14 First Fight

In the Elite Training Field, there were over 1000 Elites present. If Yan were to choose anyone among them, it would be the most random and absurd choice he could make.

However, the reason Hei Liang asked Yan to choose, and not to choose himself, is to test Yan's luck. As a Huang Jin Bloodline, they believe in luck more than anything. The importance of luck in someone's cultivation is also a factor.

Yan ignored the entirety of the field and focused on the Arena. "This will be my first spar using a Gu worm; I hope the outcome will be someone I can handle."

In the Arena, there were exactly thirty-three Gu masters, excluding the battling two. Everyone was male, which didn't surprise him, considering he was in the Northern Plains.

Only three stood out for him from the group:

A thin young man in his twenties with long eyebrows and hair.

A burly man with a 6-foot gargantuan frame.

And lastly, a man wielding a blade.

Yan smiled at one of them and pointed. "I choose that big guy."

"Hmm?" He pointed at the burly man, which evoked a surprised grunt from Hei Liang. Just when he thought he hit the jackpot, Hei Liang looked at him with pity, as if he were going to be dead meat.

Yan's smile stiffened as he asked, "Vice-Commander, who is that guy?"

Hei Liang shook his head and replied, "He is Hei Shou, a Veteran Rank 1 Peak stage Gu Master."

'Damn! Am I really going to get bashed in my first fight itself?' Even though he had this thought in his mind, he walked to the center of the Arena without fear.

That big guy might be a Veteran in Gu cultivation, but he is a War Veteran. Even if someone asked him to fight without Gu Worms, he'd do so fearlessly.

"Young chap knows no fear," Hei Shou sighed at Yan in a sarcastic way, even though he was only about five years older than him.

Hei Shou walked to the Arena, but before the battle could commence, he turned towards Hei Liang. "Vice-Commander, what will be the reward if I win?"

"A reward? I really didn't think about it. Hmm? How about choosing a Gu recipe of Rank 2 from the Obsidian Tower?" Hei Liang pondered for a bit and said casually. Everyone could see he had already thought of the reward but didn't want to reveal it.

"Hahaha, then thank you in advance for my reward, Vice-Commander!" With an arrogant laughter, Hei Shou looked at Yan in a taunting manner.

Yan smiled, not taking it to heart. He could see how badly this guy wanted to rile him up and reveal his cards.

'It seems he didn't have a way to know my Rank.'

"Hei Shou, Rank 1 Peak stage," Hei Shou introduced himself and took his position.

"Yan, Rank 1 initial stage," Yan introduced with a smile, standing straight with an arm folded to the back.

"Begin!"

Seeing both of them in position, Hei Liang at the corner commenced the fight.

"Flesh Monkey Arm Gu!" Hei Shou shouted and activated his Gu worm immediately, his arms bulging and green veins popping up.

WHOOSH!

Before he could finish the activation, Yan rushed at him head-on without activating his Gu.

'He actually charged at me head-on.' Hei Shou gritted his teeth and took a step back, dodging a kick straight at his face. Just the wind was enough to tell the power behind that kick.

Using that time, he activated his Gu entirely as his both arms became brown-colored with a rock-like hard surface. Usually, he wouldn't have dodged that kick, but failing to activate a Gu Worm in the middle might cause a backlash sometimes, and he didn't want to lose face by losing because of that reason.

"Come!" Hei Shou roared and threw a punch at Yan.

Yan also didn't hold back and punched.

"Ahhhh!"

Hei Shou roared as he put his entire strength into that punch, seeing how an initial stage Gu master was not even using a Gu Worm and facing him head-on. He, a Transformation path Gu master.

He would wash this humiliation with the blood of his opponent.

In an instant, Shou and Yan were face-to-face.

Shou launched a punch with the strength of a Rock Monkey, while Yan launched a punch of a normal human.

Just as the punches were about to meet, Yan suddenly canceled his attack and avoided Shou's Punch, crouching down.

BOOM!

Shou's punch met the air, as a loud sound reverberated.

This drew some murmurs from onlookers.

"Looks like this Yan guy is a paper tiger, hahaha."

"I'll tell you, one punch is all it takes to send this slippery bastard to sleep."

"Brother Shou, don't let that guy fool you!"

WHOOSH!

Yan leapt back immediately, dodging another punch coming at him.

He dashed from yet another angle and dodged Hei Shou's counter, leaping back.

He dashed, dodged, and leapt back.

Again.

And again.

And again.

He began repeating this course of action over and over.

"Tsk, he's just buzzing around him like a fly. Is he really a Gu master? What a disgrace!" A Rank 1 Peak stage Gu master mocked, disregarding the fact that Hei Liang brought him.

Yan's fighting drew scorn from the onlookers, all except one.

Hei Liang eyed those around him before scoffing. "Tsk, useless fools."

He turned back to the fight with a knowing smile. Although to most onlookers, it may have looked like Yan was too scared to engage Hei Shou, Hei Liang had realized what Yan was going for a long time ago.

He nodded. 'It's a rough plan, not the best course of action, but it has a solid chance of working.'

'He intends to drain the primeval essence usage of Hei Shou, abusing his status as an Extreme Talent, but he is still underestimating Hei Shou.' Hei Liang thought.

Huff puff.

Hei Shou and Yan breathed roughly, standing at a meter gap distance.

"Fight me like a man, you COWARD!" Hei Shou shouted with frustration. He never in his life met someone this 'shameless'.

"Brother Hei Shou, you are formidable indeed!" Yan smiled gently and said, as if praising him.

Hei Shou controlled the twitch in his forehead and looked at Yan calmly. "Very well, if you think that's enough to defeat me, you are underestimating me."

"Flesh Monkey Leg Gu!"

Hei Shou's leg instantly transformed into the same brown-colored hard surface as his hands.

WHOOSH!

He kicked his leg against the floor and pushed himself forward, rushing at Yan at immense speed with a punch.

"I can't dodge that!" Yan murmured as sweat dripped down his forehead. He instantly activated the Fire Gu, consuming 50% of his primeval essence.

SIZZLE!

Large flames poured out of his palms, covering his entire figure.

A blazing red-orange flame and a wildly dancing red-haired figure created an aesthetic view that made even the badmouthing onlookers' jaws drop.

BOOM!

Just as everyone thought he was going to fight with the Fire Gu head-on, Yan punched the floor with all his strength.

SWIRL!

Smoke rose in all directions as the flames covered the floor. It took a few moments for the flames to disperse.

"Cough, cough." Hei Shou walked out of the smoke, coughing. There was no damage on him, expect for his charred clothes. He realized at the last moment that Yan used the smoke as a cover to escape his attack.

"Damned bastard, how long are you going to run around?" He shouted with all his strength, facing the onlookers.

Strangely, he saw the expressions of the onlookers suddenly morphing into shock.

He turned around immediately to see Yan doing a roundhouse kick to his face.

"That's more like it!" Hei Shou grinned ear to ear and pulled his arm to throw a punch. This time, he wasn't going to make the same mistake. He would only punch after making sure this wasn't a feint.

As he saw the leg come closer to him at an observable speed, a murmur echoed in the surroundings, skipping the heartbeat of everyone,

"Fire Discharge Gu!"

BOOM—!

Flames burst out of the leg as the leg vanished from the naked eye. A red whoosh flashed past everyone.

Crack…

Hei Shou's head turned towards the left as the leg hit his head. The sudden increase in power and speed blasted him to the outside of the Arena.

Thud.

He fell down with a thud, as silence pervaded the surroundings.