The bookmaker was not the only person looking at Ugly Gambler nervously. Even Earth Skeleton and Scorching Blood Monarch also looked nervous. Earth Skeleton knew that if Ugly Gambler placed his bet on Blood Candle, it would only signify that Xiang Shaoyun would die on the arena, and by extension, he would die as well. Scorching Blood Monarch was just as nervous because Blood Candle was his own son. He naturally did not wish for his son to lose.
After chugging a mouthful of liquor, Ugly Gambler's turbid eyes lit up. He slammed the low-grade spirit crystal in his hand on Xiang Shaoyun's name and said, "I'm betting on him."
Then, he lay down on the ground and continued drinking, not saying anything else. The bookmaker wore a bitter expression as he stared at the one low-grade spirit crystal on the counter. It was clearly written that the minimum bet was 10,000 low-grade spirit crystals, and yet the Ugly Gambler had clearly broken their rules. However, he couldn't do anything at all.
When Earth Skeleton saw Ugly Gambler betting on Xiang Shaoyun, he exclaimed joyfully, "Great! Excellent!"
As for Scorching Blood Monarch, his face paled.
"L-Lord Gambler...are you sure? Do you want to check again?" asked Scorching Blood Monarch cautiously.
Ugly Gambler did not even spare him a glance, and completely ignored him.
Blood Candle started yelling rashly, "He is only a third-stage Skysoar Realm cultivator. It takes a lot of courage for him to even muster the guts to enter the fourth arena. How can he be a match for a peak fourth-stage Skysoar Realm cultivator like me? I will be the exception to your Gambler's Law!"
He then leaped onto the arena.
"Xiang Shaoyun, come up here and die!" roared Blood Candle.
"Heh, you will be the one to die," Xiang Shaoyun sneered. He took out a jar of liquor and offered it to Ugly Gambler, "Consider this my tribute to your all-seeing mind, lord."
This was a 100-year-old Green Bamboo Liquor he had gotten from Du Xuanhao, an excellent liquor produced at the Green Bamboo Town.
Ugly Gambler opened his eyes and looked at Xiang Shaoyun before flashing a smile that was uglier than a crying face. He accepted the liquor. "Haha, not bad, kid."
He opened the jar and an intoxicating fragrance immediately spread out. He took a sniff, and a praising look appeared on his face as he took a large chug. Xiang Shaoyun then lightly stamped his foot on the ground and drifted through the air onto the arena.
"Fight!" announced the bookmaker. With that announcement, the bet was closed and the combatants could begin the battle.
"A mere third-stage Skysoar Realm cultivator like you dare to step on the fourth arena? Today, I will feast on your blood and use it to gain even more strength!" roared Blood Candle before he dashed forward, leaving a bloody streak in his path.
Bloodstreak Fist!
The bloody fist crashed forth violently as a baleful aura spread out. His attack did look quite powerful. Blood Candle was not holding back at all, planning to kill Xiang Shaoyun with one punch and become the sole exception to all the bets Ugly Gambler had ever made.
Everyone focused on the punch, trying to see if Xiang Shaoyun would be able to block it. Initially, none of them were optimistic about his chances, but with Ugly Gambler's bet, their confidence had risen somewhat. Perhaps the young man was one of those King of Kings capable of punching above his weight?
Xiang Shaoyun could sense that the punch could threaten even fifth-stage Skysoar Realm cultivators, and that realization filled him with a surging battle intent.
Fate decides life and death on the arena, thought Xiang Shaoyun before throwing out a punch of his own. He did not dare to underestimate this opponent.
Lightning Bolt Fist!
The punch shot out like a roaring lightning dragon.
Bang!
The two fists collided and created an explosion of two energies that rippled outward before crashing into the defensive barrier surrounding the arena. One of the two was sent flying. It was none other than Blood Candle. As for Xiang Shaoyun, he remained standing at the same spot. At this point, it was already clear who of the two was stronger.
How is this possible? How can a mere third-stage Skysoar Realm cultivator push my son back with one punch? Is this kid really a King of Kings? Scorching Blood Monarch exclaimed inwardly in shock, an unsightly expression on his face.
Today, Scorching Blood Monarch had accompanied his son here as he tempered himself and entered the fifth-stage Skysoar Realm. However, the kid that he had thought would be an easy opponent had actually turned out to be a thorny opponent who could be the end of his son.
Earth Skeleton was also filled with astonishment. After all, this was the first time he had seen Xiang Shaoyun fight. Pushing a fourth-stage Skysoar Realm cultivator back was enough to earn him the title of King of Kings, a title only given to Kings capable of punching above their weight.
There were numerous Kings in existence, but only one in a thousand Kings would be a King of Kings. Because of that, the appearance of any King of Kings would cause a sensation. On the arena, after pushing Blood Candle back with a punch, Xiang Shaoyun did not press on. He was in no rush to end the battle and was planning to enjoy it more.
Blood Candle had yet to fully unleash everything he had. Therefore, Xiang Shaoyun was giving him some time to fully ramp up his combat prowess to make the battle more enjoyable.
If the others knew what he was thinking, they would probably be cursing him for being a madman. After all, this was the Bloodsin Arena, a place where the combatants would take any chance they had for victory. The smart thing to do would be to kill one's opponent the moment a chance presented itself.
Xiang Shaoyun was not doing that because he was getting arrogant and underestimating his enemy but because he was only trying to temper himself more, and truly bloody battles would be what he required.
Blood Candle's entire arm had turned numb from the punch. Only now did he realize that his opponent was actually his match. In fact, his opponent might even be slightly stronger than him. He stopped underestimating his opponent, roused the blood in his body, and took out a bloody halberd before rushing Xiang Shaoyun.
Siegebreaker Bloodwave!
Instantly, the bloody halberd transformed into eight bloody waves, surging forth toward Xiang Shaoyun like a massive tsunami. A dreadful baleful aura was mixed within the bloody waves, one that would only form after countless murders. Traces of the power of flame were also mingled within, further boosting the attack's strength.
With Blood Candle taking out his weapon, it was obvious he no longer dared to underestimate his opponent. After all, it was a battle to the death, not a regular spar.
Everyone thought that Xiang Shaoyun would also take out his own weapon, but that did not happen. A bright golden radiance appeared around his body before forming a golden wall around him. Blood Candle's attack was completely blocked before this golden wall that had suddenly appeared.
Then, Xiang Shaoyun seemed to have turned into a flood dragon as he charged the incoming waves. Lightning energy wrapped around the fist he used to smash apart all obstructions and reach Blood Candle.