Chapter 82: Thrown Straight Out of the Arena

At the sound of that delicate shout, all eyes instantly turned toward the arena. Even those contestants from various families, whose gazes had previously lingered on the two girls' sensitive features, snapped back to attention and began to watch the unfolding battle.

As the energy within her body surged to its peak, a cold, spectral light flashed in Gree’s eyes. The slender, pale fingers she extended subtly changed color, a sight that sent a ripple of shock through the onlookers—it was clear that her skin was suffused with the hue of battle energy. For someone like Gree, who was only a first-level Fighter, to be capable of such a feat, albeit with some immaturity, spoke volumes of her innate talent.

Across from her, Lie Feifei’s expression shifted ever so slightly. She hastily mobilized her own battle energy, streams of fire-aligned energy erupting from the energy vortex in her abdomen and gradually pooling in her right arm. Inwardly, she mused that Gree was likely about to unleash a battle skill. Though she herself was not yet adept with her own techniques, she had no choice but to press on.

Suddenly, Lie Feifei’s body trembled. She sensed a strange current surging from her energy vortex, making her inner energy wildly agitated. Before she could even process what was happening, a fierce wind rushed toward her—Gree’s attack had arrived!

“Rending Wind Claw!”

Startled, Lie Feifei swung out her fist without thinking: “Flame Fist!”

A muffled thud echoed as both girls’ bodies shuddered violently. Gree was knocked back several steps, while Lie Feifei, to everyone’s surprise, merely wavered on the spot. After a brief moment of confusion, Lie Feifei quickly recovered and lunged forward, launching another punch.

Gree, still reeling from the force of Lie Feifei’s previous blow and with her own energy in disarray, barely managed to block the attack. Though the blow was weaker than before, she was still forced back several steps.

But Lie Feifei was relentless. She pressed her advantage, delivering blow after blow, each attack disrupting Gree’s attempts to gather her energy for a counterstrike. Frustration and anger simmered within Gree—after years of rivalry, to lose now, in front of so many witnesses, would be a blow to her pride and dignity.

Yet reality was merciless. No matter how unwilling she was, Gree quickly found herself driven to the edge of the stone platform. One more step and she would tumble off. Glancing up, she saw Lie Feifei already raising her right fist for the next strike.

Feeling the chaotic energy and turbulent blood within her, Gree, drained of all strength, bit her lip in bitter resignation. So be it—better to admit defeat than be knocked off the stage. “Enough, I concede!”

As soon as Gree surrendered, the referee cleared his throat and pronounced, “The winner of this match: Lie Feifei!”

The audience erupted into a frenzy, the supporters of Lie Feifei shouting her name and hailing their goddess. Gree’s face, already grim, grew even darker at the sound. Casting a resentful glare at Lie Feifei, she stomped her foot and retreated to the VIP seats with obvious displeasure.

In contrast, Lie Feifei, now unexpectedly victorious, was elated. She hadn’t been certain of victory, but to taste it now left her feeling as if she were walking on air, even though her energy was nearly depleted from the effort.

Seeing his daughter return triumphant, Lie Chen’s icy expression softened with a faint smile. Turning to Lord Chet, he said, “Lord Chet, I’m afraid my daughter may have been rather impolite this time…”

Auburn Mountain, standing nearby, merely sneered and said nothing.

“Chief Lie, you jest,” Lord Chet replied with a dismissive smile. “Victory and defeat are part of life; there’s no need to dwell on it. Gree, you should remember this as well.”

Gree, now at her father’s side, huffed, “Yes, I understand.”

Shaking his head, Lord Chet ignored his daughter’s obstinance and looked toward the referee, nodding slightly. The referee immediately announced, “Next match: Lie Zhi versus Su Yi!”

With that declaration, countless eyes focused on the two contestants about to take the stage. As another prodigy following in Lie Feifei’s footsteps, Lie Zhi naturally attracted widespread attention—one such talent was rare enough; two was extraordinary.

But even more eyes were drawn to Su Yi. After all, wasn’t this former genius supposed to have lost his energy vortex, rendering him incapable of cultivating battle energy? Why was he now appearing at the martial tournament? Had he truly recovered his strength, or was there some other reason? Everyone knew Su Yi had once attempted to reforge his energy vortex, only to become a laughingstock.

Recent rumors about Su Yi had abounded, but no one could tell truth from fiction. Some speculated, though even they found their guesses far-fetched. Since the auction house hadn’t issued any clarifying statements, the matter only grew more mysterious.

“I heard Su Yi and Lie Zhi had a conflict and decided to settle it at this tournament. Do you think this was orchestrated by the Lie family?”

“That’s unlikely. Su Yi works at the auction house—could the Lie family really force him onto the stage?”

“Who knows? Maybe Su Yi just got carried away and agreed without thinking.”

“Ha! Who can say how this will turn out? Don’t forget, Su Yi injured Auburn Yu…”

“I’ve heard that story too, but I find it hard to believe. How could Su Yi possibly have the strength to defeat Auburn Yu? Once your energy vortex is destroyed, you can never cultivate battle energy again—it’s an unbreakable law! And even if he managed to become a Fighter, that still doesn’t make sense!”

“Enough talk. Auburn Yu is here too. Who knows what might happen? Let’s just stay put and enjoy the show.”

Amid the curious, skeptical, and eager gazes, Lie Zhi and Su Yi descended from the VIP seats onto the stone platform. Su Yi, still glancing around in search of the Liu family, was startled to hear his own name called—was he really to compete as a first-level Fighter?

He understood at once. Though his current combat strength was at the peak of the tenth-level Fighter, the fact that he had only just broken through to Fighter status was undeniable. Afterward, his battle energy had again vanished, but few knew the details. It was likely that Meiya had registered him as a first-level Fighter accordingly.

Up in the VIP seats, Auburn Mountain watched Su Yi step onto the stage and sneered. Turning to Meiya, he said, “Miss Meiya, the rules of the tournament clearly state that only Fighters and above may participate. Yet Su Yi has not a trace of battle energy within him—he should not be allowed to compete, should he?”

“Oh, is that so?” Meiya arched an alluring eyebrow and cast Auburn Mountain a meaningful glance. “Chief Auburn, just because you can’t sense his battle energy doesn’t mean it isn’t there. It’s far too early to draw such conclusions.”

Truth be told, Meiya was surprised that Su Yi’s battle energy had vanished so completely, but she felt no concern for the outcome. She had already witnessed Su Yi’s true strength when he defeated Di Yuan. Even without battle energy, she was certain he would win today.

“Hmph! Are you suggesting Su Yi can hide his power from me? Since you’re so confident, Miss Meiya, I’ll just have to see how far he gets!” Auburn Mountain snorted, secretly pleased—he’d been waiting for an opportunity to teach Su Yi a lesson, and now that chance had come. He shot Su Yi a venomous glare, a cold smile playing on his lips. Su Yi, just wait—Auburn Yu will give you an unexpected surprise!

Oblivious to Auburn Mountain’s schemes, Su Yi stepped onto the stone platform. As Lie Zhi passed by, he sneered and muttered, “I didn’t expect you to actually show up at this tournament. I don’t care how you got this qualification—today, I’ll make sure you lose all your dignity in front of everyone!”

Faced with Lie Zhi’s obvious self-satisfaction, Su Yi could only find it amusing and somewhat absurd.

From the moment they sat in the VIP seats, Lie Zhi had looked at Su Yi with open disdain. He had every reason to be proud—he was the Lie family’s prodigy, and since advancing to Fighter, that pride had only grown.

After all, becoming a Fighter was a world apart from merely cultivating battle energy. But Su Yi, too, was no longer the person he once was.

Lie Que, who accompanied Lie Zhi, was more reserved, but Su Yi could still sense a faint undercurrent of distaste. It was only natural; in Changling City, anyone with exceptional talent would feel a mix of jealousy and rejection toward an anomaly like Su Yi.

As Su Yi and Lie Zhi finally faced each other, ready to strike at any moment, the audience held their breath. Would Su Yi prove himself useless, or would he surprise everyone? The answer would soon be clear. Those with keen eyes had already noticed Su Yi’s lack of energy fluctuations and were puzzled, but the truth would soon reveal itself. Meanwhile, others, eager for a spectacle, prepared to mock him at the first opportunity.

For the first time, a brief silence fell over the arena.

Sensing the charged atmosphere, Lie Zhi stood tall, as if the moment belonged to him alone. He pointed at Su Yi and proclaimed, “Su Yi, I’ll throw you straight out of the arena! This is not a place for the likes of you!”

(Flowers and favorites requested!)

Martial Peak, Chapter 82: Thrown Straight Out of the Arena – End of Update!