NOVEL NEXT Chapter 747: First Fight
The moment Orlav announced the opening of phase three of the tournament, the spectators shouted once again in excitement.
"Alright, for the battles later, as usual, we will start from the beginner stage first. The battles will be held one at a time, so the entire arena will be for the contestant's use. It will remain that way until the semifinals, before we move on to the next category. Once all of the categories have their finalists, we will proceed to the final rounds." Orlav explained as he looked at the participants, of which only 106 remained across all categories.
"Now, let's begin with drawing opponents." From his storage ring, Orlav took out a box with a hole on top of it and set it down not far from the participants.
"Beginner stage participants, you will pick a ball with a number inside this box. The number on your ball will decide your slot." The participants then approached Orlav, and one by one they took balls from inside the box. They looked at their number first before showing it to Orlav.
Each time Orlav saw the number, he shouted the name of the participant and their assigned slot.
"Erik Sachfield, number ten."
"Anthony Rugerio Deliva, number three."
"Zein…" Orlav continued announcing their slots until finally all of them were filled. The spectators who watched the draw were truly festive, especially some of the families of the contestants. The families, after knowing who their member would fight against, showed varied expressions.
Some were quite happy because they believed the opponent was much easier, while others felt solemn because the opponent their member would face was quite tough.
"Damn it, he will meet that kid Erik! It will be tough for him!"
"Yes! Not too heavy an opponent for the first fight. He'll likely win!"
"Damn, his opponent is a counter for his ability. I heard she comprehended two elements when she started her cultivation journey."
Those kinds of conversations could be heard among the families of the participants after seeing the results of the draw. For most observers, however, they did not care who faced who this time. What they wanted was to see a fight!
Because these participants were still in the beginner stage, they had not yet made their names, and not many people knew them. However, some of the participants came from famous noble families or sects, so the spectators held certain expectations for them.
After the results of the draw were shown, Orlav addressed all the participants.
"For all participants, please step down from the arena, except for the holders of numbers one and two, Ravin Redstone and Bodan Whiteblade."
All the participants obeyed and left the arena area, leaving two young men facing each other in the vast arena. All the projectors now focused on them.
One of them was a blonde-haired young man, while the other was brown-haired. Both of them were at the peak beginner stage, and each carried their own artifacts. The blonde-haired youth wielded an earth-grade sword, while the brown-haired one carried two earth-grade short blades strapped behind his back.
They faced each other from a distance of a hundred meters, their expressions solemn and focused, as if unwilling to miss even the slightest movement from the other. Orlav, watching the two, gave a nod and finally shouted,
"To the contestants on the arena, are you ready?!"
"I'm ready!"
"Ready!"
Both answered as they unsheathed their sword and blades.
Orlav glanced at them once more before declaring,
"The battle begins!"
The moment his words fell, the two contestants instantly dashed toward each other, and a moment later—
Tring!
Their artifacts clashed. Ravin's sword was blocked by Bodan's twin blades, which were in fact special blades forged from white iron, famed as one of the hardest materials on the continent. It was the signature weapon of the Whiteblade family, who chose white iron because it was abundant in their territory.
The spectators grew even more bustling the moment the two artifacts clashed. The participants did not remain in the same position for long, as they unleashed a series of their own movements. Ravin's swordplay was truly marvelous despite being at the beginner stage, while Bodan's blades were unpredictable even in the eyes of cultivators at the same realm.
Tink! Trank! Trink! Trink! Tang!
They exchanged countless clashes of their artifacts, and even while attacking or defending, they kept shifting their positions. From the very start, both gave their all, making the battle intensely fierce.
"Yeah! Keep pushing him! Don't give him any chance!"
"Bodan, don't be too reckless while attacking him!"
"Ravin, keep attacking! Don't give his twin blades a chance to counterattack!"
The family members of the two contestants shouted anything they could to help their fighters overcome the other.
After a few moments, Ravin suddenly pulled back, creating distance. A flame then appeared on his free hand, the one not holding his sword. He raised his palm toward Bodan, and from it, a flame shaped like a palm shot forward.
Bodan was not deterred by it. Instead, he dashed forward, intent on facing the flame technique head-on. Crossing his two blades, he unleashed a combined slash in the shape of an X. The flame palm that nearly reached him was instantly destroyed by the strike, leaving Ravin slightly stunned. But Ravin quickly used another trick, his sword suddenly became covered in flame.
He charged at Bodan, and the two clashed directly once more. The fire coating Ravin's sword began to take effect, as Bodan could feel the heat disrupting his senses and concentration. Ravin pressed his advantage, attacking relentlessly, and with each clash, sparks of flame scattered. Any of them could injure Bodan if they touched him.
Yet Bodan did not panic. He continued to block every strike effectively, refusing to yield. This persistence caused Ravin to frown as he kept up his assault. After a few moments, he finally revealed another trick. In the midst of his relentless strikes, his free hand suddenly unleashed another flame palm.
Bodan was slightly caught off guard by the sudden attack from Ravin's other hand, and he instantly used one blade to slash through the flame. However, moving his arm to the side created a small opening at his chest, which Ravin immediately exploited. Covering his foot with flame, Ravin kicked Bodan square in the chest.
Unable to react in time, Bodan took the full force of the strike. His lungs burned with pain, and for a moment it felt as though they were on fire. Staggering back several steps, he nearly spat blood. Before he could regain his balance, Ravin was already upon him, thrusting his sword straight toward Bodan's chest.
However, before Ravin's sword could touch Bodan's body, Bodan suddenly dropped to the floor to evade the stab, causing the blade to pass harmlessly over his chest. Ravin's eyes widened, and a split second later his body was flung to the side as Bodan counterattacked with a sweeping kick.
Bodan's strike took Ravin's legs out from under him, sending him crashing to the ground.
'No, I'm in a dangerous position!' Ravin thought.
He quickly swept with his sword, and true enough, the moment he swung, one of Bodan's blades almost reached him. His sweep blocked the strike, but then another blade was already coming.
Before he could do anything, Bodan's other blade was already upon him, stopping at Ravin's neck, the edge close enough to graze his skin.
Ravin's eyes trembled as the blade hovered at his neck. He gritted his teeth, realizing just how careless he had been to fall into such a situation. After a brief silence, he exhaled and said,
"I lost."
The moment the words left his mouth, Orlav, acting as observer and referee, immediately announced the result.
"The first battle of this round is won by Bodan Whiteblade!"
The spectators erupted in excitement at the declaration. Although the battle was relatively short and quite simple, it had been entertaining enough. For a beginner stage fight, it was already intense and far above the usual level.
The speed and power of these two participants were truly different from normal beginner stage cultivators. Calling their battle one that had already reached the level of the low disciple stage was not an exaggeration.
Zander, who was observing the fight from the waiting area beside the arena reserved for participants, felt the battle was both intense and impressive.
After the result was announced, the two participants stepped down from the arena.
"Alright, we will continue with the next fight! Slot numbers three and four, Anthony Rugerio Deliva and Lauren Verito, please step onto the arena."
A few moments later, after both arrived on the stage, Orlav looked at them and asked the same question he had asked before the previous fight."Are you ready?"
"I'm ready!"
"I'm ready!"
Both participants shouted in response.
"Then, the battle begins!"