212 Lu Yuping and Jia Lu (1/2)
Li Chen stopped clinging to Xue Wei. Previously she had looked down on him, but not anymore. She had a feeling that messing with this young man had consequences that even she could not handle.
Xue Wei kept spectating the various battles in the cages. Everyone cheered for the one they had bet their low-grade essence stones on, but suddenly a roar came from one of the cages that made even Xue Wei flinch. This was the roar of a Primordial Beast.
”Oh, it seems like it is quite lively tonight,” Li Chen smiled and led Xue Wei towards the cage. No one was willing to make space for them, but by using her high cultivation base, she made an impenetrable barrier appear around Xue Wei and herself. When she moved forward, no matter if people wanted to or not, they were forced aside.
Some were grouchy about this, but when they saw that the culprit was Li Chen, they could only begrudgingly shut their mouths and try to squeeze in somewhere else.
There were two human figures inside this cage. One was slender and tall. He seemed extremely graceful as he stood in the middle of the cage with a mocking smile on his face and disdain in his eyes. He held a thin sword in his hands, which seemed as thin as a cicada's wing.
Opposite him was a massive mountain-like man. He had bulging muscles all over his body and held a club in his hand. Just by looking at their weapons of choice it seemed that either the thin sword would cut through the club or it would be shattered by the sheer power of the club when swung by such a monstrous man.
When looking at them, Xue Wei had no doubt about which one was the Primordial Beast. The inborn disdain for humans made it clear, alongside the graceful nature. This was a Primordial Beast of decent standing.
”Want to know what race he is?” Li Chen by his side suddenly asked. Xue Wei was stumped by the question and narrowed his eyes. She worked as an information broker so it was highly likely that she knew, but it was also likely to cost him.
”What is the price for this knowledge?” he could not help but ask. It was a lie to say that he was not interested, but it completely depended on the price.
”I want you to challenge another fifth layer Heavenly Warrior in the cages,” she said with a smile. ”I want to see how you fight.” Xue Wei had never expected this condition. The cage fighting had allured him. There were not many, if any, places where he could go to fight against someone as a test of his strength where no one would care about the aftermath, including murder.
Laughing, he nodded his head. ”That is a deal,” he agreed readily. Li Chen smiled. She knew who he was, and more importantly, what he was. As a result, it never crossed her mind that he might be losing against another fifth layered Heavenly Warrior.
What she was unaware of was that he had spent the last year only cultivating. He had been in a coma for seven months, and after that, he had been in closed-door cultivation for roughly four months until now. He had not actually fought since reaching his current rank.
”This man is a Golden-Furred Cloud Leopard,” Li Chen said casually. ”He is considered one of the best fighters in the entire city. He is an Earth Knight. It is not often that you witness him fighting, so since you are seeing it, you should treasure this opportunity.”
”His name is Lu Yuping. He has fought many people, but so far only a handful have made him take on his true shape. Let us see how far this challenger will be able to push him.”
Xue Wei nodded and crossed his arms over his chest. He observed the Lu Yuping figure with narrowed eyes. Most of the Primordial Beasts Xue Wei had met so far had been incapable of sensing his strength as a Sovereign Beast unless he transformed or released the strength of the Azure Dragon Spirit in his dantian. At all other times, he would look exactly like a human.
Still, this Lu Yuping looked at Xue Wei before the battle began, his face displaying some shock and disbelief, which were quickly hidden again as he faced his opponent.
Lu Yuping swung the sword in a full moon casually before he looked at his challenger. ”Do you think you stand a chance against me? I am a true Primordial Beast—and even one that has been at the seventh layer of the Earth Knight realm for quite some time. Do you honestly think you can beat me with your newly acquired seventh layer?”
There was pride, confidence, and even arrogance in Lu Yuping's voice as he spoke to the human challenger, but his foe did not give in to the taunts.
He said nothing. He lifted the club in his hand, getting ready to charge as soon as the battle commenced.
There was no judge in these cage fights because there was nothing that was considered unfair or wrong. You could use anything at your disposal to defeat your opponent; even outside strength, such as the use of formations and pills, was allowed during the fights.
However, the fight did not start as soon as the fighters entered the cage. That was the only rule. They both had some time to prepare, and they could engage in psychological warfare as they did. This was not only for the sake of the contestants but also to ensure that everyone had the time to put their bids on their preferred fighter—not to mention the entertainment value behind it.
The broker who dealt with taking the bets finally appeared by the side of the cage. He was in charge of starting the battle when no more people went to place their bets. His appearance brought the atmosphere to a boil. The audience cheered with large smiles, all eyes glued to the two figures inside the cage.