Chapter 1022: Weak Overcomes Strong

Fanyong Island was aptly named. 'Fan' means 'fence,' and 'Yong' means 'useless.'

The island is situated in an extremely remote sea area, with no other islands for a thousand miles in any direction. Perhaps precisely for this reason, all the spiritual energy in this sea region converged on Fanyong Island, resulting in the island enjoying favorable weather and incredibly abundant resources year after year.

Even without any human cultivation, naturally growing crops were sufficient to provide for the islanders' every need, leaving them free from worries about food or clothing.

In fact, several large warehouses on the island were perpetually overflowing with grain, so much so that no one felt any remorse when it slowly rotted away.

This situation, it seemed, had persisted since the birth of the Congyun Sea itself.

This created a unique phenomenon: the residents of Fanyong Island had no survival pressures. Beyond eating and sleeping, their most frequent activity was a practice called 'Wrestling'.

Competitors fought naked. The winner would assume the loser's social identity for one month, gaining control over the loser's assets and exercising all associated societal privileges.

Aside from actions that would harm the island, everything else was permissible.

For that month, the loser could only watch helplessly as the victor essentially became another version of themselves, spending their wealth and even sleeping with their wives.

Naturally, if a loser felt aggrieved, they could initiate another challenge after the month was up.

However, if defeated a second time, the duration would double to two months.

And so on.

As the island's sole and most popular form of entertainment, Wrestling matches attracted almost every Fanyong Islander as a spectator.

The crowds cheered and jeered, the combatants fought with fierce determination, while their families watched on, filled with intense anxiety.

However, after a recent match concluded, something unbelievable occurred, shocking all spectators.

To everyone's astonishment, the victor transformed into the exact likeness of the defeated!

Meanwhile, the original loser mysteriously vanished in plain sight.

Even more bizarrely, despite such an uncanny phenomenon, the islanders did not cease their Wrestling matches.

Instead, their enthusiasm surged.

"To defeat someone and truly gain their entire being! What could be more exhilarating?"

Initially, people indeed regarded this new form of Wrestling with such a mindset.

But soon, they realized something was amiss.

Panic quickly spread across Fanyong Island.

Yet, the Wrestling did not cease...

Because this game had long since slipped beyond their control.

Under this eerie shroud, at least half the island's population was forced into Wrestling matches daily. These matches took effect regardless of the participants' will.

Losers vanished, and winners transformed into the appearance of the defeated.

It wasn't merely their physical form and appearance that changed.

Even their physical attributes and abilities would be correspondingly altered.

Only the victor's inner self remained dominant, having absorbed the loser's memories.

Furthermore, during a match, both participants' minds would be influenced. They would fight with all their might, unable to intentionally surrender.

As days turned into weeks, with the Wrestling relentlessly ongoing, the island's population rapidly dwindled.

Some, unable to bear it, chose to end their own lives.

The survivors, one by one, underwent transformations of identity through successive matches.

When Li Fan finally located the sole survivor of Fanyong Island, and managed to piece together the entire story from the hundreds of thousands of fragmented memories in his mind, he couldn't help but feel a shiver of dread.

The eerie, dark power on Fanyong Island had vanished.

The being before him, resembling a cylinder, its facial features almost submerged in flesh, leaving only a few vertical lines, was the ultimate victor.

This individual was originally the weakest inhabitant of Fanyong Island.

Due to its immense weight, even extending its arms or moving was incredibly difficult. Consequently, in every Wrestling match, it couldn't even retaliate, simply enduring beatings and losing the match.

However, the will within this body was a collective of over a hundred thousand Fanyong Islanders. The dominant consciousness belonged to an absolute powerhouse who had won repeatedly.

Each victory seemingly allowed it to absorb something from the opponent, strengthening itself. Currently, the individual's portion of the collective will was more powerful than all the others combined.

Yet, after enduring such nightmarish circumstances, this 'flesh ball' was on the verge of collapse.

It sat blankly on the ground, its face a mask of confusion.

However, the moment Li Fan appeared before it, it instinctively initiated a Wrestling challenge.

In that instant, Li Fan faintly sensed a dark, eerie power emanating from the being's body, like invisible tentacles reaching out to cling to him.

However, Li Fan let out a cold snort and vanished.

The dark tendrils grasped at empty air.

The immense 'fatty' remained sitting blankly where it was.

Li Fan had a premonition that if he hadn't evaded the Wrestling challenge just now, he too would have transformed into the sight before him after winning.

Whether his cultivation level or spiritual realm would have been preserved was unknowable.

“This ability…”

Li Fan immediately thought of Mo Rubing's Mirror Substitution ability.

However, what occurred on Fanyong Island was clearly weaker and more restrictive than Mo Rubing's.

Yet, if utilized effectively, it could still undoubtedly be considered a remarkable power.

Although it appeared that this Wrestling match ultimately caused the winner to continuously degenerate towards a weaker state, that was under the condition of the strong defeating the weak.

What if the weak defeated the strong?

Wouldn't it be possible to achieve rapid transformation in strength, step by step, in a short time, relying solely on this ability?

Generally, weakness implies defeat, and strength implies victory.

But for Li Fan, there were too many ways to achieve victory as the weaker party.

At this thought, Li Fan's interest was piqued.

He went out and casually caught a Foundation Establishment cultivator. Disregarding the cultivator's terrified gaze, he immediately bound him with a spirit worm, immobilizing him.

He then threw the cultivator before the 'fat ball'.

Driven by instinct, the 'fat ball' initiated a Wrestling challenge against the Foundation Establishment cultivator.

Although the 'fat ball's' body was nearly immobile, the being controlling it possessed a formidable soul.

As it gazed at the healthy, yet immobilized body before it, its previously bewildered eyes suddenly blazed with an intense desire for survival.

Struggling immensely, it took almost half a day to finally complete the match.

However, to its profound disappointment, although it had won the match, it did not transform into the other's appearance.

It paused, then immediately understood why.

Because the match had not been fair.

An external force had interfered with the competition...

Therefore, the match result was invalid!

Connecting this to the sudden appearance of someone who clearly wasn't an original island resident, it instantly realized that other people were still hidden on the island!

And what's more...

This ability to immobilize someone could very well belong to the legendary Immortal Masters!

At this thought, intense excitement welled up within it.