Real Combat

"How was it, Hao'er? You've realized how inexperienced you are now, haven't you? Even if someone told you about this kind of combat experience, it wouldn't help much. Anything could happen in a real fight."

Lu Hao nodded. He had indeed felt his shortcomings during that fight. Although he had practiced his combat techniques until they were very familiar, they were still just set moves.

Real combat never had a fixed outcome. No one knew what would happen until the very last moment. The process was complex and ever-changing.

"Mom, I understand what I'm lacking. I'll work even harder from now on."

Lu Hao said.

"Hao'er, don't let this get you down too much. You're still young. Most of the people you fought were middle-aged martial artists who had spent who knew how long stuck at this stage."

"Since they couldn't advance, they'd do everything they could to improve their combat strength. They might not be as good as what they teach you at school, but they're still formidable."

"Once you've fought a few more matches and gotten used to it, you'll be able to crush them with the resources your system provides."

Lu Hao nodded in agreement.

The next fight wasn't his, but he no longer planned to sit back and watch like before. Instead, he studied the matches closely, wondering what he would do if he were in the ring.

He watched how these people fought, learning their techniques and how to guard against all kinds of dirty tricks.

After three or four fights, it was Lu Hao's turn again. He collected himself, then headed backstage.

"Now, let's welcome the two fighters to the ring!"

"First-Grade, Advanced-Tier martial artist, Falcon!"

At the host's announcement, a man with delicate features and a feminine air stepped into the ring, holding a dagger.

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

As soon as Lu Hao stepped onto the ring, he noticed the weapon in his opponent's hand. To be honest, after watching so many fights, this was the first time he had seen anyone use a dagger.

After all, this was the Duel Arena, not the wilderness. Using such a short weapon here put its wielder at a disadvantage. Judging by his opponent, he had probably tempered his lower-body bones and taken a path similar to an assassin's.

Lu Hao assessed the situation and considered how best to defeat his opponent.

At the referee's signal,

"Begin!"

Lu Hao immediately used the Void-Standing Realm's Stance Technique, pushing off empty air to close the distance between them. Against an opponent with a short weapon, getting close gave him an advantage.

But Falcon didn't try to create distance after the referee's signal. Instead, he charged straight at Lu Hao.

In the blink of an eye, Lu Hao was in front of Falcon. He launched a kick in midair, intending to send him flying out of the ring.

As Lu Hao's right leg came down, Falcon pushed off the ground with his left leg and jumped, kicking toward Lu Hao with his right.

Their legs collided with a thud. Lu Hao had thought his Point-Burst would immediately take his opponent out of the fight.

But the instant his Vital Blood exploded, his opponent's Vital Blood flared as well, canceling out the force between them.

Lu Hao landed. He hadn't expected the delicate-looking man to be nearly his equal at kicking.

Though the man wasn't using standard basic kicking techniques, his ability to execute Point-Burst showed just how deeply he had studied the art.

Seeing that his kicks weren't enough to take Lu Hao down, the delicate-looking man charged with the dagger in his right hand. Lu Hao raised the Big Ring Blade, ready to clash weapons.

But just as the man neared him, he hurled the dagger.

Lu Hao hurriedly dodged.

As he did, the man was already charging in. He kicked, and Lu Hao quickly held the Big Ring Blade horizontally to block his Point-Burst kick.

With a bang,

Lu Hao staggered back several meters, absorbing the force. The Big Ring Blade had blocked the Point-Burst, but the impact left his palm aching. When he looked, several cuts had opened across his hand.

His upper-body bones hadn't been tempered, so they couldn't withstand an impact from Vital Blood like that. If he had chosen to temper his upper body, his hand wouldn't have split open from blocking the attack.

Seeing Lu Hao suppressed, the delicate-looking man seized the chance and pressed his attack.

Lu Hao had no time to recover. He quickly retreated a step and circulated his Vital Blood, channeling it into the Big Ring Blade.

The delicate-looking man's first move had failed, but he didn't back off. He pressed forward with renewed determination, shifted his footing, and kicked with his other leg.

He believed that if this kick landed, his opponent would be finished. He had given up tempering his major bones so he could fully temper the bones in both legs.

Lu Hao met him head-on, blade in hand.

The delicate-looking man didn't dodge. The weapon provided by the Duel Arena could pierce his defenses, but it wouldn't seriously hurt him. If his kick landed, on the other hand, Lu Hao would be unable to fight.

Lu Hao let out a low growl, gathered his Vital Blood along the blade, and swung it at the man's incoming leg.

"Bang! Clang!"

The moment Lu Hao's blade struck the man's leg, his opponent's Point-Burst detonated first, right in front of Lu Hao. The blast spattered blood across Lu Hao's face, but he didn't retreat.

He continued the swing. The blade met a stubborn resistance, but as Lu Hao focused his Vital Blood, it finally cut through.

Flesh burst apart in front of Lu Hao's face.

"Ah! My leg! I surrender! I surrender!"

At the man's scream, Lu Hao turned to look. Half of the delicate-looking man's leg had been split open, leaving him crippled. The strike had consumed a quarter of Lu Hao's Vital Blood, and with the techniques from Blood Battle Mad Blade,

the outcome had been just as Lu Hao expected.

Hearing that the delicate-looking man had surrendered, Lu Hao stopped attacking and stood to the side, watching him wail with only one leg left intact.

Lu Hao didn't feel sorry for him. Once you stepped into the ring, you accepted the risk of death. At least the man was still alive. If Lu Hao hadn't blocked his Point-Burst in time, he would have been the one lying there and wailing.

With the Big Ring Blade in hand, Lu Hao left the ring amid the audience's cheers.

As soon as he came backstage, he saw his mother waiting for him. Before he could say anything, she slipped a pill into his mouth.

Judging by its taste, Lu Hao recognized it as a Healing Pill.

"Mom, it's just a minor injury. I don't need a Healing Pill."

Lu Hao said with a rueful smile. His injuries were just a few superficial cuts caused by the burst of Vital Blood. If he didn't take the Healing Pill, they might even heal on their own after a while.

"Hao'er, we're not short of Healing Pills. I was worried you might have hidden injuries, so it's safer to take one."

Bai Qiuyao said. She had done plenty to prepare herself mentally, but seeing Lu Hao knocked back and cut on the ring had already been too much for her. If Viper hadn't held her back, she might have rushed down there.