The veiled girl thought to herself: I don't know what trick he used to survive this long, but never entering the arena? That's something the King of Slaughter will never allow.
"I know."
Dugu Feng gave her a flat look, then turned back into his room.
The girl was speechless. What a stubborn brat…
She had never seen someone endure this much. But recalling the suffocating killing intent that rolled off him, she felt a shiver. After one last glance at the room, she turned and left.
Three months later.
At the Hell Killing Fields, Dugu Feng finally appeared.
His soul power had reached level 25, his cultivation speed completely unaffected by the City of Slaughter's oppressive air.
Nine months in, and he'd gained two levels.
Now, it was time for his first match. His journey of slaughter was about to begin!
Ten figures stepped into the arena.
"The rule is simple: your opponents can't have fewer than five more victories than you. For a newcomer with zero wins, your strongest opponent today has five consecutive victories."
Dugu Feng's gaze swept the nine. Three of them had very little spiritual toxin in their bodies, so it was clear they were newcomers.
Those three are the ones to watch out for.
The moment the ten entered, chaos erupted.
Dugu Feng drew a short sword, making him look like a sword cultivator.
But in truth, he only knew one move—Serpent-Belly Sword.
He flooded his legs with soul power, darted away from the three newcomers, and retreated to a corner.
"You little brat, still wet behind the ears, dare to come here to die!"
A vicious-looking man rushed him, wielding a massive blade.
Dugu Feng lifted his middle finger—
A violet beam shot out, striking the giant blade with a clang.
The man froze in shock. "A spirit skill? How can you use a spirit skill here?!"
His martial spirit was a Giant Saber and he could only channel soul power into it for combat.
From the boy's appearance, he had assumed Dugu Feng wielded a beast spirit. Beast spirits had no way to use skills here and so he thought this kid was an easy target.
But this? It shattered his assumptions.
"No… this must be a self-created skill. Hah, impressive at your age, but it won't save you!"
The man steadied himself, gripped the blade with both hands, and slashed down fiercely.
Dugu Feng answered with another finger strike. This time, he infused it with both soul power and poison. The impact forced the man several steps back.
Meanwhile, the rest of the field was already drenched in blood.
First match. Can't reveal too much. No need to rush the win.
Dugu Feng narrowed his eyes.
The stands were full, hundreds of eyes watching.
Every battle was studied. No one knew who they'd face next.
Observation was survival.
Ten entered. Only one would walk out. The strongest didn't always survive.
Right now, the five-win veteran was being ganged up on by four others. Of course they would target him first.
The arena echoed with curses and crashes.
Moments later, the five-time winner fell, along with two of his attackers.
That was when Dugu Feng struck.
One finger strike…straight into the mouth of the vicious blade wielder. A clean kill.
Three remained.
His face was grave, but inside he knew: he'd already won.
The three newcomers, the ones least tainted by the city's poison, were all dead.
Now, all he had to do was bide his time.
He stayed on the edge, always seeming like the weak one, but his finger strikes were relentless, keeping the last two at bay.
And whenever the fight reached a critical moment, he silently triggered the poison in their bodies, making their minds falter.
One by one, they fell.
Victory, with ease.
But Dugu Feng didn't leave immediately.
He stayed to observe, studying other matches carefully.
From Wolf Er and the others, he had already learned about most of the city's strongmen.
But to see them with his own eyes was better.
After several days of spectating, he joined another fight…and won again.
When he finally stepped out of the arena, he could feel the malicious eyes on him.
Several figures trailed behind, leaving the arena at the same time.
A boy who could wield a self-created skill was a threat. Someone was going to test him.
Dugu Feng sneered inwardly. Try it, and you'll regret it!
Just then—
"This one's under my protection!"
A brawny man with black-and-white hair strode out, voice booming.
At once, the stalkers backed off.
Their faces turned sympathetic.
For they knew—the one who had stepped in was Mo Li, the Devil Tiger.
And Mo Li's favorite prey… was tender youths. None he marked ever ended well.
But Mo Li knew the truth.
He had watched both of Dugu Feng's battles.
Unlike the others, he knew this boy was no lucky weakling.
Dugu Feng had only revealed one ability—the purple finger beams—but Mo Li knew he had more.
And besides… Mo Li still carried Dugu Feng's poison in his veins.
'Damn it, I had to provoke this monster… now I have to play along!', thought Mo Li helplessly!
Dugu Feng gave him a deep look, then turned away, heading back to his room without a word.
The following days passed in a cycle of cultivation and combat.
Within a month, his win streak reached ten.
By then, even the slowest fools realized that this boy was dangerous.
Each match brought stronger opponents, forcing him to reveal more.
The crowd learned that he could fire beams from all five fingers of his right hand.
But they didn't know—his left hand could do the same.
And each finger's power was different.
Dugu Feng smirked to himself. *You'll only keep being shocked.
To reach the end, I'll need more patience, more caution… and ever more tricks."