C20 Explosive Art

Lin Hann didn't bother with any more idle chatter. Judging by his demeanor, he was set on breaking through the siege to rescue Qi Xiaosheng.

The assailants were clearly no amateurs. Five of them stayed behind to chip away at Qi Xiaosheng's defenses while the rest advanced in a coordinated assault toward Lin Hann.

With a hearty laugh, Lin Hann stood his ground against the dozen attackers. Crossing his hands, he conjured a series of water arrows that shot toward the crowd at breakneck speed. Despite their velocity, the arrows missed their targets as each attacker deftly dodged, showcasing their individual talents, and continued their onslaught on Lin Hann.

Amidst the barrage of incoming figures and abilities, Lin Hann remained composed as he activated his wristwatch. A golden protective shield enveloped him, warding off the attacks. The appearance of the shield halted the assault, signaling Lin Hann's disqualification and elimination. The crowd was left in a state of confusion. What was the point of his dramatic entrance if he was going to be ousted so effortlessly? What exactly was he trying to prove?

Encased within the protective shield, Lin Hann began to drift upward, awaiting the arrival of the rescue team to escort him away. Unbeknownst to the onlookers, Lin Hann's gaze had turned vacant, as if his soul had departed.

Despite the distaste the incident stirred, it allowed the focus to return to Qi Xiaosheng. Soon enough, he too reached his limit. Activating his watch, a golden shield materialized, and he ascended skyward.

Meanwhile, Liu Tianqi had vanished from his secluded spot in the crowd. While Lin Hann and Qi Xiaosheng faced their attackers, he had discreetly located Qiu Ziang and Sun Xiuxiu and slipped away with them.

Shortly after Liu Tianqi's departure, Qi Xiaosheng's resistance crumbled. As the crowd was about to revel in their retribution, an enraged bellow cut through the cheers.

"How could you eliminate my Mr. Ye and Mr. Qi?! How dare you! My brothers, I apologize for my tardiness; I let these conspirators triumph!"

The onlookers watched the solitary figure's dramatic display, his cries of anguish and gestures of despair, and for a moment, they questioned their actions. But the man paid them no heed and continued his tirade, "Fine! Since you've eliminated my brothers, I, Liu Tianqi, will certainly not let this slide! You ragtag bunch are nothing to me, Liu Tianqi!"

Everyone felt as if they had been trampled by a stampede of alpacas in their hearts. What kind of day was this? First, a foolhardy individual took on everyone single-handedly, and now a madman was spouting wild claims. They were exhausted. What in the world was happening?

The man who introduced himself as Liu Tianqi was clearly lost in his own fantasy. He let out a roar and declared, "I had planned to take my time with you, but now that you're all here, it's the perfect opportunity to put the Liu family's preparations to good use. Today, I will capture all of you in one fell swoop!"

Upon hearing Liu Tianqi's words, everyone present erupted into laughter. Liu Tianqi had clearly lost his mind. The majority of the remaining participants from the assessment were gathered here, and no one would dare to make such a bold claim, let alone wipe out so many of them at once.

Zhang Qi couldn't help but taunt, "Liu Tianqi, your Liu family may have clout in the capital, but against so many of us, you can't possibly cover the sky with one hand. I'm eager to see how you plan to ensnare us all at once."

Liu Tianqi responded with a slight smirk and closed his eyes, his hands outstretched. In a soft voice, he mused, "Explosions are an art form. Now, let's all appreciate the beauty of this explosive art together!" With that, he placed his left hand behind his back and his right hand over his chest, bowing respectfully to the crowd.

As confusion reigned among the onlookers, a massive explosion suddenly erupted at their location. Some blasts were two to three times more powerful than others. In moments, flames of all sizes burst forth in a spectacular display.

Golden protective domes then emerged amidst the flames as the wristwatches on their hands were involuntarily activated. In an astonishing turn of events, everyone present was eliminated at the mere utterance of Liu Tianqi's words!

With a serene demeanor, Liu Tianqi turned his back to the skyward crowd, waved casually, and strolled out of the valley with an air of nonchalance.

Once he was away from the scene, Liu Tianqi gradually morphed into Lin Hann. "I'm truly a clever little genius," Lin Hann hummed to himself, reveling in the success of his flawless scheme.

Lin Hann and Liu Tianqi had both understood that Qi Xiaosheng's elimination was inevitable upon their arrival at the valley. Some astute individuals might have suspected that Qi Xiaosheng wasn't the 'Staggering Blow Mad Devil,' but they wouldn't pass up the chance to eliminate him. Aware that Liu Tianqi had written off Qi Xiaosheng, Lin Hann improvised a new strategy. Initially, he intended to use Qi Xiaosheng to reveal to Liu Tianqi that the Lau family was orchestrating everything from the shadows, hoping to incite conflict between Liu Tianqi and the Lau family. However, with Qi Xiaosheng's elimination imminent, Lin Hann had to pivot and quickly devised an even better plan.

First, Lin Hann utilized a Doppelganger ability he had copied from an unfortunate individual, expending one-tenth of his Spiritual Energy to create a duplicate of himself. He then applied a layer of 'Disguise' to the clone. The strength of a clone produced by the Doppelganger is directly proportional to the amount of Spiritual Energy used, but it can never exceed the user's own strength. Additionally, the user must control it, which is why this ability is often considered quite limited, typically used for scouting dangerous areas or gauging an enemy's power. The Disguise ability allows one to alter their appearance and aura. Lin Hann's clone, once disguised, would be difficult to discern unless someone was paying close attention.

Next, he slipped into Liu Tianqi's shadow to manipulate his clone's actions. As the clone confronted the crowd with righteous indignation, Lin Hann deftly shifted his position within the shadows, secretly placing Fire Talismans on each person. Most received one, some two, and a few, whom he observed to have formidable defenses, were given up to three.

Liu Tianqi's act of escorting Qiu Ziang and Sun Xiuxiu away did not escape Lin Hann's notice. He chose not to expose them, deliberately allowing the trio to escape.

Following the elimination of both Lin Hann's clone and Qi Xiaosheng, Lin Hann emerged disguised as Liu Tianqi.

Given the precedent set by the clone and Lin Hann's over-the-top antics, no one paid much heed to this member of the Liu family, dismissing him as yet another fool. As their guard dropped, and they watched 'Liu Tianqi' bowing like a clown, Lin Hann triggered the Fire Talismans. Explosions rang out, leaving everyone severely wounded and activating their wristwatches' elimination feature.

Lin Hann was aware that his words had previously fallen on deaf ears. Now, after their elimination, the focus would inevitably shift to Liu Tianqi and the Liu family backing him. He had inadvertently set a trap for the Liu family, and this put Lin Hann in quite a good mood.