Fight!
At this moment, the word "fight" was the only thing on Jiang Chen's mind.
Hai Tian, Master Shuiyue—all of them were nothing but fleeting clouds.
If someone was going to press down on him, trample on him, then he had to fight—use absolute power to blast everything to smithereens and carve out a bright, peaceful sky for himself.
Standing on the Spirit-Devouring Arena, Jiang Chen felt as though he had been placed inside an isolated world. He could still see the outside, but every spatial connection had been severed in an instant.
"So that's it—the Spirit-Devouring Arena corresponds to the Metal element." This was Jiang Chen's first time setting foot on the Spirit-Devouring Arena.
The arena contained a powerful Metal Spirit grand formation, and the air was filled with a lethal, killing aura. Standing on the platform, Jiang Chen could feel powerful killing currents sweeping past his face, like sandstorms blotting out the sky, exerting an overwhelming sense of pressure.
The power of Metal was sharp, lethal, and piercing—it even possessed a devouring force.
Among the Five Elements, Metal was the sharpest and possessed the greatest penetrating force.
"Spirit-Devouring" meant exactly what it sounded like: the Metal Spirit formation on this arena generated immense killing and devouring forces that eroded every warrior's Spirit Sea and drained their spiritual energy.
This arena was an incredibly grueling test for any warrior.
Because the Spirit-Devouring Arena was exceedingly strange. If you stood still, the spatial currents were rough but didn't inflict much damage.
But once you started moving, the faster you went, the stronger the penetrating force of the spatial currents became. If your speed exceeded the flow of the space itself, you could literally have your body pierced right through.
Therefore, on the Spirit-Devouring Arena, remaining motionless to counter all change was the best battle strategy.
Hai Tian was indeed much calmer than He Yan. His entire being was sharp as a blade, slowly merging into the arena until he looked like a sculpture carved from metal and stone—cold, stern, and immovable.
Jiang Chen sneered. Hai Tian was clearly a cut above He Yan. At the very least, he hadn't rushed in recklessly to attack, hadn't revealed his trump cards.
"Secular brat, make your move. I'll give you three strikes," Hai Tian said flatly.
Every warrior created a certain momentum, a certain atmosphere. Hai Tian was, in fact, doing the same—crafting an atmosphere that favored him.
He understood the Spirit-Devouring Arena well. Standing still as a mountain was the best choice.
Stillness was superior to motion.
Every movement on this arena multiplied the backlash from the formation. The faster the speed, the wider the motion, the stronger the backlash.
And so, Hai Tian wanted his opponent to attack first—to wear himself out.
Given how miserably those before him had suffered at Jiang Chen's hands, Hai Tian decided to follow his master's instructions: defend carefully, observe first, and only then make any moves.
So his offer of "letting Jiang Chen have three strikes" was really nothing more than a clever ploy.
However, Jiang Chen merely smiled faintly, a strange expression on his face: "You want to give me three moves? Are you certain?"
"I'm certain." Hai Tian laughed heartily. "It's only natural for a genius of a major sect like myself to go easy on a secular martial artist like you."
Jiang Chen nodded. "Very well, then. I won't hold back."
He raised both arms, and two streaks of golden light shot forth — one soaring like an eagle across the earth, the other pouncing like a fierce tiger.
The two streaks of golden light flickered like stars blinking in the heavens, giving one the feeling of something caught between reality and illusion.
"What?"
Hai Tian's heart lurched, and he mentally cursed. He had assumed that if his opponent attacked first, he would use a weapon or come charging with his fists.
He never expected that the opponent would simply raise his arms and send two star-like projectiles hurtling toward him at lightning speed.
Ordinary hidden weapons would have been no concern — they posed no threat to Hai Tian whatsoever.
But these projectiles followed bizarre curved trajectories as they traveled. Moreover, they were launched simultaneously from both hands, yet each possessed entirely different profound principles — one yin, one yang — forming a miraculous complementary pair.
They were flying knives!
Hai Tian saw them clearly, and his pupils contracted sharply. In a panic, an object suddenly materialized in his hand — it was shaped like a seashell and snapped open without warning.
Boom!
The seashell-like object erupted with a burst of yellow radiance, and a powerful repulsive force instantly knocked both Moon-Shattering Flying Knives away.
Clang!
The Moon-Shattering Flying Knives were deflected, striking the ground and sending sparks flying in all directions.
"Hmm? What is that?" Jiang Chen was somewhat surprised. He had always been very confident in the striking power of the Moon-Shattering Flying Knives.
Just now, he had launched his strongest technique with the knives — a combined strike infused with the yin-yang principles of the Kurong Shenquan.
This combined attack had once been used when Jiang Chen was only at the first level of the Spirit Realm, and it had been enough to contend with a Silver Moon Demon Ape at the fourth level of the Spirit Realm.
Now, with Jiang Chen's cultivation at the fourth level of the Spirit Realm, the power unleashed would be absolutely staggering. Even a martial artist at the fifth level of the Spirit Realm might not be able to evade it.
And yet, despite looking utterly flustered, Hai Tian had actually broken through the flying knife technique!
Jiang Chen understood perfectly that this was not because Hai Tian possessed extraordinary strength or blinding speed.
The only reason he had been able to deflect the Moon-Shattering Flying Knives was that fan-shaped seashell-like object.
Hai Tian flicked his hand, and the two fan-shaped shells immediately transformed, reshaping into a pair of curved fan-blades that glinted with a terrifying edge.
"Two moves left," Hai Tian sneered. "Don't tell me that's all you've got — sneaky hidden weapons and nothing else!"
Master Shuiyue, watching from the stands, felt a measure of relief settle over him. Hai Tian was Hai Tian after all — when measured against He Yan, he was still the more dependable one.