Asura Arena

Asura Arena.

The enormous underground arena blazed with light. Thousands of spectators filled the tiered stands, their roar surging like a tide, deafening.

"Next up, the singles match!"

"Red side: Ma San, 'Poison Hand,' on a three-match winning streak!"

"Blue side: a newcomer challenger... 'Black Iron Tower'!"

At the host's roar, the iron gates slowly rose.

Yan Kui entered the arena, bare-chested and striding forward.

He hadn't brought the Bone Shattering Hammer. That was his trump card for dealing with powerful foes. In a black-boxing match of this level, his fists and body were the best weapons he needed.

When his enormous, dark, bristle-covered body appeared beneath the lights, the entire arena fell silent for an instant. Then an even louder burst of laughter erupted.

"Hahaha! Where'd this wild boar demon come from?"

"With a body like that, what a waste not to put him on a mill!"

"Ma San! Kill that fat pig! I'm betting on you!"

Yan Kui remained expressionless, as if he hadn't heard their taunts.

His opponent, a martial artist named Ma San, was lean, and both his hands were a strange purplish black. Clearly, he had cultivated some kind of Poison Palm.

Ma San looked at Yan Kui, a trace of contempt flashing in his eyes.

"Big guy, being big isn't enough."

He chuckled darkly. "In the Asura Arena, only the ones who survive are winners."

"Enough talk."

Yan Kui crooked a finger at him. "Come on."

"Looking to die!"

Ma San's figure blurred. He darted forward like a poisonous snake, moving incredibly fast. Circling to Yan Kui's side, he struck at the soft flesh beneath his ribs.

That was one of the human body's weak points.

Smack!

His poisoned palm landed squarely on Yan Kui's ribs.

Ma San was overjoyed. His Poison Palm was laced with deadly toxins. As long as it touched skin, the poison would seep in through the pores, and within three breaths, his opponent would be paralyzed from head to toe.

And yet.

The next moment, his smile froze.

Clang!

A clear metallic ring rang out.

Ma San felt as though he'd put all his strength into striking a red-hot steel plate. The terrifying recoil traveled back through his palm, making his wrist ache so badly that it nearly snapped on the spot.

Even worse, his so-called deadly poison couldn't penetrate Yan Kui's metallic-sheened skin. It hadn't even left a white mark.

"That all?"

Yan Kui lowered his head, his emotionless eyes gazing down at Ma San, pressed against him.

"Didn't you eat?"

"You..."

Ma San was scared out of his wits. He tried to pull back his hand and retreat, only to find that his wrist was clamped in a huge, bristly hand, locked in place like it had been welded into an iron vise.

"Since you came in, you're not leaving."

Yan Kui grinned, baring his snow-white teeth.

His arm muscles suddenly bulged. As if swinging a rag doll, he hoisted Ma San into the air.

Whoosh—

A violent rush of air howled past their ears.

"No—!!!" Ma San let out a desperate, piercing scream.

Bam!

Yan Kui put all his strength into one arm and slammed Ma San hard against the solid stone floor.

Crack!

The stone slabs split apart in an instant, spiderweb fractures exploding outward.

Ma San didn't even get to finish screaming. Every bone in his body shattered in an instant, and he collapsed like a puddle of mud at the bottom of the crater. Blood mixed with chunks of his innards gushed from all seven orifices.

[Killed Black Boxer (Early Bone Refining Realm); plundered Life Essence.]

[Origin Power: +0.8]

"Too weak."

Yan Kui shook his head.

The entire arena fell silent.

The spectators who'd been laughing at Yan Kui gaped like ducks with their necks in a noose.

One move?

Poison Hand Ma San, who'd won three matches in a row, had been slammed to death like a stray dog by this big guy?

"Black Iron Tower! Black Iron Tower!"

A moment later, deafening cheers burst from the stands.

Here, strength was everything.

If you could win, then even if you looked like a pig, you were still king!

"Who's next?"

Yan Kui stood in the center of the arena and swept his gaze around.

Over the next three days.

The Asura Arena was haunted by a true nightmare.

The name Black Iron Tower blazed like the sun at high noon.

On the second day, he faced a fighter known as "Flying Leg," who was skilled in kicking techniques. His opponent kicked him over a hundred times in midair, but Yan Kui didn't even furrow his brow. When the man landed, panting for breath, Yan Kui slapped him.

Smack!

The air exploded. The man flew away like a cannonball, his entire face caved in. He stuck to the wall by the stands like a painting, impossible to pry off.

On the third day, he faced a fighter known as "Quick Blade Hand," who wielded two blades. His opponent's blades struck Yan Kui's body, scattering sparks, until both edges curled over. Yan Kui snatched the blades away and rubbed them together in his hands.

Screee—

The grating squeal of twisting metal set everyone's teeth on edge. He kneaded the two steel sabers into a solid iron ball with his bare hands, then tossed it back to his opponent. The man wet himself in terror and dropped to his knees, admitting defeat.

On the fourth day...

Nobody dared step into the arena.

The moment they heard the name "Black Iron Tower," the vicious-looking black-boxing fighters suddenly came down with illnesses.

Yan Kui sat in the lounge, staring at the Origin Power on his panel, dissatisfied.

──────────────

[Crimson Modifier]

Host: Yan Kui

Status: Peak

Origin Power: 54.0 (49.3 + 0.8 + 0.6 + 0.7 + ... = 54.0)

Tip: Origin Power is accumulating. It is recommended that you merge Cultivation Techniques as soon as possible.

──────────────

Over the past three days, he'd fought five matches in total. None of his opponents had been weak, but all the Origin Power he'd gained added up to less than five points.

"Too slow."

"And these opponents are too weak. They can't force me to my limits at all."

Just then, the lounge door opened.

The woman in the qipao who handled registration walked in, a complicated look on her face.

"Lord Black Iron Tower."

Her tone had become incredibly respectful. "Your performance in the Asura Arena over the past few days has caught the attention of the people upstairs."

"Oh?"

Yan Kui looked up. "And?"

"So, there's a special match scheduled for tonight."

The woman took a deep breath. "The Asura Arena's ace, the so-called 'Undefeated War God,' Lei Ao, specifically requested a match against you."

"Lei Ao?"

A sharp glint flashed in Yan Kui's eyes.

He'd heard that name before. Supposedly, the man possessed an Exotic Beast Bloodline and immense strength, as well as Lightning Power. He'd dominated the Asura Arena for a whole year, without ever meeting his match.

"Good."

Yan Kui rose to his feet, his bones popping like a string of firecrackers.

"Finally, someone worth fighting."

"Tell him I accept."

The woman looked at Yan Kui's battle-hungry gaze, and her heart trembled.

She knew that tonight, a world-shaking battle would take place in the Asura Arena.

The atmosphere in the Asura Arena had reached a fever pitch that night.

Ticket prices had been driven up to ten times the usual rate, yet tickets were still impossible to come by.

Everyone wanted to see whether the monster who'd come out of nowhere, "Black Iron Tower," was tougher, or if the long-reigning champion, "Lei Ao," was stronger.

"Roar—!"

With a deafening roar, a burly man just as tall as Yan Kui, his body wreathed in blue arcs of lightning, entered the arena.

He was bare-chested, a fearsome Thunder Beast tattooed across his skin. Faint flashes of lightning gleamed in his eyes.

Lei Ao!

"Black Iron Tower!"

Lei Ao pointed at Yan Kui as he entered the arena, his voice rumbling like thunder. "Today, I'll take your bones apart one by one!"

"Enough talk."

Yan Kui repeated his usual line.

But this time, he didn't underestimate his opponent.

He could tell that the man before him was truly strong. The man's Lightning Power even made Yan Kui's strengthened skin sting faintly.

"Hope you can make this a good fight."

Yan Kui rolled his neck.

"Begin!"

At the referee's command,

the two men moved at the same time.

They collided in the center of the arena like two trains hurtling at full speed.

Savage Boar Charge VS Thunder Strike!

No technique, just the most primitive clash of strength and flesh!