
“You’ve made impressive progress, too. Losing a hand didn’t make you lose your fighting spirit.”
Hei Lie’s victory drew cheers from everyone.
Their tribe had a mighty warrior!
Yang Yi suppressed the urge to scream with excitement. Watching how Hei Lie systematically brought down a powerful team made his skin break out in goosebumps.
A perfect assassin!
Not only was his combat strength extraordinarily high, but more importantly, he had a brain.
In this savage land, a man with terrifying fighting power who could still think was a rare and exceptional talent.
The second team of third-level warriors took the field. These ten were the strongest in the tribe aside from Hei Lie himself.
Having learned from the previous battle, the ten of them put up a real fight. It took quite some time before they were finally defeated.
By then, the always-composed Hei Lie was covered in blood, and his innate ability was completely exposed.
It wasn’t just speed. It was teleportation between points!
Such an incredible talent was unheard of.
After that brutal fight, Hei Lie still didn’t look the least bit disheveled. He stood tall, exuding a powerful presence.
The blood on his body made him even more striking. His eyes were sharper than ever, and he stood there like a mountain that could not be toppled.
The entire atmosphere reached its peak. Everyone erupted into cheers, crowding around Hei Lie to express their admiration.
“The gods have blessed us with the bravest chief!”
“No one can defeat us now! No one!”
“Hei Lie! Hei Lie! Hei Lie!”
Everyone shouted Hei Lie’s name at the top of their lungs. In that moment, Hei Lie became the brightest star, radiating light amid the crowd.
Yang Yi clenched his fists, suppressing the surge of excitement in his chest, but the smile tugging at the corners of his lips betrayed his true emotions.
His eyes burned with longing, the admiration one holds for the strong.
To be protected by someone like this meant he no longer needed to carefully calculate every single step he took.
Hei Lie accepted everyone’s reverence, raised his right hand high, and shouted in a loud, deep voice:
“A spark can set the entire wilderness ablaze! We are the mighty Spark Tribe!”
“Spark Tribe! Spark Tribe!”
Everyone’s emotions surged. They shouted in unison, their voices echoing across the skies.
They were the Spark Tribe, a brand-new tribe.
Amid the adoration, Hei Lie parted the crowd and walked straight up to Yang Yi. Then, he dropped to one knee, eyes filled with sincerity and fervor as he looked up at Yang Yi.
“Divine Envoy, I ask to be by your side. From this moment on, my life shall be in your hands.”
With that one sentence, he affirmed Yang Yi’s identity and status. As long as Hei Lie stood by him, everyone would have to revere the Divine Envoy.
The power of a strong man gave those words undeniable weight.
Not just the original members of the Spark Tribe, even the newly joined thousand-strong crowd, from this moment on, accepted Yang Yi’s identity as the Divine Envoy from the bottom of their hearts.
Yang Yi reached out his hand and placed it atop Hei Lie’s head. In Chinese, he said:
“May all go smoothly for you from this day forward. May you grow ever stronger, worthy of the strength of a true warrior.”
The unfamiliar language and intonation were both pleasant to the ear and uniquely enchanting, full of mystery.
It made people feel that this kind of blessing truly might be heard by the gods, and that the gods would bestow their favor.
Yang Yi began to withdraw his hand, but halfway through, Hei Lie caught it in his grasp.
A strange warmth surged from their palms, spreading up Yang Yi’s arm and gradually coursing through every corner of his body. Both inside and out, it felt like he was soaking in a hot spring that was just a bit too warm.
It was somewhat hot and a little strange, but still bearable.
Yang Yi looked toward Hei Lie. Hei Lie’s expression was solemn, his eyes as deep as a bottomless pool.
This was… the beginning, under the witness of the entire crowd.
Everyone present sensed the unusual energy between them. The entire arena fell silent, not a single sound dared break the stillness, as if afraid to disturb this sacred ritual.
A soft glow radiated from both men, especially from the place where their hands were clasped. It was dazzlingly bright.
The point of contact between their palms grew hotter and hotter, as if it would scald flesh.
Yang Yi couldn’t endure it anymore and tried to pull his hand away, but Hei Lie held it tightly, not letting him move.
Just then, a cool breath of energy slowly flowed from the point where their palms met, up through his arm and straight to his heart. A sharp stab pierced his chest.
And then, all the strange sensations vanished in an instant. His body returned to normal.
Yang Yi instinctively touched his chest with his other hand, feeling as if there should be something there.
It felt like something had changed… and yet also like nothing had changed at all.
He looked at Hei Lie. Was it a success?
Hei Lie gently squeezed his hand. “The contract is complete. From now on, we are the two closest people in this world.”
Upon hearing those words, every cell in Yang Yi’s body finally relaxed. A wave of drowsiness washed over him. Even the surrounding stares from the crowd couldn’t dispel the sudden urge to sleep.
Since coming to this world, he had never felt like this. Subconsciously, Yang Yi had never dared to fully trust anyone here.
He had always managed to get decent sleep, but it had always felt like his nerves had never truly rested.
That feeling hadn’t been obvious before, but now that he was completely at ease, he realized it.
Hei Lie stood up, still holding his hand, and led him to the front of Yang Yi’s tent. Then, he suddenly scooped him up in his arms.
Yang Yi, slow to react, hadn’t even processed what was happening before he was already placed inside the tent hanging in mid-air.
“Sleep,” Hei Lie said in a low, almost bewitching voice. “I’m here.”
Yang Yi glanced at him. His eyelids grew heavier and heavier. Before long, he slipped into deep sleep.
OMFGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG AHHHHHHHH OMG LIKE WTF