The crowd hadn't settled from the last match when the gong thundered again.
Clang.
Liu Fei grinned as he spun his spear, the polished shaft humming as Dou Qi surged through it. "So this is the shame of the Xiao Clan? I almost feel bad for you."
Xiao Chen didn't reply.
His left hand hung loose at his side while his right slowly rose — pale green Dou Qi leaking from his fingertips. It swirled unnaturally, twisting into itself, until the color deepened into a dark, blood-red hue, thick and oppressive.
The energy didn't just gather — it shaped itself.
An ornate saber formed in his grip, its jagged edge humming like a living thing. The weapon dripped with malicious intent, a blade born of his will alone.
"Mahakala Mantra: Big Dipper Blade Calamity."
The crowd fell into a hush. Even the announcer faltered.
Liu Fei blinked, then sneered. "A fake weapon made of Dou Qi? You think that can stand against this?"
He lunged first.
The spear cut through the air like lightning, aiming for Xiao Chen's heart.
Xiao Chen stepped aside, his movements sharp and efficient, and swung his saber.
The blade didn't just cut — it howled, releasing a crescent of deep red energy that split the ground between them.
The shockwave forced Liu Fei back two steps, his grip tightening.
---
"Interesting…" Liu Fei's grin widened. "Then let's make this fun."
His Dou Qi surged, coating his spear in a golden glow. He spun it in an elaborate flourish, then thrust forward with the force of a charging beast.
Xiao Chen met it head-on.
Steel clashed against conjured malice, the impact shaking the arena floor. Sparks flew.
Xiao Chen twisted his blade, redirecting the spear to his left before slashing in a wide arc. Another red wave erupted, cutting through the sand and nearly catching Liu Fei's leg.
Liu Fei leaped back, sweat forming on his brow. "What kind of Dou Qi is that?"
Xiao Chen didn't answer. He advanced.
---
The duel escalated.
Liu Fei's spear became a blur, Dragon-Serpent Sweep lashing in wide, unpredictable patterns meant to overwhelm. Xiao Chen ducked and weaved through the barrage, his blade vomiting slashes of malice with every swing, each one leaving deep scars in the stone floor.
The arena lit up with every exchange — golden arcs against red calamity.
---
"Enough games!" Liu Fei shouted, spinning his spear as Dou Qi condensed into its tip.
"Falling Star Thrust!"
The spear shot forward like a bolt of lightning, the air itself cracking from the force.
Xiao Chen's eyes narrowed.
Instead of dodging, he planted his feet and raised his left hand.
Golden light burst outward.
"Heavenly Shield."
A shimmering golden dome erupted around him, flanked by the spectral image of two massive golden arms, crossed in an unyielding embrace. The spear slammed into the shield with a deafening crash, sparks and golden fragments bursting outward, but the dome held.
The crowd gasped.
---
Liu Fei grinned, panting. "You're done. That much power… you've got nothing left."
But then his grin faltered.
Xiao Chen stepped forward from within the fading shield, his saber still humming with red malice, his breathing steady.
Without a word, he lunged.
Slash.
Another deep red wave cut toward Liu Fei. Then another. And another.
He didn't stop.
Each swing of the saber was as heavy as the last, each strike laced with the same cold malice.
Liu Fei's arms trembled as he parried, realization dawning on him.
He's not running out of Dou Qi…
For the first time, Liu Fei felt his confidence waver.
---
The arena roared as the two clashed again and again — one spear of shining gold, one saber of consuming malice — until the floor beneath them began to crumble under the force of their blows.
Above the noise of the crowd, Xiao Chen said nothing.
He simply kept moving forward, one step at a time.