Chapter 52: Finally, it is time for me, Lu Li, to take the stage!

Chapter 52: It Is Finally My Turn, Lu Li!

Lu Li’s feelings right now were very subtle.

Even though Li Guoping’s retreating figure looked extremely heroic and tragic, Lu Li couldn’t help but want to laugh.

Yet, Li Guoping’s back truly was tragic, and Pan Shuai had explained it all with absolute sincerity.

That made it impossible for Lu Li to laugh.

Adding the fact that he himself was considered one of the "sissies," the feeling became even more subtle.

However, his urge to mentally mock the situation quickly turned into pure shock.

He watched as Li Guoping walked to the center of the arena, clenched his fists tightly, and let out a furious roar, his facial expressions and movements resembling someone suffering from severe constipation.

The next moment, the Zhongshan suit covering his entire body burst apart! Revealing a pale, chubby belly underneath!

Yet that chubby belly was completely covered in scars!

Slash scars, stab scars, bullet wounds, and wounds torn by wild beasts—an endless array of various injuries.

There were probably a few scratches left by girlfriends and mistresses mixed in there as well.

Regardless of their origin, the dense web of scars spread across his entire body made it clear what kind of person he was.

A man who had fought battles his entire life!

Suddenly, the layers of fat tightened!

Li Guoping’s original height of one meter seven instantly surged to two meters three! His entire body of fat condensed into muscles as hard as steel cast in a mold! By visual estimation, his body fat percentage definitely did not exceed 3%!

Even that perpetually smiling, chubby face, which resembled Coach Anxi, transformed into the face of a super-hardman just like Kenshiro from *Fist of the North Star*!

Looking at the peerless, muscle-bound powerhouse in the center of the arena who resembled a humanoid Tyrannosaurus rex, Lu Li admitted that he was thoroughly convinced.

"...Indeed a peerless tough guy. When a man like this regards me as a sissy, I really have no way to deny it..."

Facts speak louder than words.

Facing such an ultimate powerhouse, Lu Li obviously had no room for rebuttal.

While he was sighing in admiration, the combat inside the arena had already begun.

This was what a real battle looked like!

"So strong! Truly strong! Way too strong!"

Hearing Lu Li’s exclamation, Pan Shuai couldn't help asking, "Old Lu, can you see clearly?"

From his perspective, the interior of the arena was completely empty.

He could only hear the ceaseless sounds of colliding flesh and clashing metal, accompanied by the Bureau Chief’s occasional muffled groans, as well as the constant cracking of the stone platform and the explosive creation of craters.

He couldn't see a thing.

Pan Shuai knew this meant his eyes could no longer keep up with their speed.

However, Old Lu could actually keep up! As expected! The Bureau Chief entrusting everything to Old Lu was the right choice!

Beside them, Xingtian also breathed a sigh of relief.

Just as expected, all he needed to do was act as a piece of leg hair and cling tightly to this golden thigh!

"Can't see a thing," Lu Li answered in a split second.

"Ah?" Pan Shuai's mind went blank. "If you can't see a thing, how the hell do you know they're strong?"

Lu Li looked at him as if he were an idiot. "Nonsense, the very fact that I can't see them clearly means they are strong. Is there a problem?"

Pan Shuai: "..."

He began to worry again.

However, upon seeing Lu Li's expression, he relaxed once more.

Old Lu's expression and his gaze both demonstrated complete ease within his heart.

This indicated that Old Lu wasn't feeling any pressure whatsoever.

What was this?

This was self-confidence!

And in Pan Shuai's understanding, Lu Li was not the kind of person who liked to brag or put up a false front of strength.

Therefore, this proved that Old Lu was truly confident!

Then there was no problem.

The reason he had made those joking remarks earlier was simply to put himself at ease.

Xingtian, standing nearby, had been completely relaxed from start to finish.

The only thing that made him nervous was the possibility that Lu Li might send him onto the stage.

Aside from that, he felt absolutely no pressure.

In that previous world where he might have suddenly dropped dead at any moment, he had witnessed firsthand how terrifying Lu Li was.

Although Lu Li hadn't made a single move—no, he didn't even need to make a move!

In the last world, his companion had directly blown apart into pieces the moment he wanted to attack!

That was definitely Lu Li’s passive counterattack!

And then there were those two terrifying monsters; Lu Li had managed to make them fight for his affection and jealousy—what did that indicate?

It indicated that Lu Li was a monster of the exact same tier as them!

It was a very simple logic: would a human fall in love with a paramecium?

Obviously not.

Seeming to sense Xingtian's thoughts, Lu Li turned around to look at him.

Gazing at the gentle smile on Lu Li's face, Xingtian inexplicably shivered.

When Lu Li made him act as the judge for that inexplicable husband-competition in the previous world, he had worn this exact same expression...

"Little Tian, how do you think I treat you?"

How did he treat him? Not well at all...

"Extremely well! There are not two suns in the sky, and there is only one sun in my heart." Overcome with emotion, Xingtian’s eyes even turned red. "Brother Li, you are my only big brother! Big Bro!"

"Little Bro!"

Pan Shuai: "..."

"Little Bro, your older brother here has a favor to ask of you."

Though Xingtian was certainly older in age—seeing as he was already nearly forty—who would willingly be a younger brother when they could be the big brother?

In fact, Lu Li would have gladly been Pan Shuai and the others' father.

Verbally speaking, of course.

"Please speak." Xingtian offered no resistance.

Anyway, since all his teammates were dead, if he went up there himself to face powerhouses like Zhao Yun and Guan Yu, he would most likely meet his end in a matter of seconds.

Although Pan Shuai said the opponents were holding back, even while holding back, he probably wasn't their match.

So it was better to just listen to Lu Li.

As long as they didn't make him go onto the stage, he would do anything.

"Ahem, it's like this."

Lu Li gave two dry coughs; even he felt a little embarrassed about this kind of thing.

"Didn't you give me a ring before?"

Xingtian nodded. "That did happen."

"There are quite a few weapons inside, as well as numerous talisman spells. But those weapons are too heavy, I can't wield them, and I don't know any cultivation techniques or combat moves either. As for those talismans, I have no clue how to use them..."

"Please wait a moment." Xingtian understood completely.

He was being shaken down.

He was being targeted and milked dry just like a little fat sheep.

He accepted his fate!

Xingtian’s expression turned as numb as a Tibetan fox, and he produced another ring, holding it up with both hands. "Big Bro Li, this ring is just a small token of this younger brother's sincerity. Please graciously accept it!"

"Ahem... This is so embarrassing..."

Lu Li swiftly pocketed the ring.

"By the way, what's inside this one?"

Xingtian maintained his expressionless face. "Martial arts manuals—both internal cultivation and combat techniques—along with a master guide on how to use the talismans."

As for gold, silver, and jewels, he didn't even bother mentioning them.

Such filthy objects surely wouldn't catch Big Bro Li's eye anyway (?).

Having stowed the ring away, Lu Li amicably patted Xingtian's shoulder to show his goodwill.

Afterward, the two of them engaged in some further conversation.

The conversation proceeded in a joyful and harmonious atmosphere.

Lu Li participated in the discussion with him in the capacity of a friend.

The two sides actively exchanged opinions and held discussions with one another.

The results of the conversation were fruitful.

Both parties reached a consensus across numerous fields.

A multitude of highly constructive opinions were generated during the talk.

This laid a sufficiently solid foundation for their long-lasting friendship in the future.

To translate: it actually meant, "You successfully bribed me, so I permit you to sit this match out."

During this time, the "only pure-blooded alpha male in the world (self-proclaimed)" on the stage, Li Guoping, had already defeated five opponents.

The first four were all ancient Chinese generals; from Lu Li's perspective, they had engaged in "not-so-thoroughly executed holding back."

Then came Hannibal Barca.

Old Li had used his full strength to finally slay it completely.

Yet by this moment, Old Li was already battered beyond recognition.

His left arm hung limply—every single bone in it was broken.

His ribs were fractured, with one even piercing into his lung tissue.

One of his eyes was blinded, and the other could barely see.

Furthermore, he was drenched in blood from head to toe, rendering his features completely unrecognizable to others.

Yet he was still standing.

That clouded right eye reflected a blurred figure not far away.

That was the opponent's seventh fighter—Spartacus.

This was also the last opponent Li Guoping had to face.

As long as he defeated the opponent, humanity would win!

Pan Shuai had already lost, and Xingtian could not be relied upon.

The only reliable person left was Lu Li!

Although Lu Li had never demonstrated his skills in front of him, and his physical attributes and various aspects made him look like a complete sissy (on par with an ordinary adult male), Li Guoping still trusted Lu Li with all his heart.

Because Pan Shuai said he had seen Lu Li make a move—the opponent had instantly killed Lü Bu!

Pan Shuai was the successor he had nurtured, and the person Pan Shuai trusted was someone he trusted as well.

It was just a pity...

He had never gotten the chance to spar with Lu Li.

Li Guoping, a man who usually looked utterly unremarkable, had stood invincible across the world for fifty years.

Although transcendental beings possessed diverse abilities that mutually countered one another, there was still a vague tier division overall.

Mortal Shedding, Ascension, Mind-Turning, Ghost-God.

Originally, there was no Ghost-God realm in the mortal world; it was merely an illusory legend.

Li Guoping had awakened his transcendent power at age thirteen, instantly reaching the Mind-Turning realm upon awakening.

At eighteen, he reached the peak of the Mind-Turning realm and encountered Tarash, who was also at the peak of the Mind-Turning realm.

Before meeting Li Guoping, Tarash had been invincible in the world for thirty years, yet he had remained stuck at the peak of the Mind-Turning realm, unable to advance even an inch.

Fifty years ago, an eighteen-year-old Li Guoping met the eighty-year-old Tarash.

In that battle, Li Guoping lost, yet he also won.

During a life-or-death battle, Tarash was driven to desperation by Li Guoping, and at the threshold of life and death, he finally caught a glimpse of the Ghost-God realm.

At that instant, he felt like a god among men, leaving Li Guoping with no ability to resist, reduced to being at his mercy.

Yet the moment that fatal strike was swung, Tarash's journey through life also reached its end.

To be able to step into the Ghost-God realm at the very end of his life, and to meet an opponent bestowed upon him by the heavens like Li Guoping—

He had no regrets.

That battle was a loss for Li Guoping.

Yet he had also won.

Following that battle, the surviving Li Guoping crossed into the Ghost-God realm overnight, remaining invincible across the world for the next fifty years.

Gradually, he began to comprehend Tarash's loneliness.

That was why he had still come this time, even though his presence wasn't strictly necessary.

Because the opponents sent forth were heroes among ancient legendary transcendent beings!

As long as he could encounter an opponent who allowed him to fight to his heart's content, he would have no regrets in this life.

What a pity it was still not enough.

Either they held back, or they were merely at the peak of the Mind-Turning realm.

Having fought five consecutive battles, he had reached his absolute limit.

Lu Li...

The heavens have finally allowed me to meet you, someone with the hope of becoming the next Ghost-God realm entity, but alas... it is too late.

In the end, he had still chosen his country over himself.

Through his blurred vision, that figure in the distance was rapidly closing in.

Li Guoping clenched his teeth tightly, raising his hand as he prepared to plunge it directly into his own chest to grip his heart!

This final battle! He would fight to carve out a future for humanity!

The next moment, however, his wrist was caught.

A blurred figure appeared within his field of vision.

Simultaneously, Lu Li’s steady and calm voice rang out.

"Old men should retire. Leave the rest to me. We concede this match."

Spartacus's fist stopped less than five centimeters away from the back of Lu Li's head.

Lu Li released his grip, allowing Pan Shuai and Xingtian to carry away Li Guoping, who had exhausted his strength to the point of losing consciousness.

Then, he took out a Zippo lighter, lit a cigarette, turned around, and faced Spartacus, whose height reached three meters, the corners of his lips curling upward.

"Come on."