Lion Sha

A day was about to end, and Bai Yuan was planning to leave when he suddenly received another challenge invitation.

Bai Yuan glanced at his opponent's information panel, and his eyes couldn't help but light up.

"To actually have mastered a domain—interesting!"

Although his usage time for the day was nearly up and he would need to pay seven hundred Ganwu Coins to continue staying, Bai Yuan still accepted without hesitation.

On the arena, the two of them sized each other up.

Lion Sha came from the Lion-man Race, his build towering like a mountain, over two meters tall, muscles seeming to harbor explosive power, both hands resting on a broad, dark-gold heavy blade.

The blade was almost as tall as his shoulder, and just standing still, it naturally exuded a heavy, oppressive aura.

A flicker of obvious surprise passed through Lion Sha's bell-like eyes.

He looked Bai Yuan up and down, especially noting the other's still-youthful face and not-fully-developed frame, and couldn't help raising an eyebrow.

"Kid, how old are you this year?"

"Twelve. What about it?"

"Only twelve!" Lion Sha was stunned, then an expression of disbelief spread across his face.

"Damn, when I was twelve, I hadn't even found the doorstep to the Planet Realm yet!"

He shook his head, lifting his heavy blade slightly, its tip tapping the ground with a low hum.

"A twelve-year-old Planet Realm third stage, and able to get a seven-star rating—looks like today's fight won't be boring."

Bang!

A dull, booming explosion rang out, and centered on Lion Sha, a dense, solid earth-yellow domain burst outward.

The air grew heavy and viscous, every inch of space seemingly filled with mud and sand, immense pressure squeezing in from all directions, intent on binding Bai Yuan's movement and speed.

The moment the domain expanded, Lion Sha moved!

His already burly form seemed to swell further under the domain's enhancement, both hands gripping the dark-gold heavy blade, his muscular arms unleashing terrifying power.

No complex feints, just the simplest, most direct vertical slash.

"Mountain Shaker!"

This blade carried the weight and momentum of the entire earth-yellow domain, truly like a collapsing mountain, bearing down on Bai Yuan with the force to crush everything!

Facing this all-out strike that swept through the domain, a sharp light blazed in Bai Yuan's eyes.

He held nothing back, pushing the Sharp Metal Concept to its limit!

"Sharp Metal Sixteen-Fold Slash!"

In an instant, a dazzling golden radiance erupted from his blade!

The light was condensed, incomparably sharp, like the dawn breaking through darkness, forcibly piercing a rift through the heavy, swamp-like earth-yellow domain!

The golden light didn't stop, trailing sixteen almost overlapping, fierce afterimages through the air, each carrying layers of stacked explosive power, meeting the Mountain Shaker heavy blade head-on.

Boom!!!

The golden light and yellow radiance collided violently, wild airwaves exploding outward, even the domain rippling intensely.

The moment the blades touched, both their expressions changed at once.

Bai Yuan felt a vast, heavy force transmitted through his blade, as if he were truly pushing against a mountain, numbing his arm slightly.

Lion Sha, meanwhile, felt a high-frequency, violent tremor from the opponent's blade, along with a piercingly sharp energy that nearly penetrated his heavy blade and invaded his body directly.

Stomp! Stomp! Stomp!

Both were forced back three steps by the recoil, each step landing with a dull thud on the metal arena, before they shed the force and steadied themselves.

"His force amplification is only about seven times—looks like he's not from a major power."

Bai Yuan made a quick judgment in his mind.

Although his opponent had mastered a domain, his basic force amplification and blade technique finesse weren't top-tier, which was why they'd ended up evenly matched.

Across from him, Lion Sha's expression had turned extremely grave.

The wrist gripping his heavy blade was still slightly numb, and shock surged within him.

"His force amplification is nearly double mine! His speed is too fast, and his burst power is terrifying! And the concept he used just now—it's definitely more than one!"

At this moment, the strength Bai Yuan displayed—whether in power, speed, burst, or concept application—was already fully on par with those nine-star experts he'd struggled against before!

Lion Sha took a deep breath, suppressing his surging blood energy, and slowly drew his earth-yellow domain inward, condensing it around his body, making it even denser.

The real fierce battle was only just beginning.

Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!

Their figures clashed at high speed across the arena, neither able to gain the upper hand over the other.

Bai Yuan's combat techniques were exquisitely refined, but Lion Sha had his domain protecting him, the earth-yellow glow like a solid wall, dissolving most ordinary slashes.

Unless he used a killing move like the Sharp Metal Sixteen-Fold Slash, it was hard to truly shake the opponent's defense.

Facing Lion Sha's heavy, powerful blade, Bai Yuan held his shield in his left hand and with a deft twist and angled block, diverted that overwhelming force like water deflecting a boulder, leaving his opponent's center wide open.

The next moment, a streak of golden light slashed out again.

Lion Sha's expression flickered with shock, marveling inwardly at Bai Yuan's terrifying mastery over bodily force—even his mountain-crushing heavy strike had been deflected with such effortless grace.

"Giant Rock Body!"

At the critical moment, Lion Sha let out a low roar, activating the special ability he had gained upon breaking through to the Planet Realm.

His skin took on rocky gray patterns, and his entire aura grew heavy as a mountain.

Though Giant Rock Body did not enhance overall physical capability like Diamond Body, it pushed defensive power to its absolute limit.

Bang!

Under the triple protection of the Earth Domain, Giant Rock Body, and the Force Battle Armor, this blow was barely blocked.

Yet the penetrating force, like a heavy hammer, slammed viciously into his body, shaking his blood and qi into turmoil, his internal organs feeling as if they had shifted out of place.

The battle continued, and the situation gradually became clear.

Though Lion Sha's attacks were fierce, they could never truly threaten Bai Yuan, whose footwork was agile and defense exquisite.

On the other hand, Bai Yuan's elusive slashes forced Lion Sha to defend with all his might every time; one misstep would mean severe injury and defeat.

Aside from this domain, Lion Sha held no advantage in power, speed, technique, or any other aspect.

Yet, despite being at a disadvantage, there was no sign of defeat in Lion Sha's eyes—only a blazing battle intent burning within.

In the fierce fight against a strong opponent like Bai Yuan, he could clearly feel his own blade technique being constantly honed, and his combat awareness rapidly improving!

Every block, every counter, even every mistake became vital nourishment for increasing his strength.

He was certain that once he fully digested the gains from this battle, his power would undergo a complete transformation and explosion.

Neither of them knew that their duel had already drawn the attention of countless powerful figures within the Battle Space.

"This Yuan's strength is definitely at the nine-star level!"

"I'd say even more—among nine-star experts, he's probably mid-to-upper tier."

"Lion Sha is no slouch either. When he lost to me before, it was mainly because his combat technique was too crude. But look at him now—his technique is leagues better than when he fought me! If I had to face him again, I'm not sure I could win."

"That's not surprising. Anyone who can comprehend a domain at the Planet Realm can't lack insight. Give him time, and surpassing us is only a matter of course."