Healing System

'Chae Jong of the Plum Blossom sect, huh,' Michael remarked inwardly as he walked to the side.

There weren't a lot of people he had hoped to fight during this excursion, but this particular one pissed him off quite a bit.

Therefore, beating him up—like the good person Michael was—would be in his best interest.

After all, this particular tournament shouldn't take that long since there weren't any breaks—only combat until one side loses—continuing on until the end when, eventually, a winner between the sects was determined.

It was a format he had come up with solely because he was a bit lazy, but nonetheless, none of these people really needed downtime since they would either instantly win or instantly lose.

In this case, he would breeze through the competition.

Soon, Sect Leader Li began calling out the names.

And coincidentally, it seemed like he would be up first.

"Mujin of the Golden Dragon sect versus Chae Jong of the Plum Blossom sect, step up onto the platform."

Michael did as he was told and confidently went up, before taking a small glance at the supposed Chae Jong, who had been staring at him this entire time.

Even if Michael's rank wasn't exactly high, the pressure he emitted was likely enough to put even a Tier 5 on guard.

That was his main goal from the start since, if he could force a fight, killing Sect Leader Ji—or rather, sacrificing him—would not be a huge issue due to the traditions.

"You may bow to respect your opponent," Sect Leader Li stated.

Yet unsurprisingly, neither Michael nor his opponent did that, merely staring at each other with disgust.

Why are you trying not to laugh? the system suddenly questioned.

Michael soon took a deep breath before replying, 'Look at his head.'

Yeah? He's bald. Is that supposed to be funny?

'No, look closer,' Michael stated and soon, seemingly zoomed in, seeing the spectacle atop his opponent's head.

There was a lone blonde hair growing out from the very middle, and to most, it wasn't visible.

However, due to his eyes, it was extremely easy to see.

It was a bit odd how he found such a menial thing amusing, yet he did not question it, merely reveling in the slight excitement he had before swiftly focusing up.

Even if the fight did not mean much, he wanted to end it swiftly and discourage the other fighters from even attempting to do something stupid.

Therefore, as Sect Leader Li raised his hand in the air and swiftly shot it down, Michael appeared before Chae Jong, who, upon seeing his speed, was greatly startled.

Yet before his opponent could even react, Michael brought his hand forward, grabbing hold of Chae Jong's neck.

He immediately struggled to break free, but it was to no avail.

After all, even if he was a Tier 3, he was but an ant to Michael.

"Kugh! Let me go!" He resorted to struggling even further while shouting.

However, Michael merely stared at him with an amused look before saying, "You have a pretty interesting head of... single hair."

"...What?" That seemed to confuse Chae Jong, as all of a sudden, Michael summoned a pair of scissors made of light and soon cut the only strand of hair that was growing on the man's head.

"Pfft..." Michael held back his laugh, yet the entire arena around him was quiet. The people watching from the pavilions were not exactly amused either.

It seemed like a few outsiders had gathered, and over time, the numbers had increased greatly.

But even then, there was only silence, coupled with his stifled laughter.

"Ha... hahaha... Sorry about that," Michael finished before suddenly twisting his hand.

As he did so, a loud crack resounded, followed by Chae Jong's eyes rolling back.

"Whoops," Michael exclaimed and proceeded to heal him, cracking his neck back into place.

'Nearly killed him there...'

Nonetheless, he threw his body off the platform, thus being declared the winner.

"Mu-Mujin wins! O-Onto the next round of participants!" Sect Leader Li announced with a stammer, and soon, Michael made his way down to his seat, which was beside the rest of his sect members.

Yet none of them even said a word to him. Even Hu Rong was slightly shaken by the fight they all had witnessed.

One of those same people was the system.

You're going off the deep end, Michael.

'Am I? How?' he mused before continuing. 'I believe I am perfectly sane. After all, what could make me go insane? I have people I care about, even a few friends I made along the way.'

And a massive ego that appeared out of nowhere. Let me tell you something interesting... the system trailed off. This world has not been evaluated yet, so it's likely you can meet powerhouses all the way up to Tier 8 or even 9. Tier 10 might also be possible, but it's less likely.

'Hmm...' he hummed in wonder. 'So stronger opponents—that's great.'

Yeah, those who will kill you because of your current performance. Which, I might add, is very disruptive and goes in line with the demonic faction. Frankly, I am not sure you can pass the next ascension, and it's not even that far away.

'I'm not having a change of heart, and my ideals are still the same. I just don't have much interest in the people of this world except the few here... I honestly don't know if I want to form connections. I mean, what's the point?' Michael thought with a conflicted look and continued.

'They just don't feel real...? Or maybe I just need a break from it all—relax even. Not sure.'

Well, you'd better show it instead of acting like a maniac on the loose. That's how you seem in everyone's eyes. Yet do remember that I can feel what you feel. I can see that your emotions are pretty blank, which is definitely not a good thing. You are more prone to mind-altering magic, so find a hobby, or I'll beat you into shape.

'That's a good idea,' Michael suddenly stated, catching the system off guard.

...What?

'Fight against me—train with me even. You've not done that lately at all. I can grow much stronger with your help.'

No... well, sure, but that's not what I meant. I want you to actually find a hobby, whether it be killing monsters on the side or attending a brothel as a male stripper; you do you. But it's best to get your negative ideas out of your mind. Just like you said—relax.

'Reasonable enough... I'll go fishing or something...' Michael returned his glance to the fighting arena as the matchups rolled by. His sect had not gone once, except the first time, when he easily secured the win.

However, as the final round finished, the next batch of contestants was called up.

And finally, it was his sect's turn.

"Hu Rong of the Golden Dragon sect versus Shi Feng of the Azure Dragon sect, step forward and onto the arena," Sect Leader Li announced, and soon, the two went forward.

Yet before Hu Rong left, he flashed a small smile at Michael.

'Hmm... what is he going to do?' he thought with amusement and watched as the two actually performed bows of respect. Soon, the fight began.

Similarly to how Michael dashed forward and ended the fight immediately, that's what Hu Rong tried doing as well.

However, this Shi Feng seemed a bit more skilled than he was expecting, as with a single slash of his sword, Hu Rong's attack was redirected to the side.

And yet, Shi Feng looked on with a bored look, as though the fight was not worthwhile in the slightest.

But soon, Hu Rong stepped up the pace, performing a vertical slash and nearly cleaving Shi Feng in two.

Just like before, it was dodged, but unlike last time, Hu Rong managed to somehow cut Shi Feng's cheek.

'Was that wind magic?' Michael thought with widened eyes.

The moment his sword reached the peak, a small gust of wind emerged that managed to slightly cut Shi Feng.

Albeit it was inaccurate, the implementation was something one would definitely not expect from someone of his strength.

Michael felt a strange feeling in his heart; even if he had not trained the guy directly, Hu Rong was still close enough to him to care.

Therefore, seeing such immense progress was quite heartwarming.

The fight continued on, with Hu Rong coming out on top with nearly each exchange.

However, that did not last long, as all of a sudden, Shi Feng started using his Qi, immediately emitting a faint reddish-pink mana that seemed to increase his strength greatly.

Alas, it was met with a similar reaction from Hu Rong, as he too used his mana.

But the color greatly shocked Michael, as it was pure golden—similar to his own.

It almost seemed like a perfect coincidence, yet in the end...

'It's a bit too perfect.'

His mana was still premature when you met him—the downsides of being an untalented young swordsman. However, with your influence and the number of Affinities you have, you influenced him a bunch, the system explained, earning a nod in response.

But he couldn't help but remain a tad bit suspicious.

'I sure hope so.'