Upper-Grade Bright Force

Before Lu Hao could respond, Ding Mian suddenly spoke from the side of the arena.

"Elder Su, don't make a move yet!"

He turned to Xue Yong. "Deputy Chief Xue, who do you think will win between these two?"

Xue Yong did not answer. He had long heard Qian Hao mention Lu Hao. Back at the Everjoy Hall Branch, Qian Hao had followed him, and Lu Hao was on good terms with Qian Hao, so Xue Yong had considered Lu Hao one of his own.

But Xue Yong also knew that Lu Hao had only become a Martial Artist a few days ago. Su Qin, meanwhile, had been steeped in the Upper-Grade Bright Force realm for nearly ten years. He felt that Lu Hao did not have much chance of winning this match.

Seeing Xue Yong remain silent, Ding Mian looked back at the arena and said with a genial smile, "Elder Su, Elder Lu, since this is a match, I'll add a stake. I'll put up two Blood Essence Pills. Whoever wins gets both of them."

The moment those words fell, a sharp gleam flashed through Su Qin's eyes.

She had already touched the threshold of Dark Force. If she obtained another two Blood Essence Pills, her chances of breaking through would increase by several points. This stake was clearly Ding Mian handing her Blood Essence Pills on a silver platter.

When Su Qin looked at Lu Hao again, the chill in her eyes deepened.

Xue Yong frowned slightly. By putting up two Blood Essence Pills as the stake, Ding Mian was effectively forcing him to offer two as well. Yet this was clearly a match Su Qin was bound to win.

After pondering for a moment, Xue Yong smiled.

"Since Deputy Chief Ding is in the mood, then Xue will also put up two Blood Essence Pills as today's stake."

The two each took out two Blood Essence Pills and handed the porcelain bottles to a gang member. The gang member placed the four Blood Essence Pills on a stone bench beside the training ground.

Ding Mian rose to his feet, looked at the two in the arena, and called out, "In today's match, remember to stop at the right point. Try not to injure one another, and under no circumstances are you to take the other's life!"

Several elders began murmuring among themselves below the arena.

"Lu Hao, that brat, really doesn't know the immensity of heaven and earth!"

"He just entered Bright Force, and he already dared to fight Su Qin. Su Qin has never left anyone alive beneath her!"

"Three years ago, she smashed Elder Liu to death on this training ground with one staff strike. His brains splattered all over the ground."

"Just wait and see. Nine times out of ten, Lu Hao will meet his end on that stage too."

"He has no one to blame but himself. His realm is low, yet he still wants to split the Praying Mantis Beast with us. Hmph!"

Meanwhile, Xue Yong and the elders around him all wore grim expressions and said nothing.

Cao Ling stood at the edge of the arena, sweating on Lu Hao's behalf. He feared Lu Hao would die on the training ground.

Then Su Qin shouted from the arena, "Deputy Chief Ding, fists and feet have no eyes. Forgive Su for being unable to comply!"

With that, without waiting for Ding Mian to declare the start of the match, she swung both staffs at once, smashing them toward Lu Hao with the sound of tearing air.

Lu Hao exploded the three drops of Blood Essence in his dantian and channeled them into both arms. Then he raised his arms to meet Su Qin's twin staffs.

With a dull bang, Lu Hao's arms shuddered. He was smashed back three or four steps before barely steadying himself. His arms had gone numb, and the spots struck by Su Qin's staffs burned with searing pain.

Lu Hao thought to himself, The strength of an Upper-Grade Bright Force Martial Artist truly cannot be underestimated. Her force is far stronger than someone like Diao Xiaolin, who temporarily broke through with some crooked pill.

The moment Lu Hao steadied himself, Su Qin charged at him again with her twin staffs in hand.

Though Su Qin was slight in build, her twin staffs contained the strength of four oxen possessed by an Upper-Grade Bright Force Martial Artist. Borrowing the momentum of the staffs, their force grew several points stronger still.

Lu Hao was forced into pure defense by Su Qin. She wore white from head to toe, and two tight white short training pants clung to her long, straight legs. Amid her cold beauty was an added edge of sharpness. Yet at this moment, no one had the mind to notice such things.

Lu Hao exchanged four head-on blows with Su Qin. Both his arms had completely lost feeling, numb and swollen. Beads of sweat the size of soybeans rolled down from his temples and dripped onto the ground.

Seeing Lu Hao in such a state, a trace of mockery flashed through Su Qin's eyes.

She held her twin staffs horizontally and swept them toward Lu Hao's ribs. Lu Hao was too slow to evade, and Su Qin sent him flying to the edge of the training ground, where he crashed heavily to the ground.

Cao Ling below the arena could no longer hold back. He shot to his feet and roared toward the stage.

"Elder Su, we surrender! Lu Hao, surrender now!"

Xue Yong looked toward the training ground with a grim expression.

Ding Mian remained seated, still wearing that genial smile.

Su Qin cast Cao Ling a cold glance, then looked back at Lu Hao, her eyes icy.

With both staffs in hand, she slowly walked toward Lu Hao.

Lying on the ground, Lu Hao felt a stabbing pain beneath his ribs.

He heard Cao Ling telling him to surrender. Yet he gritted his teeth, dropped to one knee, endured the pain, and slowly pushed himself to his feet with both fists.

By then, Su Qin had already arrived before him. She slowly raised both staffs over her head.

"You can't even withstand ten of my moves. What right do you have to enter Green Ox Mountain?"

At that moment, the system panel suddenly refreshed.

[Skill: Black Tiger Golden Saber Blood Essence Formula (Green · Grand Mastery)]

[Progress: 0/1000]

[Blood Essence in Body: 120/120]

Lu Hao's Black Tiger Golden Saber Blood Essence Formula had previously been at 488/500 progress.

During his match with Su Qin, after the power of Blood Essence within his body exploded and coursed through his meridians, it had unknowingly broken through from Minor Mastery to Grand Mastery.

Lu Hao's dantian suddenly shook. The three drops of Blood Essence that had been circling it abruptly churned violently and began to flow at high speed.

A scorching current exploded from his dantian and surged madly through his meridians toward his limbs and bones.

The three drops of Blood Essence in his dantian split apart amid the violent trembling. First, each drop divided into another drop, then each split once more, ultimately forming nine drops of Blood Essence.

The nine drops of Blood Essence first revolved slowly around his dantian, then suddenly spun at tremendous speed. Every drop was full and brimming, emanating a rich Blood Essence aura utterly different from before.

A faint red glow flashed around Lu Hao's body before sinking back into him and vanishing.

The aura around him rose step by step, and the force of his breakthrough rippled outward from within. The pain in his aching, numb, swollen arms suddenly faded away, replaced by surging power contained within both arms.

Lu Hao clenched his fists, spread his arms, and let out a deep roar.

From Lu Hao's display just now, Su Qin and everyone below the arena could clearly tell that he had advanced from Mid-Grade Bright Force to Upper-Grade Bright Force.

Shock showed on every face.

The elders beside Xue Yong began discussing it.

"Did Lu Hao just break through?"

"He must have. Look at how dense his Blood Essence is. He has clearly entered Upper-Grade Bright Force."

"That kid only became a Martial Artist five or six days ago, didn't he? He advanced from the lower grade to the upper grade that quickly?"

"Then what does that make me, being stuck at Upper-Grade Bright Force for seven or eight years?"

"What are seven or eight years? Look at Su Qin on the stage. She has been trapped at Upper-Grade Bright Force for nearly ten years!" After saying that, the elder jerked his chin toward Su Qin in the arena.

Su Qin looked at Lu Hao, unease stirring faintly in her heart.

With both staffs in hand, she charged at Lu Hao once more.