Standard Match

After returning home, Lu Hao washed up a bit and then continued practicing in the training room with his Big Ring Blade.

Just as he had said himself, he really didn't feel much of anything; at most, there was some physical discomfort, but as for his mental state, aside from being a little scared at the beginning, he felt completely indifferent afterward.

Whether this mindset was good or bad, Lu Hao didn't pay much attention to it; regardless, for the current Lu Hao, it was a good thing, as it meant he could adapt to this cruel world more quickly.

He began practicing basic blade techniques, and while he was at it, he practiced a move or two of the Blood Battle Mad Blade. Perhaps due to the sight of blood today, Lu Hao's blade techniques had become somewhat different.

There was a hint of battle intent and a trace of killing aura contained within his blade work. Lu Hao hadn't even engaged in a real life-or-death struggle yet, and he had already undergone such a transformation; if others knew, they would surely praise him as a martial arts genius, born for the path of martial arts.

The next day, because Lu Hao's performance had exceeded Bai Qiuyao's expectations, the plan to continue watching corpses and collecting bodies was changed to stepping onto the arena at Lu Hao's request.

Bai Qiuyao agreed as well; after all, judging by Lu Hao's performance yesterday, there was no longer any need for courage training. They could proceed to actual combat, and with her watching from the sidelines, there would certainly be no danger to his life.

Thus, she agreed to Lu Hao's request to enter the arena.

However, the matches Lu Hao would be fighting now were not Life-Death Arenas, but Standard Matches, to first accumulate experience through actual combat.

Arriving at that large courtyard, Bai Qiuyao tossed out another ordinary Blood Vitality Pill and entered inside.

This time, before they even reached the backstage area, Viper came out to greet them.

"Director Bai, what are the arrangements for today? Continuing with courage training like yesterday?"

"Arrange two Standard Matches for him, one against a mid-stage First Grade and one against a high-stage."

"Director Bai, he only came yesterday; isn't it too rushed to start Standard Matches today? And what about the young master's strength?"

"It's fine, he requested it himself. As for his strength, he has undergone two bone-tempering sessions, is at the low-stage First Grade, and his blood vitality has reached the peak of the First Grade. His combat techniques aren't bad either."

"Alright, then that's no problem." Viper agreed and went off to make the arrangements.

"Hao'er, since you are going onto the arena, remember what Mom said: on the arena, the opponent will do anything to win the match, so you might encounter any kind of tactic."

"Furthermore, Standard Matches allow for surrender, whereas in a Life-Death Arena, surrender is useless unless the other party doesn't want to kill you. That is the difference; those in a Life-Death Arena fight to kill, while those in a Standard Match will use any means necessary to win."

"All sorts of underhanded tactics will appear, and once you are on the arena, don't think about holding back. Although Standard Matches generally don't result in death, that is only 'generally.' If you hold back and end up dead, you can't blame anyone else."

Bai Qiuyao began to instruct Lu Hao from the side, while also explaining the situations he might encounter. As for death or anything of the sort, with her here, how could she possibly watch Lu Hao die?

...Half an hour later.

Viper came over to say that everything had been arranged: a double-header, one mid-stage and one high-stage.

Lu Hao glanced at his mother, and seeing her nod, he followed Viper to prepare to take the stage.

"Now, I invite both combatants to the stage."

"Mid-stage First Grade martial artist, Flowery Arm!"

On the arena, the host shouted loudly, and soon a middle-aged man with dark skin walked onto the stage.

"Low-stage First Grade martial artist, Blood Blade!"

On the arena, as Lu Hao walked up slowly—as for the name Blood Blade, it was something he had come up with on the spot when Viper asked for a nickname before he went on stage.

He had originally wanted to say "God of Slaughter" or "Butcher of Men," but once he thought about his actual strength, he decided to keep a low profile for now, so he chose the name Blood Blade.

It sounded like the image of an ancient lone assassin; if his opponent tried to deal with him based on just the name, he would show them what a surprise really was.

On the arena, Lu Hao sized up his opponent, weighing the Big Ring Blade in his hand. It was provided by the arena and was much lighter than the one at home, but it was still quite handy.

He was a middle-aged uncle with a face full of stubble, probably in his thirties or forties, holding a staff in his hand. He had tattoos on his arms that were impossible to decipher; no wonder he was called Flowery Arm.

But looking at his stance, this was definitely not someone who had systematically studied Stance Technique.

The middle-aged uncle opposite him looked solemn. He stared at this young man who looked like he wasn't even twenty. Although he could see the clarity in his eyes, he didn't relax; after all, to reach this stage at that age, he must be a martial arts university student.

And the combat techniques and foundation of a martial arts university student were not something he could compare to. It seemed he would have to see if he could take advantage of his lack of combat experience and launch a sneak attack to see if it would succeed.

Following the referee's loud shout:

"Begin!"

Lu Hao instantly executed the Stance Technique of the Void-Standing Realm, borrowing force from the void, and prepared to use his blade technique to quickly finish off his opponent.

The man opposite him, however, grabbed a handful of lime from his pocket and threw it forward the moment the referee shouted "begin," preparing to launch a sneak attack.

As it turned out, the handful of lime scattered, but it didn't hit his eyes; instead, it hit Lu Hao's leg.

Seeing this, Lu Hao felt a lingering fear. Fortunately, he had utilized the Void-Standing Realm Stance Technique at the very start to stand in mid-air; otherwise, that handful of lime would have landed right in his eyes, and he would have been at the mercy of his opponent.

The middle-aged man was stunned. He hadn't expected such a move; they were both First Grade martial artists, so how could he possibly stand in the air?

I don't accept this, you're cheating!

Taking advantage of the middle-aged man's moment of distraction, Lu Hao didn't hesitate. He circulated his blood vitality, gathered it into his leg, and kicked out. With his minor-success leg technique, the blood vitality exploded the moment his leg made contact with his opponent.

The middle-aged man reacted only then, but it was too late. Lu Hao's leg had already struck his chest, and as the blood vitality exploded, the middle-aged man's chest instantly became a bloody mess.

The middle-aged man was sent flying, landing at the edge of the arena, and as blood began to seep from the corner of his mouth, he hurriedly shouted, "I surrender!"

Lu Hao didn't attack again, but stopped and looked at his opponent.

He hadn't expected the outcome to be decided in just a single move, though this time it was due to pure coincidence; had he not intended to execute a downward slash, he wouldn't have been positioned in mid-air, thereby avoiding the middle-aged man's sneak attack with lime powder.

This could be called luck, but Lu Hao began to reflect on the battle he had just fought, realizing that if not for that stroke of fortune, it might have been him lying there instead.

He had indeed been careless; although he had heard many stories from his mother, he hadn't truly taken them to heart, believing that strength decided everything and that his combination of combat techniques and superior blood energy would surely be enough.

As it turned out, he had nearly fallen this time, which showed that he still wasn't steady enough and that his practical combat experience was lacking; he had been lucky this time, but it wouldn't be like that in the future.

As Lu Hao walked off the stage, he began to review the fight while contemplating how he should handle such enemies in the future, using his exceptionally high mental power to replay the encounter in his mind over and over again.