Control your own destiny

Meanwhile, at the lower-level arena, Xiao Pang had the upper hand. Xiao Pang was a Mortal Stage 4 usually a cultivator having a power like this should be in the mid-level arena and it shouldn't be in the lower-level. But because of Ciro's request, Gard immediately approved it without asking anything. To be honest it was unexpected that Gard immediately said yes this is the first time he made a rash decision.

Bang!

"Again!"

Xiao Pang was thrown away by the swordsman's attack again which made him angry. The Swordsman lunged forward again, thrusting the sword in his right hand straight into Xiao Pang's chest.

Xiao Pang roared and raised his Jian sword in the air in an effort to parry his opponent's attack from above, but he missed.

Xiao Pang felt a great pain in his chest and lost strength in his hand, but the momentum kept the sword's motion going, and it sliced off the swordsman's arm. However, it only slashed off a small bit of flesh. It is clear that the person he was fighting not only good at swordsmanship but also a well-trained physique. Even his strong cultivation could not do well.

Looking down at his chest, Xiao Pang noticed that his enemy's black sword had pierced the upper left side of his chest, instantly immobilizing him. Xiao Pang squinted in pain while gritting his teeth. His heart skips a beat realizing the danger he was in.

"Ahhh!" Xiao Pang swung his sword in a downward movement, trying to cut off the enemy's wrist. A muffled sound was heard. The swordsman was able to make a quick change of direction, blocking Xiao Pang's attack.

Both of them were forced to step back respectively. However, Xiao Pang lunged forward again quickly, thrusting his black sword straight at the swordsman's chest.

Yet, the swordsman blocked his move again. Xiao Pang was forced to retreat a couple of steps. Now, both of them stood face-to-face at a distance. Xiao Pang breathed heavily holding the sword in his hands while trembling. Xiao Pang really wanted to use his spiritual beast in order to finish the fight but Ciro warned him that he should not use it no matter what unless his life was at risk. Xiao Pang's spiritual beast was after all a purple rank anyone would likely fight for him or use him instead if the news got out that he has a purple rank spiritual spirit just like Tiara.

As the fight continued, the loud cheers began to rise again this was a true fight means. Although they could barely see the silhouette of the two figures fighting on the stage the people still enjoyed it as the match continues.

After a while, Xiao Pang figured out the technique and the key points of the swordsmanship. Swordsmanship uses speed, timing, angle, and distance. To be precise a range control. Knowing how far you are from your enemy, how far his reach is, how far your reach is, the relative speed which either of you can do something within the range, and the range needed for all the techniques you can do and all the techniques he can do is more important. Although the swordsman's attack was not aggressive, his defense was pretty formidable. This could be seen from the successive blockade of Xiao Pang's attacks.

Exhausted, Xiao Pang began to gasp for air as his body reached its limit. Despite the three days full of continuous practice, one thing was undeniable: he was only an inexperienced kid with very little training. It was already outstanding that Xiao Pang could play with the swordsman for so long.

Each time their swords collided, Xiao Pang would feel his arms go numb. He needed to use all his strength to grip the swords handle to avoid losing it. He was afraid that once his sword slips away from him would be his end. The swordsman fought only with one hand. This meant that there was a large gap between them in terms of strength.

"This is too much!" Sweat was running down Xiao Pang's forehead and temples. He was gasping breathlessly for oxygen.

Goosebumps began to rise on his skin when he saw his opponent lost patience. The opponent's aura shot out inside its body and then a silhouette materializes behind him it was a full-scale panther surrounded by a violet color aura that swirling around it.

"I need to take action. Otherwise, I will be the one to die! Young master Ciro still waiting for me I need win no mistake should be made!" Making up his mind, Xiao Pang kept an eye on the swordsman while he glanced at the ground around him from the corner of his eye.

"Xiao Pang remember... I don't want to accept loses from you be sure to win understand?" The voice of Ciro vibrated inside his mind.

Very quickly, he thought of a simple plan. Lunging forward again, Xiao Pang aimed straight for his enemy's chest. He burned his life energy inside his cube like a raging volcano ready to erupt.

However, the swordsman quickly blocked it and reciprocated with a clever movement but its balance was destroyed since Xiao Pang's strength was higher. While his balance broke, Xiao Pang immediately goes gorilla tactic. When he got close enough, he bounced back, turned, and quickly fled.

The swordsman was stunned for a moment before he gave chase. Not realizing that this was what Xiao Pang planned along, with a quick and decisive turn Xiao Pang made his surprise attack as the sword slashed to his opponent's neck. As expected he parried it and a crack was made at the sword Xiao Pang was holding. With another slash, the sword sliced into two.

The swordsman smiled in victory while the sword in his hands quickly thrust towards Xiao Pang's head. What happened next that made the whole spectator shocked and dumbfounded was that instead of retreating backward Xiao Pang lunged forward and with a quick twist the sword sliced through the right side of his cheeks while striking his opponent with the black sword's half blade at the blind spot.

"Haaaa!!" Xiao Pang's high pitch war cry made the audience's heart throbbed.

The black sword's half blade struck swordsman's head, cutting as deep as a third into his head before getting stuck.

The whole audience gasped no one spoke the whole arena began to stay silent. If not for the referee who spoke the winner they would still remain silent. The lower arena made a loud cheering! So loud that it reaches the mid-arena's venue.

Inside the mid-arena arena, under the fierce attacks of Achilles, Ciro was in poor circumstances and found it hard to defend. Beads of sweat run through his cheeks Achille's rapid attack's made Ciro's defense penetrated easily. His hands are numb Ciro can tell that the life energy coming from his energy cube was in chaos.

'You are crazy Ciro this is not a training where you can try again and again after failure! This is not a game that can replenish health after reviving! This is an actual life and death battle, and lose means death!'

He was impulsive and he knows that. But what can he do? He needs power he wants to be strong so that he can live freely in this world. Although he didn't have an enemy right now he knows that when he leaves the O'ryanpin family and roam the world he would definitely encounter many of them along the way.

Ciro's movement was very timid he could not counter-attack the veteran like Achilles. Achilles immediately noticed his opponent's timidness, so he obviously grabbed the chance. He forcefully kicked Ciro on his chest. With a banging sound, Ciro was blown away a dozen meters rolling on the ground. The spot that was hit had a sharp pain. He seemed to have broken two bones, and he couldn't get up.

Achilles strode over while laughing and raising his hands in front of the audience.

But when he heard a loud cheering at the other side of the venue he was puzzled 'How come the low-level arena was lively?'

Even the audiences of the mid arena turned to the side and look at a specific room. Loud cheers could be heard cheering at a specific name 'Aegeus'.

Ciro already anticipates the outcome of Xiao Pang's battle Xiao Pang was wise so he would definitely find a way to when no matter what. What he needed the most now is to find a way to counter Achilles.

"Ciro more afraid you are, the faster you'll die!"

Ciro said to himself even if he didn't come to the arena today, he would face it sooner or later. If he avoided, he could only rely on his cleverness.

Achilles was stunned by his opponent's angry roar which himself specifically didn't know what his opponent was saying (Ciro was speaking his past life's language).

'Is this a demon curse spell?'

Achilles was puzzled. He knew that his opponent still had spare strength. He knew he could not belittle his opponent even at his death's door.

"No one can save me but myself. No one can and no one may. I myself must walk the path!"

After he shouted that, Ciro who fell to the ground stood up. It was just like how he stood up again and again after the setbacks in his life previously.

'What strong willpower' Gard who was sitting at the VIP area thought while looking from above. He didn't know how the kid got this but for sure he knows that Ciro's experience in life was harsh.

Regardless of the outcome of this life and death battle, from that moment on, he had taken a crucial step and successfully overcame himself.