Chapter 120: Short in Stature, Great in Ability

The medical team swept across the circular platform like a gust of wind, carrying away the tall woman. Shi Tiexin’s gaze followed them closely; he noticed that even in her unconscious state, the woman was subconsciously clutching her throat, her expression twisted in agony.

A shattered throat in a single strike?

How cunning, how ruthless—truly formidable.

Shi Tiexin made an instant decision: since he could not keep track of everyone, he would ignore the others and focus solely on the petite fighter.

Other mystic realms had not yet finished their bouts, granting the petite fighter a relatively long window to rest and recover. Shi Tiexin watched her intently, observing that the six-colored light layer covering her body was not unscathed; in particular, there were visible cracks along the light layer atop her head. However, as she adjusted her breathing, the fissures began to mend.

Shi Tiexin understood: battling within the light layer consumed spiritual essence, and one’s total reserve of this essence determined the layer’s regenerative power and endurance.

The petite girl quickly smoothed out the cracks. Her small face looked somewhat pale, but it soon regained its flush, suggesting the exertion was manageable. By the time she opened her eyes and stood up, all the duels within the literary heart mystic realms had concluded.

"Losers exit, winners continue."

Scholar Longtu allowed no time for rest. With another thunderous shout of "Merge!", the remaining thirty-two mystic realms began to fuse in pairs at random.

Sixteen realms, sixteen pairs of opponents. Some were panting, others calm and composed. A chill ran through Shi Tiexin; this was an all-encompassing, high-pressure test of strength, stamina, tactics, and luck. The stronger one was, the more time they could save and the more they could recover. The weaker one, however, would find themselves sinking into an inescapable deficit, ultimately leading to defeat.

The top three selected from such a trial were undoubtedly no weaklings.

This time, the petite girl’s opponent was a man six feet tall, his six-colored light layer perfectly intact.

Shi Tiexin’s pupils contracted. Was this man that strong? No, upon closer recollection, he was one of the few who had received a bye in the first round, granting him both a pristine state and the longest time to rest.

It seemed the petite girl’s luck was truly poor.

Yet, the petite girl’s momentum remained entirely undeterred. Her eyes flared with a fierce, ruthless intensity.

"Ready—Begin!"

At Scholar Longtu’s command, the petite girl sprang from her feet, darting forward like a streak of light.

She was fast!

Shi Tiexin stared, eyes wide. Whether it was because her small stature and light mass granted her greater acceleration for the same output, she surged toward the man like a swift gale. The man, not slow himself, adopted a fighting stance unknown to Shi Tiexin and threw a downward punch aimed directly at her forehead.

But Shi Tiexin gasped—the petite girl didn't dodge, weave, or change her move. She simply tilted her head and met the fist with a violent headbutt!

With a loud *bang*, the light layer on her forehead shattered, but the girl used the momentum to accelerate further. By trading the headbutt for the surprise of a split-second, she exploited the man's momentary shock to dive deep into his inner guard.

*Snap.* The two figures blurred past each other. In that brief instant, Shi Tiexin couldn't see exactly what happened, only hearing a crisp, chilling sound. The man’s eyes bulged as he collapsed, clutching his throat. He tried to speak, but only thick, dark blood gushed from his lips.

*Crack.* The mystic realm shattered. The man tumbled out, was placed on a stretcher, and exited the examination.

The petite girl had once again achieved a one-hit kill, earning herself precious time to recover. This time, she wasn't unscathed; the light layer on her forehead was shattered, and a gash had been opened, with blood trickling down her temple. She seemed not to care, wiping it away before it could cloud her vision, and ignored it thereafter.

Shi Tiexin couldn't help but marvel. What astounding destructive power!

In the Essence-Nurturing Realm, a martial artist’s physical functions improve as they cultivate their essence. However, this growth is limited, generally remaining within the scope of an ordinary human. Even in the Old Era, an ordinary person could reach similar levels through extreme training.

The difference, however, is that extreme training in the old days overdrafted one’s life and potential, whereas nurturing essence preserves life and accumulates potential.

They were worlds apart in essence, yet in the manifestation of combat, the difference was not immediately obvious.

Especially regarding destructive power: while essence-nurturing primarily increases strength and explosive force, shattering a throat with a single strike is not simple. Looking at the man, it wasn't just his throat; his cervical spine had likely been snapped as well. To cause such terrifying damage in a single passing moment—Shi Tiexin admitted he could not do it, no matter how deep his essence-nurturing went.

After all, no matter how deep the nurturing, it was still just essence, not the lethal edge of blade-like energy.

"Losers exit, winners continue. Merge!"

Time grew increasingly tight. Every participant knew that delaying would only grant their next opponent more time to recover. No one dared to engage in a war of attrition.

This time, the petite girl could not fully repair her light layer. She opened her eyes to see her opponent: a man nearly two meters tall, muscular, with thick arms—a truly formidable sight.

The man’s gaze immediately locked onto the girl’s forehead, where cracks still spiderwebbed. Given his height, it was the most vulnerable target.

"Ready—Begin!"

The man let out a low roar and charged. He swung his massive arm, aiming to smash the girl into a pulp with one blow.

This time, the girl did not recklessly headbutt him. Instead, she moved with a strange fluidity, her legs undulating as if boneless. She dodged the massive arm while her right hand, fingers curled like a viper, struck the man’s knee.

"Snake Style?"

Shi Tiexin recognized it immediately. The petite girl was using the Snake Style from the ancient schools of fist arts, and she was clearly highly proficient. It is said that "an inch of length is an inch of strength, an inch of shortness is an inch of danger." The girl was short in every sense, and her fighting style was incredibly perilous.

She moved like a true serpent, circling the man. Being a rare petite figure in the New Era, she tucked her body, making it nearly impossible for the tall man to land a strike. Although the man held the height advantage, his footwork was clearly unrefined. Unable to cope with the girl’s constant circling, he was quickly thrown into a state of chaotic panic.