Cultivation Online

Chapter 2559 First Match

"I have checked you in for One Above All."

The worker said to Yuan shortly after.

Yuan turned to Officer Mei and asked, "What now?"

"Now you can enter the arena and wait for your matchmaking," she said.

As she led him to the waiting area, she explained a few rules.

"During the fight, your cultivation will not be suppressed, so you can fight without reserve. Although you can't die while inside Gaia's Sanctum, and all damage is reverted after leaving the arena, you will feel everything."

"Are weapons allowed?" Yuan then asked.

"Well, that depends on your ranking. In the lower ranks, you are only allowed to use your body and martial techniques, but upon reaching a certain rank, you can start fighting with weapons."

"How many ranks are there?"

"You start without a rank, and as you progress, you will reach Novice, Warrior, Expert, Master, Grandmaster, Gladiator, Elite Gladiator, Supreme Gladiator, and One Above All, with the highest rank only attainable by the strongest on the ranking."

"By the way, each trial has its own ranking."

"I see."

Some time later, they reached a teleportation platform, and Officer Mei said, "You'll be teleported to the preparation area once you step on that. Good luck."

"See you later."

Yuan did not waste any time and immediately stepped onto the platform, disappearing from the lobby.

<You have entered the waiting room for One Above All>

Yuan looked around the waiting room. He was alone in a spacious, square-shaped room furnished with a couch, a bathroom, and even a bed.

"So, how does this work?" he wondered out loud.

<Begin matchmaking?>

A notification popped up the next moment.

"Begin."

Yuan responded without thinking.

<Checking Status>

<Player Profile has been created>

[Player: Yuan]

[Rank: Unranked]

[Cultivation: First Level Second Ascension]

<You have entered matchmaking for One Above All>

A few moments later—

<Opponent Found>

<Your match will begin in one minute>

A minute later—

<Your match will begin now>

<Teleporting to arena in 3… 2.. 1…>

When the countdown reached zero, Yuan was teleported to a new location, and he found himself standing beneath a blazing sun, with soft, unstable sand shifting beneath his feet.

Not too far away stood a lone figure—a young man who appeared to be a teenager. Yet, he was exuding the aura of a Third Ascension cultivator.

"Second Ascension? Lucky me! This is essentially a free win!" The young man laughed excitedly after seeing Yuan's cultivation.

Meanwhile, Yuan wasn't even paying attention to his opponent and was focused on himself, or more precisely, the new energy flowing within him.

"So this is Limitless, huh?" Yuan muttered as he was finally allowed to use it, which helped him gain a better understanding of it.

Although it felt similar to Eternal Essence, it was far purer—as though it had already been refined.

If Eternal Essence was the raw energy from which all existence originated, then Limitless was its refined, more accessible form. However, that purity came at a cost. While even humans could wield Limitless, it was nowhere near as powerful or destructive as Eternal Essence.

"Hey, trash! What are you dozing off on?!" The young man cursed at Yuan when he realized that he was being ignored.

<The match will begin in 10 seconds>

<9>

<8>

<7>

Yuan finally looked at his opponent, who was glaring daggers at him, and spoke with a calm smile, "I will give you a ten-minute head start. I won't attack you until the ten minutes are up."

<4>

<3>

"You're looking down on me?! Even though you've only reached Second Ascension as an adult?! How ridiculous!"

"Your cultivation level isn't everything in a fight."

<2>

<1>

"Maybe that's true for you, who has an insignificant cultivation!"

<Match start>

"But I am different!"

Without moving from his spot, the young man extended an arm toward Yuan and began gathering energy in his palm.

'What an obvious attack…' Yuan inwardly shook his head.

In the very next moment, the young man unleashed a wave of Limitless energy from his palm, sending it hurtling toward Yuan like an energy blast—just as Yuan had predicted.

Although Yuan had anticipated the young man's attack, he was still surprised by the amount of power behind it. It was almost as though the young man had no intention of conserving his energy and planned to end the fight in a single strike.

Of course, Yuan avoided the attack with ease and, after doing so, said to the young man, "That was quite a powerful attack. I bet that would have done a lot of damage… if it had hit me."

"T-This bastard…!" The young man cursed in a low voice, sounding a little out of breath.

Yuan raised an eyebrow and remarked, "Don't tell me you're tired already? After a single attack?"

"Shut the hell up! I am just getting started!"

The young man shouted as he started bombarding Yuan with even more predictable attacks.

Seeing this, Yuan could only shake his head. It felt as though he were fighting a greenhorn who possessed a powerful treasure but had no idea how to wield it properly.

"Why do you not just surrender?" Yuan asked the young man two minutes later. "I really do not want to spend the next eight minutes watching you catch your breath."

However, the young man did not respond. No—he could not. After unleashing everything he had in only a few attacks, he was already completely out of energy.

"..."

Yuan was left speechless by the way his first match was unfolding. Although he had kept his expectations low, he had at least expected a proper fight.

Instead, his opponent was so inexperienced that Yuan felt as though he were bullying a little kid who had never fought before.

"Is this your first match, too?" Yuan asked.

Unbeknownst to Yuan, this was the young man's fourth match, and he had two victories under his belt.

"Y-You dirty little bastard…! If you are a real fighter, then fight me properly instead of using such dirty tactics!" the young man finally shouted in frustration, accusing Yuan of playing dirty.