Day of Confrontation

The Life-Death Arena was already bloody and thrilling enough to draw attention, and when combined with the extremely special identity of a Pearl Diver, as well as the involvement of two major powers—Iron Mountain Hall and the Sea Shark Gang—this upcoming duel attracted a flood of curious, even gloating, gazes.

On the ninth day, early morning. Only one day remained until the Life-Death Arena.

Chen Yue slowly withdrew his stance in the courtyard, finishing the last round of Treading Mountains and Rivers. His breath was long and steady, his form calm and composed, and his entire spirit had been honed to its peak.

Zhou Jingfeng stood under the eaves, stroking his beard and nodding, his face filled with undisguised approval and satisfaction. Over these nine days, Chen Yue's progress had been visible to the naked eye—one could even say he had advanced a thousand li in a single day, far exceeding Zhou Jingfeng's initial expectations.

"Big brother is so amazing!"

A crisp clapping sound came from the corner of the courtyard gate. A gaunt, sallow-faced little girl was clapping her small hands with all her might, her tiny face full of admiration as she gazed at Chen Yue in the yard.

Beside her stood Auntie Li, looking flustered.

Yaya's applause rang out especially loudly in the silent morning. Auntie Li was startled and quickly reached out to cover her daughter's mouth, casting a worried glance at Zhou Jingfeng and Chen Yue.

This mother and daughter were the ones Chen Yue had asked Yu Kan to help bring out of the Pearl Village a few days earlier.

That day after the meal, Chen Yue had found Yu Kan and brought up the matter.

He still remembered the image of Auntie Li kneeling at his doorstep, clutching Yaya, her face full of desperate pleading. He also remembered Yaya's heart-wrenching cries.

Li the Third was already dead. This widow and orphan couldn't survive in the Pearl Village. Unable to pay the Pearl Tax, they would sooner or later be hounded to death by the Sea Shark Gang or driven to take their own lives. Since he now had some ability and was about to settle his grudge with the Sea Shark Gang once and for all, he thought he might as well lend them a hand.

When Yu Kan heard Chen Yue's request, he nodded in agreement almost without hesitation.

Simply bringing two helpless Pearl Households out of the village and arranging a temporary place for them to stay was no difficult task for Iron Mountain Hall.

He had long seen that Chen Yue's talent and character meant his future achievements would not be limited to a mere pond—he was bound to become a pillar of Iron Mountain Hall.

For this promising junior apprentice, as long as the request wasn't excessive or against principles, Yu Kan wouldn't refuse.

Auntie Li and Yaya were temporarily settled in the kitchen quarters of Iron Mountain Hall's back courtyard, doing light chores like sweeping and washing, giving them a place to call home.

Zhou Jingfeng walked up to Chen Yue, his gaze sharp as lightning, sweeping over him as if he could see through the surging blood and condensed power within his body.

"Chen Yue, with your current strength, that Xiong Wu is as good as dead on the Life-Death Arena tomorrow! Remember, on the platform, you must show no mercy, and absolutely no trace of womanly soft-heartedness!"

"Disciple understands!" Chen Yue clasped his hands in salute.

[Realm: Skin Refining Realm (273/300)]

[Techniques: Iron Mountain Saber (Limit-Broken), Mountain-Crushing Art (Limit-Broken 2133/30000), Treading Mountains and Rivers (Limit-Broken 1025/30000)]

This was Chen Yue's current cultivation status. The Skin Refining Realm was nearing its peak, with only a short distance left before breaking through to the Flesh Refining Realm.

The two techniques, Mountain-Crushing Art and Treading Mountains and Rivers, had both broken through their perfection bottlenecks under his frenzied training, entering the Limit-Broken domain. Though still far from the next qualitative leap, their power already far exceeded their perfected state.

Now, Chen Yue's strength, speed, reaction, endurance, and his understanding and application of techniques had all reached a brand-new height!

Thinking back to a little over a month ago, he had been a Pearl Diver youth in the village, living day to day with no security. The change now was nothing short of earth-shattering.

The night passed without incident. When the morning light once again pierced the darkness, the day of the Life-Death Arena had finally arrived.

At dawn, Chen Yue changed into a clean, dark-gray training uniform and carefully fastened a fine steel long saber at his waist. He went to his parents' room and asked if they wanted to come along.

Father Chen and Mother Chen exchanged a glance. Though their eyes held an unshakable worry and fear, in the end, they both nodded firmly.

Father Chen's voice was a little dry, but exceptionally resolute: "We're going! A'Yue, your father and mother will go... to give you courage!"

They knew that staying behind at the martial hall, letting their minds run wild with worry, would only be more tormenting. It was better to go and see for themselves. No matter the outcome, they would stand by their son's side.

Before the hour of Si had arrived, the Iron Mountain Hall party was already prepared.

Aside from Auntie Li and Yaya, who stayed behind to watch the hall, Zhou Jingfeng, Yu Kan, Ma Jun, Chen Yue, and his parents all set off toward the agreed-upon location.

This Life-Death Arena was set at the training grounds of Nantong Martial Hall.

Nantong Martial Hall had operated in Hepu County for many years, with enough strength and reputation to serve as a witness. By providing the venue and presiding over the event, both sides could accept the arrangement.

When the Iron Mountain Hall party arrived at Nantong Martial Hall, they saw that the vermilion gate was already wide open. Outside, carriages and horses clustered together, and the crowd was bustling.

Clearly, the news had already spread. Many idle spectators in the city had come upon hearing the news, eager to witness this rare life-and-death duel with their own eyes.

As they stepped through the martial hall's gate, a wave of noise crashed over them.

The vast training grounds were already densely packed with people on all sides, no fewer than several hundred.

All sorts of people mingled together, their discussions and shouts blending into a cacophony. On the eastern side of the grounds stood several dozen fierce-looking men, each carrying a blade or a club, their expressions vicious—these were the men of the Sea Shark Gang.

They had already arrived and were sweeping their gazes over the Iron Mountain Hall party, who had just entered the grounds, with provocative and mocking looks.

The air was thick with a heavy, tense atmosphere, as if a storm was about to break.

As soon as the Iron Mountain Hall party entered, they drew the attention of the entire crowd.

The crowd stirred slightly, parting automatically to form a path. A middle-aged man in a dark blue brocade robe, with three long strands of beard, strode quickly from the northern side of the grounds, surrounded by a group of disciples.

This man was none other than the master of Nantong Martial Hall, Gu Huaizhang. His face was round and full, his smile genial, giving him the air of a wealthy merchant. But his steps were steady, and a faint glint of light flashed in his eyes as they opened and closed.

"Brother Zhou, I apologize for not receiving you from afar! Forgive me, forgive me!" Gu Huaizhang clasped his hands and smiled from several paces away, his voice clear and carrying far, clearly meant for everyone to hear.

"Hall Master Gu is too kind. Sorry for the intrusion." Zhou Jingfeng returned the salute with a calm expression.

After exchanging a few pleasantries with Zhou Jingfeng, Gu Huaizhang's gaze naturally fell on Chen Yue, who stood at Zhou Jingfeng's side.

A flicker of undisguised curiosity and scrutiny passed through Gu Huaizhang's eyes as he looked Chen Yue up and down. Stroking his beard, he smiled, "So this is Brother Zhou's newly accepted disciple, Young Friend Chen Yue? Truly an extraordinary bearing. Brother Zhou has excellent taste!"

Just as Gu Huaizhang was sizing up Chen Yue, several of the Nantong Martial Hall disciples standing behind him looked at Chen Yue's face. First, they showed signs of thought, then their expressions turned strange.

They vaguely remembered that about a month ago, a shabbily dressed, dark-skinned Pearl Diver had come to the martial hall asking about learning martial arts. Could it be the same person?

That Pearl Diver, who had been turned away at their door, had now become the personal disciple of Iron Mountain Hall's master and was about to fight a Life-Death Arena match with Xiong Wu of the Sea Shark Gang?

This... this was too absurd!