Zhou Taian hadn't wanted to surrender; Lu Wei was simply two realms stronger than him.
If they had actually fought, Zhou Taian would have had almost no chance of winning. He might even have been injured by Lu Wei.
There was still plenty of time left in the arena competition. If Zhou Taian defeated someone at another arena, he could still become a Martial Scholar.
At that moment, Lu Feng, who had been watching from below the stage, curled his lip and complained, "I thought I'd get to see an exciting fight. I didn't expect it to end like this."
After speaking, he looked over at Zhou Taian, who had surrendered. He watched as Zhou Taian calmly made his way to Number Eight Arena. The person guarding the arena had also reached the Martial Master Realm, but was only a First-Rank Martial Master.
After stepping onto the arena, Zhou Taian first cupped his hands in greeting. Then, without another word, he launched a fierce attack.
After thirty exchanges, Zhou Taian successfully defeated the Martial Master guarding the arena.
In the end, Zhou Taian became the champion of Number Eight Arena.
As the competition continued, none of the twenty arenas were still being guarded by Ninth-Rank Martial Artists.
Everyone standing on an arena was at least a First-Rank Martial Master.
The Ninth-Rank Martial Artists who hadn't yet had a chance to take the stage abandoned any thoughts of challenging the arena champions when they saw this.
Still, among the more than two hundred people present, there were dozens of experts in the Martial Master Realm.
So most of the fights on the arenas remained fiercely contested.
With half the competition time already gone, Lu Feng was just about to step up and issue a challenge when two figures suddenly leaped from the crowd onto Number One Arena.
The arena champion already there stared at them in surprise. Then he cupped his hands to the two men and jumped down.
The two were none other than Li Yi of the Li Family and Zhou Yonghua of the Zhou Family, both from Baiyue County City.
As the direct heirs of two great Noble Families—and the strongest of their generation—their strength went without saying. They were both peerless martial arts prodigies.
The previous champion of Number One Arena had only been a First-Rank Martial Master. He understood what it meant when the two leaped onto the stage together, so he had voluntarily jumped down to avoid getting caught in the crossfire.
Once only Li Yi and Zhou Yonghua remained on Number One Arena, a fierce fighting spirit radiated from the stage.
The spectators below were swept up in it and turned their eyes toward the arena.
Zhou Yonghua spoke first. "Li Yi, today is the day we settle things between us. I hope you won't disappoint me!"
"Heh. I know exactly how good you are, Zhou Yonghua. You think you can beat me? Keep dreaming!"
They hadn't even started fighting, yet the air was already thick with hostility.
The Li Family and the Zhou Family had long been enemies. Every generation fought to the death, and now the direct heirs of the two families had met once more. Their battle was bound to shake heaven and earth.
The spectators below weren't the only ones watching. Even Prefect Xu and Miss Shangguan, seated on the raised platform, turned their attention to the fight.
Back on Number One Arena, after the two finished trading barbs, Zhou Yonghua drew the long saber at his waist and charged straight at Li Yi.
Li Yi drew his sword and rushed to meet him head-on.
The instant they closed in, the ringing clash of saber and sword filled the air.
"Clang, clang, clang!"
They exchanged a flurry of attacks. The spectators could see only flashes of saber and sword, not the moves themselves.
Lu Feng, however, was different. He could clearly see each man's movements and understand his intentions.
Judging from their fight, both of them had probably reached the Fourth-Rank Martial Master level.
Their physical strength and internal force also seemed to surpass those of other Martial Masters at the same rank.
As the fight continued, their weapons collided again with tremendous force. The impact sent both men staggering backward.
Li Yi simply staggered two steps farther than Zhou Yonghua.
This showed that Zhou Yonghua was slightly stronger than Li Yi. But the gap wasn't insurmountable; skill could make up for it. If Li Yi seized the right opportunity in the fight to come, he could still defeat his opponent.
The two clashed again. After more than a hundred exchanges, Li Yi was the first to use a Martial Skill.
The Long Sword in his hand suddenly seemed to multiply, casting off one sword shadow after another, which surged toward his opponent without pause.
Seeing this, Zhou Yonghua stopped holding back and immediately unleashed the Zhou Family's signature saber technique, the Wind-Slashing Eight Forms!
In the next instant, saber winds and sword shadows collided, ringing out in a fierce chorus. At that moment, both men unleashed their strongest attacks.
When the attacks ended, the shockwaves sent them flying. A thread of blood trickled from the corner of Li Yi's mouth, while Zhou Yonghua was merely deathly pale.
Li Yi lay on the ground, gravely injured and unable to continue fighting.
Zhou Yonghua slowly rose to his feet. When he saw Li Yi lying motionless, a vicious glint flashed through his eyes.
He abruptly raised the saber in his hand and hurled it at Li Yi's head.
If the saber struck, Li Yi would certainly die.
Just as it was about to hit, a silver needle shot in from afar and knocked the saber aside.
Zhou Yonghua frowned, then turned toward the direction the needle had come from.
The one who had acted was none other than Miss Shangguan, seated on the raised platform.
"Spare a man when you can, Young Master Zhou. Don't you agree?" Miss Shangguan asked coolly.
Though Zhou Yonghua was unwilling, he didn't dare defy Miss Shangguan. He cupped his hands and said,
"Miss Shangguan is right. I think so too."
At once, two members of the Li Family climbed onto Number One Arena and carried Li Yi away.
The fight on Number One Arena had ended, but the spectators below were still reeling from what they had just witnessed.
So even though Zhou Yonghua had used up a great deal of his internal force, no one dared challenge him.
Only fifteen minutes remained before the competition ended. Lu Feng, who had been standing below without making a move, had seen enough.
He calmly walked over to Number Eight Arena, then hopped lightly onto the stage.
At that moment, Zhou Taian was the champion of Number Eight Arena. The two had spoken before, on the second floor of Baiyue Tower.
But Lu Feng had a grudge against County Assistant Zhou Yongsi, which made the Zhou Family his enemy as well.
There was also a member of the Zhou Family at Number One Arena, but Lu Feng didn't want anyone accusing him of taking advantage of a wounded opponent. So he chose Number Eight Arena instead.
When Zhou Taian saw Lu Feng step onto the stage, his expression immediately darkened.
Back at Baiyue Tower, Zhou Taian had witnessed Lu Feng's strength.
Even a guard who had reached the Ninth-Grade Martial Master level hadn't been a match for Lu Feng. What chance did Zhou Taian, a Second-Rank Martial Master, have?
At the thought, Zhou Taian was about to surrender outright.
But before he could speak, Lu Feng charged toward him. He moved so fast that no ordinary Martial Master could follow him.
A muffled boom rang out from Number Eight Arena. Zhou Taian's whole body shot through the air like a cannonball.
Lu Feng had struck so quickly that many people hadn't even seen how he sent Zhou Taian flying.
By the time they looked at Zhou Taian again, he was already gravely injured and unconscious.
"W-what just happened?!" one of the spectators asked in bewilderment.
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