having fun as a villain.

Sofia, Samantha, and Victoria had come to watch the big tournament, with Monica accompanying them.

Noah stood in the arena, facing a burly man wielding a hammer. Noah was using a wooden saber.

"A wooden saber, are you thinking of me as one of those weak rank 4 fighters you've been facing?" the hammer-wielder taunted.

"Yes," Noah replied nonchalantly.

"Hahahaha, I'll break that arrogant character," the man shouted.

Noah remained silent. He had lost interest in anyone but one particular fighter, Xin Chou, who he would meet in the finals. He walked into each fight intending to finish it in one or two moves.

The man with the hammer attacked, and Noah executed his old saber move, the Thunderous Cleave, striking the man in the chest and breaking a few ribs.

The audience was dumbfounded.

On the other side of the arena, two girls sat together. One was clearly Western, and the other was Asian.

"Scarlet, if you win until the semi-finals, you'll face him. You don't know what weapon he'll choose, so be ready and try to win," the Asian girl advised.

"What's there to be afraid of? He's just a newbie," Scarlet joked.

"No, I've seen his fights before. He knows how to fight, and he said that the reason he joins tournaments is to train his techniques," the Asian girl replied.

Scarlet frowned slightly, but her confidence remained unshaken.

"Hana, can you beat him?" Scarlet inquired.

"In a tournament, maybe. But as he said, he's a fighter who has killed people. He knows how to fight in a life-and-death battle," Hana replied.

Scarlet chuckled, "You're also on a mission these days, right? So, soon, you might have your share of life-and-death battles and maybe even kill someone."

They continued chatting as Noah kept winning his matches.

As Noah reached the semi-finals, Xin Chou faced off against a woman named Rin.

Xin stood and greeted with a bow, following the tradition of a Chinese martial artist. Rin was a palm fighter, with a fighting style similar to boxing. She rushed in and threw two fast punches, but Xin swiftly dodged and delivered an uppercut, sending her slightly into the air. As she started to descend, he kicked her in the chin, breaking her jaw.

"Ruthless," commented a reporter.

"What do you expect from our tournament god?"

"He only sees Hana as his competition and the newcomer Noah, but all the others are just warm-ups."

"He will surely have to fight Noah in the finals. That fight will be amazing."

"Noah will also have to face Scarlet, she's not an easy opponent."

Xin won his battle with ease and approached Noah.

"I heard you think tournament fighters aren't really great?" he asked.

Noah raised his head and responded, "In a life-and-death battle, you would lose if I were your opponent. That doesn't mean you are weak or I'm stronger; it just means that there are no rules, and I can do anything to get you killed."

Xin was taken aback by Noah's answer, and in reaction, Noah laughed.

"You see, you came here to provoke me and see what I'm capable of. These games are not played outside. If you go to a gang member with this attitude, they will gang up on you. There's no ref out there to stop them." Noah stood up and walked into the arena, leaving Xin stunned.

Hana, Scarlet, and the audience who had heard him were shocked.

"In a real fight, there are no rules, no honor, and no pride. Noah, you opened my eyes today, and for that, I'm thankful," Hana whispered.

"Use your saber; I fight with a saber as well," Scarlet ordered.

Noah observed her from head to toe and responded indifferently, "Sure."

His dispassionate attitude infuriated her. She attacked with the force of a charging bull, lifting her saber high and bringing it down swiftly and lethally.

Noah chuckled and, with his saber technique, deflected her attack and smacked her across the face with his wooden saber.

The shock rippled through the audience.

"See? If I had a real saber, I could have cut your face. People criticize me for using wooden weapons," he mocked.

Scarlet, humiliated and infuriated, prepared to attack, but Noah struck the back of her neck, rendering her unconscious.

"You see, Xin Chou? That's the difference. You tournament fighters are too prideful and quick to anger. In a real fight, her head would be rolling around the arena right now," Noah laughed and walked out.

Xin, Rin, and Hana were stunned.

"He deliberately attacked her face and neck to demonstrate he could kill with ease. He's truly just here to make fun of tournament fighters," Xin commented.

Sofia laughed, "Hahaha, my brother is really making enemies out of tournament fighters," she joked.

"What can they do about it? Complain to the referee?" Samantha chimed in, and they both burst into laughter.

Others around them joined in the laughter.

Hana rose from her seat, her mind occupied with thoughts. "Is the difference really that significant?"

Scarlet had been her rival and friend for many years, both at peak rank 4. While Hana was technically stronger due to inheriting her family's technique, created by a master, today she understood that being a fighter with no real-life experience was a grave mistake.

Xin watched with a broad smile. "Don't disappoint me, Noah. I want to witness this arrogant attitude in the ring."

Noah heard him and declared, "You know what? I'll fight you with a technique I've never used before. We'll make it a pure technique battle and see who's superior."

Hana, on her way to take Scarlet to rest, stopped and turned around in shock. She herself had never defeated Xin Chou, and now Noah was proposing a match with a new style for a pure technique battle. She immediately took Scarlet to a room to rest and watch the match on TV.

Xin Chou was taken aback but continued to smile.

"Master, why are you humiliating them?" Monica asked.

Noah chuckled, "This is my last tournament, so for fun, I decided to play the villain. It's all an act to have some fun and enjoy the day more," he explained.

The girls couldn't help but slap their foreheads. "Brother, you sure are bored, huh?" Sofia concluded.