Taking the Stage

Li Wangxian looked over. There were ten arenas in the square in all-one large and nine small-and cultivators were already locked in fierce combat in every one.

"Do I need to register first?" Li Wangxian asked the leading Divine General.

"There's no need. Just go up. Anyone without the ability will naturally get knocked off," the Divine General replied.

"That's true!" Li Wangxian nodded. Ten consecutive victories meant defending the arena for ten bouts without losing. Going up sooner or later made little difference. Without real ability, the sooner someone went up, the sooner they would be knocked off.

Boom!

With a thunderous crash, a bout in one of the arenas ahead happened to reach its conclusion. The young cultivator defending it blasted his challenger off the platform with a sword divine ability.

"My eighth victory! Two more and I'll have ten straight wins! Who else?"

In the arena, a young White-Clad Male Cultivator laughed heartily. Ten victories were within reach. Basking in such boundless glory, he, who had never drawn so much attention before, felt lightheaded with elation, brimming with satisfaction as though he stood atop the clouds.

Unfortunately, the good times did not last. Before he could enjoy himself for long, he suddenly sensed a transcendent presence approaching from afar. He looked over, and all joy drained from his expression, his face turning grave at once.

Thud, thud, thud!

Not far away, Li Wangxian walked toward him at an ordinary pace, calm with every step. He showed no excitement, nor was he accompanied by any earth-shaking phenomenon of unity between man and heaven. Only a transcendent aura spread with his movement, sweeping forward and making everyone below the arena turn around in astonishment.

"So strong!" In the arena, the White-Clad Male Cultivator's expression changed drastically. If the confidence and aura this man displayed as he approached merely marked him as extraordinary-

Then what happened when he tried to probe the man's strength was even more terrifying. He could discern absolutely nothing. Only his instinctive spiritual sense throbbed frantically, urging him to flee from this man's side at once.

That heart-pounding terror, as though he had encountered his natural predator, surpassed even the fear he had felt as a child, before he began cultivating, when he encountered a fierce tiger in the mountains.

"Just my luck, running into a monster like this!" The White-Clad Male Cultivator let out a forlorn sigh. Since childhood, he had possessed a beastlike instinct. After he began cultivating, it had grown ever sharper, saving his life more times than he could count.

Thus, he knew perfectly well that this man was peerlessly powerful. The pressure he exerted surpassed even that of some Saint Sons, making his skin crawl. He badly wanted to simply jump off and be done with it.

But this is my best chance to change my fate. I have to show something!

His face turned a little green, and his heart pounded like a drum. He won't kill me with one blow, will he? Surely not?

"You seem to have sensed something. Why aren't you stepping down, then?"

Li Wangxian lifted his foot, as though shrinking the earth to an inch and merging with the void. In a single step, he appeared in the arena from afar, standing opposite the White-Clad Male Cultivator.

"If I want to change my fate, I have to muster the courage to gamble at least once!" He gave a self-mocking smile before answering.

This time, she won't keep calling me a coward, will she?

Li Wangxian smiled faintly at his words and asked with interest, "You should know, shouldn't you? The gap between us is like that between heaven and the abyss. You still dare to stay in the arena because you think I won't kill you?"

The White-Clad Male Cultivator's expression turned bitter. Surely not, boss. There's no need for that, is there?

Everyone below the arena was startled. Li Wangxian was undoubtedly powerful; judging by the imposing presence of his entrance, they all acknowledged as much. But a gap like that between heaven and the abyss? Surely that was going too far?

After all, this was an outstanding talent who had defeated eight cultivators of the same realm in succession and had a chance at ten victories. Yet when they saw that the white-clad man did not dispute the claim, but instead looked miserable, everyone was filled with alarm. Was he truly that heaven-defying?

Seeing that his opponent merely looked miserable rather than fleeing the arena in panic, Li Wangxian smiled faintly. "You do have some courage!"

Having said that, he wasted no more words and raised his hand, pressing it forward.

At that moment, many people's hearts lurched with terror. They felt as though they were suffocating, the immense pressure leaving them unable to breathe.

With a flick of his fingers, Li Wangxian drew forth a Dao Bell. Patterns flashed across it, boundless Dao Patterns coalescing and swirling around it. Filled with the aura of the Great Dao and incomparably powerful, it descended at once to suppress his opponent.

Everyone below the arena was astonished. This was no weapon, but a "Dao Bell" Li Wangxian had condensed from divine power. He had done it effortlessly and naturally, unleashing it with a casual gesture.

"Pfft!"

The white-clad man raised his hands as though supporting the heavens, trying to hold the Dao Bell in place and stop its descent. Yet the instant he touched it, the shock made him cough up great mouthfuls of blood. The bell terrified him. It was like a stretch of blue sky collapsing upon him, impossible to withstand by force.

Crack!

The arena beneath the white-clad man's feet fractured, cracks spreading like a spiderweb. He was about to sink into the platform. The pressure he bore was immeasurable, and his entire body felt as though it might burst apart at any moment.

"To survive a casual strike of mine-you are indeed worth nurturing!"

Li Wangxian nodded. His words were blunt, yet the spectators below were even more horrified. They knew that this attack really had been unleashed with a casual gesture, merely a manifestation of his comprehension of the Great Dao. Yet its effects were no less formidable than those of any world-shaking sacred art, making everyone's skin crawl.

Just how powerful was he?

"But this is your limit. If you keep holding on, your only end will be to burst apart and die."

Li Wangxian shook his head and lightly flicked a finger. The Dao Bell in midair trembled gently. No sacred power surged, yet the entire world shook along with it, blasting the white-clad man beneath the bell out of the arena.

Silence!

At that moment, deathly silence reigned below the arena. Countless people stared at Li Wangxian, eyes wide and tongues tied, unable to believe what they had seen. Even a venerable elder of the Ziwei Divine Dynasty selecting talented recruits beside the arena was startled and looked over.

Even the many Saint Sons couldn't do this, could they? Is this man going to be invincible?

That was what many people below the arena were thinking at that moment.

"Although I already thought he was strong, I never imagined he would be so terrifyingly powerful!"

The Divine Generals who had escorted Li Wangxian over were also deeply shaken by the sight. This was far too overwhelming! Why did it feel as though his edge was even sharper than the Ziwei Prince's?

"Next!"

In the arena, Li Wangxian ignored all the incredulous gazes directed his way. He simply stood with his hands clasped behind his back, waiting for his next opponent to step forward.

Yet, to everyone's surprise-and somehow not to their surprise-as time passed breath by breath, the other arenas remained locked in heated combat, while for a time, no one dared enter Li Wangxian's arena.

Seeing this, Li Wangxian shifted his gaze toward the other arenas, where the battles raged fiercely.

"Is there a rule that all ten victories must be won in the same arena?"

His question left everyone below the arena momentarily stunned.