"Hey, I didn't expect you to come here, Old Liu." Feng Shen then introduced the old man to Tang Xiao's clone. "His name is Liu Hong, and he is the ancestor of the Liu Clan, which holds sway in this western region."
Tang Xiao's clone immediately brought Liu Hong's data, which Xiao Ai displayed for him. "Senior Liu, please forgive me, but I can't tell you my master's identity because she doesn't want people to know about our relationship."
"A woman, huh?" Liu Hong tried to search for several names of powerful female cultivators in his mind, but he knew that they never took disciples from outside their clan. "What is your relationship with this young man, Old Feng? Are you going to recruit him into your Feng Clan?"
"Haha." Feng Shen laughed at that. "Naturally, I want Wu Ming to join my Feng Clan, but he doesn't want to be affiliated with any force, and he prefers to be a rogue cultivator. I met him in the Lotus Marsh, and I was quite impressed with his fighting skills, so I brought him here to test his abilities against other rogue cultivators."
Liu Hong looked at Tang Xiao's clone again. "Wu Ming means 'no name,' right?"
"Yes, Senior." Tang Xiao's clone nodded slightly.
"I see." Liu Hong nodded while observing Tang Xiao's clone, but the cheers from the arena diverted his attention. "Zhao Zheng's winning streak is now 25."
"Get ready, kid."
"Yes, Senior Feng." Tang Xiao's clone immediately walked to the arena.
"Do you really think he'll be able to defeat Zhou Zheng, Old Feng?" Liu Hong asked.
Feng Shen turned to him. "Why don't you wait for them to fight to find out the result?"
"You're confident Wu Ming will win, huh?"
"Want to bet with me?"
"How much?"
"One million gold coins for Wu Ming's victory."
"Sure! I'll bet with you! One million gold coins for Zhao Zheng to win."
'Easy money.' Feng Sheng inwardly muttered.
{Please welcome our next challenger: Wu Ming!}
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Tang Xiao's clone was already standing face-to-face with his opponent, but all the spectators were booing him. He paid no attention to them, and his gaze was completely focused on Zhao Zheng as he read his status. 'Peak Xiantian Realm with the earth element, huh?'
"Is this your first time competing in this arena?" Zhao Zheng asked without the slightest condescension in his voice.
Tang Xiao's clone nodded at him. "I found out about this arena yesterday, and I came here to try out my fighting skills."
"Let's fight." Zhao Zheng dashed toward Tang Xiao's clone with both his earth fists.
Tang Xiao's clone didn't move or do anything; instead, he stood still at his spot. The audience booed him even louder, and many of them called him a scaredy-cat.
Their voice instantly died down as soon as Tang Xiao's clone knocked Zhao Zheng back several steps, shattering his earth fists.
Zhao Zheng hurriedly stabilized himself by stomping his feet behind him, and he waved both his numb hands while staring at Tang Xiao's clone with wide eyes. 'When did he attack me? Why couldn't I see his attack? Moreover, the power of his attack was so great, and both my hands were numb.'
"Hey! Did anyone see Wu Ming attack Zhao Zheng?"
"This is the first time I've seen Zhao Zheng's earth fists shatter so easily!"
"Even Liu Chenqiu can't crush Zhao Zheng's earth fists!"
"Wu Ming's attack just now must be powerful!"
The spectators started whispering in disbelief after witnessing this.
Liu Hong stared at Tang Xiao's clone in disbelief, rubbing his eyes several times to make sure he wasn't seeing things.
Among the audience, only Feng Shen smiled in satisfaction because he was the only one who could see the speed of Tang Xiao's clone's attack just now, and he punched both of Zhao Zheng's hands twice in a row in a split second.
"Your punch is powerful, Wu Ming." Once Zhao Zheng's earth fists returned to their original form, Tang Xiao's clone raised an eyebrow slightly. "You can destroy my earth fists once, but you won't be able to do it a second time, and I will defeat you to extend my winning streak."
"My master said don't talk in battle." Zhao Zheng was shocked to hear the voice of Tang Xiao's clone coming from behind him, especially since another him was still standing in his previous spot.
Zhao Zheng spun around and punched at Tang Xiao's clone, but his hand passed through the illusion created by his Clone Illusion Steps.
"Shit!" Zhao Zheng spun toward the front again, but Tang Xiao's clone's punch slammed directly into his chest, sending him rolling around in the air several times. "Gah!"
Zhao Zheng swiftly stabilized himself in the air, but Tang Xiao's clone instantly moved in front of him with his right leg raised. "Try this."
"Crap!" Zhao Zheng crossed his arms above him and blocked Tang Xiao's clone's kick, but the force of his kick surpassed that of a normal cultivator thanks to his two special physiques, sending him hurtling towards the ground.
Just before Zhao Zheng hit the arena, the ground beneath him softened, greatly reducing the force of his impact. Although he wasn't injured, he felt both of his arms go completely numb after blocking Tang Xiao's clone's kick.
"Watch out!"
A shout from the audience brought Zhao Zheng back to his senses, and he hurriedly jumped far to the side to avoid the fireball that Tang Xiao's clone shot at him.
However, Zhao Zheng and the audience were shocked when the fireball changed trajectory and chased after him. He hurriedly ran away while creating earth walls behind him, but the fireball destroyed them.
After all, the fire element is the natural enemy of the earth element, and Tang Xiao's clone's fire element is not an ordinary one. The Sun Stone embedded in his forehead enhanced his fire element, making its destructive power much higher than that of an ordinary one.
'Holy crap! This Wu Ming is my nemesis.' Just as Zhao Zheng was thinking that, he sensed something coming from the sky, and he saw that a giant circle of fire had appeared there.
"Fire Rain!" The moment Tang Xiao's clone said that, tens or even hundreds of flames descended from the circle of fire, raining down on the arena below.
*Boom... Boom... Boom...*
Not only did the arena experience a massive earthquake, but the entire city also experienced a powerful tremor due to the explosion of Tang Xiao's clone's Fire Rain Technique, shocking everyone in the city.
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Ming Qianru, who was watching Tang Xiao's clone fight against Zhao Zheng from a special room, could only be stunned to see the smoke mixed with dust in the arena. "What do you think about Wu Ming, Uncle Tianyu?"
"He is not an ordinary cultivator." An old man standing behind Ming Qianru answered. "His speed is three times faster than Zhao Zheng's, and his fire element destructive power is two to three times that of other fire cultivators. Moreover, I can feel the wind element every time he moves, so he is a double element cultivator, fire and wind."
Ming Qianru nodded slightly. "No wonder the wind god is interested in Wu Ming, and he is confident that he will defeat Zhou Zheng. What do you think if I try to recruit him, Uncle Tianyu?"
"Forget it, young miss." Ming Tianyu shook his head in response. "Feng Shen obviously wants to recruit Wu Ming to the Feng Clan, and our Ming Clan is just a second-grade clan, so we will never be able to compete with him."
Ming Qianru released a soft sigh. "You're right, Uncle Tianyu. If only we had adequate cultivation resources, we could strengthen our Ming Clan, and our clan could become a first-grade clan like the Feng Clan."
"Haha." Ming Tianyu laughed bitterly upon hearing that. "Our clan's status is our greatest weakness, and we've always struggled to compete with those first-grade clans. Our ancestors built this arena to catch up with them, but we never succeeded, and they control the areas with the best cultivation resources."
"Among the second-grade clans, there are only a few clans that have the ability to compete with them, one of which is the Sun Clan under Sun Qian's leadership." Ming Qianru continued to pay attention to Tang Xiao's clone, who was standing with a nonchalant attitude in the arena. "Zhao Zheng finally lost."
"I don't think we'll be able to continue the next fight, young miss." Ming Qianru nodded to Ming Tianyu. "I'll have our men repair the arena today, and we'll reopen it tomorrow."
"Yes."
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Zhao Zheng let out a heavy sigh as he looked around the arena, which had been destroyed by Tang Xiao's clone's previous attack.
Zhao Zheng looked at Tang Xiao's clone and cupped his hand. "Thank you for your mercy, Wu Ming. I would have been seriously injured if you hadn't controlled your attacks just now."
"We came here to spar, not to kill each other," Tang Xiao's clone raised an eyebrow when Ming Tianyu appeared. 'This old man is slightly stronger than my grandfather and master.'
Ming Tianyu looked at Tang Xiao's clone for a moment before speaking to the audience. "The previous match was the last match for today, and we must ask you to leave as we need to repair the arena today. Since Zhao Zheng has already surrendered, tomorrow's opponent will be Wu Ming, and anyone who has the ability to challenge him may do so tomorrow."
- To Be Continued -