The Mouse and the Cat

Xu Lie's face immediately filled with malice. He stepped forward and questioned, "Luo Zheng, you promised me you'd fight in the arena today, so why are you late? If you're too scared to get on the arena, just kneel down and kowtow to me three times, call me 'Grandpa' three times, and then leave the Azure Cloud Sect yourself. What kind of skill is it to hide at home like a coward?"

Luo Zheng blinked his eyes and slowly said, "I did promise you I'd fight in the arena today. However, I promised you 'today'. Zi Time is today, and Wu Time is also today. What? Did I promise you a specific time today?"

Luo Zheng's counter-question made Xu Lie pause, and the anger on his face intensified. "Sly kid, once you're on the arena, we'll see what use that mouth of yours is!"

"Before getting on the arena, I have one more request," Luo Zheng suddenly said.

"What request? Are you expecting me to go easy on you? The rules of the Azure Cloud Sect's arena are clear: death or injury, we are not responsible!" Xu Lie's goal today was to take Luo Zheng's life. If Luo Zheng made such a request, Xu Lie would absolutely not agree.

Luo Zheng shook his head. "On the arena, fists and feet have no eyes. Of course, I know the rules. I just think fighting like this is too boring. How about we bet on something? It'd be good to have a prize!"

Xu Lie was slightly taken aback. He hadn't expected Luo Zheng to make such a request. In Xu Lie's mind, his goal had basically been achieved. As long as he lured Luo Zheng onto the arena, Luo Zheng was basically a dead man. So, as long as Luo Zheng was willing to get on the arena, everything else was negotiable.

He didn't expect Luo Zheng to be so confident, even wanting to bet on a prize.

Xu Lie couldn't figure out where Luo Zheng's confidence came from. Did he really think he could win? A little guy in the Viscera Refining Realm, thinking he could beat someone in the Half-Step to the Innate Realm? What a joke!

"Haha, a prize? Very good, whatever you want to bet, I'll see it through!" Xu Lie said.

"How about this: I'll put up one hundred Square Crystal Stones, and you put up a High-Grade Profound Artifact. If you win, the one hundred Square Crystal Stones are yours. If you lose, that High-Grade Profound Artifact is mine!" Luo Zheng said with a smile.

"One hundred Square Crystal Stones?" Xu Lie was surprised again. As someone from a common background, Xu Lie wasn't very wealthy. Although he had earned a lot of points with his strength over the years, those points had been used to exchange for cultivation techniques and pills. Cultivating a martial artist was inherently a money-burning endeavor, not to mention Xu Lie didn't have the support of a large clan behind him.

This bet was nothing to an Aristocratic Clan Disciple, but for an Outer Sect Disciple from a common background, it was a huge sum.

Xu Lie was happy to bet with Luo Zheng, but Xu Lie couldn't produce a High-Grade Profound Artifact...

"Brat, you clearly know I don't have a High-Grade Profound Artifact, but you want to bet on this now. I think you're just making excuses," Xu Lie said angrily.

Luo Zheng sighed, showing a look of regret. "Since that's the case, there's no point in fighting this arena match. It's just a waste of effort. Why should I fight you?"

"You!" Xu Lie was truly choked with anger. "You brat are clearly just looking for an excuse not to get on the arena. I bet those one hundred Square Crystal Stones you mentioned are just empty talk, you can't even produce them!"

As soon as Xu Lie finished speaking, with a clinking sound, a pile of Square Crystal Stones slid out of Luo Zheng's hand. The Square Crystal Stones, one by one, were crystal clear, reflecting a magnificent color under the sunlight.

These Square Crystal Stones were hard currency. Most of the Outer Sect Disciples on Little Rain Peak were from common backgrounds. This pile of over a hundred Square Crystal Stones was definitely a huge sum.

"I've produced this many Square Crystal Stones now. As long as you can produce a High-Grade Profound Artifact, I'll get on the arena. If you can't, I think we should just forget about it. I really don't want to waste my effort!" Standing among that pile of Square Crystal Stones, Luo Zheng smiled exceptionally brightly.

Xu Lie was now completely out of patience. What he thought would be a simple matter had been delayed for a long time by Luo Zheng's stalling.

At this moment, Steward Zhu suddenly said sinisterly, "Xu Lie, he wants to bet on a High-Grade Profound Artifact, just bet with him. Are you perhaps afraid of losing?"

"But I don't have a High-Grade Profound Artifact," Xu Lie said dejectedly.

"If you don't have a High-Grade Profound Artifact, can't you borrow one? I don't believe that in such a large Little Rain Peak, there isn't someone who can produce a High-Grade Profound Artifact," Steward Zhu reminded him.

"That's right!" Xu Lie scanned the crowd, his gaze falling on someone in the corner. "He Bing, I remember you have a High-Grade Profound Artifact, don't you?"

He Bing did indeed possess a High-Grade Profound Artifact, and his strength was not weak. Seeing Xu Lie approach him, he smiled and said, "Brother Xu Lie, I do have a High-Grade Profound Artifact, so what?"

"Lend it to me for a bit, I'll return it to you later!" Xu Lie said. In Xu Lie's opinion, this was a very simple matter.

What Xu Lie didn't expect was that He Bing actually shook his head and said, "No."

"What? Are you afraid I'll lose to this kid?" Xu Lie said angrily.

He Bing continued to shake his head. "Of course, I'm not afraid you'll lose to this kid. It's just, why should I lend it to you for no reason?"

"You..." Xu Lie's eyes darted around, and he immediately understood He Bing's meaning. He then said, "How about this, when I beat that kid later, I'll split half of those Square Crystal Stones with you, how about that?"

Hearing Xu Lie's words, a satisfied smile finally appeared on He Bing's face. "You should have said so earlier, Brother Xu Lie, catch!"

After saying that, He Bing unbuckled a sword from his waist and threw it to Xu Lie.

Xu Lie reached out and caught it, muttering to himself that He Bing was someone who wouldn't do anything without profit. Then, with a clang, he drew the sword from its sheath. The three-foot-long blade shimmered with a faint purple light. He said to Luo Zheng, "This sword of He Bing's is called the Purple Azure Treasure Sword. It's a High-Grade Mysterious Artifact. Can it be the prize now?"

Luo Zheng glanced at the Purple Azure Treasure Sword, then nodded. He turned to Mo Can behind him and said, "Help me send these Square Crystal Stones over." After saying that, Luo Zheng leaped onto the arena.

Seeing Luo Zheng get on the arena, Xu Lie was secretly delighted. He wasn't afraid of anything, only that Luo Zheng would actually back down. So, he also handed the Purple Azure Treasure Sword to Mo Can and likewise jumped onto the arena.

On the arena, Luo Zheng stood with his hands behind his back, but the power within his body began to circulate slowly. Facing Xu Lie, who was in the Half-Step to the Innate Realm, Luo Zheng appeared nonchalant on the surface, but his heart was full of vigilance. Who at Xu Lie's level wouldn't have a trump card?

Xu Lie, who had been patient for a long time, wanted to end this arena match quickly. After getting on stage, he sneered. A flash of lightning appeared under his feet, and his entire body seemed to be wrapped in a layer of lightning as he charged towards Luo Zheng at an extremely fast speed.

Xu Lie cultivated a technique called the Thunderclap Fist. The innate true energy produced by this technique was filled with the momentum of thunder and lightning, and both its speed and explosive power were astonishing.

Xu Lie kept getting closer and larger in Luo Zheng's pupils. When Xu Lie was only two meters away, his large fist transformed into a bolt of thunder and lightning, striking directly at Luo Zheng's head.

Someone in the Half-Step to the Innate Realm could already skillfully control their innate true energy, transforming it into thunder and lightning. The power of this punch was surprisingly astonishing.

Facing this punch, Luo Zheng did not retreat.

He clenched his fingers into a fist, and layers of purple light wrapped around him. As soon as he attacked, it was the Rosewood Inch Strength from the Rosewood Fist!

He actually wanted to go head-to-head with Xu Lie!

The people below the arena saw this scene and their mouths dropped wide open.

They had originally thought that Luo Zheng would definitely scurry away with his head in his hands after one exchange.

After all, the difference in realms was too great. Facing the enemy head-on, Luo Zheng had no chance of winning at all.

If these two fists collided, half of Luo Zheng's body would probably be scorched by Xu Lie's Thunderclap Fist.

Bang!

The two fists collided head-on.

Under the interaction of the immense fist power, Luo Zheng retreated four steps before stabilizing himself.

Xu Lie, on the other hand, retreated seven or eight steps abruptly before finally stopping, a strange look flashing in his eyes.

This punch not only exceeded Xu Lie's expectations but also the expectations of all the Outer Sect Disciples watching the fight.

How could someone who cultivates their physical body not understand the importance of realms?

In the five stages of physical body cultivation, each breakthrough increases strength several times over.

Since when could the strength of the Viscera Refining Realm be compared to the strength of the Half-Step to the Innate Realm?

Whether they believed it or not, this scene was indeed happening before their eyes.

A solemn expression also appeared on Luo Zheng's face. The moment they exchanged blows, the purple light on Luo Zheng's arm was scattered by Xu Lie's Thunderclap Fist. His Rosewood Inch Strength was clearly somewhat powerless at this moment, unable to exert its intended effect.

As expected, the Rosewood Fist was still somewhat insufficient when facing a true master.

Moreover, Xu Lie's lightning power actually spread to his arm, like two bright silver little snakes, wrapped around Luo Zheng's arm, biting fiercely.

Before long, a burnt smell came from Luo Zheng's arm.

Luo Zheng's strength greatly exceeded Xu Lie's expectations, but seeing Luo Zheng's charred arm, Xu Lie still showed a sinister smile: "Good strength! But this hand of yours is also crippled!"

"Is that so?" A faint smile appeared on Luo Zheng's face. The power in his arm circulated, and streaks of purple light surged out from his arm. The two little snakes formed by the lightning were instantly strangled by the Rosewood True Qi.

Seeing this scene, Xu Lie's eyelids twitched. Although this kid was only in the Viscera Refining Realm, his strength was astonishingly great, and his body was also particularly special. Xu Lie himself knew best how difficult the lightning power in the Thunderclap Fist was to deal with.

But the effect on this kid was not good.

However, even with extraordinary talent, what of it? If this kid were at the same Half-Step to the Innate Realm as himself, Xu Lie would probably turn and run now. But after all, he was just a kid in the Viscera Refining Realm. How much stronger could he be? Thinking of this, a flash of lightning flickered on Xu Lie's body, and his figure instantly disappeared from the Arena.

In just an instant, he suddenly rolled to the side, and where he had been, Xu Lie descended from the sky, striking the ground with a Thunderclap Fist, like a bolt of lightning on a clear day, making everyone's eardrums ring.

"This speed is too fast..." Luo Zheng frowned. At this moment, Luo Zheng was also fully focused on Xu Lie. His biggest disadvantage was his slow speed.

The fifth stage of the physical body realm, the last stage, is the Marrow Refining Realm.

In the Marrow Refining Realm, one must refine the impurities from the bone marrow throughout the body. This realm can be simplified into two words: "Washing Marrow."

Only after successfully washing the marrow will a qualitative change occur throughout the body. The body will become stronger, movement speed will greatly increase, and one's hearing and sight will also become sharper.

When he fought Xie Lang back then, his disadvantage was that he couldn't track the opponent's figure. Now Xu Lie was also using this move.

"Crack!"

Another Thunderclap Fist struck towards Luo Zheng.

This time, Luo Zheng couldn't completely avoid it, and a part of the lightning power bit into his leg.

Fortunately, Luo Zheng possessed an incredibly powerful body. Most of this lightning power was absorbed by Luo Zheng's body, and the remaining lightning power did not cause much damage to Luo Zheng.

"Can't keep up with my speed, can you? Let's see how long you can endure!" Xu Lie became more and more excited as he fought. With a free moving sandbag for him to hit, of course he was happy.

"Slap!"

"Bang!"

"Rumble!"

Every time Xu Lie attacked, he roared wildly.

"You're good at dodging?"

"Let's see how long you can dodge!"

"Again!"

On the Arena, a game of cat and mouse was being played out. But no matter how fast the mouse ran, it would eventually be caught by the cat.