Lion Sha and Bai Kaluo

Tap, tap, tap...

The footsteps drew closer, and the crowd gradually fell silent, all eyes turning toward the entrance.

The eight World Lords seated in their chairs also looked up. They wanted to see what kind of person this junior was, whom Bai Kuangren had praised so highly.

The doors opened automatically, and everyone present stood up in unison.

Then two figures entered the hall, one behind the other.

"Damn! That's a lot of people!"

One of them, a burly man with a lion's head and a human body, couldn't help exclaiming.

The blue-skinned man beside him, a blade strapped to his back, also showed a flicker of surprise in his eyes.

The eight World Lords and the elite disciples they had brought along looked even more astonished.

"Who are you? Where is Madman World Lord?" asked a World Lord whose eyes glowed a faint red.

Once Lion Sha recovered, he cursed Bai Yuan inwardly, then replied respectfully, "Bai Yuan sent us a message saying he'd invited a few elites from the major factions. He said we could come spar if we were interested."

But looking at the crowd before them, how was this "a few"?

Then he noticed the elite disciples standing among them, along with the eight dignified powerhouses, all at least at the Universe Realm. Lion Sha immediately realized that Bai Yuan had set them up.

Bai Kaluo, however, remained calm. Dying in the Virtual Universe wasn't real death, and he didn't mind being used if it meant he could spar with so many elites.

At that, the eight World Lords exchanged glances, their expressions varied.

"Interesting. That kid didn't come himself, but sent others to test the people we brought? At least he's not some dullard who does nothing but cultivate."

"What now? Keep waiting?"

"Of course we'll wait, but there's no point just standing around. Why not have these two spar with the juniors we brought?"

"Agreed."

"I agree."

"I agree too."

"So do I."

"..."

The eight World Lords took turns voicing their opinions. Somehow, they suddenly seemed determined to outdo one another.

The elite disciples exchanged glances, each seeing a hint of helplessness in the others' eyes.

Perhaps, at a certain level of cultivation, one truly did return to simplicity.

These World Lords had clearly reached that state.

It was just that sometimes, returning to simplicity seemed to make their intelligence "return" along with it.

"Very well, then let's begin. Two of you, step forward and test their strength."

At the World Lord's command, two geniuses immediately stepped forward to face Bai Kaluo and Lion Sha.

"Hundred Tiger Tower, Second Grade Elite, Su Ying."

"North Dragon City, Second Grade Elite, Long Ye."

Fighting spirit flared in Lion Sha and Bai Kaluo's eyes.

"Virtual Universe Company, Second Grade Elite, Lion Sha."

"Blade Clan, Bai Kaluo."

When they heard the words "Virtual Universe Company," the relaxed expressions on the crowd's faces turned serious, and they looked at Lion Sha differently.

Even as a branch, the Virtual Universe Company had extremely strict standards for selecting elites.

Most of the so-called elites from the major factions present probably wouldn't even qualify to enter the Virtual Universe Company.

It could be said that a Second Grade Elite from the Virtual Universe Company would be at least the equal of a First Grade Elite in one of the Four Great Organizations, and could even rival a Special Grade Elite.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

The battle was about to begin.

Su Ying and Long Ye had the same idea. They sprang forward, one from each side, and charged straight at Lion Sha, both eager to test the strength of this genius from the Virtual Universe Company.

As for Bai Kaluo, they instinctively ignored him.

Bai Kaluo gave a cold snort and moved at an unbelievable speed, intercepting Su Ying's path with pinpoint precision.

Two flashes of blade light passed by. There was nothing fancy about them, only speed and power pushed to the extreme.

"So fast!"

The onlookers' pupils contracted. Many of them couldn't match Bai Kaluo's explosive dash and swift strikes.

"He's even faster than me!"

Su Ying, who bore the brunt of the attack, was even more shaken. He had always prided himself on his speed, but now all he could do was watch as the blades came at him.

In his shock, he jerked both wrists, and a pair of black claws sprang out, barely blocking the first slash aimed at his head.

The tremendous impact numbed his arms and stopped him in his tracks.

Clang, clang, clang, clang, clang!

The two figures clashed and separated again and again, their forms already a blur.

Blades and claws crisscrossed wildly, while their ghostly movements left shallow marks across the floor.

Every swing of Bai Kaluo's twin blades was clean and efficient, channeling his strength and speed perfectly into the blades.

Su Ying's claws were no ordinary weapons either. Each swing carried enough force to tear through rock, and every strike was vicious.

He moved with lightning speed, leaving afterimages as his claws went for vital points.

Both men excelled at fighting speed with speed. Their attacks and defenses shifted in the blink of an eye; an ordinary Planet Realm cultivator would have struggled even to follow their movements.

For a while, they seemed evenly matched.

But the eight World Lords had far too much experience to be fooled. They had already seen who would win.

"Old Luo, I'm afraid your disciple from Hundred Tiger Tower won't last much longer," one World Lord remarked calmly.

"Mm." The World Lord called Old Luo wore a helpless expression.

"Mm." The World Lord called Old Luo wore a helpless expression.

"It's not just that he's half a step slower. More importantly, he's completely outmatched in controlling the rhythm and seizing the right moment. That young fellow from the Blade Clan is squeezing Su Ying's room to maneuver with every attack."

Just as they had said, the battle on the arena only looked evenly matched. After a dozen or so seconds, the stalemate suddenly broke.

Bai Kaluo's seemingly ordinary crossing slash was blocked, but he let the momentum carry his blades into a clever shift of trajectory, then swept them upward from an almost impossible angle.

Su Ying's face went pale. In his haste, he could only just manage to defend himself.

How could Bai Kaluo let the opportunity slip by? His blade work shifted from deft to fierce in an instant, erupting like thunder. One blade knocked aside Su Ying's hastily raised claws, while the other followed close behind and stopped squarely before his eyes.

Su Ying froze, cold sweat streaming down his face.

He had lost!

The result surprised many of the disciples watching, who hadn't thought much of Bai Kaluo before.

He had defeated a Second Grade Elite from Hundred Tiger Tower so cleanly and decisively that they couldn't help taking him seriously.

At the same time, the battle on the other side was unfolding very differently.

Lion Sha stood firm as a mountain against Long Ye's storm of attacks, wielding a heavy War Blade with effortless precision.

Long Ye's offense was undeniably fierce. His spear struck like a dragon, each thrust carrying immense force, but Lion Sha always neutralized it at the crucial moment with his exquisite combat technique.

After receiving guidance from powerful seniors in the Virtual Universe Company and studying the insights left behind by many experts, Lion Sha had undergone a complete transformation.

Even without using a domain, he could still hold his own against his opponent.

"As expected, winning with my current strength alone isn't easy if I don't use my domain."

Seeing that Bai Kaluo had already finished his fight, Lion Sha stopped holding back.

Hum!

A dense, heavy, ochre-yellow light, almost tangible, suddenly spread outward from him!

Long Ye felt his body sink as if he had fallen into an invisible quagmire. His movements slowed involuntarily.

This was the Earth Domain! Within the domain, Lion Sha was the master.