Standard Match

After returning home, Lu Hao washed up quickly, then continued practicing with the Big Ring Blade in the Martial Arts Training Room.

Just as he'd said, he really didn't think much of it. At most, he felt physically uncomfortable. As for his state of mind, he'd been a little scared at first, but after that, it had all felt perfectly ordinary.

Lu Hao hadn't paid much attention to whether this mindset was good or bad. For him, at least, it was a good thing. It meant he could adapt to this cruel world more quickly.

He began practicing the Basic Blade Technique, along with one or two moves from Blood Battle Mad Blade. Perhaps because he'd drawn blood that day, his blade work had changed somewhat.

His blade work now carried a hint of fighting spirit and killing intent. Lu Hao hadn't even truly fought anyone yet, and he'd already undergone such a transformation. If others found out, they'd surely praise him as a martial arts prodigy, born for the path of martial arts.

The next day, because Lu Hao's performance had exceeded Bai Qiuyao's expectations, she had originally planned to keep watching corpses and collecting them. But at Lu Hao's request, they went to the arena instead.

Bai Qiuyao agreed, too. Judging by Lu Hao's performance the previous day, there was no need to train his courage anymore. He was ready for real combat, and with her watching nearby, his life wouldn't be in danger.

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

Only, this time Lu Hao wasn't going to fight in the Life-Death Arena. He'd compete in Standard Matches first, to build up his combat experience.

When they arrived at the large courtyard, Bai Qiuyao tossed out another ordinary Blood Vitality Pill, and they went inside.

They hadn't even made it to the backstage area when Viper came out to greet them.

"Chief Bai, what's the plan for today? Same as yesterday, keep training his courage?"

"Set him up for two Standard Matches: one against a mid-stage first-grade fighter and one against a high-stage fighter."

"Chief Bai, you only came yesterday. Isn't it a little soon to start Standard Matches today? And what about the young master's strength?"

"It's fine. He asked for it himself. As for his strength, he's tempered his bones twice and is at the lower stage of the first grade. His vital blood has now reached the first-grade peak, and his combat techniques aren't bad either."

"All right, then. No problem." Viper agreed and went to make the arrangements.

"Hao'er, since you're going into the ring, remember what Mom told you. Your opponent will do whatever it takes to win, so you might encounter all kinds of tricks."

"Also, you're allowed to forfeit in a Standard Match. In a Life-Death Arena fight, forfeiting won't help unless your opponent doesn't want to kill you. That's the difference: fighters in the Life-Death Arena go in to kill, while people in Standard Matches will do whatever it takes to win."

"All kinds of dirty tricks are fair game. And once you're in the ring, don't hold back. People usually don't die in Standard Matches, but that's only usually. If you hold back and get killed, you can't blame anyone else."

Bai Qiuyao advised Lu Hao from the sidelines, explaining what he might encounter. As for death, with her there, how could she possibly let Lu Hao die?

...Half an hour later.

Viper came over and said everything had been arranged: two consecutive matches, one against a mid-stage fighter and the other against a high-stage fighter.

Lu Hao glanced at his mother. When she nodded, he followed Viper toward the ring.

"Now, let's welcome both fighters into the ring!"

"First-grade mid-stage fighter, Flowery Arm!"

The host called out loudly. Soon, a dark-skinned, middle-aged man climbed into the ring.

"First-grade lower-stage fighter, Blood Blade!"

As Lu Hao slowly walked into the ring, he recalled that Blood Blade was a nickname Viper had told him to come up with before the match.

At first, he'd wanted to call himself Killing God or Butcher, but then he'd thought about his current strength and decided he should keep a low profile. So he'd settled on Blood Blade.

It sounded like the name of some ancient lone assassin. If his opponent judged him by his name alone, Lu Hao would give him a surprise.

In the ring, Lu Hao sized up his opponent, weighing the Big Ring Blade in his hand. The Duel Arena had provided it. It was much lighter than the one at home, but still comfortable to wield.

His opponent was a middle-aged man with a face full of stubble, probably in his thirties or forties. He held a staff, and his arms were covered in tattoos. No wonder he was called Flowery Arm.

But judging by his stance, he'd never formally studied the Stance Technique.

The middle-aged man across from him wore a grave expression. He looked at the young man, who seemed to be under twenty. The kid had a fresh-faced look, but Flowery Arm didn't let his guard down. Someone this young who'd reached this level had to be a student at a Martial University.

There was no way Flowery Arm could match a Martial University student's combat techniques or fundamentals. It looked like his only chance was to take advantage of the kid's lack of combat experience and try a sneak attack.

The referee shouted:

"Begin!"

Lu Hao immediately used the Stance Technique of the Void-Standing Realm, borrowing force from the air so he could use his blade technique to quickly finish off his opponent.

As soon as the referee called the start, the man across from him grabbed a handful of lime powder from his pocket, flung it forward, and prepared to launch a sneak attack.

But the powder missed Lu Hao's eyes and hit his legs instead.

Lu Hao was shaken by the sight. Luckily, he'd used the Void-Standing Realm's Stance Technique right at the start and risen into the air. Otherwise, that handful of lime would have gone straight into his eyes, leaving him helpless at his opponent's mercy.

The middle-aged man was dumbfounded. He hadn't expected Lu Hao to pull off something like that. They were both first-grade fighters, so how could Lu Hao stand in midair?

I refuse to accept this! You're cheating!

While the middle-aged man was still stunned, Lu Hao didn't hesitate. He circulated his vital blood and gathered it in his leg, then kicked out. His leg technique had reached the minor mastery stage, and the moment his leg struck his opponent, his vital blood erupted.

Only then did the middle-aged man react, but it was too late. Lu Hao's kick had already struck his chest, and the vital blood burst forth. In an instant, the man's chest was left a bloody mess.

The middle-aged man was sent flying to the edge of the ring. Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth as he hurriedly shouted, "I forfeit!"

Lu Hao didn't attack again. He stopped and watched his opponent.

He hadn't expected the match to end in a single move. But it had been a fluke. If he hadn't planned to bring his blade down in a slash, he wouldn't have risen into the air and avoided the middle-aged man's sneak attack with the lime powder.

This time, he'd been lucky. But Lu Hao started reviewing his fight. If he hadn't been lucky, he might have been the one lying there now.

He really had been careless. His mother had told him about plenty of cases like this, but he hadn't taken them seriously. After all, he'd thought strength decided everything, and that his combat techniques and advantage in vital blood would be enough to keep him safe.

Instead, he'd nearly been caught out. It seemed he still needed to be more cautious. He lacked real combat experience, and he'd been lucky this time. Next time might not go the same way.

As Lu Hao walked toward the edge of the ring, he began reviewing the fight and thinking about how he should deal with an enemy like that. With his exceptional mental strength, he replayed the battle over and over in his mind.