"Contestant, please mind your manners."
Standing at the edge of the arena was today's referee, a Sixth Realm expert invited by River City's Supernatural Affairs Bureau. He had a perfectly round head and a slightly long face, looked to be in his fifties, and wore an expression weathered by life. Dressed in white, he had something of a master's bearing.
Hearing Xing'er insult her opponent like that, the referee issued a timely warning.
"Got it, melon head." Xing'er waved casually. "Hurry up and start the match. I can't wait to bash his stupid head in."
The referee said, "..."
You're insulting me too?
But at a match with tens of thousands of spectators and a citywide live broadcast, he could hardly give a contestant a red card and send her off. With a vein standing out on his forehead, he could only announce, "Both contestants are ready. Begin!"
"Whooo-"
The crowd's cheers grew even louder, sending adrenaline surging. Even the calmest person would have been swept up in the atmosphere here.
All the more so for Zhao Xing'er, who stood on the stage. She looked around, basking in everyone's attention, and shouted, "Cheer a little louder, and I'll give you a demonstration of skull-smashing with a staff!"
"Awooo-"
Watching Xing'er interact with the audience, Hu Kaiting gritted his teeth. "You think you've already won? Those whom heaven would destroy, it first drives mad. Die!"
He had indeed brought an ancestral forbidden curse of the Hu Family today, but using it came at a steep price. He wanted to try fighting Zhao Xing'er with his own strength first.
What if he won?
At least he could wear her down a little first.
He abruptly summoned his flying sword and sent it slicing through the air, its blade wreathed in roaring flames!