In the arena, Lilu and Havering were already battling.
The towering Lilu suddenly appeared in front of Havering as if he had teleported. His enormous palm slammed down, the size of Haveringâs entire body. It was like swatting a mosquito, slamming Havering into the ground!
Bang!!!
The palm strike caused the entire arena to tremble. Over 100 million viewers felt it.
What strength, Xu Jingming thought, staring at Havering under the furry palm.
âTurned to meat paste?â Countless audience members watched anxiously.
Liluâs expression changed slightly. He raised his palm and smacked down with the other.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
He struck out repeatedly, trying to swat Havering to death.
Havering sprawled on the arena floor, refusing to dodge. Instead, he propped himself up on both hands and rose to his feet with exaggerated slowness, tanking over a hundred strikes.
âTake your best shot.â Havering lowered his head and scoffed under his breath. He didnât have a scratch. âTrying to tickle me?â
âAnts do have tough exoskeletons.â Lilu stretched out his hands as a menacing aura swelled around him.
Havering sensed the threat and zipped over a thousand meters away in an instant. He hung back at a safe distance, eyeing Lilu warily.
âYour carapace may be tough, Ant. Letâs see how you handle a strike from my saber technique.â Lilu strode forward and blurred into motion.
Havering dodged, but Liluâs speed gave him the edge. As Lilu closed in, a saber beam sliced through Havering, shearing off a large chunk of exoskeleton and flesh.
Purple blood sprayed.
âUsing your palm as a blade?â Havering frowned at the gash in his abdomen but ignored it.
âPerish.â Liluâs expression didnât flicker as he attacked again and again, slicing Havering to ribbons with his palm strikes, intent on cutting him down completely.
Yet, Haveringâs body knitted itself back together at lightning speed. The gashes on his chest sealed up in the blink of an eye. The massive chunks hacked off earlier regrew in under a second.
Huh? Liluâs eyes widened in disbelief. Such fast regeneration?
While the powerhouses of this world did heal rapidly, regrowing nearly 20% of oneâs body in a single second was unheard of. It stunned even Lilu.
Xu Jingming gaped in shock. Haveringâs regeneration is dozens of times faster than mine!
The larger a creature, the slower its healing.
For creatures at the same Lv. 70, Dragons over 100 meters long could take days to regrow a lost tail.
Humans might regrow a severed limb in a minute or two.
Ants regrew a missing leg in seconds.
âLilu of the Xiaos, what new tricks do you have up your sleeve?â Ant Havering studied his opponent warily.
After witnessing the devastating power behind the otherâs palm strike, he adjusted his strategy. He took the initiative to use his sturdy frame to absorb the blows. Even a grievous wound healed in the blink of an eye.
Lilu continued his silent assault.
He executed his most adept saber technique with his palms, but Haveringâs body was too tough, and his recuperative ability too swift.
âIf you have no new moves, youâll lose.â Havering grinned and charged forward aggressively. He used his body to block the palm strike while lashing out repeatedly.
His small palm was like an extremely sharp knife, leaving bloody gashes all over Liluâs body.
The physique of a powerhouse can be a weapon, but this Antâs body is practically a divine weapon, Xu Jingming realized. The Antâs fingertip had sliced across Liluâs body, inflicting a wound.
Lilu was forced to defend. Half his focus was on defense, the other half on finding a way to prevail.
The two combatants fought with reckless abandon. However, it was clear that even if Havering suffered some injuries, he would recover instantly.
The wounds on Liluâs body healed much slower.
In close quarters combat, one of Liluâs eyes was blinded. It would take about a minute for his blind eye to heal.
This window was ample for the Ants to gain several advantages, and Havering seized the opportunity to blind his opponentâs other eye.
After six minutes of fighting, with a small hole blasted through his head, Lilu shouted, âI concede.â
The match was finally over.
A stunned silence engulfed the venue at first before cheers erupted.
Many diminutive species like the Ants and Bees hopped around in the stands, whooping excitedly.
âChampion!â
âHavering, champion!â
The tiny creatures present were utterly elated. They glimpsed the Antsâ hope of victory vaguely. This was the first time the Ants had entered the main competition since the Myriad Species Tournament began, and they even had a shot at clinching the championship. How could they not be thrilled?
I lost. After Lilu conceded defeat, his morale cratered. Having lost this match, the odds of me winning this tournament are nearly nil.
According to his past experiences, champions usually triumphed in every match.
Ant Havering grew even more confident. As I expected, when our might is comparable, the Ants will definitely prevail in a frontal assault.
In the contestantâs room,
Xu Jingming watched Lilu leave the arena from afar. Lilu was blind in both eyes, relying on his senses to fight in the later stages, and his skull had been blasted open. If that had been me, would I have won?
He wasnât confident!
The Demon Dragonborn, Cloudhunter, and the Gray Elf, Tribulation Subduer, who were also in the contestantsâ rooms, had grim expressions. His body is indestructible, and he recovers extremely quickly. His claws are terrifyingly sharp. How can I defeat him?
The Antsâ hands were covered in a black carapace, with sharp thorns at their fingertipsânatural weapons.
âŠ
Seconds turned to minutes as the ultimate round-robin matches intensified. Xu Jingming, Havering, Lilu, Cloudhunter, and Tribulation Subduer went all out, holding nothing back.
Ant Havering. Xu Jingming paid closest attention to Havering.
In the fourth match, Havering versus Tribulation Subduer,
Havering dominated easily.
Tribulation Subduerâs attacks were too weak to leave a scratch. There was no suspenseâHavering won handily.
In the seventh match, Havering versus Cloudhunter.
Cloudhunter had just defeated Lilu; he was clearly formidable. Over five meters tall, the strongest and fastest in the round-robin, and his fighting style savage, Cloudhunterâs ferocity met its match in Havering. Cloudhunterâs fierce attacks did little more than nick Havering.
Finally, Havering punched straight through Cloudhunterâs chest, piercing his heart. Cloudhunter conceded defeat.
âThe seventh final round-robin match ends! Ant Havering wins!â Panqiu entered the arena, excited. âAnt Havering has now fought three matches and won all three!â
âHuman Jing Ming has also fought two and won both.â
âDemon Dragonborn Cloudhunter fought three, winning one but losing two.â
âXiao Lilu fought three, winning one but losing two.â
âGray Elf Tribulation Subduer fought three and lost all three.â
Panqiuâs voice rose. âCloudhunter, Lilu, and Tribulation Subduer have no chance of winning first place. They canât match Ant Haveringâs wins.â
âTherefore, the eighth match is also the tournamentâs last. Human Jing Ming versus Ant Havering!â
âWhoever wins becomes this tournamentâs champion!â
Panqiuâs voice echoed through the Myriad Species World livestream.
âŠ
In the Myriad Species World, the Humans and Ants were beside themselves with excitement.
Uncountable Ants were ecstatic, bumping heads and jumping around in jubilation, their attention fixed on their mightiest warriorâHavering.
The jubilation of Humans was no less than that of the Ants.
âOur Lord Jing Ming is gunning to be champion!â
âIn the ultimate round-robin matches, our Lord won both bouts. Once he defeats the Ant, the title is his!â
âWe Humans have a shot at becoming champions of the Myriad Species Tournament?â
The audience from the seven human countries couldnât believe their eyes. This was surrealâa dream come true!
âJust entering the main competition satisfied us, but Lord Jing Ming reached the finals as a Human warrior. If he wins this last match⊠Lord Jing Ming will reign supreme above all species!â
âImpossible. Simply impossible.â
Countless human viewers were on the edge of their seats as they streamed the final match live. A nervous energy filled them with anticipation for what was to come.
âŠ
âLord Jing Ming has finally made it to the end.â In the audience, Yu Yangwei, Shadow, and the portly Fengke struggled with mixed feelings. Against all odds, they had witnessed their friend reach the finals.
âTake this chance. Win, and youâre out of here.â
âJing Ming, we have no hope left. You have to seize this opportunity,â Yu Yangwei and the others thought desperately.
At this moment, the millions of higher-dimensional lifeforms watching the tournament were also conflicted. Envy and resentment warred within them.
After all, either Xu Jingming or Havering would be leaving for good, and most had long given up hope of escape.
âŠ
The tournament host, Panqiu, was also watching the two finalists keenly. After confirming Ant Havering had fully recovered, he announced excitedly, âCompetitors, enter for the final match of the tournament!â
The crowd roared in euphoria.
Amid the anticipation of innumerable lifeforms in the Myriad Species World, two figures emerged in the arena.
Xu Jingming and Havering faced each other from a distance.
Thereâs only one battle left. I have to win this. Havering steeled himself.
Xu Jingming scrutinized his opponent. I must seize this chance. If the tournaments drag on, the super small-species will gain the upper hand. The longer this takes, the more uncertain the outcome! This is when I have the best odds!
Their gazes locked, and their minds and wills clashed. They sensed the otherâs indomitable determination.