Chapter 96 The Arena of Life and Death

Qingran stood on the distant stands, a ray of golden morning light shining on her, as if she were shrouded in a holy light, every inch of her skin crystal clear, indescribably stunning.

She carried an ancient sword on her back, had long, jet-black hair that reached her waist, and possessed a graceful figure and a cold demeanor, as if she had descended from the moon palace. The other students dared not approach her at all.

After chatting with Han Yue and the others for a few minutes, Yan Qin transformed into a slender, green shadow and came to Qing Ran's side, smiling as she said, "Sister Ran, you really came too."

"Hmph, I'm here to see how he'll be killed by Li Leyao." Qingran's starry eyes held a chilling aura as she stared intently at Wang Hao on the stage.

Yan Qin smiled mysteriously and said, "He is the number one Yellow-ranked student in our Dragon Martial Hall. He has exceptional talent. You should have faith in him. Who knows, he might just defeat Li Leyao without you even realizing it?"

"Has there ever been a genius in the history of Burning Lamp Academy who defeated a cultivator at the Great Perfection of Qi Refining Realm during the mid-stage of Qi Refining Realm?" Qingran gently shook her head.

“But I heard that he has already reached the peak of the mid-stage of Qi Refining, and his cultivation has greatly improved,” Yan Qin said with a smile.

Qingran said, "Even if you reach the peak of the mid-stage of Qi Refining, so what? It's just a realm that's not even considered a minor realm."

She herself is a top genius, so she is very clear about the abilities of geniuses.

Some geniuses are invincible within their own realm, while others can transcend one or even two realms to defeat their opponents.

However, even Li Xu probably couldn't defeat an opponent who transcends three realms.

Moreover, Li Leyao is a student of the Burning Lamp Academy and a disciple of the West Courtyard. Which one of them is mediocre?

Not only Qingran thought so, but many of the trainees present also did not think highly of Wang Hao, believing that this was a battle with no suspense.

The Platform of Life and Death is a white stone platform that is fifty meters high and ten zhang square, constructed from massive, polished stones weighing tens of thousands of kilograms each.

Below the arena of life and death, there were countless sharp iron spikes, each over two meters long, and some of the spikes seemed to still have traces of blood on their tips.

If a cultivator falls off the life-and-death arena, even if he doesn't die from the fall, his body will be pierced by iron spikes.

Therefore, once they step onto the life-or-death arena, they must face life or death. Even if they want to escape, they cannot. Qingran's worries are completely unnecessary; one of them will inevitably die.

Li Leyao was very confident in his abilities and had already stepped onto the life-or-death arena, waiting for Wang Hao.

He stood tall and imposing in the center of the arena, exuding a heroic and dashing air. His gaze swept over the surroundings, taking in the beautiful female students standing on the stands, and a calm and carefree smile appeared on his face.

He was confident of victory in this battle.

In the distance, Elder Xie watched Wang Hao ascend the Life and Death Arena step by step. He grew anxious and was about to use his movement technique to catch up and stop Wang Hao, for once he stepped onto the arena, it would be too late.

Just then, a silver phantom flashed past Elder Xie, and a slightly withered hand pressed down on Elder Xie's shoulder.

"Elder Shangren, what are you doing?" Elder Xie asked angrily, his eyes flashing with cold light.

Elder Shangren kept his hand on Elder Xie's shoulder, preventing Elder Xie from rushing over, and said with a smile, "Elder Xie, calm down. It's just a duel between two juniors. Why do you have to interfere?"

Elder Xie looked at Wang Hao, who was about to step onto the life-or-death arena in the distance, and became even more anxious. He said, "He is the disciple with the best chance of competing with Li Xu. If he dies on the life-or-death arena, what a great loss it will be for the academy!"

Elder Shangren's smile vanished, and he snorted coldly, saying, "So what if he has high talent? In the first round of the exam, he killed more than a hundred people. He's so bloodthirsty at such a young age. When he becomes a strongman, won't he cause even more bloodshed?"

Elder Xie retorted angrily, "Did you see it with your own eyes? I think you're just afraid of being held accountable by the Li family!"

"You! Hmph, this is a personal feud between Wang Hao and Li Leyao, and you can't stop it." Elder Shangren's eyes were cold, and although he was quite speechless, he still remained defiant.

Another elder also rushed over, not wanting Elder Shangren and Elder Xie to get too tense, so he advised, "Elder Xie, we are just academy elders, we just need to give lectures."

"As for their personal grudges, let them settle them themselves. We shouldn't get involved. It won't do them any good if they rely on the elders for everything."

Elder Shangren laughed and said, "Elder Li is right. Wang Hao is the top freshman, but he is obviously very bloodthirsty. He needs a lot of training. If he dies, it can only mean that he was not destined to become a strong person."

If Elder Xie had said that to any other student, he might have believed it. But Wang Hao was about to have a life-or-death duel with Li Leyao. They were about to die, so what was the point of training?

At this moment, Wang Hao had already stepped onto the life-and-death arena and stood opposite Li Leyao. The two were five zhang apart, and their robes fluttered without any wind.

Elder Xie gritted his teeth and glared angrily at Elder Shangren, but ultimately did not unleash his fury. After all, Elder Shangren's cultivation was superior to his, and he would undoubtedly lose if he fought Elder Shangren.

Now we can only hope that Wang Hao can escape death, although the hope is very slim.

Elder Shangren watched Elder Xie walk onto the platform with a flick of his sleeves, a mocking smile appearing on his old face. Then, he turned his gaze to the life-and-death arena, his smile becoming even more unrestrained.

Whether Wang Hao is a top genius or not has little to do with him. Who told Wang Hao to contradict him in the Battle Tower? He deserved to die. It can only be said that he was unlucky.

"Bang! Bang!"

A series of explosions erupted from the tops of the sixteen bronze pillars surrounding the arena, and sixteen fireballs ignited in the braziers atop the pillars, illuminating the sky.

"You've got guts, actually daring to step onto the life-or-death stage." Li Leyao stared at Wang Hao, a smile appearing on his face.

This was clearly not a compliment to Wang Hao, but rather a mockery of his foolishness.

Wang Hao stood ramrod straight with his hands behind his back, his clothes as white as snow, and sneered, "Why waste so much time talking nonsense? Are you leaving your last words?"

Li Leyao's eyes turned cold, and he said, "Fine! Since you want to die sooner, then I'll grant your wish!"

Both of them turned their gazes toward the weapon rack at the edge of the arena.

On the weapon rack were displayed various weapons: swords, knives, halberds, spears, whips, lances, clubs... a total of thirty-one types of weapons.

Any martial artist who steps onto the Death Arena cannot bring their own weapons; they can only use the weapons available on the arena.

It can be said that whoever seizes the weapons first has a greater advantage.

This is exactly the same as the dueling mode in ancient times, testing the comprehensive strength of both sides in all aspects.

"Whoosh."

Li Leyao took the lead, transforming into a white shadow and rushing towards the weapon rack on the life-and-death arena.

He spotted an iron sword on the fourth shelf of the weapon rack and was about to pick it up when he reached out and grabbed nothing.

Before he knew it, Wang Hao had already taken the iron sword into his hand. He lightly flicked the blade with his fingers and said, "There are no array patterns on the sword. It's just an ordinary sword, but the workmanship is quite good."

"When...did you...?"

Li Leyao stared at Wang Hao, who was so close to him, his face full of shock. He simply couldn't believe that he was the one who had taken the sword first.

However, Wang Hao came from behind and surpassed his opponent. What does this mean?

This shows that Wang Hao's speed is superior to his!

"Whoosh."

The students standing in the stands were all shocked by what they saw, and there was an uproar. Some even rubbed their eyes.

"Wang Hao's speed is actually faster than Li Leyao's?!"

"Goodness, Wang Hao truly lives up to his reputation as the top freshman. It turns out he's been playing dumb all along. With his speed advantage alone, the outcome of this duel has become unpredictable."

"To dare to step onto the life-or-death stage, you truly have some skill!"

"That's not necessarily true. Don't forget that the Life and Death Arena is only ten zhang in size. Although Wang Hao has an advantage in speed, the range is only so big. It shouldn't be difficult for Li Leyao to kill him."

"Most importantly, don't forget that there is a gap in their cultivation levels. Strength is one aspect, but there's also the amount of spiritual energy they possess. No matter how fast Wang Hao is, Li Leyao can wear him down!"

Upon hearing this, the other trainees agreed and nodded in agreement.

Yan Qin looked at the group of students with disdain, then turned her gaze to Qing Ran and said with a smile, "Sister Ran, you said that if Wang Hao could defeat Li Leyao, you would spare his life."

"Let's wait until he wins." Qingran stared at the arena and snorted coldly.

......

On the life-or-death stage, Li Leyao was momentarily distracted, but quickly realized that if he couldn't get the sword, he would use the gun.

He picked up a seven-foot-long iron spear from the fifth shelf of the weapon rack and, as expected, swung it horizontally, whistling as it slashed diagonally towards Wang Hao.

Wang Hao took a step back, easily dodging the spear. His body was as light as a leaf, and he instantly floated more than ten feet away.

"Swift Step!"

Li Leyao channeled his spiritual energy into his legs and unleashed a mysterious footwork technique, his legs seemingly enveloped by a whirlwind as he chased after the pursuer.

When he was four meters in front of Wang Hao, he thrust out his spear again, spiritual energy surging from his palm, passing through the shaft and reaching the tip of the spear.

A flame erupted from the tip of the iron spear, igniting it like a nimble fire serpent flying through the air, clearly indicating that his cultivation technique was related to the fire element.

Based on Li Leyao's current strength, he is capable of simultaneously fighting against at least four ordinary late-stage Qi Refining cultivators.

Wang Hao took a step forward, his body darting to the other side like a phantom, once again dodging Li Leyao's thrusting spear.

"If you've got the guts, don't hide, come face to face with me!" Li Leyao was furious.

Wang Hao, holding his iron sword, said with a faint smile, "You can't even touch me, so what right do you have to shout like this? Show me your full strength and let me see if you're worthy of making me draw my sword."

"court death!"

Li Leyao let out a long howl, and the spiritual energy in his body surged out. At the same time, he held the spear horizontally and swung his arm, making the flames covering the spear even hotter.

"Blazing Flame God-Slaying Spear!"

This is a basic Taoist technique, consisting of eight spears, which Li Leyao has already mastered.

"Whoosh!"

The spear thrust out, forming a cloud of fire, and in an instant, it reached Wang Hao. At that moment, his speed increased dramatically.

Wang Hao's eyes turned serious. He gripped the iron sword tightly with his five fingers, and slashed it horizontally, striking the tip of the spear and knocking it away. This completely blocked Li Leyao's next move.

Then, he strode forward and thrust his sword diagonally upwards, aiming for Li Leyao's right armpit at an extremely tricky angle.

Li Leyao's expression changed, and he immediately turned his spear around, using the end of the spear to slash at Wang Hao's back.

"Heavenly Heart Sword Bell!"

The immense spiritual energy within Wang Hao's body erupted completely, forming a phantom image of a large bell, which guarded the center of the bell within his body.

The spear's tail struck the illusory sword bell, creating a powerful clash.

"boom!"

The two of them stepped back simultaneously, widening the distance between them by ten meters.

Li Leyao stood with his spear held horizontally, sneered, and said, "I'm going all out. Wang Hao, you're dead. The gap of three minor realms is not something that can be easily bridged."

Wang Hao remained expressionless, standing with his sword held horizontally.

Seeing that Wang Hao showed no fear, Li Leyao let out a cold snort and attacked again. This time, he was determined to pierce Wang Hao's heart.

"Sizzle!"

As Li Leyao thrust out his spear, the air seemed to ignite, crackling and popping.

This time, Wang Hao did not dodge. Just as the spear was within three meters of him, the flames on the spear made his face glow red.

"A full moon in the sky!"

Wang Hao suddenly swung his arm, and the iron sword drew a circle in mid-air, leaving thirty-six white sword shadows. The white sword shadows formed a circle, like a white bright moon held in his hand.

"Whoosh!"

As he thrust out his iron sword, thirty-six sword shadows simultaneously flew forward.

Li Leyao quickly switched from offense to defense, constantly wielding his spear to shatter the incoming sword energy.

However, seven sword energies still flew towards him. Four of them struck his body, while the other three grazed his skin, leaving only three shallow bloodstains.

"Bang! Bang!"

Four holes were punched through Li Leyao's clothes by the sword energy, and below the holes, pieces of metal scales were exposed.

It turned out that he was wearing armor underneath his clothes, which blocked the four sword energies from before.

However, the power of those four sword energies was extremely strong. Although they were blocked by the armor, they still caused Li Leyao's blood to surge and he suffered some minor injuries.

"What a powerful sword strike! If Li Leyao hadn't been wearing armor, he would probably have been seriously injured even if he hadn't died."

"How can Wang Hao's swordsmanship be so superb at such a young age?"

......

Elder Xie narrowed his eyes, and suddenly, a look of shock appeared on his face. He exclaimed, "This...this...it's actually Sword Heart Clarity!!"

The other elders, upon hearing Elder Xie's words, also suddenly realized that Wang Hao's swordsmanship had indeed reached the level of "Sword Heart Clarity".

That's amazing!

It should be noted that the swordsmanship of these elders was only at the peak of the sword following the heart, and they had not yet broken through to the point of sword heart enlightenment.

Even Yan Qin was very surprised and found it unbelievable. She murmured, "His sword intent is so terrifying. Once he breaks through to the late stage of Qi Refining, I probably won't be his match."

"With his strength at that time, he will definitely be able to make it onto the Xuan Ranking, and his ranking will definitely not be low."