"Five hundred primeval stones to become a member of the Martial Arts Arena. After becoming a member, he must participate in a battle every ten days, otherwise his win count will be reset to zero. He can fight a maximum of once a day. If he loses five consecutive matches, he will be disqualified immediately and needs to re-register. Each person has one mandatory challenge opportunity per month, and the challenged party cannot refuse. These are the rules of the Martial Arts Arena." The Gu Master responsible for registration at the Martial Arts Arena said to Liu Chen with an expressionless face, then extended his hand to him, still expressionless.
Liu Chen was secretly delighted. These rules were simply a piece of cake for him. He unhesitatingly pulled out five hundred primeval stones from his Pregnant and handed them to the Gu Master, saying at the same time, "Alright, here are five hundred primeval stones. Please arrange an opponent for me immediately."
To complete this battle as quickly as possible, Liu Chen specifically took out an additional fifty primeval stones and placed them in front of the Gu Master, smiling as he said, "This is a small token of my appreciation. I hope you can help me arrange a battle as soon as possible."
The Gu Master's eyes flashed with surprise when he saw the extra fifty primeval stones Liu Chen gave him, but he quickly regained his composure, hurriedly collected the primeval stones, and then looked at Liu Chen with much friendlier eyes. He smiled and said to Liu Chen, "This is your Messenger Gu. At Shenshi Wuke, Martial Arts Arena number eight, the venue is the Stream."
Liu Chen took the Messenger Gu, secretly letting out a sigh of relief. He knew that Shenshi Wuke was around three o'clock in the afternoon, so he had plenty of time. As for the venue and opponent, he had no specific requirements. Anyway, he probably had no opponent in this Fifth Inner City. Most of the contestants in the Martial Arts Arena of the Fifth Inner City were Two-Cycle Gu Masters, and even famous Gu Masters were only at the high-level of Second Rank, with even Peak Second Rank being extremely rare.
In a blink of an eye, it was Shenshi Wuke. Liu Chen arrived at Martial Arts Arena number eight early. He stood at the edge of the venue, quietly observing his surroundings.
The layout of this Martial Arts Arena was unique, with several gurgling streams interspersed among the grass. The stream water was clear to the bottom, reaching approximately the height of a calf. This kind of venue design was undoubtedly a natural home-field advantage for Water Dao Gu Masters. However, Liu Chen did not care about these; he primarily cultivated the Sword Dao and did not have many requirements for the venue.
Liu Chen's gaze fell on the arena. His opponent was already standing there. It was a burly man with a thick waist, a strong build, well-defined muscles, and a bronze complexion, exuding an Aura of long-term training. Clearly, this was a Strength Path Gu Master.
During the First Rank and Second Rank stages, many Gu Masters chose to cultivate the Strength Path because the Strength Path had a huge advantage in early battles. Even in the Martial Arts Arena of this Fifth Inner City, most of the renowned powerhouses were Strength Path Gu Masters.
Qian Duo couldn't help but secretly rejoice when he saw that his opponent was just a young lad. He looked at Liu Chen, who appeared to be only fifteen or sixteen years old, and thought that such a young opponent's cultivation would certainly not be too strong. Moreover, young people usually had weak combat awareness, which was undoubtedly good news for him.
"How lucky!" Qian Duo muttered to himself, "Once I win this match, I'll be able to Breakthrough to intermediate Second Rank!" The more he thought about it, the more excited he became, as if victory was already within his grasp.
"Both Gu Masters prepare. Life and death are disregarded during the battle. Let the battle begin."
The Gu Master responsible for guarding Martial Arts Arena number eight was a Three-Cycle Gu Master. He looked at the two people standing on the arena with an expressionless face, then glanced at the time, and then announced to them without any delay.
Before he finished speaking, he quickly retreated outside the arena, leaving enough space for the two Gu Masters to fully display their Gu techniques and decide the victor.
The Martial Arts Arena was empty and desolate. It turned out that watching battles here was not free; even standing by as a spectator required paying a certain amount of primeval stones.
After all, the venue and facilities here were commercial properties, so charging some fees was reasonable.
However, for Liu Chen, this was his first battle, and he had no reputation to speak of. As for his opponent, Qian Duo, although his cultivation had reached early Second Rank, he was also an unknown small-fry, and no one would be willing to spend extra money to watch their battle.
"Kid, remember the person who defeated you is me, Qian Duo!" Qian Duo's eyes widened, glaring at Liu Chen, his voice deafening.
Facing Qian Duo's provocation, Liu Chen appeared exceptionally calm. He merely glanced at Qian Duo indifferently, then slowly said, "Liu Chen."
Seeing this, Qian Duo couldn't help but feel a bit annoyed. He had originally thought Liu Chen would be intimidated by his Aura, but he didn't expect the other party to be so composed. However, Qian Duo did not back down because of this; he decided to let Liu Chen know his strength.
"Let's test your mettle. It wouldn't be good if I killed you in one go." Liu Chen's mouth curved slightly upwards, revealing a barely perceptible smile. He knew very well that Qian Duo's cultivation was only early Second Rank, posing no significant threat to him.
With that, Liu Chen unhesitatingly activated the Second Rank Sword Qi Gu. A white Sword Qi shot out like a bolt of lightning, carrying a sharp whooshing sound, and headed straight for Qian Duo.
Under the enhancement of Liu Chen's Sword Dao Dao marks, the power of this Sword Qi was even greater, not to be underestimated, already comparable to the might of an ordinary Third Rank Sword Qi Gu.
"What?!"
As the battle began, Liu Chen's powerful Aura as a Three-Cycle Gu Master erupted like a surging torrent, instantly enveloping the entire arena. Qian Duo felt an irresistible pressure wash over him, as if the entire world had solidified at that moment.
He widened his eyes, staring at Liu Chen in utter shock, a deep fear rising in his heart. Each Rank of Gu Master signified a huge leap in strength, and the strength of a Three-Cycle Gu Master was far beyond what he could contend with. In the face of this terrifying Aura, only one thought remained in his mind—surrender!
However, the Sword Qi was incredibly swift, giving Qian Duo no chance to catch his breath. In desperation, Qian Duo could only grit his teeth and fully activate his defensive Gu, attempting to block the Sword Qi's attack.
In an instant, Qian Duo's entire body was enveloped in a hazy golden light. This golden light was like a layer of shield, protecting him tightly. His skin was originally bronze, and now, against the golden light, it appeared even deeper.
Unfortunately, Liu Chen's Sword Qi was too sharp, directly piercing through the golden light's defense. Qian Duo felt a sharp pain in his chest, as if it had been torn apart. He let out a cry of agony, his body involuntarily flying backward, falling heavily to the ground.
"Ah!"
Qian Duo groaned in pain, his hands tightly clutching his chest. Blood continuously seeped from between his fingers, forming a shocking pool of blood on the ground. His face was as pale as paper, and cold sweat beaded on his forehead, clearly indicating severe injury.