Omi didn’t waste a second and quickly flew at Arad’s face, this time going even faster than before, and his knife burned with a strange light, illuminating half of the arena. Arad dodged the attack once more, and unlike back in the mortal world, the spectators did notice that he was moving far too quickly for his size.

"That speed!" One man cried, and another shouted right after, "But he is so massive!"

Seeing that Arad dodged his fastest attack, Omi shifted his stance and unleashed a barrage of attacks, trying to overwhelm and exhaust Arad, but all of his moves ended up getting weaved. The way Arad moved, each step, each quick turn, and that calm smile on his face, had made it even clearer that something was off.

"You slippery bastard!" Omi growled, and Arad chuckled. "Come on, I’m sure you can already understand. I’m faster than you; that is true, but your attacks are getting dodged before you can even throw them."

Arad lifted his arms, took a deep breath, and then flexed, ripping his shirt off. "Listen, Omi. You gotta clear your mind, I can read your moves just by looking at your eyes." Then, Arad lifted one foot, and in the next second, he had flown past Omi in a flash, and in his hand, he had the man’s belt.

As Omni turned around in shock, his pants dropped, but he didn’t care that the entire crowd was staring at his heart-filled boxers; he was more shocked at what Arad just did. "That move..."

Liana was shaking in her seat. "Father’s moves, when did he learn that?"

"If he fought him before, Arad’s must’ve seen it." Eris replied with a calm face.

Arad took a stance and looked at Omi with a gentle smile. "If you understand, then arm yourself. This might hurt."

Omi immediately lifted his dagger, and Arad disappeared from his vision like a ghost. He knew the hit was coming, but before he could dodge, the belt kissed his ass so hard that blood splashed across the entire arena, and his unconscious body hit the wall hard enough to crack it.

Arad looked at the now torn leather belt with a sad smile. "What a cheap belt, couldn’t handle a simple swing." He then threw a glance at Omi, who was now stuck to the wall with a large belt wound on his butt. "Next time, don’t hesitate to dodge."

"We... we got a winner! Of the first fight, the Dark Horse, the one and only Arad the Lumberjack had won!" The referee shouted as medics rushed in to carry Omi away.

The referee then approached Arad and looked at him with an excited smile. "Do you have a word for the crowds? If Omi is really Blood Rose’s brother, do you think that beating him here would hurt your chances of becoming her disciple? Or was it already decided before the tournament?"

Arad looked at her with a puzzled face. "Well, I’m here only for the cash prize. You can give the disciple spot to the second place. I’m not interested in being anyone’s disciple."

The referee remained silent for a long moment, and then she cried. "What?! You’re rejecting the disciple spot?! That is the most prized reward in the history of this tournament; it isn’t something that can be bought with money!"

Arad rubbed his chin, "Really, priceless?"

She energetically nodded with sweat rushing down her face. "Yes! The cash prize is worthless compared to that spot."

Arad smiled, "Fine, I’m not giving it away... I’m selling it to the highest bidder!" He waved his arm at the crowd: "The bidding starts at double the tournament’s cash prize."

After a long minute of silence, the entire crowd exploded into enraged roars. "This arrogant fool!"

"What do you take Elder Bloody Rose for!"

"You ungrateful wretch! Is money all you think about!"

"Dare smear the name of this tournament?! No wonder Omi wanted to eliminate you!"

Arad looked at them with a puzzled face. "Well, suit yourselves. It is still up for sale; I don’t have it yet, but I’ll get it. If you don’t like it, then hope any of the fighters here can defeat me."

Walking back to his resting room, the entire crowd kept shouting and yelling, unable to believe that someone would dare try to see a disciple spot of all things. That wasn’t even a decision for Arad to make, but one that Bloody Rose herself makes; she has the sole right to pick and choose who trains under her.

When Omi was carried to the back medic room, they quickly found out that if not for the protective tattoo, Arad’s belt hit would’ve cleaved him in half. And as they rushed to heal him, a woman who stood at the door giggled.

"Now, that was an interesting fight. To think that Omi lost like that..." She giggled, and the healers glared back at her. "Leave this room now! Other fighters aren’t allowed here, and... your match is next!"

She sighed, waved a hand, and walked away. "You aren’t fun at all..." She licked her lips, and her entire soft body shivered. "With that size and power... I can’t wait... I wonder how much power I’ll get from him!"

The next fight started almost immediately, and when the crowd calmed, the referee called the first fighter in.

"The woman of women! The great Love Path Master of the dual cultivators, the one woman who seduced more than a thousand men!" She pointed at the red gate, "Welcome her! Great Master Ki!"

When the gate opened, Ki walked into the arena wearing nothing but her think underwear, swinging her hips around with each step, and making sure to throw kisses at the crowd. "Come on! More, cheer me more!"

She laughed, and just to feed the crowd’s excitement, she took her bra off and threw it at them. She then pointed at her panties, "When the fight ends, I’ll take them off and throw them as well. Whoever catches them would entertain me until the next match."

The referee looked at her with a tired face. "Did you have to strip?"

Ki giggled, "There are no rules; we could dress however we want, or not dress at all." She then approached and wrapped her arm around the referee. "Besides, charm is my powerful art, and being like this makes it more potent."

The referee pushed her away with an annoyed face and then shouted. "Our second contestant, the one who eats and eats, until nothing is left! The infamous of the south, the largest fighter this year..."

As the blue gate opened up, a massive mass of fat rolled in, and the referee screamed. "For the first time! He stands at this stage, or rolls in! The Pig God, Gor the consumer!"

As he stood there, massive, round, bald, and looking like an actual orc, the man glared down at Ki with a sharp eye, and groaned. "You’re too think... won’t even be a snack."

She smiled, "Didn’t they find anyone better to fight me?" She then threw a glance at the referee, "Who decided the matches? Putting me against this ugly pig?"

"Elder Bloody Rose is the one who decided the matches, except the one where Omi fought Arad." She stared back at her. "Do you have a complaint?"

"Oh! No, I won’t even dare. I’ll make sure to apologize well when I become her disciple." She then threw a glance at Gor, "For her, I’ll even fight this... thing."

The referee quickly jumped away, and for the first time in this tournament, the gong rang loudly like a thunderclap.

The moment the fight started, Ki flew forward at blinding speed, swinging a burning fist at Gor’s chest. "Let me see how you’ll splatter all across this arena!" She swung at her full strength, but the moment her fist hit his skin, her entire arm sank into the fat down to her armpits.

She gasped and tried to pull her arm out, but couldn’t. She struggled, and before she could escape, Gor grabbed her with one hand and lifted her up. She screamed and started hitting his massive arm, but all of her attacks did nothing, all getting absorbed into his fat.

Then, Gor opened his mouth wide and lifted her above his head. She got even more desperate, but it was already too late. Gor put her feet first into his mouth, then pushed her down to her knees, hips, and soon, her entire body disappeared into his massive maw.

The crowd could still hear her scream and try to fight back for a whole minute before she fell silent, and Gor slapped his massive belly, "What a disgusting meal."

The referee stood there in shock. "You... you... are her? She is dead?"

Gor lifted an eyebrow, even though he didn’t have any. "Of course not, I’m not here to kill anyone, and I’m not a cannibal. I’ll shit her out in a few hours; a cultivator of her power should still be alive."

He then barely managed to turn around, "That is the only fate she deserves." He then rolled away.

As Gor rolled into the massive hallways, he found Arad standing there, leaning on the wall. "The other fighters are warming up; you just stand there to watch?"

Arad looked at Gor with a smile, "I don’t need to warm up. That was a beautiful fight, Gor."

Gor glared at Arad, "Are you being sarcastic? You’ve just watched me; an ugly pig swallows a beautiful woman whole. You all that a beautiful fight?"

"It was a clean win; what isn’t beautiful about it?" He approached and tapped Gor on the chest, "Also... I can see the beauty beneath your outer skin. This isn’t your final form, is it?" Right in the middle of the fat, Arad could see a thin, well-built core that radiated with immense power, probably the best of all the fighters here.

Gor smiled, "You’re a real monster, to think you can see that far. I hope to never face you in a fight." Gor rolled away, "This... was the first time someone called me beautiful... well, besides that whore I just ate."

"And her words at the time were nothing more than deceitful poison; yours aren’t."