Chapter 40

In this chaotic era and place, those in power mostly rose to their positions through sheer skill, fighting their way out of mountains of corpses and seas of blood. On this abandoned continent, there was no room for incompetent and lazy rich kids to survive.

When Instructor Liu made his move, the big shots watching the match were immediately drawn in. This was the art of killing on the battlefield!

Compared to him, the previous two bloody battles were nothing more than gang fights, full of bravery but lacking in strategy. The killers' skills, while lethal, lacked the ability to face off directly, and in a true fighting arena, they wouldn't even be considered worthy opponents.

Qianye, however, had a different style. He was extremely agile, constantly moving around Instructor Liu, creating a dazzling display. However, out of ten moves, seven or eight were feints. With his graceful form, it was hard not to suspect that he was performing a showy boxing routine from some noble family. Even the big shots, and many of the audience, couldn't help but think of the term "flowery fists and legs."

Instructor Liu's fighting style, in theory, should have been the perfect counter to Qianye's flashy but ineffective style. However, to everyone's surprise, the two were evenly matched, and the battle became a stalemate.

Although it was a virtual combat system, the force field provided real combat strength equivalent to a first-class soldier. As Instructor Liu fought, sweat began to appear on his forehead.

Qianye seemed to have countless openings, but each time Instructor Liu tried to exploit them, something prevented him from doing so. If this happened once or twice, it could be considered a fluke, but as it continued, if he still didn't realize the battle was abnormal, he wouldn't deserve the title of instructor.

Instructor Liu's face darkened, and he realized that Qianye was a formidable opponent worthy of his full effort. He suddenly let out a long whistle, his face becoming as calm as an ancient well, and his breathing deep and steady, indicating he was preparing for a prolonged battle.

Instructor Liu's seriousness made many of the audience members pause, and they began to carefully observe Qianye.

In one of the private boxes, a big shot slowly said, "This Qianye is not simple."

In another box, a young man turned his head and smiled, "Do you think Liu Zifan will lose? He is the current combat instructor of the expeditionary army."

"Titles mean nothing."

The young man looked at Qianye with interest and said, "I actually favor Liu Zifan. How about we make a bet?"

The big shot, whose face was hidden in the shadows, thought for a moment and nodded, "Fine."

The young man smiled and said, "A small bet is no fun. How about 100 imperial gold coins?"

"Like you said, a small bet is no fun. In addition to 100 gold coins, I want the 'Black Tooth' from your hand. What do you say?"

The young man's eyes flashed with a hint of killing intent, which quickly subsided. He said calmly, "If you're willing to bet the 'Flame' sword, I have no problem."

"Then it's settled."

Both private boxes fell silent, and the two men focused on the battle.

The fight had already lasted fifteen minutes, with no sign of a winner. Both fighters were sweating, but their movements remained precise, indicating they could continue for another one or two hours.

After activating the origin force nodes, physical attributes and stamina far exceeded those of ordinary people. In a long battle, a first-class soldier could often kill dozens of ordinary soldiers and still have the energy to continue fighting.

Liu Zifan maintained his disciplined military style, while Qianye continued his flashy and elaborate style, though with fewer acrobatic movements.

The audience's cheers had diminished, but no one was impatient.

This was almost like a combat skills demonstration, and many people were secretly learning and analyzing the techniques of both fighters, finding them quite valuable. Even Qianye's small tricks and techniques were highly useful in real combat.

However, Yan Laohu was becoming increasingly restless. He suddenly turned to one of his subordinates and said something. The man immediately left and returned a short while later, holding a woman.

The woman was young and beautiful, with a wild and untamed nature. Even in Blackstream City, she would be considered a top beauty. Her face was pale as she was dragged into the arena and brought to Yan Laohu's side.

Yan Laohu suddenly raised his voice and called out, "Kid! You're Qianye, right? Take a good look at this woman. She seems to have some connection to you!"

Qianye turned his head and was immediately stunned. The woman by Yan Laohu's side was Min'er, but she rarely left Lighthouse Town. How did she end up here?

This moment of distraction caused Qianye's movements to slow slightly, and Liu Zifan immediately seized the opportunity, sweeping his leg and hitting Qianye's outer thigh. Qianye stumbled, and Liu Zifan took advantage of the situation with a flurry of rapid attacks. Qianye was hit several times before the two separated.

Qianye's virtual fighter already had several areas turning red, indicating injuries. If the injuries turned red, it meant that part of the body could no longer be used. If the head, chest, or groin turned red, it would result in an immediate loss.

Young Master Zhao's face turned extremely ugly, and he stood up, shouting, "Yan Laohu, do you have any shame left? Are you trying to play dirty with me?"

Yan Laohu laughed and said, "I didn't tell that kid to lose on purpose! Qianye, did you hear that? Fight hard, fight to the death! Fight! Ha ha!"

As he laughed, Yan Laohu stood up, pulled out a short knife, and inserted it into Min'er's waistband, slicing it down with a sharp sound. He then ripped off her top, exposing her upper body.

Min'er instinctively covered her chest but was slapped.

"Who told you to cover? You're just a whore. Since you took my money, don't pretend to be innocent! Put your hands down!" Yan Laohu roared.

Min'er's face turned pale, and one side of her face quickly swelled, with blood flowing from her mouth. She trembled, lowered her hands, and allowed the audience to freely observe her body.

The arena echoed with a few dull impacts, and two more areas on Qianye's virtual fighter turned nearly red. Qianye's real body also had a swollen and bleeding mouth. The force field provided real combat strength.

Seeing this, Yan Laohu laughed maniacally and inserted the short knife into Min'er's waistband again, shouting, "Do you want to see something more exciting? This whore isn't cheap; it costs a silver coin to sleep with her for a night!"

This price was not cheap in Blackstream City. Min'er's outstanding appearance and figure came with an equally high price. Many in the audience began to whistle and cheer.

Young Master Zhao's face turned ashen, and he glared at Min'er before turning to Yan Laohu and saying, "Good, very good! You're ruthless. After this, you better be prepared!"

Yan Laohu gave Young Master Zhao the middle finger and laughed, "After losing this, what right do you have to challenge me? I'm being merciful by not wiping you out!"

In the private box, the young man smiled and said, "Yan Laohu is despicable! How about it, if you think it's unfair, I can have someone take the woman away and let them fight again?"

The man in the shadows said calmly, "No need. If a woman can distract him, he's not worth my bet."

"Is that so? Then let's continue watching," the young man said as he sat down.

In the arena, Qianye lightly avoided Instructor Liu's charge. As they changed positions, Qianye suddenly glanced at Yan Laohu and said, "I hear you bet big."

Qianye's voice was extremely calm, piercing through the noisy crowd and reaching Yan Laohu's ears, making him feel a chill.

Yan Laohu immediately jumped up and shouted, "So what?! I can afford to lose!"

Qianye's lips twitched, and he said, "Is that so? Then lose!"

In the arena, Qianye suddenly retreated, then abruptly shifted from extremely fast to extremely still!

Liu Zifan suddenly felt a strong sense of danger, as if being targeted by a wolf! Stimulated by his opponent's killing intent, he could no longer suppress his fighting spirit. He roared and charged at Qianye!

Qianye also let out a low growl, sinking his waist and exerting force, for the first time not dodging and facing the attack head-on! The two collided without any tricks, and their attacks rained down on each other like a storm!

With a loud boom, everyone in the audience stood up, and even the young man in the private box let out an involuntary exclamation, standing up and leaning out the window to watch.

At that moment, Qianye and Liu Zifan were almost touching, their moves and styles identical. Punches, knee strikes, and elbow attacks all aimed for vital points, each move potentially lethal!

Qianye used the same military combat techniques as Liu Zifan, but his moves were always a step ahead, quickly breaking Liu Zifan's guard and crashing into his chest, delivering three rapid elbow strikes with his left arm!

Thud, thud, thud!

The three dull sounds almost merged into a single, slightly longer boom.

Qianye's first elbow strike turned Liu Zifan's chest red, the second turned his entire torso red, and the third directly shattered Liu Zifan's virtual fighter!

The young man in the private box pounded the window frame with both hands and exclaimed, "What a powerful military combat technique! This kid is a real expert!"

Even he lost his composure, and the audience fell silent for a moment before erupting in cheers and exclamations!

In the control platform, Liu Zifan's face turned red, and he spat out a large mouthful of blood! Although he had the strength of a second-class soldier, the feedback force was equivalent to a full-strength first-class soldier's attack, and three consecutive hits to the chest were too much for him to bear, leaving him severely injured.

Qianye remained calm, his gaze unwavering, but a faint glint of blood appeared in his eyes when he saw the blood in the arena.

He lowered his hands, his legs slightly apart, maintaining the same military posture as Liu Zifan. Then he turned to Yan Laohu and said coolly, "Did you enjoy losing?"

Yan Laohu was momentarily stunned, unable to speak.

This defeat was a catastrophic loss for him. Just to get Liu Zifan to fight, he had to pay a fee and use up a lot of favors, which was almost equal to the bet itself.

Yan Laohu lost five years' worth of income! After this defeat, he could no longer hold his ground in his stronghold, Dongxing Town. If he didn't plan an escape soon, Young Master Zhao's people would soon come after him. Even if Young Master Zhao didn't act, other forces would surely take advantage of the situation.

In the two adjacent private boxes, the man hidden in the shadows chuckled and said, "It seems my judgment was good!"

PS: I should be able to resume the update schedule tomorrow, with one update at noon and another around 8 PM.