CHAPTER 575: CHAPTER 356: THE NINTH STAR_2

Trying to speculate what this young man truly is, they all concluded that he must be an expert hiding his true power or simply aiming to confuse others about his actual situation. Seeing how closely everyone watched him, Yan Xiaobao’s face showed a bitter smile as he walked toward the arena, where he always fought against the castle guards.

Inside the arena stood a tall man who was clearly a late-stage King-level cultivator—a King who knew how to fight against others. A large scar marred his face. His eyes narrowed as he gazed at Yan Xiaobao, his crimson pupils revealing nothing but displeasure.

"Kid, this isn’t a place for you to mess around," he said in a stern voice. "If you step onto this stage, I will fight you with everything I have. Seeing how weak you are, boy, you’ll likely die in an instant."

Upon hearing these words, irritation flashed across Yan Xiaobao’s face. He knew he’d always had a fragile outward appearance in the past, but now his features were much more neutral. This wasn’t something that truly annoyed Yan Xiaobao, yet hearing this man use his appearance as an argument for his inability to fight, Yan Xiaobao fixed him with a resolute gaze. His steps were neither rushed nor slow as he walked toward the arena, where he leaped onto the stone platform.

"Thank you for your warning," Yan Xiaobao spoke calmly, his voice carrying clearly to every spectator eager to witness the unfolding battle. "Although you’ve warned me, I can’t help but look forward to seeing your techniques in combat."

"Thank you for your warning," Yan Xiaobao repeated, his voice steady and deliberate as the spectators listened intently to every word. "Although you’ve warned me, I can’t help but look forward to seeing your techniques in combat."

Hearing the silver-haired young man’s words, the tall cultivator’s expression darkened, and rage began to gleam in his eyes. This surprised Yan Xiaobao, who raised an eyebrow. The man had been extremely rude to him; however, as Yan Xiaobao responded in kind, the man’s fury erupted. Yan Xiaobao abhorred those who were quick to throw harsh words and bully others but couldn’t handle the same treatment themselves.

As he stood on the stone platform, Yan Xiaobao sighed lightly. His expression remained carefree, and he didn’t transform into his beastly form. Instead, he casually summoned flames into his hand. The flames were yellow, but within them shimmered small specks of silver. These specks resembled droplets, and observing this odd phenomenon, one couldn’t definitively determine the energy source from which they originated.

Seeing the flames, the opponent squinted for a long moment. However, since neither he nor Yan Xiaobao initiated any movement toward each other, the guard had ample time to observe the man and his flames.

Though this individual appeared humanoid, resembling the form of a human, the guard eventually realized that this person might not be as straightforward as he had initially presumed.

For a beast to take on a fully human form, one must reach Saint-level status. But looking at this individual before them, though his aura and the swirling energies surrounding him were chaotic, no one believed he was a Saint. Saints would never stoop to fight Kings—unless it was purely to disgrace higher-ranking experts. As no one in the training grounds had ever seen Yan Xiaobao before, it was impossible for the opponents to insult him.

As the other man refrained from charging directly at him, Yan Xiaobao realized that although this man was provoked, he had not let anger cloud his ability to fight. A sly smile appeared on his face. This battle had the potential to become quite challenging.

"Which God do you serve?" Yan Xiaobao asked casually as he began to manipulate the yellow flames swirling within his palm. Guards typically declared their allegiance openly, because they sought to demonstrate their master’s strength by proving their own capabilities. However, this tall opponent hadn’t expected such a question from Yan Xiaobao, especially considering he wasn’t wearing the uniform of a guard.

Nonetheless, the man immediately opened his mouth to respond proudly, "I hail from Sunfury Ridge. I serve directly under Mr. Liu’s guidance. And who do you serve?" He returned the question to the young man before him, primarily out of curiosity. Although intrigued, the man wouldn’t have asked if Yan Xiaobao hadn’t initiated the question. Yet now that Yan Xiaobao had, the young man was left with the decision of whether or not to answer.

"I don’t serve anyone, but I suppose you could count me as a part of the Wan Sect," Yan Xiaobao replied casually, his tone slow and even as his expression remained contemplative, reflecting on who he truly was and what he represented.

As Yan Xiaobao responded, his opponent’s eyebrows rose in surprise. His words confirmed that this young man was indeed different from the guards, likely belonging to a class of people they could not afford to insult. Still, he had entered the training grounds to fight, and thus the guards couldn’t allow any rudeness or intentional defeat. Even if the cultivator in front of them proved to be someone highly respected, purposeful failure in combat would be regarded as an insult. The guard stood ready to fight with everything he had. While watching the young man before him, he was curious. Even if this opponent required careful tact, it was essential to fight earnestly—not merely to show respect but also to avoid bringing shame to his master, Mr. Liu.

After hearing the answer, the guard adopted a posture Yan Xiaobao had never seen before. One leg positioned in front of the other, his fingers curled as if forming claws, and his face abruptly bore a sharp, bird-like beak. Witnessing this transformation, Yue Yue sighed deeply. Most beasts he had fought recently belonged to bird-type species, and he yearned to face beasts of other classifications.

His decision to back away from a fight now was completely against Yan Xiaobao’s style. Instead, a feigned smile appeared on his face. Silver liquid dripped from his left hand onto the flames, causing them to expand, eventually splitting into six fireballs. At the center was a large flame encircled by a fiery pentagram. This flame represented one of Yan Xiaobao’s most devastating attacks—an entirely spiritual energy-based assault capable of overwhelming most King-level beasts.

Though its potency was undeniable, Yan Xiaobao still wanted to test its efficacy, and with swift hands, he launched a fireball toward his opponent. The speed of Yan Xiaobao’s throw was blindingly fast—so much so that the human eye couldn’t track the projectile. Yet, his opponent, being a late-stage King-level cultivator, managed to evade most of the fireballs. Still, one struck him. While it didn’t cause significant damage, it inflicted just enough harm to elicit a sense of pride in Yan Xiaobao.

Seeing that the fireball hadn’t caused any substantial damage, Yan Xiaobao turned around, summoning a dagger. It was a small black dagger etched with simple inscriptions—a weapon that had accompanied Yan Xiaobao for a long time and held undeniable power.

Activating Velocity Flow, Yan Xiaobao stomped forcefully on the ground, sending up a cloud of dust. Then, as he charged forward toward his opponent, he leveraged the momentum of his stomp to further accelerate.

His movements were unpredictable, his speed astonishingly swift. Many King Ranking Experts observing the battle struggled to keep track of the young man’s motion. Although the opponent facing him clearly had no difficulty following Yan Xiaobao’s movements, every time Yan Xiaobao launched an attack, his adversary would adeptly evade it. When he failed to dodge, he retaliated, causing Yan Xiaobao to counter again with his rapid agility.

The battle unfolded at an incredible pace, leaving most spectators seeing only blurred exchanges. Their arms and legs moved ceaselessly, weaving between attacks and counters as they dodged and struck at lightning speed.

Currently maintaining his human form, Yan Xiaobao had now reached the level of a Duke. Through the rigorous physical training instilled by Wan Qiao, Yan Xiaobao’s stamina had far surpassed the average King Ranking Experts, rivaling even some higher-tier cultivators.

Had the experts devoted equivalent effort to enhancing their physical strength, official comparisons between Yan Xiaobao and the guard before him would reveal whether Yan Xiaobao could challenge a higher cultivation realm. Clearly, the opponent hadn’t spent time boosting his stamina. Instead, his focus was centered entirely on internal energy—a path Yan Xiaobao himself had once followed before entering the Divine Domain.

This is why Yan Xiaobao had the physical ability to match this man, ensuring neither held an advantage as they traded blows. After an unbelievably long exchange, Yue Yue utilized Velocity Flow to retreat. He backed away to the distance permitted by the arena, only to see the guard mirroring his move.

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