Chapter 61: The Pope's Targeting

After finishing breakfast, Ling Fengyan and Su Yi set about arranging the details for the joint training session. Before that, however, there was a very crucial matter to attend to: Ye Yang and the others had to head first to the Milan Cathedral to pay a visit to His Holiness the Pope of the Roman Curia.

Ye Yang did not harbor any particular feelings toward the Pope. He figured the man was probably much like a venerable, high-ranking senior monk in a temple, save for the difference in attire.

Felix I, the reigning Pope of the Roman Curia, was an old man who bore a striking resemblance to Gandalf, minus the white horse and the staff, dressed instead in a set of vintage, unadorned robes.

Since they had traveled from afar to be guests, observing the Curia's ritual of single-knee genuflection was naturally unnecessary. Nevertheless, Ling Fengyan led the group in bowing solemnly to the elderly Pope to show respect.

That bow came entirely from the bottom of Ye Yang's heart. On the journey here, Ling Fengyan had already informed him that Felix I was one of the few surviving Super Hunter powerhouses in the contemporary world, belonging to the elite ranks of Level 5, and moreover, a standout among them!

Yet Ye Yang could not discern a single extraordinary trait in this white-bearded old man.

A pair of gaze as sharp as lightning pierced directly toward him. Ye Yang felt a sudden tickle at the back of his neck and jerked his head up, but the gaze had already been withdrawn. Up on the raised platform, Ling Fengyan and the old man Felix were smiling and talking in low voices about something.

"Strange..." Ye Yang murmured. Was he just overthinking things? Yet just a moment ago, he had clearly sensed an overwhelming, supreme pressure, even if it had lasted merely a fraction of a second.

"Alright, let's head to the arena first. We've arranged a few opponents for you all to spar with," Ling Fengyan said as he stepped down from the platform, his expression turning stern. "Pull yourselves together, everyone! Although it's just a sparring match, give it your all and perform to your maximum potential. Don't disgrace the Chinese Alliance and the Capital of Yan and Huang!"

"Understood!" the group chorused. Ye Yang was already rubbing his palms together in anticipation. A sparring match! He had never actually sparred with high-level Hunters before. Well... Ouyang Yu's case didn't count; back then, Ye Yang had simply gotten beaten up, not sparred.

The arena turned out to be completely different from what Ye Yang had imagined. Instead of a modern architectural facility, it was styled entirely after a classical Roman amphitheater, albeit on a somewhat smaller scale than the ones seen on television.

Because it was a sparring session, the spectator stands were largely empty, occupied only by Felix I alongside a contingent of Roman Curia Hunters, together with Ye Yang and his companions.

"Today, let's start with one-on-one matches, shall we?" Ling Fengyan suggested, rubbing his hands together. Although their primary focus was learning team combat, this trip to Milan would last around a week, leaving them with plenty of time.

"Agreed. Shall we choose the opponents?" It was the giant-axed warrior they had met at the airport the day before who spoke. His long blonde hair fluttered in the breeze, exuding an unspeakable heroism. Ye Yang could tell at a glance that his status was by no means low; he clearly stood at the rank of the Pope's right-hand man, standing alongside another Black warrior as they flanked the left and right.

"Proceed! The guest defers to the host!" Ling Fengyan raised no objections. Their purpose this time was to train everyone, so letting the opposing side pick and choose opponents was perfectly fine.

"Pick me! Pick me!" Sang Stone rubbed his hands together incessantly, making it obvious that he was eager to show off his skills.

"Little Stone, it's just a sparring match! Magic-Daedric Cannons are strictly forbidden!" Ling Fengyan glared at him.

"Ah? Oh..." Sang Stone deflated, pouting as he muttered, "Then don't pick me. Without the Magic-Daedric Cannon, what's the point of me fighting?"

The Roman Curia's first representative was a brown-haired young man wielding a longsword and a shield. Jing Jing, standing beside Ye Yang, immediately muttered in a low voice, "Level 3!" As a perception-type, gauging an opponent's demonic power range was effortless for him.

Coincidentally, the young man who stepped forward chose precisely Jing Jing as his opponent. Unsurprisingly, the young fellow immediately blushed bright red.

"A... Apologies, you can't beat me," Jing Jing said awkwardly. Grell quickly translated on the side, instantly causing an uproar across the entire arena. What was the meaning of this? Looking down on the opponent right from the start? The young man grew so furious his eyes bulged, unleashing a barrage of roars at Jing Jing, which naturally made the blushing youth turn an even deeper shade of red.

"You... you really can't beat me," Jing Jing said, breaking out in a sweat. As he spoke, he suddenly pointed a finger toward the young man. The very next instant, an incredible thing happened: the youth abruptly discarded his longsword and shield, collapsing with a dull thud as he sat flat on the ground.

Silence. An absolute, heavy silence blanketed the surroundings. Ye Yang stared in utter shock. What on earth was this? Was this control? That was entirely too bugged! How were they even supposed to spar after this?

"My superpower is control, so victory or defeat is determined solely by demonic power values. Mine is eight hundred; if yours is lower than mine, there's no way to fight," Jing Jing said with a polite smile, apologetically helping the young man back to his feet.

Hearing Grell's translation, the arena erupted into a buzz of chaos. Control? Dependent solely on demonic power values? That was truly formidable! If this kid's demonic power value ever reached a thousand, probably very few people would be able to defeat him.

Yet Ye Yang frowned slightly. If that was the case... Jing Jing's combat strength wasn't as terrifying as Su Yi had claimed, because human demonic power was completely inferior to that of demons. Even if Jing Jing reached Level 5, he wouldn't be able to control demons. This superpower... was a bit limited, useful only for bullying existences like Predators.

The brown-haired young man was already sweating profusely, realizing by now that it was utterly impossible for him to defeat Jing Jing. Tilting his head as he looked around, he pointed and shouted, "YOU!"

Ling Fengyan chuckled, while Ye Yang alternated between laughter and tears. This guy had terrible luck; he had gone and picked yet another opponent he had no way of defeating: Ouyang Yu!

"Idiot!" Without hesitation, the youth cursed under his breath, then stood up with an expression of profound annoyance. Turning to Grell, he instructed, "Tell them that if they're going to challenge me, send three people up at once!"

"Three?" Grell froze, but nonetheless proceeded with the translation. With a loud din, the arena plunged into chaos once more. The faction from the Roman Curia grew utterly incensed; this was a blatant display of contempt toward them! Some individuals had even rolled up their sleeves, preparing to step forward and dish out a beating.

Ling Fengyan hurried over with a helpless expression, muttering softly into the Pope's ear. The old man blinked, then finally nodded and said, "Very well, let it be three."

"However..." The giant-axed warrior seemed on the verge of arguing further, but Pope Felix raised a hand to stop him.

Of course... the preceding dialogue was merely Ye Yang's guesswork, as he couldn't understand a word of it.

Three opponents against Ouyang Yu, all three of them being Level 3 entities. What would the outcome be? In truth, it was already glaringly obvious. The moment the three of them simultaneously erupted their demonic power to launch an assault, Ye Yang shook his head and let out a bitter sigh.

In the blink of an eye, the battle concluded. Ouyang Yu hadn't even budged an inch, yet all three opponents were sent flying backward in unison, collapsing to the ground to groan in pain.

Silence. The spectator stands fell dead silent once more. Covering his face, Su Yi let out a wry chuckle. "This kid... is simply invincible. Who could possibly defeat him?"

"Not necessarily!" A crisp, feminine laugh rang out in response, belonging to Lin Muyang. Tugging at her hair, the girl declared, "I could beat him, using speed alone without relying on demonic power attacks!"

Ye Yang was taken aback. Indeed! Ouyang Yu could only reflect demonic power. If Lin Muyang fought him, relying on her advantage in speed, she wouldn't be at a disadvantage even without using demonic power.

"Demonic power can be used," Gao Ting chimed in this time. Speaking in a soft tone, the girl explained, "Using demonic power solely for movement without adding it to attacks, I am confident I can take him down within a minute. However, if we were fighting actual demons, he would still prove far stronger than me."

The rest of the group nodded in agreement. After a brief moment of contemplation, Lin Muyang also revealed a look of genuine appreciation. Gao Ting had thought things through more thoroughly than she had, targeting Ouyang Yu's weaknesses more precisely while remaining commendably modest.

Watching Ouyang Yu walk back to the stands with an utterly self-important air, Ye Yang suddenly felt a strong urge to laugh. The guy acted as though he owned the world, completely unaware that his weaknesses had been entirely mapped out. Next time! Next time, Ye Yang would resolutely refuse to lose to him again. Hmm... using demonic power explosions purely for speed without weaving it into offensive strikes? It looked like he needed to put some work into training that aspect.

It seemed that strength wasn't merely a matter of demonic power and superpowers; technique and various other aspects were equally crucial. Unawares, Ye Yang had picked up yet another valuable lesson.

The sparring sessions that followed continued to be overseen by the Roman Curia in picking the contestants, yet the outcomes left everyone in high spirits. Out of five consecutive matches, only Sang Stone suffered a defeat, simply because without his Magic-Daedric Cannon, the poor guy was genuinely outmatched. Watching the youngster's dejected expression, Ye Yang couldn't help offering a few words of comfort.

"YOU!" A thick finger pointed directly at him. Ye Yang froze, his heartbeat instantly accelerating severalfold. Had someone chosen him? Was it his turn to step into the arena?

"Ha!" Thrilled, Ye Yang sprang to his feet immediately. Beside him, Tang Xiaobao and Lin Xiaotian were quick to dish out flattery: "Go get 'em, Brother Ye! Beat him up!"

As for the exact extent of his own strength, Ye Yang lacked absolute confidence, but he knew that making a fool of oneself didn't matter as long as one grew through combat. Besides, among this group of people, he was the one most lacking in practical combat experience.

Yet... just as Ye Yang intended to vault over the edge of the stands, a deep, resonant voice rang out.

"NO, you cannot choose him!" The speaker was none other than Pope Felix, and remarkably, he spoke in fluent Mandarin. Not just Ye Yang, but everyone present froze in astonishment. Why couldn't they choose him?

"Why?" Ye Yang asked in utter bewilderment. The old man, however, offered no explanation, simply waving a hand to indicate that discussion was closed. The challenger could only shrug helplessly and instead selected Lin Xiaotian as his opponent.

"Don't worry, Brother Ye, I'll beat him up for you!" Lin Xiaotian chuckled with a mischievous grin as he leaped down into the arena, while Ye Yang paid him no mind whatsoever.

Why couldn't they pick him? Ye Yang had been looking forward to this sparring session immensely. He couldn't fathom the old man's reasoning at all. Did the man think he was too weak? Damn it! Was he being looked down upon?

It wasn't just this once. A second time, a third time—several individuals in succession attempted to select Ye Yang, only for the old man to block every single attempt. Even Jing Jing and Xin Xin had gone up for a few rounds of sparring, while Ye Yang alone was left sitting in isolation.

"Damn it!" A flare of anger welled up in his chest. Ye Yang jerked to his feet and turned to leave, ignoring even Ling Fengyan's attempts to stop him. He felt far too aggrieved and thoroughly enraged.

"Wait..." The deep, aged voice echoed once more, belonging to the elderly Pope yet again. Ye Yang turned a fierce glare straight toward him. If the old man looked down on him, why keep calling him over?

"Would you be so kind as to come and have a chat with me?" the old man asked with a faint smile, still speaking in standard Mandarin.

"Fine!" Ye Yang didn't waste any words. He also wanted to demand why the old man refused to let anyone spar with him; even when a Level 2 Hunter had tried to choose him later on, the old man had stopped them. There had to be a limit to looking down on someone!

"Little Yang!" A stern low shout rang out from behind—it was Ling Fengyan's voice. Ye Yang nodded directly. "I understand! I'll exercise restraint!"

Restrain what? Naturally, his temper toward the old Pope. Ye Yang was well aware of the elderly Pope's prominent status, which was why he was forcibly suppressing his fury. Had it been anyone else, he likely would have gone up and thrown punches long ago.

Following the old man out of the arena, they arrived at a spacious hall off to the side. With a heavy rumble, the hall doors sealed shut. Unable to contain himself any longer, Ye Yang gritted his teeth and demanded, "Why? Why won't you let them spar with me? Do you look down on me?"

"No," Felix replied, shaking his head with a wry smile. "I'm afraid... they might get beaten to death by you."

"Ah?" Ye Yang froze completely. Beaten to death? How was that possible... None of those guys were weaker than him, and he wouldn't actually deliver a fatal blow anyway. Looking at the old man's solemn expression, he instinctively felt that something was amiss.

"If you brought me here, what is the real reason?" Ye Yang frowned.

"Nothing much," Pope Felix replied with a slight smile. "I simply wished to see for myself whether you are truly human."