"Hey, who else got one? You better run and hide, little lamb!"
A youngster leaped onto the first fighting stage, exuding arrogance as he called out his opponent. Clad in the uniform of Morning Star, his demeanor quickly shifted when he saw who his opponent was. The arrogance vanished from his face, replaced by fear as he swallowed hard. He felt as though he might faint on the spot because the figure that had just landed in front of him was none other than Victoria Parker from Golden Valley.
"I surrender!"
He wasted no time, immediately uttering those words and scrambling off the fighting stage. His retreat was faster than his initial ascent. Despite his earlier bluster, he knew his limitations. Engaging in direct combat with a formidable prodigy like Victoria Parker was akin to a death wish.
On another side, a similar scenario played out when Evan Clark appeared. His opponent, too, lacked the courage to face him head-on, choosing the logical route and surrendering.
The crowd felt a sense of disappointment at not witnessing Victoria and Evan in action. However, their disappointment quickly evaporated when they turned their attention to the sixth stage, where Ghost and the red-haired youth were squared off.
"To be honest, you surprised me by reaching the 100th step, but unfortunately, you're going to die today."
This youngster exuded extreme arrogance. When Michael examined his robe more closely, he noticed a star embroidered on his chest, the symbol of Morning Star. His red hair billowed in the wind as he emanated a potent Body Refining Stage Level 4 cultivation.
"Brother Orion, please don't! We saw him massacre the entire Blood and Bone sect and burn their disciples alive!"
Not far from the fighting stage, someone shouted loudly. Michael turned his gaze toward the voice and saw the group of Morning Stars he had encountered earlier.
"No one takes what's mine. Now, I will make an example out of him to let the world know what will happen if they take what belongs to me, Orion Kesher."
"Human, he must be the one who left the mark on the quest we took."
Hearing this, Michael slightly shook his head and began to laugh. The crowd couldn't help but wonder why he was laughing. Orion, feeling offended, frowned at Michael.
"Why are you laughing?!"
"Are you really looking to fight me just because I accepted a quest from the guild? Are you foolish or something? Listen to your classmates and surrender. I'll spare your life."
His laughter ceased, and he now regarded Orion with a cold stare while releasing a hint of killing intent.
"Brother Ghost is scary!"
One of the female disciples of the Sunrise sect became frightened as she looked at Michael's cold expression.
Michael didn't hold back, so many people in the square heard his words loud and clear. The other stages quickly lost their attention, and everyone turned their gaze toward stage six.
"Do you believe he could have killed them without using any dirty tricks? Believe whatever you want and stand aside. I've got this."
With a wave of his hand, Orion silenced Klara's group, preventing them from saying anything.
Even the four geniuses at the top turned to watch stage six to see what the famous Ghost was truly capable of.
"That good-for-nothing Ralphy couldn't even kill a weakling like him. He was nothing but a disgrace to call himself a sect master."
Orion snorted.
"Senior Orion, kill him!"
"That's right, tear him to pieces!"
Some of Celina and Alex's fans started shouting loudly, further fueling Orion's arrogance. They couldn't believe that a Body Refining Stage Level 5 cultivator like Orion couldn't defeat someone who was only at level 1.
Klara felt uneasy because she had already witnessed his terrifying power before.
"DIE!"
In front of Michael, Orion shouted as loudly as he could. He dashed at Michael with a silver sword in his hand, and magical symbols appeared around the sword to enhance its power.
Swooosh!
"Kill this f**ker, human!"
Yet, before Orion could come closer, the crowd witnessed Ghost's body transforming into a bolt of lightning, disappearing from Orion's view. In an instant, he reappeared behind Orion. From his fingertip, a blue lightning bolt shot through Orion's forehead.
Splash!
[Ding! Congratulations to the host for killing a Body Refining Stage Level 5 cultivator. The reward is 4000 experience points and 200 Badass points.]
The next moment, Orion dropped to the ground with a hole right between his eyes. The youngster who had acted so high and mighty moments before didn't even have a chance to scream and lay on the ground dead. A puff of smoke emanated from Orion's wound, and his eyes remained wide open, revealing a terrified expression on his face.
This scene terrified everyone and sent a cold chill down their spines. Killings like this in the Heaven's Gate competition were usual, and the crowd didn't fear blood or death. However, what terrified them was how Ghost killed Orion. He was as quick as lightning, and Orion didn't even get the chance to raise his sword or defend himself.
"Dumb f**ker."
Gaya sighed and cursed, looking at Orion's lifeless body. The loud shout was the only thing he had done on the fighting stage. Orion didn't even get a chance to attack; he didn't have the opportunity to showcase his combat skills or wield his weapon.
Michael's face displayed an expression of indifference, and he didn't spare a glance at the dead body lying on the ground. Neglecting the thousands of shocked eyes fixed on him, he jumped down from the fighting stage. He earned his living by assassinating people, and killing Orion didn't feel any different.
Michael had even given him the chance to surrender, and his classmates had advised against the fight, but Orion had ignored them all because of his arrogance. He paid the price with his life.
"Holy shit! What just happened?! How could he be so fast?!"
"This is too shocking; just how powerful is Ghost? He killed someone who was four levels higher than him!"
"He killed him like he was swatting a bug!"
"That Orion kid should have surrendered."
"Did you guys see that?! Ghost didn't even blink his eyes when he killed; he's actually looking down on the Morning Star sect! Just with his attitude and courage alone, he has my respect!"
Everybody was shocked, and the square was once again in an uproar. Only Klara and her group knew the outcome with a hundred percent certainty. The fear and respect towards Ghost had once again risen in everyone's hearts.
"Thank God that bullying son of a bitch is dead."
"Yeah, I too secretly wanted him to die."
"Damn it! He killed one of us!"
Some from Morning Star looked relieved, while others looked pissed off. But many were eyeing Evan Clark, their ultimate hope and the trump card up their sleeve.
"I want him to be matched with Evan! I bet Evan will beat him in combat."
"That's for sure! Withstanding pressure and fighting head-to-head are entirely two different things."
Evan Clark was the representative of the Morning Star sect in this competition, and his abilities were extraordinary, unlike Orion.
After a few minutes, the first round came to an end. Twelve participants had been eliminated, and the remaining twelve would continue fighting.
Just like before, they would draw plates and fight against those who picked the same number as them.
Again, Victoria Parker and Evan Clark were having a field day as their opponents surrendered the moment they saw them. On the other hand, Hannah Berry and Nyla Reid from Silver Moon fought against the disciples of Golden Valley and killed them by beheading them without a second thought.
This time, when Michael came to his fighting stage, he saw a level 4 Body Refining stage youth standing before him. But the moment he saw him, he took a few steps back and threw his sword on the ground.
"I surrender."
After he said that, he turned around and jumped off the fighting stage. He had just witnessed Orion, who was a level higher than him, getting killed in a second, so the youth didn't dare to fight Ghost. Looking at him retreating, Michael didn't make fun of him or do anything, but just jumped off the stage.
After the second round, only six people were left: Evan Clark from Morning Star, Victoria Parker, and another girl from Golden Valley, Hannah Berry, Nyla Reid from Silver Moon, and Ghost from the Sunrise Sect.
The crowd felt goosebumps looking at the six of them because no matter who they were paired with, it would be a battle worth watching.
"Let the fighting continue," Celina said sternly as she waved her hand and threw out another six plates. This time, Michael's opponent was none other than Nyla Reid from Silver Moon, a prodigy.
Unlike before, the three fights didn't happen simultaneously. Surprisingly, Victoria Parker and the girl from her sect chose the same number, resulting in the girl surrendering to Victoria. The crowd was disappointed, but it was not unexpected. However, they didn't expect Hannah Berry to surrender to Evan Clark, which was a huge letdown for the audience as they started to boo at Hannah Berry.