A Powerful Opponent
Gu Ding initially noticed the sword intent emanating from his body and the long sword at his waist, before looking up and seeing the face. He couldn't help but mutter to himself, "He's clearly a man, does he really need to be so good-looking?"
With Scarlet's strength, being on the same stage, he naturally heard these words clearly. He wasn't angry, but said with some helplessness, "This body was given to me by my parents, and I had no choice."
Meanwhile, Sea Emperor had already retrieved the other party's information.
"This guy is called Scarlet. He got a direct pass to the War God Arena at the age of thirteen and has been in the Universe Sea for over three years. He's an Interstellar Wanderer, occasionally working as Interstellar Hunter or mercenary, and he's already quite well-known in the Universe Sea. His most famous battle was a year ago when he single-handedly destroyed the lair of a Zerg Mother Queen, who was guarded by four two-star Insect Beast Commander Mother Queen. Many major powers have invited him to join them, including the Federal Government, the Ten Thousand Demons Holy Temple, and the Freedom Alliance, but he has refused them all."
"The reason he has remained at the 1000th level of the War God Arena is that he has rarely participated in competitions in the three years since entering the Universe Sea. In those three years, he has only participated in one competition, averaging only three competitions per year."
After hearing the Sea Emperor's introduction, Gu Ding immediately realized that this guy before him was not as simple as he seemed. A two-star Insect Beast Commander possessed at least the Combat Strength of a three-star god. Having encountered the Mother Queen, Gu Ding knew all too well how difficult it was to kill four two-star Insect Beast Commander and a Mother Queen. Destroying an insect hive with a Mother Queen required more than just strength; it also required considerable courage. An insect hive with Mother Queen was different from an ordinary one. It typically housed at least a million insect beasts. Even Gu Ding himself was hesitant to venture into such a hive, as it was far too dangerous.
Gu Ding also saw the opponent's arena information at this time.
[Name: Scarlet]
[Cultivation Level: Demigod]
[God of War Points: 19200]
Arena Tier: 1000
[Number of battles: 89]
Win rate: 100%
The opponent has only participated in 89 battles and has never lost a single one. Moreover, their War God score is the highest Gu Ding has ever seen.
Above 1000 floors, many people know Scarlet, but below 1000 floors, not many know him. However, just looking at Scarlet's War God points, everyone can clearly see that Gu Ding's opponent this time is definitely not weak.
"Nearly 20,000 points, and an 80-game winning streak. That means he's still on a winning streak after advancing to the 1000th floor." Below the arena, Liliath couldn't help but worry about Gu Ding. Although Scarlet's appearance caused many women to scream, she was completely unmoved by a man with that kind of appearance. In her eyes, this kind of man was only lacking a pair of breasts compared to a woman.
Viking Clan women have rather unique aesthetic standards. Elsa, standing nearby, asked with some confusion, "Why are all those women screaming like that? I don't think he's even as good-looking Bigge."
Bigge scratched his head a little embarrassed after hearing this.
On the arena, Scarlet finally spoke, " In the War God Arena, not many people have comprehended the Martial Dao Intent. I hope you won't disappoint me."
Gu Ding's fighting spirit was also rising; he could sense the strength of his opponent this time. Hearing his opponent's words, he grinned, revealing his white teeth. "We'll see after we fight, won't we?"
Scarlet did not draw her sword. Instead, she raised one hand seemingly slowly, extended two fingers, and a sword beam shot out from her fingertips.
The sword light, initially just a beam of light, rapidly expanded in the void, vaguely revealing the shape of a semi-transparent, ancient sword. The way the sword light coalesced in this inconceivable way caused the many powerful onlookers to gasp in astonishment. Only a master who had condensed sword intent could achieve such a feat. With just a single finger, many felt an overwhelming sense of powerlessness.
Gu Ding, however, showed no sign of panic. He also raised his hand and extended two fingers. A Black Radiance flashed from his fingertips and then disappeared.
Many people were taken aback by this scene and felt puzzled.
"Did Gu Ding's finger strike fail?"
But only a few powerful individuals above the thousandth floor saw that after the Black Radiance suddenly shone, it turned into an almost invisible ray of light, and cold sweat seeped out from their backs.
"This wisp of light, tens of thousands of times finer than a hair, condenses a sudden burst of Finger Force into a tiny fraction, yet the energy doesn't dissipate at all. It's simply a superb move to kill without leaving a trace." The old man on the 1000th floor still sat seemingly nonchalantly in his recliner, with a projection of Gu Ding and Scarlet's battle in front of him. After seeing Gu Ding's move, a strange light flashed in his eyes.
They pointed at each other, but Scarlet used Sword Finger, while Gu Ding used a regular finger technique.
The result was quickly revealed: when the energy of the two fingers collided in the void, there was no violent explosion or a burst of dazzling light.
All anyone heard was a very faint cracking sound, followed by the rapid disintegration of the Scarlet, translucent sword light. Almost simultaneously, the Scarlet's pupils contracted sharply, and with a light tap of the toes, it retreated explosively, its longsword already in hand, ready to thrust out.
A crisp "ding..." rang in everyone's ears. It was the sound of a sword tip colliding with something, leaving everyone somewhat bewildered. They had no idea what had just happened. They didn't know why the Scarlet sword light had disintegrated, why the Scarlet sword had Scarlet been drawn, or what it had collided with.
Many powerful figures above the 1000th floor clearly saw that the black ray of light condensed from Gu Ding's finger tore through the Scarlet sword light almost without resistance, and rushed directly towards the Scarlet figure. This is why the scene of the Scarlet figure retreating explosively and drawing her sword appeared later. Many powerful figures' eyes flashed with shock. If the crimson Scarlet hadn't drawn her sword, Gu Ding's move, even if it didn't instantly kill her, would have been enough to severely injure her. Keep in mind, this was the sword genius crimson Scarlet, who had mastered sword intent, yet she was forced into such a sorry state by a single attack. Almost everyone, after this move, abandoned their previous underestimation of Gu Ding. Gu Ding proved his strength with just one strike, telling the world that he was no weaker than the Scarlet figure, and might even be stronger.
"Gu Ding's seclusion this time has actually made him this strong?!" Even Elsa was somewhat shocked.
"He has grasped the Martial Dao Intent, and it is an extremely profound Martial Dao Intent. Even if his level of understanding is not as high as Scarlet's, he will not be suppressed by his opponent," Bigge explained. "Moreover, the most important point is that Gu Ding's divine source is probably unmatched by anyone in the entire War God Arena. And any kind of Martial Dao Intent needs energy as a medium to unleash its power."
"If we consider Martial Dao Intent as techniques, then energy is the weapon. The strength of the weapon will also affect the power of the technique. Gu Ding's current situation is that he is holding a divine weapon, while his opponent is only using an ordinary weapon, so his opponent's attack shatters upon contact. The collapse of that sword light just now is due to this principle."
"Then we're guaranteed to win?" Liliath couldn't help but ask after hearing this.
"That's not necessarily true. It's just that Gu Ding has a certain advantage right now. If I were to encounter Gu Ding, I definitely wouldn't choose to fight head-on, and I believe the other party would make the same judgment." Bigge shook his head, his gaze returning to the arena. He couldn't predict the outcome of this match either.
But Bigge's analysis was indeed correct. Gu Ding's crushing of the opponent's sword light was indeed due to the advantage of his divine source strength. His divine source strength was already at ten stars, comparable to a three-star god, a level that Scarlet was definitely far inferior to. Of course, this doesn't mean it was entirely due to the overwhelming power of his divine source. Without sufficient Martial Dao Intent to support it, his move would have been nothing more than an empty shell without a soul, easily evaded by Scarlet's sword light.
Although many people didn't understand their first encounter, it only heightened their anticipation. After all, such a duel between masters might not be clear now, but perhaps they would gain valuable insights later when they became stronger.
"You are much stronger than I imagined..." With his Scarlet longsword in hand, his gaze fixed on Gu Ding, he had initially been unsure if challenging Gu Ding was even worthwhile. But with just one strike, he knew that regardless of victory or defeat, he would gain a great deal. He didn't care about winning or losing, nor did he care about the arena points; otherwise, he wouldn't have only participated in one match over three years. He only cared about becoming stronger, and whether his opponent could help him hone his swordsmanship. As it turned out, Gu Ding was the most satisfying opponent he had faced in the past three years.
Scarlet spirits soared like never before, and even the depths of his pupils seemed to gleam with a strange light. His aura surged, and he became like a drawn sword—sharp, dangerous, and lonely.
Below the arena, Liliath stared at the Scarlet eyes for a long time before speaking, "This guy definitely has special bloodline eyes. I can faintly feel the powerful Pupil Power emanating from his eyes even standing here. It's just that he has been suppressing the operation of his Pupil Power, probably because he doesn't want to reveal his Trump Card so soon."
"His Sword Dao Domain is very special, and he has already reached the Great Perfection of the Micro Realm, only half a step away from perfection, while Gu Ding's Martial Dao Intent has not even reached the Subtle Mastery. The outcome of this competition is really unpredictable." Bigge finally realized that his opponent's Sword Dao Domain level was far superior to Gu Ding's.
Gu Ding's divine source is stronger than his opponent's, but his opponent's Sword Dao Domain is stronger than Gu Ding's Martial Dao Intent. Gu Ding still has many Trump Card up his sleeve, but so does Scarlet. This makes the outcome of the match increasingly unpredictable Trump Card...
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[I'll try to update before 10 PM from now on. I stayed up too many all-nighters recently and my health has taken a turn for the worse. I'm trying to adjust my sleep schedule these past couple of days, and I'll resume normal updates starting today.]