Instant Kill

Below the Arena, Jiang Tao held Chen Mo's backpack and weapon for him, watching the preparing Chen Mo with a smile on his face.

The martial arts school provided weapons, so Chen Mo naturally chose to take the freebie.

Seeing Chen Mo look over, Jiang Tao even said, "Good luck." They were some distance apart, and it was rather noisy, so Chen Mo did not hear him. However, he saw Jiang Tao's lip movements, understood what he meant, and nodded.

Jiang Tao naturally saw Chen Mo nod and felt relieved.

If Chen Mo had fought Li Donghai in the Arena at noon, Jiang Tao would still have been somewhat worried. But now that Chen Mo's Basic Saber Technique had reached perfection, even if Li Donghai was one minor realm higher, he might not necessarily win.

He had faith in Chen Mo.

Therefore, Jiang Tao did not try to dissuade him. Instead, he cheered Chen Mo on.

When Zhang He and Yang Hu saw Jiang Tao's reaction, they could not help coming over to make sarcastic remarks.

"Jiang Tao, you and Chen Mo are together every day. You've practically become best buddies. Yet you're just watching him get beaten up. What a 'good brother' you are!"

Zhang He emphasized the words "good brother," his tone dripping with obvious mockery.

Jiang Tao naturally heard it and immediately retorted:

"Of course we're good brothers. But your relationship with Li Donghai isn't all that great. When he loses later, let's see how you comfort him!"

"Brother Donghai is a Seventh-grade Martial Trainee, and his swordsmanship has reached Major Accomplishment. Chen Mo is only a Fifth-grade Martial Disciple, and his saber technique is at Minor Accomplishment. How could he possibly lose? Jiang Tao, can't you see this is a crushing match?"

Yang Hu could not help snapping back, while Zhang He chimed in from the side:

"Exactly! The gap between them is this huge. No matter the circumstances, Chen Mo will lose! Not only are you not worried about Chen Mo, you're actually smiling. You should know that blades and swords have no eyes. Let's see whether you can still smile later!"

"The ones who won't be smiling are you two! I have faith in Chen Mo! Even if I told you, you wouldn't understand! Hmph!"

After snorting, Jiang Tao turned and walked away from them.

He did not want to argue with them. He simply would not tell them about Chen Mo's changes. Even if he did, those two would not believe him.

His relationship with them was not that good to begin with, so there was no need to waste his mood explaining anything. Chen Mo would naturally slap them in the face later.

"Hey, Jiang Tao, why are you leaving?" Zhang He had just wanted to say something when the judge's voice rang out:

"Quiet!"

The spectators below the Arena immediately stopped discussing, and Zhang He sensibly shut his mouth as well.

"Time is up. Chen Mo, Li Donghai, come onto the Arena and prepare to begin the match!"

The Arena was a circle with a radius of ten meters, covering more than six hundred and twenty-six square meters, nearly an acre of land—more than enough for the two of them to fight freely.

"Yes!"

Chen Mo and Li Donghai took their respective weapons and stepped onto the Arena, standing ten meters apart on opposite sides.

Li Donghai was brimming with confidence, his gaze at Chen Mo full of ridicule.

To provoke Chen Mo, he raised a thumbs-up at him, then turned it downward.

In contrast, Chen Mo acted as though he had not seen Li Donghai's gesture at all, his expression calm.

Chen Mo's reaction greatly disappointed the spectators below. They all wanted to watch some excitement.

They preferred it when the opponents exchanged harsh words before a match. That way, once the victor was decided, it would be far more entertaining.

"Damn! Why is this kid named Chen Mo such a coward? The other guy just gave you an insulting gesture, and you don't react at all? Can't you at least say something tough?"

"Maybe he's scared! The other side's realm is higher than his. If he talks tough and the other guy goes heavy on him, he'll be in deep trouble!"

The judge naturally heard the discussions below the Arena, but he ignored them. Looking at Chen Mo and Li Donghai, he announced loudly:

"The Arena battle is about to begin. Blades and swords have no eyes. Once one side loses the ability to fight, the other side may not continue attacking."

"If you find yourself outmatched, surrender on your own. The other side may not continue attacking either!"

"Also, no lethal strikes are allowed. If I discover any, I will intervene immediately!"

"Do you understand?"

"Understood!" Chen Mo and Li Donghai answered in unison.

The judge did not waste words.

"In that case, the match begins!"

As soon as he finished speaking, he flashed to the edge of the Arena.

Li Donghai immediately drew his longsword, pointed it at Chen Mo, and said:

"Chen Mo, don't surrender too quickly! I want to have some fun with you!"

"Don't cry when you lose later!"

"Are you done yet? Hurry up and attack. I'm in a hurry. If you don't come over, I'll surrender! I've already gotten fifty thousand for nothing anyway!"

Chen Mo drew his Tang Dao and spoke indifferently.

He truly wanted to surrender immediately. Just by moving his lips, he would get fifty thousand. This money was far too easy to earn!

"How dare you!"

Rage surged through Li Donghai as he lunged forward. He did not want Chen Mo to surrender just like that.

If that happened, would he not become a complete sucker, spending fifty thousand to get onto the Arena and become a laughingstock?

Li Donghai charged over, while Chen Mo did not move at all, as if he had gone stupid.

In truth, he had already activated Spiritual Perception and was waiting for Li Donghai's arrival.

Seeing Chen Mo react like this, Li Donghai thought Chen Mo had been frightened senseless. He hurriedly accelerated, wanting to teach Chen Mo a lesson before he could shout that he surrendered.

From ten meters apart, the distance between them shrank to three meters. At that moment, Chen Mo moved.

The next second, the two collided.

Immediately afterward, Li Donghai felt his right hand go numb. The sword in his hand fell to the ground with a clang.

At the same time, his neck went cold, frightening him so badly that he did not dare move.

Only then did Chen Mo's voice sound beside his ear:

"You lost!"

The voice was not loud, yet it was like a thunderclap exploding beside him.

At that moment, Chen Mo stood behind Li Donghai, his saber pressed against his neck. The entire process had happened in an instant.

The chill at his neck sent a shiver through Li Donghai. He did not even know how he had lost.

Chen Mo did not care about Li Donghai's reaction. Instead, he looked at the distant judge.

"Judge, you can announce the result now, right?"

The judge came back to his senses and quickly approached them, separating the two before announcing the result:

"Arena battle, Chen Mo wins!"

The judge looked at Chen Mo, with a few more traces of admiration in his eyes.

Chen Mo's saber technique was exquisite, his strike decisive. He had defeated his opponent in one move, which even took the judge by surprise.

Only after the judge announced the result did Li Donghai and the spectators below come back to their senses.

Li Donghai still could not understand how he had lost.

The people below were the same. Before they could even see what had happened between the two, they saw Chen Mo holding his saber to Li Donghai's neck.

Then the judge announced the result.

They found it hard to believe.

This was an instant kill!

Everyone sighed in astonishment. They had thought they would see a thrilling showdown, but this was all there was to it!

"How is this possible?!" Li Donghai could not accept the result and shouted, "Chen Mo, whether in cultivation realm or martial technique realm, I'm higher than you. How could I possibly lose?"

"You must have launched a sneak attack. I wasn't ready yet. No, we have to fight again!"

Chen Mo ignored Li Donghai and instead looked at the judge.

"Judge, this Li Donghai refuses to accept your ruling and is unwilling to follow the rules!"