A blinding explosion shook the entire arena. Dust and debris filled the air as everyone in the stadium stared toward the center, curiosity etched on every face. As the haze cleared, two figures stood at the heart of the blast.
Shaurya and Wie Lu.
Their swords clashed, locked in a deadly dance, releasing powerful energy waves that sent gusts of wind across the arena. Shaurya stared into Wie Lu's eyes with a calm, confident smile. Wie Lu, however, glared back with fury and venom in his eyes.
"You're good," Shaurya said, his voice steady.
"You're annoying," Wie Lu snarled.
With another surge of power, they clashed again. This time, Wie Lu managed to overpower Shaurya, sending him flying. Shaurya flipped mid-air, landing on his feet after several backflips. Before he could recover, Wie Lu charged at him again, unleashing a relentless flurry of attacks. Shaurya's expression turned tense, yet he still maintained a small smile.
Using aerial steps, Shaurya finally dodged an attack and countered with a strong kick that sent Wie Lu back then. Standing tall, Shaurya spoke coldly:
"It doesn't matter if you're a demon, human, or anything in between. If you're evil, then you're destined to fall."
With a burst of speed, he charged again. Wie Lu raised his crimson shield, blocking the strike, and retaliated with a devastating Hyper Voice attack that sent Shaurya sliding across the ground. Blood trickled from his lip, but he dug his sword into the earth to stop.
"Is... is his power increasing?" Shaurya muttered.
System Notification: "Yes, Host. You are correct. In his demonic form, his power has risen to Qi Refiner Level 8."
Shaurya's eyes widened. "Qi Refiner Level 8?! That's... too strong."
Their battle grew more intense, each clash sending shockwaves that rocked the stadium. The City Lord continued shielding the crowds, with Wang Tian and other sect members evacuating civilians. The remaining sects joined the efforts to assist.
Meanwhile, the disciples of the Sanatan Flame Sect, along with Elder Wu, were rushing toward the stadium.
"Disciples! Ready yourselves! We face a grave threat, it's your first time to face somthing like this so you must be scared." Elder Wu called out.
Despite his warning, the disciples looked confident.
"Senior Xiao Rui," one disciple said, "how about we make our entrance super cool?"
"Yes, yes! Like they did in the competition!" another added.
Elder Wu glanced back and chuckled. "Maybe I'm overthinking it. Forget it."
Back at the arena, Shaurya stood on the ground, breathing heavily. Wie Lu hovered in the sky with a devilish grin.
"You're still standing? Still acting like you're something? You weakling," Wie Lu taunted.
Shaurya closed his eyes, inhaled deeply, and then exhaled slowly. A peaceful smile spread across his lips.
"Let's see if you can still talk like this after I beat you."
Before Wie Lu could respond, Shaurya appeared in front of him with a swift kick to the face. A second spinning kick followed by an upward strike to the chin sent Wie Lu flying. Shaurya chased him mid-air and punched him in the gut, crashing him to the ground.
As Shaurya descended with his sword, Wie Lu rolled aside, dodging the strike that exploded the ground. Standing again, Wie Lu sneered:
"You'll never defeat the power of demons!"
He roared, unleashing a monstrous wave of dark energy. A massive spiritual demonic figure, towering like a building, emerged behind him, its aura suffocating.
Shaurya stood frozen. Even the spectators gasped in horror.
System Alert: "Warning. Enemy power increased to Qi Refiner Level 12."
"What?! Level 12? Is this a joke?" Shaurya muttered.
Wie Lu raised his hand; the demonic figure mimicked him. A colossal punch surged toward Shaurya. Sweat dripped from his forehead.
But then... he smiled.
Raising his sword sideways, Shaurya yelled, "Ultimate Sword Strike!"
The impact created a huge explosion. Shaurya flew back and crashed into the stadium wall, coughing blood. Despite the injuries, he stood again, smiling.
"Are you brain-dead or just mental?! No matter how many times I beat you, you keep standing and smiling!" Wie Lu shouted.
Shaurya wiped his mouth. "A soul that follows Dharma will never bow to evil."
"Dharma? What's that?"
"Ah, right. You wouldn't understand. In simple words — the one who walks the righteous path never surrenders to darkness."
He whispered, "System, use my reward. All EXP and major level-up."
System Notification: "Affirmative. Major level up and 500,000 EXP applied. Host has reached Foundation Builder Level 2."
Golden energy surged around Shaurya. He stood up, sword in hand, radiating divine aura.
"Now, I'll show you the power of Dharma... the power of light. My true power!"
He roared, "MY FURY!"
An overwhelming golden light erupted from him, purging the demonic energy in an instant. His five disciples stared in awe.
"Is Master leveling up?" asked Luo Chen.
"More than that. This is another realm entirely," Xu Ran replied.
Wang Tian watched, stunned. "Even I, an emperor in my past life, have never seen something like this."
Su Quan, speechless. The City Lord could only gasp.
Shaurya in powering up stance roared again. The ground trembled. Wie Lu panicked and commanded his demon avatar to attack.
But Shaurya shifted his stance — right leg back, left leg bent, takes right hand slightly back to attack then.
"DRAGON FIST!"
A radiant golden dragon burst from his fist, tearing through the demonic figure. It pierced Wie Lu and breakes the upper side of Stadium while going upward and then exploded into the sky, shattering dark clouds.
Elder Wu and the disciples arrived just in time to witness it. The entire city watched in silence as golden particles rained like stardust.
Shaurya, smiling, stood tall,bent back in a victorious pose and roared:
"I WIN!"
The crowd erupted. The announcer's voice rang out with joy.
"The battle is over! Sanatan Flame Sect is victorious! Their leader not only won the competition but also saved the city!"
The cheers echoed throughout the city.
Elder Wu rushed forward. "Leader Shaurya, are you alright?"
"Elder Wu? You're here?"
"Master! We came to help!" Xiao Rui called.
Shaurya gave a thumbs-up. "Don't worry. I'm fine. But you should ask the others if they are."
The disciples spread out to assist others. Elder Wu smiled. "Leader Shaurya... you're amazing."
More disciples surrounded him.
"Master, you're OP!"
"Master, you're too handsome!"
Shaurya swelled with pride. "Haha! Yes! I'll train you all to become majestic warriors like me! But before we have something important."
He sat down on a chair with his og black sunglasses, smirking. "Disciples' recruitment... begins."
Suddenly, a massive crowd stormed toward the stadium. Swords flying in the sky, people rushing in.
"What the...?!" Elder Wu and Wang Tian shouted. "STAY IN LINE!"
Everyone froze at their commanding voices.
Shaurya chuckled awkwardly. "These two ancient guys are too good at disciplining."
The recruitment began. As it did, the system pinged.
"Xiao Rui," Shaurya said, "take over."
"I knew it! Master would give me his job!" Xiao Rui laughed, collecting silver from other disciples. "Hah! I win the bet!"
He patted Shaurya's shoulder and began the recruitment.
Shaurya, stunned: "These guys... what are they even—ugh, never mind."
Walking to the side, he whispered:
"System, come on. Show me what I got."
System Notification: "Congratulations, Host."
---
Author's Note:
Thank you so much for reading this chapter! Please leave a comment about your favorite part, share your thoughts, vote, and add this novel to your library if you enjoyed it.
To be continued...