The Seven-Second Limit, Bai Cangshu’s Ambition

The enormous White Jade Arena reeked of bloody aura. Unknown creatures had left behind flesh and blood, filling the place with a foul stench. Zange, lean and gaunt, landed within the arena and suddenly felt an oppressive force appear out of nowhere.

You are under the gaze of the Gods. You will suffer additional pressure. For every minute you remain in the arena, the pressure you endure will increase significantly.

Zange rolled his neck. This pressure was more all-encompassing than gravity; it weighed not only upon his body and internal organs, but also increasingly burdened his mind.

He looked up at the many candidates seated around the arena. There were far more people qualified to compete for the Crown of Supremacy in the physique domain than he had imagined.

But more importantly… he looked at those enormous beings above. Every one of them had their eyes open, staring at him with strange expressions.

They seemed immensely excited.

Creak, creak. Beneath those gazes, the pressure on his muscles began to increase.

So these things really were so-called gods…

Could the Space really accomplish something like this…

He had chosen to be the first to enter not out of pride, but because his mind worked extremely fast. Pushing up his glasses, he recalled that in the real world, he was a Biology Doctor employed at an advanced research institute in the Free Federation.

To him, ordinary people’s thought processes were riddled with flaws. They could not even grasp the Space’s rules at first glance.

The rules for this battle over the Crown of Supremacy looked complicated, but were actually quite simple.

It was an asymmetric battle of one against twenty-three, or perhaps even more. After each candidate for supremacy entered the arena, the other candidates could choose to challenge them.

Whoever remained in the White Jade Arena the longest before being defeated would gain the qualification to summon the Crown of Supremacy!

While everyone else was still wary and doubtful due to their lack of information about one another, he had already been the first to enter.

That way, the time everyone spent hesitating and testing each other at the start would become time for him to successfully defend the arena.

Even if their strengths were close, this advantage alone would be enough to eliminate many of his competitors among the twenty-four.

"The brain is part of one’s physique too~"

Thud.

A crisp landing sound interrupted Zange’s thoughts. He raised his head and saw an ugly scarlet face, long hair that was half black and half white, and a tall, slender figure. After landing on one foot, the man seemed poised to float into the air at any moment.

A Martial Artist who had entered the My Style Realm, along with that Avatar form… this guy was…

Mercenary Tao!

Boom!

The air shattered instantly. The space and distance between them vanished in a moment. Zange’s thin, fleshless face was buffeted by fierce currents of air as a fist arrived before him.

Crack! The instant the airflow shattered Zange’s glasses, Mercenary Tao’s punch seemed to stimulate him, and the muscles throughout his body swelled explosively.

Red flesh and white mist like steam erupted from his body as he collided head-on in an instant.

The Abomination’s special bloodline, strengthened by Gamma Ray Mutation from the Marvel World, appeared with a roar. One hand grabbed at Mercenary Tao’s incoming left arm as his body abruptly expanded to nearly three meters tall.

"Ha!"

Boom!

Before Zange’s boundless fury could erupt, his vision went white. A terrifying sonic boom instantly destroyed his eardrums and cranial nerves, while a powerful electric current pierced his body.

The explosion went off almost directly against his face. Half his face and his chest were blown apart together. Amid blue-white lightning, the subconsciousness forcibly implanted through hypnosis in his mind began to function. His fury intensified as his body rapidly regenerated.

The angrier he became, the stronger he grew. The angrier he became, the faster he regenerated. It was a bloodline with enormous potential.

"Even if Mercenary Tao truly is as terrifying as the rumors say, he can’t kill me with my bloodline…"

The instant that thought surfaced, he suddenly heard a crashing sound. In that instant, an Illusory Gate seemed to appear before Zange’s eyes.

Then his newly regenerated body was blown apart by a black fist.

Bang—splat!

The upper body of the red giant, over three meters tall, was sent flying outright. Amid white Ripples bursting from the sonic boom, half his body struck the White Jade Arena’s wall with a splat and exploded.

Blood sprayed outward in every direction for nearly a hundred meters.

The people seated closest wiped the flesh and blood from their faces, frowning.

Looking back into the arena, the person who had killed Zange with that savage punch had already flipped backward and returned to his seat.

Time occupying the White Jade Arena: 7S

Current ranking: First

Zange froze, discovering that he had returned to his seat. He instinctively touched his body. It had already fully recovered.

He had participated in the previous cycle’s title competition as well, but he had never been directly killed during this event.

The sensation of being killed had been far too real. Recalling that overwhelming attack from just moments ago, he had only lasted seven seconds?!

And that was after he had entered early and gained several seconds of advantage.

In other words, on a real battlefield, Mercenary Tao would only need a few seconds to instantly kill him?!

Zange clenched his right fist. He knew his combat awareness was not particularly good. Although he had acquired a bloodline that combined strength and physique, he had only received an invitation for the physique-side Crown of Supremacy.

But… how could the gap be so enormous?

Bai Cangshu sat down with a smile, ignoring the gazes of the candidates. Beneath his trench coat, the Kirin Armor slowly receded.

About seven seconds. He calculated in his mind how long that candidate had survived. After seeing the rules, he had spent a few seconds thinking.

It was not because he did not understand the Space’s rules. On the contrary, because he knew how flexible those rules could be, he had already been considering whether this "arena defense" system contained some kind of bug.

Clearly, there was a flaw in these rules. It was only because the participants were all top-tier Reincarnators renowned for their physique, defense, immunities, and vitality that the Space had likely allowed such loophole-ridden rules to exist.

If survival time alone was used as the standard to measure strength, what if everyone else’s survival time was terrifyingly short?

If… he were the only one left standing in the White Jade Arena, then how many people would the final Crown of Supremacy choose?

Bai Cangshu’s smile turned dangerous. Supporting himself against the chair on his right with one hand, he waited for the next candidate to enter.

"So that’s the newly risen monster from the East District… Mercenary Tao?"

A brown-skinned woman sat in a chair directly to the south, her gaze directed toward Bai Cangshu.

The strength Bai Cangshu had just displayed had caught the attention of even her, Abyssal Immortality, the previous physique-domain Supreme Expert.

The woman beside her had white hair and an extraordinarily voluptuous body. Clothing made from white strips of cloth and golden rings barely covered her figure.

As the district with the fewest Supreme Experts, the South District had two physique-domain supreme experts. Aiva was also a physique supreme expert from the previous cycle and the holder of the Eternal Tree.

Her relationship with the brown-skinned Itzpapalotl could not be called good. Each led one of the South District’s two largest gatherings. As the publicly weakest district, however, the Reincarnators of the South District were quite scattered and free-spirited.

But regardless of their usual relationship, as Reincarnators from the same district, they began exchanging information now.

"A Martial Artist of the My Style Realm, massive attributes granted by Scarlet Great Sin, and likely the effects gained from multiple attributes breaking past their limits as well. His total attributes are probably quite a bit higher than ours…"

Efficiency was something High-tier Reincarnators easily overlooked. For Reincarnators focused on a single attribute, it was an extraordinary trait acquired when breaking past the limit and crossing the First Tier.

It could greatly increase the efficiency with which they utilized their specialized attribute, producing a multiplicative effect.

But if someone crossed the limit in multiple attributes, something extremely rare, it meant they possessed multiple efficiencies capable of multiplying several attributes.

Once all kinds of high-tier abilities began appearing in the later stages, the resulting gap would become incredibly frightening.

Aiva did not intend to enter immediately. She wanted to keep watching.

The crowd engaged in scattered exchanges. Bai Cangshu merely tilted his head and watched. After a while, whether someone acted voluntarily or because no one was willing to enter, the Space forcibly sent someone down.

Another candidate fell into the White Jade Arena.

This was a Reincarnator whose Avatar had an Eastern face. He wore a red jacket, and his platinum-white hair stood upright in sharp spikes.

The moment he landed, azure flames ignited across his body. Fire burned atop his head and around his limbs. More noticeably, flames were also burning behind his head.

"His Excellency Mercenary Tao, as fellow Reincarnators of the East District, I hope you can show me some respect. I…"

Whoosh—bang!

By now, nearly all the candidates understood the rules of this selection. No one would wait for him to finish his nonsense. A laser beam fired from midair and instantly struck the East District Reincarnator.

His body staggered, but his defenses were not breached.

Wu Sang was attacked, yet instead of being alarmed, he was delighted. The one entering was not that monster Mercenary Tao, nor was it a former Supreme Expert.

That meant he could definitely hold on for another round.

Cry—

As his thoughts raced, he spread both hands, which transformed into wings. Regenerating Flame ignited, and he flew upward as the flames behind his head burned even brighter.

The purity of the Lunarian Race bloodline he had acquired was not high enough, but it still granted formidable defense. Combined with the Phoenix Mythical Zoan Type Devil Fruit, his survival ability was terrifying.

As Wu Sang flew into the air, he saw the newcomer descending from above while carrying an extremely futuristic ray gun.

Wu Sang recognized the man as most likely the Skywalker from the West District. His codename was Skywalker, yet he had chosen to enhance himself with a body made of Liquid Metal. He was the type who had completely abandoned the human body for mechanical modification.

Only part of his brain remained.

Screech!

A thunderclap exploded, and Wu Sang froze.

Turning back in midair, he saw only a pitch-black fist appear out of nowhere before him. Behind that fist, half-black, half-white hair fluttered wildly.

"Time’s up!"

Then Wu Sang felt as though that fist occupied the entire world. He could no longer see the gods above the arena, able only to watch the fist swing slowly forward as black lightning from it pierced through his body.

Conqueror’s Haki Infusion…

Bang!

A black flash exploded. The next moment, the White Jade Arena shook violently as flesh and blood once more burst outward in every direction.

Bai Cangshu held himself suspended in midair. The Sky Dancing Technique meant he never needed to land.

He did not even glance at the person who had just descended from the air, the man who had turned himself into a Liquid Metal robot.

Someone like that, having given up the potential of a human body, would probably be quite powerful in the early stages. If he acquired more advanced technological body enhancements later, he might have a decent future as well.

But at this particular point in time, he was undoubtedly weak—extremely weak!

Time occupying the White Jade Arena: 7S

Current ranking: First (tied)

"Mercenary Tao, you?!"

"How can you enter at the same time?!"

Wu Sang was still shaken after reviving. He instinctively questioned Mercenary Tao beside him, then changed his tone after the first sentence.

He had originally wanted to ask why Mercenary Tao had not given him a few more seconds of arena defense for the sake of their shared East District affiliation. That way, the East District might have had a chance to gain another Supreme Expert slot.

But after seeing Mercenary Tao’s eyes, he remembered that this man was not some agreeable fellow who cared about the "bigger picture."

Sensing the emotions of someone like him made Bai Cangshu feel so disgusted that he nearly wanted to vomit.

Even though Wu Sang had acquired a decent Devil Fruit and a decent bloodline, he had no talent whatsoever. He was even worse than the two people Bai Cangshu had encountered during the hidden title competition.

"This boring amusement should be about over, shouldn’t it? The ones who truly have strength~"

Bai Cangshu looked directly toward the South District. He knew that two physique-side Supreme Experts from the previous cycle were in the South District.

His qi clung tightly to the surface of his body, ready to erupt at any moment.

Suddenly, a notification appeared before Bai Cangshu.

Candidate EX051, please enter the White Jade Arena.

The corner of his mouth paused, then split into a grin.

That worked too~

Bai Cangshu rose to his feet. At this moment, everyone was watching him.

Everyone had heard of the East District’s newly risen monster, though they had yet to truly fight one another.

But clearly, ordinary top-tier Reincarnators were no longer capable of withstanding even a single exchange against this man.

The disparity was astonishingly vast.

Compared to the other Reincarnators who specialized purely in defense, Mercenary Tao’s "offensiveness" was incredibly frightening.

It was as though this man intended to throw the entire contest into chaos, brazenly provoking everyone.

Bai Cangshu took a step forward, then leaped down from the viewing platform dozens of meters high.

Bang!

A ring of smoke spread outward as Bai Cangshu landed within the White Jade Arena.

Countless gazes fell upon him at once.

You are under the gaze of the Gods. You will suffer additional pressure. For every minute you remain in the arena, the pressure you endure will increase significantly.

Bai Cangshu seemed to feel nothing. Fine scales rose from his skin as crimson flames began to ignite on their own.

His attributes climbed bit by bit, and his aura rose with them.

Bai Cangshu faced the many candidates, who now understood that this so-called "arena defense" was not a one-on-one, turn-based rule.

He beckoned with both hands.

"Come on. Defeat me, or else… there may not be a second Crown of Supremacy today."

In an instant, several figures sprang to their feet. After exchanging glances, they descended together.

But before they could land, golden qi surged into the sky.

Kaio-ken!