“Oh! Look quickly! William, the freeman from Nia Town, has chosen to fight without armor. Let’s cheer for his courage!”
The well-prepared quarterfinal match not only had referees but also several loud-voiced commentators.
At this moment, the opponent spoke in a jester-like, comical tone: “By the gods, I seem to have seen the legendary foolish knight, Shuotage, charging alone at a sea giant!”
Immediately, boos erupted from the arena.
Many citizens shouted angrily, venting their dissatisfaction.
In their eyes, William, without any defense, was no match for Bert. He had made them waste their entrance fees without giving them an exciting match in return.
“Little Bert from the Tar family… I seem to remember him!”
On the stands, Count Lanshan smiled: “It seems to be his lucky day today! He encountered such an opponent.”
“I agree with your view!”
Viscount Garcia smiled as well: “Little Bert’s skills are exceptional among knights. Once he undergoes the knighthood ceremony, he will surely become a truly loyal and brave knight!”
Then, he seemed to notice something and turned to the old man in a robe beside him: “Bishop seems to have a different opinion?”
“Who will gain glory? Only the Lord can decide. We are merely mortals; what can we see?”
The bishop spoke mysteriously, causing Garcia to frown.
Frankly speaking, his vigilance toward the church was even higher than Count Lanshan’s, especially after they had boldly sent Adrian to participate in the tournament!
Viscount Garcia had no doubt that the church had reached certain secret agreements and cooperation with Count Lanshan to jointly resist him.
“A bunch of foolish blue bloods! They don’t even know their true enemy…”
Regarding this, Garcia felt helpless but could only sigh silently without voicing it.
Once spoken aloud, not only would Count Lanshan refuse to believe it, but Garcia had a premonition that things would get even worse.
“Hmm… there are many people around, very lively!”
On the battlefield, Wu Ming rode a black horse, holding a knight’s lance nearly five meters long in his hand.
Unlike the armored knight opposite him, he wore only a simple cloth shirt, his flaxen hair swaying in the wind, presenting quite a striking image that caused many noblewomen to wave their fans more rapidly.
“This isn’t a fool, but someone extremely terrifying!”
The other contestants all wore serious expressions. Adrian stared intently at the center of the square: “Because he has no armor protection, he cannot afford any mistakes. Even a slight scratch from the opponent could cause serious injury!”
“How about we make a bet?”
Beside him, a handsome man smiled: “I bet on William’s victory, one hundred gold ducats!”
“Really? Do you of the Wild Wolf Heart know something about this William, Alfred?”
The seeded competitors immediately began speculating: “Or did you fight him during a mission?”
“It’s starting!”
Without answering, Alfred folded his arms and carefully watched the changes on the square.
“Neigh!”
After circling a few times, the two knights heard the start command from the count’s platform and charged almost simultaneously.
The two steeds seemed to turn into the wind, galloping with their four hooves at an unbelievable speed, leaving afterimages as they were about to collide in the center of the square.
“Now!”
Wu Ming thrust his lance forward. His extraordinary perception allowed him to keenly grasp the lance’s weight, length, and center of gravity, as if it had become an extension of his arm, a part of his body.
In the martial arts of the Shenwu world, this was merely a small technique for weapon use—”uniting man and lance.” Without requiring internal energy, it was quite unique and had been memorized by Wu Ming.
After spending a long time in this world, he had finally managed to partially replicate it.
Swish!
The two horses drew closer, their lances aligned in a straight line.
Bang!
At the moment the two lances made contact, Wu Ming immediately sensed through his lance all the details about his opponent.
Bert’s strength, stamina, and even his center of gravity—all became crystal clear in Wu Ming’s mind.
With a twist of his right hand, the lance carried a strange force, spiraling sideways. Bert gasped in surprise as his lance was deflected, and he himself seemed to lose balance, feeling extremely uncomfortable and unstable.
Then, a sharp pain shot from his lower abdomen, and he flew high into the air before crashing onto the ground.
“What?”
At that moment, things happened too quickly. On the stands, Count Lanshan and Viscount Garcia stood up in astonishment, then rubbed their eyes.
From their memory, the two knights had merely touched lances when Bert’s weapon was knocked aside, and William had sent him flying with a single strike.
“Confirming that Sir Bert is no longer capable of fighting. The winner—William!”
The referee ordered someone to check Bert’s injuries and saw a bloody hole in his lower abdomen. Even his armor could not withstand the piercing power of the lance. Shaking his head, the referee announced loudly.
The stands around the arena fell silent for a moment, then erupted into enthusiastic cheers.
A reversal!
The surging crowd shouted William’s name, completely different from before!
“That last lance!”
Adrian’s expression turned solemn as he recalled William’s seemingly ordinary strike, a cold sweat forming on his forehead.
He couldn’t see the secret behind it but knew that Sir William had mastered a terrifying piercing technique capable of defeating a squire nearly as strong as a full-fledged knight.
Looking at Bert being carried away and hearing the enthusiastic cheers, Wu Ming remained quite calm.
However, seeing Bert’s pitiful state, Wu Ming was momentarily silent.
Since Bert’s strength was not much different from his own, Wu Ming hadn’t held back much. Moreover, the design of the knight’s lance was meant for maximum damage.
Once charging, combined with the lance’s material and the knight’s strength, even knight armor couldn’t stop it!
“Even in my previous life, when street thugs fought with knives, they mostly slashed to injure rather than kill. The most feared were those reckless novices who stabbed at internal organs, making it impossible for even a god to save them!”
Now, in this world where power reigned supreme, wars and knights were all about maximizing damage to the enemy, naturally aiming for the most lethal outcomes.
Seeing how severely Bert was injured, Wu Ming knew that even if he survived, he would never become a knight again, perhaps not even as capable as an ordinary person.
“A formidable fellow. I hope I don’t face him in the second round!”
Alfred smiled elegantly and ordered his two subordinates to prepare his armor for the final fitting: “Of course, you too, honorable Sir Knight of Glory!”
After a quick cleanup on the field, the horn for the second battle had already sounded…
…
“Today’s battles will only determine the top four; tomorrow will be the true championship match!”
Wu Ming, without the hassle of removing armor, relaxed and mingled into the stands, paying attention to Alfred’s match.
This young man had a handsome face somewhat resembling a pretty boy, but his strength was unquestionable. He defeated his opponent almost playfully and finally bowed politely to the noblewomen on the stands, causing those lonely women and love-starved girls to scream excitedly, while earning envious glares from many men.
As for Adrian, he was a true adherent of knightly rules, fitting Wu Ming’s previous life’s image of a knight—rigid, courteous, brave, yet somewhat conservative.
“These two not only have undergone knighthood ceremonies but also possess exceptional skill and experience… even legitimate knights like Takur would suffer defeat!”
Wu Ming thought while walking: “But for me, they pose no significant threat!”
Comprehensive balanced training meant being well-rounded without weaknesses, combined with experiences from several worlds. It would be strange if he were to lose.
Walking down the street, he bought two meat pies. The fragrant flatbreads were topped with savory meat sauce, sprinkled with chopped onions and pepper, making his appetite surge.
Although expensive, Wu Ming immediately bought two and slowly ate them.
The enjoyment in this world, compared to the other worlds he had experienced, was barely better than that of the Japanese-inspired world, indicating how terrible it was.
Perhaps nobles enjoyed unimaginable luxuries, but for him, an ordinary person, certain social restrictions existed that couldn’t be easily overcome with just a few tricks.
“After the tournament, I can bring Beatrice to try these…”
He thought to himself.
Since registering for the tournament, Wu Ming had hidden Beatrice outside the city and left her some dry rations.
He could imagine that the little girl was probably chewing on hard black bread every day, not knowing how much she was complaining about her master.
“Hmm? Someone is following me?”
After turning down several streets, his sharp senses immediately detected the stalker.
Without revealing his awareness, he turned into a dark alley and calmly turned around: “Come out, rat from the sewer. Do you think you can escape the eagle’s eyes?”
“Respected Sir William!”
A figure in a black cloak stepped out, spreading his hands to show he carried no weapons: “I mean no harm, and… alone, how could I possibly challenge one of the top four in the tournament?”
“What do you want?”
Wu Ming’s face remained cold as he directly asked.
“My master wishes to meet you!”
The man came straight to the point: “All Sir needs to do is meet him once. My master is willing to pay one hundred gold ducats for this meeting, or something of equivalent value!”
“Regarding tomorrow’s match?”
Wu Ming said: “Fine! Take me to see him!”
Clearly, the stalker hadn’t expected things to go so smoothly. He hesitated slightly before hastily leading the way ahead.
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