"Are you sure you want to challenge ?"
The youth from the Kongtong Sect asked as he looked at Mar-Dule on stage.
Mar-Dule in response sneered at him and said.
"I heard that among those in the Heaven Arena you’re the weakest. I might as well start with you here before I move on to the others."
Imdiately the disciples in the surroundings began muttering to each other in hush whispers.
"Isn’t he being too arrogant? Su-Jin might be considered the weakest of the Ten Rising Stars in the Heaven Arena but he’s still strong."
"Ha! Mar-Dule is a Rising Star as well; I don’t doubt his abilities in the slightest. It’s been so long since soone challenged these geniuses. For far too long they’ve hogged the Heaven Arena for themselves, and worse, they didn’t even earn it, they inherited it from their seniors who held it previously. But I believe that’s going to change. I can feel it, Su-Jin might just lose this match!"
"I think that’s bull. Su-Jin is the number one genius from the Kongtong Sect and the Head Disciple of the Divine Beast Pavilion. Do you really think so Barbarian is going to defeat him?"
Sol could hear the mixed reactions of the crowd in the surroundings.
anwhile, Su-Jin stood up from his seat while giving Mar-Dule an icy glare.
"Hey, you better not lose, it’ll look bad for us if people think we’re on the sa level as you."
Woo-Seong was heard saying to Su-Jin.
Su-Jin turned to look at him before his gaze swept over the other Rising Stars in the Heaven Arena. He gritted his teeth.
’So, what if I entered the Heaven Arena by default? Who do you think you fools are to look down on ?’
His position in the Heaven Areana Rankings were overshadowed by the fact that Byeong-Ho had not joined the Martial Alliance academy. If he had, Su-Jin would have dropped down to the Sky Arena. So, this was a sore point for him.
Su-Jin’s figure blurred, and he appeared on the stage in front of Mar-Dule.
"No need for a best of three, a one-on-one match is enough."
Mar-Dule smirked.
"My thoughts exactly."
He then reached for the saber attached to his waist and withdrew it.
Su-Jin calmly flipped over his palm and retrieved a staff.
’A staff?’
Sol was a bit disappointed. A staff was the farthest weapon away from him that he would use.
Su-Jin and Mar-Dule stood silently while staring at each other.
The crowd slowly cald down and all eyes fixated on the stage. This was a rare battle between two renowned geniuses. They were sure that word of this match would spread throughout Jianghu. No matter what the results were, it could create a massive wave.
Suddenly, Mar-Dule’s rotund figure disappeared from his position. Despite his size, he was unnaturally fast. It seed he had chosen to open the acupoints in his legs.
One reason why this match was so anticipated by the crowd of youths was that they would get to see the progress of these geniuses. For far too long they’ve only been cultivating in secret and not displaying their combat strength. Up until now, it was re speculation.
Mar-Dule appeared in front of Su-Jin and rotated his body to perform a slash with overbearing montum.
But despite Mar-Dule’s unnatural speed and montum, Su-Jin rely twisted his wrist, which resulted in his staff resembling a snake as it struck out.
Smack!
The snake-like staff easily redirected Mar-Dule’s slash by hitting his wrist.
Mar-Dule quickly recovered and slashed out with his saber once more, however, the result was still the sa.
Smack!
Smack!
Smack!
Smack!
Su-Jin was easily redirecting Mar-Dule’s saber slashes while making sure to keep his distance.
Mar-Dule tried to add faints to throw off Su-Jin’s senses, but he would always hit Mar-Dule’s wrist without fail.
Su-Jin did this with a terrifyingly calm expression.
"How is Su-Jin doing that? It’s like he’s predicting the future!"
"Yeah, Mar-Dule can’t even get close to him. He might have chosen the wrong opponent when he uses a saber."
Sol blinked when he heard that.
’But he’s just reading Brother Mar-Dule’s movents. It’s not as great as reading the future.’
Sol had learned this thod of fighting from his father from a young age, so he ca to find this as a normal way of fighting. But for these disciples, what Su-Jin was doing seed to be mind-blowing.
’No, from the looks of it, Brother Mar-Dule is doing this on purpose.’
Just as Sol thought that, on the stage, Mar-Dule suddenly switched the saber from his right hand to his left hand. His speed practically tripled, and the attack patterns that Su-Jin had slowly morized to continuously perform those amazing feats completely vanished.
Su-Jin was caught off guard and fell for one of Mar-Dule’s faints. As his staff extended past Mar-Dule, he was unable to bring it back in ti to block Mar-Dule’s saber that was heading for his throat.
Panicked, Su-Jin pushed off the ground in retreat.
However, Mar-Dule’s saber was too fast. Su-Jin didn’t have ti to think; he retrieved a hidden knife from his left sleeve to barely block Mar-Dule’s strike.
"Ugh!"
With a groan, Su-Jin recoiled from the force of the slash, while his arm went numb.
Mar-Dule was about to follow up, but he had to shift his head slightly.
Pitua!
Su-Jin’s staff suddenly punctured the air where Mar-Dule’s face was. He had been able to endure the recoil and recover his staff in that split second when he blocked Mar-Dule’s saber.
The advantage that Mar-Dule suddenly gained was gone as Su-Jin’s staff left shadows while aiming for Mar-Dule’s vital points.
"That was close, Su-Jin was nearly defeated during that exchange."
"Yeah, but he was able to recover. Normal people like us wouldn’t be able to react in that split second."
"If this continues then Su-Jin might win without calling on his Innate Dharma!"
Sol hearing these discussions he wanted to shake his head.
’He’s doing it again.’
As Sol thought that Mar-Dule, who was being pushed back by Su-Jin’s staff shadows, suddenly had his eyes flash and he flipped his palm over to retrieve another saber.
Mar-Dule was a dual-saber wielder.
With a flick of his right wrist, Mar-Dule parried Su-Jin’s staff. Then with a flick of his left wrist, his saber stabbed through the air; its tip aiming to leave a bloody hole in Su-Jin’s chest.
Su-Jin gritted his teeth and was forced to call on his Innate Dharma.
BANG!!
A terrifying aura erupted from Su-Jin as a large illusory serpent appeared above him.
This sixty-ter serpent that almost took up half the stage was releasing a ghostly black energy. When it appeared, a wave of energy knocked Mar-Dule away, before its vertical pupils that had a vicious look in them then landed on him.
A loud uproar happened in the crowd when they saw Su-Jin unleashing his Innate Dharma.
"My god, I can’t believe I’m seeing a Tier 7 Innate Dharma this closeup!"
"No wonder Su-Jin is so strong, just the aura of his Innate Dharma is so terrifying!"
Sol examined this Innate Dharma with curiosity. He guessed this was a Divine Beast Innate Dharma. It wasn’t like Yoon-Jae’s own that had an Elental affinity, but it was still strong.
Sol wondered how Mar-Dule was going to handle this.
It was said that Barbarians were naturally at a disadvantage against Arkadians because of their powerful Innate Dharmas, but Sol thought that a Barbarian’s Runic Body was being underestimated. As soone cultivating a Runic Body, he knew how powerful it was.
’Brother Mar-Dule might be the person who Master was talking about. But is he really as talented as in Rune Inscriptions?’
Sol’s eyes shone with focus as he watched how the match would unfold.
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