Between the both of them, there seemed to be a transparent wall. Was it a barrier? Quite likely. So, Jin focused his gaze on the old man. He was in quite a pitiful state. His face had a big claw scar and his right eye was missing. Judging by the clogged blood, it hadn’t been long ago too. The old man’s robe was shredded in many places and bloodied. Jin could see that he had been bleeding in many places and he was still bleeding from some.

From this, he could deduce that this man hadn’t been taught by a predecessor. Otherwise, he would have had at least enough time to patch himself up a little. Aside from that, he noticed how the old man was standing there without much emotions. It was quite impressive considering the situation and his state.

Compared to Jin who was in a very healthy state with no apparent injuries and a fresh neat battle robe, the old man contrasted a lot. However, Jin didn’t find it surprising considering the events that led to reaching this place. Battles to the death happened many times and some were luckier than others. This old man had obviously not been too lucky with the pairings and results.

Jin wouldn’t pity him though and would fight him with his best. It wasn’t about honor but safety. If this old man reached this far, that wasn’t luck. No luck could bring someone this far.

Jin walked calmly forward, closer to the barrier.

The old man did the same.

As they walked, they both observed their opponent, trying to learn about him. The way one walked gave many clues to how they fought. Depending on the center of gravity, the speed of movement and the length of arm’s movements, one could distinguish a lot. Whether one was right-handed or left-handed, if one had hidden injuries and even the opponent’s mental states. Of course, the masters could bait those deductions as well. True experts needed to observe and analyze constantly.

The both of them were doing so. It was a way to mislead the other and understand the other at the same time. Of course, both were trying to do it so it would lead to random effects. Determining the truth behind what they were shown was never easy.

As they got closer, both began to smile. Because they understood that they faced another expert and it brought them joy. To a martial artist, what was better than fighting a worthy foe? Only winning over a worthy foe! And they would be having this opportunity as soon as the barrier disappeared.

Once they were only a dozen meters away from each other, they both took a stance. The old man bent his knees slightly and grasped the blade handle with his left hand. Meanwhile, Jin bent a little forward and moved his corrupted arm up front while the other grabbed the middle of the spear and readied it.

They remained in their respective stances without the slightest movement, awaiting the fall of the barrier. No words were exchanged, only an unbending contest of staring unfolded.

…

Back in the grand hall, after the contestants who no longer had a champion were sent away from the front row of thrones, a commotion ensued.

As Isla left the throne table, she teased Cao Lei heavily about the loss of the corrupted being. He gloated so much beforehand and look at him now! She was having the time of her life trash-talking him and she wasn’t the only one. Many others who had a grudge against him or who had their own champions taken out by his joined in the fun.

Cao Lei growled and rebuked them but they didn’t mind and continued. The truth was that he was truly enraged. He couldn’t believe that the random champion found by Hae-Hyuk could not only defeat his corruption but also earn its power.

Aside from this though, a lot of people were attentive to the pairings. One of them was the man nicknamed Teal Sword Emperor. He only had a champion left since the beginning as the second one was used to mess around in the first parts of the trial. He cultivated this champion like a legacy disciple for two hundred years in hope to win, spending a lot of money on rare treasures to extend his mortal life. They costed him a fortune as only a few powerful alchemists could craft those treasured pellets. Yet, he did. All for the sake of winning this time. He wasn’t hard pressed for time as he was still relatively young but he had great ambitions.

Unfortunately, his champion, while likely the strongest of them all, ended up very unlucky. He first faced the golden tiger who was a fierce contender for the final victory. He emerged victorious after paying the price of an eye. At the time, he considered it worth it since his champion could always find some time to heal himself with a few pellets he gave him. Of course, he gave them to him while respecting the rules. That being said, it didn’t work as he expected. All the wounds had been inflicted while using the time element. It was like a curse that prevented him from healing unless he purified the element from his body… That was something he was unable to do at the moment since he had not reached the 10th stage and no one would provide help over there.

But as if the heavens were against him, his misfortune continued. He was pitted against another powerful opponent right after the first.