The Life and Death Stage was the place where outer pavilion disciples of the Gale Pavilion settled their disputes. Just as its name implied, even if one of the disciples was killed, the Gale Pavilion wouldn't hold the other party responsible. Therefore, unless there was deep hatred between them, no one would ever come here to duel.
Today, there were over a thousand disciples gathered outside the stage. The reason? They were here to watch a good show. Today, a famous figure, one of the legendary Four Heavenly Kings of the outer pavilion, was going to duel a fellow outer pavilion disciple.
It was not only the outer pavilion disciples who were present. Even some of the elders had shown up. However, due to their status and position, most of them were hiding in the shadows, secretly watching.
"Hey! That kid is really unlucky! Just a few days after entering, he's already provoked Zhao Wang. I think he's going to die a horrible death," one of the disciples said mockingly, looking like he was enjoying the show.
"Not necessarily. I heard that this kid managed to kill a late third-rank Demonic Beast in the Cultivation Tower. With that kind of strength, even Zhao Wang might not be able to defeat him." Another disciple retorted.
Putting aside how the spectators felt about the situation, a middle-aged man stood in the middle of the life-and-death stage at that very moment. He wasn't tall, but his fleshy face gave off an unpleasant vibe.
This person was Zhao Wang, the one who'd challenged Xing Jue to this duel. He was one of the strongest of the Four Heavenly Kings of the outer pavilion, and an early-rank Martial Monarch.
"As expected, Zhao Wang challenged that kid to a duel."
"Yes, but I heard that yesterday, he managed to kill a late third-rank Demonic Beast."
"No matter what, today, we'll have one less strong opponent. That's good for us."
On a large tree some distance from the stage stood two young men with identical faces. They were the other two members of the Four Heavenly Kings—the Tian brothers. Both of them were top experts, having reached the early-rank Martial Monarch realm.
"Quick, look! It's the Tian brothers!" A sharp-eyed disciple noticed them on the tree and whispered to the person next to him.
"Even they're here? In other words, the only one of the Four Heavenly Kings who's not here is Bai Yunfei."
"Do you think he'll come?"
"Probably not. I heard from an elder that Bai Yunfei is obsessed with cultivating. Apparently, he's the one with the best chance of winning the inner pavilion championship this year."
"No way! Which elder did you hear that from? I've never heard you mention it."
"You… mind your own business!" The disciple replied, a little flustered.
Time flew by. The cool morning was soon replaced by the scorching midday sun. It was now the time Zhao Wang and Xing Jue had agreed on for their duel. Zhao Wang had been standing there motionless this entire time, like a god of war.
However, Xing Jue still nowhere to be seen. This led to a lot of speculation among the disciples. Some even suspected that he was scared and didn't dare to show up. However, some disciples refuted this, asserting that he would definitely be here.
Just as everyone was making their guesses, a handsome young man slowly walked onto the stage amidst the crowd's gazes.
It was Xing Jue.
"So, you're Xing Jue? I thought you didn't have the guts to show up," Zhao Wang said coldly as he looked him up and down.
"You broke my friend's leg. How could I not come looking for you to settle the score?" Xing Jue retorted, glancing at him coldly.
"A joke! You want to break my leg? It depends if you have the strength," Zhao Wang sneered. Without another word, he lunged toward him.
Xing Jue refused to sit still and wait for death. He moved at the same moment, charging toward Zhao Wang.
As the two intercepted each other, Zhao Wang lashed out with a roundhouse kick toward Xing Jue's head.
"Hmph!" Xing Jue let out a cold snort, raised his right arm, and blocked the attack. At the same time, he swiftly kicked out his left foot, aiming for his opponent's lower abdomen.
Thump!
With a muffled sound, Zhao Wang was unable to dodge the attack. He was sent flying a dozen meters backward before he managed to regain his balance.
He actually thought he could beat me with close-combat skills? He was practically begging for death! Close-quarters combat was Xing Jue's forte.
"Well done!" At that moment, someone shouted. The sound of applause rang out. It was Si Yan and the others who'd cheered. Zhao Wang and his cronies had committed all sorts of evil deeds, incurring the wrath of many people. Si Yan's voice had simply served as a catalyst, prompting warm cheers.
Zhao Wang's expression darkened considerably at those cheers. He specialized in close-quarters combat, but he'd never imagined that this seemingly delicate young man would be even more skilled than him. He felt a strong sense of unwillingness at having been defeated at his own game.
"Hmph! I don't believe it!" With a snort, he charged toward Xing Jue once again at a speed much faster than before. However, just as he was about to reach him, his body suddenly dropped to the ground. With a swing of his leg, he lashed out with another powerful roundhouse kick, aiming for Xing Jue's left leg. He was aiming for his lower body.
In the face of his attack, Xing Jue didn't move, letting him attack. However, although he didn't move his lower body, that didn't mean that his upper body remained still. He quickly raised his right fist and smashed it toward Zhao Wang's head.
"Bang!" Accompanied by an ear-piercing sound like that of clashing steel, Zhao Wang's roundhouse kick successfully landed on Xing Jue's leg. However, to Zhao Wang's shock, Xing Jue's leg didn't even budge. It was as if the attack hadn't connected at all.
As Zhao Wang felt a wave of frustration wash over him, Xing Jue's fist came crashing towards him with full force.
"Thud!"
The heavy blow landed squarely on Zhao Wang's face. Since his body had been leaning forward at that moment, it caused him to lose his balance. He tumbled to the ground, spinning around several times on the stage before finally coming to a stop.
"Good hit!" The crowd erupted in thunderous cheers, some of which turned into piercing laughter. One even began to make obscene noises, nearly driving Zhao Wang mad with anger.
Xing Jue simply shrugged and said helplessly, "Too easy!"
"You're courting death!" Seeing his calmness and composure, Zhao Wang's anger surged through him. He clenched his right fist tightly, and a large amount of golden gas rapidly gathered toward it. As more and more gas surged into his hand, his fist began to emit a brilliant light.
"Whoa, Zhao Wang's unleashing his ultimate move!" Someone in the audience shouted.
"Damn it, isn't that my Wind Devouring Palm?" Looking at the brilliant light in his opponent's hand, he immediately recognized his own most powerful skill—the Wind Devouring Palm. He hadn't expected this punk to know how to use it too.
However, upon closer inspection, it wasn't all that unbelievable. His Wind Devouring Palm was a Gale Pavilion martial skill. It wasn't surprising that Zhao Wang, as one of the strongest in the outer pavilion, would know it as well.
"This kid is really good at close combat. However, Zhao Wang's Wind Devouring Palm is a long-ranged martial skill. Let's see how he'll deal with it," the Tian brothers up in the tree remarked with expressions of anticipation.
"Wind Devouring Palm!" Zhao Wang suddenly slammed his glowing right hand toward Xing Jue. A series of dazzling palm prints shot towards him at high speed.
Facing the attack, Xing Jue simply moved to the side with a leap, easily dodging it. All that was left was a palm print half a meter deep and cracks around where it had collided with the stone platform.
"Wind Devouring Palm!" Seeing that his attack had missed, Zhao Wang didn't stop. He struck out again.
It was dodged effortlessly, just like before.
"Wind Devouring Palm! Wind Devouring Palm! Wind Devouring Palm!" Enraged that he kept missing, Zhao Wang unleashed a continuous barrage of attacks upon Xing Jue. However, as expected, the latter easily evaded them all.
Xing Jue knew the characteristics of the Wind Devouring Palm like the back of his hand. Although it possessed immense offensive power, its range was limited. Therefore, as long as one was fast enough, it was easy to dodge. This was especially true since Zhao Wang didn't dare engage in close combat with him and had deliberately kept a long distance between them.
"Damn it! Are you a monkey? All you do is jump around!" Zhao Wang finally lost his cool and roared.
"That's right! What's the point of dodging all the time?!" A chorus of boos rang out from the audience. It was clear that they were Zhao Wang's lackeys. After all, he had a large number of supporters, having been at the Gale Pavilion for so many years.
"Alright, fine. Seeing as you're so pitiful, I'll stop dodging," said Xing Jue, shaking his head helplessly. A cunning smile crept onto his handsome face.
"Wind Devouring Palm!" Zhao Wang also went all out, slamming his right hand forward once more.
Seeing that Xing Jue hadn't made any moves to dodge this time, a sneer crept onto his face. He was all too familiar with the might of this move. If they clashed head-on, very few martial skills could stand up to it. Therefore, he was certain that Xing Jue was doomed.
However, the moment he saw his opponent's next move, his confidence crumbled away.
"Wind Devouring Palm!" Just as Zhao Wang's attack was about to hit Xing Jue, he suddenly raised his right arm, and his palm, already glowing with intense light, directly intercepted the attack!
"Bang! Clang! Clang! Clang!"
The two palms, both containing immense power, collided. First came a thunderous roar, followed by a shower of sparks. Ripples of energy spread out from the point of impact.
"Break!" Xing Jue yelled. With a tremor of his right arm, he began to pour his Martial Qi into it continuously. In an instant, he gained the upper hand. With lightning speed, he pushed the energy sphere towards Zhao Wang, who was less than two meters away.
Seeing this, Zhao Wang also frantically poured his Martial Qi into his arm. However, after using the Wind Devouring Palm so many times in a row, he had depleted too much of his energy. Compared to Xing Jue, he was like a small river trying to compete with a vast ocean.
He could only watch helplessly as that terrifying energy sphere came hurtling towards him. This was precisely why Xing Jue had chosen to evade the attacks up until now—to deplete Zhao Wang's Martial Qi!
"Bang!"
"Arghhhh! My hand!" With a deafening explosion, Zhao Wang was struck with immense force. His right hand exploded, reduced to a mangled mess just like the Heavenly Dragon Mercenary Group leader's arm all those months ago.
However, not a single person at the life-and-death arena, not even the elders, looked at him with pity.
"Well, don't blame me. You were the one who didn't want me to dodge," Xing Jue said, shrugging helplessly.
Without another glance at his opponent, he walked off the stage, accompanied by the thunderous cheers of Si Yan and the others.
"It seems that the Four Heavenly Kings will have to be replaced from today onward."
"However, this kid seems to be a lot more difficult to deal with than Zhao Wang."
As they watched Xing Jue's group disappear into the distance, the Tian brothers shared an uneasy look.