"I surrender!" Qian Duo shouted, enduring the intense pain and screaming at the top of his lungs. He knew that if he continued to fight, his life would probably be in danger.
Hearing Qian Duo's surrender, the Gu Master in charge of the arena immediately leaped onto the stage like a bird. He quickly activated a healing Gu, and the Gu, like a nimble butterfly, swiftly flew to Qian Duo's wound, emitting a green glow that tightly enveloped his injury.
Under the effect of the healing Gu, Qian Duo's wound healed at a visible rate, and the bleeding gradually stopped. Only when the wound was completely healed did the healing Gu slowly fly back into the Gu Master's hand, the entire process taking only a few seconds.
"Hmm, he still knows the rules and held back." The arena guard looked at Qian Duo's injuries; although somewhat severe, they were not fatal, clearly indicating that Liu Chen had shown mercy when he struck. He nodded in satisfaction, acknowledging Liu Chen's performance.
"As the victor of this arena match, you have the right to choose one of his Gu as your spoils of war," the arena guard said with a smile, signaling Liu Chen to enter Qian Duo's Gu room to make his selection.
Liu Chen pondered this. He wasn't particularly interested in Qian Duo's Gu; after all, Second Rank Gu were no longer considered Advanced goods to him. However, since he had the opportunity, he didn't want to return empty-handed.
Entering the Gu room, Liu Chen scanned the area. There were many types of Gu inside, but most were common goods.
"I'll choose this Light Shield Gu," Liu Chen decided without hesitation. Although this Light Shield Gu was only a Second Rank Gu, its defensive capabilities should be good, and among the many Gu, its value was relatively higher.
After selecting his target, Liu Chen ignored the still-frightened Qian Duo and turned to leave the Martial Arts Arena.
His opponent this time was simply too weak, giving him no combat experience whatsoever.
After leaving the Martial Arts Arena, Liu Chen did not immediately return to his residence. Instead, he went directly to the reservation office, booked a match for tomorrow, revealed his cultivation, and hoped to be arranged against more formidable opponents.
At a quarter past You Shi, on Martial Arts Arena number ten, beyond the entire ice field.
"There's Zhou Tong's fight today, it's at Martial Arts Arena number ten, we need to hurry and see!" A commotion broke out in the crowd as people rushed towards the Martial Arts Arena.
"I wonder which unlucky soul ran into Zhou Tong. I heard he has already Broken Through to Second Rank Peak, and only needs one more victory to advance to the Martial Arts Arena of the Fourth Inner City," someone whispered.
Liu Chen's opponent this time was named Zhou Tong, a renowned Second Rank Gu Master from the Fifth Inner City. His powerful strength attracted many Gu Masters to watch the battle.
The seats around the arena were almost full, everyone filled with anticipation and interest for this battle.
"I am Zhou Tong." Zhou Tong stood on the arena. He had a well-proportioned physique, and his black combat attire made him look even more heroic and spirited. He cupped his hands to Liu Chen, his voice loud and full of Qi.
"Liu Chen." Liu Chen stood opposite him, his expression calm, simply responding with a brief statement.
"Did you hear? This Liu Chen is a Three-Cycle Gu Master! Yesterday, he defeated Qian Duo with just one sword strike!" Another gasp of surprise came from the crowd.
"What! How old is he? How could he cultivate so fast? Even if he started cultivating in the womb, it wouldn't be possible!" Someone said with a look of disbelief.
"He's a Genius, what are you?" Someone next to him immediately retorted.
Liu Chen did not rush to attack this time as he usually did, because he didn't want this battle to end quickly again. He decided to first observe how capable this Zhou Tong really was.
"Excuse me!" Seeing no sign of Liu Chen making a move, Zhou Tong secretly breathed a sigh of relief. He knew Liu Chen was powerful, so he dared not be negligent in the slightest. He quickly activated a Flash Gu, and in an instant, a dazzling burst of strong light erupted, like a small sun, making it impossible to look directly at it.
Faced with this sudden strong light, Liu Chen was caught off guard and could only close his eyes, while simultaneously activating his Earth Listening Flesh Ear, attempting to perceive Zhou Tong's movements through sound.
However, Zhou Tong clearly had a plan. The moment Liu Chen closed his eyes, he immediately activated another Gu—the Thunder Sound Gu.
Only a loud "crack" was heard, followed by a deafening clap of thunder.
"Ah!" Liu Chen was fully focused on using his Earth Listening Flesh Ear to scan his surroundings, completely unprepared for Zhou Tong to use such a devious move. The power of the Thunder Sound Gu was too great; Liu Chen's ears immediately throbbed with unbearable pain, as if they were about to burst.
"This Zhou Tong is truly despicable. First, he used the Flash Gu to obscure my vision, then the Thunder Sound Gu to attack my ears. I wonder how many people he has tricked with such tactics!"
The audience below the arena was familiar with Zhou Tong's tactics, only Liu Chen was unaware.
However, the surrounding audience showed disdain for Liu Chen's reaction to being hit.
"What's so despicable about that?" Someone sneered, "Isn't it just that this kid was too careless and fell for his scheme?"
"Exactly, exactly, he can only blame himself for being careless," another person echoed.
"Thunder Strike Gu"!
Seeing his tactics take effect, Zhou Tong couldn't help but feel a surge of joy. He unhesitatingly activated his Natal Gu, and a pale blue bolt of lightning shot out like a flash, directly striking towards Liu Chen.
In the blink of an eye, the lightning covered Liu Chen's entire body, and Liu Chen immediately let out a painful groan. The lightning raged on him, his body trembled incessantly, and electric arcs occasionally sparked from him, as if he was being stung by millions of ants simultaneously, his whole body tingling.
"This is truly disgraceful!" Liu Chen cursed inwardly. He had never expected to be in such a sorry state. He regretted his previous arrogant attitude and deeply realized that he should never underestimate anyone.
However, Liu Chen had no time for regret now; he had to act immediately, or the consequences would be unimaginable. Enduring the intense pain in his body, he decisively activated his defensive Gu—the Sword Shield Gu.
As he activated it, swords, like shooting stars, circled around him, forming a solid shield that tightly protected him.