Path of the War God Progress Bar

"Thank you for yielding."

Ding Ling cupped his hands toward Ju Yi.

Ju Yi's face turned livid, filled with unwillingness and defiance.

"What?"

Standing atop the high platform, Pan Feng looked down at Ju Yi beneath the arena.

"Ju Yi, do you still wish to continue?"

"That's right."

Ju Yi was blunt as ever.

"I wasn't prepared just now! Give me another chance, and I'll definitely win."

Boos erupted from the crowd.

The loudest boos came from several women!

Without exception, those women were all Players!

The jeers left Ju Yi humiliated and furious. Seeing that women had even entered the arena, he flew into a rage. Once this match is over, I'll give that gatekeeper a good lesson! How dare he let women into the barracks!

If the women had dressed as soldiers, it would have been one thing.

But they were all heavily made up and exceptionally eye-catching. Having just suffered defeat, Ju Yi noticed them and naturally became enraged.

Pan Feng, on the other hand, was in such high spirits that he could not be bothered with such trivialities. The arena was not some solemn, sacred place to begin with; there was nothing wrong with everyone taking part.

"Then let's do it again."

Ding Ling had not heard any corresponding notification, so he could not help glancing at the Character Panel.

Yet he did not see the Path of the War God progress bar.

He was puzzled.

Seeing that Ju Yi wanted another round, Ding Ling simply went along with it.

"Fine."

Without waiting for Pan Feng to speak, Ju Yi leaped back onto the arena stage. Crossbow in one hand and spear in the other, his momentum surged and his Baleful Qi swelled furiously.

"Ding Ling, you're even stronger than I imagined. This time, I won't hold back."

Ding Ling merely smiled without speaking, too lazy to mock him.

Ju Yi understood Ding Ling's smile, and his expression grew even uglier. He stopped wasting words and let out a roar. With the Vanguard Secret Technique operating at full force, the spear in his hand became a bolt of lightning as it stabbed through the air toward Ding Ling's throat, chest, and other vital points.

Ding Ling had already grasped Ju Yi's spear and crossbow techniques!

With proper preparation,

the Great Halberd in his hand sometimes transformed into a fierce single blade, chopping down in vertical slashes. The aura of the battlefield flooded forth, intimidating all around him;

sometimes it became the Prison Dragon Staff, every strike and sweep stirring a chilling gale!

And sometimes it became a gigantic axe capable of splitting Heaven and Earth! With a single swing, it seemed as though even the world itself could be cleaved apart!

This time,

less than ten moves had passed

before Ju Yi's arm was struck by the Tiangang Axe Technique. He screamed as his spear fell to the ground. Before he could fire his crossbow, the Great Halberd executed an exquisitely clever rising hook, striking Ju Yi's other arm dead on.

Bang!

Ju Yi screamed again, and the crossbow in his hand fell to the ground as well.

"Thank you for yielding," Ding Ling said, cupping his hands.

"...!"

Ju Yi had nothing to say. His face alternated between green and white. Seemingly too ashamed to look at Ding Ling again, he swiftly turned, jumped off the stage, and hurried away.

He did not even take the weapons he had left on the stage.

"This match goes to Ding Ling!"

Cheng Huan impatiently leaped onto the stage and announced the result.

For a time,

cheers thundered through the arena.

Of course, there was even more discussion and argument.

"I never expected Ju Yi, who would become so renowned in later generations, practically a God of War, to lose! This is unbelievable. Ding Ling is only a newcomer!"

"Exactly. I was certain he would lose too. Who would have thought he'd win so cleanly? If he hadn't held back, Ju Yi might already be dead on that stage! That Combat Power Value is terrifying. How did he cultivate?!"

Those who had doubted him were filled with uncertainty.

Meanwhile, those who believed in Ding Ling, bet on his victory, and won a large sum of gold and silver rejoiced wildly.

"I knew Ding Ling, the one ranked first on the Overall Ranking Leaderboard, would win! No matter what, he's the number one among us Players. If he lost to Ju Yi, how would he fight Lu Bu, Zhao Zilong, and the others in the future?!"

"That's right. Being ranked first overall among billions of humans is no small feat! Ding Ling comes from a Hidden Family too, so it's perfectly normal for him to win!"

The doubters could not help retorting at the supporters.

But a single sentence from the supporters left them speechless: "You bet on Ju Yi and lost. We bet on Ding Ling and won. The facts are right in front of you. You still have the nerve to argue with us?"

The doubters suffered a crushing defeat!

Achievement Medals obtained: You have earned Ju Yi's respect!

Note: Ju Yi is proud by nature and respects only the strong. He greatly despises the weak, as well as crooked practices! He disdains forming cliques for personal gain and disdains arguments and debates! He is an upright and valiant man!

Without question, you faced him head-on twice! You won openly, fairly, and honorably!

You have thoroughly convinced him!

You have left him with nowhere to hide, ashamed beyond measure!

Should you meet again in the future, he will most likely choose to avoid you!

Because you did not strike his vital points or seriously injure his arms, he feels both grateful and ashamed! Thus, he has developed immense respect for you!

Ding Ling glanced at the Character Panel.

He was rather surprised to receive another Achievement Medal.

He had originally thought that after obtaining the Achievement Medal for winning the recognition of every general in the Ji Province Barracks, he would no longer be able to earn Achievement Medals from its generals.

It seemed he had misunderstood.

The previous Achievement Medal might have merely signified that all the generals acknowledged his achievement in eliminating bandits.

What about the Path of Glory?

Ding Ling flipped the Character Panel to the very bottom.

This time, he saw it clearly.

The progress for the Path of Glory and Path of the War God was as follows:

1: Defeat more than 20 experts from other planes: 1/20.

The progress for stages two and three remained at 0.

Only the first progress bar had advanced by one slot.

Ding Ling pondered it.

"Looks like it only counts as a complete defeat if they are truly convinced?"

Without question,

this progress bar had come from Ju Yi.

Ju Yi was truly a standout among First-Class Generals!

If Ding Ling had not promptly cultivated the Dragon-Tiger Stance Training to strengthen himself and break through his limits, he definitely would not have won so easily.

"Congratulations on your victory."

Zhang He, Gao Lan, and the others also stepped forward to offer their congratulations.

Ding Ling smiled and returned the courtesy.

"Now there are no more obstacles on your Advancement Path."

Pan Feng laughed heartily.

"Even a thorn like Ju Yi has been convinced by you. Let's see who still dares to claim you're all flash and no substance! Come, follow me to see the Lord!"

Pan Feng led the way, taking Ding Ling and the others toward the Governor of Ji Province's residence.

Meanwhile, some Players in the arena were still discussing Ding Ling.

Several female Players even followed behind Ding Ling, calling out loudly.

"Ding Ling, can I get your number?"

"Ding Ling, I live at... My number is... Remember to contact me! I'm free anytime!"

Although Pan Feng did not understand what a phone was, he understood the female Players' enthusiasm and could not help feeling envious.

"Ding Ling, you're the first man I've ever seen make reserved women chase after him so openly in front of everyone! Impressive!"