Why does it feel like they're even fiercer than yesterday

"It has no name," Ye Guyun said lightly. "I just picked it up from the Sword Tomb when I was seven."

Picked it up from the Sword Tomb?

Gu Qing's pupils shrank abruptly.

Having entered the Sword Tomb three times, he naturally knew that every sword in there possessed its own spirituality.

No sword would just let itself be picked up casually.

Unless it chose the person.

"Who exactly are you?"

Ye Guyun didn't answer again.

He drew his sword.

There was nothing flashy about that strike; it was just the simplest straight thrust.

But Gu Qing felt all the hairs on his body stand on end.

What he saw wasn't a sword.

It was a expanse of darkness.

It was the silence of ten thousand swords.

It was the sword qi transforming into a night sky, pressing down overwhelmingly.

Gu Qing pushed the remnant soul of his ancient sword to the limit, the azure longsword erupting with a brilliant sword glow in an attempt to block it.

But when his sword glow touched that darkness, it was like the light of a candle being swallowed by the night.

Crack.

The azure longsword snapped in two.

Gu Qing looked down at his chest; there was a fine sword mark on his clothes, only breaking the skin and seeping a drop of blood.

"Thank you," Gu Qing's voice was hoarse.

Ye Guyun sheathed his sword.

He knew why Gu Qing was thanking him.

If he had used his full strength, Gu Qing would already be dead.

Ye Guyun had held back, only giving him a flesh wound.

This was the respect between swordsmen.

Gu Qing turned and stumbled off the stage.

Six battles, six defeats.

In the direction of the Central State, everyone was speechless.

A tall, thin figure slowly walked onto the stage and clasped his hands in greeting. "White Deer Academy, Han Ling, Astral Qi Realm Seventh Layer. Please advise."

In the direction of the Great Zhou, Lin Tiechuan frowned.

"White Deer Academy again?"

Xiao Chen said, "White Deer Academy has already lost two people today. For this person to still dare to come up, he's probably not simple."

He indeed wasn't simple.

What Han Ling used was White Deer Academy's "Thousand Mechanisms Art," transforming astral qi into mechanical puppets, allowing one person to become an army.

As soon as he stepped onto the stage, his hands formed seals, and the astral qi around him surged out, turning into eight mechanical puppets, each possessing the combat strength of the Astral Qi Realm Fifth Layer.

"One person forming an array, please bestow your teachings."

On the Great Zhou side, Gu Han stood up, also at the Astral Qi Realm Seventh Layer, reticent and of few words.

Facing Han Ling's puppet array, he met it head-on with his fist techniques. The battle was the most unadorned and straightforward, clashing forcefully for dozens of rounds, eventually finding the core of the puppets and shattering them with a single strike.

Seventh match, Great Zhou won again.

For the eighth match, Zhao Feng stepped forward. This Great Zhou genius at the Astral Qi Realm Fifth Layer faced off against a Central State opponent at the Astral Qi Realm Sixth Layer.

Being a layer lower in cultivation, he had been assigned a weaker opponent by Wang Hao. The battle was extremely arduous, and Zhao Feng was suppressed for a time, but he ultimately seized an opening and won narrowly.

Ninth match, Rong Xiaotian took the stage, Astral Qi Realm Eighth Layer.

His opponent was the third true disciple of the Pure Void Sacred Land, also at the Astral Qi Realm Eighth Layer.

Rong Xiaotian used his fists, every punch possessing the power to split mountains and crack stones. The martial skills of that Central State true disciple were quite flashy, but under Rong Xiaotian's fierce and unyielding fist winds, he couldn't last thirty moves before conceding.

Nine battles, nine victories.

The Central State direction had fallen completely silent.

Only the final battle remained.

Bai Zhantang went up, Astral Qi Realm Sixth Layer, utilizing footwork.

Among the ten temporary workers, he had the lowest cultivation realm, but his movement techniques were the most exquisite. On the arena, he was like a gust of wind. His Central State opponent chased him for a full thirty breaths, not even managing to touch the hem of his clothes, and instead was sneak-attacked several times, eventually being kicked off the stage.

Ten battles, ten victories.

The moment Bai Zhantang kicked his opponent off the stage, outside the entire Kunlun Reception City, there was dead silence.

One hundred thousand cultivators were like they had all been grabbed by the throat simultaneously.

Thirty-six Central State geniuses.

Less than half had taken the field.

Ten battles, total defeat.

The flags of the Eastern Wasteland were planted at the four corners of the arena, the black dragon and heavenly wolf patterns fluttering in the wind under the setting sun.

Wang Hao stood up from the dragon throne and stretched lazily.

He walked to the edge of the viewing platform, looking down at the Central State direction from above.

The smile on his face was as gentle as a big brother next door.

"Everyone, in today's ten matches, I was lucky enough to win."

"However, this is only the first round."

"There are ten more matches tomorrow."

"You can all go back and prepare well."

"Oh right, the betting pool remains open. Tomorrow's odds—"

He paused, his smile deepening.

"Eastern Wasteland geniuses to win, one to four."

As soon as these words came out, the Central State cultivators collectively lost their minds.

"One to four? Isn't this a slap in the face!"

"Does he think our Central State is guaranteed to lose?"

"This is going too far!"

Countless roars of anger rang out.

But no matter how loud they yelled, no one really dared to charge up.

Because those ten figures on the arena were still standing.

Each one had a steady aura, and they didn't even have many injuries on them.

When Wang Hao turned and walked off the viewing platform, the New Son of Heaven Sword let out a faint voice.

"Tyrant, you don't want to make a move?"

Wang Hao smiled. "It's only the first day, what's the rush."

"Then will you make a move tomorrow?"

Wang Hao thought about it.

"We'll see. If their Holy Sons and Holy Maidens don't come down, I'm not in a hurry either."

He walked to the Great Zhou encampment, and after sitting down, Wei Zhongxian came over carrying a stack of jade slips.

"Your Majesty, the final settlement for today's betting pool."

Wang Hao's eyes lit up. "How much?"

"The total bets from the Central State side were thirteen million spirit stones. Our Eastern Wasteland side bet three million four hundred thousand. After deducting the payouts, our net profit is—"

Old Wei paused.

"Eight million spirit stones."

Wang Hao was silent for a moment, then laughed out loud.

Eight million spirit stones.

Enough to pay the entire Great Zhou army's wages for half a year.

He patted Old Wei on the shoulder.

"Old Wei, keep it open tomorrow."

"Make the odds a bit higher, let them think there's an opportunity to exploit."

"Oh right, release the news, just say that although the Eastern Wasteland geniuses won completely today, their consumption was immense, especially Wanyan Gu and Xiao Chen, whose astral qi was depleted by more than half, and their condition will decline tomorrow."

Old Wei's mouth twitched.

"Your Majesty, that guy Wanyan Gu just ate three whole roasted sheep in his tent in one breath, and he has so much energy he could tear the tent down. You're saying his consumption was immense?"

Wang Hao said matter-of-factly, "They don't know that."

Old Wei: "......"

"Besides, Xiao Chen really did consume a lot. He fought two peak Astral Qi Realm cultivators by himself, do you really think he's not tired?"

Old Wei thought it made sense, bowed, and retreated.

Only Wang Hao was left in the tent.

He leaned back in his chair, closed his eyes, and the smile on his face slowly faded.

Winning ten matches out of ten today seemed glorious.

But he knew this was just an appetizer.

The true geniuses of the Central State, those Holy Sons and Holy Maidens, hadn't come at all.

And the intelligence Old Wei had just sent back showed—

The Kunlun Law Enforcement Hall was secretly contacting the Holy Son-level figures of the major sacred lands.

Also, certain mysterious factions had begun to pay attention to the Great Zhou.

For example, the Spirit Wardens.

Those lunatics who commanded the bizarre and uncanny in battle.

Wang Hao opened his eyes, his gaze profound.

"Ten matches, ten victories is just the beginning."

"The real tough battles are yet to come."

He suddenly smiled.

"But that's fine too."

"The tougher the battle, the higher the odds."

"I'm here to make money this time."

The second day.

Outside the Kunlun Reception City, there were three times as many people as yesterday.

News spread too quickly.

The ten great geniuses of the Eastern Wasteland winning all ten battles against thirty-six Central State geniuses, this news was like a thunderclap, shocking the entire western part of the Central State.

Countless cultivators rushed over overnight, wanting to see these fierce individuals from the Eastern Wasteland with their own eyes.

More sects, sacred lands, and noble families dispatched disciples to come upon hearing the news.

They came for two purposes.

One was to watch the battles.

Two was to participate in the battles, and then make a name for themselves in the world.

The spectator stands on both sides of the arena were packed to the brim. The three major gambling houses of the Central Continent had no choice but to temporarily construct jade slip projection arrays to broadcast the battle situation.

This time, the betting from the Central Continent faction was incredibly frantic.

Wang Hao had intentionally leaked rumors claiming that the Eastern Wasteland's geniuses had exhausted themselves and were in a state of decline. Although some felt these words were unreliable, the majority chose to believe them.

After all, Xiao Chen had fought two matches alone yesterday, and Wanyan Gu had fought three. No matter how dense their Astral Qi was, there had to be a limit.

The various factions of the Central Continent frantically increased their bets.

White Deer Academy added eight hundred thousand spirit stones.

Chixiao Sacred Land added one million spirit stones.

The Kunlun Law Enforcement Hall was even more ruthless, directly adding two million spirit stones.

By the time the matches began on the second day, the total bets placed by the Central Continent faction had exceeded thirty million spirit stones.

Sitting in the spectator stands, Wang Hao watched the numbers jumping on the jade slip, his face beaming with a bright smile.

"Old Wei, how much can we make today?"

Wei Zhongxian did some calculations. "If we achieve a complete victory again, after deducting the payouts, we will earn at least fifteen million."

Wang Hao nodded in satisfaction.

"Then today, we strive for a complete victory."

As his voice fell, the second day of the arena battles officially began.

In the first match, Xiao Chen faced another true disciple from the Central Continent's White Deer Academy.

The White Deer Academy sent out a body cultivator this time. He possessed a body of fiercely tempered muscles and bones, walking a path similar to Tie Zhongshan, but with deeper cultivation. His defensive power was one and a half times that of Tie Zhongshan.

As a result, Xiao Chen didn't even use his heavenly flame. He met force with force using his fist techniques. Within thirty moves, he shattered the opponent's protective Astral Qi and blasted him off the arena with a single punch.

The faces of the Central Continent cultivators turned an even deeper shade of green.

Didn't they say Xiao Chen was heavily exhausted?

Why did it feel like he was even fiercer than yesterday?

In the second match, Rong Xiaotian took the stage, facing a Central Continent genius who specialized in palm techniques.

This person was a true disciple of the Kunlun Law Enforcement Hall, at the peak of the Astral Qi Realm.

The two exchanged palm strikes, fighting until the arena's array patterns shattered and black stones flew everywhere.

Although Rong Xiaotian was one minor realm lower, his palm techniques were vigorous and his resilience was incredibly strong. He forcibly found a flaw at the three-hundredth exchange, blasting his opponent out of the arena with a single palm strike.

Rong Xiaotian himself was also beaten to the point of bleeding from the corner of his mouth, but the fighting spirit in his eyes only burned brighter.

In the third match, Gu Han went up. He was at the seventh level of the Astral Qi Realm, facing a Central Continent sword cultivator of the same realm.

Gu Han was not good with words, but his fists and kicks were extremely solid. Every punch and kick was as precise as if measured by a ruler.

The Central Continent sword cultivator's sword techniques were sharp and fierce, but Gu Han broke the sword with his fists. After fifty moves, he smashed the opponent's longsword in half with a punch, ending the battle.

In the fourth match, Wanyan Gu took the stage once again.

He had fought three consecutive matches yesterday, yet today he looked as if nothing had happened. His abundant energy was simply maddening.

This time he drew a burly man who wielded dual hammers. The two clashed head-on in the arena, exchanging flesh-pounding blows. The sound of metal clashing rang out, making the eardrums of the spectating cultivators ache.

After fighting for a full hour, at the cost of a bruised and swollen face, Wanyan Gu smashed the opponent's dual hammers until they deformed, and then threw both the man and his hammers off the arena.

Wanyan Gu laughed heartily on the stage. "When hunting on the grasslands, the most difficult things to deal with aren't fierce beasts, but wild boars. Your strength is about the same as a wild boar's!"

The burly man from the Central Continent was so infuriated by these words that he almost spat blood on the spot.

In the fifth match, Bai Zhantang stepped forward.

His realm was the lowest, only at the sixth level of the Astral Qi Realm, but his movement techniques were so fast that his opponent couldn't even touch the edge of his clothes.

A seventh-level Astral Qi Realm genius from the Central Continent chased and attacked him for a full hour without touching a single corner of his clothes. Instead, he was exhausted to the point of collapse by Bai Zhantang's footwork, and finally kicked to the ground.

The expressions on the faces of the Central Continent cultivators could no longer be described as merely ugly.

It was despair.

Five battles, five victories.

Just like yesterday.

The Eastern Wasteland geniuses seemed as though they would never tire and never make a mistake.

But in the sixth match, a variable finally appeared.

The Central Continent sent out their sixth person.

When Lin Tiechuan stepped onto the stage, he realized his opponent was not simple.

This person wore a black robe, had a pale complexion, and possessed eyes like stagnant water.

There was no fluctuation of Astral Qi coming from his body.

But Lin Tiechuan's intuition was frantically sounding alarms.

"I am Lin Tiechuan, I request this battle."

The black-robed man slowly raised his head, his voice hoarse. "I have no name. You can call me—Gui Qi."

Gui Qi?

Below the stage, Wang Hao's eyes narrowed slightly.

"Old Wei, look into this person."

Wei Zhongxian flipped through his jade slips, his expression changing slightly. "My Lord, there is no intelligence on this person. He is not a disciple of any Sacred Land."

"Then who is he?"

Wei Zhongxian said in a deep voice, "An Aberration Tamer."

Wang Hao frowned.

Aberration Tamers were an extremely special type of cultivator in the Central Continent.

They did not cultivate Astral Qi, but instead controlled aberrant creatures to fight.

Aberrations were the most indescribable existences in the world.

They did not belong to the mortal realm, but came from certain forbidden lands.

Aberration Tamers refined aberrations into their bodies, feeding them with their own essence blood and divine souls in exchange for the aberration's combat power.

This kind of person was extremely dangerous.

Because the power of an aberration could not be measured by common sense.

On the arena, Gui Qi reached out his hand.

Black bugs crawled out from his cuffs one by one.

The bugs were only the size of fingernails, but they were densely packed, numbering in the thousands and tens of thousands, instantly covering half the arena.

Every single bug carried a chilling aura that made one's heart palpitate.

Lin Tiechuan's expression grew solemn as the Astral Qi around his body erupted.

"What is this?"

Gui Qi did not answer.

He tapped his finger lightly, and the tens of thousands of black bugs surged toward Lin Tiechuan like a tidal wave.