Chapter 1264: Arena Match (Part 1)

"It's Qian Xu's Three Lethal Moves!"

"Every year, no less than a hundred people die from this move!"

"Too terrifying, fast and fierce, impossible to defend against, practically invincible at the same level!"

"This newcomer is dead for sure!"

…

Seeing the two daggers thrusting out rapidly, everyone's expressions turned grave.

Although Qian Xu's strength was far inferior to that of the Hundred Battle King, Hong Yang, he was still renowned throughout the entire underground black market.

Especially his inexhaustible supply of daggers and his most lethal Three Lethal Moves, which had claimed countless lives.

This newcomer, ignorant of the world's ways, had openly provoked him, prompting the use of a killing move, essentially sealing his death sentence.

The crowd turned in unison to look at the young man, who didn't even turn his head, as if unaware of the daggers behind him. The scar-faced youth grew anxious and was about to warn him when his vision blurred. Then, it seemed as if the other's shoe moved slightly, striking the daggers.

Unsure whether he had misseen or if it had actually happened, before he could confirm, the daggers let out a "Woo!" as they flew back, several times faster than they had come.

"What?"

His face turning ashen, Qian Xu had no time to react before he heard two "Pfft!" sounds as the daggers pierced through both his wrists.

Whoosh!

The immense impact sent him flying backward, pinning him upright against the wall behind him like a cross. No matter how he struggled, he couldn't break free.

"This..."

"A casual touch with his shoe not only broke Qian Xu's Three Lethal Moves but also pinned him to the wall... What kind of strength is that?"

"This newcomer is no ordinary man. Could another new Ten-Time Champion be emerging?"

"Hard to say, but with this level of strength, he should be able to handle seven or eight matches in a row!"

…

Seeing Qian Xu hanging on the wall, grimacing and wailing in agony, everyone became secretly vigilant.

Although they couldn't tell exactly how strong this Zhang Xuan was, the fact that he could pin such a man to the wall so effortlessly showed that his power was not to be underestimated.

He might very well become a new Ten-Time Champion.

"Interesting!"

Hong Yang glanced over from the side, then closed his eyes again.

That move just now, though impressive, was nothing to him.

If one punch didn't kill, he'd just throw another.

…

The arena was small, surrounded by a special formation like a cage. Once inside, escape was impossible.

"Sign a life-and-death contract!"

Before he even reached the arena, a middle-aged man in charge of the matches handed him a contract.

Glancing down, he flicked a drop of blood onto it, and immediately heard thunderous roars from all around.

Looking up, he saw the stands around the arena filled with five or six hundred people—men and women, old and young—each with bloodshot eyes, barely able to contain their excitement.

"Watching life-and-death battles lets them enjoy the thrill, and more importantly, gain experience from the brink of death..."

He quickly understood their mindset.

Life-and-death battles weren't something you could see every day. They greatly stimulated cultivators and allowed them to learn a lot.

Perhaps this was the main reason for the underground black market's prosperity.

Stepping onto the arena, he saw a young man already standing there, arms crossed, wearing an expression of arrogance and indifference, as if this match was just a formality.

This must be the one the voice had mentioned, his opponent Meng Fuxing.

"Alright, let's finish this quickly and earn some spirit stones. Can't afford to waste time!"

Calculating the time, he realized the auction would start soon. Too lazy to dawdle, Zhang Xuan stretched lazily and, without further ado, bowed deeply: "Excuse me!"

Whoosh!

In the blink of an eye, he appeared before the young man, his hand shooting forward to grab him.

This move wasn't particularly powerful, but it instantly enveloped the surroundings like a giant net, making escape impossible.

"You... I'm not..."

Caught off guard by the attack right after the bow, the young man Meng Fuxing's face showed surprise. He tried to dodge but found himself stuck as if in a swamp.

Smack!

Zhang Xuan's hand reached his face. With a crisp sound, the young man, before he could finish speaking, was slapped to the ground, his vision going black as he passed out.

Before stepping onto the stage, he had decided that since he couldn't go easy, he would just knock his opponents unconscious.

Once unconscious, they couldn't resist, and would naturally be deemed to have conceded.

"So, I've won the first match, right?"

Waiting for a while, seeing no one announce the result, Zhang Xuan clasped his hands behind his back and lifted his chin.

Still, no one spoke.

Looking around, he saw that the spectators weren't cheering; instead, they looked as if they'd seen a ghost.

Zhang Jiuxiao was also among them, holding his forehead and shouting something, but the formation blocked all sound.

"What's wrong?"

Seeing the crowd's reaction was different from what he expected, Zhang Xuan was puzzled. Just as he was about to speak, the arena's formation opened, and another young man walked in. Seeing Meng Fuxing lying on the ground, his eyes went wide.

"Are you my second opponent?"

To become a Ten-Time Champion, one had to defeat ten opponents in a row. Having just knocked one down, another appeared, meaning this was already the second person he was supposed to fight.

"I am... Meng Fuxing!"

"You are? Then who is this..." Zhang Xuan was stunned.

If this guy was his first opponent, then who was the one he had just knocked out?

"...The referee!"

Meng Fuxing's mouth twitched.

Zhang Xuan's eyelid twitched: "This match... has a referee?"

"What's so strange? What match doesn't have a referee?" Meng Fuxing said.

"..." Zhang Xuan swayed on his feet.

What kind of mess was this? Normally, referees stood offstage. This guy was young and standing on the stage—how was he supposed to know?

Before even meeting his opponent, he had slapped the referee unconscious...

What a match this was turning out to be...

"I won't be... disqualified, will I?"

Finally understanding what Zhang Jiuxiao had been shouting about, Zhang Xuan was speechless.

He had thought to strike first, but now he had beaten the referee like this... Would he be disqualified and unable to continue?

"Probably not. There are no rules here..."

Nodding, Meng Fuxing recovered from his shock: "Let's begin!"

The underground black market itself had no rules. Knocking out a referee might be against the rules elsewhere, but here, it probably didn't matter much.

Whoosh!

With that, Meng Fuxing let out a long cry and charged straight at him.

Mid-air, his hands moved in a blur, blooming like a lotus in an instant.

A mid-grade Saint Domain martial technique, Lotus Leaf Thousand Buddha Hands!

Admittedly, this Meng Fuxing was not weak. Even if he wasn't as strong as Qian Xu, he wasn't far off. As soon as he attacked, he sealed off the surrounding air, causing currents to churn as if about to explode.

"Well done!"

Seeing his first opponent was this formidable, seemingly even stronger than the referee, Zhang Xuan spread his five fingers and grabbed again.

Crash!

The move was identical to before, coming down like a falling sky, as if to smash the opponent's brains out.

This move of his was neither a martial technique nor some peerless skill, but the simplest grab.

Yet, somehow, when his hand descended, it gave the illusion of being impossible to evade.

Smack!

Palm met palm. Meng Fuxing's face turned pale as he staggered back a few steps, then collapsed to the ground, his vision going black as he fainted.

"So strong!"

"What kind of move was that?"

"Probably some palm technique. But being able to knock out Meng Fuxing with one slap means he can at least beat five people!"

"Not necessarily. The more powerful the move, the more true energy it consumes. This move is very strong, but if it drains too much energy, who knows if he can last?"

…

The crowd erupted in commotion.

This Zhang Xuan, though a bit reckless for knocking out the referee as soon as he stepped on stage, had certainly proven his strength!

But strength alone wasn't enough; endurance was also necessary.

Every year, countless people came to compete for the Ten-Time Champion title, but not many succeeded.

"I am Tan Shiyou. Please enlighten me!"

Not long after Meng Fuxing was knocked out, another young man appeared.

This guy was slightly stronger than the previous one, but still no match. After one move, he was slapped in the face and fell to the ground as well.

After five consecutive opponents, each finished with a single slap, Zhang Xuan showed signs of fatigue, sweat beading on his forehead and his arm trembling.

"You've completed five matches. Do you wish to continue?"

After the fifth was defeated, a voice sounded.

Normally, five matches was the limit. After that, bets came into play, and the opponents, in terms of both cultivation and strength, would be significantly stronger than before.

"Continue!"

Zhang Xuan nodded.

He had come here to earn money, and since he hadn't even placed a bet yet, there was no way he was leaving.

"Very well. Your sixth opponent is Kui Qing, who has challenged and won five matches before!"

The voice said after he agreed.

The first five matches involved no bets and were mostly between newcomers. Starting from the sixth match, seasoned fighters would step in.

Normally, a sixth-match opponent had a record of six wins, a seventh-match opponent had seven wins, and so on.

Thus, this Kui Qing had actually participated in events before and achieved five consecutive victories.

Whoosh!

Running the rules through his mind, Zhang Xuan looked up and saw a young man approaching.

Clearly different from the previous ones, he exuded a dense killing aura, indicating he had taken lives before. His combat prowess was not to be underestimated.

"I've watched your matches. Against every opponent, you only used one move. Not bad!"

Smiling lightly, Kui Qing narrowed his eyes: "But that move you used must consume a lot of true energy! I want to see how many more times you can use it!"

Whoosh!

With a flick of his wrist, a long spear appeared in his palm, thrusting straight forward.

True to his veteran nature, he launched a sneak attack while speaking... Before Zhang Xuan could react, the spear tip was already before his eyes.

"Playing with a spear against me?"

Seeing his move, Zhang Xuan shook his head, full of helplessness: "I'm the original master of this art..."