Cheng Yuan had yet to answer when a fat man beside them interrupted, "Little brother, is this your first time here? The martial tournament has ten bouts in total. The first nine are ordinary bouts, where it's enough to determine the winner and loser. But the final bout, the headline match, is a blood match. It must determine life and death! Only one person can walk away alive!"
Tang Jie's heart tightened. There was indeed danger in participating in the martial tournament. In the first nine bouts, they only had to determine the winner and loser, but the final headline bout was a blood match that required them to fight to the death!
Without a doubt, everyone was looking forward to the headline blood match the most. After all, the first nine bouts could be rigged, but in the final blood match, both sides fought with their lives on the line. It was the most thrilling, the most genuine, and the most valuable!
Cheng Yuan also said to Tang Jie, "Blood matches are the most brutal. Ordinary martial artists don't dare participate, but correspondingly, the rewards for taking part in one are extremely high!"
Tang Jie nodded slightly. Participation in the final blood match was voluntary. Since one had to stake one's life in the fight, the reward for winning was also the highest!
"The first bout is beginning! Tiger Head Saber will face Iron Hand! Let's welcome our two brave warriors with a round of applause!"
At that moment, the host's impassioned voice rang out from the arena, and thunderous applause surged up like a tide.
Two passageways led into the martial arena below, and one person emerged from each.
One of them held a large saber and wore a tiger-head mask. The other was a middle-aged man with bulging temples.
Clearly, these were the two martial artists in today's first bout: Tiger Head Saber and Iron Hand. Those were their titles in the martial arena!
"Begin!"
The host gave the command for the bout to start.
"Whoosh!"
Without a word, the two men in the arena moved. The man wearing the tiger-head mask stamped his foot and swept out his large saber horizontally. Surging force stirred up a cold, gleaming arc!
"So fast!"
Tang Jie's eyes lit up. The tiger-masked man's saber techniques were quite impressive. He had clearly trained hard for at least twenty or thirty years!
As for the lean man known as Iron Hand, he did not use a saber or sword as a weapon. Instead, he wore iron gloves on his hands.
"Clang!"
The lean man struck out with his iron hand, smashing his palm against the blade of the large saber. Deafening metallic clangs rang through the air, and sparks flew in all directions!
Striking a blade with one's bare palm was basically impossible, even for someone who had mastered Iron Sand Palm. But with a metal glove on the hand, it was a different matter.
"Clang, clang, clang!"
Tiger Head Saber and Iron Hand launched into a fierce exchange. A string of metallic clangs rang through the air as sparks scattered. They moved so quickly that ordinary people could hardly follow them!
In less than half a minute, the two had already exchanged thirty or forty blows.
"Tiger Head Saber is going to lose."
Tang Jie spoke in a low voice.
Sure enough, the situation in the arena changed. After Iron Hand had exchanged dozens of moves with Tiger Head Saber, he gradually saw through the flaws in his opponent's saber techniques. He then launched a fierce assault, closing in for short-range strikes!
With his opponent pressing close, Tiger Head Saber's large saber could no longer be used effectively. He retreated again and again, trying to create distance, but he could never shake off his opponent's entanglement.
"Bang!"
In the end, Tiger Head Saber failed to block in time. Iron Hand slammed a palm into his left shoulder. A muffled thud was accompanied by the sound of shattering bones. The formidable force sent Tiger Head Saber staggering backward, and the bones in his struck shoulder splintered!
"I concede!"
Tiger Head Saber hurriedly shouted. He knew that one arm had been crippled and that he had already lost. Continuing to fight would only bring him humiliation.
"You fought well." Iron Hand did not pursue him. He merely said this.
"Iron Hand wins this bout!" the host loudly announced.
"Damn it... Tiger Head Saber lost? I bet thirty taels of silver on him!"
Beside Tang Jie, the fat man who had spoken earlier let out a wail.
Watching the scene in the arena, Tang Jie was also filled with boiling excitement, his heart itching to try. He turned to Cheng Yuan and asked, "I want to participate in the martial tournament. What do I need to do?"
When Cheng Yuan saw that Tang Jie wanted to participate, his eyes lit up. He immediately said, "Come on. Follow me. I'll take you to see Manager Mu of this martial arena. If you register now, you should be able to fight in the next tournament."
Cheng Yuan immediately led Tang Jie toward a room outside the martial arena.
At that moment, in a large hall, a middle-aged man with a square face was frowning at his subordinate. "Scarface didn't come today?"
The subordinate respectfully replied, "Manager Mu, Scarface seems to have been injured too badly in the last bout and hasn't recovered yet, so he didn't come."
Manager Mu shook his head helplessly. "Then we'll have to put in a substitute."
In the martial arena, it was common for martial artists scheduled to participate to be unable to attend because something had come up. Fortunately, the arena had experience handling such situations. If all else failed, they could only find a substitute.
"Manager Mu!"
At that moment, Cheng Yuan and Tang Jie walked in from outside the hall. Cheng Yuan greeted Manager Mu.
When Manager Mu saw Cheng Yuan, delight appeared on his face. "Cheng Yuan, you came at just the right time. Scarface has something to attend to and can't fight in the fifth bout. Why don't you step in as the substitute? I'll give you a hundred taels of silver as your appearance fee!"
Cheng Yuan had participated in quite a few bouts at the martial arena before and was very familiar with Manager Mu.
Cheng Yuan was tempted when he heard this, but he quickly waved his hands repeatedly. "I'll pass. I'm getting old now, and I don't want to fight people anymore."
In the past, Cheng Yuan had taken part in many bouts, winning more than he lost. However, he had also suffered serious injuries in battle and been left with hidden ailments that had yet to heal. Now that he was older, he wanted to live a few more years, so he was unwilling to participate in any more bouts.
Seeing Manager Mu's disappointed expression, Cheng Yuan immediately said, "However, I can recommend someone to you. His name is Tang Jie. He's extremely capable—stronger than me!"
Cheng Yuan recommended Tang Jie to Manager Mu.
Manager Mu looked at Tang Jie beside Cheng Yuan. Tang Jie's face was calm. Although he was tall and imposing, there was still a trace of youthful immaturity on his face.
This made Manager Mu doubt whether Tang Jie was qualified to participate in the martial tournament. As for Cheng Yuan's claim that Tang Jie was stronger than him, Manager Mu assumed that Cheng Yuan was merely being modest.
Cheng Yuan was an expert who had cultivated inner force. Anyone stronger than him would be a first-rate martial artist. How could Tang Jie, a youth not yet twenty, possibly be a first-rate martial artist?
Manager Mu looked toward a subordinate in a black martial outfit standing nearby and gave him a meaningful glance.
The black-clad man immediately understood what Manager Mu meant. He wanted him to test Tang Jie's strength.
"Shing!"
Without the slightest hesitation, the black-clad man instantly drew his sword. Without warning, he slashed it toward Tang Jie's throat. The sword was swift and vicious, and the black-clad man was clearly no weak swordsman.
However, a third-rate martial artist who had not even cultivated inner force posed no threat to Tang Jie at all!
Tang Jie did not even draw his saber. He clenched his right fist, and the inner force of Boyhood Art erupted. Brilliant radiance blossomed over his fist as he punched out!
With Meteor Art cultivated to this stage, one's true qi was abundant, and inner force could form a naturally perfect silver radiance like starlight. Its force was like a meteor, its speed as fast as thunder, its momentum immense and heavy, and its edge sharp as a blade. One could already rank among the foremost of first-rate experts!
"Clang!"
Tang Jie's fist struck the side of the sword, avoiding its sharp edge. Amid the "crack" of splitting metal, the long sword in the black-clad man's hand was smashed apart by the punch. The broken section of blade was swept up by the force of the blow and flew backward, skimming past the black-clad man's neck!
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