Lice, though very angry, did not lose his composure. Instead, he carefully approached Woris with his sword in hand. As before, he started with a light slash to test the waters.
Unexpectedly, while his sword was still in mid-air, Woris suddenly moved with lightning speed, faster than a cheetah, and closed in on Lice from the side.
Startled, Lice quickly swung his sword horizontally to push Woris back.
However, it was too late. Before Lice could complete his swing, Woris had already grabbed his wrist, rendering it immobile.
Then, with a powerful grip, Woris caused Lice an unbearable pain, making him drop the short sword. Woris swiftly caught the falling sword, turned around, and placed it against Lice's neck from behind.
The entire sequence was fluid and incredibly swift, akin to a cat toying with a mouse, effortlessly manipulating Lice.
Overwhelmed and defeated in an instant, Lice's eyes glazed over. Having lost twice today, his confidence was severely shattered, and he knelt down dejectedly.
The onlookers gasped in astonishment.
"Is it over before we even saw it clearly?"
"Winning with a single move while unarmed, this is way more impressive than Ron."
"Oh my god! Am I seeing things? How is this possible!"
Ron was equally amazed. The technique of disarming with bare hands was truly spectacular. Such a feat required decades of experience, exceptional foresight, immense strength, and extreme speed—things that were simply impossible without them.
The elegance of the movements was breathtaking, making it seem as if the two fighters had prearranged their performance, with flawless coordination. To an inexperienced observer, it might appear as if they were acting.
But Ron was certain that this was no act. Woris was indeed a master, and his strength and skill far surpassed Lice's.
Bell was very pleased with Woris's performance. Applauding, he said, "Excellent! I assume you all have no objections now?"
The gladiators, having witnessed Woris's skills firsthand, had no objections and readily agreed.
Ron smiled helplessly and prepared to leave.
At this moment, Lice, burning with anger, hoped Ron could help him regain his honor. He shouted, "He hasn't defeated Mr. Ron yet. What's the big deal?"
Hearing this, everyone turned to Ron, expecting a response.
Ron furrowed his brow, hesitating for a moment.
Though he felt it was inappropriate, he didn't want to miss the opportunity. So he looked at Bell.
Bell was momentarily puzzled, wondering:
"What does he want from me? Does he really want to fight Woris? Is this young man serious about this?"
Then Bell considered that if Ron had a strong desire to prove himself, allowing him to try wouldn't hurt, and it would provide another exciting match.
So Bell said, "Mr. Ron, do you wish to give it a try?"
Ron did not respond verbally but maintained a smile while looking at Bell.
Ron certainly wanted to fight, but he wasn't there for a mere performance. He wouldn't respond until a promise of victory was made.
Bell quickly understood and said, "If Mr. Ron defeats Mr. Woris, we would be happy to hire an additional swordsmanship instructor and offer you a salary 10% higher than Woris's."
Ron smiled, "Really?"
"Of course!" Bell confirmed.
"Then it's a deal." Ron confidently replied, "But I have one more request!"
"Speak up!"
"I would like to have the match tomorrow at this same time, and I would like Mr. Kahn to be present as a witness. I don't want to perform a free sword demonstration."
Ron had already used his [Power Loan] skill today and hadn't had time to deal with the energy gained. With such a formidable opponent, he needed a reason to buy some time.
"Well…" Bell hesitated, "To be honest, Mr. Kahn is quite busy and might not be able to attend. He entrusted me with handling the gladiator matters, and you can trust my authority."
Ron did trust Bell's authority but needed to delay.
He said, "You can tell Mr. Kahn that a 16-year-old will publicly defeat the legendary gladiator Woris tomorrow. I'm sure he'd be interested!"
The crowd was stunned.
"Wow! This is going to be interesting!"
"Is Ron being too arrogant? Maybe his swordsmanship is good, but from what we saw earlier, he's definitely no match for The Butcher."
"I think so too. That unarmed disarm move was incredibly impressive."
Woris simply smiled slightly, unconcerned.
Bell was a bit annoyed, feeling that his authority was being questioned.
However, recalling that he had indeed seen this young Ron display strength beyond his years, he thought that if this young man could deliver a spectacular match, Mr. Kahn would likely be pleased.
So he said, "It's a deal! I'll inform Mr. Kahn of this, though I can't guarantee he'll be able to come. Tomorrow, at this same time and place, I will wait for you. And, as promised, we will prepare the contract."
Ron smiled and nodded in confirmation.
He glanced back at Woris with a smile and then left without saying another word.
After leaving 66 Wutong Street, he found a nearby inn, enjoyed a hearty meal, and then returned to his room to check his gains from the day.
After defeating Lice, Ron noticed changes on his Talent Dashboard.
A new line appeared at the bottom of the panel: Power Loan gains 60 Power, which can be converted into personal strength or Skill Points.
Skill Point conversion ratio: For the first secondary talent, 1 Skill Point per 15 Power.
For the second secondary talent, 1 Skill Point per 50 Power, with each additional talent increasing the requirement by 35 Power.
Up to 100 Power can be converted into 1 Skill Point.
Only secondary talents can use Power to convert to Skill Points; primary talents require Qi Force for conversion, and the ratio will be available after he awakens his Qi Force.
Ron was overjoyed. With his Sword Specialization being only his first secondary talent, today's 60 Power allowed him to exchange for 4 Skill Points, which was equivalent to the gains from the past four years.
"Wow! If I had known the Power Loan's gains could be converted to Skill Points, I should have chosen it first. I wasted so many years!"
However, Ron quickly calmed down, reflecting that there was no real regret.
"If not for the bonus provided by the secondary talent, I wouldn't have had the chance to use Power Loan. It's a classic 'chicken or egg' situation. My choice of skill acquisition direction wasn't wrong."
Ron immediately converted all his gains into Skill Points and allocated them into Sword Specialization.
Now, both [Sword Mastery] and [Sword Block] were maxed out.
[Sword Mastery]
Your precision, strength, and speed control over swordsmanship have all improved by one level.
Each level increases your mastery.
Current LV5.
[Sword Block]: Passive Skill
You have mastered swordsmanship, with a minimum 80% success rate for all attacks.
Each level increases the success rate by 5%.
Current LV5.
With the final Skill Point, he unlocked the third skill in Sword Specialization: [Counterattack Block].
[Counterattack Block]: Trigger Skill
Every successful block allows you to perform a quick counterattack.
Block melee attacks to perform a counter slash.
Block ranged attacks to perform a sword energy counter slash, up to forty meters.
Each level increases the counterattack power by 5%.
Current LV1.
Ron could hardly contain his excitement as he looked at the third skill.
For someone skilled in swordsmanship, it was clear that this third skill, when combined with the second skill, was a divine technique.
Typically, while Ron frequently blocked attacks, he often couldn't counterattack due to factors like strength or angle.
With this Counterattack Block skill, as long as he had enough power, he could counterattack endlessly. What kind of experience would that be?
Moreover, with the Power Loan skill, which allowed him to absorb others' strength, it created a positive feedback loop.
He couldn't wait for tomorrow's match.