After breaking through to the Second Layer, Luo Tian didn't stop cultivating.
「Half a day later.」
WHOOSH!
Luo Tian used the residual power of the Primordial Spirit Fruit and his own foundation to open a full two-fifths of his second Qi Vein.
Just opening this two-fifths was equivalent to several months of arduous cultivation for an ordinary Martial Artist.
Compared to when he was at the First Layer of Meridian Opening, the strength and volume of Luo Tian's True Qi had also increased significantly.
Previously.
When he attacked, he could only use the True Qi from one Qi Vein, but now he could channel it from two at the same time.
'With my current strength, I should be able to make money at the Martial Arts Arena now.'
Luo Tian's confidence and fighting spirit soared.
「The next day.」
Luo Tian arrived at the Martial Arts Arena in Martial City.
"I want to participate in a betting match."
Luo Tian paid one thousand taels of Gold to a member of the Martial Arts Arena staff.
Betting matches were the most common type in the Martial Arts Arena.
Simple sparring was rather dull; there usually had to be some stakes involved.
"Anyone below the Third Layer of Meridian Opening can only go to the Low Tier Martial Arts Arena."
The Martial Arts Arena staff member gave Luo Tian a Token.
In Martial City, the arenas were divided into several tiers.
These were the Low Tier, Middle Tier, High Tier, and the even higher Spirit Tier Martial Arts Arena.
Low Tier was for those below the Third Layer of Meridian Opening.
Middle Tier was for the Third to Sixth Layers of Meridian Opening.
High Tier was for the Seventh to Ninth Layers of Meridian Opening.
Arenas above High Tier were rarely seen.
As for the Spirit Tier Martial Arts Arena, only experts at the Spirit Sea Realm could participate. There were only a few experts of this caliber in all of Qingchang City; they were all major figures.
The Low Tier Martial Arts Arena was still the most bustling, with numerous participants.
"Who else? Anyone who defeats me gets one thousand taels of Gold!"
A middle-aged man with a handlebar mustache laughed heartily.
In the Low Tier Martial Arts Arena, the stakes were mostly one thousand taels of Gold.
"That guy has cultivated his Iron Eagle Claw to the Perfection Realm. He's actually won two matches in a row."
The crowd below buzzed with discussion.
The moustachioed middle-aged man's Cultivation was at the Peak of Second Layer of Meridian Opening, yet he had cultivated a Mortal Level Low Grade Martial Skill to the Perfection Realm, which was terrifyingly impressive.
When any Martial Skill is cultivated to the Perfection Realm, its power undergoes a qualitative leap.
"I'll go!"
A young Martial Artist leaped onto the Martial Combat Platform.
A few moves later.
THWACK! BANG!
With his pair of scarlet-red iron claws, the moustachioed middle-aged man sent the young Martial Artist flying.
"So strong!"
"Even someone at the Third Layer of Meridian Opening wouldn't be guaranteed a win against him."
Some people exclaimed in amazement.
Offstage, a few Martial Artists at the Third Layer of Meridian Opening hesitated.
The Martial Arts Arena had a rule.
If a Martial Artist with a higher Cultivation challenged one with a lower Cultivation, they would have to pay double the stakes if they lost.
In other words,
if a Third Layer challenged a Second Layer, a win would only net them one thousand taels of Gold, but a loss would cost two thousand.
"I'll face you."
Just then, a handsome youth leaped leisurely onto the platform.
"Haha, a mere student like you wants to challenge me?"
The moustachioed middle-aged man grinned widely.
Luo Tian's attire identified him as a student of Cyan Peak Academy.
"Nothing to be done. I'm here for the money, so no offense."
Luo Tian said, offering a cupped-fist salute.
As soon as he spoke, the crowd below erupted in laughter.
The moustachioed man laughed too. 'This kid really talks big, acting like he's already got me beat.'
"Run along back to class. The Martial Arts Arena is a place for adults."
The moustachioed middle-aged man had no intention of going easy on him.
Iron Eagle Claw!
His claw-like hands turned scarlet, their surface taking on a sharp, metallic sheen.
'Good timing!'
Luo Tian didn't dodge or evade, meeting the attack head-on with a palm strike.
He didn't plan on using the Star Condensing Sword Point against a Second Layer of Meridian Opening Realm opponent.
"This kid is courting death!"
Seeing Luo Tian meet the attack head-on, many people shook their heads in pity.
The moustachioed man had been cultivating for over twenty years; his Iron Eagle Claw was as hard as iron, and he was an expert at grappling.
A direct clash could easily result in broken bones.
BANG! CRACK!
A claw and a palm slammed into each other, kicking up a wild gust of wind.
"You..."
The moustachioed man's face turned deathly pale.
A terrifyingly immense force, accompanied by an overbearing, ice-cold True Qi, had blasted into his body.
His strength, his True Qi—they were completely crushed!
BLEGH!
The moustachioed man spat out a mouthful of blood and staggered back several steps.
"I've lost."
His heart was in turmoil. He suddenly understood what Luo Tian had meant by "no offense" before the fight began.
Victory in a single clash!
Below the platform, an uproar of shock and disbelief.
"The kid must possess immense strength. Brute force trumps skill."
"The moustachioed man had fought three consecutive matches. He was low on stamina and underestimated his opponent. It was a really unlucky loss for him."
The crowd chattered amongst themselves.
However, most people believed that Luo Tian's victory contained an element of luck.
If the moustachioed man had been in his peak state and hadn't underestimated him, the outcome would have been hard to predict.
'Heh, making money in the Martial Arts Arena really is fast,' Luo Tian mused to himself as he stood on the platform.
He'd won one thousand taels of Gold in a single match, with just one exchange.
Hunting Demon Beasts in the wilderness was not only dangerous, but it also didn't pay nearly as much in a day.
When the Martial Artists below heard him, their anger flared.
"Don't get cocky, you wet-behind-the-ears brat! All you have is a little brute strength."
A youth in white shouted coldly as he ascended the Martial Combat Platform.
"Oh? It's him!"
"He's skilled in Body Techniques. He often wins against powerful Martial Artists."
The crowd below was abuzz with discussion.
The youth in white's Cultivation was also at the Second Layer of Meridian Opening.
'Hmph! I'll let you see my Body Technique. Let's see if you can keep up, or if I'll just run you in circles,' the youth in white sneered inwardly.
SWOOSH!
A white shadow flickered. The youth in white's speed was as swift as a startled goose.
His movements were erratic, and in a flash, he appeared behind Luo Tian, drawing gasps of amazement from the crowd.
'Hmph! With that level of skill, all brawn and no technique, he won't even be able to handle a single one of my moves.'
A sneer played on the lips of the youth in white.
Just as he was about to strike, his vision blurred.
WHOOSH!
Like a fish flicking its tail, Luo Tian sidestepped and spun to the youth's back.
'How is this possible...'
The youth in white was horrified, a chill running down his spine.
The crowd cried out in alarm. They hadn't expected the Body Technique Luo Tian displayed to be a cut above the youth in white's.
With a loud SMACK, the youth in white, who had just turned around, was sent flying by a slap, tumbling off the Martial Combat Platform.
For a moment, the crowd was dead silent.
Then, an uproar like a tidal wave erupted.
"That Body Technique just now... it looked like Cyan Peak Academy's Wandering Body Step."
"His Wandering Body Step is at least at the Great Success realm. Such talent in Martial Arts is truly astonishing."
A heated discussion broke out below the platform.
It isn't easy to cultivate any Martial Skill to a high Realm.
This was true even for the simplest Entry Grade Martial Skill.
For an ordinary person to cultivate a skill to Great Success would take at least several years, sometimes even more than a decade.
The original version of the Wandering Body Step was a Mortal Level Middle Grade Martial Skill, something that was difficult even for most Scattered Stream Martial Artists to obtain.
But how could these people know, that Luo Tian's Wandering Body Step had been upgraded to an Upper Grade Martial Skill? Its Small Success Realm was already equivalent in power to the original version's Great Success Realm.
Moreover, after these past few days of tempering, his Wandering Body Step was faintly approaching the threshold of the Great Success Realm.
"Who's next?"
Luo Tian stood on the Martial Combat Platform, calm and composed.
'Two wins in a row, two thousand taels of Gold... this is way too fast.'
He waited for a moment.
No one at the Second Layer of Meridian Opening dared to challenge him.
After all, with Luo Tian's immense strength and profound Body Technique, there was truly no one at the Second Layer who was his match.
Those at the Third Layer of Meridian Opening were also hesitating.
Defeat a student from the Second Layer of Meridian Opening? There was no glory in that.
And what if they lost?
They would not only lose all face, but also have to pay double the wager.
"A bunch of cowards!"
Luo Tian scoffed, spitting in the direction of the few Martial Artists from the Third Layer of Meridian Opening.
"How outrageous! You junior, you're asking for a beating! I'll be the one to teach you a lesson!"
A burly man leaped onto the platform, roaring in anger.
THUD! WHOOSH!
The burly man landed, unleashing a violent wave of True Qi.
The fluctuations from three Qi Veins emanated from his body, proclaiming his Cultivation at the Third Layer of Meridian Opening.