Did you win the match just to seize the opponent's foundation?
Not only the Left Protector, but even the audience present was stunned.
After all, demon refiners themselves were inherently weak, relying entirely on the Demon Refining Pot.
Although it was true that demon refiners had methods to strengthen the demons within the pot, or that they possessed ways to nurture demons, these were merely embellishments.
Without the Demon Refining Pot, a demon refiner was nothing!
Now, Yan Shouyi demanding the Left Protector leave behind the Demon Refining Pot was even more ruthless than asking him to forfeit his very essence!
The Left Protector's face was stiff, and he dared not speak.
From below the stage, Wu Tianfeng couldn't help but shout, "You can't give it to him!"
"Refuse, and I'll kill you."
Yan Shouyi flicked the Zanpakuto, the threat unmistakable.
The Left Protector glanced at Yang Shan Jun's corpse, then at the Zanpakuto in Yan Shouyi's hand, dense cold sweat beading on his forehead.
Finally, unable to bear the pressure Yan Shouyi exerted, he dropped to his knees with a thud and said weakly, "I... I'll give it to you."
Saying this, he produced the Demon Refining Pot, the source of his livelihood, and placed it before him. He cast a lingering glance at it before scurrying off the stage with his tail between his legs.
Silence fell upon the arena.
Yan Shouyi... truly a man of few words and decisive actions.
The audience, unfamiliar with Yan Shouyi's character, worried he might be a cruel tyrant, but even more so, they feared he might be a coward.
For an organization to stand firm, its leader needed to be dominant; otherwise, even when their subordinates were bullied, the leader would not dare to retaliate.
It now seemed that whether Yan Shouyi was a tyrant remained to be seen, but he was certainly no coward!
This young man possessed inner calm and a fierce spirit!
The Scarlet Flower Association had come to provoke, and now they had suffered a severe blow. They deserved to pay a price!
If they weren't beaten soundly and intimidated, they would dare to do it again!
For a moment, though the audience remained silent, their gazes towards Yan Shouyi were filled with fervent admiration!
Never before had they felt such a strong desire to join an organization!
Seeing the Left Protector descend the stage, Wu Tianfeng, enraged, slapped him across the face!
"How could you hand over the Demon Refining Pot?! By giving it away, aren't you exposing the Scarlet Flower Association's face for Yan Shouyi to slap?!" Wu Tianfeng roared.
Failure before even setting out was the most damaging to morale.
The members of the Scarlet Flower Association, who had arrived with high spirits, found their first match lost to the Folklore Research Society.
If this were a private duel, it might be one thing, but with so many eyes watching now.
The Left Protector had utterly disgraced the Scarlet Flower Association!
The Left Protector gritted his teeth and said resentfully, "If I hadn't given it, Yan Shouyi would have killed me! The Demon Refining Pot is lost, so be it, but my life is paramount!"
He believed Wu Tianfeng was speaking from a position of privilege, for compared to one's life, what was a mere Demon Refining Pot?
Just then, Yan Shouyi on the stage spoke languidly, "Actually, even if you didn't give it, I might not have killed you."
The Left Protector immediately turned back, staring at Yan Shouyi. Though he asked no questions, his eyes and expression clearly sought an explanation for Yan Shouyi's words.
Yan Shouyi then said with a smile, "Although it was a battle to the death, if you had conceded, I certainly wouldn't have continued to attack, and I wouldn't have been able to take the Demon Refining Pot."
For a moment, the Left Protector stood frozen.
The audience and the netizens watching the livestream were also dumbfounded.
That's right, if he had just conceded, everything would have been fine!
Once conceded, the match would be over, and there would be no reason for either side to continue fighting. Yan Shouyi would certainly not be able to forcibly kill someone.
No matter how overbearing Yan Shouyi was, with so many eyes watching, could he openly snatch it?
Realizing this, the Left Protector's face contorted in regret, wishing he could travel back in time by a minute and strangle his own panicked self!
On the stage earlier, his mind had been a whirlwind of panic from Yan Shouyi's overwhelming strength, preventing him from thinking clearly before surrendering the Demon Refining Pot!
Upon regaining his senses, seeing the Demon Refining Pot still on the ground, the Left Protector immediately leaped back onto the stage, intending to retrieve it.
But just as he scrambled forward, using both hands and feet to reach his precious item, Yan Shouyi, who had moved ahead of him without anyone noticing, placed a foot on the Demon Refining Pot.
He asked in all seriousness, "You want to take my Demon Refining Pot?"
The Left Protector's eyes widened, "This is clearly my Demon Refining Pot!"
"Does it have your name on it?" Yan Shouyi inquired.
The Left Protector shook his head.
"Are there any demons inside that you recognize?"
The Left Protector shook his head again. The demons within the Demon Refining Pot had either been killed by Zhao Yi Yao or consumed by Yang Shan Jun.
"Then by what right do you claim it's yours?"
The Left Protector: "..."
Suddenly, the Left Protector remembered Huang Ali.
This fellow was still outside!
He immediately looked towards the heavily injured Huang Ali hiding in a corner of the arena and asked loudly, "Huang Ali, you know me, don't you? This is my Demon Refining Pot, right?"
Huang Ali glanced at the Left Protector, then at Yan Shouyi, and curled himself up silently, "Who are you? I don't know you well."
"Huang Ali!!"
The Left Protector, so enraged he spat blood, collapsed onto the stage and lost consciousness.
Yan Shouyi cast a sympathetic glance at the Left Protector.
It was perhaps for the best that he fainted; otherwise, Yan Shouyi would have found ways to further enrage him a few more times.
"What are you waiting for? Hurry and carry your man away!" Yan Shouyi said to Wu Tianfeng.
Wu Tianfeng gritted his teeth and had his men carry the Left Protector off the stage.
Only then did the audience snap back to reality.
In this first arena match, Yan Shouyi had achieved a resounding victory!
Not only had he killed Yang Shan Jun and seized the Demon Refining Pot, but he had also publicly enraged the Left Protector to the point of spitting blood.
He had utterly pulverized the Scarlet Flower Association's pride!
The bullet comments were filled with "He's on fire!", "Little Zuo, please stop, Yan Shouyi is everywhere outside!", and "He's won it all!"
But more than anything, there were countless "666s."
Although the Left Protector had been carried away, Yang Shan Jun's massive corpse still lay on the stage.
If it wasn't cleared, the subsequent arena matches couldn't proceed.
Yan Shouyi picked up the Demon Refining Pot, examined it briefly, then uttered an incantation and absorbed Yang Shan Jun's corpse into it!
Witnessing this, Huang Ali exclaimed in shock, "How do you know the demon refiner's incantation?!"
Yan Shouyi stated calmly, "I am a descendant of Lu Ban."
Compared to paper effigy makers or corpse herders, the methods of demon refiners were incredibly simple, and the Lu Ban texts naturally contained such knowledge.
Wu Tianfeng had initially thought that even if Yan Shouyi obtained the Demon Refining Pot, he wouldn't be able to use it without the corresponding incantations.
He hadn't expected the reversal to come so swiftly, with Yan Shouyi immediately putting it to use.
Wu Tianfeng felt his heart bleeding!