It turned out that Qi Yuan's earlier concerns were not unfounded.In less than half a day, he found himself in the same predicament as the slaves he had seen in the arena earlier.
Amid the churning waves of the open sea, Qi Yuan stood suspended in mid-air, gripping a black, Tier-2 Force Combat Blade. He wore a Tier-2 Force Battle Suit recently granted to him by Hu Ge, layered beneath a suit of C2-grade alloy armor.
Across from him loomed a massive opponent—a burly figure nearly six meters tall, wielding a Force Staff. He resembled a towering, humanoid gorilla.
His worst fear had come true.
At a single command from Hu Ge—his so-called "master"—Qi Yuan was thrown into this makeshift sea arena without any room for negotiation, forced to become one of the combatants for public entertainment.
Despite usually treating his subordinates with leniency, Hu Ge had shown no mercy when it came to protecting his own interests.
Qi Yuan had originally hoped that this trip to Lanka Star might bring an opportunity to escape. Instead, he found himself dragged into a meaningless and dangerous fight.
"I'm not strong enough. Thinking too much won't help. I need to get through this first."
"Come to think of it, since arriving in this world, I've never really been in a true battle. Let's hope I don't fall here."
Forcing himself to focus, Qi Yuan fixed his gaze on the opponent ahead.
Just then, an unfamiliar voice echoed telepathically in his mind.
"Kid, I'm Meng Shan of the Iron Howl Tribe. I won't hold back in this fight. I hope you won't either."
"Hmm?"
Qi Yuan looked at the ape-like warrior with surprise.
After a moment, he gave a slight nod and replied telepathically:
"Qi Yuan of the Thunder Source Tribe. Bring it on."
Before they could exchange more words, a commanding voice boomed from the floating fortress that served as the spectator stand:
"Begin the battle!"
Swoosh!
The instant the command rang out, Meng Shan vanished and reappeared, crossing several kilometers in a flash as he charged straight at Qi Yuan!
"Come on then!"
Though it was Qi Yuan's first actual battle, he had inherited much of his predecessor's combat experience. His instincts kicked in.
Blade in hand, he launched himself forward as well.
Simultaneously, subtle internal force surged throughout his body and gathered in his arm, exploding outward—
The Seventh Level of the Ninefold Heavenly Blade Art – a full 21x power boost!
Though he detested this type of life-or-death duel, Qi Yuan didn't hesitate in the slightest.
Zing!
His Force Combat Blade slashed upward like lightning, aiming diagonally for Meng Shan's relatively slender neck.
But to his surprise, the seemingly bulky Meng Shan moved with astonishing agility.
Whoosh!
With a nimble forward roll, he easily dodged the full-force strike. His Force Staff then lashed out like a dragon leaping from the sea, aiming directly for Qi Yuan's skull.
"Fall back!"
Rather than recklessly try to block the heavy blow, Qi Yuan swiftly retreated.
As he pulled back, a brilliant white arc of blade light flashed—the 21x strength infused into a clever slash, striking the side of the Force Staff.
Clang! Clang!
Two sharp clangs rang out. Meng Shan's offensive momentarily stalled, and Qi Yuan retreated over a kilometer in an instant.
"This Meng Shan… what strength!"
Qi Yuan looked at his opponent with a mix of awe and wariness. Just from that brief exchange, he could tell they were on completely different levels when it came to raw power.
Meng Shan either possessed innate brute strength—or his power-amplification technique far surpassed Qi Yuan's.
"That's all you've got?"
Meng Shan let out a cold snort, a hint of disappointment in his voice.
"If so, then you might as well resign yourself to death."
As he spoke, he charged once more!
Buzz! Buzz!
As he advanced, his Force Staff spun wildly. In the blink of an eye, countless overlapping images of the staff filled the air—it was as if hundreds of staffs were attacking at once!
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!
Qi Yuan didn't dare slack. His blade turned into a blur as he fended off the torrent of incoming attacks.
But Meng Shan's strikes were not only powerful—they were unbelievably fast.
The barrage of staff shadows crashed over Qi Yuan like endless waves. Within seconds, he was overwhelmed.
Boom!
One strike slipped through his defense, slamming into him and knocking him straight down into the sea.
Sploooosh!
A moment later, Qi Yuan burst back out of the water, gasping.
He looked up at the ape-like Iron Howl warrior, his face full of unease.
Qi Yuan's original body was a native of a primitive planet, lacking any formal combat training or advanced techniques.
Even with the help of the system, after less than six months in this universe, it was impossible for him to make up for all those deficiencies.
Against a battle-hardened warrior like Meng Shan, it was like a failing student suddenly having to take on the top student in the class.
Power, speed, combat skill, experience—he was utterly outmatched.
"Looks like I'll have to use my domain... otherwise I won't last much longer. Damn, I wanted to save that as a trump card..."
—
Up above in the floating fortress that served as the viewing platform—
Hu Ge and the Seventh Prince, along with the others, had been watching the match closely.
When they saw Meng Shan thoroughly overpowering Qi Yuan, the Sixth Brother—Meng Shan's master—grinned smugly.
"Hahaha, Nineteenth Brother! So this is the genius slave you've been bragging about? He's not looking so great now, is he?"
"Hmph."
Hu Ge ignored the taunt, but regret crept into his heart.
Only now did he remember—Qi Yuan had only been exposed to interstellar civilization for less than half a year.
No matter how talented, how could someone master combat arts in such a short time?
He had made a rash decision by accepting the bet.
Now it seemed not only would he fail to achieve what he wanted, but he might also lose a subordinate with real potential.
"Adona!"
He turned to his Sixth Brother, expression grave.
"I admit defeat in this round. Have your man spare mine!"
At this point, Hu Ge no longer hoped for Qi Yuan to win—he just wanted to save his life.
"Heh, you care this much about that servant?"
Adona chuckled darkly.
"Fine. Give me ten years of unrestricted mining rights on Thunderstorm Star, and I'll call it off right now."
"You're pushing it!"
Hu Ge scoffed coldly.
"Not at all. Nineteenth Brother—didn't you say this servant of yours jumped from Tier-2 to Tier-4 in just six months?"
"Heh, if he's really that talented, he might reach the Cosmic level one day. Ten years of mining in exchange for a future powerhouse? Sounds like a bargain to me!"
"Do I look like an idiot to you?"
Hu Ge snapped back coldly.
"Two years. Take it or leave it."
"Nineteenth Brother, that's—"
Adona began to protest.
But just then, the tide of the battle suddenly turned—
Zzzzzz—!!!
A piercing electric buzz tore through the air, shaking the arena.
Dazzling purple lightning crackled and spread outward in chaotic arcs.
Bolts surged, thunder snaked through the sky—
And in an instant, a terrifying domain of thunder and destruction exploded into existence!