Wang Hong arrived at the Death Arena. The platform stood a zhang high, piled up from earth and stone and reinforced with an array. A spirit-energy barrier like a curtain of light covered it, preventing spirit energy from spilling out during spell battles and harming innocent bystanders.
A ring of seats surrounded the platform, sparsely occupied by twenty or thirty spectators.
Wang Hong leaped onto the high platform. A cultivator had already been waiting there, a man in his thirties or forties. Presumably, his aptitude was nothing remarkable either.
After exchanging names, Wang Hong did not stand on ceremony. He slapped two Golden Light Talismans onto himself, did not even bring out a magical artifact, and directly charged at Lin Dong with his long spear in hand, activating the Wind Riding Technique.
Lin Dong slapped a defensive talisman onto himself and was pouring spiritual power into his flying sword, preparing to send it forth.
But Wang Hong's spear was already thrusting toward his chest. In his panic, he added another layer from a Golden Light Talisman.
Lin Dong neither dodged nor evaded, forcibly taking the blow. At the same time, he sent out his flying sword, which shot toward Wang Hong's face.
Wang Hong tilted his head, and the flying sword grazed past the Golden Light Talisman.
The flying sword curved around and slashed at the back of Wang Hong's head again. Wang Hong dodged the flying sword while thrusting his long spear at Lin Dong.
When cultivators usually fought, both sides stood a zhang apart, or even farther away.
Then they bombarded each other with spells, magical artifacts, and talismans.
Very few fought face-to-face at close quarters. Wang Hong had been tempered by several years on the battlefield and was already an expert in this. This had also been the strategy he had devised before taking the stage: give full play to his strengths and avoid his weaknesses.
"Close combat? Could this kid be a body cultivator?" a round-faced young man in the stands asked doubtfully.
An old man beside him shook his head. "Doesn't look like it to me. The methods he uses are all mortal combat techniques, and his strength is only a few thousand jin.
"Body cultivators specialize in tempering the flesh. Their strength is immense, and their close-combat prowess is formidable. Some powerful body cultivators can even use their bodies to withstand Magic Treasures."
"If body cultivators are so formidable, why are there so few of them? I've never even seen one," the young man asked again.
"The path of body cultivation is far too difficult. Progress in cultivation is slow, and body cultivators need to consume enormous quantities of heavenly treasures, Demonic Beast flesh and blood, and the like to nourish their bodies. Otherwise, their progress is exceedingly slow," the old man said slowly.
While the old man spoke, the two had already exchanged over ten blows. Lin Dong sent out his flying sword to chase and hack at Wang Hong, while Wang Hong circled around Lin Dong, evading as he went and thrusting his spear whenever he spotted an opening.
Lin Dong's face gradually turned pale. His spiritual power was nearly exhausted. Several times, he tried to drink spiritual wine to replenish it, but Wang Hong interrupted him each time.
Finally, with a clang, the flying sword fell to the ground.
Without the flying sword interfering, Wang Hong rapidly thrust his spear. In two or three strikes, he shattered the Golden Light Talisman, then swept his spear sideways, sending Lin Dong's head flying a zhang away.
Wang Hong gathered up Lin Dong's fallen flying sword and storage bag, then strode away.
The next day, the Lin Family sent another Qi Refining Layer Four cultivator to challenge him. Wang Hong slapped several layers of defensive talismans onto himself, charged through the opponent's magical artifact and talisman attacks, and entangled him in close combat. In the end, Wang Hong killed him.
After remaining quiet for several days, on the fifth day, the Lin Family sent another cultivator named Hu Qing to challenge him.
Hu Qing was a burly, dark-faced man in his thirties.
The moment Hu Qing stepped onto the platform, he said bluntly, "Kid, blame your bad luck. The Lin Family paid five hundred Spirit Stones to have me take your head."
A cultivator watching from below sighed. "The Lin Family is certainly willing to spend. My annual gains only amount to a little over a hundred Spirit Stones."
Another cultivator said, "This Hu Qing probably has some skill, if he is worth the Lin Family's price."
Wang Hong had not expected his head to be so cheap. He could casually pluck a few spirit herbs from his space and exceed five hundred Spirit Stones. "What if I offered more Spirit Stones? Could you help me kill a Lin Family cultivator?"
"Hahaha! No need. Once I kill you, all your Spirit Stones will be mine! Before you die, I'll let you witness true close-quarters combat." As he spoke, he put on a pair of gloves and strode toward Wang Hong.
Seeing that Hu Qing had come with ill intent, Wang Hong slapped several layers of Golden Light Talismans onto himself. Then he leveled his spear and thrust it at Hu Qing.
Hu Qing neither dodged nor evaded. With his left fist, he smashed into the spear shaft. Wang Hong felt a tremendous force surge through it. The spear trembled violently and nearly flew from his grasp.
Hu Qing's right fist then struck toward Wang Hong's chest and abdomen. Wang Hong hurriedly held his spear crosswise to block it, but another tremendous force crashed into him and sent him flying.
Wang Hong barely steadied himself. His arms ached, and his chest churned.
He added two more layers of defense to himself and charged Hu Qing. After only three exchanges, he was sent flying again.
Hu Qing was in no hurry. He watched with a mocking expression, waiting for Wang Hong to climb up and charge him again. After only a few more exchanges, he sent Wang Hong flying once more.
This time, Wang Hong had stabbed Hu Qing once. Unfortunately, it was like stabbing an iron plate. He had only scraped off a patch of skin and caused no real injury.
"See that? This is a true body cultivator. His strength reaches tens of thousands of jin, and he can use his flesh to withstand magical artifact attacks. He is invincible in close combat," an old man below the stage said to the young man beside him.
"Then wouldn't body cultivators be invincible among those of the same realm?" the young man asked enviously.
"More or less, but they are not without weaknesses. Most body cultivators do not cultivate spells and can only fight at close range. If their opponent refuses to let them get close, no matter how powerful a body cultivator is, they are useless. They become targets, left with nothing but a beating," the old man explained.
"Then why not cultivate spiritual power and spells as well?"
The old man rapped the young man on the head. "Do you think it's that easy? Body cultivation already progresses extremely slowly and consumes vast resources. If they also cultivated spiritual power and spells, who could bear the expenditure of time and resources?"
Meanwhile, Hu Qing's punch directly shattered two layers of Golden Light Talismans, the force making Wang Hong spit out a mouthful of blood.
Wang Hong climbed up from the ground with some difficulty, added another two layers of defensive talismans to himself, and charged forward with his spear again.
He was sent flying once more. His spear flew from his hand, and he spat out another mouthful of blood.
At that moment, Wang Hong felt pain everywhere in his body. His limbs trembled faintly from exhaustion.
The reason he continued to persist was partly because he wanted to test the gap between his strength and Hu Qing's.
More importantly, he had made a new discovery. Because he had consumed large quantities of pills for a long time, a great deal of residual medicinal power had accumulated within his body, which he could not absorb.
Yet beneath Hu Qing's continuous heavy blows, those residual pill effects gradually seeped into his muscles and bones, slowly strengthening his flesh.
Wang Hong slowly rose and stuffed a White Jade Life-Extending Pill into his mouth.
He picked up his long spear, added two layers of Golden Light Talismans, and limped toward Hu Qing.
After being sent flying yet again, Wang Hong sat on the ground, wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, and said, "The facts prove that no matter what, I cannot gain any advantage by fighting you at close range."
"Not playing anymore, kid? For the sake of you playing with me for so long, I won't torture you any further. I'll give you a quick death." With that, Hu Qing walked toward Wang Hong with a savage expression.
Wang Hong smiled. "Mm, I'm done playing. I can't beat you. Looks like I can only smash you to death with Spirit Stones again!" At the same time, a large handful of talismans appeared in his hand, at least several dozen of them, and he hurled them at Hu Qing.
Wang Hong truly disliked the feeling of having to smash people to death with Spirit Stones whenever he fought. But aside from Spirit Stones, he seemed to have no skill worth praising.
Hu Qing was greatly alarmed. Countless talismans flew toward him, blanketing a two-zhang radius around him. There was nowhere to dodge and nowhere to flee. He could only watch helplessly as a sea of flames swallowed him.
A moment later, Wang Hong found a storage bag and a pair of gloves amid the ashes.
He leaped down from the Death Arena, and Zhang Chunfeng and the others hurried over to support him.
In this battle, many of Wang Hong's muscles had ruptured, more than ten bones had fractured, and his internal organs had been injured. Wang Hong recuperated for a full month.
The White Jade Life-Extending Pill was merely a sacred medicine of the mortal world. Its method of refinement was rather crude, and it was no longer very suitable for cultivators at this realm. He would need to obtain better Healing Medicine in the future.
During that month, the Lin Family sent no more letters of challenge. Wang Hong was happy for the peace and quiet. Every day, he entered his space to read books and study various arts. Wang Hong felt that once his injuries healed, he could begin making talismans.
On the other side, Lin Yun, a direct descendant of the Lin Family, ground his teeth in fury. He was not the only direct descendant of the Lin Family. The deaths of two Lin Family members would still invite criticism from others.
The five hundred Spirit Stones spent to hire Hu Qing were nearly his savings for an entire year.
This Wang Hong was far too detestable. He talked such a big game, yet if someone was even a little stronger than him, he refused to accept the challenge.
Left with no choice, Lin Yun arranged for people to watch him. The moment Wang Hong left the city, they would hunt him down. He refused to believe Wang Hong could hide in Qingxu City for the rest of his life.
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