An Unexpected Celestial Phenomenon

At the Heavenly Revelation Sect's outer sect arena.

Although the sect strictly forbade private fighting, it understood that some conflicts would ultimately be difficult to suppress entirely, so it had established an arena for that purpose.

Disciples were allowed to spar and compete in the arena, but taking a life was strictly forbidden.

An outer sect deacon was also present to supervise and ensure that matches stayed within the rules.

News that Liu Yi and Zhao Jiuxiao were about to fight caused a huge stir in the outer sect, and large numbers of outer sect disciples came to watch out of curiosity.

"Has Liu Yi lost his mind? How does he dare fight Zhao Jiuxiao? Isn't he just asking for a beating?"

"Maybe he really has lost his mind. That fainting spell a month ago damaged his brain. He doesn't even work overtime for Spirit Stone fragments anymore. He's obviously lying flat and waiting to be expelled from the sect."

"I heard Liu Yi owes Zhao Jiuxiao fifty Spirit Stone fragments. They agreed that if Liu Yi wins the match, not only will the debt be canceled, but Zhao Jiuxiao will give him another fifty fragments."

"How could Liu Yi possibly win? If you ask me, Zhao Jiuxiao just wants an excuse to beat him up. Liu Yi can't pay back those Spirit Stone fragments anyway, so instead of chasing the debt, he'd rather beat him up and vent his anger."

Qian Duoduo looked at Liu Yi with a face full of worry and urged him anxiously, "Brother Yi, won't you reconsider giving up? You can't kill someone in the arena, but people often get seriously injured."

"Recovering from injuries wastes time, and time is exactly what you're short of right now. Why take such a risk? If you need Spirit Stone fragments, I'll lend you some more."

"Old Qian, I appreciate the offer."

Liu Yi waved a hand and looked resolutely at Zhao Jiuxiao across from him:

"I can't dodge this. It has to be settled eventually.

"Might as well just fight him now. If I lose, the worst that happens is a beating. If I happen to win, the payoff will be huge."

"Brother Yi, you actually think you can win? People used to take bets on arena matches, you know. Now nobody's even taking bets."

Qian Duoduo gave Liu Yi a strange look. "That last fainting spell didn't really damage your brain, did it?"

Liu Yi's face darkened at that. "I'm perfectly normal!"

"There's still time to admit defeat!" Zhao Jiuxiao walked up to Liu Yi with two lackeys, his chin tilted almost to the sky:

"Kowtow three times and call me Grandpa ten times, and we'll call it even."

Liu Yi narrowed his eyes and said calmly, "It's not certain who'll win and who'll lose."

Zhao Jiuxiao said coldly, "You think you can win? Just wait. I'll beat you until you cry for your father and mother and call me Grandpa yourself!"

Before he finished speaking, he strode toward the arena.

Liu Yi remained calm, shrugged casually, and followed at an unhurried pace.

The outer sect deacon, Wang Yu, walked forward slowly and explained the rules of the match. Only after confirming that neither side objected did he retreat to the edge of the arena.

Standing in the arena, Liu Yi pondered to himself.

Across both his lives, the only thing he had learned was the Tai Chi Chuan he had practiced for health in his previous life.

Although he had seen plenty of spectacular fights in movies and television dramas, those choreographed routines were a far cry from actual combat.

Still, he understood that actual combat came down to speed, strength, and being ruthless enough.

He took a deep breath, and his gaze gradually sharpened.

Spiritual power surged around Zhao Jiuxiao. Rather than cast a spell, he charged straight at Liu Yi and sent his right fist crashing toward Liu Yi's face.

Liu Yi's pupils contracted sharply. In an instant, the Tai Chi Chuan he had learned in his previous life and the fights he had seen intertwined wildly in his mind, countless responses flashing past like a revolving lantern.

In the space of a lightning flash, he had already worked out the best strategy.

Quicker than it takes to tell, he stepped half a pace to the left with his left foot, instantly slipping to Zhao Jiuxiao's side.

His right hand seized Zhao Jiuxiao's right hand and guided it along, just like using four ounces to move a thousand pounds, turning his opponent's force against him.

Immediately afterward, his right leg lashed out like lightning, landing squarely on Zhao Jiuxiao's backside.

With a whoosh, Zhao Jiuxiao flew forward, straight off the arena, and landed on the ground with a thud.

A deathly silence fell over the crowd. The watching disciples stared dumbfounded at Liu Yi in the arena and Zhao Jiuxiao sprawled below it.

No one had expected the match to end so abruptly in such dramatic fashion.

Jiang Neng blurted out in shock, "Zhao Jiuxiao is way too useless! He actually lost just like that? Since when was Liu Yi so formidable?"

Lin Xiuyuan frowned, a note of helplessness in his voice. "Zhao Jiuxiao underestimated him. He didn't even get a spell off."

Zhao Jiuxiao lay on the ground, completely stunned. Only when his two lackeys came forward and helped him up did he snap out of it, as if waking from a dream.

He stared at Liu Yi, his face turning red and then pale. He simply couldn't accept that he had lost to someone he usually regarded as trash.

"Let's fight again!"

Qian Duoduo immediately jumped out, pointed at Zhao Jiuxiao, and demanded loudly, "You lost and now you want to go back on your word? Not a chance! Hand over the fifty Spirit Stone fragments!"

Zhao Jiuxiao snorted, pulled out fifty Spirit Stone fragments, and threw them toward Liu Yi. He said with a fierce glare:

"That's the wager! I was careless just now. Do you dare fight again? If you win, I'll give you another fifty Spirit Stone fragments!"

Liu Yi bent down to pick up the Spirit Stone fragments, unable to hide the delight on his face. He had never expected to win so easily.

Hearing Zhao Jiuxiao's words, he thought to himself:

The gap between their strengths might not be as large as it seemed.

Even if Zhao Jiuxiao cast spells, he could simply admit defeat if he couldn't withstand them. Either way, he wouldn't suffer any additional loss.

If he won, he could earn another fifty Spirit Stone fragments and have a better chance of breaking through to the Foundation Establishment Realm.

With that thought, he nodded in agreement and said, "All right."

Zhao Jiuxiao gave a sinister laugh and leaped into the arena. His hands swiftly formed seals as he used the Fire Dragon Technique.

"Watch closely! This is my true strength!"

Crimson Fire Element spiritual power surged out like a tide, forming a fire dragon a full two meters long.

Its body churned with flames as it lunged at Liu Yi, baring its fangs and brandishing its claws, a wave of scorching heat surging along with it.

Feeling the heat rushing toward him, Liu Yi's expression changed abruptly.

He immediately circulated his spiritual power with all his might and kicked hard against the arena floor, darting aside like lightning.

With a thunderous boom, the fire dragon crashed into the arena.

But before he could recover, Zhao Jiuxiao unleashed another fire dragon, sending it at him again.

Liu Yi dodged nimbly while watching for an opening, then charged swiftly toward Zhao Jiuxiao.

In an instant, he closed in on Zhao Jiuxiao and swung his right hand like lightning, striking him hard in the face before following up with a flying kick to his abdomen.

Zhao Jiuxiao let out a muffled grunt. The kick sent him flying backward, straight off the arena.

A deathly silence fell over the crowd, followed by the sound of people drawing sharp breaths one after another. Then the crowd erupted in earth-shaking cries of astonishment.

"How is this possible? Liu Yi really won? I'm not dreaming, am I?"

"He turned the fight around even against Zhao Jiuxiao's Fire Dragon Technique. Liu Yi is way too strong! If I'd gone up there, I doubt I could have withstood even one move."

"This is unbelievable! If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, who would have thought Liu Yi could fight so well?"

Qian Duoduo stared at Liu Yi with wide eyes, his face full of shock, and muttered to himself, "Brother Yi is actually that formidable? He's incredible!"

Zhao Jiuxiao braced himself against the ground and staggered to his feet, blood still at the corner of his mouth, his eyes full of bewilderment and unwillingness to accept defeat:

"How could this happen?"

"How could you be so strong?"

"My cultivation is higher than yours, and I can use the Fire Dragon Technique. How could I lose?"

Liu Yi had just opened his mouth to respond when a sudden clap of thunder rang out in the sky, followed by a continuous rumbling.

He flinched, pulling his head back, and stared at the sky in terror, roaring inwardly:

"I only won a match and earned some Spirit Stone fragments. Surely that doesn't deserve being struck by lightning from the heavens!"