Chapter 14: Martial God Arena

"Prepare the Martial God Arena for me." Dugu Que stepped out of the secret chamber, brimming with confidence. "I have completely assimilated all the Lightning Mantis’ inscriptions in my body and mastered the Electric Light Blade. The so-called experts in the slums should all tremble at my feet."

"Hahaha, excellent, splendid." Dugu Yilong laughed heartily. "My son has been dormant for ten years, but is destined to make a sensational debut with the demeanor of a saint."

Dugu Que said calmly, "Attaining saintliness has always been my lifelong wish."

Dugu Yilong’s spirits soared. He laughed heartily, "The slums... no, the entire city of Liuhe will not be able to contain your boundless future, son. You are destined to soar into the heavens. Rest assured, father will spare no effort to pave the way for you. This Martial God Arena battle will be held in grand style for you."

Dugu Que nodded in satisfaction and asked, "How are the reactions from the other gangs?"

"Dugu Manor, Moon Manor Gang, and the Little Knife Gang have all expressed their submission and are willing to acknowledge our Blackblood Gang as their leader. The Thunderfire Gang has been retreating silently ever since you defeated General Manager Chen Wenxian. As for the Cloudy Sky Gang..." A hint of hatred flashed across Dugu Yilong's face as he continued, "President Zhong Yuanshan is dead, and the current spokesperson is called Li Xiaofei. I am going to personally take action to capture this Li Xiaofei and make him pay for his crimes."

"Hmm?" Dugu Que inquired, "What happened?"

Gritting his teeth, Dugu Yilong replied, "Your sister, as well as the Hall Master, Yang Hengkong, were both harmed by this little bastard."

Dugu Que was taken aback. "I've heard of him before. He's ranked sixth in the Cloudy Sky Gang and is only at the first stage. He’s just a worthless figure who relied on connections to rise. How could he be a match for my sister and Hall Master Yang?"

"I haven't figured it out either. It seems like this kid suddenly had an epiphany and mastered a strangely powerful and domineering martial art from somewhere. Here, take a look at the video..." Dugu Yilong handed over his phone.

It was playing a clip that had captured the moment when Li Xiaofei defeated Dugu Jue.

"Hmm, interesting," Dugu Que commented after watching it briefly. "This martial art seems quite powerful... Father, let's not kill him for now. Send someone to deliver an invitation to the Martial God Arena in three days."

He didn't really care much about his sister's death. She was just an unfinished experiment, plus she was insane. It was not surprising to him that she had been beaten to death.

Dugu Yilong was somewhat surprised. "My son, do you think this person is qualified to fight you?"

"Heh, even the number one on the slums' Combat Rankings, Wu Potian of the Dragon Fang Gang, is just a nobody in my eyes. What's a little Li Xiaofei?" Dugu Que chuckled lightly. "Didn't he boast about us paying resettlement fees for the poor in the Guang’an neighborhood? Let him come and take it in three days. Since we have a main course for the Martial God Arena, adding a dessert afterward should make it even better."

***

The next day at Cloudy Sky Gang headquarters, the ear-piercing roar of a tiger kept coming out of Li Xiaofei’s mouth as he trained in the president's office. He had quickly gotten the hang of the Tiger Roar Breathing Technique. The tiger’s roar had a kind of cleansing effect on his body, impurities were expelled from his pores. His physique was rapidly strengthening.

Li Xiaofei felt that the second Qi vortex in his dantian had become complete and robust in less than a day of practice. He had reached the pinnacle of the second stage, and breaking through to the third stage was just around the corner.

His speed had far exceeded his imagination. The Third Grade breathing technique was indeed hundreds of times stronger than the common Clear Spring Breathing Technique. Li Xiaofei could clearly feel his starforce density increasing at a visible rate. He decided to take advantage of his momentum to open the third Qi vortex in his dantian. However, several attempts ended in failure.

"Hmm?

Is this the legendary bottleneck?" Li Xiaofei pondered.

In the end, he hadn't accumulated enough time. It had only been a few days since he had advanced from the first stage to the second stage. Trying to break through to the third stage in one go was indeed a bit impatient of him.

But not breaking through to the third stage was not an option. A major battle was imminent. The Blackblood Gang’s retaliation strike was coming, and it would surely be very dangerous. He had to quickly grow stronger in order to have a better chance.

Li Xiaofei took out a bottle of Starforce Reagent. A faint floral scent wafted out when he opened the bottle. Li Xiaofei raised the glass bottle and drank its contents in one gulp. The cool blue liquid turned into a hot energy as it entered his throat, seeped into his organs, and spread to his limbs and bones.

Li Xiaofei immediately activated the Tiger Roar Breathing Technique. The thunderous roar of the tiger rang out as the scorching energy inside his body was directed to and vibrated with his muscles, bones, and organs.

The resonance of the three cavities transformed the energy into the Starforce Qi that he possessed. A few minutes later, Li Xiaofei felt that his Starforce Qi had become extremely vigorous and quickly converged in his dantian.

Boom!

A silent roar echoed in his head as the third Qi vortex finally formed. He had broken through to the third stage. Li Xiaofei suddenly felt lighter and all his senses felt significantly sharper. He also felt like his vitality had grown significantly. Each realm was divided into ten stages. One could enhance their physique, increase strength, invigorate blood and Qi, and strengthen the body's resilience at every stage.

A satisfied smile appeared on Li Xiaofei's face. He senses that he had only consumed about a third of the Starforce Reagent during this breakthrough. The remaining two-thirds could still be absorbed and assimilated.

"When I absorb all the medicinal energy, I should be able to stabilize at the peak of the third stage," Li Xiaofei couldn’t help but marvel at the incredible effectiveness of Starforce Reagents. No wonder it was so expensive.

Li Xiaofei was about to continue his cultivation when...

Knock, knock, knock.

"President, it's bad news. The Blackblood Gang has sent people over," Yang Cheng spoke from behind the door.

Li Xiaofei frowned, reluctantly putting an end to this cultivation session.

***

A moment later, at the conference hall.

"An invitation?" Li Xiaofei looked at the invitation in his hand. "The Martial God Arena Battle?"

"Our young master will challenge Wu Potian of the Dragon Fang Gang at the Slum’s Memorial Square in two days to commemorate the anniversary. We will be setting up the Martial God Arena according to the rules of various gangs and syndicates," the envoy from the Blackblood Gang said like a proud black swan holding its head high. "Please make sure to be there on time. Don't underestimate us."

The others from the Cloudy Sky Gang relaxed a bit. It turned out to be an invitation to watch, not an immediate confrontation.

"I will be there on time," Li Xiaofei replied promptly and decisively. The Martial God Arena sounded good.

It's just the right stage for me to make a name for myself.

The envoy from the Blackblood Gang sneered contemptuously. "You know your place. Let me warn you, don't try to escape, or you won't be able to bear the consequences."

Li Xiaofei nodded, then suddenly asked without warning, "May I know your surname, sir?"

"Why do you ask?" The envoy disdainfully looked down at Li Xiaofei. "Trying to establish connections? Heh, don't bother. My surname is Zhang..."

But before he could finish his sentence...

Smack.

A slap landed heavily on his face like a hammer.