19: Iron Bucket Formation and the Breaker

As Wen Youyi's words, "D-7 Courtyard, temporarily holding this arena," fell, the training grounds plunged into a strange silence.

The crowd below the stage exchanged glances, and for a moment, no one stepped forward. A team challenge? Where could they hastily find five people who cooperated tacitly and were confident enough to breach this "Iron Barrel Formation"? A single person going up to fight five? That would be inviting humiliation. Even the few Qi Refining Fourth Layer Peak Disciples who had been eager to try now frowned, weighing whether they could gain an advantage against the coordination of The core five people.

The Elders on the high platform had varied expressions. The corner of the mouth of that Rigid Elder seemed to twitch imperceptibly, but in the end, he said nothing more. They had set the rules; if a Disciple exploited a loophole, they could only accept it.

The Fifth Arena had temporarily become a hot potato that no one dared to touch!

Zhao Iron Pillar stood on the stage, feeling the complex and hard-to-read gazes from below. He felt a sense of vindication, wishing he could let out a long howl toward the sky. He lowered his voice and excitedly said to Little Wen, "Little Wen, this move of ours is brilliant! Look, none of them dare to come up!"

Wen Youyi, however, dared not be careless in the slightest. He whispered, "Don't celebrate too soon. We used a trick, and there will definitely be people who are unconvinced, and people who will find a way to break the deadlock. Hurry up and recover; the real test is still ahead."

He immediately had The core five people form a small circle on the arena stage, quickly regulating their breath according to the "Breathing Cache Method" to recover the physical strength and Spiritual Power they had just expended fighting the Lingxi Courtyard.

Sure enough, after a brief silence, the challenges on the other arenas remained fierce. The Fourth Arena's "Houtu Courtyard," after repelling two more challengers, was finally breached by a powerful Qi Refining Fourth Layer Peak Disciple who found a weakness, thus replacing the Arena Master. Meanwhile, the Lone Traveler Lin Feng and Chen Jian still held their ground securely, demonstrating overwhelming individual strength.

The number one ranked "Five Elements Courtyard" was even more unfathomable; almost every team that went up to challenge them was quickly defeated.

Time passed little by little, and the opportunities for challenge became fewer. Finally, someone cast their gaze once more toward the seemingly stable Fifth Arena.

A tall, thin Disciple with sharp eyes leaped onto the arena. He wore a Jade Token at his waist, signifying his Qi Refining Fourth Layer Peak cultivation. He did not immediately make a move, instead coldly surveying Wen Youyi and The core five people, finally fixing his gaze on Wen Youyi.

"Gengjin Courtyard, Zhou Rui." He announced his name, his tone arrogant. "I won't take advantage of you. According to the rules, I can choose to duel only with you. If you lose, your team must step down!"

This was exploiting another loophole in the rules—the challenger could choose to engage in a "Commander's Duel" with only one person from the arena master's team!

A wave of discussion immediately rose from below the stage. This Zhou Rui was a famous offensive expert of the Gengjin Courtyard. His "Golden Rainbow Sword Art" was incredibly fierce. In a one-on-one fight, few people present would dare claim a sure victory against him. And how could these few people from the Ding Zi Courtyard, whose highest Cultivation was Zhao Iron Pillar at only Qi Refining Second Layer Peak, possibly block him?

Everyone looked at Wen Youyi, watching how he would respond. Would he accept the Solo Challenge, or insist on The core five people fighting together and earn the reputation of "Cowardly Refusing Battle"?

Zhao Iron Pillar immediately stepped forward: "Little Wen, let me do it! I have thick skin; I can take a beating!"

Wen Youyi pulled him back, slowly walked forward, and cupped his hands toward Zhou Rui: "Senior Brother Zhou's Cultivation is profound; Junior Brother admires you. Since Senior Brother has laid down the challenge, we accept."

He actually accepted the Solo Challenge!

The crowd below erupted in an uproar! Even Zhou Rui was stunned for a moment. He had expected the opponent to refuse, allowing him to use the refusal to mock them and force The core five people to fight together. Even if he lost, he could severely exhaust them, creating opportunities for those who followed. He hadn't expected this Wen Youyi to actually dare to agree?

"Good! You have guts!" Zhou Rui sneered. "Then come on!"

Wen Youyi, however, was in no hurry. He turned back and whispered to Zhao Iron Pillar and the other four: "Set up the 'Iron Barrel Formation' to support me."

Although Zhao Iron Pillar and the others were confused, they executed Wen Youyi's command without fail, immediately spreading out their positions, subtly protecting Wen Youyi in a central-rear position, their auras connected, adopting a defensive stance.

Zhou Rui saw this and sneered: "What? You don't dare go alone, so you need your teammates to bolster your courage?"

Wen Youyi smiled slightly: "Senior Brother misunderstands. Since we are Defending the Arena, we naturally must utilize all conditions. Their presence here guards against the unexpected, and also allows Senior Brother... to fully display your abilities without worrying about accidentally injuring others."

These words were cleverly phrased, both clarifying that he was "Defending the Arena" rather than just a simple Solo Challenge, and subtly praising his opponent.

Zhou Rui said no more. He brought his fingers together like a sword, and a sharp, golden Sword Qi instantly condensed. With a sound of tearing air, it shot straight toward Wen Youyi's face! The speed was astonishing!

Gasps arose from the audience. A cultivator below the Qi Refining Third Layer would not be able to react to this sword strike!

However, Wen Youyi was already prepared. His feet moved, not retreating, but sliding half a step toward the side and back. At the same time, he shouted softly: "Iron Pillar, half a step to the front left, Ground Shake!"

Without thinking, Zhao Iron Pillar followed the command, fiercely stepping half a step to the front left, his right foot heavily stomping down, infused with Spiritual Power!

"Buzz!"

The arena stage trembled slightly! This vibration had a negligible effect on Zhou Rui, but it was just enough to cause a tiny, almost imperceptible deviation in his Sword Momentum!

It was this slight deviation that allowed Wen Youyi to narrowly avoid the sharp edge of the Sword Qi, resulting only in a slit being cut into his sleeve.

"Senior Brother Wang, front right, Mud Swamp!"

"Senior Brother Li, left side, Entanglement!"

Wen Youyi's commands never stopped. His figure moved across the arena like a butterfly flitting among flowers, narrowly avoiding Zhou Rui's fierce Sword Qi strikes time and again, relying on his teammates' timely "Off-stage Assistance."

He completely avoided a direct confrontation with Zhou Rui, maximizing the strategy of "Retreat when the enemy advances, harass when the enemy pauses." Zhou Rui possessed powerful attacks, but it was like trying to punch a flea; he missed by mere inches every time, feeling so frustrated he wanted to spit blood!

"Bastard! Can you only dodge?!" Zhou Rui's anger surged, and his Sword Momentum grew increasingly frantic.

Wen Youyi's eyes remained calm. He captured the trace of impatience arising from his opponent's inability to land a hit, as well as the momentary stagnation in the circulation of his Spiritual Power.

Now!

He abruptly stopped his retreating steps. A trace of Spiritual Power, accumulated through the "Breathing Cache Method" and far purer and denser than that of his peers, instantly erupted. Instead of retreating, he advanced, lunging forward! His target was not Zhou Rui's vital point, but his wrist, where his old strength had just faded and new strength had yet to be generated!

"Seeking death!" Zhou Rui hadn't expected the opponent to dare counterattack. He sneered, flicked his wrist, changing the thrust into a slash, intending to cut off Wen Youyi's arm!

However, the moment he changed his move, Wen Youyi's lunging figure suddenly ducked down as if boneless, executing a perfect Slide Tackle beneath Zhou Rui's sword. At the same time, his index and middle fingers of his right hand were pressed together, concentrating all his Spiritual Power. Like a venomous snake striking from its hole, he pointed with extreme precision toward an Acupoint on the outer side of Zhou Rui's calf!

That touch had no power and couldn't even Break Defense.

But Zhou Rui felt a sudden numbness in his calf, like an electric shock. His supporting leg instantly became weak, his center of gravity lost, and with a "thump," he actually dropped to one knee!

Although he immediately circulated his power to dispel the numbness, under the watchful eyes of the crowd, he—a Qi Refining Fourth Layer Peak Sword Cultivator—was struck to his knee by a Qi Refining First Layer Disciple!

Utter humiliation!

Zhou Rui's face instantly turned liver-colored from shame and indignation, and he fiercely tried to spring up and fight desperately.

"Enough!"

On the high platform, the Rigid Elder's voice boomed like thunder, and an invisible Aura enveloped the arena.

"Zhou Rui, the Signs of defeat are evident. Step down."

Zhou Rui froze. He looked at Wen Youyi, who had already retreated back into the protection of Zhao Iron Pillar and the others, then looked at the strange gazes from the audience below. Finally, he shot Wen Youyi an intensely resentful glare, sullenly jumped off the arena, and squeezed out of the crowd without looking back.

Below the stage, silence returned.

Everyone looked at Wen Youyi on the Fifth Arena—pale-faced and slightly breathless, but with eyes still calm—and felt a chill rise in their hearts.

This guy... not only knows how to exploit loopholes, but his Actual Combat Adaptability and his grasp of timing are terrifying!

Is he really at the Qi Refining First Layer?

After this battle, no one dared to underestimate the Fifth Arena again. Although two more people, unwilling to accept defeat, came up to challenge afterward, one was a solo fighter who was "worn down" by Wen Youyi using a similar method with the help of his teammates; the other was a makeshift three-person squad, who also gained no advantage against the D-7 Courtyard's core five people's tacit "Iron Barrel Formation" and Harassment Tactics, eventually retreating in defeat.

When the bell announcing the end of the Arena Competition rang, the Light Barrier on the Fifth Arena slowly dissipated.

Wen Youyi, Zhao Iron Pillar, Wang Wu, Senior Brother Li, Senior Brother Zhang.

The core five people stood shoulder to shoulder on the arena stage. Although everyone was injured and their clothes were tattered, their backs were held straight.

They succeeded!

As the eighth-ranked team, they fiercely defended an arena, secured a spot among the top five in the Outer Sect Minor Competition, and earned the qualification to enter the "Meteor Ancient Ruins"!

At this moment, no one could mock them as "Trash" anymore!

Wen Youyi felt the almost depleted Spiritual Power in his body and the physical exhaustion, yet a heartfelt smile appeared on his face.

This first step, they had finally, staggeringly, taken!

(End of Chapter)