Sorry but I only accept female disciples!

The tension in the arena was thick, each breath from the crowd audible as they hung on the edge of anticipation.

Blood dripped onto the cracked stone floor, mixing with the dust stirred up by the violent clashes.

Xue Hua's gauntlets glowed faintly, the energy within pulsing with her erratic breaths.

Across from her, Hong Shi stood, her crimson spear gleaming like fresh blood, spinning in her grip with unnerving precision.

"You think you can keep up with me?" Hong Shi taunted.

Xue Hua wiped her mouth, spitting a glob of blood onto the ground. "Try me."

*swoosh* Hong Shi wasted no time and with a sharp thrust, her spear shot forward, aiming directly for Xue Hua's heart.

The speed was blinding, but Xue Hua sidestepped, her gauntlet deflecting the spear with a resounding *clang*.

The impact sent sparks flying, but Hong Shi was already spinning, using the momentum to unleash a horizontal slash.

*swoosh* Xue Hua ducked, narrowly avoiding the blade, and retaliated with a quick jab to Hong Shi's ribs.

Her gauntlet landed solidly, and the crowd gasped as Hong Shi staggered.

But Hong Shi recovered in an instant, her crimson spear arcing toward Xue Hua's head.

*CLANG*! Xue Hua crossed her gauntlets to block, the force of the strike sending a shockwave through the arena. Read latest chapters at My Virtual Library Empire

"WOHHHHAAA!" The crowd erupted in cheers as the two fighters locked eyes, their weapons grinding against each other.

"You're tough,"

With a twist of her wrists, Hog Shi disengaged and swept low, the spear's tip slicing through the air toward Xue Hua's legs.

Xue Hua leaped back, her feet skidding on the cracked floor as she avoided the lethal sweep.

She countered with a flurry of punches, her fists glowing brighter with each strike.

Each blow was aimed to disarm or break through Hong Shi's defenses, but the crimson spear was like a blur in her hands, deflecting every attack.

"Too slow..." Hong Shi uttered, spinning her spear in a deadly arc.

The weapon's edge grazed Xue Hua's shoulder, cutting through fabric and flesh as blood sprayed, painting the ground in streaks of crimson.

"Urghhh!" Xue Hua hissed but didn't falter.

Gritting her teeth, she stepped in close, closing the gap to neutralize Hong Shi's reach advantage.

She ducked under a thrust and drove her fist into Hong Shi's stomach.

"Ugh!" The blow landed with a sickening thud, and Hong Shi staggered back, coughing blood.

The crowd roared as Xue Hua pressed her advantage and unleashed a barrage of punches, each one faster and harder than the last.

*clang* *clang* Hong Shi deflected with her spear, but the force of the strikes began to wear her down.

Her feet slid across the stone, her crimson aura flickering under the relentless assault.

Then Hong Shi's eyes flared and with a breath, she spun her spear in a full circle, the weapon's shaft catching Xue Hua across the temple.

*THUD* The impact sent Xue Hua reeling, blood trickling from a gash on her forehead.

"That's more like it," Hong Shi growled, stepping forward with her spear raised.

She lunged, the weapon disappearing like blur as it sought Xue Hua's vital points.

Xue Hua twisted and turned, her gauntlets intercepting most of the strikes, but the sheer ferocity of Hong Shi's assault drove her back.

The crowd gasped as Xue Hua's back hit the arena wall, her breath coming in ragged gasps.

Hong Shi grinned, her crimson aura flaring brighter. "You're cornered now," she said, her voice dripping with triumph.

She thrust her spear with deadly precision, aiming for Xue Hua's chest.

Xue Hua's eyes narrowed and at the last moment, she sidestepped, the spear's tip embedding itself in the stone wall with a deafening *crack*.

Before Hong Shi could pull it free, Xue Hua seized the opportunity and slammed her gauntlet into Hong Shi's jaw, the impact sending her stumbling backward.

But Hong Shi recovered quickly, pulling her spear free from the wall.

She spun it overhead, the weapon humming with energy, and brought it down like a hammer.

*THANG* Xue Hua crossed her gauntlets to block, but the force drove her to one knee, the ground beneath her cracking from the impact.

The crowd was on their feet now, the roar of their cheers deafening.

Blood dripped from both fighters, their bodies battered but their spirits unbroken.

Xue Hua gritted her teeth, pushing against the spear with all her strength.

"AHHH!" With a defiant shout, she surged to her feet, knocking the spear aside.

She stepped in close and landed a brutal uppercut to Hong Shi's chin, followed by a spinning kick that sent Hong Shi sprawling.

Hong Shi hit the ground hard, her spear skittering across the floor.

The arena fell silent as Xue Hua stood over her, her gauntlets glowing faintly in the dim light.

But Hong Shi wasn't finished and with a smile, she rolled to her feet, blood dripping from her split lip, and called her spear back to her hand.

"You think this is over?" she spat, her voice filled with defiance.

Xue Hua raised her fists, her expression turning cold. "Come and find out."

*woosh* Without warning, Hong Shi surged forward, the spear blurring as she thrust it toward Xue Hua's chest.

Xue Hua twisted, narrowly avoiding the lethal tip, but the shaft slammed into her ribs with bone-jarring force.

"Gurghhh!" She grunted, her feet skidding across the arena floor as she tried to absorb the impact.

Hong Shi pressed her advantage and the spear lashed out like a serpent, striking with pinpoint precision.

Xue Hua deflected a thrust aimed at her throat, the clang of metal on metal ringing out, but Hong Shi immediately pivoted, sweeping the spear low.

The shaft caught Xue Hua's ankles, sending her crashing to the ground.

The crowd roared as Hong Shi lunged, her spear raised high to deliver a finishing blow.

*THOOM* But Xue Hua rolled to the side at the last second, the spear's blade slamming into the stone floor and sending shards of rock flying.

Xue Hua sprang to her feet, blood trickling from a gash on her forehead.

"AHH!" With a furious yell, she lunged forward, her gauntlets glowing brighter as she unleashed a series of punches.

Finally, Xue Hua broke through, her fist slamming into Hong Shi's chest with a resounding crack.

*thud* Hong Shi staggered back, blood spraying from her mouth, but her grip on the spear never wavered.

She retaliated with a wide sweep, the blade grazing Xue Hua's arm and drawing a thin line of crimson.

"You'll have to do better than that!" Hong Shi smiled, spinning the spear around her body in a display of skill.

Xue Hua's eyes narrowed, and she charged again, this time weaving around the spear's deadly arc.

She ducked under a horizontal slash and drove her fist upward into Hong Shi's jaw.

The force of the blow lifted Hong Shi off her feet, her head snapping back violently.

But Hong Shi landed on her feet, a savage grin on her bloodied face. "Not bad," she growled, wiping her mouth. "But now it's my turn."

She thrust the spear forward, but this time it wasn't aimed at Xue Hua.

The crimson blade struck the ground between them, and a surge of energy erupted from its tip, sending a shockwave rippling outward.

Xue Hua barely had time to brace herself as the force hit her, throwing her backward and slamming her into the arena wall.

The impact left her gasping for air, her vision swimming as she tried to push herself up.

Hong Shi was relentless, closing the distance in an instant. She grabbed the shaft of her spear with both hands and brought it down like a club, aiming for Xue Hua's head.

*THANG* Xue Hua raised her gauntlets just in time, the shaft colliding with a deafening crack.

The force drove her to her knees, her arms trembling as she held the weapon at bay.

"Stay down!" Hong Shi roared, pressing harder.

"Not a chance," Xue Hua snarled, her muscles burning as she forced herself to stand.

With a deep breath, she pushed back, knocking Hong Shi off balance.

Xue Hua seized the moment, slamming her knee into Hong Shi's stomach.

The blow drove the air from her lungs, and she stumbled back, clutching her abdomen.

Xue Hua followed up with an uppercut, her gauntlet catching Hong Shi under the chin and sending her sprawling.

Gritting her teeth, Hiong Shi rolled to her feet, blood dripping from her split lip.

As she gripped the crimson tightly, a holy aura flared from Hong Shi's body and Xue Hua felt a shiver fall down her spine 'So, this is the Holy flame.'

The Grand Worship who was sitting above in the arena, was quite satisfied and glanced at Xue Hua 'We need to get her into Hong Holy Land, she is good...'

'And the other young lad, who fought with her during semi-finals. Such geniuses, we need to get them.'

Twisting her spear in her hand, Hong Shi slammed the spear on the ground, a white fiery aura oozing out of her.

"I just increased the difficulty of the game."

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I hope you guys liked this chapter!