Nie Li spent the next three days sneaking out at night, fighting demon spirits to hone his sword skills. He fought and killed many; in total, he killed 10 legend-ranked beasts and over a hundred black-gold-ranked demon beasts, absorbing their cores. His level had now reached 2-star black-gold peak with a soul force of 5500. He also absorbed a new ability: Frost Breath. This was the ability of a snow wind legend-ranked lizard, allowing him to shoot a beam of frost energy that could freeze anything in sight. It was unheard of in Glory City's history for someone to use these abilities without transforming into their demon spirit form.
Finally, the time for the annual fight arrived. In the colosseum, Shen Fei stood, accompanied by Elder Shen Ming. Nie Li looked at them, unimpressed by these small-time villains. He knew that even the eldest of their family wasn't qualified to stand against him, let alone fight him as an equal. He thought of ways to make this fight more interesting and remembered a technique to seal his strength. After gauging the strength of his opponents—not just Shen Fei but also the two others hidden in the shadows, brought by Elder Shen Ming—he sealed his strength at the peak of silver rank. He decided to face them using swordsmanship alone, refraining from using his demon spirit, as that would have been too much of an overkill.
Shen Fei sneered, "Well, if it isn't the arrogant brat. Today, I'll teach you a lesson about respecting your betters."
Nie Li looked at him calmly. "Shen Fei, with your little strength, you're not destined to be the star of today's event. Why put your neck on the guillotine with nothing to show for it?"
Shen Fei gritted his teeth in anger. "You… we'll see who the star is in the arena!" Not wanting to lose more face by arguing, he stayed silent.
Elder Shen Ming intervened, chuckling, "Ah, the spirit of youth. I envy your energy. But it's a waste to let this fight happen without any stakes. How about we bet 100,000 soul coins? Naturally, I'll be betting on our genius, Shen Fei. I assume Elder Nie Hai will place his bet on Nie Li?"
Patriarch Nie Hai, who had accompanied Nie Li, looked troubled. He thought, Although with our new system and the Alchemist Association's help, we've gained quite a bit of wealth, I wanted to use that money to develop the family. I know Nie Li will win, but what if… Before he could speak, Nie Li interrupted.
"Elder Shen Ming, isn't 100,000 soul coins a bit too low? Is that all the great Sacred Family can afford?"
Nie Li pretended to contemplate before raising five fingers. "Let's start with 500,000."
Elder Shen Ming hesitated, but before he could respond, Nie Li added, "If you're not confident in your so-called genius, Shen Fei, I'll even give him a handicap. I won't use my demon spirit."
Elder Shen Ming, thinking the boy was arrogant and wouldn't amount to much, quickly agreed. "Alright, boy. You've dug your own grave."
Shen Fei was fuming but stayed silent, feeling underestimated. They both descended into the arena. Before the fight began, Nie Li raised three fingers. "Not using my demon spirit is still too easy for you. How about I give you three free moves?"
Shen Fei, not wanting to waste time with words, summoned his soul force and delivered a punch, using 50% of his strength. Nie Li didn't bother to dodge, still holding up two fingers. The punch landed squarely on Nie Li's chest, but Shen Fei felt as if he had struck an iron wall.
Nie Li smiled mockingly. "Did you forget to eat breakfast? Or were you trying to tickle me? Let me tell you—it wasn't funny." He dropped one finger. "Two moves left."
Shen Fei, now enraged, unleashed his full strength with another punch, this time aimed at Nie Li's face. Zi Yun, watching from the stands, looked on worriedly. Please be safe, she thought.
Once again, Nie Li didn't budge. The punch connected with his face, but Nie Li remained unfazed. He dropped another finger. "One move left."
Frustrated, Shen Fei transformed into his demon spirit, the Scarlet Demon Tiger. He leapt into the air, descending with his strongest move—Scarlet Thunderfire Claw—aimed at Nie Li's throat. Nie Li raised his hand and caught the attack effortlessly, dispersing all the momentum behind it.
"Zero," Nie Li declared, before forming a fist and landing a single blow on Shen Fei's jaw. Time seemed to slow for Shen Fei, and before he knew it, he was flung across the arena, crashing into the wall of the colosseum and falling unconscious.
The crowd stared in stunned silence, unable to believe what had just happened. After a long pause, Nie Li looked at the referee. "Aren't you going to declare the winner?"
Snapping out of his daze, the referee announced, "Shen Fei is unable to continue. Nie Li wins!"
The crowd erupted in cheers, chanting, "Nie Li! Nie Li!"
Elder Shen Ming, unwilling to accept defeat, fumed. "You brat! You were too heavy-handed! How will you explain this to our patriarch?"
Nie Li looked at him like he was a fool. "Elder Shen Ming, are you an idiot? Why should I explain anything to your patriarch? He aimed to kill me, and I spared his life. Consider that a favor."
He smirked. "Now, where's my money?"
Grumbling, Shen Ming handed over a card with 500,000 soul coins. "Have fun spending it. I hope you don't attract the wrong kind of attention."
Nie Li chuckled. "You think 500,000 is a lot? It's nothing." He tossed the coins into the air, distributing them to the spectators. The crowd cheered even louder.
Turning back to Elder Shen Ming, Nie Li said with a mischievous glint in his eye, "You still have two fighters, don't you? How about we raise the stakes—5 million soul coins? I'll fight them both at once. And I'll give them the same handicap: no demon spirit."
Elder Shen Ming, seeing this as another opportunity to teach the arrogant boy a lesson, agreed. "Alright, since you're so eager, I'll indulge you. Shen Ning, Shen Xiao, go together."
He secretly passed them demon spirit-strengthening pills. "Take these. They'll temporarily boost your strength, but your demon spirits will suffer. Don't worry—I'll replace them once we win."
Both fighters nodded, ready for battle.
Nie Li calmly unsheathed his sword, taking a stance. "Why are you still standing there? Attack me."
Shen Ning fused with the Flaming Sacred Bear, while Shen Xiao fused with the Scarlet Draconic Eagle. Both took the pills and charged at Nie Li. Shen Ning leapt into the air, using his strongest move, Flaming Meteor, while Shen Xiao gathered his strength for his Draconian Breath.
As Shen Ning's attack descended, Nie Li cleaved it in half with a vertical slash. But in the next moment, Shen Xiao's Draconian Breath struck him from behind, causing an explosion of fire and smoke. Zi Yun and Director Yang Xin gasped in worry, while Shen Ming laughed triumphantly. "That arrogant brat is finished!"
But just as everyone thought it was over, Nie Li emerged from the smoke, his shirt burned off, revealing his muscular physique. A claw mark on his chest, from a previous battle with a legend-ranked bear, stood out. He looked like a god of war, sword in hand.
"Is that the best you've got?" he taunted. "Because now, I'll use my strongest sword move. Try to survive."
Nie Li sheathed his sword and bent his knees, his killing intent palpable. "Ittoryu..." he whispered.
Shen Xiao shouted in panic, "Quick, use your strongest moves, or we're dead!"
Shen Ning once again used Flaming Meteor, and Shen Xiao unleashed the Sacred Dragon Pillar. Two beams of power rushed towards Nie Li, but he remained calm. "Shishi Sonson!" he muttered, disappearing from his position.
In the blink of an eye, Nie Li reappeared behind his opponents, resheathing his sword. Their attacks were cleaved in half, and two deep sword slashes appeared on their chests. Blood gushed out, and both fighters collapsed unconscious.
Nie Li had held back, not wanting to kill them.
Elder Shen Ming's face turned pale. What a terrifying boy... he thought. We must eliminate him before he grows stronger.
But Nie Li, already guessing his thoughts, smiled inwardly. That's exactly what I want you to do. Gather your forces, and I'll crush you all at once.
Nie Li took the money and left the arena.