Xu Yi chose to sign a life-and-death agreement, not because he was arrogant.
Rather, he trusted Elder Qin. Since Elder Qin had asked him to fight, it meant he believed Xu Yi was strong enough to face Elder Xia.
From another perspective, Elder Qin was also hinting that Elder Xia was not as powerful as Qin Mou himself.
At the same time, Xu Yi's strength was nothing like what it had been before, and he had the Hundred Spirits Battle Robe to protect him. If all else failed, he could activate a Swift Wind Talisman and flee without much trouble.
Since he had decided to fight, a life-and-death agreement was essential.
The reasoning was simple. Since Elder Xia had decided to attack, he would show no mercy whether or not they signed an agreement.
For Xu Yi, however, things were not necessarily the same.
After all, Elder Xia held a lofty status. If Xu Yi were lucky enough to get the chance to kill him, not doing so would be like raising a tiger to invite disaster; once Elder Xia recovered, he would certainly kill Xu Yi. But if Xu Yi did kill him, he might trigger the law. Someone of Elder Xia's standing had far too many privileges and belonged to Huai Xi's highest decision-making circle. Killing him rashly could bring endless trouble.
So, though a life-and-death agreement was a cliché, it was a safeguard.
The agreement was signed, but Elder Xia still stood with his hands behind his back, making no move.
Clearly, he remembered his earlier promise to give Xu Yi three moves.
To be fair, he had been forced into it. His status was lofty, while Xu Yi was lowly; in many situations, he had to maintain his dignity.
He even regretted letting Elder Qin provoke