Chapter 379: A Barking Dog Doesn’t Bite

"Novel 'Rule the Nine Heavens' ()" Find the latest chapter!

Ah Xi was a little disappointed—what a great opportunity to show off. He turned to look at Wu Di beside him, only to find the guy’s vest already completely drenched in sweat.

"Wu Di? Feng is calling you!" Fante Xi shouted twice, but Wu Di remained dazed, forgetting to respond. It took him a long while to snap back to reality.

"Huh? What?"

To be honest, ever since learning he would represent Rose in battle, Wu Di had been uneasy. His anxiety had turned into full-blown panic. He worried about too many things—disgracing Rose, embarrassing the captain, failing himself… And now, stepping into this chaotic arena, that unease had escalated into sheer terror.

The sheer scale of it all was terrifying. He had never been in such a grand setting, never seen so many people. The deafening noise, especially the holy chants from the crowd, sounded so solemn and imposing that Wu Di even felt unworthy.

His fists were clenched so tight his nails dug into his palms, palms slick with sweat. His mind was blank, his breathing labored. His ears barely registered any sound, just a constant buzzing. He barely remembered how he had followed Wang Feng and the others in and stood here, only snapping back when Fante Xi patted him repeatedly.

"You’re up first!" Fante Xi said, frustrated. He had wanted to take the first match himself after finally getting stronger.

"Me? First match?" Wu Di’s mouth hung open, half-convinced he’d misheard. Even without knowing much about strategy, he knew the first match was crucial—it set the team’s morale and strategy. It couldn’t afford to fail. Captain Wang Feng should’ve sent Winnie or Mapeier, or even Kela or Fante Xi. Why me?

He wasn’t the only one doubting his ears. Even the spectators in the nearby stands thought they’d misheard.

The news spread like wildfire, and the already rowdy stands erupted in jeers and curses, turning from boos to outright mockery.

"Wu Di? That’s the beastman’s name?"

"Seriously? Sending a beastman first? And such a short one at that? Was that idiot captain high or just looking down on us from Mangalam?"

"Idiots! Send your best three to get crushed! Don’t regret it after a 3-0 sweep!"

Allowing beastmen to fight was insulting enough, but sending one first? Who did they think they were mocking?

The decision to field a beastman first quickly reignited the crowd’s fury. They had attacked Rose before for harboring beastmen—vermin in their eyes. And now, Rose dared to let these filthy creatures humiliate sacred Mangalam?

To be fair, the original teachings of the Holy Light didn’t discriminate against beastmen. Back when true Holy Light first shone upon this world, beastmen were among the continent’s strongest—hardly targets for scorn. But as beastmen declined, some began distorting holy texts. A simple phrase like "All are equal," originally meaning all living beings, was reinterpreted to mean equality among humans only. Were beastmen human? To most, clearly not.

And Mangalam was the epitome of such twisted interpretations. To them, beastmen were inherently vile, worth less than dirt.

"This is Mangalam’s sacred arena, not Rose’s lawless cesspool! These lowly beastmen don’t deserve to enter through the main gate! If they want to fight, make them crawl back out and enter through the dog hole!"

"Right! Beastmen should only crawl through dog holes—it’s tradition!"

Wu Di, already tense, felt like he couldn’t breathe.

The buzzing in his ears wasn’t just from the impending fight. Since Old Wang became Rose’s Student Council president, Wu Di hadn’t felt such deep human malice toward beastmen in a long time. He’d almost forgotten his own identity, lulled into thinking humans could be kind.

But now, the torrent of insults poured down like rain. He stared blankly at the frenzied, cursing "holy" spectators—their twisted faces, their filthy words—awakening a long-buried fear of humans.

This world had no place for beastmen. Wu Di shook, humiliated, wishing for a dark hole to escape into.

"The hell? This mutt’s still staring?"

Whoosh!

In his daze, Wu Di saw a dark object flying toward him from the stands. Before he could make it out, flames erupted upward.

Boom!

The object exploded midair, flames licking the stands and triggering screams and swears.

Wu Di stood frozen.

Winnie extinguished the tiny flame dancing on her fingertip, having bitten her tongue long enough. Since childhood, since when did Winnie Lee take crap from anyone? She had long wanted to vent her anger, but seeing Old Wang's composed demeanor beside her made her feel that losing her temper might seem a bit low-class. Now, she finally had a reason to explode.

"Shut the hell up!" Winnie planted her left hand on her hip and unhesitatingly gave the stands the finger. "You worthless hacks! Anyone who's got a problem, come down and fight me one-on-one!"

Her domineering tone was amplified by soul power. Though it couldn't carry clearly across the whole stadium like Ren Zhangquan could, it was more than enough to reach half the crowd.

The surroundings fell silent instantly, everyone staring in shock at this audacious girl. Wu Di also stared at her, slack-jawed.

"Winnie, mind your manners. No need to tell it like it is. Wu Di, remember the captain's words—dogs that bark don't bite. Just go up there and fight!"

Whoosh—!!!

The entire arena erupted. A barrage of trash—bottles, snacks, eggs—rained down from the stands.

The inevitable had arrived. Realizing this was no joke, Wu Di suddenly smacked his own face hard, feeling the ringing in his ears gradually fade. Even his pounding heart seemed to calm down.

Then, clenching his fists tightly, he marched into the arena.

"Damn, this guy walks like he's walking to his own execution..." Ignoring the uproar from the stands, Winnie glanced worriedly at Wu Di's retreating figure. "Old Wang, Wu Di's not in the right headspace. Don't push him too far."

"You don't trust Wu Di?" Old Wang grinned slyly. Unlike the others in the team, Winnie not only understood the combat strength of every member in Old Wang's squad but also had deep insight into their opponents... That was why she hadn't been anxious during their time on the Magic Rail Train—it definitely wasn't just blind optimism.

"Is this about trust?" Winnie curled her lip. Earlier, with Wu Di right beside her, she hadn't been able to speak freely. Now, she could finally let loose. "He's not in the right headspace! Look at him—he looks like he's ready to march to his death. He probably won't even be able to perform. And what if the other side sends out a heavy hitter right away? A slow and steady approach would've been fine. This is way too risky!"

"We've seen their intel, but no one's seen ours..." Old Wang chuckled lazily. "Also, you're underestimating Wu Di. Headspace? Doesn't matter. Wu Di operates on being needed."

"Needed? A masochist?" Winnie scratched her head, recalling a new term she'd just learned from Old Wang.

"I mean the passive type..." Old Wang rolled his eyes, a glint flashing in them. "People like him don't need stimulation or self-anger, nor pressure—they need responsibility! Only when he truly feels useful, truly needed, even if he hasn't fully awakened yet, the power he unleashes will be enough to level Mangala!"

As Wu Di stepped into the arena, a towering figure from the opposing Mangala team launched himself skyward like a human missile and crashed onto the ground with a thunderous impact, churning up a dust storm.

"Silence!" roared the massive man—none other than the ex-vice captain, the Demonic Fist Burst Charge. His furious bellow, combined with the tremor underfoot, instantly silenced the chaotic stands.

Honestly, a mere beastman wasn't worth his time! Mangala could've easily sent a benchwarmer to deal with him, but...

"You won't make it to the fourth round," Burst Charge growled as he slowly straightened up amidst the dust.

Indeed, even if Rose had Winnie Lee, Wu Li had come specifically for her—not to mention Sacred Sword Chris. The fight would end in three rounds. If he didn't act now, he might never get another chance to teach Rose a lesson and burnish Sacred Light's glory.

Standing at over 2.3 meters tall with bulging muscles, he dwarfed Wu Di, who was just over 1.8 meters. In both height and build, Burst Charge looked more like a true-blooded, hulking beastman.

Now, he made no effort to hide the disgust and disdain in his gaze as he glared at Wu Di. "And you—filthy beastman—I'll kill you."

The moment he finished speaking, a wave of murderous intent radiated outward. Yet Wu Di didn't retreat a single step.

Truth be told, for an unawakened beastman, human soul power pressure was nearly an insurmountable obstacle. This wasn't just due to the unique nature of soul power but also because beastmen were innately wired to sense danger. But perception could always be altered.

Wu Di had endured all kinds of pressure—Winnie's, Kela's, Fan Texi's, Mo Tong's, even Hei Wukai's! Being trampled daily by these people, living in constant fear of soul pressure, his once-sharp instincts had been beaten into near numbness. Someone like Burst Charge? Barely noticeable!

But Wu Di's mind was blank. His pressure came from the collective aura of countless spectators. His spirit was pitted against the entire coliseum, making him seem weak.

Yes, he was weak. All he could do was give his all. He was the vanguard. The vanguard!

The deafening roars in his ears faded away. His vision narrowed until only his opponent remained.

Boom!

The massive figure lunged forward, a shockwave rippling across the ground as Burst Charge shot toward Wu Di like a living projectile!

What incredible speed... Huh?

Wu Di was stunned.

Compared to his massive frame, Demon Fist Baochong's explosive burst of speed was astonishingly fast. To many spectators, it seemed like he had closed the distance to the beastman in the blink of an eye. The beastman barely had time to react to such terrifying speed—just a moment of hesitation, and a fist like a sledgehammer slammed viciously into his chest.

Boom...

A punch like a raging storm landed squarely on Wu Di, who had braced himself defensively, producing a heavy, muffled impact. Wu Di frowned slightly, swaying on his feet. This...

The next second, with all his might, the simple and steadfast Wu Di delivered a perfectly centered punch to his opponent's chest. A dull thud echoed from Demon Fist Baochong’s body before his massive frame was uncontrollably hurled backward, tumbling head over heels a dozen times, then slamming rigidly into the ground.

Bounced. Crashed. Bounced again. Crashed again.

Motionless.

And on his exposed chest, a fist-sized dent was clearly visible.

Victory to Wu Di!

The packed arena of ten thousand fell dead silent.

What the… hell just happened?

Demon Fist Baochong lay motionless on the ground. A nearby demon-hunter rushed into the arena, checking his breathing and confirming faint signs of life. As he carried Baochong off the field, he signaled to Ren Zhangquan—whose expression had darkened—that everything was under control.

Ren Zhangquan never imagined Demon Fist Baochong would lose first, and so quickly at that—especially losing to the beastman ranked weakest in their intel! Had the beastman actually awakened? But it didn’t seem like it…

"First match..." Ren Zhangquan announced solemnly, "Rose takes the win!"

Wu Di’s chest rose and fell rapidly, his lips trembling slightly as he watched the massive figure collapse in the distance and then get carried away by the demon-hunter.

His emotions churned—conflicted yet exhilarated, his thoughts in disarray. He had no idea what he should do now—until Ren Zhangquan declared "Rose takes the win," snapping him back to reality.

Huh? We... won?

Truth be told, he’d been too nervous to sleep the past few days. But… why was he so weak?

Wu Di’s face alone was the ultimate taunt. Ren Zhangquan and the others felt it most directly. They knew beastmen had great endurance, but this was just fucking insane!

"Wu Di!" Kela, Winnie, Fantasie, and the others swarmed him excitedly.

But before they could shower him with praise, Wang Feng lazily cut in, "I love how starry-eyed you all get. What did I tell you? He didn’t stand a chance."

As he spoke, a lean figure drifted down onto the field.

For Mangalam, they had expected a clean 3-0 sweep. Now that they had already lost one match, this second round was absolutely crucial. The one stepping forward was a wizard.

Despite being a wizard, his movements were eerily swift—like a white bolt of lightning. Of course, the flashy display was deliberate.

—Wu Li the Lightning!

At Wu Li’s appearance, the previously silent stands erupted. They had actually lost a match to the despicable Rose team—and worse, to that lowly beastman!

Anger at his failure, pity for his disgrace! It seemed Demon Fist Baochong was all bark and no bite—just a fraud, no wonder Wu Li had replaced him as vice-captain!

Poor Demon Fist Baochong had now become a sham, a complete disgrace to Mangalam! Only Wu Li, the transfer student, was worthy of being Sacred Sword Chris’s right-hand man and perfect partner!

"Wu Li! Wu Li! Wu Li!"

"Go Wu Li! Destroy those Rose losers!"

The deafening roar erupted from the stands once more, the crowd burning with rage, eager to vent the humiliation from earlier. They were already thinking up the nastiest insults to hurl at Rose once Wu Li secured victory!

"Winnie Lee!" Wu Li's calm voice rang out across the arena. "You got the guts to fight me?"

The arena fell silent for a brief moment before the crowd grasped Wu Li's intent. This match couldn't afford any losses, so he had to step up—but he also had to guard against Rose shamelessly sending cannon fodder to "trade" him away.

What a brilliant strategy, what keen insight! As true Mangalam fans, they had to rally behind him!

"That little brat was so cocky earlier! Even gave us the finger and challenged us to a duel. Now that the duel's here, she's backing down!"

"Winnie Lee! Show some guts and come out! Don’t be a coward!"

Mocking jeers instantly erupted from the stands, and Fantasy couldn't help but laugh.

"Haha! Do they think we're all three-year-old idiots? Just because they say who fights, we obey? Of course, we'll—"

Before he could finish, a petite figure shot past him—Winnie landed lightly in the arena.

"Holy shit!" Fantasy's eyes nearly popped out of his head, his jaw dropping as he pointed at Winnie on the stage, then turned to Old Wang. "You're seriously not stopping her?"

"Stop what?"

"They're obviously setting her up! And she just falls for it? Since when is she so—"

"So stupid?"

Fantasy nodded frantically, but Old Wang just stretched lazily and chuckled. "I'll make sure to tell her what you said later. For now, warm up—you're on deck."

"They haven't even started fighting yet, why should I warm up—" Fantasy scratched his head, then suddenly froze. "Wait, what do you mean 'tell her what I said'? A-Feng, that was clearly you who said it!"

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