Fang Yuan faced another fight.
“Your opponent today has a bit of a background,” Wei Yang said, walking beside Fang Yuan, advising him to be careful.
Fang Yuan nodded.
He never fought a battle unprepared. Ever since he and Li Ran became secret allies, he had obtained a wealth of information from him.
Li Ran was an undercover agent who had been in hiding for eight years; gathering intelligence was his specialty. He knew the Arena even better than Wei Yang.
“Li Hao was once a strength path cultivator too. He charged all the way to the Fourth Inner City. He was full of ambition, but he hit a bottleneck. The Strength Path is powerful in the early stages, but in the mid-to-late stages it becomes weak, and it's hard to fix its problems. Li Hao suffered a major setback, resolutely abandoned the Strength Path, and switched to the Support Path.”
“He also had a stroke of luck. At the gambling stone shop, he cut a good stone and obtained a rare Shift Gu. An experienced man, he immediately sold almost all of his Gu and used the hefty sum to buy a Mountain-at-Back Toad at an auction.”
“After that, relying solely on the combination of these two Gu, he won battle after battle. Using the essence stones and Gu he won, he gradually accumulated and eventually completed a full set of Gu. His challenging you is clearly a result of being hit by your Full Effort Gu. You need to be careful.”
Wei Yang finished, patted Fang Yuan on the shoulder, turned and disappeared into the crowd.
Fang Yuan gave Wei Yang a long look, then stepped onto the arena.
Wei Yang always came to watch important fights. Fang Yuan understood that he was there to back him up. Part of the reason was that the Merchant Clan had intentions to recruit him, but the other reason…
Was that he truly considered Fang Yuan a brother!
People were strange like that.
Some could get along for decades without ever opening their hearts. Others, after just one conversation, become the best of friends.
Fang Yuan understood Wei Yang’s feelings. Wei Yang saw his own past self in Fang Yuan. This strong sense of recognition, coupled with Fang Yuan’s straightforward nature, made him consider Fang Yuan one of his own.
“Wei Yang…” Fang Yuan mused inwardly as he arrived at the center of the arena.
The terrain of this arena was a large swamp. Black mud gave off a faint stench. In some places, there were puddles.
Li Hao hadn’t arrived yet.
A large crowd of Gu Masters had gathered outside the arena to watch.
This was the largest audience Fang Yuan had ever drawn since he started his challenge streak. Standing on the arena, he scanned the crowd and saw a sea of heads.
People were whispering to each other, keeping the entire arena buzzing with noise and clamor.
“That brat Fang Zheng is in for it today!”
“He’s been too arrogant these past few days. It’s time to take him down a peg.”
“This young man doesn’t know his place. He really thinks that with a single Full Effort Gu, he’s invincible?”
“Li Hao is here!” someone shouted.
The crowd fell silent for a moment, then the murmuring erupted even more fiercely, the noise threatening to blow the roof off the arena.
Li Hao appeared at the entrance.
“Lord Li Hao, today is your day!”
“Wishing you your thirtieth consecutive win and promotion to the Fourth Inner City!”
Many in the crowd shouted and cheered.
Compared to Fang Yuan, they felt a stronger kinship with Li Hao. Fang Yuan was a newcomer who acted arrogantly, killing many of his opponents without mercy. His possession of the Wisteria Token made everyone jealous of his luck.
Li Hao, on the other hand, was a veteran of the arena. He had originally cultivated the Strength Path, lost his place in the Fourth Inner City, and risen again from hardship. He embodied the standard unyielding fighting spirit of the arena, which resonated more deeply with the onlookers.
Li Hao smiled faintly and leisurely walked onto the arena.
He was thin, wore a flowery robe, had applied makeup, and walked with graceful steps towards Fang Yuan.
But when he was sixty paces from Fang Yuan, he stopped and didn't come closer.
In his previous fights, Fang Yuan had used the Straight Charge Gu to launch surprise attacks, knocking his opponents back and securing victory in one blow. Having been on the arena for years, Li Hao naturally wouldn't come unprepared.
The Straight Charge Gu could only charge for a distance of fifty paces. Sixty paces was still safe.
“A Strength cultivator, heh…” He glanced dismissively at Fang Yuan, a glint of scorn passing through his eyes. “Young man, I'm sorry, but your winning streak ends today. Do you know? Looking at you right now is like looking at my former self. The Strength Path has no future. Even if you have the Full Effort Gu, so what? Thank me. Today, beating you is for your own good, so you can fully understand the shortcomings of the Strength Path.”
He began to lecture Fang Yuan publicly, like a senior.
“You talk too much. Know how to shut up?” Fang Yuan crossed his arms, his expression indifferent.
“You…” A flash of anger crossed Li Hao’s face, his laugh filled with coldness. “Hehehe, young man, disrespecting your seniors will bring you trouble.”
At that moment, a *clang* sounded, and the presiding Gu Master announced the start of the battle.
Straight Charge Gu!
Fang Yuan launched into a sprint.
*Swoosh.*
The mud beneath his feet, like black waves, splashed high into the air to his left and right.
“Oh, quite a ferocious momentum,” Li Hao said, covering his mouth with a light laugh.
He knew perfectly well that the Straight Charge Gu could only charge a maximum of fifty paces and required a cooldown of five breaths after each use.
He was sixty paces from Fang Yuan. It seemed dangerous, but it was perfectly safe.
The terrain also worked in his favor. The muddy ground, unlike dry, solid earth, was not conducive to charging.
As expected, Fang Yuan lost steam after charging forty-five paces.
But immediately after, Fang Yuan turned sideways, presenting his flank to Li Hao.
Horizontal Rush Gu!
The black mud parted like waves, and a phantom of a wild boar appeared out of thin air. The momentum of the charge suddenly skyrocketed, becoming incredibly fierce. In almost the blink of an eye, Fang Yuan was right in front of Li Hao.
If he were to be hit, there was no doubt he would be spitting blood and breaking bones.
Li Hao was greatly shocked. At the critical moment, he hurriedly activated his core Gu.
Shift!