Duel 1 (Seeking Recommendations, Seeking Follow-ups)

On the arena, another match had begun.

Xu Minghui was an Eight Star Dou Shi. Though his strength was far inferior, under everyone's watchful eyes, he still bravely took the initiative to attack.

Xia Yuancheng gave a cold, mocking smile and said disdainfully:

"Looks like you still haven't realized the gap between us. Let me teach you just how vast that gap is."

As soon as he finished speaking, Xia Yuancheng mobilized his Dou Qi and threw a punch. He used no Dou Technique; relying solely on his immense Dou Qi, the blow possessed the force to split stone and shatter monuments.

The instant the two collided, Xu Minghui's arms broke, and his body flew backward as a suppressed groan escaped his lips.

Xia Yuancheng withdrew his fist and stood still, speaking mockingly:

"Trash will always be trash!"

At those words, everyone present glared angrily at Xia Yuancheng. He was far too arrogant, and their hearts burned with rage.

A perfectly good Family Grand Competition had already lost its original meaning because of Xia Yuancheng's presence.

Suddenly, Xu Feng stepped forward, head held high and chest out, carrying the air of iron and blood about him. His rigid bearing was the most common temperament among soldiers.

He had indeed trained in the military and experienced quite a few bloody battles, leaving many scars on his body.

He walked beneath the arena, then leaped up onto it. Stopping opposite Xia Yuancheng, Xu Feng said coldly:

"You look down on us greatly. If you intend to mock the Xu Family's younger generation in every match, then there's no need to continue this competition one match at a time. I'll fight you!"

The moment those words were spoken, the people around them froze briefly. Then the Xu Family disciples came to their senses and loudly cheered for Xu Feng:

"Feng-ge, go! Teach him a ruthless lesson!"

The referee on the arena was also stunned. In the end, he cast a pleading look toward the seats of honor. Xu Yaozu's expression shifted uncertainly. Though he also did not want Xia Yuancheng to remain so arrogant, Xu Feng was three stars below Xia Yuancheng. The chances of winning this match were slim.

However, the atmosphere had already reached this point. Forcibly stopping the match would instead easily damage morale. In the end, Xu Yaozu nodded.

"Let them fight. After all, doesn't the Third Prince simply wish to see the geniuses of my Xu Family?"

The referee acknowledged the order. He looked at Xia Yuancheng, then at Xu Feng. He too wanted to see Xu Feng defeat Xia Yuancheng, though the hope was rather slim.

"Prepare yourselves. Your battle may now begin."

Xia Yuancheng stared fixedly at Xu Feng like a hunter eyeing his prey, then grinned.

"Then let me see what kind of strength gives you the courage to challenge me on your own."

As he spoke, his knees bent slightly and every muscle in his body tensed, like a cheetah poised to strike.

The next moment, Xia Yuancheng shot forward. With a special movement-type Dou Technique, he moved so fast that afterimages appeared, and the distance between them rapidly closed!

"Wave Fist!"

Xia Yuancheng threw a punch like a cannonball crashing down. The fierce force of the blow spread outward, making it impossible for people to keep their eyes open.

Xu Feng's robes snapped in the wind as his face turned solemn. He drew out his Dou Qi, a flicker of lightning flashing through his eyes. Crackling sounds began to ring out around his body as silver-white arcs of electricity started coursing over him.

"Thunderfall Stream!"

Xu Feng met fist with fist. Vast amounts of lightning gathered around his fist, crackling and flashing, until even the air carried a scorched smell.

With a thunderous boom, the two fists collided in a violent clash. The brilliant light was too intense to look at directly.

Only after the light faded somewhat did the crowd see that Xia Yuancheng had not retreated a single step. There were only some scorch marks left on his fist. Xu Feng, however, had staggered back three steps, his right arm trembling uncontrollably.

In the first exchange, Xia Yuancheng had clearly gained the upper hand through his greater strength.

Xu Feng let out a roar as a massive surge of Dou Qi burst forth, condensing into a silver-white suit of armor over his body that covered almost all of him.

Only after using Dou Qi Armor did Xu Feng truly go all out. From the previous clash, he knew that he was indeed inferior to Xia Yuancheng. He could only rely on the power of his lightning attribute and see whether he could end the battle quickly.

With the boost to his strength and speed from the Dou Qi Armor, Xu Feng charged forward like a bolt of lightning, launching a fierce barrage at Xia Yuancheng.

Xia Yuancheng could no longer afford to be careless. He summoned a suit of golden armor, also Dou Qi Armor, though its details were clearly more lifelike.

One was a Nine Star Da Dou Shi, the other a Six Star Da Dou Shi. As they clashed fiercely on the arena, the enormous commotion of their battle left even the more distant spectators wide-eyed.

It seemed as though the two fighting on the arena were evenly matched, locked in an inseparable battle.

But anyone with a discerning eye could tell that Xu Feng had fallen into a disadvantage during the first exchange. He had then been forced to use his Dou Qi Armor first, and despite launching a fierce offensive, he had never inflicted significant damage on Xia Yuancheng. If this continued, defeat would come sooner or later.

With the first burst of effort, one's vigor rose; with the second, it waned; by the third, it was exhausted.

By the end of the battle, just as Xu Feng had consumed a great deal of Dou Qi and could no longer maintain his Dou Qi Armor, Xia Yuancheng seized the chance to counterattack.

"Hahaha, so that's all? That's all you've got? Wave Fist!"

Xia Yuancheng burst into laughter, then violently threw a punch that landed on Xu Feng's chest, now unprotected by Dou Qi Armor. The powerful force penetrated his body, making Xu Feng feel as though he could not breathe, his face flushing red.

Then Xia Yuancheng followed up with a kick, sending Xu Feng flying off the arena.

Xu Feng crashed heavily to the ground. A chill flashed over Xu Yun's lovely face as she gritted her teeth and glared at Xia Yuancheng, but more importantly, she hurried over to help Xu Feng up.

"Xiao Feng, are you alright?"

Xu Feng's eyes were bloodshot as he tried to struggle to his feet, but the agonizing pain in his chest made even the slightest movement difficult.

"Damn it! I'm not willing to accept this!"

Xu Yun hurriedly comforted him:

"Don't worry, Sister will avenge you..."

Before she could finish speaking, another person leaped onto the arena.

It was Xu Haoyu. Since the original rules had already been broken, he did not mind going up himself to teach this man a lesson.

Xu Yun was greatly shocked, then hurriedly shouted:

"Haoyu, get down here right now. Leave this battle to me—I still need to avenge Xiaofeng."

Hearing this, Xu Haoyu waved his hand without even turning around.

"Cousin, you should take care of our cousin instead. Since I'm already up here, there's no reason for me to go back down..."

As he spoke, Xu Haoyu raised a hand and brushed his Storage Ring, taking out two bottles of pills and tossing them directly to Xia Yuancheng. At the same time, he said:

"Take the pills first. Once you've recovered, we'll compete. Don't lose later and refuse to admit it—don't go saying we bullied you."

Although Xia Yuancheng had won, he had not emerged unscathed. The Dou Qi within his body had been heavily depleted, and there were quite a few scorched marks on his body, all injuries inflicted by Thunder Attribute Dou Qi.

Xia Yuancheng caught the pills, opened the jade bottles, and found that they contained Qi Recovery Pills and Rebirth Pills. Both were consumable third-grade medicinal pills, capable of rapidly restoring Dou Qi and healing injuries respectively.

Xia Yuancheng immediately swallowed both kinds of pills. Feeling his Dou Qi and injuries rapidly recover, he burst into laughter.

"While I was in poor condition just now, you might have had a chance to defeat me. But since you gave me pills to recover, I can't let you down. I'll use all my strength to grind you into the ground."

Xu Haoyu remained calm, ignoring his arrogant words and merely waiting for him to recover before beginning the final battle.