Taking opposite sides of the arena, their little skirmish ended in a stalemate. This result had cemented her confidence, she could win this.
Ming Yue took the first move, going for a direct confrontation. She would not allow Shao Huang to make a move. Her body coursing with energy, she bombarded him with powerful blows, forcing him to act defensively. With each second, his body bent lower and lower, beneath her sword.
From the spectator stands, a furious voice bellowed, "Shao Huang! You are the genius of my Shao Family! My own son! Are you really going to lose to some peasant?!"
His father Shao Jin was red in the face, obviously furious that Shao Huang was losing. As for the other four families, they looked at him, amused by his sudden outburst. Noticing their expressions, Shao Jin quickly regained his composure but still had a tinge of anger in his eyes. If his son really lost this, they would be a laughing stock in the city.
On the arena, Shao Huang very clearly heard his father's angered voice. This time, he really had to win this. He let out an outburst of radiant energy, forcing Ming Yue off of him. A fiery aura surrounded his body as four arms of flame appeared from his back. Each arm carried a weapon made of fire.
A spear on one, a shield on another, a saber and a club.
"Wrath of the Infernal Asura", Shao Huang spoke, revealing his technique.
His entire being changed, being ranked in the 50s he was a mediocre talent, but now he could most likely contend with those at the top ten. As for Ming Yue, there was no way for her to counter him. She had no techniques to match his and Savage Tempest was not a suitable technique to use here. Her only choices was to wait it out and hope that his strengthened state would expire soon. Shao Huang let out a war cry, charging at her. Each arm attacked in a wild fashion disrupting the pacing of the fight and ultimately obtaining the upper hand.
Shao Huang let out a slew of techniques, his berserk state had almost tripled his combat power. These powerful blows were not something Ming Yue could handle, barely able to fend off the attacks. Parts of her clothes and hair were singed from the heat, she herself had already suffered some slight burns. Being attacked from 6 directions was difficult, not to mention, they were each a different weapon. With shield bashing, spear thrusts and blade strikes, it was like 6 different people charged her at once.
"You cannot escape forever, Hellfire Grasp!"
As he shouted, two of his flaming arms merged together, forming a giant claw. It grew more and more until it was large enough to hold a person. It attempted to seize Ming Yue, who was still stuck under his onslaught. She broke towards the left, narrowly dodging the flaming claw and sent out several wind blades. The flaming claw could not avoid it at such a lose range and scattered into small clumps of fire.
Unfortunately, the claw was only dispersed for a second before reforming. In this situation, she was truly stuck and Shao Huang showed no signs of exhaustion. She did not know how long this state would last. She might have to worry about two less arms, now she had to watch out for one giant claw. It would grab her in every waking moment, rushing worth whenever she showed a sign of weakness.
In the middle of all this, Shao Huang backed off, separating his giant claw back into arms. His flaming weapons all changed into spears and he began throwing them at her. He had changed tactics, opting for a ranged bombardment.
"Can you handle this?" he yelled out mockingly.
At first, she began to slice them up while they were still in the air. However, each spear she broke became two sometimes three smaller spears.
"Annoying!" she thought.
This state of his was not only suited for one on one combat but groups as well, maybe armies. She sprinted around, with each spear landing where her foot had left. She avoided the spears until he could no longer make more. By then, the floor was stabbed with countless flaming red spears.
Shao Huang was panting, drained from the continuous use of the Asura state. Yet, he was smiling, not because he had accepted his fate or went crazy, but that he still had one more move.
Ming Yue was still near his spears and he whispered one words.
"Explode."
In the blink of any eye, three quarters of the arena was filled with explosions, small and large. There was no sign of Ming Yue any where. The blasts left all sorts of craters and a enormous cloud of dust covered the arena.
The fiery arms and red-hot aura surrounding Shao Huang's body dissipated, signaling the end of his technique. His body was extremely weakened and he could barely stand.
"What are you waiting for? Announce my victory", he looked at the referee waiting for him.
But he found the referee to be looking at him or specifically, behind him.
"Surrender", Ming Yue's cold voice echoed into his ears.
Fear rattled his mind, "How did she make it? When did she move?" many thoughts raced through his mind. A mix of shock and terror gripped him.
Especially Shao Jin, not even he was able to see what she had done to escape.
"She cheated! She must have!" the both of them could not accept this result, protesting her victory.
But the referee saw very clearly as to how she had escaped. It was the Dusk Lily Pin. Ming Yue used it to protect her from the attack, realizing that this attack may kill her. Although she now had only one use left, using it here was not a waste. If she could rank higher, she might be warded with more money, improving her chances of getting the Splitting Moon Blade. The Dusk Lily Pin had protected her from all of the blasts and she used the cover of dust to make her way behind Shao Huang.
It did not matter if his cultivation was higher, Shao Huang's own negligence made him weak. This victory was rightfully hers.
"Ming Yue wins! She is now rank 58 and Shao Huang, rank 87!" the referee announced outcome.
She felt very good about herself, much of it was satisfaction from giving Shao Huang a much needed blow to his ego. As she left the arena, the referee called out the next fighters.
"Rank 1, Qing Lei Jiang and Rank 2, Shu Zhi! Come up!"
Her ears perked up after hearing the names of the next two fighters. This was something she wanted to see! A fight between the top two was bound to be a magnificent fight! She could watch the performances of two top tier geniuses in her generation.
As the two went up on the arena, large cheers erupted from the stands.
Facing each other, they were complete opposites. Lei Jiang had a warrior's disposition with his short halberds.
Not to mention his muscular body and handsome face.
It was not an exaggeration to say that many women swoon over him. He wore a set of gauntlets resembling dragon claws to match his halberds. As for Shu Zhi, he was quiet and calm, wearing light grey robes. But his blue eyes were remarkable, a deep blue as if an ocean resided in his pupils. Unlike his counterpart, he had only his hands, his delicate looking hands. His origin, nobody knows, many assumed that he was some cultivator who trained in some secluded area.
"I hope that you will not treat me differently just because I am royalty", Lei Jiang said.
Shu Zhi did not reply, merely taking a stance, putting his fists in front of him.
"Good! Good!" Lei Jiang laughed, "I like this."
The referee waited for them to prepare before starting the fight that changed the country.