Su Fan's life instantly dropped by over a thousand points.
The opponent's attack had broken through Su Fan's defense.
Although the clones' attack power was small, their self-detonation power was considerable, and Su Fan couldn't ignore it.
If dozens of clones detonated themselves, he would be defeated.
Magic shield!
Su Fan could only temporarily cast a shield on himself.
Another clone rushed over and exploded next to Su Fan.
Su Fan's life didn't move, but his mana dropped by over a thousand.
Su Fan was temporarily safe.
Five Elements Sorcery! Wood!
Su Fan swung his long sword, and thick roots rose from the ground, entangling the ankles of some clones.
Five Elements Sorcery! Fire!
Su Fan cast another fireball, directly igniting the roots beneath their feet.
A single fireball couldn't kill a clone, but the sustained damage from the ignited roots would quickly make the clones disappear.
Su Fan could save a lot of time.
He didn't need to worry about mana; his consumption wasn't faster than his recovery.
Number 985 didn't expect Su Fan to be so tough, and even the clones' self-detonation couldn't cause him much damage.
Moreover, his attacks were so fast, with almost no pause, firing a fireball almost every second. How much mana would that require!
As a fellow sorcerer, Number 985 was somewhat alarmed. Even after using the clone technique, he had little mana left and needed a long rest to recover. Number 438's attacks were practically inexhaustible.
Seeing his clones disappear one by one, he also became anxious.
Gritting his teeth, he used his remaining mana for one last spell, casting a blessing on all his clones.
All the clones were enveloped in a golden light.
Su Fan's fireball and roots could no longer kill them.
All the clones seized the opportunity and swarmed towards Su Fan, pouncing on him one after another. Soon, Su Fan was submerged in a sea of people.
"Explode!"
Number 985 shouted, and all the clones instantly exploded.
Boom!
With a loud bang, the entire arena was blasted into a pit.
Number 985 panted slightly. Detonating all his clones had completely depleted his mana, leaving him somewhat weak.
"You should be dead now, right?"
Number 985 believed Su Fan must be dead. Who could survive such a violent explosion?
"Cough! Cough!"
A cough came from within the dust.
Number 985's expression changed.
He's still not dead?!
Su Fan crawled out of the pit, covered in dust and grime.
This attack had directly cost him over forty thousand mana points, almost causing him to sustain injuries.
"You're polluting the environment..."
Su Fan looked at his opponent with some annoyance.
"How... how can you be completely unharmed!"
Number 985 couldn't believe his eyes. Su Fan looked disheveled, but he was only dirty and dusty, showing no signs of injury at all. This was unreasonable!
Number 985 could not accept this outcome.
"Now, is it my turn?"
Su Fan looked at his opponent seriously, his sword pointed at Number 985's face.
Five Elements Sorcery, Fire!
A dense fireball instantly flew towards his opponent.
Number 985 wanted to escape.
Qiankun Ring!
How could Su Fan give him a chance?
A Qiankun Ring instantly froze him in place.
Boom!
The fireball struck Number 985, leaving a dark burn mark on his body.
"I surrender! I surrender!"
Under the threat of death, Number 985 finally resigned himself and shouted loudly to the referee.
"Number 438 wins!"
The referee announced Su Fan's victory.
Su Fan then lowered his raised Thunderwood Sword, and the Qiankun Ring on Number 985 also disappeared.
Su Fan definitively became the winner of Arena 9 and could return to rest.
A new day quickly passed. When Su Fan entered the game again, the entire arena had undergone a drastic change. All the arenas had merged into one. The million-square-meter arena now contained forests, rivers, glaciers, hills, grasslands, cliffs, strange rocks, and more, all fused together. The terrain was complex, having transformed completely overnight.
Su Fan even wondered if he had come to the wrong place.
"Final match, the rules have changed. It will no longer be one-on-one or free-for-all. We have placed one hundred beasts of varying strengths in this arena. Each beast will have a badge of different grades: wooden badges are worth one point, iron badges are worth five points, silver badges are worth ten points, and gold badges are worth twenty points. The one with the highest score at the end wins. You are not allowed to leave the arena during this time."
A middle-aged man Su Fan had never seen before, but who wore the attire of the Imperial Guard, stood in the arena and introduced the rules to the ten victors.
Only then did Su Fan have time to observe the other contestants. There were only ten people left.
Su Fan's gaze sharpened.
After so many days, he finally saw the person he had been longing to see: Long Jianye!
Long Jianye was the victor of Arena 3.
Long Jianye sensed Su Fan's gaze and gave him a slight nod.
Among these ten people was another person Su Fan was familiar with: Long Tengfei, the victor of Arena 7.
Long Tengfei was somewhat surprised to see that Su Fan had won.
Among these ten people, apart from Su Fan and Long Jianye, no one was under forty years old; they all appeared middle-aged.
Su Fan looked solemn. Firstly, Long Tengfei was a tricky opponent. Secondly, he didn't know if Long Jianye was an ally or an enemy, as Su Fan wasn't sure if Long Jianye knew he was also a player.
"All contestants enter the arena. Duration: Three days!"
After speaking, the Imperial Guard from Mount Tian Shan flew up and sat in the only spectator stand.
This stand was specially prepared for him. He was a master from the imperial palace, a mysterious person who could reach the top floor of the Imperial Study Library besides Xiao Yuan. The entire martial arts competition arena was his creation. He sat there to ensure that these ten people wouldn't cause widespread destruction to the arena; even if damage occurred, he could repair it immediately.
The ten people exchanged glances, perhaps observing who would be easier to deal with.
Although the rules didn't explicitly forbid them from fighting each other, they also didn't forbid mutual killing. To achieve a high score, conflict would eventually be unavoidable.
Afterward, they were led to their respective starting positions. Su Fan's entry point was Arena 9, an area with many strange rocks.
The others were likely assigned based on the arenas they had won.
After entering the arena, Su Fan wanted to test his flying ability. It would be easier to find prey from a higher vantage point.
Ride the Wind!
Su Fan leaped lightly but remained rooted to the spot.
"Huh?"
Su Fan was a little confused.
Ride the Wind!
Su Fan tried again, but he still stood in place without moving.
"What's going on?"
Su Fan was bewildered. His mana had been consumed, but he hadn't flown up.
Many contestants were experiencing the same confusion, almost all of them trying to fly to find prey, but failing.
"Flight is forbidden here. Don't waste your energy."
The voice of the Imperial Guard reached the ears of everyone present.