Batian Martial Soul

Chapter 14572 Old Man

Then, the old man closed his eyelids and returned to his previous appearance, as if nothing had happened.

Ling Xiao frowned slightly.

That's it? No registration, no opponents assigned?

He subconsciously looked down at the audience, wanting to ask Su Miao, but found that the slender figure was no longer there; she had left sometime earlier.

"Brother Ling!"

Just then, a familiar voice rang out. Ling Xiao looked in the direction of the voice and saw that Zhang Ming had returned at some point and was standing below the stage waving at him anxiously.

Ling Xiao suppressed his doubts and flew off the stage in a flash.

"What's going on?" he asked, frowning.

Zhang Ming quickly pulled him aside, avoiding the gazes of others, and lowered his voice, his tone tinged with helplessness and anxiety: "Brother Ling, I forgot to remind you! This old ghost is the most greedy of all, specializing in 'skimming'... He will secretly deduct half of the source crystals from newcomers or challengers who seem to have no backing, calling it a 'venue fee'!"

"Everyone has to be given one?" Ling Xiao's tone was calm, but a cold glint flashed in his eyes.

"How could that be!" Zhang Ming shook his head repeatedly, lowering his voice even further. "He wouldn't dare take a single penny from those powerful figures or ruthless individuals who have already made a name for themselves in the Blood Battle Arena. He only dares to bully people like us who have no connections!"

Ling Xiao nodded, said nothing more, and turned to walk towards the arena.

"Hey! Brother Ling, what are you doing?" Zhang Ming grabbed his arm, his expression changing drastically.

"Are you crazy? That's the manager of the Blood Battle Arena! He's been operating here for years, and who knows what kind of power is backing him! If you go and ask for the Source Crystal back, at best you'll be crippled and thrown out, at worst you'll die! Listen to me, just suffer in silence and consider it a lesson learned... In this desperate situation, sometimes you have to bow your head, and survival is the most important thing!"

"Lower your head?"

Ling Xiao paused, slowly turned around, a faint smile curving his lips, but his eyes held no mirth, only a chilling coldness: "I'm a stubborn person, I can't back down."

To suffer a loss? To swallow one's anger?

Yes, enduring it now is indeed the "smartest" thing to do, as it can save a lot of trouble.

But if he swallowed this anger, it would become a thorn, stuck firmly in his heart!

If one can tolerate the withholding of ten source crystals today, one can tolerate the humiliation from others tomorrow, and the day after tomorrow, one might not even dare to draw the knife in one's hand again!

The way of the martial artist is to forge ahead without hesitation, with a pure and untainted heart! This breath must be exhaled! Now! Immediately!

Moreover, he wasn't without any trump cards... He hadn't used his full strength earlier simply because he didn't want to reveal his power too early, but if someone really forced him, he wouldn't mind adding another splash of blood to this blood-soaked arena.

Watching Ling Xiao resolutely turn away, Zhang Ming stamped his feet in frustration, finally able to only rub his forehead and sigh softly, "You reckless fool! You're really courting death..."

He has survived until now not because of reckless courage, but because he is pragmatic and knows when to advance and retreat... just like when he handed over his storage ring without hesitation to save his life.

On the stage, Ling Xiao's return had already attracted the attention of everyone below.

All eyes turned to him, some with curiosity, some with scrutiny, some with amusement, and some with schadenfreude... Clearly, many had suffered at the hands of the gray-robed old man, but none dared to openly turn back and demand an explanation like Ling Xiao.

Ling Xiao walked straight to the stone table. Under the shadow, the demonic aura around him seemed to permeate the air, making the air feel colder.

The old man in the gray robe remained cross-legged, feigning sleep, his withered fingers resting on his knees, as if everything around him was irrelevant.

"Old man, wake up!"

Ling Xiao spoke, his voice not loud, but sharp enough to pierce the eardrums, like an ice pick cutting through the silence, clearly echoing throughout the entire arena, "My Source Crystal, give it back to me!"

The old man didn't even lift his eyelids. His aged voice was as harsh as sandpaper, filled with undisguised impatience and indifference: "Young man, these are the rules of the Blood Battle Arena. If you know what's good for you, leave quickly, lest you ruin your own life."

"rule?"

Ling Xiao suddenly laughed, his white teeth gleaming coldly in the dim light, carrying a hint of menacing malice. "Who made these rules? Rules that involve taking money and not doing anything, bullying the weak and fearing the strong?"

"Wow..."

A low commotion immediately arose from the audience, and many people's eyes lit up... This newcomer really dares to go head-to-head with the person in charge!

The old man finally opened his eyes slowly. His cloudy eyes held no trace of the kindness of old age, only a chilling coldness, like a frozen pool that had stood for millennia: "Are you questioning me?"

"Questioning?" Ling Xiao's smile widened, but a terrifying demonic light surged in his eyes. "I'm teaching you a lesson, you disrespectful old bastard! Today I'll show you that you can't just bully anyone!"

Before he could finish speaking, Ling Xiao moved!

He did not attack the old man directly, but instead slammed his foot hard on the edge of the stone table as if it were cast in iron... The stone table weighed a thousand pounds and was made of black iron rock, which was unique to the forbidden land. Ordinary cultivators would find it difficult to even shake it, let alone kick it away!

"boom!!!"

A deafening roar exploded, and the stone table was kicked so hard that it flipped in mid-air and crashed down on the old man like a small mountain with a whooshing sound that tore through the air!

Amidst the flying debris, the arena trembled slightly, and gasps of surprise rose and fell from the audience. Many people suddenly stood up, their faces filled with disbelief... This kid has truly gone mad!

The old man's eyes flashed with fierce light, how could he dare to show the slightest contempt? His figure drifted back several feet like a ghost, his withered figure leaving a trail of afterimages in mid-air.

The stone tablet crashed into empty space with a loud thud, and the black iron rock instantly shattered into countless fist-sized pieces. The flying stone chips, accompanied by a whooshing sound, left the surrounding ground pitted and uneven.

"Junior is seeking death!"

The old man roared, his voice filled with rage at being offended.

His withered hand suddenly transformed into a claw, his five fingers curving like eagle hooks. The claw's wind was fierce, scraping the face and stinging it. It was aimed directly at Ling Xiao's face. This claw had condensed most of his cultivation, and the force was so solid that it was almost tangible!

Ling Xiao neither dodged nor evaded, but instead drew a black knife from his waist. The cold light flashed like a cold moon breaking through the night, and the demonic aura surrounding the knife caused the surrounding temperature to drop sharply.

With a flick of his wrist, the black knife slashed upwards from below, its light flashing like a bolt of lightning, aimed directly at the old man's wrist at an extremely tricky angle!

The old man snorted coldly, his moves changing swiftly from a grab to a slap. His heavy palm, carrying a dull gust of wind, struck the side of the blade hard!

"clang!!"

The clang of metal against metal was so loud it hurt the eardrums, and the arena hummed. Ling Xiao's arm went slightly numb, and his black blade was deflected half a foot by the force, but he used the momentum to spin around and steady himself.

Taking advantage of the situation, the old man pressed forward, his other hand forming a sword with fingers pointing straight at Ling Xiao's throat. The speed was so fast that only a blurry afterimage remained, leaving no way to avoid it!

Ling Xiao seemed caught off guard and could only hastily parry with his sword... but in reality, a cold glint flashed in his eyes, this was the opportunity he had been waiting for!

A smug smile had just appeared on the old man's lips as his fingertips grew even sharper, but just before they touched the blade... (End of Chapter)