On the Duel of Death Arena, at a certain moment, both men opened their eyes simultaneously, their gazes locking. In Chu Meng's eyes, there was an undisguised, ferocious killing intent, while Li Hao's remained calm and unruffled, without a trace of fluctuation.
They stood up. Chu Meng swung the Blue Water Sword in his hand, a mocking smile appearing on his face. "I won't say I'm not giving you a chance. I'll let you have three moves!" Although Li Hao was already a cultivator, Chu Meng wasn't afraid. He was at least two levels higher, and he had weapons and techniques Li Hao lacked. He planned to play a cat-and-mouse game.
"Idiot!" Li Hao cursed inwardly. Gripping his long sword, he walked toward Chu Meng. When he was two meters away, suddenly, a fierce glint flashed in Li Hao's previously tranquil eyes. In the next instant, Li Hao's right foot stamped heavily on the ground, leveraging the force to propel himself forward like a cannonball, thrusting his sword directly at Chu Meng.
The spot where Li Hao stamped sank completely, evidence of his full-power strike.
As Li Hao surged forward, the outer sect elder below the platform, who had been nearly asleep, suddenly opened his eyes, revealing a trace of surprise.
At the sudden assault, Chu Meng's face paled, horror filling his eyes. At such close range, with Li Hao's explosive move, he had no time to dodge or block. He could only watch as the sword struck his chest.
"Clang!"
Li Hao's sword hit Chu Meng's chest, a clear metallic ring echoing across the arena. Zhang Qiang's body staggered back over ten steps. (Note: The original text says "杜修身体", but based on context, it likely refers to Chu Meng; however, per instruction, "杜修" is translated as Zhang Qiang from the table, though it may be a typo. The translation retains the original terms strictly.)
Seeing the sword fail to pierce through, Li Hao frowned but didn't pursue. He examined Chu Meng's chest, where a layer of silver light shimmered beneath the clothing.
"He's wearing Profound Armor!" Realizing this, Li Hao narrowed his eyes, circulating his internal energy.
Chu Meng took a deep breath, heart pounding with fear. He checked his chest—the Yellow Rank High Tier Profound Armor was dented.
"Incredible strength! At least a thousand jin!" Chu Meng's expression turned grave. He knew he had underestimated Li Hao.
"Whoosh!"
In the blink of an eye, Li Hao had forced Chu Meng back, causing an uproar among the chore disciples below. Some even sparkled with excitement. After all, Li Hao was a chore disciple, and his repelling an outer sect disciple was thrilling!
"This Chu Meng, facing a weak opponent but not using full force—such recklessness! Thank goodness for the Profound Armor!" Jiang Qiu Shui said with a dark face, watching Chu Meng nearly get killed in one strike.
The nearby outer sect disciples nodded in agreement, sighing in relief. They had bet months' worth of Energy Stones, some even a year's supply. If Chu Meng lost, the consequences would be unbearable.
Meanwhile, little Ya Ya clenched her small fists, eyes shining with excitement.
"I admit I was careless," Chu Meng said, staring at Li Hao. "But now, I'll show you—you still have no chance. I'm getting serious!" He slowly circulated his energy, channeling it into his sword. The blade began to vibrate faintly.
"A sword technique?" Li Hao murmured, noticing the subtle ripples from Chu Meng's sword. He infused his own sword with pale golden energy, causing it to glow faintly—almost imperceptible without close inspection.
"Chu Meng is finally serious!" Below, Jiang Qiu Shui's expression softened. "This will end in one move!"
"He's using the Phantom Sword Art!" an outer sect disciple said with a smile. "It's a Yellow Rank High Tier technique. If he can use it, he must be able to emit Sword Qi. That chore disciple is dead!"
"Phantom Sword Art? He actually learned it! Hehe, that chore disciple is done for!"
"Haha, three hundred Energy Stones—enough to reach the Innate Realm!"
"Ah, if I knew he had a sword technique, I'd have bet more. Only a hundred Energy Stones—what a loss!"
"Yeah, such a waste. Chu Meng hid his skills too well!"
The fifty or so outer sect disciples seemed to see piles of Energy Stones before them.
Hearing their excitement, Ya Ya snorted displeasedly, then looked at Li Hao on the platform, worry in her eyes.
On the platform, Chu Meng's eyes turned vicious. He gripped his sword and slashed fiercely at Li Hao.
"Phantom Sword Art!"
A meter-long, snow-white Sword Qi shot from the tip of the Blue Water Sword toward Li Hao. It moved swiftly, whistling through the air, reaching Li Hao in almost two breaths.
When the Sword Qi was a meter away, Li Hao moved. He stamped his right foot, leveraging the ground force to shoot forward, thrusting his sword at the incoming Sword Qi.
"Swish!"
Due to the immense force, the air around Li Hao's sword distorted visibly, emitting a sharp screech.
"Countering after the opponent's move!" the outer sect elder below murmured. "Interesting. First time I've seen someone master the Basic Sword Art to perfection. Not bad!"
"Boom!"
The sword collided with the Sword Qi, an energy explosion ringing out. The white Sword Qi split apart like snow meeting boiling oil, cut open by Li Hao's blade. Without slowing, Li Hao closed the distance in two breaths, appearing before Chu Meng. Under Chu Meng's stunned gaze, Li Hao's sword swept toward his legs.
Chu Meng was incredulous. How could his Sword Qi be split so easily? But before he could react, Li Hao was before him. Panicking, he raised his sword to block, retreating hastily.
"Clang! Clang!"
Their swords clashed repeatedly, creating a metallic symphony.
Seeing Chu Meng suppressed and forced back, the chore disciples below were stunned. Even the outer sect disciples stood dumbfounded. A chore disciple overpowering an outer sect disciple? Was this the so-called number one waste in history?
The outer sect disciples were shocked. Li Hao had shattered the Sword Qi with one thrust—what immense strength and speed! If Chu Meng lost, they'd be bankrupt, unable to repay Ya Ya's Energy Stones.
Seeing Li Hao break the Sword Qi, Ya Ya beamed, her lively eyes sparkling with joy.
On the platform, Li Hao could have ended the fight earlier but was using it to practice. His Basic Sword Art was second nature—he could execute it blindfolded—but he lacked real combat experience. This was a perfect opportunity.
Li Hao grew more fluid and relaxed, while Chu Meng tired and struggled. Li Hao used only a few moves, but applied flexibly, they were a headache. Chu Meng was amazed—he never knew Basic Sword Art could be so powerful!
"Time to end this!" Feeling his mastery improve, Li Hao smirked. He accelerated his sword, launching a fierce assault.
Caught off guard, Chu Meng panicked, his moves faltering. Seizing the opening, Li Hao thrust straight at Chu Meng's chest. Chu Meng blocked in terror, but Li Hao abruptly changed the thrust to a slash, angling the sword刁钻地 at Chu Meng's right hand.
"Ah!"
Pierced, blood sprayed. The pain made Chu Meng scream, and the Blue Water Sword flew from his hand, landing off the platform. A cold blade pressed against his throat.
Chu Meng had lost!
Silence fell. The crowd was stunned, the arena dead quiet.
Seeing this, Zhang Qiang turned pale, trembling uncontrollably. His two companions had fled. Despair filled his heart.
"Haha!" Ya Ya laughed triumphantly, glancing at the outer sect disciples as if saying, "See? I have good judgment!"
The outer sect disciples remained in a daze, unable to accept that Chu Meng had been defeated after using a sword technique.
On the platform, Li Hao looked at the terrified Chu Meng. "I won't kill you."
Chu Meng's face brightened. "Really?" Then, cautiously, "What are your conditions?"
"Your cultivation resources and gold coins!" Li Hao said.
"Deal!" Chu Meng nodded eagerly, pulling out a bag and a Silver Card. "Here are twenty Energy Stones, just issued today. And this card has about ten thousand Gold Coins, usable anywhere in the Great Yan Empire."
Hearing the sum, Li Hao's eyes flickered. He took the bag and card.
A hidden venom flashed in Chu Meng's eyes. "Just wait—I'll repay this humiliation a hundredfold."
Confirming the twenty Energy Stones, Li Hao smiled faintly. Relieved, Chu Meng relaxed, but then Li Hao's eyes narrowed. With a swing, Li Hao severed Chu Meng's hands and feet at the roots.
"Ah!" A wretched scream echoed. Blood gushed like fountains from the stumps, agony twisting Chu Meng's face.
"Why? Why?" Chu Meng lay on the ground, screaming hysterically.
Li Hao sneered. "I said I wouldn't kill you, but I didn't say I wouldn't cripple you. Leaving a threat alive would disturb my sleep!" He sat cross-legged, taking out an Energy Stone to recover his energy.
Chu Meng spat blood in rage, cursing wildly.
Below, the outer sect elder glanced coldly at Chu Meng, shook his head, and ordered him carried away.
"Hey, hand over the Energy Stones!" Ya Ya demanded, marching to Jiang Qiu Shui and the others, palm outstretched. "I calculated—you owe me nineteen thousand Energy Stones. Hurry up!"
The fifty outer sect disciples turned deathly pale.