"Number fourteen."

At 1:45 PM, it was finally Chu Lingguang’s turn to enter the arena.

Carrying a black Long Spear, Chu Lingguang was led by the staff to a sandy area enclosed by a massive iron cage.

The sand was covered in bloodstains. Some patches were even dyed dark red, and the air was thick with the smell of blood.

Outside the sandy arena were rows of tiered, neatly arranged seats. Many people were seated now, all of them watching Chu Lingguang.

They were curious about the extent of his strength.

The odds offered by the Kong Family for a bet on Chu Lingguang to win were as high as 1.9.

And Chu Lingguang’s opponent was a full-grown Silver-Horned Pig.

When the arena staff released the Silver-Horned Pig into the sandy area from a caged cart, Chu Lingguang’s expression clearly faltered for a moment.

Du Wushuang had clearly said that a Crimson Flame Tiger at the Qi Sea Minor Achievement level would be waiting for him.

Chu Lingguang could certainly tell the difference between a pig and a tiger.

This Silver-Horned Pig was as stout as an ox, with sharp tusks nearly a meter long and coarse, stiff black bristles like steel needles, but no matter how you looked at it, it was no tiger.

Furthermore, the aura it exuded came mainly from its size; it hadn’t mastered any special abilities that dealt wave-like damage.

With a sweep of his Spiritual Sense, Chu Lingguang discovered the Silver-Horned Pig’s strength was only at the Qi Sea Vortex level, a whole tier below the Crimson Flame Tiger.

He couldn’t help but glance at the arena staff. He instinctively realized they had probably arranged this intentionally to test his strength and see if he could even handle a Crimson Flame Tiger.

At this thought, Chu Lingguang twirled his Long Spear in a flourish, making a provocative gesture toward the Silver-Horned Pig.

"Young Master Wushuang, who exactly is he to Mr. Du?"

In the highest row of seats, behind an iron door, a middle-aged man inquired.

"How many rounds do you think the Silver-Horned Pig can last against him?"

Du Wushuang asked in return.

"Seeing how confident you are, don’t tell me he can win within thirty rounds?"

The middle-aged man said after a moment of thought.

"Twenty rounds, at most."

Du Wushuang corrected.

"What?"

The middle-aged man looked astonished.

"SQUEAL!"

The Silver-Horned Pig flew into a rage. With only itself and Chu Lingguang in the iron cage, it had no other choice but to charge swiftly toward him.

Chu Lingguang stood still, Long Spear in hand, waiting for the Silver-Horned Pig to approach.

When it closed the distance, he swung his Long Spear up and brought it crashing down on the Silver-Horned Pig’s head.

For this strike, Chu Lingguang used his Sea of Qi Power and Divine Image power, smashing the spear onto the Silver-Horned Pig’s head with his flawless Spear Technique.

"BOOM!"

The Silver-Horned Pig’s head was smashed directly into the sand by the blow. Its limbs twitched once before it fell still.

From its perspective, Chu Lingguang’s strike had been fast, accurate, and unstoppable. It had no way to dodge. It tried to block with its tusks but couldn’t even meet the spear’s afterimage. The single strike shattered its skull, embedding its head deep in the sand and killing it on the spot.

Chu Lingguang retracted his spear and stood straight.

"WHOA!"

"One strike?"

"He won."

...

The entire arena was in an uproar. Many children of noble families began asking about Chu Lingguang’s identity.

"Number fourteen!"

"So strong! He’s already awakened his Divine Image power and reached the Qi Sea Minor Achievement Realm."

"I won my bet."

The crowd buzzed with discussion.

’Even I underestimated him,’

Du Wushuang marveled.

"Send in the Crimson Flame Tiger,"

the middle-aged man ordered a subordinate.

Down in the sandy area, the arena staff dragged out the dead Silver-Horned Pig. Then, they released a Crimson Flame Tiger that had been held in a cage.

The Crimson Flame Tiger was five meters long and nearly two meters tall. Each of its claws held the force of two to three thousand jin. It had already attained Spiritual Wisdom, and from the bloodstains left by the Silver-Horned Pig, it could roughly gauge Chu Lingguang’s strength.

So, after being released into the arena, it didn’t rush to attack Chu Lingguang. Instead, it circled him several times, seeming to carefully observe the changes in his aura.

Likewise, Chu Lingguang was also releasing his Spiritual Sense to observe the Crimson Flame Tiger.

Compared to the Silver-Horned Pig, the Crimson Flame Tiger was not only smarter, but its low growl also contained a powerful pressure. Its Attack Power clearly didn’t rely solely on its physical body.

"ROAR!"

Suddenly, the Crimson Flame Tiger opened its massive maw. A roar that seemed to penetrate the walls of the arena erupted. The flame-like stripes on its body trembled violently, and a sharp blade, hidden within its roar, swept toward Chu Lingguang.

Chu Lingguang’s Spiritual Sense enveloped the entire sandy arena.

He instantly sensed that the sharp blade within the roar was composed of fragments of energy waves.

He thrust his Long Spear forward.

Flying Leaf Lotus Spear, first level—Thrust.

"CRACKLE!"

The blade hidden in the roar was instantly dismantled. Chu Lingguang’s Long Spear continued its advance. The Crimson Flame Tiger only felt the black Long Spear lock onto the spot between its eyes. Its stripes trembled again as it swiped a claw forward, only to find itself surrounded by afterimages of the spear. It felt as if it were being pinned by countless spears and roughly shoved into a cage by a human.

"ROAR!"

It let out an indignant roar, broke free from the cage, only to find itself inside an even larger iron cage. A figure stood before it, and a spear pierced into the spot between its eyes.

"PFFT!"

This one thrust mobilized all his Qi Sea Power, combined it with his Divine Image power, and unleashed three levels of the Flying Leaf Lotus Spear: Thrust, Lock, and Confusion.

Three spear moves killed the Crimson Flame Tiger.

Before he started training in the Trial Ground, his Flying Leaf Lotus Spear had already reached the level of Perfection. Although Chu Lingguang’s focus during this period had been on activating his Dharma Aspect and condensing his Qi Sea to evolve his Dragon Elephant Power, his understanding of the Flying Leaf Lotus Spear had also deepened unconsciously.

Although the six levels—Thrust, Lock, Confusion, Gathering, Yuan, and Swallow—had not yet reached Guo Wei’s standard, they were at a Master Level.

The first level, Thrust, was only a step away from forming a three-chi defensive space.

The thrust he had just executed was even able to dismantle the energy waves the Crimson Flame Tiger released from its stripes. Killing a Demon Beast at the Qi Sea Minor Achievement Level was not a difficult task for him.

One had to remember that in the Trial Ground, Chu Lingguang had been able to single-handedly hold back a Demon-Horned Bull at the Qi Sea Great Success Realm to create an opportunity for Xia Tianzhong and the others. In the end, he had even taken the lead and, in one final push, brought the Demon-Horned Bull down.

An ordinary Demon Beast at the Qi Sea Minor Achievement Level was far from a threat to him.

Moreover, Chu Lingguang hadn’t even activated his Dharma Aspect just now.

Nor had he used Double Potential Energy Superposition. Relying only on his Divine Image and Sea of Qi Power while using the Flying Leaf Lotus Spear, three consecutive strikes were enough to finish off the Crimson Flame Tiger.

"He won again."

"He only used three strikes."

"Could he be an expert at the Qi Sea Great Success Level?"

"Who is he?"

The arena was once again in an uproar.

Du Wushuang was also completely stunned. Sensing that Chu Lingguang was not yet satisfied, he said, "Arrange for a weaker Demon Beast at the Qi Sea Realm Great Success level for him."

He knew Chu Lingguang hadn’t come to the arena to earn silver taels but to improve his strength, find a suitable opponent, and experience a life-or-death battle to unleash his hidden potential.

"Every Demon Beast at the Qi Sea Great Success Level is extremely strong,"

the middle-aged man corrected.

"This..."

Du Wushuang hesitated, unable to decide.

This time, he had only arranged for Chu Lingguang to warm up against a Demon Beast at the Qi Sea Minor Achievement Level. To be on the safe side, they had even started with one at the Qi Sea Vortex level.

He never expected Chu Lingguang to kill a Demon Beast at the Qi Sea Minor Achievement Level in just three strikes.

"His Spear Technique defense looks impenetrable. The arena just acquired a Silver Moon Wolf a few days ago that hasn’t made its debut. Why not let him have a go at it?"

the middle-aged man suggested.

"A Silver Moon Wolf? This... We should ask him first."

Du Wushuang didn’t dare to make the decision on his own.

The Silver Moon Wolf was famous for its attack speed, which was as fast as Lightning. It could also summon Wind Blades and was one of the more renowned Demon Beasts at the Great Success Level.

Immediately, a staff member from the Trial Ground entered the sandy area to ask Chu Lingguang.

"A Silver Moon Wolf, Qi Sea Great Success."

"Arrange it!"

’If I don’t even dare to face a Demon Beast at the Qi Sea Great Success level in the relative safety of the arena, then entering the Hundred Thousand Mountains to train would be a death sentence.’

’To achieve a breakthrough in a life-or-death situation, you need more than just strength. You need courage.’

(Author’s note: I’m so embarrassed. I really wanted to release a bunch of Chapters today, but I took my wife for a 3D ultrasound, and the baby just wouldn’t cooperate. I thought it would only take an hour and I could get back to writing, but it ended up taking the whole day. I didn’t get back until after 6 PM.)