God Of War Dad

“Dana’s teammates and Raymond’s teammates, with expressions of astonishment on their faces, were all deeply shocked by Sean’s performance. They witnessed everything and hesitated to speak when questioned by Dana and Raymond. They began to worry for Dana and Raymond.”

“Dana!” a disciple in the Whitefall camp, a dark energy advanced disciple, gritted his teeth and said, “In just one move, one second, facing Great Ape, Mia Lightning had no power to fight back at all. The fight had already ended before it even began!”

“This Great Ape is very powerful! Based on my observations, Great Ape’s speed is not inferior to yours, and his explosive power is not inferior to Raymond’s. He possesses the advantages of both of you and is truly a rare genius. No wonder he was able to achieve a terrifying result of ninety-nine meters in the one-hundred-meter bamboo forest. With such fame, there are no empty words. With him around, it might be difficult for you and Raymond to take the top spot in the dark energy intermediate stage.”

The disciple spoke highly of Sean, solely based on his brief display just now, already concerned about the leaderboard. One move, one second, was it really that fierce? Dana’s heart skipped a beat, her lips involuntarily twitched slightly. She had guessed that Great Ape was strong and could potentially become her biggest rival in winning the top spot. But she never expected him to be this powerful, faster than her, and more explosive than Raymond.

Speed had always been Dana’s greatest strength. In the world of martial arts, speed surpasses all. She pursued the pinnacle of speed, where at a certain limit, your opponent had no chance to make a move, fate destined only to be passively beaten. As for Raymond, born with divine strength, complemented by Thunderblade, he pursued the dominance of the utmost powerful and the utmost solid. No matter how strong you were, a single punch from him could make you bleed on the spot, robbing you of your fighting capabilities. Before absolute explosive power, any flashy moves were nothing but a joke, unable to withstand a single blow.

However, Sean alone managed to be both fast and powerful. So fast you couldn’t keep up with his rhythm, so powerful you couldn’t withstand his attacks. Facing such an opponent, it was simply devastating. How the hell do you even fight back?

“I understand!” Dana nodded slightly and looked at Sean from afar, her eyes sharp, gritting her teeth as she said, “Although he’s strong, I won’t give up on competing for the top spot because this top spot is very important to me.”

“I can’t afford to lose, I can only win!”

Upon hearing this, the disciple in the Whitefall camp turned solemn. He knew the reasons behind her determination. He sighed and said, “Act according to the situation. The tournament has its rules. Great Ape is arrogant and doesn’t know how to restrain his sharpness, making enemies along the way. In the following rounds, many will target him to prevent him from taking the top spot.”

“Moreover,” he continued, “Dana, don’t forget, he still has to participate in the intermediate stage of the dark energy combat, and Patric Harris holds a grudge against him. He will come forward to challenge him!”

“Maybe,” he added, “he won’t even make it to the finals, or he’ll be defeated in the intermediate stage of the dark energy combat, or even die at the hands of Patric Harris.”

“By then, Dana can reap the benefits!”

Indeed, Sean’s strength was impressive, but the challenges and pressures he would face next were much greater than Dana and Raymond’s. The road ahead was tough, and winning the top spot in one go? Hah! It wasn’t going to be that easy.

“Mmm.” Dana pondered and turned to look at Hendricks Carter, seated in the observation deck. She said softly, “If things really go south, I will consider accepting Lord Carter’s proposal.”

Little did she know, Hendricks Carter had sent someone to approach her last night. His purpose was simple: he hoped Dana would give her all in the first round, finishing the victory in the shortest time possible, at least ranking ahead of Great Ape. Afterwards, Hendricks Carter would arrange for Dana to study in the headquarters and personally mentor her as his direct disciple.

This was clearly cheating-a deal. As the talent who walked ninety-three meters in the one-hundred-meter bamboo forest, the top disciple of the dark energy intermediate stage in the Whitefall branch, Dana had her goals, pride, and bottom line.

So Dana had turned down Hendricks Carter’s proposal last night!

But now, feeling the enormous threat Great Ape posed to her, Dana’s mind began to waver. As she said, she had to compete for the top spot in the dark energy intermediate stage. She couldn’t afford to lose because losing was not an option!

As long as she could win, she was willing to set aside her pride, surpass her limits, and cooperate with Hendricks Carter.

The disciple of the Whitefall branch was stunned and said, “I heard this tournament is related to the selection of the Grand Chancellor. Lord Carter and Lord Pastiff are the most hopeful candidates. Great Ape is from the Plainwater Town branch, so Lord Carter certainly won’t let him take the top spot!”

“Just now,” he continued, “Dana defeated her opponent in four seconds. Normally, she should have been in the top three, but in reality, she’s in fifth place, with three people separating her and Great Ape.”

“The victories of those three individuals are suspicious. According to our collected information, they aren’t particularly strong themselves, and their opponents aren’t particularly weak either. Usually, determining a winner in half a minute is already very difficult.”

“But,” he said, “their opponents seem to be intentionally throwing the match, actively letting them enter the top three.”

“This,” he added, “should also be Lord Carter’s doing. Last night, Lord Carter contacted more than just Dana, but Dana refused, while others agreed.”

He glanced at Hendricks Carter and said sharply, “Lord Carter probably wants to push Great Ape out of the top three, in which case, Great Ape will lose the qualification to participate in the dark energy advanced stage combat. Even if he wins the top spot in the dark energy intermediate stage, it won’t have much impact on the selection of the Grand Chancellor!”

Fifth place? Dana’s face grew uglier. However, with Great Ape obstructing Hendricks Carter’s path and with Hendricks Carter, the representative of the headquarters, handling Great Ape personally, Dana was somewhat relieved.

On the other side, after hearing his teammates’ account of the events, Raymond was equally surprised. He couldn’t help but glance at Sean a few more times. However, when Raymond learned that his five-second result only landed him in seventh place, he glared fiercely at Hendricks Carter from the observation deck and cursed, “This old horse! How shameless and disrespectful!”

Indeed, Hendricks Carter had also approached Raymond last night. Like Dana, Raymond had refused. Unlike Dana, Raymond had no qualms and didn’t need to seize the top spot. He participated in the tournament purely to spar, verify his strength, and shine.

So Raymond’s reaction was starkly different from Dana’s. Upon learning of Hendricks Carter’s actions, he felt nothing but contempt for Hendricks Carter.

“Raymond!” someone whispered beside him. “Great Ape is bold and fearless, blocking Lord Carter’s path and offending His Highness the Crown Prince. It seems inevitable that he’s become a target.”

“In my opinion,” the person continued, “Raymond, why not go with the flow, give Lord Carter some face, accept his favor, and join the headquarters? Once Lord Carter ascends to the position of Grand Chancellor, your future will surely be bright.”

It was clear that Hendricks Carter and Donald Sitwell carried great weight. Coupled with the Harris family’s raging fury, any discerning person would see that it was wise to be on the opposite side of Great Ape. But Raymond wasn’t that kind of shrewd person. He glared at the person next to him, shook his head without a second thought, and grunted, “Push a fart! I disdain to engage in such vile and despicable tricks! To win, I must defeat Great Ape on the combat stage with my head held high!”

Raymond’s temperament and his pursuit of the martial path were akin to the utmost powerful and resolute, unbending and indifferent to life and death. He refused to compromise and scoffed at the underhanded tricks.

On the observation deck, the academy disciples watching could see through the deceit. The Lords and instructors keenly sensed something amiss and made silent speculations. Most chose to remain silent, their understanding unspoken.

“Heh.” Pastiff couldn’t help but snort coldly. He deliberately glanced at Hendricks Carter and said, “The first round of the dark energy intermediate stage combat is truly full of surprises. Several dark horses emerged consecutively, pushing Dana and Raymond out of the top three unexpectedly.”

The tension in the air immediately rose. Even a fool could sense that Pastiff was implying something, pointing directly at Hendricks Carter!

Upon hearing this, Hendricks Carter remained composed and said, “Combat is ever-changing. Until the last moment, no one can predict what will happen. If it’s meant to win, it wins. If it’s meant to lose, it loses. Otherwise, what is the point of the tournament?”

Pastiff smiled and nodded, “Lord Carter makes a valid point. Suddenly having so many dark horses emerge, pushing Dana and Raymond out of the top three, and allowing Great Ape to claim the first place is indeed quite unexpected.”

“Spectacular!” he added. “Truly spectacular!”

With sarcasm in his voice, Hendricks Carter’s expression turned somewhat ugly. He hadn’t expected that his efforts would not only fail to push Sean out of the top three, but also make Sean claim the first place.

“The truly exciting part is yet to come. This is only the first round. Lord Pastiff, please remain calm!” Hendricks Carter retorted.

Obviously, Hendricks Carter had something up his sleeve not just in the dark energy intermediate stage but also in the upcoming dark energy advanced stage combat. He had made his own arrangements and had numerous people on standby. Once they encountered Great Ape, he wanted to see how Great Ape could win in a situation where they were in different stages.

A mere first place in the first round would secure participation in the dark energy advanced stage combat. But you could enter, and I could pull you back.

After nearly twenty minutes, the first round of the dark energy intermediate stage combat finally concluded. Fifty-four branch disciples, including Sean, emerged victorious and proceeded to the second round.

Subsequently, Hendricks Carter stood up slowly and proclaimed, “The third round, the participants of the dark energy advanced stage, take the stage!”

Glancing in Sean’s direction, he gestured, “Great Ape, you can also participate in the dark energy advanced stage combat, provided that you cannot break through to the dark energy advanced stage until the dark energy intermediate stage combat concludes completely.”

“Otherwise, your dark energy intermediate stage results will be invalidated!”