Kai Ren, watching the match intently, felt a surge of inspiration. He knew his own battle would be just as challenging, but Jian Nu's victory had shown him the importance of strategy and perseverance.
As Jian Nu and Ji Ren left the stage under the loud cheers of the crowd, the lanky man announced the beginning of the second match, which got the crowd even more excited and hyped.
"Ladies and gentlemen, the second match of the preliminary rounds is about to begin! Please direct your attention to the stage!"
The crowd roared in anticipation as the next pair of participants stepped onto the stage. The announcer's voice boomed through the arena once more.
"This time, we have the agile spear-wielder, Li Wong, versus the mighty mace-wielder, Bai Li!" The audience's cheers reached a fever pitch as the two fighters took their positions.
Li Wong, a slender man with sharp eyes and a confident stance, twirled his spear with ease, its tip glinting in the arena lights. Opposite him stood Bai Li, a muscular man with a determined expression, his mace resting heavily on his shoulder.
The lanky man stepped forward, repeating the rules one last time before stepping back. The crowd fell silent, the anticipation hanging thick in the air.
"Begin!" the lanky man declared, and the match was on.
Li Wong moved first, lunging forward with his spear aimed at Bai Li's midsection. Bai Li, having learned from Ji Ren's match, didn't rush. Instead, he used his mace to block the spear, absorbing the impact with his powerful arms.
Li Wong's strategy was clear, he intended to use the long reach of his spear to keep Bai Li at a distance.
Lo Wong launched a series of rapid thrusts, each aimed at different points on Bai Li's body. Bai Li, however, remained calm and focused, using his mace to deflect the attacks while slowly advancing.
Kai Ren watched with keen interest, noting the contrasting styles of the two fighters. Li Wong's agility and precision were impressive, but Bai Li's patience and strength were formidable.
As the match progressed, Li Wong grew more aggressive, trying to break through Bai Li's defenses. His spear danced through the air, a blur of motion. Bai Li, however, stayed grounded, his eyes never leaving his opponent.
Finally, Bai Li saw an opening. Li Wong overextended on a thrust, and Bai Li seized the opportunity. With a powerful swing, he knocked the spear aside and closed the distance between them in a heartbeat. Li Wong tried to retreat, but Bai Li was too quick.
Bai Li's mace came down in a crushing arc, aimed at Li Wong's shoulder. Li Wong barely managed to twist out of the way, the mace grazing him and sending him stumbling backward. The crowd gasped at the close call.
Kai Ren's heart raced as he watched the intense exchange. He could see the determination in both fighters' eyes, each unwilling to back down.
Li Wong regained his footing and switched tactics. Instead of trying to overpower Bai Li, he focused on quick, precise strikes, aiming for the weaker points in Bai Li's defense. Bai Li, though slower, used his mace with deadly accuracy, countering each of Li Wong's attacks.
The battle raged on, with neither fighter willing to give an inch. Sweat dripped down their faces as they pushed their limits, the sound of clashing weapons echoing through the arena.
Finally, in a burst of speed, Li Wong managed to land a glancing blow on Bai Li's leg, causing him to stumble. Seizing the moment, Li Wong delivered a swift kick to Bai Li's midsection, sending him sprawling to the ground.
The crowd erupted in cheers as Li Wong stood over his fallen opponent, his spear poised for the finishing blow. Bai Li, breathing heavily, raised his hand in a gesture of surrender.
The lanky man stepped forward, raising Li Wong's hand in victory. "The winner of the second match is Li Wong!"
The audience's applause was deafening as Li Wong helped Bai Li to his feet, showing respect for his fallen opponent. Bai Li, though defeated, managed a nod of acknowledgment before exiting the stage.
Kai Ren also felt a surge of excitement as he watched the duo walk back to the participant's area, anticipation for his own match bubbling inside him.
As the matches continued, several more fighters took the stage. Kai Ren watched with keen interest, taking note of his potential opponents' weaknesses and strengths. Each match was a learning opportunity, and he absorbed as much as he could, mentally preparing himself for the upcoming challenge.
Finally, the announcer's voice echoed through the arena once more. "And now, for the next match! Please welcome Kai Ren and his opponent, Zhen Liang!"
Zhang Liang was a burly man with a scar on his right eye, his face had a stern expression and his attire told that he was a mercenary cultivator with a lot of battle experience and blood on his hands.
Sometimes, mortal people will stumble upon the legacy of a cultivator thus obtaining cultivation techniques, most of the time, these mortals will join a sect to obtain more recourses, but, there are a rare few who want to retain their freedom, these people will not join any sect but instead become mercenaries that will accept commissions from rich families like the Song family for their recourses.
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These types of cultivators are at the bottom of the barrel in terms of cultivation speed due to the lack of resources and proper guidance, but their battle experience and instincts are almost always top-notch because of their constant struggle for resources.
As Zhang Liang stood up, the surrounding participants started to get nervous because of the killing intent that was being released from his body, because killing intent can never be obtained naturally and can only be cultivated by going through a lot of life and death battles, and the more battle you go through, the thicker it gets.
Looking at the killing intent Zhang Liang was releasing it was easy to tell that he has gone through a really big amount of struggles to reach his current stage as there was almost a red hue created just from him just by the killing intent he was releasing unconsciously.
Song Ling got worried for Kai Ren after feeling the killing intent from Zhang Liang, she was feeling suffocated just by sitting there and her forehead was full of sweat, she couldn't imagine how was Kai Ren going to face him directly.
She turned toward Kia Ren and asked with a face full of worry, "Brother Kai, will you really be alright?"
Kai Ren felt a little warm in his heart after looking at the worry-filled face of Song Ling and he said, "Don't worry, he might seem scary, but I have full confidence in defeating him also, who will dare to break the rules of this arena after knowing their backing?"
Hearing Kai Ren's words, Song Ling got a little relieved and also remembered about the three Asention stage cultivators that were backing the arena, even though her worries decreased she still said, "Even if there are rules there, please be careful Brother Kai."
Jian Li, who was sitting at the side also nodded and said "She is right Brother Kai, if you feel like you can not defeat him, you can admit defeat, the main reason for us being here is, after all, to help you gain combat experience, there's no need to risk your life for it."
Hearing Jian Li's words Kai Ren also nodded and replied, "Don't worry Brother Jian, if I even felt like my life was in danger, I will immediately forfeit the match."
"Excellent, now you should go, the match is about to start," Jian Li replied as he pointed toward the stage where the announcer had started to introduce them both.
"On one side we have the young-looking sword wielder, Kai Ren," the announcer's voice boomed in the arena garnering a lot of cheers from the crowd.
"And on the other side, we have the mercenary that forged his path with his bloody axe, Zhang Liang." At this moment the crowd almost went haywire, because Zhang Liang had participated in several matches before this one and had garnered a lot of fans over the course of his years in Mistvale City's arena.
"Bloody Axe, crush this newcomer!!!" a fan of Zhang Liang shouted at the top of his lungs.
Bloody Axe was the nickname Zhang Liang received because of his ruthless Axe move and the killing intent that seemed to always surround him.
"Bloody Axe, I love you," another female fan shouted in a high-pitched voice that caused the nearby people to cover their eyes and grit their teeth. But the fan didn't seem to care about them and continued shouting.
As Zhang Liang and Kai Ren finally reached the stage the lanky man came on the stage again to briefly introduce the rules once again.
"Begin!" after saying this the lanky man went down the stage and started to look at the match with keen eyes, ready to move the first moment he felt something was wrong.
Zhang Liang and Kai Ren stared at each other for a few moments before opening his mouth and saying, "Boy, if you know what's good for you then surrender now."
Hearing Zhang Liang's words, Kai Ren just smiled and said, "Say that after you defeat me."
"Your arrogance will become your death one day," Zhang Liang replied as he started to realize the killing intent he had suppressed before.
"Whether I am arrogant or confident will become clear after this match," Kai Ren acted as if he had not felt the killing intent at all and replied to Zhang Liang while still maintaining his smile.
Zhang Liang was surprised to see Kai Ren being completely fine even after feeling his killing intent because even cultivators in the Qi Expert realm could not just shrug off his killing intent much less someone in the Qi master realm.
What Zhang Liang didn't know was that Kai Ren had once almost committed suicide, thus his fear of death was already gone, and since killing intent works by exploiting one's fear of death, it had little to no effect on him.
Although Zhang Liang was surprised to see Kai Ren's nonchalance he was, nonetheless, an experienced mercenary who had been forged by countless life and death battles, thus he was able to control his emotions almost immediately, and with a shout, he rushed toward Kai Ren with the large steel axe in his hands.
Kai Ren watched as Zhang Liang closed the distance between them with surprising speed. The arena seemed to hold its breath as the two fighters prepared to clash. Kai Ren tightened his grip on his sword, his eyes focused and determined. He knew this battle would test his skills and resolve like never before.
Zhang Liang's axe descended in a powerful arc, aiming to cleave Kai Ren in two. Kai Ren dodged to the side, narrowly avoiding the deadly blade. He countered with a swift slash of his sword, but Zhang Liang was already swinging his axe again, forcing Kai Ren to leap back to avoid the attack.
The crowd watched in awe as the two fighters engaged in a deadly dance, each move calculated and precise. Kai Ren's speed and agility allowed him to evade Zhang Liang's powerful strikes, but the mercenary's relentless assault left little room for counterattacks.
Sweat trickled down Kai Ren's forehead as he deflected another swing from Zhang Liang's axe. He could feel the strain in his muscles, the weight of the battle pressing down on him. Yet, amidst the chaos, a plan began to form in his mind.
Zhang Liang, sensing Kai Ren's momentary hesitation, launched a furious onslaught, his axe slicing through the air with deadly intent. Kai Ren dodged and parried, his movements growing more fluid and precise with each passing second. He knew he had to exploit Zhang Liang's aggression, to find the opening that would turn the tide of the battle in his favor.
Then, in a split second, Kai Ren saw his chance. Zhang Liang overextended on a particularly forceful swing, leaving his side momentarily exposed. Seizing the opportunity, Kai Ren lunged forward, his sword aimed at the vulnerable spot.
Just as the tip of his blade was about to strike, Zhang Liang's eyes flashed with a cunning glint. With a sudden twist, he redirected the momentum of his axe, swinging it back towards Kai Ren in a move that was both unexpected and deadly.
The arena erupted in gasps as Kai Ren realized the trap he had walked into. There was no time to evade, no way to block the incoming blow.