However, just as everyone was worrying for Ling Chen, he suddenly stopped in his tracks while running, leaned back, and aimed his bow and arrow at the approaching Han Yu.
Faced with this sudden change, Han Yu’s complexion immediately shifted, not expecting Ling Chen to pull such a move.
At this moment, there was less than three meters between the two, and at such a close distance, even Han Yu’s quick reflexes couldn’t outspeed the arrow.
Hearing the sound of the bowstring, Han Yu forcibly controlled his body, hastily dodging to the side, narrowly brushing past the arrow. The arrow, missing its target, continued with undiminished force, embedding itself into a pillar outside the arena, the shaft vibrating intensely and buzzing loudly.
The crowd sighed; it was such a good opportunity, almost a perfect kill. Besides regret, everyone was full of admiration for Ling Chen’s unexpected attack. Had Han Yu not been lucky, Zhou Qi would have already declared the winner.
At that moment, someone with sharp eyes pointed at the arrow lodged in the pillar, calling out a reminder.
Everyone focused their look, and upon close inspection, noticed a trace of fresh blood on the shaft of the arrow.
It turned out that the arrow had not missed.
Does this mean Han Yu was injured?
In an instant, everyone’s eyes focused on Han Yu. Indeed, at that moment, Han Yu landed on his feet, with blood streaming down his left arm, instantly staining his sleeves red.
However, the arrow did not penetrate through Han Yu’s arm; it merely grazed the flesh, and the injury was far less severe than the blood made it appear.
At this point, Han Yu, with a grim expression, stared intensely at Ling Chen, his eyes clearly filled with resentment. He had thought he would easily defeat Ling Chen, but he didn’t expect to be the first to get injured.
Under everyone’s gaze, Han Yu tore off a strip of cloth from his clothes to bandage the wound on his arm, then picked up the Longquan Sword with his right hand again.
"This is the first and last time; you won’t have another chance to strike." Han Yu coldly stared at Ling Chen, speaking emphatically.
Song Ge, watching from the stands, his face darkened, and his brows filled with worry.
He knew Han Yu too well; with Han Yu’s temperament, Ling Chen might be in danger.
As he thought this, Han Yu on the arena held his sword with one hand, his legs bursting from the spot, charging towards Ling Chen.
Accompanied by a whooshing sound, two arrows were shot one after the other, aiming to stop the approaching Han Yu.
Watching the two arrows coming straight at him, Han Yu showed no intention of dodging, and with a light swing of the Longquan Sword in his hand, he split the two arrows in midair.
Ling Chen was shocked, his right hand quickly reaching for the quiver. However, after shooting so many arrows, there were only two left in the quiver, causing Ling Chen to hesitate slightly in his movements.
The battle had just started not long ago, and the arrows were being used up faster than he had anticipated. If he couldn’t make the last two arrows count, he would be facing a significant crisis.
In an instant, Ling Chen’s brief hesitation provided Han Yu an opportunity to close in. By the time he reacted, Han Yu was already within two meters.
Seeing this, Ling Chen dared not hesitate any longer, quickly drew one last arrow and mounted it on the bowstring, pulling the bow fully, aiming the arrow straight at Han Yu’s face. At such close range, he didn’t believe Han Yu could dodge. Despite risking injury, he was determined to inflict a serious wound on Han Yu, to fight for a glimmer of hope for himself.
However, just as Ling Chen was about to release his fingers and let the arrow fly, Han Yu’s Longquan Sword suddenly quivered. At the same time, Ling Chen felt as if his longbow had been struck by something and it slightly shifted to the side.
With the angle of the longbow shifted, the arrow flew past Han Yu’s shoulder and missed again.
Ling Chen frowned secretly, unsure why his longbow seemed to be influenced by an external force, even though Han Yu was a meter away and couldn’t possibly have touched him.
As Ling Chen blamed himself for the error that just occurred, Qiu Yong and others in the stands, including Song Ge and Zhou Qi, along with two women in the corner, were all shocked, staring at Han Yu in the arena with disbelief.
Perhaps Ling Chen didn’t realize what had just happened, but they saw it clearly.
Release of Inner Strength!
Han Yu’s Martial Arts cultivation had actually reached this realm, and at such a young age too, it was incredible.
On the Dragon List, only those who have reached the realm of releasing Inner Strength externally qualify to enter the top five. Even Song Ge, who ranks first on the Newcomer List, has his strength at most positioned at sixth on the Dragon List because he hasn’t reached that realm.
"Ling Chen, you’re in danger."
In an unnoticeable corner of the venue, a masked woman spoke up: "Unless there’s an exception, Ling Chen is undoubtedly doomed in this fight to death."
"You are the Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion Master, you must save his life at all costs."
"Although I am the Pavilion Master, the rules of this duel were agreed upon by them, recognized by both sides, and witnessed by many. Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion has always pursued justice; we can only try to uphold their rules and cannot deliberately break them. If I let the people of Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion intervene, how would others view us and how can we maintain our reputation for fairness?"
"Fine, since you refuse to act, I will do it myself."
"No matter what you plan to do, I must remind you that if you intend to break the rules, I will not allow it."
"Then try and see if you have the power to stop me."
At that moment, Ling Chen, who was standing at the edge of the arena, suddenly leapt up and flew out of the ring, landing heavily on the ground.
In the past, falling out of the arena would mean Ling Chen had lost, but today was different. Today was a fight to the death, and this battle would not stop unless one perished.
"Don’t lie there and pretend to be dead, get up quickly."
Han Yu’s cold voice came through, and Ling Chen clenched his teeth, enduring the pain in his body as he slowly stood up and stepped back into the arena.
"Now do you see the gap between us? In my eyes, you are nothing more than a dog at my mercy."
Han Yu, with one hand behind his back, pointed the Longquan Sword obliquely at the ground, standing upright with a proud look on his face, his disdain for Ling Chen clearly evident in his eyes.
Ling Chen took a deep breath to alleviate the pain in his body. It seemed Song Ge’s guess was right, Han Yu’s strength was indeed unfathomable, rightfully placing him at the top of the Newcomer List.
Inner Strength released externally... Ling Chen hadn’t expected that Han Yu had indeed reached the realm Song Ge mentioned.
At this moment, Ling Chen felt a deep sense of powerlessness wash over him. Although his own strength had improved significantly recently, it seemed so trivial in front of Han Yu.
Hovering on the edge of life and death for so many years, having experienced countless battles, none felt like today, where he couldn’t see even a glimmer of hope.