Whoo! Whoo!
The green gale built up to a howling frenzy, and even those behind the screen of light could not suppress an involuntary shudder.
All eyes were on the youngsters in front as they were swallowed up in the tempest.
Zhu Xuan’s own fiery-red resonant power flared to life, flickering against the impact of the wind.
Lower eighth-grade fire resonance.
The captain of the strongest Two Star Hall team. Zhu Xuan’s strength and potential were beyond doubt.
Indeed, he stood tall with confidence.
Behind him, Ye Qiuding, Mo Ling, Duze Beixuan, Wang Hejiu, and the others followed suit, their own resonant powers braced and ready for the onslaught of the Green Alioth.
Shoosh!
In the instant that the Green Alioth swept over them, they cringed in fear. The Green Alioth had some sort of penetrating power, breezing past their defenses to attack their bodies directly.
Shing!
Soon, all of their flesh was ripped and tattered, glistening with gashes that dripped with blood.
The Green Alioth was much stronger than they had anticipated.
But no one budged an inch. Everyone here was strong, and not the kind who would give up at the first sign of trouble.
Li Luo looked at the wounds barely covered by his tattered clothing with mild interest.
“Quite a stiff breeze,” he mumbled to himself.
Yu Hongxi’s Green Alioth was many levels weaker than the real deal, but it was still enough to shred their resonant power defenses.
And this was just the beginning.
Whoo!
The green wind came at them relentlessly, blowing through every crack in their defenses to eat at their flesh.
At the start, everyone held on fine, but as time wore on, more and more pained faces could be seen.
Everyone was bleeding freely now, flecks of blood vanishing into the winds.
Some feet were wavering, steadily being forced back by the Green Alioth.
If they were pushed out of the light screen, they would be considered eliminated.
The stronger ones, like Zhu Xuan and Ye Qiuding, stood at the front, their strength advantage allowing them to anchor themselves firmly.
The second-tier Resonant Masters were slipping backwards.
Li Luo as well.
He saw that Duze Beixuan and Wang Hejiu were a step ahead of him, both bleeding freely and slipping backwards as well.
“Li Luo! Looks like you’re going to be eliminated first!” Duze Beixuan shouted through gritted teeth.
Li Luo was speechless. “Damn, you’re getting wrecked yourself. Do you have no shame?”
He ignored them, looking ahead to where Qin Zhulu was still standing his ground. However, his wounds were fairly horrendous.
His upper eighth-grade Snarling Golden Demon Tiger resonance had the notable resilience of all beast resonances, which was the main reason why he could hold on.
There were not more than five people who could still hold their ground here.
Outside the light screen, Jiang Qing’e was watching Li Luo intently as he was forced back step by step. “The disadvantage in cultivation level is clear,” the First Princess said softly.
This might not be a head-to-head fight, but Zhu Xuan and the others had a clear advantage still.
“It’s still too early to say,” Jiang Qing’e replied.
The First Princess laughed softly, her red phoenix-eyes on Li Luo. “What trump card does he have now? You make me curious…”
Jiang Qing’e smiled. The First Princess was an astute woman, to glean so much from her simple reply.
On stage, Lu Qing’er was watching Li Luo with her heart in her throat as well. Each time he was forced back a step, she trembled in fear. And seeing his skin torn to shreds, she could not help but worry even though she knew they were just superficial wounds.
At the same time, she was thinking that if Li Luo really couldn’t get a Golden Dragon Secret Key here, she would think of another way to secure him one…
Only high-level associates at the Golden Dragon Bank could get the keys. She was already assessing which would be easiest to target…
Li Luo was starting to feel his limit approaching. He took a deep breath and waited no more.
“Unyielding Form!”
With a low but firm growl, he activated both resonance seeds within him, and his resonant power kicked in, blue and green mixing within him.
Warm healing power bubbled out of him, washing across his entire body in a flush of power that faded away with his wounds. He began to heal at a supernatural pace.
By the time the Green Alioth left the finishing taper of a scar on his skin, the opening end had already begun to heal.
Li Luo’s backwards movement stopped. And incredibly, he took a step forward.
“Eh?”
The crowd noticed it immediately, the only salmon moving upriver against the raging rapids. Moreover, it was the first-tier Resonant Master Li Luo.
Some of the second-tier challengers had already been forced out.
Li Luo brushed aside the droplets of blood forming on his cheeks as he braved the wind, taking step after steady step forward. He moved past a dumbstruck Duze Beixuan and Wang Hejiu.
“Impossible!” they whispered hoarsely. Li Luo was weaker than them. Surely dual resonances were not enough to overcome the Green Alioth, right?
Li Luo had no attention to spare them. He plodded on, step after step, until he passed Qin Zhulu.
Qin Zhulu followed his advance with a hungry look. He licked his lips… This Li Luo was always a surprise.
He wanted to go some hard and heavy rounds with him, to test the power of the dual resonances for himself.
Qin Zhulu gritted his teeth, and dug deeper. The roar of a tiger rumbled from his throat, and a golden tiger shimmered into view superimposed on his body.
Green Alioth fought Golden Tiger in a shower of sparks.
Qin Zhulu stood firm.
Li Luo halted right beside him, no longer moving forward. He could sense that the green light from Yu Hongxi’s bottle was intensifying, charging up for an even more savage attack.
The outcome of the Golden Dragon Secret Key would depend on this next wave…