Breakthrough

Xiao Lie's spear darted towards Xiao Yu like a venomous snake, the lightning arcs crackling along the tip sending shivers down one's spine.

Xiao Yu twisted his Mo Lin sword, and a flash of cold light caught Xiao Lie's eye. Instinctively, Xiao Lie felt a surge of danger and swiftly moved backward, bracing his spear against the ground, his body tilting at an angle in mid-air.

The Mo Lin sword swished past, narrowly missing Xiao Lie's head and cutting a few strands of his hair. Xiao Lie's spear, now arced in a curve, quickly straightened, propelling him back towards Xiao Yu with renewed force.

As Xiao Lie surged forward, he channeled his lightning attribute dou qi into the spear. Anyone who collided with it would be paralyzed by the electric current, giving Xiao Lie the chance to defeat Xiao Yu if his opponent faltered even for a moment.

Xiao Yu seemed oblivious to this subtle move. He charged forward with Mo Lin in hand. On the high platform, Xiao Ding murmured, "What's Xiao Yu doing? Doesn't he see such an obvious attack?"

Xiao Lie grinned and unleashed a powerful strike with his spear. Xiao Yu raised his sword in defense, and the spear's electric current surged through his blade. To Xiao Lie's surprise, Xiao Yu seemed unaffected, with sparks flying as the sword and spear clashed. Using Moonshadow Technique, Xiao Yu vanished from Xiao Lie's view.

Xiao Lie was startled, realizing something was amiss. As he sensed a strong force approaching from behind, he quickly turned and swept his spear, meeting Xiao Yu's sword once more.

The clash of their weapons created powerful gusts of wind. Xiao Yu chuckled, "Second Brother, I'm getting serious now!"

Xiao Lie's expression hardened as he saw Xiao Yu's Mo Lin sword turning red with heat. The intense fire attribute energy from the sword forced Xiao Lie to nearly drop his spear. Using the recoil, Xiao Lie retreated rapidly.

"Impressive fire attribute fighting spirit!" Xiao Lie praised.

"Igniting the World with a Sword!" Xiao Yu announced, sending a fiery red sword qi at Xiao Lie. The powerful energy in the sword qi was palpable, making Xiao Lie acutely aware of its might.

"Lightning Arc Triple Dance!"

With a low shout, Xiao Lie summoned three snake-like lightning arcs from his spear, which crackled and hissed as they intersected, striking out against Xiao Yu's sword qi.

Boom!

A deafening explosion rocked the arena. Xiao Lie staggered back a few steps, his spear trembling. Without giving him a chance to recover, Xiao Yu pressed the attack, while Xiao Lie retaliated fiercely, and they clashed continuously.

The mercenaries could only see silver and red streaking and colliding, with each clash emitting loud noises and energy waves. Only Xiao Ding could vaguely discern their movements but noticed Xiao Yu remained calm and composed, while Xiao Lie's face grew red with exhaustion, his strikes slowing down.

Xiao Ding furrowed his brows, realizing, "It seems Xiao Yu is deliberately letting Xiao Lie land hits. He's helping Xiao Lie break through to the five-star Dou Master level!"

Xiao Lie, already a four-star Dou Master on the verge of advancing to five-star, was now just a step away, and it appeared that Xiao Yu was providing that final push.

The battle reached its peak. Xiao Lie's face turned crimson from the intense consumption of fighting spirit. With a roar, he used his spear to push Xiao Yu back and shouted, "Lightning Arc Triple Dance!"

At that moment, Xiao Lie felt a breakthrough within himself, as if a barrier had been shattered. His fighting spirit surged more vigorously than ever before, surpassing his previous four-star Dou Master level.

"I've broken through!" Xiao Lie thought with exhilaration. His spear's fighting spirit energy exploded, sending a dangerous aura that even made Xiao Ding's expression change. Realizing Xiao Yu's calm demeanor, Xiao Ding confirmed that Xiao Yu had indeed been aiding Xiao Lie's breakthrough.

Xiao Ding sighed, "We underestimated Xiao Yu. His strength is truly astonishing!"

Both Qing Lin and Xue Lan were momentarily stunned. Snow Lan asked, "Leader, what does this mean?"

Xiao Ding smiled, "Just watch, Xiao Lie won't be able to beat Xiao Yu."

Snow Lan hesitated, "But Second Brother has just broken through to five-star Dou Master?"

Just then, Xiao Yu's fingers glowed with a faint light, and he declared, "Wind Demon Nine Fingers!"

A beam of light shot towards Xiao Lie's spear. Xiao Lie felt a sudden wave of deadly pressure and, realizing it was too late to retreat, braced himself.

Boom!

A thunderous explosion rang out, and surrounding mercenaries covered their ears, feeling dizzy from the impact.

Xiao Lie's face went pale as he was driven backward, leaving deep impressions on the ground, eventually coming to a halt after sliding over ten meters.

"Second Brother, do you want to continue?" Xiao Yu asked with a faint smile.

Realizing the vast gap in their strengths, Xiao Lie waved his hand in surrender. "No more fighting. You're a freak, and I have no idea how you've trained over the years!"

Xiao Yu sheathed Mo Lin with a smile. "Maybe you've had it too easy these years, so you couldn't keep up with me!"

Xiao Lie's face turned red as he laughed, "You're really something. After beating me like this, you still manage to tease me!"

Xiao Yu shrugged, "Helping you break through wasn't enough?"

"You really are impressive. I concede!" Xiao Lie said, patting Xiao Yu with admiration.

Returning to the high platform, Xiao Yu and Xiao Lie's match left the onlookers stunned. However, a few faces among the crowd showed a hint of satisfaction—those who had bet on Xiao Yu.

Kun Shan grabbed Ha Lang and asked, "Did you already know Xiao Yu's strength was higher than Second Team Leader's?"

Ha Lang waved dismissively, "Don't talk nonsense. How could we know Xiao Yu's strength would surpass Second Team Leader's?"

Kun Shan looked at Ha Lang suspiciously but found no signs of deception and had to drop the issue.

Ha Lang and the others who won were not about to reveal their insights. After Xiao Yu's previous display of strength when he shattered a giant rock for Qing Lin, they were convinced of his superior abilities, at least on par with, if not exceeding, Second Team Leader's.