Chapter 120
Jonathan''s eyes darkened. He had always known how cruel life and death could be and that there was
no mercy in the ring.
“What now, Hector? Will you continue with the Golden Sword Tournament?” he finally asked.
“Of course,” Hector replied with a firm determination. “Now that Stephen''s gone, it''s up to me to see it
to the end.”
That, without a doubt, was the attitude of all martial artists. Despite knowing there was danger ahead,
they''d still walk into it fearlessly.
After all, how could one seed if one was afraid of the obstacles along the way?
Take big movie stars, for example. It was easy to judge them by the cover, but how many people
actually knew the efforts they had put in or the sacrifices they had to make to advance their careers?
Nearly all extraordinary aplishments began by oveing a series of challenges, and the world
of martial arts was no exception.
Jonathan, too, had gone through a lot to achieve the level of cultivation he had that day.
He started training intensively since young, and there was once his master made him lie motionless in
the snow for three days straight. It was so cold that he almost froze to death!
However, it was also because of the rigorous training that Jonathan became tough as nails.
After that, his master shipped him off to Smend, where he had to fight for his life on the battlefield.
Jonathan ended up killing so many people that he would have nightmares about it, and after a while, he
lost count of the number of times he had gotten injured or narrowly escaped death.
No matter how terrible the experiences were, they had all yed a part in molding Jonathan into the
man he was at that moment. In fact, one could even say they were gifts of fate.
After bidding farewell to Hector, Jonathan and Polly took the elevator and returned to their respective
rooms.
Once he was back, Jonathan promptly stripped his clothes off so he could jump into the shower.
He was bone-tired, and there was nothing he wanted more than a warm shower and a good sleep to
prepare himself for the next day.
All of a sudden, the sound of a woman coughing rang out.
Jonathan was so startled that he turned his head around immediately, only to see a beautiful woman
sitting on the couch.
She exuded an air of elegant sophistication in her ck dress, and to Jonathan''s horror, he realized
she was none other than Mabel Sandler.
Even though he was stunned, Jonathan quickly put his clothes back on and approached her. “Must you
sneak around like a ghost?” he grumbled. “You could''ve made some noise earlier.”
Mabel rolled her eyes at Jonathan as a smile crept across her face. “Hey, it''s not my fault that you
aren''t vignt enough. I''ve been sitting here all this time, yet you couldn''t sense my presence.”
“What the heck? You''re a Nascent Soul expert who can blend your spirit into the surroundings. How
was I supposed to know?” Jonathan retorted. “What brings you here, anyway? Did something
happen?”
Mabel''s expression turned solemn almost immediately. “Take a seat first, and I''ll fill you in.”
Sensing that something was amiss, Jonathan did as instructed. As soon as he sat down, he found
himself beingforted by Mabel''s pleasant scent. Her dress was rather low-cut, and the hint of
cleavage would usually make anyone''s mind wander. This time, however, Jonathan harbored no such
lewd thoughts.
“The truth is, I was the one who arranged for you to fight with Skyler today,” Mabel said gravely.
“Well, I guessed as much.”
“We were only carrying out surveince previously, and since there didn''t seem to be any problems, we
let Strikezone Martial Arts control the system. Unfortunately, our involvement led to us getting exposed
because Strikezone Martial Arts had also hired a group of powerful hackers.”
Jonathan furrowed his brows. “Really? Are they even more powerful than you and your team?”
“Thankfully, no. The problem is, we fought each other so hard that we fried the system. Even as we
speak, both our parties are still trying to find a way to hack back into it,” she replied. “In other words,
the Golden Sword Tournament will be fair y starting tomorrow. No one will be able to manipte the
system, which means all pairings will get chosen at random.”
Jonathan touched his nose and chuckled bitterly. “Well, well, well. It looks like the tournament is getting
even more interesting.”
“My sentiments exactly,” Mabel chimed in. “If we''re relying purely on luck, I have no doubt you''d have
the upper hand. After all, you''re the Chosen One, so what do you have to fear?”
“I may not have anything to fear, but it''s still hard to guard against sneak attacks. It''d be better to err on
the side of caution. By the way, are you sure those from Strikezone Martial Arts won''t find you guys?”
Mabel scoffed, “So what if they do? I''m sure they won''t have the guts to do anything to us. Come on,
don''t forget who we are. If those punks dare attack the Department of National Security, they must be
tired of living. Just because the country tolerates them doesn''t mean they can disrespect it.”
The more Jonathan thought about it, the more relieved he felt. Mabel''s right. There''s nothing to worry
about.
“Well, that''s all I came to talk to you about,” Mabel said as she stood up. “I shall take my leave now!”
“Thank you,” Jonathan replied with the utmost sincerity.
“Oh, I watched the tournament today and saw you spar off with Skyler,” Mabel suddenly remarked
when she got to the door. “I finally understand why you were picked to be the Chosen One despite your
mediocre skills.”
Jonathan rolled his eyes in frustration. “Goodness, is that supposed to be apliment? Because I
don''t feel good hearing it at all. Tell me, in what way am I mediocre?”
For someone who had always been very proud of his skills, Mabel''s words felt like a p in the face for
Jonathan.
Upon seeing his reaction, Mabel couldn''t help but burst intoughter. “Okay, okay, I shouldn''t have said
that. When ites to you and your peers, I must admit you''re very outstanding. If you had put more
work into it, you might have be a Nascent Soul expert by now.”
Naturally, Jonathan understood what she meant. He hadn''t been able to find his Destino Art, which
meant he couldn''t advance any further than his current Peak Neutralizing Force level.
With Mabel finally gone, Jonathan was only too happy to take his long-awaited shower.
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This time around, he felt a lot more rxed. Without the hackers messing with the system, everything
at the Golden Sword Tournament would now follow the Heavenly Law. He might even be able to
achieve a breakthrough and reach the Nascent Soul level.
Previously, Jonathan had to enlist Mabel''s help because his enemy had made the first move and set a
trap for him. If he hadn''t fought back, he''d have ended up dead.
The Heavenly Law was as ethereal as it sounded, and Jonathan was excited to see how it''d affect the
tournament from here on out.
That night, Jonathan slept very well.
In fact, he had always been able to sleep soundly at night because his conscience was clear.
The next day, the tournament continued.
Jonathan and Hector met up before heading to the Golden Sword Tournament venue together.
By noon, everyone had taken their ces.
The audience was already seated in the stadium, and from a distance, they were like a sea of
darkness.
The stage, however, was brightly lit, turning the ring into a dazzling showstopper.
Once again, the screen started to flicker wildly.
Everyone, including Jonathan, had their eyes glued to the screen as they awaited the result. Oh, how
exciting! Now that the hackers are gone, I wonder who''d be picked by the hands of destiny.
Just then, the screen disyed the names of Braxton Sable and Harvey Laban.
Harvey might only be thirty-two years old, but he was one of Faike''s experts and also the top fighter
in his age group.
Braxton, dressed impably in white, began walking toward the ring.
Harvey, who was in an eye-catching red tracksuit, did the same.
There was never any doubt that Harvey was a good-looking guy, but with Braxton around, the former
paled inparison. It wouldn''t even be an exaggeration to say that Braxton''s beauty was out of this
world, with men fawning over him just like women would.
At that moment, Braxton had a nk expression on his face.
He was calm and quiet, as though Skyler''s death hadn''t affected him one bit.
Right then, the bell rang.
Having felt Braxton''s overwhelming aura, Harvey instantly made his move.
He flew toward Braxton like a ming arrow from a bow and unleashed a powerful palm strike on him.
Harvey was well-versed in the Octagram Palm Strike, and every attack contained an immense amount
of spiral force.
Braxton''s eyes glinted, and in just a split second, he seemed to have transformed into a different
person.
Braxton barely flinched as he used Tyrant''s Might to deflect Harvey''s attack. At the same time, he
brought one leg up and kneed thetter in the groin.
Harvey was startled. Even though it was only a brief exchange, he had already been caught off guard
by Braxton''s counterattack.
In any fight, it was always important to gain the upper hand.
However, Harvey had been forced to retreat, thus causing him to lose his initial advantage. As soon as
Harvey staggered backward, Braxton stepped into him and aimed a punch at his chest.
Harvey decided to copy one of Braxton''s previous moves and quickly defended himself with Heart
Defense Technique.
To his surprise, Braxton''s fist suddenly shifted and flew toward his throat instead.
As it turned out, Braxton''s punch evolved from the technique of the spears and was just as fast and
deadly as one.
Harvey was shocked and once again retreated.
s, Braxton swiftly unleashed the Scorpion Attack to hook Harvey''s leg, causing thetter to lose
bnce and fall.
A cold glint shed in Braxton''s eyes, and the next moment, he punched Harvey right on the neck.
Crunch!
Harvey''s head snapped off, and blood spurted everywhere.
Needless to say, the scene was extremely gory.
Jessica, Yasmin, and Amber turned pale instantly as they watched the bloodbath in front of them.
Many in the audience couldn''t stand the sight of it either and began throwing up.
Even as an unpleasant odor permeated the stadium, Braxton remained unfazed with a soft, almost
gentle look.
A few secondster, he stepped calmly off the stage and returned to his seat.
It was there and then that everyone finally realized Braxton''s true capabilities. He was just as ruthless
as Skyler, and right now, he was on a path of revenge.