Reincarnation of The Strongest Sword God

781-800

Chapter 781 - Hidden Strength

Hua Qiushui waved off Exemplary Willow's question and said, "It's nothing. Watch your Aunty Hua avenge your losses."

"Thank you, Aunty Hua." Exemplary Willow smiled sweetly, her mood brightening.

Following which, Hua Qiushui contacted Everlasting War and asked in a low tone, "Everlasting, what is your opinion on the Asura Battle Team's strength?"

"My opinion?" Everlasting War wondered why Hua Qiushui asked such a question. "The Asura Battle Team is very strong. A few of its members feel like intense threats. As for the team leader, Ye Feng, he is a Refinement Realm expert. However, based on our team's strength, winning should not be a problem."

There were a total of five matches in this competition. Two were one-on-ones, one was a two-on-two, and two were three-on-threes. To secure victory, a battle team only needed to win three matches.

Even if a battle team had an invincible expert, at most, the team would win one match, not the competition. Furthermore, Ye Feng was not invincible. Everlasting War was 60% certain of defeating Ye Feng.

"There should not be a problem?" Hua Qiushui's expression was stern. Even for her, this was a very large wager. If the Asura Battle Team's employer wasn't a fool, then they must be absolutely confident of their team.

Although Hua Qiushui trusted Everlasting War's estimation, she did not think that the Asura Battle Team's employer would bet on luck. A fool like that would never make it to a place like this.

"Everlasting, do what you need to. We're sending in Team Two." After giving it some thought, Hua Qiushui made up her mind.

"Are we really going to mobilize Team Two?" Everlasting War was shocked. "Currently, we still have quite a few matches to win before we can challenge the organizer. Is mobilizing Team Two necessary? If we reveal our strength too soon, it would only make it easier for our future opponents to learn our weaknesses."

Nine people had been chosen during the Glorious Lions' audition. Including Everlasting War, they formed a full battle team.

Afterward, however, Everlasting War learned that those nine members were only reserves. The battle team's official members had long since been decided. Only, Hua Qiushui had never mentioned that before the audition. This had been the Glorious Lions Battle Team's secret. So far, he had only been introduced to two of the other nine official members. However, both of these people were strong enough to frighten Everlasting War.

When the audition members learned that they were merely reserve members, they were not pleased. As a result, the nine of them had fought the two official members in a team battle. In the end, victory had belonged to the two official members. Neither had even lost any HP throughout the battle.

The nine audition members had no choice but to admit their defeat. The difference in their strengths was too massive.

Hence, the Glorious Lions Battle Team's reserve members formed Team One, while Team Two consisted of the battle team's official members. Even Everlasting War had no idea where Hua Qiushui had found these experts.

Meanwhile, Everlasting War was only Team Two's Vice-Leader. As for the mysterious official leader, even now, Everlasting War had yet to him. However, whenever he saw Hua Qiushui converse with that person, the woman would show respect. Her voice carried none of the commanding tone it usually had when she spoke to him.

"The wager is too big to risk. Notify the organizer. The competition has not begun yet, so there should be no issues in making a last minute change to our roster," Hua Qiushui demanded.

In truth, aside from worrying that the Asura Battle Team hid its strength, Hua Qiushui wanted to show Ye Feng that the audition members were merely part of a reserve team. They were minor characters she used to deceive her enemies.

"I understand." Everlasting War sighed helplessly. He had looked forward to an intense match against the Asura Battle Team. Now, however, that was no longer possible. The members of Team One were capable of defeating the Asura Battle Team. However, there was a massive gap between Team One and Team Two. The Asura Battle Team had no hopes of winning against Team Two.

---

After the Glorious Lions Battle Team and the Asura Battle Team confirmed their bets and registered their participating members, a commotion ripped through the Main Venue.

"What the... What is this?"

"Why did the Glorious Lions swap out their members?"

"Wait, the team's leader, Everlasting War, is still on the team. Only the other members have been replaced."

"Don't tell me they're complaining that the Asura Battle Team is too weak and are trying to up the risk of the competition."

...

The audience fell into a heated discussion.

Although last-minute replacements frequently occurred in the Dark Arena, there had never been a full team replacement, excluding the leader.

"Something's not right!" Gentle Snow's expression suddenly turned grim.

"Snow, what's going on?" Zhao Yueru asked curiously.

"The Glorious Lions aren't replacing their stronger members with weaker ones! They're replacing their weaker members with stronger ones!" Gentle Snow said seriously. "I had never imagined that the Glorious Lions would have hidden their strength so deeply. They kept their true strength hidden all this time. The Asura Battle Team is in danger."

"Snow, how do you know that the Glorious Lions have replaced their weaker team with a stronger one? Their levels are mostly the same." Zhao Yueru looked at the levels of the new members. The highest among them was Level 36, while the lowest was Level 35. They were not much stronger than the previous team. Moreover, she had never seen any of the new members before. They were not particularly famous in the virtual gaming world.

"It's not surprising that you don't know them. I have only encountered a few of these people by chance," Gentle Snow said, smiling bitterly. "That tanned, skinny Level 36 Assassin named Long Rainbow defeated four of Underworld's Seven Ghosts by himself in the Divine Battlefield. He is slightly stronger than Great Ghost, the Seven Ghosts' number one expert. That Level 36 blue-armored Swordsman named Blood Sun defeated War Wolf and Soaring Snake by himself in the Divine Battlefield as well."

She had only discovered this information from her spies in Underworld.

Currently, Underworld sided with Cao Chenghua. Naturally, she had been forced to take her own countermeasures.

These incidents had flabbergasted Underworld's upper echelons. Nobody could have imagined that their top experts, who had gone into the Divine Battlefield to grind, would have been hunted for points.

Gentle Snow had been quite pleased when she heard the news. She never imagined that someone other than Black Flame would cause so much trouble for Underworld. Now, however, she felt no joy at all.

"That can't be true, right? Since when have the Glorious Lions been so strong?" Zhao Yueru knew plenty about Underworld's Seven Ghosts. She also remembered War Wolf's strength. The man had played with Fierce Snake, one of Ouroboros's Twelve Apostles, like a toy. Even Zhao Yueru feared the man's strength. Yet, someone had defeated such a powerful expert despite him combining his strength with Soaring Snake's, the Twelve Apostles' number one expert.

---

Like Gentle Snow, Phoenix Rain, who sat comfortably in a VIP room, frowned deeply.

"Damn it! Why is he here?!" Phoenix Rain glared at the Glorious Lions' new leader, complaining indignantly, "Do the Battle Wolves not care about their reputation?!" 

Chapter 782 - Famed Sword Bonfire

"Big Sis Rain?" Blue Phoenix was confused. This was the first time she had seen Phoenix Rain grow so angry.

In her eyes, Phoenix Rain was a lofty queen. She was always calm and dignified. Even when competing with a Super Guild over an item, she spoke and smiled peacefully. Now, however, she was clearly anxious.

It was simply inconceivable...

Phoenix Rain had also realized that she had lost her composure. Smiling bitterly, she explained, "Ye Feng's group is doomed. If I had known this would happen, I wouldn't have bet so much on the Asura Battle Team."

"Big Sis Rain, is that man particularly powerful?" Blue Phoenix watched the middle-aged man, who now led the Glorious Lions.

Appearance-wise, this middle-aged man had a handsome face, a strong body, and sharp eyes that resembled an eagle's. He wore silver-black armor and carried a flame-red greatsword. He looked like a towering war god. After analyzing the man just for a short moment, Blue Phoenix suddenly noticed that the man's gaze shifted towards her as if he noticed her watching him.

Blue Phoenix was afraid.

Not only was she far from the dueling ring, but she was also in a VIP room. The players in the dueling ring should not be able to see inside the VIP rooms at all.

"Blue, you understand now, right?" Anger filled Phoenix Rain's eyes as she glared at the new team leader.

"Big Sis Rain, who is that man? Why haven't I heard of someone with so much power?" Blue Phoenix asked as she realized just how powerful the middle-aged man was, shock setting in.

Logically, such monster-level characters should disdain taking part in such competitions, yet here one was. It was no wonder why Phoenix Rain had become so enraged.

"Although you've never met him before, you should have heard his name," Phoenix Rain said as she shook her head. "He is one of the Four Great Wolf Kings of the Battle Wolves, Sirius!"

"That's him?!" Blue Phoenix immediately understood Phoenix Rain's anger.

The Battle Wolves was a Super Guild that had existed for over a hundred years. The Guild's Four Great Wolf Kings had shaken the virtual gaming world with their fame for many years now and were mainly responsible for pushing the Battle Wolves to the peak of the virtual gaming world. Only, eight years ago, the Four Great Wolf Kings had removed themselves from the public eye. No one had heard any news about the Wolf Kings after that. For those who remember them, however, the names of the Four Great Wolf Kings still resounded like thunder in their ears.

Now, an old monster had arrived to participate in a competition between the younger generation. This was harassment!

"Big Sis Rain, why don't we notify Ye Feng and tell him about this?" Although Blue Phoenix had lost to Shi Feng, at the end of the day, they were on the same side. Now that Sirius had joined the competition, they could only send cannon fodder at him, losing the match intentionally and focusing on the other matches.

"No need. Ye Feng is no fool. He can tell how powerful Sirius is. I don't think he'll try to face Sirius head-on," Phoenix Rain said. "However, Sirius isn't the only one to watch out for. There are several other members who are extremely dangerous as well. Even if Ye Feng chooses the right members for the match-ups, this will be a hard battle."

"Are we going to lose our first competition?" Blue Phoenix was frustrated. She wished she was a part of the battle team's roster. They might even have a chance at victory. However, now that the competition roster had been set, no further changes were allowed.

"If you lose, you lose. Victory and defeat are common on the battlefield. In any case, this will be a profitable loss. At the very least, we now know the Glorious Lions Battle Team's trump card." Although Phoenix Rain was frustrated as well, one must know when to surrender. Fortunately, this was only their first competition, not a crucial competition. The only problem was that Zero Wing would, most likely, suffer a huge loss of resources this time. "This is odd, though. Hua Qiushui is a calm and collected woman. Why would she suddenly decide to deal such a vicious blow to a new battle team, going so far as to reveal her trump card?"

---

"Guild Leader, the Glorious Lions' atmosphere is weird. Their previous team leader has been demoted to vice-leader. The other members don't seem to like him, either," Aqua Rose stated curiously as she watched the Glorious Lions rest a short distance away.

Changing members at the last minute was a basic strategy in such competitions, so she had not been particularly surprised by the sudden development. After all, with every battle in the Dark Arena, a large number of people would analyze the players in the competition. If a battle team revealed their cards to the public, the team's next opponent would prepare a strategy to counter them. To prevent exploitation, last-minute substitutions were normal.

Only, despite Everlasting War being the vice-leader of the team, the others seemed to disregard him. None of them treated him with any respect. This was strange to behold.

"They're probably just not on the same wavelength," Shi Feng laughed. He could not help but shift his gaze towards Sirius. "However, their new team leader is really powerful. I wonder how the Glorious Lions found such an individual."

In the past, Shi Feng had never heard of Everlasting War becoming the vice-leader of the Glorious Lions. As far as he knew, Everlasting War had always been the Glorious Lions' team leader. Most of the battle team, though, had been replaced.

After all, every fighter in the Dark Arena wished to become the organizer. Hiding one's strength was a basic strategy. Only, Shi Feng had never imagined that the Glorious Lions had hidden so much strength.

Everlasting War himself was already quite formidable. However, none of the substituted members were weak. Furthermore, the new team leader was immeasurably powerful. It was especially true for that greatsword on Sirius's back. Shi Feng was extremely familiar with that particular weapon.

It was one of God's Domain's 36 Famed Swords, Bonfire!

However, according to Shi Feng's memory, a Berserker named Deathless had owned Bonfire.

Could he be Deathless? Shi Feng was fiercely curious. However, he shook his head and denied the thought. No. Deathless had not joined God's Domain this early.

---

"Everlasting, for this competition, you'll fight in the last three-on-three. Leave everything else to Thousand and the others," Sirius announced in a gravelly tone that left no room for argument as he glanced at Everlasting War.

"I understand." Even if Everlasting War was unhappy with this decision, he could only nod in agreement. In truth, however, he was not dissatisfied at all. If not for Sirius's guidance, he would not have improved so fast. Only, it was unfortunate that he would not get the opportunity to fight.

There were a total of five matches in this competition. The first match was a one-on-one. Following it would be a two-on-two, and then another one-on-one. If they won the first three matches, there would be no need for the last two three-on-threes.

"Thousand, you'll be our spearhead. Take it a little easy, and don't let the opponent die too quickly. I don't wish to reveal the battle team's strength so soon," Sirius said deeply.

"I understand," the Level 36 Ranger called Thousand Blades nodded, chuckling.

Seeing Thousand Blades walk up to the dueling ring, the other battle team members expressed their displeasure.

"Tch. Why has he been chosen again?"

"What can we do? Our leader doesn't want to reveal too much of our strength. Naturally, sending Thousand is the best choice. After all, his combat power ranks in the middle of our team. He should be able to deal with the enemy easily while pulling the wool over those intelligence personnel's eyes."

When the other members heard this deduction, they understood Sirius's decision. After all, they had already garnered plenty of attention with the sudden substitutions. Restraining their strength would benefit them.

---

When Zero Wing's members saw that their first opponent would be a Ranger, everyone began to volunteer for the match.

"Guild Leader, let me fight. We're both Rangers. It is a good opportunity to determine which battle team is superior," Minor Wind said hurriedly.

"No. As a precaution, Aqua Rose will face him," Shi Feng said as he shook his head. He had already formulated his own plan. 

Chapter 783 - Thousand Blades versus Aqua Rose

When the Zero Wing team heard Shi Feng's decision, they were confused.

The Cursemancer was a magical class, so it would be at a disadvantage against a Ranger. At the very least, they should send a Ranger like Minor Wind to negate the class advantage or an Assassin or Berserker, which countered Rangers.

"Guild Leader, let me take him on instead. My class is particularly effective against Rangers. This match will be ours," Fire Dance suggested.

The others agreed with her proposal.

There were a total of five matches in this competition, but they only needed to win three to emerge victorious. If they could win the first match, it would increase their chances of winning and the team's morale. Moreover, during their journey to the Dark Arena, the team had noticed a change to Fire Dance's weapons.

Fire Dance, who had never replaced her Truefire Blades before, had replaced both of them.

The Truefire Blades were Set Weapons. Both were also top-tier Dark-Gold Weapons. Even on their own, they were only slightly weaker than Level 35 Dark-Gold Weapons. However, even two Level 35 Dark-Gold Weapon could not compete against the Truefire Blades' set effects. Yet, Fire Dance had still replaced them. This told them that the new weapons' Attributes must far surpass the Truefire Blades.

Now that Fire Dance had gained a boost to her Attributes, with her combat techniques, she should be able to defeat the Ranger easily.

"No. Aqua is the best choice here. You have more important matters to deal with." Shi Feng shook his head. His decision was firm.

Shi Feng knew quite a bit about the Ranger named Thousand Blades. After all, he had been one of the Glorious Lions Battle Team's members in the past. Thousand Blades also often took part in the Dark Arena battles.

In these top-tier competitions, Attributes meant very little. Even if Minor Wind wore a Tier 1 Set Equipment and was slightly stronger than those wearing Level 35 Dark-Gold Equipment in terms of Attributes, the Tier 1 Set Equipment only consisted of five pieces. Minor Wind's other equipment would not give him an advantage against Thousand Blades. Both Rangers were also fully equipped with Tier 3 Gemstones. To put it simply, Minor Wind did not have much of an advantage with his Attributes at all. In the end, the fight would come down to techniques.

Based on Shi Feng's estimations, if Minor Wind had an equipment score of 2,000 points, then Thousand Blades would have around 1,800 points. Although there was a gap, techniques could easily close that gap. This was commonplace in the Dark Arena. Moreover, tools were not allowed in Dark Arena battles.

This meant that the fight would come down to techniques and equipment.

Minor Wind had yet to reach the Half-step Refinement Realm. He could only exert his body to its limits. How could he possibly challenge a Refinement Realm expert like Thousand Blades, someone who could control his body's power freely?

After Shi Feng made his decision, the fighters' names appeared above the dueling ring, which had an area of 300*300 yards.

Thousand Blades versus Aqua Rose!

"The Asura Battle Team is pretty pitiful. They're actually sending Aqua Rose, the most famous player on their team, into the first match. It seems they really don't have anybody who will be a challenge." the Assassin Long Rainbow laughed. "Unfortunately, even she is no match for Thousand. They would've been better off sending cannon fodder. They've just lost their only chance to win."

"Based on our reports, the Sword King, Black Flame, is the only capable player in Zero Wing. I really wish I could fight him. That way, I could take the title of Sword King for myself," Blood Sun, the blue-armored Swordsman, said. He could not help his sigh as he looked over the Asura Battle Team roster.

The Glorious Lions' other members nodded their agreement. This first match told them everything they needed to know.

The Asura Battle Team stood no chance of victory.

If Aqua Rose were a Refinement Realm expert, even with a class disadvantage, she could put up a good fight against Thousand Blades. Unfortunately, she was not. Even though she was only a thread away from the threshold, without actually setting foot into the Refinement Realm, there would be a massive gap between her skills and Thousand Blades'.

---

"Big Sis Rain, what is going on with Ye Feng? He sent Aqua Rose up. Can't he judge Thousand Blades' strength?" Previously, Blue Phoenix had come to admire Shi Feng. Now, however, Shi Feng's choice had disappointed her. Thousand Blades had not bothered hiding his combat power at all. His actions were so smooth and natural, without any excess movement; it was obvious he had already reached the Refinement Realm. "No matter how I look at it, Thousand Blades should have reached the Refinement Realm. Even if Ye Feng doesn't face the Ranger himself, at the very least, he should send Fire Dance, right?"

Fire Dance was Zero Wing's number one Assassin. In terms of techniques, she was on par with Aqua Rose. Moreover, the Assassin class, more or less, countered the Ranger class. Although Fire Dance had not reached the Refinement Realm either, with her Attributes, it was not impossible to secure a win. Giving up the match without even trying was a waste.

Phoenix Rain simply shook her head. She, too, did not understand Shi Feng's decision.

If the weak wanted to take down the strong, they needed to grasp and strike at the enemy's weakness. Currently, it was obvious that the Glorious Lions did not take the Asura Battle Team seriously at all. It was the perfect advantage. Yet, Shi Feng had chosen to give up the match.

Aqua Rose did not give Shi Feng's decision much thought. A one-on-one fight against such a powerful expert was a rare opportunity. Although she did not know what was going through Shi Feng's mind, she was very happy to face Thousand Blades, even though her odds of winning were low.

"Aqua, hold on a second." Shi Feng suddenly stopped Aqua Rose, who was about to enter to the dueling ring. He then retrieved an emerald staff from his bag and handed it to Aqua Rose. "No need to rush the battle. Take this chance to hone your skills."

"Guild Leader, this is...!" Aqua Rose was ecstatic when she saw the emerald staff. She then said, "Guild Leader, rest assured; I'll toy with him with everything I've got!"

Saying so, Aqua Rose approached the stage confidently.

"Your leader is a fool. He sent you to your death. Well, whatever. It's been too long since I killed a beauty like you. Don't blame me for being ruthless." Thousand Blades was arrogant, his lips curling into a cruel smile. He retrieved the copper-colored longbow from his back and took out five green steel arrows from his quiver.

He had prepared these arrows himself. They were called Scorpion Arrows, each costing 10 Silver to produce. They were extremely expensive. He wouldn't normally use them, but in this competition, he could not be frugal.

Even a slight graze from these arrows would cause massive damage. They would also poison the target when they struck, reducing their Movement Speed and Attack Speed as well as inflicting damage every five seconds.

Magical classes already had low Movement Speed. If the Scorpion Arrows hit Aqua Rose, she wouldn't be able to dodge any follow-up attacks. She would become a sitting duck.

Moreover, Cursemancers were different from Elementalists. Elementalists were human-shaped cannons with powerful burst damage. Cursemancers, on the other hand, focused on crowd control and debuffs. Their instantaneous firepower was subpar at best and was no match for Rangers.

Aqua Rose ignored Thousand Blades' provocation. She was utterly focused on her new staff, looking like a little girl with a new toy.

"You!" Thousand Blades was instantly indignant when he realized he had been ignored. "I'll teach you the meaning of despair!"

The countdown finally reached zero. With the sound of the bell, the match officially began.

"Scatter!"

Thousand Blades fired an arrow towards the sky and executed the Tier 1 AOE Skill, Falling Rain. The descending Scorpion Arrows cast a massive shadow over Aqua Rose. 

Chapter 784 - Attack and Defense

"This is bad."

When Blue Phoenix saw Thousand Blades start the battle with an AOE Skill, she could not help her worry for Aqua Rose.

Rangers were a physical ranged class, and the majority of the class's Skills were single-target Skills. Very few were AOE Skills. Hence, when one fought a Ranger, they only needed to focus on monotonous attacks from the front. Even ordinary players could dodge these attacks.

However, as soon as a Ranger learned an AOE Skill, their attack patterns would no longer be monotonous. It would become significantly more difficult to avoid a Ranger's arrows.

An Agility-type class might have an easier time coping with a Ranger's AOE attacks, but Aqua Rose was a Cursemancer. She had far less mobility. Hence, it was even harder for her to dodge attacks from an expert like Thousand Blades.

"I'll make you wish for death!" Thousand Blades then pulled his bowstring into a full moon, firing Scorpion Arrows rapidly to surround Aqua Rose.

He targeted Aqua Rose's right side, where she was most likely to dodge. When he had executed Falling Rain, he had focused the majority of the Skill's effective area towards Aqua Rose's left. Hence, if she wanted to avoid the Falling Rain, she would have to dodge to the right.

When experts fought each other, it was common to use the first attack as a diversion and the second attack to deal a blow.

Surprisingly, Aqua Rose didn't move even after noticing the rain of arrows descend towards her. With a light wave of her emerald staff, a faint red protective barrier appeared around her.

[Life Shield] (Tier 0 Spell)

Summons a barrier that absorbs damage equal to 30% of caster's maximum HP for 15 seconds.

Cooldown: 36 seconds

Aqua Rose had a maximum HP of 9,200. This meant that the Life Shield could absorb up to 2,760 damage.

However, Aqua Rose was not done. She then slammed her staff down, and a gray magic array appeared, covering the ground.

[Dark Strengthening] (Tier 0 Spell)

Damage taken reduced by 20% and casting speed increased by 20% for 10 seconds for all allies within 10*10 yards.

Cooldown: 1 minute

Thousand Blades' Falling Rain was only one wave of attacks. Moreover, due to it being an AOE Skill, its damage was not particularly high.

In the end, the arrows descending on Aqua Rose had not even broken her Life Shield.

As for Ranger's follow-up attacks, they were useless.

Thousand Blades was slightly surprised that Aqua Rose had not fallen for his trap. Very quickly, however, he altered his attack pattern, choosing to attack the Cursemancer directly instead.

Instantly, five arrows transformed into five streaks of green light as they flew towards Aqua Rose.

All five arrows closed the distance of over 20 yards in the blink of an eye.

Not wanting to be outdone, Aqua Rose waved her staff once more, sending out pitch-black Dark Arrows, one after another. Aqua Rose's Dark Arrows clashed into Thousand Blades' arrows, the impact throwing both attacks off course. In addition, Aqua Rose double-cast, using Dark Weakening on Thousand Blades. Immediately, dark fog appeared next to the Ranger, swarming him.

Noticing the attack, Thousand Blades retreated without hesitation, avoiding the dark fog. While he retreated, he continued his ruthless assault on Aqua Rose.

For a time, the two combatants traded attacks, neither gaining an advantage.

On one side, Thousand Blades utilized his high mobility to avoid Aqua Rose's attacks. Meanwhile, Aqua Rose utilized her various Skills to defend herself. Even after multiple exchanges, neither fighter had lost a single HP.

"Aqua Rose is quite good. She has already grasped the technique to double-cast. It's no wonder why she is quite famous. If she is nurtured properly, it is entirely possible for her to reach the peak of the virtual gaming world. Unfortunately, she joined the Asura Battle Team." Everlasting War had not expected Aqua Rose to be so powerful. Although Thousand Blades was holding back, it was still impressive that she fought the Ranger to a standstill.

Thousand Blades was already in the Refinement Realm. His physical control was quite refined. Hence, his combat was quite efficient. Ordinary players would find it difficult to deal with the Ranger's direct attacks, not to mention the counterattacks he launched while evading. Moreover, every time Thousand Blades attacked, he fired at least three arrows simultaneously. When an ordinary player attacked, there was over an 80% chance that they would fail to avoid such a complex counterattack.

However, with her ability to double-cast, Aqua Rose was able to both attack and defend.

Unfortunately, such high-intensity battles placed a heavy burden on a player's Concentration and Stamina. In such a battle, Thousand Blades could conserve more of his strength and outlast Aqua Rose should the battle drag on.

This girl really does deserve her fame. After fighting me for a short time, she has already gotten a clear grasp of my movements. Thousand Blades clicked his tongue. Contrary to his expectations, Aqua Rose had not grown weaker as the battle progressed; rather, her strength was growing. Thousand Blades no longer looked down on Aqua Rose.

Initially, he had evaded Aqua Rose's curses easily. However, as the battle progressed, Aqua Rose's attacks improved. Now, she was beginning to predict his movements, and it was becoming far more difficult for him to evade her attacks.

When the battle had first begun, he could fire five arrows simultaneously while dodging. Now, he could fire only three arrows.

Why are her Dark Arrows so powerful? With the power behind my Scorpion Arrows, even if they collide with her Dark Arrows, the impact should not affect their trajectories at all. Thousand Blades was very confident of his own arrows. He had never imagined he would encounter something like this. I can't drag this on any longer.

Thousand Blades was now certain that dragging this battle on any further would only benefit Aqua Rose.

Immediately, Thousand Blades used the Tier 1 Skill, Heart Piercing Arrow.

Xiu!

A silver arrow sliced through the air as it flew towards Aqua Rose.

Heart Piercing Arrow's power was astonishing. Even the Berserker on the Glorious Lions Battle Team would not take Thousand Blades' Heart Piercing Arrow head-on. Hence, it was impossible for Aqua Rose to block his attack using the instant-cast Dark Arrow.

Peng!

As expected, the Heart Piercing Arrow shattered the Cursemancer's Dark Arrow.

Such power! Aqua Rose knew that it was too late to cast another Spell. Immediately, she used her staff to block the attack.

Peng!

When the Heart Piercing Arrow struck Aqua Rose's staff, the Cursemancer was forced to take five steps back. Her arms were numb from the impact, and a damage of over -600 points appeared above her head.

"Die!" Thousand Blades smiled faintly, taking the opportunity to launch a fierce assault.

One Scorpion Arrow after another rained down on Aqua Rose like a storm.

As the Heart Piercing Arrow had interrupted Aqua Rose's rhythm, it became impossible for her to defend against the dozen or so arrows.

Meanwhile, the only Lifesaving Skill a Cursemancer had was Soul Protection. It could reduce the damage she took by 90% for 4 seconds. However, the Skill had no defense against the Movement Speed reduction and DoT effect of the Scorpion Arrow's poison. Once Soul Protection's duration ran out, her fate would be sealed.

"If you have to blame someone, then blame yourself for being a Cursemancer!" Thousand Blades grew gleeful when he saw that his attacks would hit Aqua Rose.

Dang... Dang... Dang...

Suddenly, three massive treants appeared before Aqua Rose. Like an iron wall, the treants blocked all of the incoming arrows.

"What's going on here?" Thousand Blades frowned when he saw the three massive treants.

[Forest Sprite] (Special Elite)

Level 38

HP 240,000/240,000

A powerful expert could, at most, deal with one Special Elite of the same level. Now, however, three Special Elites had appeared before him. He also had a Cursemancer, a class with many Control Skills, to contend with. This was definitely a problem. 

Chapter 785 - The Cursemancer That Shouldn't Be Provoked

The three six-meter-tall treants earned shrieks from the audience the moment they appeared in the dueling ring.

"Do Cursemancers have such a Skill?"

"What Skill is that?"

"Three Special Elites! The Glorious Lions are going to have a difficult time winning this match."

The players in the audience were not ordinary, but experts with extraordinary insight.

Ordinary players might never have the chance to watch a match between God's Domain experts, but to these players, such opportunities were readily available. Hence, they were very familiar with the amazing aspects of God's Domain experts. They were even more familiar with classes Skills in God's Domain.

Cursemancers mainly relied on Control Skills in combat. As long as they could restrict their opponent's movements, they could finish them off easily. However, Cursemancers were somewhat weaker than Elementalists and Summoners when it came to survivability and damage output.

However, if they had a meat shield to pin down the opponent, a Cursemancer's threat level would rise exponentially.

After all, Cursemancers' Tiers and Levels were still low, and many of their powerful Skills had relatively long cast times. The class was not suited for expert battles.

In a battle between experts, the outcome could be determined at any moment. It would be suicidal to use a Spell with a cast time of more than one second.

Hence, very few Cursemancers were found in the Dark Arena's battle teams. Generally, the battle teams' casters were Elementalists and Summoners.

However, now that three Special Elites had appeared to assist the Cursemancer, these monsters would easily make up for her deficiencies.

"I've really underestimated the Asura Battle Team. It's no wonder why they dared to send a Cursemancer into the fight." Sirius could not help but shift his gaze towards Shi Feng, who sat quietly on the other side of the dueling ring. "Tell Thousand to stop holding back. We must win this match."

Everlasting War nodded. He then left his seat and approached the side of the dueling ring, forming hand signals to inform Thousand Blades.

Players inside the dueling ring could not receive any messages or hear anything from outside the dueling ring. However, they could see what was outside the dueling ring. Hence, the various battle teams in the Dark Arena had created their own hand gestures and code words to convey instructions.

At this moment, Thousand Blades' continuous retreat was exhausting him.

Not only were the three Forest Sprites' Defenses very high, but their Movement Speed was also relatively high. Avoiding the three treants took a lot out of him. He also had to deal with the various Control Skills Aqua Rose sent at him. Hence, he had no choice but to focus on his defense.

Yet, if he only defended without attacking, he would, inevitably, suffer defeat. Previously, he had accidentally allowed one of the Forest Sprites to graze his shoulder, and instantly, his HP had fallen by 2,318.

His total HP was just slightly over 10,000. A few more hits would definitely finish him off.

Huh? I can go all out? When Thousand Blades noticed Everlasting War's hand signals, his lips curled into a smile. He then retrieved three golden arrows from his quiver and fired them at the three Forest Sprites.

Imprisonment Arrows!

The Imprisonment Arrow would prevent enemies within a certain range from leaving the area, and the only way to break free from the seal was to destroy the arrow itself. However, the Imprisonment Arrows would also reduce summoned creatures' damage by 80%.

Even to Thousand Blades, these arrows were precious. After spending a large stock of precious materials, he had only managed to produce five Imprisonment Arrows. Now, however, to win this match, he had no choice but to use them.

Three golden streaks of light struck the three Forest Sprites. Immediately, the treants were trapped inside golden cages.

Meanwhile, each of the golden cages had 100,000 HP. Even though the Forest Sprites were Special Elites, after the 80% damage reduction, it would take them quite some time to free themselves from the cages. By the time they escaped from their imprisonment, the match would be over.

After imprisoning the three Forest Sprites, Thousand Blades activated his Berserk Skill, Beastmaster's Soul. For one minute, his Agility increased by 80%, Strength by 60%, and Movement Speed and Attack Speed by 50%. The Berserk Skill also had a Cooldown of ten hours.

After the Ranger's Strength and Agility jumped, not only were his arrows faster, but they also contained far more power.

In the next moment, a sonic boom echoed throughout the dueling ring. Numerous arrows arrived before Aqua Rose.

However, as if she had expected this, Aqua Rose simply smiled as she waved her hand. Suddenly, three figures covered in blue flames appeared before her.

When the powerful arrows struck these blue figures, they were forced to step back. Aqua Rose, however, remained unharmed.

"You..." Thousand Blades' eyes nearly fell out of their sockets.

How was she a Cursemancer? She was basically a Summoner!

He could accept the three Forest Sprites, but Aqua Rose could also summon three Elite ranked Bluefire Crows.

"Go!" Aqua Rose immediately directed the three Bluefire Crows to charge towards Thousand Blades.

Although the Bluefire Crows were not as powerful as the Forest Sprites, they were faster.

Thousand Blades knew he could not afford to clash with the Elite monsters head-on. Hence, he had no choice but to run about the dueling ring while finding opportunities to attack. If he dealt with the summoned creatures first, Aqua Rose would have enough time to activate an advanced Spell. If that happened, the summoned creatures wouldn't be his only problem. He absolutely could not give Aqua Rose that kind of time.

"Still not giving up?" Seeing the arrow fly at her, Aqua Rose activated the Power of Darkness, her Attributes rising abruptly. She also activated the Bluefire Heart's Skill, Bluefire Devour.

Although she would lose a significant portion of her Mana and increase her Mana consumption rate by 200%, her Skill effects would increase by 200% for 30 seconds.

Aside from Bluefire Devour, Aqua Rose also activated Elemental Domain.

[Elemental Domain]

All allies within a radius of 50 yards will have their magic damage increased by 15%, cast speed increased by 15%, and Mana consumption decreased by 20% for 1 minute.

Aqua Rose then fired a Dark Arrow.

When the Dark Arrow clashed with Thousand Blades' Scorpion arrow, the latter was thrown off course, whereas the former continued towards the Ranger.

Seeing this, Thousand Blades hurriedly fired another arrow, successfully diverting Aqua Rose's Dark Arrow.

Why is it so powerful?! Thousand Blades was stunned.

The arrow he fired after activating his Berserk Skill was even weaker than before...

Thousand Blades had no clue that the staff Aqua Rose wielded was the Epic ranked staff, the Song of Beatrice. Aqua Rose already had higher Basic Attributes than Thousand Blades. Now, not only had Aqua Rose activated her Berserk Skill, but she also had a Support Skill empowering her attacks. Hence, it was only natural that her Dark Arrows were far stronger.

However, Aqua Rose did not give Thousand Blades too much time to think about it. She sent one Dark Arrow after another. At the same time, Dark Weakening's ominous fog began to appear around Thousand Blades. If the dark fog caught him, not only would his speed fall sharply, but his Attributes would also decrease significantly.

Again, Thousand Blades was forced to focus on his defense, escaping for his life. This time, however, he struggled far more than before.

Previously, he had only needed to deal with the summoned creatures. Now, he had to deal with the summoned creatures and Aqua Rose's Dark Arrows. As a result, Thousand Blades' mobility was restricted.

Meanwhile, this situation gave Aqua Rose sufficient time to cast the Tier 1 Spell, Soul Cloud.

Soul Cloud gathered the power of shadows to form ten flying blades that could only be dodged, not blocked. Soul Cloud was considered one of the Cursemancers' Sure-kill Spells.

After Bluefire Devour's amplification, Aqua Rose was able to summon 20 pitch-black flying blades.

However, she wasn't satisfied. Just before she finished casting Soul Cloud, she activated the third Skill of the Song of Beatrice, the Song of Sprites.

[Song of Sprites]

Increases the effect of a specific spell by 300%.

Meanwhile, Aqua Rose chose to amplify none other than Soul Cloud.

Immediately, the 20 pitch-black flying blades increased to 60. Each flying blade was even stronger than Aqua Rose's Dark Arrows.

Impossible! Thousand Blades paled when he saw the swarm of flying blades hover before Aqua Rose, a chill crawling down his spine. He could feel the power within those pitch-black blades. A single one of them would devour at least half of his HP.

Without waiting for Thousand Blades to react, Aqua Rose waved her finger.

Immediately, the 60 flying blades transformed into 60 streaks of black light as they shot towards the dazed Ranger from all directions.

Hua... Hua... Hua...

Even if Thousand Blades had already reached the Refinement Realm, he was powerless against the attacks of three summoned creatures and 60 flying blades. In the end, the streams of black light consumed him, and he died tragically. 

Chapter 786 - Strong Matchup

When the black lights dispersed, the victor's name appeared above the dueling ring.

Aqua Rose!

The entire venue fell silent.

Aqua Rose's performance was simply too shocking.

Not only could she summon monsters to fight for her, but her final Soul Cloud was also exceedingly powerful.

"It's no wonder why Ye Feng sent Aqua Rose to fight in the first match. It turns out that she has an impressive trump card. I'm guessing that not even the Glorious Lions expected such an outcome." Blue Phoenix shuddered when she recalled the might of Aqua Rose's Soul Cloud.

Although Thousand Blades had activated his Lifesaving Skills to defend against the attack, Soul Cloud could not be blocked, only dodged.

Against flying blades from all directions, even Blue Phoenix was only confident in dodging 20 to 30 attacks with her techniques. Using Blink to escape would be her only option. However, Thousand Blades was a Ranger. He did not have any instantaneous movement capabilities or Skills that provided invulnerability.

"It seems that we don't understand as much about Zero Wing as we thought." Phoenix Rain revealed a bright smile as she watched Aqua Rose.

One move to finish the enemy!

Such situations were rare in the Dark Arena. Furthermore, Aqua Rose had yet to even set foot into the Refinement Realm. Since she had not secured victory with her techniques, then the only possibility was the Cursemancer's weapon and equipment.

Previously, Ye Feng had displayed his overwhelming advantage in terms of Attributes. Now, they realized that Aqua Rose had the same advantage.

The Glorious Lions had the support of the Super Guild Battle Wolves. Very few could compete with the Glorious Lions' equipment and weapons. Hence, it was inconceivable that Zero Wing's Aqua Rose had better equipment than Thousand Blades.

Phoenix Rain's curiosity of the Guild named Zero Wing grew.

However, the following matches were the true hurdles the Asura Battle Team had to overcome.

A team had to win three out of five matches to win the competition. However, the Glorious Lions had a monster-like expert. One could say that the battle team had at least one match in the bag. If the Asura Battle Team could not win two out of the three remaining matches, then it would lose.

However, through this first match, everyone finally understood the Asura Battle Team's strength. They also understood just how powerful Aqua Rose was.

Victory with one move!

In the future, anyone who challenged Aqua Rose would have to consider today's fight.

For a time, the various major powers focused their attention on Aqua Rose. They began to investigate her past.

"She used to be an Honorary Elder of Twilight Echo? The upper echelons of Twilight Echo really are interesting. They chased such a talent out of the Guild."

"Hahaha! Twilight Echo sure is rich! While others are frantically trying to recruit top-tier experts, Twilight Echo is chasing them away! The Guild must have too many geniuses!"

"It's no wonder why Twilight Echo has not been performing well in recent years. So this is their problem. Now that Aqua Rose has joined a small Guild like Zero Wing, we might have a chance to poach her."

The various major powers in the venue could not help but ridicule Twilight Echo. The expressions of Twilight Echo's upper echelons, who had come to watch the battle, twisted in response. Although they had known that Aqua Rose was a talented fighter and an experienced manager, they had never thought she would become this strong.

---

Meanwhile, in the Glorious Lions Battle Team's resting area, the team members remained indifferent about the battle's outcome. They acted as if it were none of their business that they had lost the first match.

"This Asura Battle Team is fairly interesting. They are slightly stronger than I expected. It is no wonder why that Aqua Rose is Zero Wing's Vice-Leader. Thousand Blades really lucked out this time," the Swordsman Blood Sun commented disappointingly. He paid no attention whatsoever to Thousand Blades' defeat.

After all, there was no way their battle team could lose this competition.

On the Glorious Lions Battle Team, Thousand Blades' strength only ranked in the middle. None of their strongest combatants had taken part in the competition yet. On the other hand, the Asura Battle Team had already dispatched its strongest fighter.

The competition's outcome was already self-evident.

"Let's see what the Asura Battle Team plans to do next. Though, it doesn't really matter what kind of tricks they try to pull," the Assassin Long Rainbow said, yawning.

---

In the first match, the Glorious Lions Battle Team had been the first to send a combatant into the ring. For the second match, it was the Asura Battle Team's turn to send a representative. Shi Feng had no wish to prolong this competition. Hence, for the next two-on-two match, he sent Fire Dance and Violet Cloud.

"What's going on? They're actually sending a Cleric?!"

"Is the Asura Battle Team giving up this match entirely?"

"Wait, that Fire Dance seems to be the commander of Zero Wing's main force."

The Asura Battle Team's representatives for the second match confused the crowd. Although Clerics were not entirely useless, one would not normally send a Cleric into a two-on-two match. After all, if the enemy focused on the Cleric, the battle would quickly devolve into a two-on-one situation. To make things worse, the Assassin class could not pin down players like the Guardian Knight and Shield Warrior classes could.

"Just what is going through that man's mind? Is he trying to forfeit the match?" Phoenix Rain could not help her frown.

She was aware of the three great experts of Zero Wing. They were Aqua Rose, Fire Dance, and Violet Cloud, respectively. Although sending two of the three great experts seemed like a good move, in the off chance that they were both defeated, the Asura Battle Team would lose all chances of winning this competition.

Having them take part in the later three-on-three matches, taking the enemy by surprise like Aqua Rose had, would have been the wisest move.

Yet, Ye Feng had discarded that opportunity.

"Interesting. This brat's desire to win is impressive. He wants to win two matches in a row and rely on his own strength to fight for the final strand of hope? He is underestimating the Glorious Lions," Sirius muttered as he glanced at Shi Feng. Immediately, he instructed, "Rainbow and Blood, you two will fight. Show the Asura Battle Team's leader the Glorious Lions' strength."

Blood Sun and Long Rainbow's combat prowess was only weaker than his among the Glorious Lions Battle Team.

It was especially true for Blood Sun. To increase their chances of becoming the Dark Arena's organizer, the Battle Wolves had even given Blood Sun an Epic Weapon. With Blood Sun's skills and the Epic Weapon, the Swordsman's combat power was only beneath his own.

Hence, winning this match would be child's play for Blood Sun and Long Rainbow. In fact, Blood Sun alone was more than enough to defeat the Asura Battle Team's two representatives.

"Leader, rest assured," Long Rainbow confidently reassured the team's commander as he stood abruptly.

"Rainbow, wait a minute. Fighting one player is too boring. Let me handle the both of them by myself," Blood Sun said as he stopped Long Rainbow. "After the competition, I'll give you a bottle of Life Wine. How about it?"

The Life Wine was a Fire Dragon Empire specialty. It was known as a mortal world delicacy. Although the recipe was easy to obtain, the materials it required were extraordinarily rare. One could only obtain these materials if they were lucky. Aside from the drink's delicious taste, the Life Wine also had a certain probability of strengthening a player's physique. It was even more precious than Dark-Gold Equipment.

"Really?" Long Rainbow was certainly tempted when he heard the words "Life Wine."

This item was Blood Sun's treasure. Even their team leader had only managed to obtain one bottle from the Swordsman after a lot of trouble. Normally, Blood Sun would not even share a cup.

"Of course," Blood Sun assured.

He wanted to test his new sword properly, and he did not want Long Rainbow to interrupt his fun.

"Fine, I agree. However, if it seems like you are going to lose, for the sake of winning the competition, I'll have to join the fight. Of course, you'll still have to give me the Life Wine," Long Rainbow said after giving it some thought.

"Sure." Blood Sun grinned. 

Chapter 787 - Phantom Sword

In the wide and spacious dueling ring, the Assassin Long Rainbow stood in the corner while the Swordsman Blood Sun took his place in the ring's center.

The spectators were surprised.

Normally, in a two-on-two match, teammates wouldn't stand so far from each other. They usually stood relatively close so that they could better-coordinate their attacks and defense. Furthermore, they were both melee players, which was all the more reason not to stand 50 yards apart.

With a distance of 50 yards, even a Ranger, the class with the longest range, would not be able to assist a companion in battle.

"What are you guys trying to do?" Fire Dance glanced at the distant Long Rainbow before shifting her gaze back to Blood Sun.

Carefreely, Blood Sun said, "One-on-one battles are too boring, so I intend to take you both on by myself. Don't worry about it. The fight will be over very quickly."

The audience could hear the players in the ring quite clearly. When they heard Blood Sun's words, an uproar shook the venue.

They never thought that the Glorious Lions' member would make such a bold statement.

Nothing like this had ever happened in the Dark Arena before. Everybody wanted to win the competition, so why would anyone hold back their strength?

If Blood Sun wasn't a fool, then he must be absolutely confident of his own power.

"So, you want a one-on-two battle?" Rage flared in Fire Dance's eyes as she glared at Blood Sun's arrogant expression. Suppressing her anger, she said coldly, "It seems the Glorious Lions really underestimates us."

"Hahaha! Don't put it like that. This is a good opportunity for you to win the competition!" Blood Sun laughed. He did not pay any particular attention to Fire Dance's cold killing intent.

The loss of the first match had wounded the Glorious Lions Battle Team's reputation quite severely. Blood Sun's first reason for asking Long Rainbow to step aside was to recover the team's reputation, while the second reason was to experiment with his Epic Weapon.

However, Blood Sun did not think Fire Dance and Violet Cloud even qualified as test subjects.

"As you wish." Fire Dance stepped forward, standing in front of Violet Cloud.

Understanding Fire Dance's intentions, Violet Cloud retreated.

"Interesting!" Blood Sun did not mind the women's actions as he unsheathed the silver sword encrusted with seven resplendent gemstones. "Hopefully, you don't lose too quickly."

---

"This is bad." Gentle Snow frowned as she watched the ring from the spectator stands.

"Snow, what's wrong? If Fire Dance could last against the party leader of the Flower of Seven Sins for so long, shouldn't she be able to defeat Blood Sun easily?" Zhao Yueru was, more or less, familiar with Fire Dance's strength. Even if Blood Sun was very strong, she did not think that the Swordsman was guaranteed to win.

"You don't know this, but Blood Sun's swordsmanship is very odd. Even a Shield Warrior like War Wolf couldn't defend against his attacks," Gentle Snow explained as she shook her head. She had watched the video of the battle between War Wolf and Blood Sun.

She already had a general understanding of Blood Sun's strength. Although there was not much of a difference in terms of combat power between Blood Sun and a party leader from the Flower of Seven Sins, in terms of attack techniques, the former was definitely stronger.

Now that Blood Sun wanted to face his opponents alone, it was the perfect opportunity for the Asura Battle Team to get rid of the Swordsman.

Immediately, Gentle Snow contacted Shi Feng.

"Guild Leader Snow, what's the matter?" Shi Feng asked after accepting the call.

"Ye Feng, Blood Sun has strange attack methods. It is best for Fire Dance and Violet Cloud to finish him off together. If you allow Fire Dance to fight him by herself, she won't be able to defend against Blood Sun's attacks," Gentle Snow hurriedly warned the man.

The match had not begun yet. There was still time for Fire Dance and Violet Cloud to coordinate their attacks and deal with Blood Sun. Once the match officially began, it would probably be too late even if the two women banded together.

"Thank you for your warning, Guild Leader Snow," Shi Feng said, laughing. He had never expected Gentle Snow to call him in such a rush just to warn him.

Seeing Shi Feng's calm reaction, Gentle Snow's anxiety grew.

It was obvious that Shi Feng was not taking her words seriously.

"Blood Sun is very strong. He even defeated War Wolf and Soaring Snake while they were working together. War Wolf's shield couldn't get close to Blood Sun's sword before he suffered defeat. I believe you are aware of War Wolf's strength. If he couldn't even deflect Blood Sun's attacks, it will be very difficult for Fire Dance hold the man off," Gentle Snow explained in detail.

In Star-Moon Kingdom, War Wolf's strength was absolute. He could rank within the top three MTs of the kingdom.

Defeating War Wolf was already impressive, yet the powerful Shield Warrior had not been able to withstand Blood Sun's attacks.

"Ah, I understand. If Guild Leader Snow doesn't have anything else, I'll disconnect the call now. The match is starting soon." Shi Feng nodded. He then disconnected the call.

"Hello? Hello?" Gentle Snow was speechless as she stared at the already-dark screen.

"Ye Feng is so infuriating! Even though you offered a warning with good intentions, he treated your words like they were nothing! It'll be his fault when his team loses!" Zhao Yueru grumbled.

---

"Leader, will it really be alright to let Fire Dance deal with that man by herself?" Aqua Rose asked sternly. She had been sitting beside Shi Feng, so she had overheard the conversation with Gentle Snow.

War Wolf's strength definitely ranked at the top of Star-Moon Kingdom. If not for her equipment advantage, even she would not be a match for the man.

"Don't worry about it. We just need to sit tight and enjoy the show." Shi Feng waved his hand.

Aside from Sirius, he had very detailed information on the Glorious Lions' combatants.

Shi Feng understood Blood Sun's capabilities far better than Gentle Snow.

In the past, Blood Sun had been quite famous in the Dark Arena. He had been known as Blood Sun the Phantom Sword!

Although Blood Sun had only reached the Flowing Water Realm standard, the swordsmanship he used made it impossible to grasp his attack trajectories and rhythm. If one had not reached the Void Realm, it would be exceedingly difficult to defend against his strikes.

If the Fire Dance of a few days ago were fighting, he would definitely instruct her coordinate with Violet Cloud. They could easily defeat Blood Sun with the Astromancer's strange attacks.

Moreover, the Assassin Long Rainbow was similarly extraordinary. In the past, he had earned the title Ghost Hand in the Dark Arena.

When the two worked together, even a Void Realm expert would fall.

However, Fire Dance was not the Assassin she had been in the past. Even Shi Feng was unsure how much her strength had improved.

This was the perfect opportunity to test her strength.

---

Above the dueling ring, the countdown timer finally reached zero.

"You're not entering stealth?" Blood Sun asked, unable to help his curiosity, as he watched Fire Dance, who remained motionless 30 yards away from him.

As an Assassin, Fire Dance could only display her true power while hiding in the shadows. Generally, Assassins would enter stealth as soon as the battle began and look for an opportunity to deal a fatal blow.

"That won't be necessary."

Fire Dance sounded calm as she unsheathed Thousand Transformations and Petrified Thorn from her waist. Step by step, she slowly advanced on the Swordsman before her.

"Good! Very good! I want to see just how long you can hold that arrogance!"

When Blood Sun heard her challenge, rage flared in his chest. This was the first time someone had looked down him. Taking a step forward, he used Wind Blade and dashed towards Fire Dance. 

Chapter 788 - Legendary Power

"Has she lost her mind?!"

Gentle Snow was flabbergasted as she watched Fire Dance approach Blood Sun slowly.

Zero Wing's Guild Leader was insane enough. She had never imagined that Fire Dance would follow in that man's footsteps.

An Assassin's abilities in a frontal confrontation were significantly weaker than a Swordsman's. It would be very easy to defeat an Assassin in a head-on clash.

Blood sun was not an ordinary expert, yet Fire Dance had forfeited the greatest advantage an Assassin possessed...

---

As soon as Blood Sun arrived before Fire Dance, the silver sword in his hand vanished. Following which, over a dozen streaks of silver light appeared around Fire Dance, surrounding her.

Tier 1 Skill, Wind Flurry.

In the next moment, the dozen or so silver lights sliced through Fire Dance's body.

"An afterimage?" Before Blood Sun could celebrate his attack, he noticed something odd. Abruptly, he leaped forward.

Xiu!

A streak of silver light then cut across where Blood Sun had just stood.

Seeing her Shadow Steps fail, Fire Dance followed up with an Absolute Strike. Instantly, she transformed into a shadow as she plunged towards the Swordsman.

Dang!

As soon as the shadow Fire Dance had transformed into arrived before Blood Sun, the Swordsman Parried the incoming attack with his silver sword, negating all damage.

"It's no wonder why you dared to fight me head on. Your Strength is so high despite being an Assassin." Blood Sun was slightly surprised as the impact forced him to retreat three steps. He smiled and asked, "However, how will you react to this move?"

Blood Sun charged at Fire Dance. Suddenly, his two swords transformed into dozens of afterimages.

Every one of these images slashed at Fire Dance simultaneously. The sudden appearance of so many blades would have bewildered any opponent. However, this was not the most impressive aspect of Blood Sun's attacks. The speed of these sword images varied. Some moved faster than others. Moreover, the blades' speeds constantly changed.

Trying to grasp the Swordsman's attack rhythm was nearly impossible, not to mention predicting the images trajectories.

The attack took Fire Dance by surprise. She couldn't differentiate which of these swords was real. If she rushed to defend or attack, the slightest carelessness could very well result in her death.

Wind Steps!

Fire Dance retreated as she utilized the less than one-second invulnerability the Skill provided. In addition, Wind Steps' Movement Speed increase allowed Fire Dance, whose Movement Speed was already quite high, to dash out of Blood Sun's attack range.

"You're really fast. You are definitely the fastest Assassin I have ever seen to date." Although Blood Sun had hit Fire Dance, the Assassin had utilized Wind Steps to block his attacks. Just as he was about to chase the woman down, he discovered that the Assassin was already quite some distance away from himself. He couldn't hit her from this far if he wanted to.

---

Although Fire Dance and Blood Sun's exchange had been brief, the audience was stupefied.

"These two are amazing!"

"Why do I feel my chest tighten while watching these two fight?"

Every member of the audience had seen battles between experts before. However, Fire Dance and Blood Sun's battle ranked near the top of their lists.

Both players were incredibly fast. Before anyone could react, they had already separated from their confrontation.

All the onlookers saw was dozens of sword images and a flickering shadow. In the next moment, both fighters had swapped positions. They were too fast for the naked eye to follow.

As a result, many among the audiences weren't entirely sure about what had just transpired.

"Blood Sun is powerful!" Blue Phoenix exclaimed.

Although most of the audience did not know what had happened, Blue Phoenix was a Void Realm expert. She had seen the exchange very clearly.

"Blood Sun should be the famed Battle Wolves' Phantom Sword. I had never thought that the Battle Wolves would be so desperate to host the Dark Arena." Phoenix Rain smiled bitterly.

"Phantom Sword?" Although Blue Phoenix had never heard this name before, even she had been unable to differentiate which sword images had been real and which had been fake. After all, she was too far away from the dueling ring. She could only rely on her sight, not her other senses.

"Mhm. He is one of the great experts that the Battle Wolves have nurtured. I've also heard that Phantom Sword managed to defeat one of the Battle Wolves' Guild Elders," Phoenix Rain explained. "It seems the Asura Battle Team won't be able to win this match."

"Why do you say that? Although Fire Dance is at a disadvantage, both her movement and reactions are very fast. She still has a possibility of winning this match," Blue Phoenix asked curiously.

"You underestimate the Battle Wolves. I've told you before that the Battle Wolves do not care about their reputation. The Guild has even loaned the Epic ranked one-handed sword they obtained from a Boss they stole to Blood Sun. Knowing this, do you still think Fire Dance has any hope of winning?" Personally, Phoenix Rain wanted the Asura Battle Team to emerge victorious. However, based on the information she had obtained, the gem-encrusted, silver sword in Blood Sun's hand should be the Epic ranked one-handed sword the Battle Wolves had plundered some time ago.

A Dark-Gold Weapon could never compare to an Epic Weapon. The benefits of an Epic Weapon were simply too great.

Moreover, Blood Sun had just been testing out his new weapon. Without utilizing his actual strength, he had backed Fire Dance into a corner. If he began to take the match seriously, he would only need an instant to defeat Fire Dance.

---

"An Epic Weapon is quite amazing. Just after equipping an Epic Weapon, Blood Sun can produce far more sword images. I wonder how long this young lady will last against him?" Sirius revealed a faint smile after watching Blood Sun's performance.

The Phantom Sword was no stranger to experts. His swordsmanship utilized the shift in swinging speed to generate afterimages. Ordinary experts would be hard pressed to generate three perfect afterimages, but Blood Sun was a genius in this aspect. Using two swords, he could generate dozens of perfect afterimages.

However, this was not Blood Sun's most frightening aspect. Blood Sun's physical control also surpassed ordinary players' by leaps and bounds.

Even an expert would struggle to launch attacks with the exact same trajectory at full speed. However, Blood Sun could do just that. Moreover, he could perform the feat without error.

Blood Sun's attack, which had just been an afterimage, could very well be a real sword in the next second. This ability made it nearly impossible to avoid or block his attacks.

Without reaching the Void Realm, it was impossible to differentiate which of his attacks were real, and which were fake.

---

In the dueling ring, Blood Sun launched a barrage of attacks at Fire Dance. However, Fire Dance maintained a subtle distance from him; she only needed one step to escape his attack range. This made it possible to dodge or block his attacks easily.

"Let's end the game here, then."

Blood Sun had mostly familiarized himself with Daybreak. Meanwhile, the duration of Fire Dance's Wind Steps was nearly over. Immediately, he activated Windwalk, increasing his speed as he charged towards the Assassin. His swords then transformed into dozens of phantoms, blocking all of Fire Dance's paths of retreat.

Just as the silver lights were about to devour Fire Dance, she tightened her grip around Thousand Transformations and swung the weapon in front of her.

With just a light swing...

Suddenly, countless sword lights appeared before Fire Dance. The sword lights shone like stars in the night sky. These sword lights clashed with Daybreak's phantoms.

Peng! Peng!

The sound of metal clashing reverberated throughout the dueling ring. Blood Sun felt his hands go numb instantly. He was also forced back four steps before he managed to stabilize his body.

"How did you do that?!" Blood Sun's eyes widened; he couldn't believe what had just happened.

Even though Fire Dance had simply swung her sword, countless, shining sword lights filled the space between them. These sword lights were incredibly realistic, making it impossible to determine Fire Dance's true attack trajectory. When he came into contact with a random sword light, it had repelled him... 

Chapter 789 - Realistic Illusionary Attacks

"What happened?"

Everyone was confused when they saw Blood Sun pushed back.

All they had seen was Blood Sun accelerate towards Fire Dance, and in the next moment, a silver light flashed. Blood Sun was forced to retreat by several steps before he stabilized himself. They could even see the Swordsman's hands tremble.

Originally, the battle had been in Blood Sun's favor. Now, however, the situation had changed completely. Nobody understood what had just happened.

"Who is that Fire Dance?!" Everlasting War's mouth gaped in shock.

He had understood Aqua Rose's victory. After all, she was a famous newcomer in the virtual gaming world. She had also been nurtured by a Super Guild. However, no one had ever heard of Fire Dance, yet she was actually able to repel Blood Sun while he went all-out.

Everlasting War could not believe this to be real.

Even he had an extremely difficult time defending against Blood Sun's Phantom Sword. He could only use an AOE Skill to counter Blood Sun's attack. However, Fire Dance had only used one strike to repel the Swordsman.

With just a single swing of her sword, she filled the entire space between them with her sword's afterimages. It was practically impossible to defend against such an attack. Blood Sun's Phantom Sword was meaningless in the face of such an attack.

One could say that Blood Sun was simply showing off his slight skill before a master. Compared to Fire Dance's attack, Blood Sun's Phantom Sword was a joke.

Everlasting War was confused. He could not figure out how Fire Dance had managed to accomplish such a feat.

Who could defend against an attack like that?

She's already set foot into the Refinement Realm? Sirius narrowed his eyes as he began to evaluate Fire Dance carefully. Fire Dance's previous attack was astounding. Even Sirius had not seen how the Assassin had pulled it off. Against such an attack, even he would be forced to evade the sword images. However, Fire Dance's performance showed that she did not use any excess movements when drawing her sword. She had not executed any special techniques at all. She had just swung her sword.

Yet, this ordinary attack had created countless afterimages that filled the area before her. Unfortunately, he sat too far away from the battle. He had not been able to see the details of what had happened.

---

"Snow, look! Fire Dance repelled Blood Sun! What do you think just happened?" Zhao Yueru turned to Gentle Snow, her mouth hanging open.

Shaking her head, Gentle Snow responded with a surprised expression, saying, "I don't know what happened, either."

This was simply too shocking.

Only now did Gentle Snow understand why Shi Feng was so confident in letting Fire Dance take on Blood Sun alone. It turned out that Fire Dance had hidden her strength all this time.

---

Compared to the audience's shock, Zero Wing's members were utterly stupefied.

"When did Big Sis Fire learn such a peerless technique?"

"That attack was so powerful! We'll definitely win this time!"

With a single swing of her blade, Fire Dance created countless, deadly stars. Her powerful attack made it impossible to approach her or defend against her attacks. One could only cope with this vicious barrier if they attacked from a range or to use an AOE Skill.

---

In the dueling ring, Blood Sun's face twisted into a grave expression. However, he was no fool. He did not believe that Fire Dance's attack was a peerless technique. He suspected that she had used a Skill. Hence, he strode forward and attacked the Assassin using Phantom Sword once again.

"Although that move is quite powerful, all Skills have a Cooldown! I don't believe you can use it limitlessly!" Blood Sun sneered.

However, despite seeing the dozens of sword images flying at her, Fire Dance didn't move. Instead, she swung the Thousand Transformations upward violently.

Peng!

Countless silver lights flashed, and she repelled Blood Sun again.

---

Shi Feng laughed silently when he saw the dumbfounded look on Blood Sun's face.

In terms of Basic Attributes, even an Epic Weapon was no match for a Fragmented Legendary Weapon. However, this was not the largest benefit of wielding a Fragmented Legendary Weapon. A Fragmented Legendary Weapon would also grow stronger with the improvement of the player's combat techniques. Previously, Fire Dance had never utilized her full strength in battle. She had used plenty of excess movements when she swung her sword. In her last attack, however, there were none. Hence, she had displayed Thousand Transformations' true power.

Realistic illusions!

Although she had only swung Thousand Transformations once, every afterimage that appeared was real. Regardless of which afterimage the enemy encountered, that afterimage would become a true attack the moment they made contact.

Fire Dance didn't need to think about how she should defend herself against Blood Sun's Phantom Sword. She only needed to swing her own blade.

A simple swing could transform into an attack that incorporated both attack and defense...

Countless people dreamed of achieving this level of swordsmanship. However, Fire Dance had achieved it easily with the Thousand Transformations.

This was also why so many people desperately chased after Legendary Weapons. If a Fragmented Legendary Weapon already possessed such power, a true Legendary Weapon would be terrifying.

---

In the dueling ring, Fire Dance charged at Blood Sun and brandished her Thousand Transformations.

Numerous sword lights flashed before Blood Sun's eyes. However, Blood Sun could not find the real weapon among the illusions. It seemed as if every afterimage was the real deal.

He was already inferior to Fire Dance in terms of speed. The Assassin's unavoidable attack only made things worse. Now, all he could do was attempt to block the attack with his swords, yet the instant his weapons clashed with Fire Dance's afterimages, the attack forced him back, both of his hands going numb as a damage of over -200 points appeared above his head.

However, Fire Dance showed no signs of stopping as she assaulted the Swordsman before her. As a result, Blood Sun's HP continued to decrease.

This turn of events stunned the audience members.

Nobody had imagined that an Assassin could be so frightening. Fire Dance's slashes was a combination of violence and beauty.

"Blood, I'll help you!" Long Rainbow shouted. Long Rainbow could already see the severity of the situation. Immediately, he entered Stealth and charged at Fire Dance.

"I have truly underestimated the Asura Battle Team. I had never imagined that your team would have such a powerful player. However, don't think that you have won just yet." As Fire Dance repelled Blood Sun, his HP gradually fell. If this continued, she would drain his HP, which totaled at over 10,000, in less than 30 seconds.

Immediately, Blood Sun activated his Berserk Skills, his Attributes rising abruptly. His HP shot from over 10,000 to more than 15,000. A blue glow enveloped his body. The Epic Weapon Daybreak in his hand also emitted a blue sword aura that was over two meters long, increasing Blood Sun's attack range significantly. Blood Sun then executed Phantom Sword and struck at Fire Dance.

"Let's see if you can block this!" Blood Sun revealed a sinister smile. He was clearly confident in his attack.

He had activated his Berserk Skill, Sword Shadow. When activated, the Skill increased all of his Attributes by 50% and his Attack Speed by 80%. The Skill also increased his attack range. At the same time, Blood Sun had activated one of Daybreak's Skills, Consecutive Shadow Strikes. For ten seconds, his attacks could neither be blocked nor parried.

Fire Dance was only an Assassin. Her attack range was shorter than a Swordsman's. Now, he had increased his attack range further. Moreover, even if Fire Dance's short sword clashed with Daybreak, the Epic Weapon would ignore the blade and strike Fire Dance's body.

Immediately, a sword light phased through Fire Dance's Thousand Transformations, colliding with the Assassin.

However, Fire Dance suddenly split into six copies of herself. When Daybreak hit Fire Dance's body, it simply passed through her unhindered. He had not felt the sensation of his weapon cutting into flesh at all.

An illusion? Blood Sun's complexion paled. He had not expected Fire Dance to have a move like this.

"It's my turn now." Fire Dance smiled.

Suddenly, all six female Assassins charged at Blood Sun from different directions.

Blood Sun brandished his two swords, attempting to defend himself. However, when his attacks struck the Fire Dances, not a single one of them received any damage.

All of them are fakes? Just as Blood Sun wondered about the Skill...

The six Fire Dances arrived before Blood Sun, surrounding the Swordsman. All six Assassins raised their weapons and swung downward.

Blood Sun had intended to ignore Fire Dance's doppelgangers and rush out of the encirclement, but a silver short sword suddenly slid into his back, dealing -3,481 damage.

"You're real?!" Blood Sun reacted quickly, swinging his sword at the real Fire Dance behind him.

However, when Daybreak cut across Fire Dance, it did not cause any damage.

"Unfortunately, you've guessed wrong." The Fire Dance who stood to Blood Sun's left grinned as she swung her sword at the Swordsman. Once more, Blood Sun lost a large chunk of his HP. In the blink of an eye, he lost over 7,000 HP. His HP was now dangerously close to zero. It would only take one more hit to end his life.

However, Blood Sun suddenly smiled.

"No... You're bait!" Fire Dance suddenly felt a bone-chilling killing intent from behind her. Immediately, a streak of black light pierced through her back.

"You noticed too late," Long Rainbow suddenly whispered with a cold smile. 

Chapter 790 - Different Level

Everything had happened far too quickly.

Long Rainbow was like a wild beast as he approached and ambushed Fire Dance stealthily. He had hidden his presence throughout the process. However, when he finally struck, he was like a venomous snake, both fast and accurate.

"What a pity."

"The Glorious Lions truly don't care about their reputation anymore. Previously, they've even declared that they wanted to go one-on-two. Now, it's become a two-on-one instead!"

None of the audience had expected the battle to change so quickly.

Words could no longer describe Fire Dance's strength. She was definitely the most powerful Assassin they had ever seen in God's Domain. Her Strength Attribute was absurdly high. She had been able to suppress a Swordsman expert with so little effort. Her attack that filled the ring with starlight could also suppress everything before her. She was practically invincible in a one-on-one battle.

---

Meanwhile, standing behind the woman, both Long Rainbow's pitch-black dagger and the hand wielding the weapon passed through Fire Dance's body without any resistance.

"This is..." Long Rainbow did not dare believe his eyes. The target he had carefully chosen was just an illusion! Just as he was about to warn Blood Sun, he discovered a silver short sword cutting across Blood Sun's waist, eliminating the Swordsman's final strand of HP.

Even after Blood Sun's HP reached zero, the man had not realized what had happened, confusion as to why his HP had dropped to zero filling his eyes.

After Fire Dance killed Blood Sun, she released a sigh of relief.

Long Rainbow had nearly forced her into a Fainted state. With both Long Rainbow and Blood Sun having activated their Berserk Skills, she would most likely die before Violet Cloud could lend her support.

Fortunately, the Thousand Transformations' Phantom Skill was no ordinary Skill. It allowed her to swap positions with her doppelgangers without any telltale signs. The ability also didn't have a Cooldown, allowing her to use it freely. All she needed to activate the ability was a thought.

Hence, she had swapped positions with her doppelgangers the instant before Long Rainbow's dagger plunged through her.

However, as soon as Fire Dance finished off Blood Sun, Long Rainbow reacted. Immediately, he used the Assassin class's strongest Skill, Absolute Strike, transforming into a streak of shadow that assaulted Fire Dance.

Unfortunately, by the time the black shadow pierced Fire Dance's body, Fire Dance had long since swapped positions with another of her doppelgangers.

When Long Rainbow's body rematerialized and reappeared behind Fire Dance's doppelganger, Fire Dance swapped position with said doppelganger again. Holding the Petrified Thorn in a reverse-grip, she spun and with centripetal acceleration, she executed a perfect Backstab, shoving her blade into Long Rainbow's back.

Dang!

"Vanish?" Fire Dance realized what had happened after Petrified Thorn was forced to a stop before it could strike the other Assassin. Long Rainbow began to disappear immediately. Her lips curling into a smile, Fire Dance stated, "Unfortunately, even this move can't save your life!"

A second after Long Rainbow had disappeared, Fire Dance raised the Petrified Thorn above her and slammed it into the dueling ring's floor.

Petrification Domain!

This was the Epic ranked dagger's second Skill. When activated, it dealt 500% weapon damage to enemies within 50 yards. Enemies hit would also suffer a 50% Movement Speed reduction for 10 seconds. In addition, the Petrification Domain increased Fire Dance's Attributes and Movement Speed.

Suddenly, with Fire Dance at the center, the ground began to turn stone-gray, the affected area spreading outwards.

In the blink of an eye, everything within 50 yards of Fire Dance turned stone-gray. Meanwhile, Long Rainbow had been forcefully exposed. Golden, divine runes flowed around the Assassin's body, and although Long Rainbow had not received any damage, his body had turned the same gray as the ground, his Movement Speed having plummeted.

Damn it! This Skill has a Movement Speed Reduction effect! Long Rainbow's expression was grim as he watched Fire Dance dash towards him. Although he had activated Magic Immunity and his Berserk Skill, his Basic Attributes higher than Fire Dance's by a large margin, he was not confident of defeating Fire Dance in a direct confrontation.

After all, even Blood Sun, who was the stronger of the two, had died while facing the female Assassin head-on. His chances of victory were even lower. The only way he could win this match now was to eliminate the Cleric Violet Cloud first. Once his Skills' Cooldowns had completed, he could look for an opportunity to slay Fire Dance.

However, that was no longer an option...

Just as the six Fire Dances were about to reach Long Rainbow, the latter activated a Skill that freed him from all Control effects. Following which, he struck at the leading Fire Dance.

"Heh." Fire Dance did not bother resisting the attack, allowing Long Rainbow to strike as much as he wished.

After Long Rainbow passed through Fire Dance's body unhindered, Fire Dance executed an Eviscerate from behind the male Assassin.

However, Thousand Transformations had failed to hit Long Rainbow. The Fragmented Legendary Weapon only struck the afterimage the Assassin had left behind.

Before anyone realized it, Long Rainbow appeared behind Fire Dance's true body, executing Backstab.

Long Rainbow had thought of this plan after Fire Dance had forced him out of stealth. He had deliberately exposed a weakness in his defense, launching a surprise counterattack while Fire Dance attempted to strike.

"Die!" Long Rainbow shouted, his eyes bloodshot with fury as he thrust his blade.

In the end, however, his dagger still passed through the woman without any resistance. He had failed.

"How?!" Long Rainbow's eyes widened.

Meanwhile, as soon as Long Rainbow's black dagger left Fire Dance's body, the doppelganger spun and slashed at the Assassin.

The two were too close. Even if Long Rainbow had predicted the attack, the Fire Dance's Attack Speed was simply too high. Furthermore, he had not yet recovered his stance after his full-powered attack. He could not defend himself.

The silver Thousand Transformations became a stream of light that shot Long Rainbow's heart.

Immediately, a damage of -10,648 points appeared above Long Rainbow's head, devouring more than two-thirds of the Assassin's HP.

Ignoring the pain, Long Rainbow abandoned his defense as he tightened his grip on his dagger and stabbed at Fire Dance. As an expert, his pride no longer allowed him to care about winning or losing this match.

Only one thought went through Long Rainbow's mind—he needed to damage Fire Dance at least once.

Although his attacks had only struck illusions, the pain Thousand Transformations caused him was absolutely real. Hence, Long Rainbow was certain that the Fire Dance before him was the real deal.

Yet, just as his dagger was about to strike Fire Dance, Long Rainbow felt another sting in his back.

"You..." As Long Rainbow's HP dropped like a stone, he turned his head to take a look, discovering that the real Fire Dance had appeared behind him without his notice.

Following which, Long Rainbow fell to the ground, bitterness filling his eyes.

Despite his Berserk Skill, even until his death, he had not managed to touch the real Fire Dance.

This was the first time since he had joined God's Domain that anyone had toyed with him to such a degree. And he had been completely powerless against it.

---

Silence dominated the spectator stands.

Compared to this battle, the previous battles had been a joke.

The battle had only lasted several seconds, yet before anyone realized what was going on, the two great experts of the Glorious Lions Battle Team were dead.

Although none of the audience members understood what had just happened, they had learned one thing from watching Fire Dance's battle...

All attacks against Fire Dance were ineffective, while every one of her attacks was vicious. This fight had felt like a dream. Two great experts had died without offering the slightest resistance.

Aside from their confusion, everyone among the audience admired and feared Fire Dance.

The Glorious Lions' two great experts were undoubtedly extraordinary individuals. Even in the Dark Arena, their strength ranked at the top. Yet, even after these two great experts had activated their Berserk Skills, Fire Dance had defeated them without any Berserk Skill whatsoever.

Berserk Skills generally improved a player's combat power significantly. It should have been impossible for a player without a Berserk Skill to contend with a player with one active. Today, however, every player in the room had been given a living example to the contrary.

This was no longer an issue of Attributes. Both sides were simply on entirely different levels.

"Just who is this Fire Dance?" The major powers in the audience grew quite curious about Fire Dance's identity. 

Chapter 791 - Old Monster

Above the wide, spacious dueling ring, the system displayed Fire Dance and Violet Cloud's names as this match's victors.

When the audience saw this announcement, an extraordinarily heavy atmosphere overtook the venue. With a mysterious combat technique, Fire Dance alone had defeated two great experts from the Glorious Lions Battle Team.

At this moment, Fire Dance's name etched itself deeply on everyone's hearts.

"Amazing. I had never thought that Zero Wing would've hidden so much of its strength. It's no wonder why Black Flame could afford to excuse himself from such an important event." When Phoenix Rain looked at Fire Dance, she felt as if a whole new world had opened up to her.

Although Fire Dance's combat realm was mediocre at best, the Assassin's bewildering combat method was a first for her.

Even Blue Phoenix, a Void Realm expert, would not have any defense against Fire Dance, much less Long Rainbow and Blood Sun. The only method to deal with the Assassin's mysterious combat method was to use large-scale Destruction Spells or manipulate several dozens of flying blades like Aqua Rose had and attack from a distance. Even having significantly higher Attributes than Fire Dance would be of little use against the Assassin. However, both large-scale Destruction Spells and the Tier 1 Spell, Soul Cloud, had a long casting time. During this period, with Fire Dance's speed, she could kill her opponent several times over.

If even magical classes would have such a difficult time against Fire Dance, physical classes would have even more trouble taking her down.

---

Even Hua Qiushui, who watched from the spectator stands, was stunned by the match's outcome for quite some time.

The Asura Battle Team, a team new to the Dark Arena, possessed such a strong framework. It was simply inconceivable.

Whether it was Thousand Blades, who had fought in the first match, or Blood Sun and Long Rainbow, who had just been defeated, all three were experts that she had handpicked herself. She was very familiar with their strengths. Yet, all three had failed. She had never expected this outcome.

Where did this Asura Battle Team come from? Hua Qiushui wore a gloomy expression. She was in a very bad mood.

To avoid the unexpected, she had been as careful as possible, yet after dispatching the members of Team Two, they had still lost two matches in a row. If they lost another match, they would lose the entire competition.

It's no wonder why he dared to challenge my Glorious Lions Battle Team. Sure enough, he has some ability. Hua Qiushui could not help but shift her gaze towards Shi Feng.

Initially, she had seen Shi Feng a minor character that did not necessitate any attention. Now that he was the Asura Battle Team's leader, however, she could not afford to ignore him.

Meanwhile, when Exemplary Willow saw Hua Qiushui's gloomy expression, she more or less understood the Glorious Lions' situation.

However, Exemplary Willow was truly confused. Zero Wing was merely an upstart Guild. She could deal with the Guild's victory over the Star Alliance in the previous war, but it now forced Hua Qiushui's battle team into a serious predicament. This was simply inconceivable.

"Aunty Hua, we will win this competition, right?" Exemplary Willow asked worriedly.

Before the competition had begun, she had wagered all of the rare materials and equipment she had obtained after many difficulties on the Glorious Lions' victory.

She had obtained the materials and equipment from Twilight Echo to use as bets. As a precaution, she had bet her funds on the Glorious Lions. On the off chance that the battle team lost, Twilight Echo's development would most likely stagnate...

"Rest assured; although the Asura Battle Team's performances were shocking, such powerful Skills and equipment are not that easily obtainable. The fact that the Asura Battle Team had two or three such items is impressive. However, it is unlikely that they will show off any more in the following matches," Hua Qiushui responded confidently.

Her confidence stemmed from the fact that the third match was a one-on-one. The Glorious Lions had sent their strongest fighter, Sirius, into this match.

Hua Qiushui had also investigated Zero Wing during the small break after the last match. The Guild only had so many experts. Aqua Rose, Fire Dance, and Violet Cloud were known as the Guild's three greatest experts. After including Ye Feng, a hidden expert of the Guild, Zero Wing only had four. The other experts within the Guild were mediocre at best. They had no reason to fear them.

One of the remaining matches was a one-on-one, while the other two were three-on-threes.

In a three-on-three, Ye Feng was the only true opponent the Glorious Lions had to face. Even if the Glorious Lions' members were no match for Ye Feng in a one-on-one, with three people using their Sure-kill Skills simultaneously, they could easily finish off the Swordsman as soon as the match began. Afterward, they could take their time finishing off the other two Asura Battle Team members.

If Ye Feng fought in the one-on-one, all the better. Sirius could win the competition by himself. The following matches would only be for show.

Regardless of what decision the Asura Battle Team made, the outcome would be the same.

---

"It seems the Glorious Lions can't endure this any longer." Phoenix Rain's lips curled up slightly when she saw Sirius walk onto the dueling ring.

The Glorious Lions' lineup was gorgeous.

After all, the Super Guild Battle Wolves supported the battle team.

Zero Wing was merely an upstart Guild. The fact that it had forced the Glorious Lions into a corner was considered a miracle in the Dark Arena.

"Big Sis Rain, who do you think the Asura Battle Team will send for this match?" Blue Phoenix could clearly feel the terrifying aura Sirius radiated. The instant Sirius entered the ring, her instincts warned of extreme danger. This was the first time she had experienced such a feeling.

Although she had never fought Sirius, she could already see her defeat.

The gap between them was simply too wide. He was someone she could currently defeat.

Phoenix Rain only shook her head in response to Blue Phoenix's question. Even she didn't know what was going through Shi Feng's mind. After all, the man's performance until now had surpassed her expectations. "Hopefully Ye Feng won't try to be a fool. As long as he doesn't fight Sirius, there is more than a 50% chance that Zero Wing will win the competition."

Blue Phoenix nodded, agreeing with Phoenix Rain's words completely.

In the Dragon-Phoenix Pavilion, although Martial Dragon was strong, he was not so strong that she could not see the difference between them. On the other hand, Blue Phoenix could not even begin to guess how wide the gap was between her and Sirius.

However, after giving it some thought, Blue Phoenix thought that this situation was reasonable. After all, Martial Dragon had only recently awakened his Domain. Sirius, on the other hand, was already an old man in his fifties.

In front of an old monster like Sirius, Martial Dragon was no more than a newborn. Martial Dragon only had the potential to contend with Sirius in the future.

Although Shi Feng was also very powerful, he was not yet qualified to face Sirius.

"Please, don't be a fool!" Blue Phoenix suddenly worried for Shi Feng.

Experts were prideful beings. When they encountered stronger experts, they had the urge to challenge them. Furthermore, opportunities to fight against old monsters like Sirius were extremely rare.

If Shi Feng acted rashly and tried to fight Sirius himself...

This competition would truly be over for the Asura Battle Team.

---

"Brat, what are you waiting for?" Sirius, who waited in the dueling ring, chuckled softly as he said, "Or are you a coward?"

"This old bastard..." Shi Feng rolled his eyes at Sirius's provocation.

"Leader, are you really going to face him?" Aqua Rose, who sat beside Shi Feng, asked. After feeling the killing intent Sirius radiated, she had paled to a ghostly white. This was the first time she had felt such a cold and tangible killing intent. Just bathing in it stole her breath.

The difference in their combat experience was like the difference between heaven and earth. They were on entirely different levels.

"Of course, I'm going to face him. Opportunities to fight such old monsters don't come by very often," Shi Feng said as he contained the excitement in his heart. Slowly, he approached the dueling ring. 

Chapter 792 - The Ye Feng that cannot be Underestimated

Seeing Shi Feng approach the dueling ring, Phoenix Rain frowned.

"Ye Feng is still too young and aggressive."

Although Phoenix Rain could understand Shi Feng's desire to challenge powerful experts, he should also consider the time and place.

Sirius was an old monster that Shi Feng had no chance against as he was right now.

Even if he wanted to challenge Sirius, at the very least, he needed to awaken his Domain first. Otherwise, the only outcome would be a miserable defeat.

When Blue Phoenix saw this, however, she somewhat envied Shi Feng.

Old monsters like Sirius stood at the true peak of God's Domain. Hence, many gaming experts' ultimate goal was to challenge monsters like Sirius and emerge victorious to prove themselves worthy of standing at the peak as well.

Blue Phoenix had yet to qualify to challenge such old monsters. However, Shi Feng did. Why wouldn't she be envious?

Although Sirius had intended to provoke Shi Feng, this showed that he acknowledged the Swordsman's strength. He believed that Shi Feng was qualified to challenge him. Otherwise, an old monster like Sirius would not stoop so low as to provoke a youth.

If she were in Shi Feng's shoes, she, too, would accept this challenge to see what kind of heights she could reach.

---

"This kid is insane. He is actually challenging Sirius." A victorious smile emerged on Hua Qiushui's face when she saw Shi Feng walk up the dueling ring.

In order to recruit Sirius for the Glorious Lions Battle Team, she had made a powerful promise to the Battle Wolves.

Had she not, the Battle Wolves would not have allowed Sirius to join the team.

Even Hua Qiushui wasn't sure of Sirius's true strength. However, she was certain of one thing...

When she had first met Sirius, she had wanted to test the man's skills. Hence, she had hired over a dozen top-class professional bodyguards to fight the old man.

The outcome of that fight had far surpassed her expectations.

Every one of the bodyguards she had hired was a top expert, yet, not one of these bodyguards had even laid a finger a finger on Sirius. Before she realized what had happened, all of her bodyguards were lying on the floor. She had not dared to move a single muscle. She had felt as if chains had bound her. At that time, she had finally realized how greatly she had underestimated the experts of the virtual gaming world.

After all, Sirius had even defeated her most trusted bodyguard, Everlasting War, with a single move.

Hua Qiushui had seen such situations before. However, that had been when she had hired ordinary people as bodyguards. In front of Sirius, even experts were no different than ants.

Moreover, this had happened in the real world...

---

Meanwhile, when Shi Feng and Sirius stood in the dueling ring, staring at each other, the stage's atmosphere seemed frozen.

"Not bad!" Sirius nodded slightly as he watched Shi Feng. "You have reached such a standard at such a young age. You can even endure my mental suppression. It's been a long while since I've seen such a promising brat. You also agreed to fight me. Before the match begins, what would you say to placing a bet?"

"A bet?" Shi Feng could not help but laugh when he heard this. "What do you want to wager?"

"The girl named Fire Dance on your team is very promising. It would be a waste for her to remain on your team. She could have an even brighter future, so I'd like to accept her as my apprentice. I can help her advance on her path. In the future, she will grow to surpass me. Hence, if your Asura Battle Team loses, I want Fire Dance to become my apprentice.

"Of course, if our Glorious Lions Battle Team loses, I'll tell you how to advance your combat standards. What do you think?"

"How to improve my combat standard?" Shi Feng had to admit that he was tempted.

After reaching his level, it was extremely difficult to improve further. Awakening a Domain was not a simple matter. Countless geniuses were stuck at this bottleneck and were unable to enter that realm.

Even he had yet to discover any clues about awakening his Domain.

Yet, Sirius declared that he had such a method.

In Shi Feng's opinion, however, such a possibility should exist.

In the past, he had merely been the Guild Leader of a second-rate Guild. He had very little information regarding the top powers of the virtual gaming world. These top powers had existed for decades. They all had their own methods to nurture experts. Hence, it was not entirely impossible for them to discover a method to awaken a Domain. Unfortunately, this method was an absolute secret.

Otherwise, how could the various Super Guilds nurture so many Refinement Realm experts?

This was the difference between ordinary Guilds and Super Guilds.

A small Guild was lucky if they even had a few top-tier experts. A large Guild was considerably powerful if it had several Refinement Realm expert leaders. However, Super Guilds could easily nurture their own Refinement Realm experts.

An expert nurturing system would be a powerful asset to Zero Wing. Shi Feng inwardly sighed.

"What do you think?" Sirius asked seriously.

"This is not something I can decide. Fire Dance has her own plans. However, what if I offer something else as a wager?" Shi Feng was sorely tempted by Sirius's proposal.

If he could obtain a reliable method to improve his abilities, rather than search for the method himself, it would save him a lot of time. He could also use that method to nurture others.

"Something else? I'm not trying to look down on you, but there is nothing in the virtual gaming world that can tempt me." Sirius had not expected Shi Feng to propose a counteroffer. He could not help but laugh as he said, "Neither Coins nor Epic items are out of my reach. I just need to invest a little time to obtain them. If you are trying to tempt me with such things, don't bother."

"What about the Stable Design?" Shi Feng smiled faintly.

"What did you say?!" Sirius was taken aback. "You have the Stable Design?!"

A Super Guild like Battle Wolves had no issue obtaining Epic items; they needed little time to amass a collection. In fact, the Battle Wolves already had several Epic items. Hence, Epic items weren't tempting in the least to Sirius.

The Stable Design was a different story.

The various large Guilds in God's Domain were currently going crazy over Mounts. They were frantically gathering the required materials to construct a Stable. However, although many Guilds throughout God's Domain had obtained the needed materials, until now, none had obtained the precious Stable Design. Acquiring this Design was simply too difficult.

If the Battle Wolves could obtain the Stable Design and begin nurturing their Guild Mount ahead of the other Guilds, the Guild would surpass its competition by a large margin. They would have a greater advantage when competing for dominance over God's Domain.

"What do you say?"

Shi Feng understood just how important the Stable Design was to a Guild. It was an important item that could raise the Guild's overall strength. The Stable Design was far more valuable than several Epic items. Even Super Guilds were trying desperately to obtain the Stable Design. After all, shear strength was not enough to obtain the item. One also needed to be lucky.

Regarding Shi Feng's ownership of the Stable Design, he no longer had a reason to hide the information.

In any case, the moment he began constructing the Stable, the secret would be out.

"I have to say; I am touched by your sincerity." When Sirius looked at Shi Feng once more, he suddenly felt that the young man before him was not as simple as he had thought. The fact that Shi Feng had the Stable Design, which even Super Guilds had failed to obtain, was proof enough of the young man's abilities.

After both sides agreed to the wager, the countdown came to an end.

Sirius immediately revealed a smile as he unsheathed the flame-red greatsword from his back. He then swung the weapon violently at Shi Feng, who was 20 yards away.

Instantly, a sea of fire emerged from the dueling ring's floor, transforming into a ferocious beast that pounced on Shi Feng. 

Chapter 793 - Famed Sword versus Famed Sword

What a cunning, old bastard!

Shi Feng cursed as he watched the towering crimson fire surge towards him, destroying everything in its path and sealing off his path of retreat.

Before the match had begun, Sirius had stood in the ring's corner, opposite of Shi Feng, deliberately. Burning Wave, one of the Famed Sword Bonfire's Skills, was an AOE Attack Skill. With the Skill's wide range and the old man's strategic positioning, Sirius had cornered Shi Feng perfectly.

If Shi Feng jumped into the air to avoid the attack, he would expose himself in midair, giving Sirius the perfect opportunity to strike a fatal blow.

"Break!" Shi Feng shouted abruptly.

Dragon Breath!

Immediately, the cry of a dragon echoed throughout the arena, a white beam piercing through the sea of fire and heading towards Sirius.

In terms of Basic Attributes, Shi Feng was far stronger than Sirius. Moreover, Dragon Breath was one of the Fragmented Legendary Heavenly Dragon's Breath's Additional Skills. In terms of power, the Skill was already stronger than the Additional Skill of an Epic Weapon. Hence, Dragon Breath could easily break Sirius's Burning Wave.

The white beam devoured Sirius whole.

"It's over? Just like that?"

Everyone in the audience was stupefied.

However, Shi Feng did not relax. He immediately activated Windwalk and his Swordsmanship Master title before charging towards Sirius's previous location.

Yet, before he reached the halfway point, Sirius burst out of the white beam, radiating a faint purple glow. When Dragon Breath's white beam collided with the purple glow, it scattered into nothing. The old man received no damage from the attack whatsoever.

"You actually saw through my trick," Sirius stated, feeling slightly surprised when he saw the young man charging towards him. Originally, he had intended to launch a sneak attack while the Swordsman youth relaxed. However, it seemed that the plan was not viable.

Shi Feng did not intend to give Sirius time to react. Immediately, he activated Illusory Shadow.

Suddenly, six blue streaks of light flashed from Killing Ray, arriving before Sirius instantly.

Shi Feng moved like flowing water. His attacks had no excess movement. Thanks to the Swordsmanship Master title, his Attack Speed had also increased by 20%. He moved far faster than what an ordinary person could perceive.

After the blue lights cut across Sirius, a deep frown appeared on Shi Feng's face. In the next moment, a streak of red light sliced towards his head from an inconceivable angle.

Without hesitation, Shi Feng pulled his Abyssal Blade closer.

Dang!

When the two swords collided, sparks scattered, and even the air trembled. The impact's shockwave cracked the stage.

Fortunately, Shi Feng had managed to block the incoming red light just in time. However, the instant he blocked the first attack, another one descended towards him.

How?! Shi Feng had just repelled one of the Berserker's attacks; how could he have launched another already? Moreover, he had failed to detect the attack until it was upon him.

Parry!

This time, Shi Feng used Killing Ray to block the red beam from above.

Such high Strength! Shi Feng retreated by a step, the floor beneath his feet shattering. His arm was also slightly numb. This was the first time he had blocked a player's attack that could numb his arm. As expected of the Famed Sword Bonfire. It excels with both speed and power.

After this single exchange, Shi Feng could tell that Sirius's Basic Attributes were extraordinary. Although Sirius was a Berserker and had extremely high Strength growth, logically, his Strength Attribute should not be this high even with a Famed Sword. Hence, Shi Feng was sure that Sirius had more than one Epic item. It was impossible for the Berserker to overwhelm him slightly with Strength with just Bonfire's Passive Skill.

However, this was still not the most important issue. Despite his intense perception of his surroundings, he had failed to detect Sirius's attack. He had not even noticed the trajectory of the old man's attack...

Moreover, his attacks with Illusory Shadow should have hit Sirius, yet he had not felt Killing Ray strike flesh.

---

Although the two combatants had only exchanged moves for a brief moment, everyone on the spectator stands was stunned.

"They're so fast!" Phoenix Rain exclaimed.

Shi Feng's Attack Speed was even faster than when he had faced Blue Phoenix. Even his hand movements were only a blur to her, not to mention the sword itself.

"Big Sis Rain, why didn't Sirius lose any HP? I clearly saw Ye Feng's attack hit him," Blue Phoenix asked curiously.

"Hit him?" Phoenix Rain shook her head. "Ye Feng hasn't touched him once; how could he lose any HP?"

"Huh? But I saw the streaks of blue light pass through Sirius's body!" Blue Phoenix's eyes widened. She couldn't believe it. However, the statement had come from Phoenix Rain, so it couldn't be false.

"This is Sirius's power–Absolute Control!" Phoenix Rain explained slowly, saying, "Although it looked like Ye Feng's attack had hit Sirius, in reality, there was a paper-thin distance between Sirius and Ye Feng's sword. The gap is impossible to see with the naked eye. It's natural that you couldn't tell the difference. However, the system's judgment with attacks is very accurate. Even if the gap is one-tenth of a millimeter, the attack will not count."

Blue Phoenix's mouth widened when she heard this.

"Is he even still human?" Blue Phoenix doubted that she could evade an attack by a single centimeter, and she had even reached the Void Realm.

Someone in the Refinement Realm only had a delicate control over their movements. Their perception was still far from comparable to a Void Realm expert. Hence, dodging an attack by three centimeters would be a miracle.

Meanwhile, Sirius could dodge an attack by less than one centimeter. It was inconceivable.

"This is only the beginning. Sirius is far stronger than you can imagine." Phoenix Rain sighed as she watched Shi Feng defend against Sirius's attacks.

---

In the dueling ring, Shi Feng's alarm grew as he fought the old monster.

No matter how fast he swung his swords, he couldn't hit the Berserker. On the contrary, Sirius's attacks grew powerful as the battle progressed. At this point, he was starting to struggle to keep up.

Sirius's attacks always struck at his blind spots. The attacks also grew more precise. He had very nearly failed to block the old man's last attack.

Finally, after over a dozen seconds...

A streak of red light finally struck Shi Feng.

However, the red light stopped just before it collided with Shi Feng's body, unable to proceed.

Is this the strength of a Domain? Shi Feng had no choice but to activate Defensive Blade.

None of his attacks were effective against Sirius. On the other hand, the Berserker had no issues landing an attack. Throughout the battle, for some reason, Shi Feng had felt as if someone were pulling his strings.

"Amazing. You have lasted this long without using a Lifesaving Skill." Sirius smiled calmly as he looked at the miserable youth before him. Now, rather than gripping his greatsword in one hand, he transferred it into a two-handed grip. "Since you are so strong, I will show you my true power."

Sirius raised his crimson greatsword high before swinging it down towards Shi Feng.

Suddenly, time stopped. Only Sirius's sword moved, descending.

So fast! Although Shi Feng could see the sword light approaching, he knew that neither of his swords could make it in time to block the attack. No, I'm the one who has slowed down!

Immediately, Shi Feng recalled another of Bonfire's Skills, Flame Dragon's Flash. When activated, it reduced Attack Speed and Movement Speed of all enemies within attack range by 60% and tripled the user's Strength when attacking.

This move was famous for being unblockable.

A Strength increase of 300% was far more powerful than a damage increase of the same amount. With Strength, one could shatter the opponent's Defense, causing the opponent to expose a weakness. One could then strike a fatal blow.

Shi Feng knew that it was too late to block the attack. Moreover, Defensive Blade's block counts had already been exhausted. He had no defense against this attack at all. Hence, he had no choice but to use Silent Steps, evading the sword light and appearing behind Sirius.

However, just as Shi Feng was about to strike the Berserker, Sirius spun, as if he had expected the move, and swung the greatsword in an arch towards Shi Feng's right side. The greatsword's oppressive Strength even suppressed the air around them. Even though Shi Feng's Strength Attribute was also very high, his movements felt so restricted under Bonfire's massive pressure that he even struggled to breathe.

With no other choice, Shi Feng activated Thunder God's Descent and Heavenly Dragon's Power!

Sirius's Attributes were extremely high. The Berserker had even tripled his Strength. Being hit by Sirius's greatsword was no laughing matter. A critical hit might even kill him on the spot. 

Chapter 794 - Contest of Strength

The instant the aquamarine Killing Ray[1] and the crimson Bonfire collided, a boom shook the dueling ring.

With the two swords at the center, the stage's stone floor shattered, dust clouds filling the air.

As soon as the shockwave passed, a figure flew through the dust clouds, slamming into the ground. As soon as that figure landed, however, it stood.

"I made it," Shi Feng muttered as he got to his feet. Glancing at his trembling hand, he smiled bitterly as he said, "He has so much Strength."

God's Domain's 36 Famed Swords each had their own strengths. Among them, Bonfire was famous for its destructive power. Its Skills were incomparably violent. In the hands of a Berserker, the weapon could topple a city.

Even though his Basic Attributes were slightly higher than Sirius's, after activating Heavenly Dragon's Power and increasing his Strength by 100%, the Berserker's attack had still sent him flying.

Fortunately, however, Heavenly Dragon's Power had increased both his HP and Defense by 300%. Thunder God's Descent also had a Damage Reduction effect.

Hence, even after receiving the attack, he had only lost a little over 200 HP.

Fortunately, with Heavenly Dragon's Power, Shi Feng's maximum HP reached more than 48,000. Even without the Thunder God's Descent, Sirius's attack could barely scratch Shi Feng.

---

"Ye Feng is strong. Even after Leader used Flame Dragon's Flash, he took so little damage." Blood Sun was almost speechless after seeing Shi Feng mostly unharmed.

Everlasting War was similarly dumbfounded.

His memory of Sirius's Flame Dragon's Flash was still fresh in his mind. While Sirius had offered him guidance, the Berserker had used a single hit to finish him off, yet Shi Feng had only lost slightly over 200 HP It was astonishing.

Moreover, Shi Feng had lasted so long against Sirius. Shi Feng was the first person he had ever seen capable of such a feat.

Not one member of the Glorious Lions Battle Team could last ten seconds against Sirius. Activating their Berserk Skills had not changed that; Sirius could still end their lives in ten seconds without relying on a Berserk Skill himself.

The difference in combat techniques between Sirius and his subordinates was like the difference between heaven and earth.

---

"I had never realized that Ye Feng had held back so much of his strength. He can actually contend with an old monster. It feels as if he is even stronger than Martial Dragon." A light shone in Blue Phoenix's eyes. She couldn't help but admire Shi Feng's strength. If it she had been the one to fight Sirius, the match would have ended by now.

"Indeed. Ye Feng is stronger than Martial Dragon. However, this is only in terms of Skills and Attributes. It really is a wonder how Zero Wing has obtained so many Epic Weapons and Equipment." Phoenix Rain fell into deep thought as she watched Shi Feng, who stood proudly in the dueling ring.

After watching this match, she finally had a relative understanding of Shi Feng.

Sirius's strength spoke volumes for itself. Yet, despite facing a monster like Sirius, Shi Feng could rely on his Basic Attributes to compensate for his shortcomings. One could just imagine how powerful his Basic Attributes were. One could not rely on Dark-Gold Equipment to gain Attributes like this. Epic items were the only explanation.

However, how precious were Epic items? Even now, the Dragon-Phoenix Pavilion only had a few. Yet, among the Asura Battle Team, more than one member wore or wielded their own Epic item.

By her estimations, Aqua Rose and Fire Dance should both possess at least one Epic item. As for Violet Cloud, the Cleric had yet to fight, so she did not know.

However, this insight was frightening enough. After all, Phoenix knew very well that these Epic items originated from Zero Wing.

---

After Shi Feng activated his Berserk Skill, he would not waste time. Immediately, he charged at Sirius, going in for the kill.

With his HP and Defense, he didn't need to worry about Sirius's attacks. He could afford to trade blow for blow.

As Shi Feng was about to arrive before Sirius, he jumped into the air. He then raised Killing Ray, the power of fire and lightning gathering around the blade.

Thunder Flame Explosion!

Immediately, the attack suppressed the space around Sirius.

The spatial suppression would reduce all enemies' Movement Speeds. With the Skill's wide range, Sirius had nowhere to dodge.

Sure enough, Sirius showed no intentions of avoiding the attack. Instead, he crossed Bonfire in front of his body, fully intent on receiving the descending elements.

Boom!

Fire and lightning devoured the Berserker whole.

However, the instant the elements came into contact with Bonfire, the Famed Sword absorbed them as if it were a black hole...

"This Skill sure packs a punch." Sirius revealed an excited smile after Bonfire finished absorbing the flames and lightning. More more cracks had appeared beneath his feet. "However, thanks to you, I finally have a chance to use this Skill to its limits."

The Berserk Skill he had learned was somewhat unique. The Skill's name was Baptism of Fire. To display the Skill's might, he needed to absorb a certain amount of damage from a single attack.

Furthermore, he could exert more of the Berserk Skill's strength depending on the damage he received from the one attack.

In the past, he had been lucky if his opponents allowed him to display 50% of the Skill's might. However, Shi Feng's attack allowed him to exert 100% of the Skill's effects.

Currently, Baptism of Fire's Strength bonus reached 120%. His Attack Speed increased by 100%, and his HP jumped by 200%. Six blades of fire also appeared around his body. Meanwhile, Baptism of Fire lasted one full minute, which was more than enough time to end the match.

Shi Feng had a bad feeling as he heard Sirius's words. However, before Shi Feng could react, the six flaming swords shot towards him.

So fast! Seeing the rapidly approaching swords of fire, Shi Feng instinctively brandished Killing Ray and the Abyssal Blade.

Peng... Peng... Peng...

Six brilliant fires scattered around him as he repelled the fiery weapons. However, the attack had also sent Shi Feng flying across ten yards, three damages of over -300 points appearing above his head.

---

"How is this be possible?!"

Every member of the Asura Battle team was shocked when they saw Shi Feng fly through the air.

They knew full well how strong Shi Feng's Basic Attributes were. This was the first time they had seen anyone or anything throw Shi Feng after he activated Heavenly Dragon's Power.

Heavenly Dragon's Power increased Shi Feng's Strength by 100%. With Shi Feng's current Strength Attribute, a 100% increase even allowed him to face down a High Lord, yet Sirius had sent him flying. How could they not be shocked?

---

After landing, Shi Feng stared at Sirius with fear in his eyes.

Is this the true strength of these old monsters? Shi Feng glanced at his trembling arms, excitement flaring in his eyes.

Others might not know what had just happened, but as the person responsible for deflecting those swords of fire, Shi Feng understood the events well. Regarding Strength, Shi Feng's was definitely higher than that of the fiery blades. However, Sirius could control the six swords of fire to their limits.

One sword of fire might not have enough Strength to overpower him, but if two swords combined their Strength, then they would be stronger than him.

Although combining the Strength of two swords sounded simple, realizing the action was extremely difficult. To accomplish this feat, one needed both swords to attack the same location at the same time. Only by doing so could one combine the Strength Attribute of both swords. No ordinary player could achieve the precision and skill this feat required. Even he, as he was now, could not accomplish this feat. However, Sirius had done it. Moreover, he controlled the swords from a long distance...

"Fighting you to this point has made me quite happy. In return, I will show you my strongest, ultimate move," Sirius proclaimed as he smiled at Shi Feng excitedly. With a faint smile, he pointed Bonfire at Shi Feng.

Immediately, the six swords of fire shot towards Shi Feng, all six combining into one flaming weapon.

TL Notes:
[1]aquamarine Killing Ray: Killing Ray's color has been changed from emerald to aquamarine. Translation mistake (21-Sep-2018). Those who read Chapter 724 and onwards after 21-Sep-2018 can ignore this note. 

Chapter 795 - Six Swords in One

When the six swords of fire merged into one, the crimson flames turned a brilliant white. Wherever this flaming white weapon went, the white stone floor beneath it melted.

Seeing the white sword of fire fly towards him, Shi Feng's expression turned grim.

Just how strong is he?

Merging two swords of fire together was already an incredibly difficult task. If one could not synchronize the swords perfectly, even an error of one-tenth of a millimeter would ruin the combined Strength, resulting in individual attacks.

Yet, now, Sirius had merged all six swords of fire into one.

The compounded Strength was no laughing matter.

The burning white weapon possessed three times the Strength of the previous combination.

"Alright, it's time we put an end to this battle."

Sirius narrowed his eyes.

Xiu!

A sonic boom resounded throughout the dueling ring as the fiery white sword covered a dozen yards in an instant, arriving before Shi Feng's heart.

Although Shi Feng wanted to dodge the sword, Sirius had already locked on to him. If he moved in the slightest, Sirius would immediately adjust the sword's trajectory. Defending himself while moving was also far more difficult.

His only option was to allow the flaming blade to come within critical range before dodging it.

The instant the sword was within range, Shi Feng sidestepped.

"It's useless. I've already predicted your actions," Sirius shook his head as he commanded the white sword of fire with a thought.

The sword suddenly changed its trajectory, stabbing towards Shi Feng's heart once more.

However, Shi Feng had prepared for this moment. Suddenly, Killing Ray released a dazzling white glow.

Flame Burst!

The white light caused the dueling ring's temperature to soar instantly. Killing Ray then transformed into a streak of white light that collided with the sword of fire.

Boom!

Everyone in the spectator stands felt their hearts shake and eardrums rupture.

In the next moment, a small crater with a radius of over two yards appeared at the epicenter of the collision. The crater had been scorched black as if created by a meteorite.

Meanwhile, like a cannonball, Shi Feng flew over 20 yards away. His HP instantly fell by more than 1,500 points. When he landed, the stone flooring beneath his feet cracked, the fissures extending over five yards from him.

As the deafening boom passed, silence overtook the audience. Everyone was stupefied.

"Is this really a battle between humans?"

This thought continuously echoed through everyone's minds.

The two fighters in the dueling ring felt more like Lord ranked monsters, rather than players. Not only were they both astonishingly fast, but their Strengths and reaction speeds were also incredible.

They had used the system's slow-motion function to watch the two fighters clash. Otherwise, they would not have had a single clue about what had happened.

"Snow, do you know anything about that sword of fire? Is it a Skill?" Zhao Yueru asked, excitement flashing in her eyes.

Even after watching the fight for a long time, she could not figure out why that burning weapon was so immensely powerful. Previously, it had only dealt Shi Feng around -300 damage. Now, not only had it dealt over -1,500 damage, but the Strength it contained had also increased tremendously.

However, she had only seen the six crimson swords of fire merge into one. If she could similarly combine her Spells, just how devastatingly powerful could her Spells become?

Gentle Snow simply shook her head in response to Zhao Yueru's question.

This was the first time she had ever seen something like this.

The thought of combining attacks to improve the Strength of a Skill had never crossed her mind before. She had never imagined that the combined Strength would yield such overwhelming effects.

Although she could tell what her friend was thinking, she did not think that Sirius's attack was just as simple as merging the six swords of fire to attack simultaneously. After all, when they fought Dungeon Bosses, there were often instances where several Spells struck the Boss simultaneously. However, none of those instances had ever yielded such combination effects.

Moreover, if the six swords of fire had combined to attack simultaneously, six damages should have appeared above Shi Feng's head. However, only one had appeared. Hence, Sirius's attack was not as simple as it seemed. Otherwise, with Shi Feng's current combat standard, there was no reason why he could not use such a technique as well.

Since Shi Feng was not using this technique, that could only mean one thing—he was not capable of using it.

Thinking up to this point, Gentle Snow trembled involuntarily.

The combat techniques Shi Feng had displayed had long since surpassed her imagination, yet even a powerful expert like Shi Feng couldn't use this combination technique. One could just imagine how powerful Sirius was.

Moreover, at this point, it was obvious that Shi Feng had already activated his Berserk Skill. Even so, he was at a disadvantage. In contrast, Sirius had yet to suffer a single point of damage.

While everyone focused on the battle, Sirius had launched another attack. He had no intentions of allowing Shi Feng to catch his breath.

Again and again, the sword of white fire attacked. Although Shi Feng managed to block them, the attacks sent him flying repeatedly.

Very quickly, his HP dropped below the 50% threshold.

"Is that old man really human?" Blue Phoenix was speechless as she watched the battle unfold.

Others might not grasp how complex and elaborate Sirius's combination attack was, but she could. Moreover, she had even attempted the technique before. Currently, she could barely merge two attacks into one. Adding even one attack to the combination would increase the technique's difficulty exponentially.

Although combination attacks could increase her firepower tremendously, this technique placed an extremely heavy burden on her Concentration. After three uses, she had no choice but to enter Sleep Mode.

In contrast, not only was Sirius capable of merging six attacks, but he could also the attack over a dozen times...

"Brat, you really are durable. You are the first person to last so long against this move. However, now that you've used up that Skill that enhances your Attack Power, the next attack won't just end with flying across the ring." Sirius laughed.

Is this the true strength of a Domain? As Shi Feng watched the flaming blade dart towards him again, he finally realized the gap between Sirius and himself.

Although his Attributes were superior, Sirius surpassed him when it came to Skill application.

Experts in the Realms of Refinement might be able to exert 100% of their combat power, but the old man before him could exert more than that.

However, this battle had also helped him finally realize what he needed to work towards.

"To fight against an old monster like you... I am truly fortunate," Shi Feng mumbled, his lips curling into a smile as he watched the brilliant white sword fly straight towards him.

"Fortunate?" Sirius was momentarily speechless when he heard Shi Feng's mumbling.

He had not expected Shi Feng to be a masochist...

Shi Feng suddenly relaxed his body before tightening his grip on Killing Ray.

Blade Liberation!

The weapon he chose was none other than the Sacred Sword Killing Ray. Blade Liberation's effects would change depending on the quality of the target sword. In previous instances, when he used the Abyssal Blade as the target sword, his Strength and Agility increased by roughly 90%. Meanwhile, Killing Ray was a higher quality weapon than the Magic Weapon.

The instant Shi Feng activated Blade Liberation, a blue glow surrounded his body. With a light swing of his arm, the Killing Ray in his hand transformed into a bolt of lightning that ripped through the air towards the sword of white fire. 

Chapter 796 - Godly Power

When lightning and fire clashed, the flash momentarily blinded everyone watching.

With the boom that echoed throughout the venue, Shi Feng was forced to retreat by three steps before he could steady himself. Following which, a damage of over -100 points appeared above his head. As for the white sword of fire, the attack had thrown it to the side.

When the audience saw this, they were flabbergasted.

"Just how strong is Ye Feng?"

"Who is Ye Feng?"

"Can current players really achieve this level?"

Before, the audience members had somewhat admired Shi Feng's strength. Now, however, that admiration had become shock. It was especially true for those who knew Sirius.

This should have been a one-sided battle. Nobody could have ever imagined that Shi Feng still had such a trump card.

Even though they did not stand in the ring themselves, they could feel the violent power radiating from Shi Feng's body. Many of them had felt this power in the past.

One only experienced this power while raiding a large-scale Team Dungeon.

This was the power of a Great Lord!

At this point, the pressure they felt from Shi Feng was even greater than the pressure they felt from the Great Lords they had fought before. They were breathless.

"Big Sis Rain, just who is Ye Feng?" For a time, Blue Phoenix was at a loss for words as she stared at the glowing Shi Feng.

After her own match against him, she had seen the gap between the Swordsman and herself quite clearly. His strength had not been out of her reach.

Now, however, it would seem that the strength Shi Feng had used against her had just been the tip of the iceberg. If she fought this kind of violent power, she would most likely die in an instant.

Not responding to Blue Phoenix's question, Phoenix Rain remained silent as she continued to watch the man named Ye Feng.

It seems I've truly underestimated Zero Wing. It's no wonder why they dared to pick a fight with Exemplary Willow. So, the Guild had still hidden such an expert. Joy flooded Phoenix Rain. She had not initially had much hope for the Asura Battle Team. She had only hoped to win a few matches and earn a small fortune in the Dark Arena. After all, the Dark Arena had only established recently. Many experts considered themselves to be above such brawls. Now, however...

With the strength the Asura Battle Team had just displayed, they could definitely fight for a high rank in the Dark Arena.

---

"Ye Feng!" Shock filled Everlasting War when he saw Shi Feng relatively unharmed after receiving Sirius's six-in-one combination attack.

Others might not realize how strong Sirius was, but he knew.

To obtain the rights to host the Dark Arena, Hua Qiushui had paid an extremely high price, convincing the Battle Wolves to lend the Guild's several Epic items to the Glorious Lions Battle Team.

Blood Sun only possessed one Epic item. Sirius, however, had two. The Berserker even had a precious sword of undetermined quality. The treasured sword's Attributes were even slightly higher than an Epic Weapon. In other words, Sirius had the equivalent of three Epic items on him.

Purely in terms of Attributes, particularly Strength, Sirius was, by far, the strongest Berserker he had ever seen.

Yet, even after combining the Strength of six swords, Sirius had only been able to repel Shi Feng. The Swordsman had only received a small amount of damage from the resulting impact.

At this point, Everlasting War could not fathom just how high Shi Feng's Strength was.

Previously, he had thought that Shi Feng's strength was roughly equal to his own. Looking back at it now, his assumption was laughable.

Equal? He overestimated himself.

---

Meanwhile, in the dueling ring, the new development also surprised Sirius.

"So, this is why you were so confident about facing me." At this moment, even Sirius took this fight seriously. "However, you are still a fool if you think you can defeat me!"

Saying so, Sirius directed the fiery blade to strike at Shi Feng again.

That attack is so hard to block even after activating Twofold Berserk. It seems I can't proceed with brute force alone.

Seeing the white flames fly towards him once more, Shi Feng took a step forward and abruptly charged at Sirius.

From an outsider's point of view, he had only lost around 100 HP. He currently had 48,000 Hp, so 100 points of damage were negligible. However, only those who had experienced Sirius's six-in-one combination attack knew how powerful the attack was.

If not for the 300% increase to his Defense, as well as the Damage Reduction effect from Thunder God's Descent, he would have lost far more HP.

Meanwhile, Blade Liberation did not only improve his Strength. The Skill also increased his Agility. Hence, he had received a massive boost to his Movement Speed, Attack Speed, and flexibility.

Although Sirius's combination attack could multiply the Strength behind his attack, it could not increase his Attack Speed. Now that Shi Feng's speed had increased once more, evading the sword of white fire had become much easier.

In the next moment, Shi Feng easily avoided the fiery weapon, which he had not been able to dodge before. Shi Feng then approached Sirius with flying speed.

The swords of fire were quite strong. However, to control this Strength, one needed to invest much of their Concentration; even more so after combining the Strength of six swords. Hence, Sirius had been forced to stand in place while directing the burning blades.

As Sirius had focused his Concentration into controlling the six swords of fire, the man had no combat power at the moment.

However, there was still a distance of over 20 yards between Shi Feng and Sirius. Although Shi Feng was fast, the white flaming sword hindered his path.

This should be close enough...

After avoiding the flaming weapon once more, Shi Feng tightened his grip on Killing Ray and swung the Sacred Sword.

Thundering Flash!

Four arcs of blue lightning snaked their way towards Sirius.

As if he had predicted this attack, Sirius directed the sword of fire to appear before him a step ahead of the lightning strikes. The flames slashed at each arc of lightning.

The instant the sword collided with the lightning, the latter shattered. The sword of fire then advanced towards Shi Feng's heart.

"Take this!" Shi Feng was not surprised by Sirius's defensive maneuver. Instead, he revealed the Blazing Meteor and threw it.

A red streak of light smashed into the sword of fire, causing the white sword to pause before continuing towards Shi Feng, having lost momentum. At this time, Shi Feng hacked at the weakened white flames, the impact forcing him back a step. This time, however, he only received slightly over -50 damage.

"Trying to go for a battle of attrition?" Sirius frowned slightly. "Not on my watch!"

The six-in-one combination attack placed a huge burden on the user's Concentration. Even he could not support the technique for too long. If his fight with the young Swordsman dragged on, he would collapse from over-extending his Concentration, losing the match as a result.

Following which, one sword of fire split away from the white flames. Although a five-in-one combination attack was slightly weaker, it was still enough to suppress Shi Feng. Meanwhile, the other sword could find an opportunity to deal damage.

Immediately, the brilliant sword of white fire charged towards Shi Feng, whereas the crimson sword attacked the Swordsman from behind. As long as the white flames repelled Shi Feng, he would reveal gaps in his Defense. This would make it far easier to land a direct hit.

Peng!

Sure enough, Shi Feng was forced back by a step after colliding with the five-in-one combination attack. However, just as the other sword of fire was about to stab the Swordsman, a figure suddenly appeared to block the attack.

Phantom Kill!

After he upgraded the Abyssal Blade by a rank, Shi Feng's doppelganger had gained 80% of his Attributes. With his Twofold Berserk state, it was child's play for the doppelganger to block a single flaming sword.

After blocking the attack, Shi Feng's doppelganger activated Windwalk and Wind Blade before charging towards the enemy Berserker.

Although Sirius wanted to use the white sword of fire to defend himself, Shi Feng had the weapon pinned down. It couldn't approach the doppelganger.

When Shi Feng's doppelganger arrived before Sirius, the Berserker finally gave up his control over the white sword of fire. He swung Bonfire to defend against the doppelganger's Chop.

Just as the doppelganger's sword was about to strike, the Berserker evaded the attack. Immediately after, Bonfire bit into the doppelganger's body.

However, even after the doppelganger received the damage, it did not retreat; instead of the doppelganger, it was Shi Feng who stood before Sirius. After swapping positions with his doppelganger, Shi Feng swung his sword at Sirius.

A streak of blue light flashed.

Surprised by the unconventional attack method, Sirius had failed to react and received Shi Feng's attack in full.

The massive impact forced Sirius into a retreat. Taking the opportunity, Shi Feng followed up with a series of over a dozen slashes.

Although Sirius tried to defend himself, he couldn't block Shi Feng's attacks completely. As a result, he received several more strikes. 

Chapter 797 - Complete Victory

Sparks scattered when the blades collided.

Although the exchange appeared slow, in reality, everything happened in an instant. Sirius's HP drained like flowing water.

Only after Sirius fell to the ground and lay there motionlessly did everyone realize the Berserker's HP had dropped to zero.

"Leader lost?!"

"Impossible!"

The Glorious Lions were dumbfounded as they stared at Sirius's unmoving corpse in the dueling ring. None of them dared to believe their own eyes.

Sirius was one of the Battle Wolves' Wolf Kings.

Yet, now, he had lost to a nameless upstart. Nothing like this had ever happened before.

In fact, the Glorious Lions weren't the only ones who were shocked. Every member of the audience was stunned as they stared at the name above the dueling ring.

Victor: Ye Feng!

No one had expected this outcome. How could the competition end so suddenly?

After one direct confrontation, the famous Sirius had tasted defeat. It was inconceivable.

"I'm not seeing things, right?"

"How can the Asura Battle Team be the victor?"

"This is unbelievable..."

"The Asura Battle Team is amazing! The Glorious Lions, a battle team that had won twice in a row, had lost, three-to-zero, to the Asura Battle Team! Only those watching will probably ever believe this."

Even now, the audiences had yet to recover from their daze. It was as if the last, brief exchange from before had etched itself into their minds. The techniques in this battle were definitely worth studying.

The Glorious Lions were not weak. The Asura Battle Team was just a little stronger.

"Although I've lost some materials from betting on the Glorious Lions, it was worth watching this battle." Many among the audiences had bet on the Glorious Lions Battle Team's victory. However, the majority of these people were not disappointed. On the contrary, the upper echelons from various major powers felt as if they had raked in a huge profit.

The high-level battles that had taken place in this competition had taught them much. Particularly, it had allowed them to understand the true strength of each battle team. After this competition, it would be much easier to cope with the team members.

At the same time, everyone had grown cautious about the Asura Battle Team. A fear of the Guild called Zero Wing slithered through the crowd.

A small upstart Guild like Zero Wing had actually obtained so many Epic items.

If someone had told them that Zero Wing did not have any background or strength, they would not believe it.

---

"Big Sis Rain, now that the Asura Battle Team has become so famous, it will probably be very difficult to arrange opponents in the future." Although Blue Phoenix was happy for Shi Feng, in the Dark Arena, the stronger a battle team was, the more difficult it was to find an opponent.

Every battle team in the Dark Arena fought to gain the arena's hosting rights. However, that was not an easy goal.

Firstly, a battle team needed to participate in ten games, winning eight. Only then would a battle team have the right to challenge the Dark Arena's organizer.

Only after defeating the organizer's battle team would one obtain the hosting rights.

Hence, the various battle teams would not accept challenges easily. It was even more difficult for strong battle teams. Everyone wanted to rack up victories by challenging weaker teams.

Of course, to prevent some people from avoiding battles completely, the Dark Arena had a time limit.

If a battle team could not find an opponent within ten days, the Dark Arena would choose an opponent randomly. Hence, the stronger teams in the Dark Arena did not need to fear a lack of challengers. They just had to wait a relatively long time before they could complete all ten required games.

Much would change in God's Domain after 100 days.

"It doesn't matter," Phoenix Rain said as she shook her head. "Previously, I worried that the Asura Battle Team would lose miserably. As for future matches, it seems that we're going to make a fortune from now on."

"Big Sis Rain, did you agree to another match before this?" A realization struck Blue Phoenix.

"That's right. As the Asura Battle Team is a new team, with members from a small Guild, many people had requested a battle. A few had even promised to bet favors and a certain number of materials. It's a pity that each battle team can only compete in three matches every ten days. It would be great if we could arrange a few more matches." Phoenix Rain laughed. When she thought about the next two battle teams they had to face, she could not help but pity those teams. Chances were that the players from those teams held a deep resentment for her right now.

Every one of them had assumed that the Asura Battle Team was quite weak. None of them would have imagined that the team was actually a dark horse.

Only, finding opponents for the last seven matches would give her a slight headache.

"Hopefully, Ye Feng can hold back in future matches. Otherwise, finding an opponent will be a problem," Phoenix Rain muttered softly.

---

"Lost! He actually lost!" When Hua Qiushui heard the applause and cheers, her face twisted into an ugly expression.

Losing a game was not a major issue for her. After all, the Glorious Lions only needed to win eight out of ten games. However, not only had they exposed much of their strength, but they had also lost the competition and suffered immense losses.

Primal Emerald Wood and Soul Cultivating Stones were not cabbage that one easily found on the streets. Not to mention, they also had to pay the 1,000 pieces of Level 30 Dark-Gold Equipment and 30,000 Magic Crystals.

Such a huge loss would not end with a slight sting. Who knew how much time she would have to spend to recover?

However, losing money was secondary to her. Her reputation was far more important.

The upper echelons from the major corporations would learn of the Asura Battle Team's victory. It was a guarantee that they would launch investigations on Ye Feng. If they discovered that she had chased Ye Feng away from the Glorious Lions...

She would probably be branded with the title "Blind Fool." Her superiors might even begin to question her abilities as a manager.

"Zero Wing...! Sooner or later, I will get my revenge!" Exemplary Willow raged as she stomped her feet. She shot a glare at Shi Feng before turning to leave.

---

Below the dueling ring, Zero Wing's members celebrated and rejoiced.

"Leader, are you alright?" Fire Dance asked as she approached Shi Feng.

Shi Feng looked worn. His complexion was pale and waxy. He looked nothing like a winner.

"It's nothing. I just expended too much of my Concentration," Shi Feng replied as he shook his head.

This battle had been truly dangerous. He had gone all-out from the very beginning of the battle, pushing his five senses to their limits. He had remained on full-alert throughout the match, fearing that a moment of carelessness would lose him the fight.

Sirius's combat standard was simply too high.

If this match had taken place two or three weeks from now, he definitely would have lost.

Although Sirius's equipment was already impressive, the old man even possessing several Epic items, at the end of the day, he did not have a Fragmented Legendary item. He also had not learned any Super Skills.

These two aspects could improve a player's combat power by leaps and bounds. Even Sirius would have a hard time trying to bridge the gap by relying on techniques alone.

In front of absolute strength, all manner of trickery was useless. This was the cruel reality of games. Hence, regardless if they were experts or ordinary players, all players prioritized improving their weapons, equipment, and Skills.

While Shi Feng rested, Sirius revived below the dueling ring and marched straight over to Shi Feng.

"Kid, you sure know how to hide your strength. However, you might be able to beat me now, but it will be a different story in the future," Sirius said, a warm smile appearing on his stern face. "Alright, I've said enough. As per our agreement, I'll give you this. With this information, you should be able to improve yourself further and reach my level a little sooner. However, whether or not you obtain the item will depend on your own abilities."

Saying so, Sirius sent Shi Feng a private message. He then turned and left. As he walked away, he could not help but glance at Fire Dance, shaking his head and sighing.

His reaction creeped Fire Dance out.

Seeing Fire Dance's reaction, Shi Feng chuckled. The two had discussed their bet through private chat. Nobody knew about their conversation. If Fire Dance knew that Sirius had wanted her as his disciple, she would probably feel quite awkward.

However, although Shi Feng admitted that Sirius's guidance would open many doors for Fire Dance in the future, he did not think that she would have any fewer achievements if she remained by his side. He also would never allow the Battle Wolves to poach one of his experts.

Following which, Shi Feng opened the file Sirius had sent him, intending to glance through the information he had won from the old man.

Just what kind of information could actually give him the possibility of advancement? 

Chapter 798 - Deterring Force

Like a wildfire, news of the Asura Battle Team's victory in the Dark Arena spread throughout God's Domain.

Practically minutes after the competition ended, information regarding the Asura Battle Team had reached the hands of God's Domain's various major powers. The reports were so detailed that it even included information on the acquaintances of the Asura Battle Team's members.

---

Star-Moon Kingdom, Maple City:

Maple City had already become Overwhelming Smile's main headquarters. With Underworld's hidden support, the Guild had solidified its position as the city's overlord. At the same time, Maple City had become the second largest city in the Star-Moon Kingdom's Eastern Region. The city's player population was over one million. Although it was still far from the grandeur of White River City, it was superior to other cities within the kingdom.

"Youlan, why have you called me here all of a sudden?" Feng Xuanyang demanded, annoyed, as he entered the Residence's meeting room, his gaze locked onto the charming, elegantly smiling Youlan.

He should have had the most authority in Star-Moon Kingdom's Eastern Region. However, due to Youlan's successful management of Maple City, Underworld's higher-ups designated Youlan to handle everything in the region.

This enraged him.

He had expended all of that effort to deal with Zero Wing, yet Youlan sat back and enjoyed the fruits of others' labor. Without an enemy to deal with, it had naturally been easy to develop Maple City. If it were up to him, he wouldn't have had any issues handling the task either.

"It's nothing major. I just wanted to tell you to withdraw Overwhelming Smile's members from White River City immediately and have them develop elsewhere," Youlan instructed, paying Feng Xuanyang's rude behavior no heed.

"And why should I do this?" Feng Xuanyang said, his expression darkening as he grew somewhat indignant. "You know how high of a price I've paid to solidify my position in White River City. Although Zero Wing is very strong, White River City's overlord isn't set in stone. Don't even think about ordering me to withdraw Overwhelming Smile from White River City."

Many of Overwhelming Smile's members were focused on all sorts of quests, including Guild Quests, in White River City.

As long as they completed a certain number of quests, Overwhelming Smile's status in White River City would improve. Afterward, they could accept all sorts of rare, high-level quests. They might even receive Epic Quests. With Epic Quests, it would be extremely easy to obtain all sorts of top-tier weapons and equipment. They might even find new, strategic tools for war.

The Guild's recent promotion had even triggered an Epic Guild Quest.

If they completed this Epic Guild Quest, he could obtain a tool of war. When they started another war with Zero Wing, even if Zero Wing had an abundance of experts, he did not think he would lose against the Guild.

If they pulled out of White River City now, then all of the White River City quests they had already completed would be for naught. He couldn't give up on the city now.

"Feng Xuanyang, this is not my decision. The higher-ups made this decision. You have no say in this matter. In any case, you have three days to transfer all of our members to other cities," Youlan stated coldly.

"That is not possible!" Feng Xuanyang was dumbfounded.

The higher-ups had hoped to obtain White River City, investing manpower and resources into the endeavor. Yet, now, they had decided to give up on the city? No matter how he thought about it, such a thing was impossible.

"I also considered the decision foolish. However, after seeing the information they provided, I changed my mind. I don't disagree with the decision," Youlan said. She then threw a file at Feng Xuanyang, saying, "Have a look at it yourself."

"This is...!" Feng Xuanyang boiled with rage when he saw the folder's title.

Zero Wing Report!

Zero Wing was Feng Xuanyang's sworn enemy. If not for Zero Wing interrupting his plans again and again, White River City would have been his by now. He wouldn't have suffered under Zero Wing's oppression as he did now. To make things worse, Zero Wing had flourished in the war in the Stoneclaw Mountains, becoming one of Star-Moon Kingdom's large Guilds that could even rival first-rate Guilds. This had also weakened Overwhelming Smile's position in the city significantly.

Now, Overwhelming Smile's members had to tread carefully when encountering Zero Wing players on the city's streets.

This humiliated Feng Xuanyang. However, he endured because he knew that this was still not the time to pick a fight with Zero Wing. Now, after striving silently for a long time, he had finally obtained an opportunity to seize White River City. Hence, no matter what, he could not give up in this competition for dominance.

As long as he obtained White River City, the favor Youlan received from Underworld's upper echelons would also vanish. At that time, he would become the absolute leader of Underworld's branch in Star-Moon Kingdom rather than playing underling to a greenhorn wench who had only been a member of the organization for a short time.

However, after Feng Xuanyang read the Zero Wing Report, his excited expression froze, his eyes widening with shock. He paled as if he had seen a ghost.

"How can this be?!" Feng Xuanyang couldn't believe his eyes. "How has Zero Wing appeared in the Dark Arena?! They even defeated a battle team that has the backing of a Super Guild?!"

Currently, Underworld was considered one of the virtual gaming world's major powers. The organization was stronger than most first-rate Guilds. Over the years, it had nurtured plenty of experts. However, there was still a vast gap between them and super-first-rate Guilds like the Dragon-Phoenix Pavilion, not to mention Super Guilds.

Yet, an upstart Guild like Zero Wing had actually managed to defeat a Super Guild's battle team.

This was simply inconceivable.

Super Guilds had too many experts to count. They even had monster-like existences. The powers supporting them were also profound and complex. Only other Super Guilds and super-first-rate Guilds could shake the foundations of such giants. No one else should even consider trying.

Unless Zero Wing had a Super Guild behind it...

"A Super Guild?" Feng Xuanyang suddenly felt his body grow cold.

"That's right. The higher-ups have reached the same conclusion. Hence, we can't provoke Zero Wing anymore. There is no reason to continue wasting our time in White River City." In truth, Youlan doubted that Zero Wing had the support of a Super Guild.

However, the Mana Pulse Cannon in the Stoneclaw Mountains and the various Magic Array Scrolls...

Now, they also had to consider the performance in the Dark Arena...

A mere upstart Guild was not capable of achieving these feats. Hence, it was quite possible that a Super Guild supported Zero Wing from the shadows.

Even though it was only a possibility, Underworld would not take this risk.

"I understand. I'll transfer the majority of our members to other cities. However, I still have a quest I need to complete." Feng Xuanyang nodded.

"Fine, but make it quick," Youlan stated before standing and leaving the meeting room.

---

Elsewhere, Shi Feng had led Fire Dance and the others back to White River City.

On their way back, Shi Feng browsed through the information Sirius had given him.

"So, this is the case." After reading through the files, Shi Feng was so happy that he found it difficult to hide his smile.

"Guild Leader, what has made you so giddy?" Aqua Rose asked curiously as she moved to Shi Feng's side.

"It's nothing. I've just found something that can help you improve your combat standards." Shi Feng laughed.

"Guild Leader, what is it? Can I have a look?" Violet Cloud sent Shi Feng a yearning look.

Fire Dance had already reached the Refinement Realm. This development placed a weight on the rest of the team. Violet Cloud felt particularly pressured. She was incredibly anxious to become stronger.

"There is no need to rush. We happen to be on our way there right now." Saying so, Shi Feng pointed at the distant Candlelight Trading Firm. 

Chapter 799 - Secrets of God's Domain

The Candlelight Trading Firm, Special Forging Room:

"Guild Leader, here are the items you requested."

After Melancholic Smile entered the room, she stacked materials onto the stone table, creating a large mound of items.

If the upper echelons of other large Guilds saw this, they would be shocked. Every material was extremely valuable. Some were even used to construct a Stable.

However, among these materials, there was one item that was particularly eye-catching: a fragment of a silver stone tablet. This fragment was clearly not a raw material.

Shi Feng picked up the stone tablet while transferring the materials into his bag.

Including the materials he had won in the Dark Arena, he had enough to begin the Guild Stable's construction.

Currently, the various large Guilds were occupied with raiding Dungeons to collect the Stable Design and required materials to construct the building. However, no one would have imagined that a small Guild like Zero Wing had both. The only thing left to do was to construct the Stable itself.

Shi Feng could not contain his excitement.

In the past, Shadow had invested a lot of time to construct its Stable. By the time the Guild's Stable was complete, God's Domain's mainstream players had surpassed Level 50. Many ordinary players even had their own Mounts.

On the other hand, this timeline's mainstream players had only reached Level 30. Yet, Zero Wing could begin constructing its own Stable. Zero Wing would be the first Guild in God's Domain to reveal its Guild Mount to the public.

Ordinary Mounts cost 40 Gold.

However, Guild Mounts only cost 25 Gold.

Although the difference was only 15 Gold, no ordinary player could afford that, even if they sold everything they owned. Even Guild elite players would have to save for a long time to accumulate so much.

Due to this 15-Gold gap, Guild players could obtain their Mounts ahead of ordinary players.

The only problem Guild players faced was that they needed to a certain amount of Guild Contribution Points before they could purchase a Guild Mount. GCPs were automatically rewarded after one completed a Guild Quest. The amount of GCP varied depending on the quest's difficulty, with higher-leveled quests awarding more points, and ordinary and daily quests awarding very few.

In fact, one could say that the GCP requirement wasn't a major issue. Money was the only thing Guild players truly needed to purchase their Guild Mounts.

"Guild Leader, is this stone tablet related to your earlier, mysterious actions?" Fire Dance knew of their plans for the Guild Stable. However, she was more concerned with Shi Feng's previous statement.

After reaching her combat standard, it was extremely difficult to advance further.

If there really was an item that could improve a player's combat standards, it must be heaven-defying.

"That's right. This stone tablet is the item that can help everyone grow stronger." Shi Feng nodded.

The information he received from Sirius stated that there were all sorts of Skills in God's Domain. There were ordinary Skills, General Skills, Taboo Skills, and an extremely rare type of Skill known as a Secret Technique.

Secret Techniques were unique in God's Domain.

Moreover, learning a Secret Technique was different from learning ordinary Skills, whereby players could learn a Skill with a click of a button. Secret Techniques were also different from Taboo Skills, where players were only required to reach a certain Completion Rate. To learn a Secret Technique, players had to comprehend it. One's comprehension depended on the player. As to how one used the Secret Technique, that also depended on the player.

Unlike the usual Skills, a Secret Technique would not appear in a player's Skill Menu even after learning it. Secret Techniques also lacked a Cooldown. Players could use the Secret Technique whenever and however they desired. The only resource consumed when using a Secret Technique was Concentration.

Shi Feng had learned a Secret Technique before. In truth, a Secret Technique was just a unique method of utilizing combat techniques.

Void Steps was considered a footwork-type Secret Technique.

Moreover, Sirius had revealed that his six-in-one combination attack was a byproduct of his Secret Technique. Although he had known how to use such a technique for quite a while, he had not been able to use the six-in-one combination attack. However, learning the Secret Technique had allowed his combat standard to reach a whole new level, allowing him to execute a six-in-one combination attack. Without the Secret Technique, even with his Domain, such a complex technique would have been beyond him.

Meanwhile, when speaking of Secret Techniques...

Shi Feng immediately thought of the Secret Sword Technique he had obtained during his promotion to Blade Saint.

At the time, he had not realized what this item's purpose was. The stone tablet's introduction simply stated that it held some kind of divine power and that he needed to collect all the stone tablet fragments to restore the engraved pattern. Hence, he had not bothered with the Secret Sword Technique.

After all, obtaining this single fragment had nearly cost him his life. How difficult would it be to collect all six pieces?

Of course, the Secret Technique stone tablet the Battle Wolves had obtained was also incomplete. Even so, players could still learn from the fragment. However, they needed to meet a specific requirement to learn the Secret Technique it hid.

The requirement was Magic Crystals!

One needed to inject a significant amount of magic power into the stone tablet to activate the Secret Technique once. Moreover, this Secret Technique was not complete. If one wanted to learn the complete Secret Technique, they had to collect all the necessary fragments.

Although Sirius had kindly told him how to activate the Secret Technique stone tablet, the old man had not told him where to find one. This was also the first time Shi Feng had ever heard of Secret Techniques.

This was the tragedy middle- and low-class players faced. Unless one was extraordinarily lucky, many of God's Domain's secrets were beyond people like him.

"Secret Sword Technique?" Violet Cloud blinked as she looked at the stone tablet in Shi Feng's hands. "Guild Leader, can't only melee classes learn this?"

"No. Any class can learn a Secret Technique. However, some are more suitable for certain classes. Fortunately, there is no limit to how many players can learn it. Take Void Steps and Sirius's six-in-one combination attack for example. These combat techniques are not necessarily suitable for our classes. However, if utilized properly, they are still significantly effective," Shi Feng explained, smiling.

In reality, the Secret Technique Sirius had learned was more suited to magical classes, while Void Steps was more suitable for Assassins rather than Swordsmen. When used, however, they could still improve a player's combat power significantly.

Aside from suitability, how much one had of a Secret Technique was also important.

Sirius had learned his Secret Technique from a fragment. Hence, he could display immense power with the technique. On the other hand, Shi Feng had learned Void Steps by copying another player. His skill with the technique was less than garbage. Hence, his capabilities with Void Steps were limited. If he had learned the Secret Sword Technique before his fight with Sirius, he would have had a much easier time taking the old man down.

Hearing Shi Feng's explanation, his companions were speechless.

They had all seen Sirius's six-in-one combination attack. They had never imagined that the stone tablet before them was actually something so amazing. If they could learn such a combat technique as well, they would have a higher chance of winning their battles, even against more powerful opponents. 

Chapter 800 - Restrictions

Shi Feng could not help his smile when he saw the yearning and desperation in everyone's eyes. He could relate.

"Although the Secret Technique stone tablet is an excellent item, there are many restrictions. There are even restrictions while one is learning the Secret Technique itself. This is not an easy endeavor," Shi Feng explained.

The Secret Technique stone tablet help players learn how to better-utilize their combat techniques. While learning these methods, they might even discover a breakthrough and advance their combat standards. This was why Sirius was so confident of his declaration that Shi Feng could grow stronger if he possessed a Secret Technique stone tablet.

If every member in a Guild could learn the Secret Technique, their strength could defy heaven.

Naturally, the Main God System would not allow such a situation. Although the legacy within a Secret Technique stone tablet would not expire, it could only be used once per month. Moreover, only ten players could learn the technique each time it was available.

In addition, because he only possessed a fragment, he needed to create a Stabilizing Magic Array to use it.

Magic arrays were incomparably precious. Normally, it was impossible for players to obtain the knowledge of creating one. Moreover, kingdoms and empires kept a very tight lid on any information they had about magic arrays, making it even more difficult for players to learn the process. Hence, players had to rely on the Magic Array Designs they obtained to teach them the mechanics of producing magic arrays.

Currently, no player throughout God's Domain knew how to produce Stabilizing Magic Arrays. They could only obtain them from NPCs.

Although God's Domain had countless NPCs, not all NPCs knew how to produce magic arrays. Even powerful magical class NPCs rarely knew how to produce more profound arrays.

The Stabilizing Magic Array just happened to be a particularly profound, twofold magic array. Even Tier 3 magical class NPCs would find it extremely difficult to produce an array of such caliber.

This wasn't the only issue they faced.

These magic arrays also required something of each player. To learn a Secret Technique from a stone tablet, players also needed to know how to produce magic arrays. Of course, they didn't need a complete understanding of the topic, but they did need the ability to produce a simple Intermediate Magic Array.

This was why Shi Feng had led his team to the Special Forging Room.

The Simulation Device in the Candlelight Trading Firm's Special Forging Rooms had already recorded all of the information Zero Wing possessed about magic arrays. Even the designs for the Nine-star Polar Domain and Teleportation Magic Array had been recorded. Players could easily rehearse the production process without needing to waste precious materials. They only needed to spend some Magic Crystals.

When Shi Feng thought about how the Battle Wolves lacked a Special Forging Room of its own, he imagined how many materials they Super Guild had spent to allow ten players to learn to produce an Intermediate Magic Array. The thought was staggering. However, the Battle Wolves was capable of such a feat precisely because it was a Super Guild. A first-rate Guild could never afford to learn a Secret Technique without a Special Forging Room.

"If you wish to learn the Secret Technique, you'll have to learn to produce Intermediate Magic Arrays. All of the necessary information can be found inside the Simulation Device. Learn the technique as quickly as possible. Once you can produce Intermediate Magic Arrays, you can learn the Secret Technique," Shi Feng explained as he pointed towards the flowing ball of water inside the forging room.

"Learn to produce Intermediate Magic Arrays?" Aqua Rose repeated with a frown.

This task would be very difficult. As a Cursemancer, she relied on incantations and runes to cast her Spells, so she had little understanding of the subject.

In reality, when magical class players cast a Spell, they drew runes or chanted incantations to guide the surrounding Elemental Mana to form a magic array.

Of course, higher-tiered Spells required more runes and incantations. As she understood it, a Tier 1 Spell's magic array was the equivalent of a Basic Magic Array, while a Tier 2 Spell's array was the equivalent of an Intermediate Magic Array. Moreover, when constructing a magic array, the system would not offer any assistance or guidance. Players had to draw the runes or chant the incantations themselves. Hence, the requirement was quite strict.

In other words, without any assistance from the system, she needed to complete a relatively complex Tier 2 Spell in a set period of time. Furthermore, the magic array she needed to craft would be far more complex than any of her Spells.

It would be very difficult for her to produce an Intermediate Magic Array.

If a magical class player already had such troubles, this would be a nightmare for physical class players.

"This is mandatory. Even I can't do anything about it. You have to rely on yourselves for this task," Shi Feng said as he spread his hands in a helpless gesture. He could not help them.

He had only been able to produce the Nine-star Polar Domain so quickly because of the understanding he had gained in his previous life. Hence, it would take a relatively long time for the others to produce an Intermediate Magic Array.

Fortunately, he could use this opportunity to deal with the Guild Stable.

Following which, Shi Feng left the Candlelight Trading Firm and headed towards the Adventurer's Association. Meanwhile, Fire Dance and the other physical class players began to learn all they could about magic arrays. As for Aqua Rose and the other magical classes, they began to experiment with the process of producing Basic Magic Arrays.

---

As the number of Guild Residences in the city rapidly increased, the number of players who visited the Adventurer's Association in search of their Daily Guild Quests increased as well. Currently, the Association enjoyed a constant stream of players entering and leaving the building. When the players inside the building saw the six-winged Guild Emblem on Shi Feng's chest, their gazes turned green with envy.

Many of the female players acted like ravenous wolves when their eyes landed on Shi Feng. They shot him flirtatious glances and dreamed of pouncing on the young man, devouring him whole.

Shi Feng was speechless. He inwardly celebrated the fact that he had not come as Black Flame, and that he had chosen to wear his Black Cloak. Otherwise, these players might have truly devoured him.

However, when he saw the players lined up to accept their daily quests, he could not help but feel nostalgia.

In the past, he, too, had often come here to receive his Daily Guild Quests.

Guild Quests fell into two main categories. The first category consisted of the Daily Guild Quests that players could accept at the Adventurer's Association, while the second consisted of the NPC-commissioned quests that were sent to Guild Residences.

Any Guild member could accept a Daily Guild Quest. However, the rewards were mediocre at best. Very little EXP was awarded as well.

Meanwhile, NPC-commissioned quests were different. Even the most ordinary commissioned quest provided decent remuneration and EXP reward. Some even rewarded relatively good weapons and equipment.

Unfortunately, Guild Residences did not receive enough NPC-commissioned quests to supply every member within a Guild. These quests were also directly related to a Guild's Popularity. The higher a Guild's Popularity was, the more well-known it was among NPCs. After reaching a certain level of popularity, even NPCs from other cities and towns would commission a quest.

Currently, Zero Wing had the highest Popularity among all of the Guilds in White River City. Every day, Zero Wing's Guild Residence received more than 1,000 commissioned quests. Among them, there were over a hundred high-level quests.

Aside from its high Popularity, Zero Wing received so many quests because of its Residence's Smithy. Every day, the Smithy would provide a certain number of quests. Hence, Zero Wing received far more commissioned quests than other Guilds. Large Guilds like Overwhelming Smile only received several hundred commissioned quests each day, with only several dozen high-level quests.

Zero Wing walked the path of the elite, so it had far fewer members than its competitors. As a result, the percentage of players within the Guild that could accept commissioned quests each day was relatively high. On the other hand, due to having too many members, other Guild's ordinary members even found it difficult to receive an ordinary commissioned quest, not to mention high-level commissioned quests.

---

In the second-floor reception hall:

"Sir, how may I be of service to you today?" a beautiful female receptionist asked Shi Feng, smiling.

"I wish to construct a Stable. Please compile the necessary quotes for me," Shi Feng said, handing over the Stable Design.