Intimidating the Entire Arena

Dust billowed across the arena as shouts and battle cries shook the heavens.

Li Mang staggered before steadying himself, blood and qi churning in his chest. He looked at Shen Yuan with both shock and hatred. He had never imagined that, despite being at the Body Tempering Seventh Layer and joining forces with Zhou Yang, not only had they failed to swiftly cripple Shen Yuan, a former servant, but Zhou Yang had been knocked out instead.

Now, two more of Zhao Kun's trusted men had arrived. Three Body Tempering Seventh Layer cultivators surrounded Shen Yuan together.

Many disciples fighting around the arena instinctively glanced over. A few even stopped fighting and watched from afar as one man faced many.

On the viewing platform, several outer sect elders wore varying expressions.

"Interesting. This young man is Shen Yuan? He was once a servant, and his innate foundation was destroyed, yet he can fight to this extent." The white-haired elder stroked his beard, his gaze fixed on the center of the arena. "This fist technique appears to be the Basic Tiger-Subduing Fist, but its variations and force application angles are completely different from the version passed down in the sect."

Another elder beside him frowned slightly. "Rumor has it that he was reported for stealing cultivation manuals three years ago, had his innate foundation shattered, and was demoted to the Servant Compound. If he truly possesses such ability, then there may have been another side to what happened back then."

Zhao Kun sat in his seat, his fingers clenched tightly around the armrest, his face as dark as water.

He had arranged for men to strike ruthlessly amid the melee and directly beat Shen Yuan into serious injury, eliminating him. Yet the situation had completely escaped his expectations. Shen Yuan's strength far exceeded his estimates.

"Li Mang, don't hold back!" Zhao Kun gritted his teeth and silently roared in his heart.

On the arena.

The three Body Tempering Seventh Layer disciples formed a triangle, trapping Shen Yuan firmly in the middle.

"Shen Yuan, you're quite capable. But today, you're destined to fall here." Li Mang panted heavily, his injured chest throbbing faintly as his eyes flashed viciously.

"What ability is there in relying on numbers?" Shen Yuan remained calm as he calculated rapidly.

One against three brought enormous pressure.

Within his sea of consciousness, the phantom of the Martial Arts Heavenly Stele trembled slightly. After defeating Zhou Yang, it had already issued a notification:

[Defeated a Body Tempering Seventh Layer opponent. Martial Dao Points +2. Heavenly Stele mission activated, rewards doubled. Actual Martial Dao Points +4. Current Martial Dao Points: 5.]

He had gained four Martial Dao Points at once.

But now was not the time for deduction. He first had to survive this encirclement.

The three launched their attacks simultaneously. Iron palms, blade techniques, and leg attacks swept in from three directions, sealing off nearly all of Shen Yuan's room to evade.

The qi and blood of Shen Yuan's Body Tempering Sixth Layer physique surged at full force as he pushed the Modified Tiger-Subduing Fist to its limit.

His fist technique was no longer blindly fierce. Hardness and softness flowed together as he deflected force, blocked attacks, and counterattacked in a single motion.

Fists collided, and bones rumbled.

Shen Yuan was soon struck several times, a trace of blood spilling from the corner of his mouth. His body endured searing pain, yet his combat rhythm remained completely undisturbed. The memories of being surrounded by multiple enemies countless times in the Martial Arts Simulation Space, of being knocked down again and again by phantoms, had all become practical combat experience at this moment.

He did not stubbornly clash with any one of them. He struck once, then retreated, constantly pulling apart the trio's coordination.

Though the three all served under Zhao Kun, they had never truly trained in a combined attack formation. As Shen Yuan dragged them back and forth, their attack rhythm gradually fell into disorder. Their moves even nearly struck their companions.

"Careful! Don't hit each other!" Li Mang roared.

Now!

Shen Yuan seized the instant a gap appeared in their coordination. His body suddenly exploded forward, and with the full force of the Subduing Tiger Fist, he slammed a punch into the soft spot beneath one man's ribs.

The man screamed and flew sideways off the arena.

Another one had been eliminated!

Only Li Mang and the blade-wielding disciple remained.

Two against one.

Blood flowed from Shen Yuan's shoulder, and his breathing had begun to fluctuate, but his gaze only grew sharper.

A trace of fear rose within Li Mang. A mere servant had forcibly brought down two of their men in succession. That level of combat strength was already terrifying.

"Together! End this quickly!" the blade-wielding disciple shouted. His steel blade flashed coldly as it chopped down.

Shen Yuan shifted aside to evade the blade, reaching for the man's sword arm. Li Mang seized the chance to slap his iron palm toward Shen Yuan's back, intending to force him to abandon the attack.

Shen Yuan had anticipated it. He suddenly spun on his feet. His exposed back appeared to be an opening, but his body abruptly sank.

The blade swept past the top of his head, while Li Mang's iron palm struck empty air. Shen Yuan drove his elbow hard into the swordsman's abdomen, then swung his fist back to meet Li Mang's iron palm head-on.

Bang!

A massive collision rang out!

The swordsman doubled over and flew backward off the arena.

Only Shen Yuan and Li Mang remained on the arena.

The entire venue erupted into an uproar.

On an arena filled with nearly a hundred people in a chaotic melee, Shen Yuan had single-handedly crushed the three Body Tempering Seventh Layer cultivators Zhao Kun had sent. His clothes were torn in many places, and he was wounded and bleeding, yet he still stood steadily upon the arena.

Li Mang was drenched in sweat and gasping for breath. As he looked at Shen Yuan, fear had already appeared in his eyes.

"You... your fist technique isn't an ordinary Subduing Tiger Fist at all!" Li Mang shouted harshly.

Shen Yuan did not reply. He stepped forward and charged at him again.

After dozens of exchanges in a bitter battle, Li Mang's stamina was completely depleted, and his moves were full of openings. Shen Yuan seized the chance and landed a heavy punch on his chest.

Li Mang stumbled back repeatedly. His heel reached the edge of the arena, and he could no longer keep his balance. He fell off.

All the men Zhao Kun had sent were wiped out.

The melee continued on the arena, but no one dared take the initiative to provoke Shen Yuan again. The gazes of many disciples were filled with apprehension.

[Defeated multiple opponents consecutively. Martial Dao Points +3. Mission doubled, total Martial Dao Points +6. Current Martial Dao Points: 11.]

The Heavenly Stele's notification rang out in his sea of consciousness.

Shen Yuan was delighted. He had finally accumulated a respectable amount of Martial Dao Points.

The melee was not yet over, and many powerful opponents still remained on the arena. He no longer sought battle on his own. He found a corner of the arena and sat cross-legged, simply suppressing his injuries while quickly regulating his breathing to restore his qi and blood.

He did not wish to waste his strength needlessly. He would preserve it and wait for the melee to end.

On the viewing platform, Zhao Kun's face had turned livid, and a cold aura surrounded him. He had never expected that the killing trap he had set would instead make Shen Yuan famous in a single battle.

An outer sect disciple following beside him advised quietly, "Senior Brother, we failed to get rid of him during the melee. Once the preliminaries begin and the fights become one-on-one, we'll find another way."

Zhao Kun stared fixedly at Shen Yuan, who sat cross-legged and regulated his breathing in the corner of the arena. Killing intent surged in his eyes.

"In the preliminaries, let's see how long his luck lasts."

On the platform, the elders spoke quietly among themselves, their gazes never leaving Shen Yuan.

"This boy must be watched closely."

The melee continued, with fewer and fewer people left on the arena. Shen Yuan sat with his eyes closed, regulating his breath, but he did not relax in the slightest. The preliminary round was only the beginning. The one-on-one preliminaries would be the real hard battle. He had already saved enough Martial Dao Points. Perhaps, before the preliminaries began, he could deduce the advanced form of the Subduing Tiger Fist—the True Subduing Tiger Fist.