A Dominating Victory

On the arena stage, the battle between Gu Ding and the tall man continued. Their conditions had clearly diverged—Gu Ding grew fiercer with every exchange, while his opponent was left with little more than the chance to defend.

With attacks like a raging storm, Gu Ding had completely seized the rhythm of the battle, leaving his opponent overwhelmed and barely able to parry.

He unleashed every move of Steel Fist from the fifteenth through the eighteenth; Ghost Foot had likewise gone from the thirteenth through the eighteenth. Even the close-range Thunder Elbow and Flame Knee had been used up to the twelfth move.

The eighteenth move was already the final move of the Third Level, with a 150% increase in power, yet Gu Ding still felt it was not enough.

A sustained barrage might be able to break through his opponent's defense, but that was not the result Gu Ding wanted. In his view, only shattering the opponent's defense with a single blow was the perfect outcome. So he kept pushing himself, forcing out ever stronger attacks.

After activating the final Steel Fist move of the Third Level, Gu Ding began reviewing the Steel Fist portion of the fourth level of Limitless Body Technique in his mind.

Sea Emperor had not really wanted Gu Ding to come into contact with too much of Limitless Body Technique so early, because this cultivation method inflicted tremendous damage on the body. It accelerated the body's metabolism, while also speeding up the aging and death of cells. The only reason he had not stopped him was because this was the Virtual Arena. Here, Gu Ding's body was merely a construct of data. No matter how badly it was damaged, it would at most return to nothingness. In this virtual world, as long as Sea Emperor wished it, he could rebuild Gu Ding's body in the blink of an eye.

However, what Sea Emperor worried about was that Gu Ding's desire for victory in the Virtual Arena would drive him to overload his body. If he encountered a similar situation in the Real World, he would probably overload his body in the same way.

Gu Ding quickly memorized the entire fourth level of Limitless Body Technique, then launched the first move of the fourth level at the tall man.

His comprehension of martial arts was extremely high, and he executed the move smoothly.

Then came the second and third moves in rapid succession, each strike heavier than the last, making the tall man's heart sink to the bottom. He had originally thought that his opponent could not possibly sustain such high-speed, physically taxing moves for long. Though this body was virtual, it perfectly simulated a human body's stamina, endurance, perception, mental strength, and other attributes. The tall man, who had always been confident in his stamina and endurance, now realized that he would likely lose this time. He could already feel his physical strength draining rapidly, while the mental power sustaining his connection to the arena was nearly depleted.

Gu Ding continued using Steel Fist until the sixth move of the fourth level. His body had already been pushed beyond its limit, to the point that he felt both his arms could become crippled at any moment. But in the Virtual Arena, the worst that could happen was losing the match. Once he stepped down from the stage, his body would reform, so Gu Ding was not worried in the slightest. To him, victory or defeat was not important. What mattered was surpassing himself.

So, he unleashed the first Steel Fist move of the fifth level. When that immensely powerful punch struck the tall man's chest, the man's expression changed. Before he could react, his chest felt as though it had been hit by cannon fire. With a boom, he was sent flying.

Before he could even get back to his feet, his chest had already collapsed. A moment later, he realized that he was standing outside the stage. He looked up at the young man standing atop the arena. The young man's entire right arm had shattered from the recoil, yet he remained standing there, his gaze calm, as though he had long expected this outcome.

"Contestant This Killer Isn't Afraid of the Cold wins!" the arena system promptly announced the result of the match.

"It's fine to overload your body like this in the arena, but in the Real World, you'd better not do something so foolish. Otherwise, your arms will really be crippled!" Although Sea Emperor knew Gu Ding might not listen, he still had to say what needed to be said. "Don't think that having Cell Repair Fluid means this kind of damage will be harmless. Cell Repair Fluid repairs the body by accelerating metabolism. The more severe the damage, the faster your metabolism becomes, and the shorter your lifespan will be."

In the monitoring room, the short-haired woman was somewhat shocked when she saw what had happened in the arena. She knew Gu Ding would win, but she had not expected him to win the battle in such an intense manner. She vaguely understood that Gu Ding had not come to the stage for victory, but to break through his own limits.

"Ask him whether he wants to continue accepting challenges." The corners of the short-haired woman's lips lifted slightly. This time, there was no longer any provocation in her smile.

Gu Ding's arm had already reformed on the stage when a dialog box popped up before him.

Continue accepting challenges?

"Yes!" Gu Ding made his choice without a moment's hesitation.

"This time, your opponent is ranked a little over five thousand. His overall strength isn't particularly high, but his special ability is invisibility. Do you need my help?" Sea Emperor asked.

Gu Ding gave a slight shake of his head and rolled his shoulders.

His opponent was quickly teleported onto the stage. He was a small, thin man wrapped from head to toe in black clothing. His face was covered by a black mask, and even his head was wrapped in a black scarf. Only his eyes were exposed. Even his hands were wrapped in white cloth, and he held a dagger in each hand. His ID was "Invisible Tenderness."

When Gu Ding saw that ID, he grumbled inwardly, Wrapped up that tightly, how could anyone possibly see your tenderness?

"He's a professional killer. Be careful—don't let him take you out in a single strike," Sea Emperor warned again.

In truth, Gu Ding had already guessed as much from the man's outfit. After spending so much time around Reed, he had become particularly attentive to details. The other man had likely wrapped his hands because, while carrying out killing assignments, he was worried about leaving fingerprints behind. He did not wear gloves because they would block his palms from feeling the daggers. A thin layer of cloth would also affect that sensation, but with long-term training, one could gradually get used to it.

As for wrapping himself entirely in black, it was to make nighttime operations easier. Covering his face and hair was also meant to prevent unnecessary witnesses from recognizing him.

The man's identity in the Real World was very likely that of an assassin. Such opponents were extremely dangerous. Once they caught an opening, they would usually kill with a single strike. Those daggers were no joke. If one struck a vital point such as the throat, he would certainly be eliminated on the spot.

Gu Ding also raised his guard. The instant he reached that conclusion, he activated Gale Body's defense.

Yet after seeing Gu Ding, his opponent did not immediately attack. He seemed to be analyzing his opponent as well. A moment later, his figure gradually faded away and completely vanished from the stage.

He disappeared?! Gu Ding was startled. Sea Emperor had warned him that his opponent could turn invisible, but he had not expected there to be no trace at all.