Ren Qiguang took his place on the arena floor and faced his opponent with his sword drawn. Across from him stood a man who looked at least a decade older. He had a dark and weathered face, wore simple linen robes, had his hair tied in a messy knot low on his neck, and carried what looked like a fishing net. Giving it a second glance, Wu Chen could see tiny metal sea creatures had been woven throughout the net. It was actually rather beautiful when the metal pieces glinted in the sunlight.

Having learned his lesson, Wu Chen did not underestimate this opponent despite his unorthodox weapon. It seemed that Ren Qiguang had the same idea. He circled the man cautiously, his focused gaze never leaving the eyes of the stranger.

Then, in a flurry of moves, the two met. Ren Qiguang was using a variant of his sect's sword technique. The technique was known to be overly weighted for offense, providing strong, swift strikes that were meant to overwhelm your opponent. However, in a prolonged battle, it could become physically draining, causing openings that were easy to exploit.

Ren Qiguang used the technique but added a slight change that made his swordsmanship excel. He incorporated his own clan's techniques between the sect's moves. This provided the balance the sect's moves lacked and bolstered the offense his clan's techniques needed. It was a devastating combination that worked well for his style of swordplay.

Wu Chen watched avidly as Ren Qiguang used his martial arts training to avoid the danger of the net wrapping his sword or his limbs. He spun, dodged, and backflipped. Then, he led with a flurry of strikes from his sword, retracted the sword when the net came for it, and spun low for a slash at the man's left leg.

Seeing the dangerous net falling again, Ren Qiguang ducked beneath the man's swinging arm, stood quickly, and sent an elbow straight into the fisherman's back with enough force to stagger him.

With his left leg injured, the fisherman dropped into a forward roll to prevent a fall and gain distance. Ren Qiguang took advantage of this and performed an intricate hand seal. Immediately, the metal pieces within the net responded by jumping from the fisherman's slack hand to Ren Qiguang's.

Wu Chen was shocked! Ren Qiguang was a rare metal ability cultivator. He never thought to ask.

The fisherman stood up from his roll panting heavily. He turned and glared at Ren Qiguang, who gave him a cheeky grin and wiggled the net now dangling from his hand. The crowd laughed, and the man's face grew dark. The fisherman created a tight hand seal and suddenly rose up on a column of water that towered over Ren Qiguang.

From the column, two giant water hands emerged and struck with force toward the surprised Ren Qiguang. Water was difficult to fight with his abilities. It was time to get serious.

Tossing the net into the audience, Ren Qiguang dodged the hands deftly, took a deep breath, and dove straight into the water column.

Wu Chen jumped to his feet! He couldn't believe he had done something so risky! As Wu Chen watched nervously, Ren Qiguang swam with strong, sure strokes up the column. It was obvious that he was aiming for the fisherman at the top.

Seeing Ren Qiguang getting closer, the fisherman began sweating. He made another hand seal and created a water bridge back to the ground. As he rode the bridge, Ren Qiguang caught sight of his descent and started swimming downward as fast as he could.

Just as the fisherman reached the ground, Ren Qiguang burst from the column and performed a flip in the air landing before the surprised fisherman, who had just collapsed the column and bridge. In a heartbeat, Ren Qiguang had the tip of his sword against the man's neck.

'Winner! Ren Qiguang!' Came the announcement.

Then the deafening roar of the crowd drowned everything else! Wu Chen was already on his feet, but he began cheering and yelling with the rest of them. Not only was the swordplay magnificent, but the martial arts, proper use of his abilities, incredible courage, and dramatic finish were all worthy of a young hero. Wu Chen felt truly lucky to have met someone of such great talent.

Rather than head straight to his seat, Ren Qiguang came back to the waiting area. He was soaked from head to toe, and he wanted to clean up and put on dry clothing. There was a place behind the waiting area to do just that.

'That was amazing!' Wu Chen praised when Ren Qiguang entered the waiting area.

Ren Qiguang smiled at the compliment, 'You're over praising me. I almost got taken out by those water hands.'

Wu Chen's face was flushed with excitement, and his fox eyes sparkled with admiration, 'A friend of mine once said to me, 'You are skilled, and your cultivation is excellent. These were accomplished with your own hard work. I do not speak falsely. Your match was quite impressive.' I think his words are most appropriate to argue my point.'

The waiting area resounded with a loud laugh from Ren Qiguang as he headed for the cleanup room, 'I hope I get to meet this friend one day.'

'I requested him for my new Guardian, so perhaps you will.' Wu Chen answered as Ren Qiguang disappeared into the back with a wave.

Wu Chen's heart was pounding. He had learned so much just in the two battles he had witnessed, and he wanted to learn even more. He was glad he'd listened to his instincts when this group of young men invited him for a meal.

He watched the next two battles with high hopes, only to be slightly disappointed. Although the young men were good, there were no real surprises or unique weapons to gain knowledge from. The crowd must have felt it too, because the enthusiasm after each bout wasn't nearly as pronounced as the first two battles.

Su Chunwen waved to Ren Qiguang as he returned to his seat in the stands.

'Great job, shixiong!' Su Chunwen praised with a strong pat on the back.

'Thank you, shidi. Did I miss anything?' Ren Qiguang asked.

'Nothing much, really. You're just in time, though. Our almost-shidi is about to battle.' Su Chunwen laughed, but Ren Qiguang only sighed.

'Stop calling him that.' Ren Qiguang said, his face darkening, 'With all the nastiness between sects and clans right now, if he hears you say that he might think we have ulterior motives.'

Su Chunwen's face fell, 'I'm sorry, shixiong. I didn't think about that. I really like Wu Chen.'

'En.' Ren Qiguang agreed, 'I do too. Let's just enjoy his battle, hmm?'

Wu Chen received the signal from the official and stood up. As he walked to his spot in the arena, he began filling Xiao Lei with qi. It had been a while since he stood in an arena. Since then, he had battled Blood Cultists, raced with the Crescent Wolves, fought against a spirit cobra, and taken out an enormous spirit bear. He had nothing to really fear here but a loss of face.

Wu Chen grinned. He wasn't going to lose that either.

Across from him stood a lanky young man in Duyegong green robes opening and closing a set of metal fans. No, Wu Chen corrected, not metal fans, bladed fans. Bladed fans were no joke. He once had his arm ripped wide open by a set of these.

Wu Chen took his stance. Long sword high, Xiao Lei low and watched his opponent.

After a moment, the lanky man bowed and said, 'I am called Li Jin Gu.'

Wu Chen nodded but did not change his stance, 'I am Wu Chen.'

Li Jin Gu noted his caution and walked steadily towards his right. Wu Chen followed him with his entire body. This was an experienced fighter, thought Li Jin Gu. This made things a little more difficult. He would have to be careful.

'You're a beauty, Wu Chen. I hate to damage such a pretty face.' Li Jin Gu sighed dramatically.

'Then don't aim for the face.' Wu Chen growled back.

Li Jin Gu laughed at that and suddenly rushed towards him. The ringing of metal on metal echoed through the arena.

Li Jin Gu was fast, really fast. Wu Chen had to keep both swords swinging and intercepting to keep the blades from his skin. They crossed blades and fans for a few moments, and then Wu Chen was able to get a good kick in sending him flying. Li Jin Gu fell hard and jumped back to his feet, his eyes burning with anger.

Wu Chen wasted no time. His best opportunities would be when they were at a distance. He lifted Xiao Lei and shot a tight golden lightning beam at his tricky opponent. Li Jin Gu tried to counter with a qi flair, but the beam was strong enough to break through. He was still hit by the lightning.

Li Jin Gu shot backward once again, this time with an injured shoulder. He glared at Wu Chen as he gripped his injured arm.

'If you let me cut you, I'll tell you a secret.' Li Jin Gu sneered.

'Nothing you have to say matters to me.' Wu Chen said as he sheathed his swords and made a quick hand seal.

Li Jin Gu was soon surrounded by crackling circles. As the lightning struck him from multiple angles, he threw one of his fans directly at the man just finishing his seal.

Wu Chen saw it coming and stepped aside to avoid it, but he still received a cut on his shoulder as it flew by and embedded itself into the arena wall.

Pain blossomed at the site, dropping him to his knees, and the lightning circles he created suddenly winked out.

Li Jin Gu laughed as he raised a blackened hand and pointed at Wu Chen, 'I'll tell you the secret you didn't want to hear, Wu Chen. Meridian Poison. Soon, you won't ever be able to use lightning against anyone ever again.'

Meridian Poison? He could feel pain begin working its way through his meridians, slowly eating away at their strengthened walls. If he didn't do something soon, he would be nothing more than a mortal, powerless to defend himself.

There was a way. He learned it when he was younger. There was a way to burn poisons from the meridians if you were hit by a certain snake. Damn it! Think, Wu Chen! It was dangerous but effective in emergencies.

Lightning! That's right. Shifu said to clasp your hands tightly and send the lightning through the acupoint in the hand. The lightning qi will attract it and draw it into the meridians. Fast, have to be fast.

Wu Chen sat on the ground of the arena and clasped his hands tightly. He ignored the excruciating pain and slowly began sending strands of lightning into his acupoint. He was shaking and sweating, and he could hear people running toward them. He couldn't let them interrupt, or it would be all over for him.

'Stay away! It's dangerous!' He shouted. He hoped they would listen.

Wu Chen sent more lightning in, and he began to feel the poison recede. It was working! Faster, he had to go faster.

He could feel the lightning shooting through his meridians now. As it went, it burned the poison and stopped the decay. His body shook as lightning crackled just below his skin.

Li Jin Gu stopped laughing as he watched the strands of lightning light up Wu Chen's entire body from the inside. It didn't take long before Wu Chen got to his feet and turned toward Li Jin Gu.

The crowd gasped. It was like the man's entire body was made of lightning. He began emitting lightning from his feet, and Wu Chen slowly walked on that lightning as if it were stairs as he made his way up into the air. At last, he stood on the crackling lightning in the sky as easily as he did on land.

Lightning pulsed beneath Wu Chen's skin, and his eyes were glowing with a golden light. He stood above Li Jin Gu like a lightning god, his white robes billowing in the wind, and the lightning running along his skin and supporting him in the air.

'You dare to use Meridian Poison on me? Who do you think you are?' Wu Chen pointed a finger and shot a white-hot lightning bolt at Li Jin Gu's lower legs, dropping him to his knees with severe burns.

Li Jin Gu was terrified! He was just supposed to destroy this guy's meridians so the slavers could make an easy catch. Easy taels, right? How was he supposed to know he was some kind of lightning god? He ignored the pain in his legs and began kowtowing until his head was bleeding.

'I was wrong! Wu Chen Gongzi, Lightning God, I was wrong!' He begged for all he was worth, his head bleeding and snot and tears streaming down his face. Finally, Li Jin Gu fainted from his fear.

Wu Chen looked one last time at the unconscious Li Jin Gu and walked back down the lightning to the ground. After a few breaths, he dropped to his knees and let out a large cry as he shot the built-up lightning he had been holding through the acupoints in his hands into the ground.

The entire arena was lit up from the inside, and everyone could see Wu Chen surrounded by the lightning streaming from his hands. Slowly, the lightning leeched from his meridians, and he once again stood as the simple cultivator Wu Chen.

He stumbled over to Li Jin Gu, his entire body feeling like it was on fire, and threw him over his shoulder.

'Well?' He shouted hoarsely to the silent arena.

'Winner! Wu Chen!' Came the announcement.

As Wu Chen slowly carried Li Jin Gu off the Arena floor, the crowd suddenly began clapping and then like rolling thunder, the place erupted in chaotic approval!