More and more people gathered at the city gates, but none dared to get too close. After all, the combined pressure from the two individuals was like being caught in a gale; one wrong move and they could be injured.
"It's that scoundrel from last night. Hmph, now it's perfect, the City Lord finally caught him red-handed."
The man speaking had sixteen beast fangs on his neck. Naturally, he was the warrior who had been shamefully hung on the tavern's high wall by Ren Yuanhao yesterday.
Many commoner warriors also arrived, bringing their Burning Blades. For a battle like this, no warrior should miss out.
"Such powerful auras. Even standing this far away, one can feel a chilling killing intent that makes it hard to breathe."
"I really wonder what it will look like when they start fighting."
Two commoner warriors narrowed their eyes, seemingly unwilling to miss any move.
"So, who do you support?"
"Although I quite like that kid who drank with us last night, the City Lord's strength is..."
The City Lord was like an insurmountable god in the eyes of all warriors. If the Wolf God had a mortal form, it would surely be the City Lord. Tales of the City Lord single-handedly repelling wolf packs in his youth were widely circulated in Sand City. Storytellers recounted the City Lord's god-like deeds daily.
Fighting wolves at twelve, repelling invading foreign races at sixteen, and even engaging in deadly combat with ability users with sheer physical strength and killing them at eighteen.
These feats, unimaginable for ordinary people, were enough to prove this man's might.
However, the City Lord was known for his fondness for women and his tyrannical temper, making him unpopular among the commoners.
At this moment, all eyes turned to Ren Yuanhao. After all, people generally had a sympathy for the weaker party.
Ren Yuanhao blew the dust off his Wuji Blade, appearing incredibly relaxed. "Oh, suit yourself. You'll draw your sword sooner or later anyway." He suddenly scratched his head, his brow furrowing slightly. "Ah, I've been thinking. If you don't draw your sword, I'll let you have three moves. Come on, let me see if you're as formidable as they say."
"Let me have three moves?" The City Lord laughed wildly, brandishing his saber. "Aren't you afraid of biting off more than you can chew!"
The City Lord suddenly exploded forward. With a heavy stomp of his foot, sand flew backward. A footprint, about two to three centimeters deep, appeared. He moved like a fierce, dancing tiger, his long saber, still in its sheath, slashing down towards Ren Yuanhao's shoulder!
Ren Yuanhao's brow furrowed slightly. The City Lord's stance was one of absolute power and dominance. In contrast, all martial arts in the world emphasized overcoming hardness with softness. Coincidentally, Ren Yuanhao possessed the exceedingly ethereal Drunken Moon Steps!
As the sheathed saber descended, Ren Yuanhao lowered his body with the precision of a second hand. He spun half a circle counter-clockwise, effortlessly evading the blade's aura, which could have split him in two. However, he didn't seize the opportunity to draw his own blade. Instead, he used this maneuver to shift to the City Lord's flank. If he had attacked just then, he might have gained an advantage over the City Lord!
The saber's aura missed its mark, its residual momentum still potent. It struck a sand dune outside the city, causing the yellow sand to scatter like mist.
"What strong internal energy!"
"Indeed, if that kid had tried to block it, he would have been killed with his saber shattered!"
Ren Yuanhao then raised a single finger, a smile playing on his lips. "One move."
"Not bad, but a battle between warriors isn't a child's game. Constant evasion is simply the act of a coward!"
The City Lord stomped again, leaping three to four meters into the air. He was like a massive shadow, blocking out the pale daylight, and brought his saber down heavily. Ren Yuanhao repeated his previous tactic, not only dodging the attack but also, in his free moment, accepting a flask of Burning Blade from a commoner warrior!
Ren Yuanhao pulled the stopper from the gourd and tilted his head back, drinking deeply. As the clear, potent liquor entered his system, his internal energy surged like a raging fire.
"As expected of the finest strong liquor in the land. Good brother, thank you!"
Ren Yuanhao tossed the Burning Blade back to the man and then shook his saber, its sharp edge pointing directly at the City Lord. He raised two fingers. "Two moves."
This action was undoubtedly a great provocation to the City Lord. He plunged his saber into the ground, leaving a half-meter deep gash. Everyone watching gasped in shock.
At that moment, the City Lord pressed both feet down heavily, a force like a fierce wind surging through his body. He began to spin with his saber, raising a supremely domineering sandstorm from the ground!
The wind howled, and the sharp energy seemed to pour down from the heavens. Yellow sand danced wildly, sweeping towards Ren Yuanhao with world-conquering might!
"That's the City Lord's Rakshasa Dance!" The man in black on the left swallowed hard, his mind racing.
"It's been years since this move was last seen. I can't believe that scoundrel has pushed the City Lord this far in just two moves! Is that scoundrel's strength really that exaggerated?"
After the man on the right finished speaking, the executioner, who had remained silent until now, finally spoke. "The Instructor once said that if it weren't for the ultrasonic device, he felt he might have been defeated by that kid's single move. No, not defeated, but killed."
The two men in black knew the Instructor's strength well. If the City Lord's saber skills ranked first in Sand City, then the Instructor's saber skills would definitely rank second. Furthermore, if judged solely on saber technique, setting aside strength, the Instructor's skill was even superior to the City Lord's.
It was precisely for this reason that the City Lord had him teach everyone saber techniques, earning him the moniker 'Instructor'.
The City Lord, wielding the Rakshasa Dance, had transformed into a miniature sandstorm with even greater suction. Ren Yuanhao found it increasingly difficult to evade solely with his Drunken Moon Steps. But just then, a flash of inspiration struck him. Based on the Drunken Moon Steps, he advanced instead of retreating, then executed a Dragon Claw to reach towards the violently swirling sandstorm!
This move appeared suicidal to everyone watching. Snake Woman's brow furrowed deeply. She didn't know when it started, but she had become so concerned about this man. When the fight began, she had had the opportunity to retrieve the Coach's body from the city wall, but her eyes had never left Ren Yuanhao!
"Heh heh, is this kid an idiot? He doesn't have to go die just because he can't win," the man on the left sighed, having hoped to witness an astonishing duel, only to see the outcome decided in just three moves.
"Yeah, I've never seen an idiot who, knowing how terrifying a sandstorm is, still foolishly charges into it."
But just as the two men were agreeing with each other, the City Lord's Rakshasa Dance abruptly stopped!