Chapter 197: Who Can Fight The Best
In the instant the finger force beam flew out, centered on Li Weiyi’s fingertip, a circle of force energy ripples appeared, spreading in all directions.
“Boom!”
Lu Wensheng finally unleashed eighteen Thunder Strike Formations, clashing against the incoming finger force. In that instant, energy fluctuations surged into the sky, lightning even flying out of the arena, spreading to the distant streets.
After everything calmed down.
Only to see Li Weiyi kneeling on one knee on the arena, supporting himself with one hand on the ground, breathing heavily, his body very charred and extremely disheveled.
In contrast, Lu Wensheng’s robes were pristine, the eighteen Thunder Strike Formations having withstood that beam, still enveloping him at the center. Who was higher and who lower was clear at a glance, but…
He was now standing under the arena!
He had been shaken off just now.
Li Weiyi slowly stood up, staring down at Lu Wensheng below, feigning ease and dominance: “Ten moves, you are the first to exchange ten moves with me, and also the first to force me to use my strongest trump card. But you lost!”
Qi Wangshu and Zuo Qiu Bai Yuan could finally breathe, gasping heavily, then shouting: “Lei Xiao Sect’s Lu Wensheng, defeated in ten moves.”
“Boom!”
The watching martial cultivators all boiled over, finding it utterly unbelievable.
From start to finish, Lu Wensheng had firmly held the upper hand, with higher magic energy tiers, exquisite Lightning Law, and stronger physique, yet he lost in ten moves.
No!
Not lost, just knocked off the arena.
How could Lei Xiao Sect disciples accept defeat? Someone said: “Senior Brother Lu didn’t lose at all, who was higher and who lower, everyone’s eyes are sharp.”
“Rules are rules, is Lei Xiao Sect sore losers?” Zuo Qiu Bai Yuan said.
Qi Xiao naturally wanted to take the chance to help Zuo Qiu Gatehouse suppress Lei Xiao Sect, saying indifferently: “After ten moves, Li Weiyi stands on the arena, Lu Wensheng under it, victory and defeat clear at a glance. Under everyone’s watchful eyes, are you going to deny it?”
“Little Shu, tally it up, see how many Spring Coins Young Master Lu needs to lose to Li Weiyi. If he can’t pay or refuses, Lei Xiao Sect’s face will be lost across the Southern Territory!”
Li Weiyi shouted loudly: “Wipe the change for Brother Lu!”
“Then it’s two hundred and sixty thousand Spring Coins.” Qi Wangshu said.
Ten jin of Immortal Soil worth a million Spring Coins, even with Zuo Qiu Ting’s status, couldn’t be decided directly and required consulting the Family Head.
This showed the weight of two hundred and sixty thousand Spring Coins.
The Lei Xiao Sect disciples’ faces all changed.
Among them, a pretty little junior sister who looked sixteen or seventeen gazed worriedly at the grim-faced Lu Wensheng: “Senior Brother Lu, you didn’t lose to him, he just used the rules to win. He’s a petty villain!”
Lu Wensheng’s eyes sharpened, lifting his head again: “I want to fight another round!”
Zuo Qiu Bai Yuan sneered: “Lu Wensheng, you’ve lost all face. Look at Young Master Li’s current state, can he fight again?”
That final move had let Qi Xiao see that Li Weiyi still had concealed strength, the worry in his heart already dispelled: “As referee, I must remind Young Master Lu. You have to pay the Spring Coins first before challenging again.”
“Exactly, pay up first.” Qi Wangshu said.
A Lei Xiao Sect disciple said: “You’re purely robbing us, deliberately luring people into the trap to swindle huge wealth.”
Zuo Qiu Bai Yuan said: “Young Master Li is of noble character, cherishes his reputation, only wants to make martial friends, has never opened a gambling game, five hundred Spring Coins is just the challenge fee, even losing wouldn’t hurt muscle or bone. It was Lu Wensheng who bullied too much, insisting on humiliating Zuo Qiu Gatehouse, now that he’s lost, he blames us instead.”
A war of words broke out between both sides, accusing each other, arguing red in the face and thick in the neck.
Two hundred and sixty thousand Spring Coins, Lu Wensheng naturally couldn’t pay, feeling his face utterly swept away, he silently turned and left.
“Senior Brother Lu!”
The Lei Xiao Sect disciples all chased after him.
“Ten Million Sect, Nine Springs Pure Immortal Body, just this?” Zuo Qiu Bai Yuan didn’t fear offending Lei Xiao Sect, mocking to the extreme, wanting to force Lu Wensheng into even more unseemly behavior.
Unfortunately, it didn’t go as wished.
Li Weiyi was very magnanimous and tolerant: “Brother Bai Yuan, say no more, spare someone when you can.”
Hearing this from afar, Lu Wensheng took a deep breath, barely suppressing the lightning about to erupt in his body.
Qi Wangshu said: “Not retrieving it? Really letting him go just like this?”
“No rush, who knows, he might come again tomorrow!” Qi Xiao said.
“Brother Weiyi, calling it here today?” Zuo Qiu Bai Yuan asked.
Seeing many martial cultivators below the arena eager to try, Li Weiyi shook his head: “No! One spit one nail, said two hours, will definitely fight full two hours. I… can hold on!”
Zuo Qiu Bai Yuan picked up the list of those who paid the challenge fee: “Next up is Tian Ya Ridge’s Red Fox Ji!”
A demon race martial cultivator with a red fox head and fox tail, like a phantom, flew onto the arena. She had already metamorphosed a human body, wearing a woman’s skirt robes, her arms and hands shed of fox fur, white and slender.
Five moves later.
Red Fox Ji let out a miserable cry, heavily injured by Li Weiyi’s one finger.
Li Weiyi with hands behind his back, commented: “Can’t withstand one strike! In battle, your aura chaotic, magic energy flow in your body without order, your martial arts attainment a complete mess. Tian Ya Ridge’s strongest in Five Seas Realm Fourth Stage, who is it?”
Red Fox Ji was lectured by Li Weiyi into submission, feeling he spoke great sense, weakly replying: “Wood Ape Spirit Qing.”
Li Weiyi said: “Find it tomorrow, if you want to fight me, fight the strongest. Give her fifty Spring Coins, if Wood Ape Spirit Qing comes tomorrow, give her another fifty Spring Coins.”
…
Standing on the Immortal Forest’s formation Floating Island, one could just see the impassable crossroads below.
Beside the crossroads, that newly built arena stood out strikingly.
Inside a white jade pavilion on the Floating Island’s south side.
Zuo Qiu Ting, transformed into Long Ting’s appearance, sat in the main seat of the dim hall, behind him on the jade material wall hung the map of Lingxiao Twenty-Eight Prefectures.
Beyond the Twenty-Eight Prefectures, the Far West Ash Region and Nether Realm of the Dead had some terrain outlined.
Zuo Qiu Ting’s eyes shone extremely bright in the darkness, explaining pros and cons: “This Hidden Dragon Lantern Festival, the forces represented by the Young Esteemed One—the Far West Ash Region and the Imperial Court—are the two strongest.”
“Leave aside those Ash Spirits! Your Western Territory’s Quan Rong and Que Rong major powers will surely obey him. Now Southern Territory’s Coffin Mountain, Night City, San Chen Palace are in cahoots with him, Tian Ya Ridge waiting for the highest bidder.”
“The Young Esteemed One’s first target must be Zhu Men. Zhu Huan is dead, next is you.”
“Zhu Men can’t beat them.”
Sitting opposite, Zhu Yi Bai wore formal armor emanating vitality, but his appearance extremely handsome, without the coarseness of long-term battlefield veterans, instead lips red teeth white, skin fair as jade.
He toyed in his hand with one black and one white jade pearl: “The Imperial Court’s power won’t lose much to the Far West Ash Region, Ge Xian Tong not necessarily weaker than the Young Esteemed One. The Imperial Court’s first target must be Zuo Qiu Gatehouse, which also can’t beat them.”
“So, our two families must secretly ally, only then does the Hidden Dragon Lantern Festival have a way out.” Zuo Qiu Ting said.
Zhu Yi Bai’s mouth curved up: “Zuo Qiu Gatehouse is the host, I don’t believe you have no sure win and dare hold the Hidden Dragon Lantern Festival. Zuo Qiu Ting, wanting cooperation, you need to show sincerity, I want to know Zuo Qiu Gatehouse’s trump card.”
Zuo Qiu Ting looked at the map on the wall, pondering a moment: “You must understand one thing! Zhu Men has no choice, cooperating with Zuo Qiu Gatehouse is the only way to live.”
Zhu Yi Bai’s eyes sharpened: “Alarmist talk.”
Zuo Qiu Ting said: “Facing enemies of the Young Esteemed One’s level, only qualified to sit at the table are Southern Territory’s Zuo Qiu Gatehouse, Northern Territory’s Snow Sword Tang Court, Eastern Territory’s Dragon Gate and Lei Xiao Sect, and the Imperial Court that views all Righteous Armies as enemies.”
“Below the Young Esteemed One and Imperial Court, undoubtedly Snow Sword Tang Court holding five Northern States is strongest. Next is Zuo Qiu Gatehouse supported by Jiu Li Clan.”
“Zhu Men, Dragon Gate, Lei Xiao Sect, the three major powers vie for fifth.”
“Zhu Men allied with Lei Xiao Sect can at most self-preserve. As for Dragon Gate… laughable to mention, Zhu Men’s great situation was all ruined by them.”
“Snow Sword Tang Court is powerful, but they don’t need Zhu Men. If Zhu Men proactively allies, can they get equal status? Share life and death? They’ll only be used.”
“For them, sit on the mountain and watch the tigers fight is the best choice.”
Zhu Yi Bai fell silent, in the hall, only the sound of the black and white jade pearls turning in his hand.
After a long while, he wordlessly rose and left.
The door opened.
The hall became bright again.
The previous dimness was all because Zuo Qiu Ting had absorbed all light in the space.
Zuo Qiu Gatehouse’s second successor Zuo Qiu Lan Cheng, after seeing off Zhu Yi Bai, quickly walked in: “How’d it go?”
“Not Zhu Yi Bai, just a body double. But this double is very strong, with cultivation strength approaching a successor.” Zuo Qiu Ting stood by the wall, gaze fixed on the map.
Zuo Qiu Lan Cheng showed displeasure, cold humming: “Is Zhu Yi Bai too cautious, or too lacking in sincerity?”
“Someone honed on the battlefield is surely extremely cautious, understandable. Facing such a dangerous figure as the Young Esteemed One, he should feel no small pressure.” Zuo Qiu Ting said.
Zuo Qiu Lan Cheng said: “Right, Lu Wensheng also lost, exactly ten moves.”
Zuo Qiu Ting showed no surprise at all, gaze shifting from the map, walking outside, laughing: “Lu Wensheng absolutely won’t admit defeat, didn’t challenge a second round?”
“He wanted to.”
Zuo Qiu Lan Cheng then recounted the gambling game matter.
Zuo Qiu Ting was dumbfounded, originally thinking Li Weiyi would make big money later, didn’t expect so much on the first day. He could already foresee what the scene would be like later.
Even Zuo Qiu Lan Cheng was envious, quite jealous: “For us, picking one Thousand Year Elixir requires great danger. Yet he easily earns the price of two or three… But collecting the debt will be hard, Lu Wensheng can’t pay.”
Zuo Qiu Ting’s eyes smiled as he stood by the railing, overlooking the streets below the clouds and mist: “Owes debt repay money, it’s only right. This money can’t be dodged, looks like I can make a fortune too…”
…
“Southern Territory Shu Zhou’s Xue Kong Tong, defeated in four moves.” Qi Wangshu called out loudly.
After giving him a martial way critique, Li Weiyi asked: “Shu Zhou’s strongest in Five Seas Realm Fourth Stage, who is it? Find him tomorrow, get one hundred Spring Coins.”
…
“Northern Territory Xin Zhou, Zhu Qing Yan, narrowly lost in seven moves.”
Li Weiyi’s voice followed closely: “Zhu Qing Yan, find all the strongest Five Seas Realm Fourth Stage in Northern Seven States, I want to make martial friends with them.”
Seeing Li Weiyi seemingly disheveled and weak but actually full of vitality, martial arts attainment immeasurably deep, Zhu Qing Yan knew he had been acting all along, feeling both resentful and hateful: “Young Master Li, you’re indeed no ordinary person, I Zhu Qing Yan admit defeat, but Northern Seven States are full of masters, naturally someone can match you.”
“That’s good, I’m just afraid Northern Territory has no one.”
Li Weiyi stopped acting, his presence outstanding, like a martial way saint, eyes sharply scanning all onlooking spectators: “Ends here today, didn’t fight satisfyingly, only Lu Wensheng somewhat resembled it. Tomorrow! Everyone come tomorrow, the dragons and phoenixes of Twenty-Eight Prefectures’ Fourth Stage, tomorrow I will weigh them all.”
Too arrogant, but indeed combat power overwhelming, dozens of matches undefeated, a legend of the realm.
“Young Master Li”, “challenge fee”, “ten moves defeat all under heaven’s enemies”, “Lu Wensheng owes massive gambling debt”, “weigh all Twenty-Eight Prefectures dragons and phoenixes”… and so on topics quickly spread through streets and alleys.
