Chapter 2281

The second match was between Shuge and the Feather Tribe's young lady, Shang Yue. Although Shang Yue's elder brother, Quanyu, had already reached an agreement with Shuge, what Shang Yue didn't know was that her brother had left her a surprise.

As soon as the battle began, Shuge gathered a large amount of fire elements. Strangely, he did not restrict these fire elements but instead used elemental resonance to form them into various shapes.

A rain of fire and meteors fell from the sky, as if a natural disaster had descended. Shang Yue was stunned; they had agreed on a five-minute forfeit, so why had he suddenly started fighting for real?

In reality, Shuge wasn't serious at all; he hadn't even used the black flames capable of burning souls.

When the five-minute time limit arrived, the arena was already a sea of glowing red, the firelight reaching a blinding intensity. Shang Yue collapsed to the ground, her consciousness on the verge of fading.

Just as the battle between Shuge and Shang Yue ended, the Twin Stars entered the arena. His opponent was a Qiyuezhe from the Sanctuary Paradise—a man dressed as a priest, exuding an air of a charlatan.

Unfortunately, one minute into the fight, the charlatan from the Sanctuary Paradise was smashed to pieces by the Twin Stars' invisible force field. With this, only one participant from the Sanctuary Paradise remained.

The battles continued one after another. More than two hours later, the 15th battle concluded. The reason it went so fast was not only because some people forfeited, but also due to the order of the draw.

With 32 people drawing lots, Su Xiao discovered that after the second round ended, the top 16 in gladiatorial points had not been matched against each other. The draw seemed to have divided the participants into two groups: the top 16 in one group and the 16th to 32nd in the second, with the two groups matched against each other.

This was a very reasonable way to draw. Being in the top 16 of gladiatorial points already demonstrated one's strength. In the first three rounds of the Foreign Qiangzhe Contest, luck sometimes played a role, but by the fourth round, it was a battle of pure strength.

Su Xiao remembered the Reincarnation Paradise's previous notification that the fourth round was a point-based elimination match. Now it seemed this matching method was one of the rules of the point-based elimination.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I know you are all as reluctant as I am to see this grand event end, but the next match is the final one!"

The commentator, Hake, was not only passionate but also sounded quite relaxed. He was about to finish work and was looking forward to a six-month vacation. Plus, with the earnings from hosting the fourth round of the Foreign Qiangzhe Contest, how could he not be happy?

Su Xiao walked through the contestant tunnel. Just as he stepped onto the arena, the Reincarnation Paradise's notification appeared.

【You have obtained Light Hourglass +13.】

As this notification appeared, the mustachioed man walking in front coughed lightly, meaning: brother, you understand.

Su Xiao stepped onto the combat arena. The metal ground beneath his feet was not smooth; the brown coating on top had an anti-slip effect. A burnt smell hung in the air, caused by Shuge's battle.

Boom!

The Sword of Baro slashed against the Spirit Shield, and both dissipated. The battle began.

Although he had accepted the benefits, Su Xiao would not lower his guard. As he drew his blade, the Exile on his cuff peeled away.

The Exile broke through a wave of air and headed straight for the mustachioed man. The man extended one hand, and a light wall shimmering with cyan light appeared.

With a bang, the Exile pierced through the light wall and flew past the man's ear.

"Holy... crap!"

The muscles on the man's face twitched. Although he hadn't been very serious, this light wall ranked in his top three defensive abilities. He was now experiencing firsthand what it felt like to fight a Law-Breaker.

A pale blue arc of electricity flashed in the air and vanished as the Exile flew back to Su Xiao. To be safe, he used the 'Energy Blocking' ability to prevent the man from suddenly erupting.

Green Qing Qing Gang Ying External Release Form: Energy Blocking (Active). Can cover the enemy's body surface with Green Qing Qing Gang Ying energy. The effect lasts for 10 minutes. When the enemy uses energy-based skills, there is a chance to interrupt them and cause the enemy to fall into a paralyzed state.

Note: If used against a magic-type enemy, there is a 50% chance to force an interruption when the enemy casts a spell, causing them to fall into a non-judgment paralyzed state. The paralysis lasts 0.7 to 3 seconds and deals true damage equal to 0.8 times the enemy's consumed mana.

"That was close."

The mustachioed man was even more satisfied with the previous deal. He had already judged that fighting Su Xiao would almost certainly lead to death.

With his heart finally at ease, the man prepared to put on a show. Five full minutes—they couldn't just stare at each other the whole time; that would be too fake. Even with a behind-the-scenes deal, it couldn't be too obvious.

The man pressed his palms together. He made this gesture to remind Su Xiao that he was about to attack, letting Su Xiao be careful.

The man's aura suddenly surged. A cyan bubble appeared beside him, followed by a second. Judging by the trend, a third was about to form. It could only be said that the man was lucky; the 50% chance of Energy Blocking only triggered after he had cast three times.

Crackle...

Pale blue arcs of electricity flashed across the man's body. His eyes widened, his body suddenly stiffened, straight as a pillar, and then he fell sideways like a log. Laughter erupted from the audience. Although it was a bit unkind, they couldn't help it; the man had fallen so stiffly, just like a wooden stick.

Thud~

The man's head hit the metal ground. Just hearing the sound made one's head ache.

In the audience, the spellcasters from the Arcane Eternal Star saw this scene. Most of their expressions remained unchanged, but the Mage Sage Sefilia sighed. That feeling—she had experienced it before.

The Gale King stroked his forehead. When he was first hit by Energy Blocking a thousand years ago, he was exactly the same as that young man in the arena. The only difference was that his head had hit a rock.

The scene was a bit awkward. Su Xiao hesitated whether to go up and land another hit. According to the agreement, as long as he didn't die, it would be fine.

"The battle is exceptionally intense! What happened to contestant No. 16? Was he restricted by the enemy's ability? Although contestant No. 78 has fallen, he used his own ability to restrict No. 16. It's a narrow escape! This is a silent game of chess!"

The commentator, Hake, was exceptionally helpful. If one only listened to his commentary, the battle in the arena was very intense.

Five minutes later.

Bang!

The man hit the ground and rolled a few times before stopping. Ten meters away, the Zhan Checking Zhan Long Shan was nailed into the ground. Su Xiao stood with one foot on the hilt, his forearms wrapped in a crystal layer.

Cyan liquid surged around. Once in contact with this liquid, one would feel a sense of exhaustion. It had to be said, the man's strength was actually not weak.

"I, I forfeit."

The man climbed up from the ground, coughing dryly. In the past five minutes, his enemy hadn't really used his blade; he had been taught a lesson by hand-to-hand combat until he became autistic. After all, he basically didn't dare to cast spells; the experience at the start of the battle was just too painful.

The man remembered Su Xiao's appearance. He would remember today's events. The other party had the ability to kill him but kept his promise. He wouldn't forget this favor. Compared to dying in the arena, getting a beating was nothing.

The cyan liquid on the ground dissipated. Su Xiao jumped down and pulled out the Zhan Checking Zhan Long Shan.

For Su Xiao, the fourth round wasn't too difficult. The truly tricky part was the fifth round. Shuge, the Twin Stars, Quanyu, the Night Witch, Monde, and others had all advanced to the fifth round. None of these people were easy to deal with; it would surely be a series of bitter battles.