After exchanging dozens of blows, the two fighters clashed head-on once more, sending shockwaves through the air. Both were thrown back, blood trickling from their mouths, their breaths ragged. It was clear they were evenly matched.
“Take this!” Raul Duffy steadied himself and shouted, his aura surging as he leaped into the air, swinging his large blade down at his opponent. The power behind the strike suggested he could challenge those above his rank.
Sensing the might of the attack, the woman’s pupils contracted slightly. She wanted to avoid a direct clash, but Raul Duffy’s blade left her no choice but to defend by attacking. Without hesitation, she took a deep breath and unleashed her strongest move.
A deafening boom echoed as the two figures were blasted six to seven hundred meters apart. They crashed to the ground, each spitting out a mouthful of blood before lying still, their strength reduced to less than thirty percent. It was a draw.
“Elder Turner, take Raul Duffy back to the Institute for healing!” Tyler Bailey ordered one of the Institute elders.
“Understood!” Elder Turner replied, descending towards Raul Duffy.
The next two matches also ended in defeat for the Institute, including Avery Francis, one of the Canyon View Four Talents. The opponent, a fourth-rank Otherworldly Realm expert, had exhausted his Chi power after defeating two Institute disciples and did not continue challenging.
The sixth contestant from the Institute was Catherine Foreman. She had made significant progress recently, advancing to the fourth-rank Otherworldly Realm after a trip to Akabuchi City. Her opponent was a woman of similar age wielding a long whip.
As they fought with all their might, the entire void seemed to churn, with fierce winds howling and energy waves raging. After nearly a hundred exchanges, they too ended in a draw.
The fourth opponent was a burly man in his forties, wielding a two-meter-long spiked club and exuding a chilling aura. His aura indicated he was at the fifth-rank Otherworldly Realm.
Sensing his level, the Institute elders’ expressions grew even more serious. A fifth-rank Otherworldly Realm expert was on par with Beckett Baxter, the top-ranked member of the Canyon View Four Talents. Yet this was only their fourth contestant; the strength of those remaining could be imagined.
“I hear your top-ranked Canyon View Four Talents member is at the fifth-rank Otherworldly Realm. Do you dare face me?” The burly man challenged loudly.
“Why not?” A young man’s voice responded from the Institute crowd. It was Beckett Baxter.
“Beckett, let me handle this,” Harleen suggested to Beckett Baxter.
Before this, she and Ivy had little interaction with Beckett Baxter, having only met twice with no real communication. However, they had heard mixed opinions about him from others at the Institute.
“No need,” Beckett Baxter replied. “Since he named me, I’ll oblige him.”
“Be careful, Beckett. Don’t underestimate him,” Spencer Bailey warned seriously.
“Don’t worry,” Beckett Baxter said as he flew into the air.
“So you’re the top-ranked member of the Canyon View Four Talents?” The burly man glanced at Beckett Baxter.
“Enough talk. Weren’t you challenging me? Make your move,” Beckett Baxter replied calmly. “You only get one chance; you’d better give it your all.”
“Hahaha! Finally, someone more arrogant than me. Interesting!” The burly man laughed as a powerful aura burst from him. He swung his spiked club through the air, creating violent energy waves and fierce winds.
“Take this blow and I’ll spare your life!” he shouted as he charged at Beckett Baxter like thunder. The force twisted the void around him.
“Foolish,” Beckett Baxter muttered as he faced the full-force attack. Without any fancy moves, his aura exploded to its peak. His sword emitted a nearly tangible sword force that met the attack head-on.
The sword force shattered the spiked club like paper and continued towards the man’s shoulder. In an instant, an arm was severed and blood sprayed.
“Ugh…” The man grunted as he was flung hundreds of meters away, shock evident on his face. He hadn’t expected Beckett Baxter to be so powerful, capable of challenging those above his rank.
Before he could fully recover from his shock, a sword force was already upon him. He had no time to dodge and could only watch as it rapidly enlarged in his eyes.
“Boy, if you dare kill him, I won’t let you off!” a man from the Holy Ghost Tribe shouted angrily. But before he finished speaking, the sword force pierced through the burly man’s throat.
The burly man opened his mouth before falling lifelessly from mid-air.
“Bastard! I’ll kill you!” The shouting man rushed at Beckett Baxter, forming a mysterious seal with his hand as he moved.
“If you want to kill me, let’s see if you have what it takes!” Beckett Baxter met him head-on without hesitation.
After a muffled clash, both were thrown back two to three hundred meters. They were evenly matched in that exchange.
Without pause, they attacked each other again. Though Beckett Baxter was a rank lower, he could challenge two ranks higher. His opponent also seemed capable of challenging higher ranks, matching a seventh-rank Otherworldly Realm expert.
Thus, they fought fiercely for nearly a hundred rounds, both sustaining significant injuries and reducing their combat strength to less than fifty percent.
After several more exchanges, Beckett Baxter’s sword created a deep wound on his opponent’s waist, while his opponent’s seal struck Beckett Baxter’s shoulder blade. Beckett Baxter spat out blood and was thrown back, severely injured.