The moment the words fell, the crowd from the Sea Shark Gang on the east side of the training ground parted. A middle-aged man in a cloak, his face dark and sinister, strode over with the swagger of a dragon and tiger, surrounded by Xiong Wu and the other leaders.
It was none other than Tang Qizheng, leader of the Sea Shark Gang.
As soon as he appeared, the surrounding clamor seemed to die down of its own accord. Wariness showed on the faces of many spectators.
Tang Qizheng walked straight up to Zhou Jingfeng and Gu Huaizhang, stopping a few paces away. He briefly met Gu Huaizhang's eyes in greeting, then fixed his gaze firmly on Zhou Jingfeng.
"Zhou Jingfeng, things needn't have come to this."
Facing the Sea Shark Gang's leader, Zhou Jingfeng remained calm. "Tang Qizheng, if your men had known their place and stopped after the matter was mediated, would any of this have happened?"
Tang Qizheng's face darkened at once, a cold glint flashing in his narrow eyes.
He stared at Zhou Jingfeng for two breaths, then suddenly sneered. "What a silver tongue! Since Hall Master Zhou sees it that way, I've nothing more to say. If reason won't settle this, then we'll see who's stronger in the arena! A pity about your newly accepted disciple, though!"
With that, Tang Qizheng said no more to Zhou Jingfeng. His gaze swept over Chen Yue like a venomous snake, undisguised killing intent and contempt in his eyes, as if he were looking at a dying ant.
That single glance made Father Chen and Mother Chen, standing behind Chen Yue, feel as though they'd fallen into an icy abyss. Tang Qizheng snorted, swept around, and led his men straight toward the east side of the training ground.
Scattered around the training ground, some people in clothes and bearing clearly unlike those of ordinary folk sat or stood. Some spoke in low voices, while others watched silently. None approached either side, keeping a cautious distance.
"So that's the Pearl Diver disciple newly taken in by Iron Mountain Hall? He looks rather composed."
"I heard he's only been training for a little over a month. A newborn calf really isn't afraid of tigers—he dares to face Xiong Wu on the Life-Death Arena..."
"Heh, Pearl Diver or not, all that matters is that there's a good show!"
"Zhou Jingfeng may have bitten off more than he can chew this time. Falling out with Tang Qizheng over a Pearl Diver isn't worth it."
"Not necessarily. He's protecting that boy so fiercely—there must be something special about him. The winner of today's match is still anyone's guess."
Most of their discussion centered on the clash between the two great powers.
To them, Chen Yue himself didn't matter. What mattered was the fight to the death he'd sparked. Many looked at him as if he were merely the curtain-raiser to a grand performance.
Time trickled by beneath all those watchful eyes and quiet discussions. The sun climbed higher, its golden light spilling across the training ground and brightening the blue-stone paving.
When the hour of the Snake arrived, Gu Huaizhang, seated in the central place on the high platform to the north, suddenly opened his eyes.
He rose and walked to the edge of the platform, sweeping his gaze over the dense crowd below before letting it settle on the members of Iron Mountain Hall and the Sea Shark Gang, lined up on either side of the arena.
"The hour of the Snake has arrived! Both sides, take the arena!"
His booming voice drowned out all other noise, and the entire training ground fell silent.
Hundreds of eyes focused in unison on the arena and the two figures about to decide each other's fate.
The Life-Death Arena was officially underway!
Below the arena, Zhou Jingfeng patted Chen Yue on the shoulder. "Clear your mind and give it everything you've got."
"This disciple understands!" Chen Yue nodded firmly.
He turned toward his parents, whose faces were filled with worry. Father Chen gripped Mother Chen's hand tightly and forced out a few hoarse words. "Yue... be careful!"
Mother Chen bit her lip hard to keep her tears from falling and waved vigorously to her son.
Chen Yue gave his parents a smile, then turned and climbed the wooden steps, his stride steady as he ascended the three steps leading to the arena.
The moment both his feet touched the arena, the last trace of noise vanished. Only the flags snapping in the wind and the suppressed breaths of hundreds of people remained.
On the other side, Xiong Wu gave a vicious grin and hefted his Ghost Head Saber. With steps as heavy as an elephant's, he mounted the arena at an unhurried pace.
The two stopped in the center of the arena, two zhang apart, their gazes clashing like blades in midair.
Xiong Wu looked Chen Yue up and down, especially at the long saber at his waist. "Kid, how about we settle this with fists and feet? That way, you'll live a little longer and get to see your Grandpa Xiong's real skills! Use blades? I'm afraid you won't last three moves. You'd die too quickly and spoil the fun for everyone!"
His words sounded magnanimous, but his intentions were anything but.
Xiong Wu was born with tremendous strength and had a hulking build. In raw power, he had an absolute advantage over Chen Yue. If they fought barehanded, that advantage would be magnified to the fullest.
What's more, the saber techniques Chen Yue had displayed when defeating He Chong and the others had made him somewhat wary. By proposing a fistfight, he could weaken his opponent's advantage while playing to his own strengths—a win on both counts.
The two looked starkly different atop the arena.
Xiong Wu stood eight chi tall, broad-shouldered and thick-backed, his muscles knotted. He loomed like an iron pagoda, radiating an oppressive presence.
Chen Yue was also tall and upright, but he was half a head shorter than Xiong Wu and looked much slighter.
Chen Yue's expression remained calm, as if he hadn't heard the calculation behind the other man's words. He merely gave Xiong Wu a faint glance. "That won't do. Since we're on the Life-Death Arena, life and death are up to fate. We'll use weapons!"
They were both in the Skin Refining Realm, but their strength, speed, and stamina varied. Much of that difference came down to their innate physique and the training they'd undergone afterward.
Xiong Wu had the edge in size, so he'd surely have some advantage in a fistfight.
Weapons, on the other hand, could turn some of the difference in strength into a contest of skill, speed, and precision.
Chen Yue's Iron Mountain Saber had broken its limit, and paired with his Treading Mountains and Rivers footwork, it was perfectly suited to overcoming strength with skill and striking the slow with speed. Unless one had tempered their body to the point where ordinary sharp weapons posed no threat, the advantage of wielding a weapon was crucial.
"Hmph!"
Seeing Chen Yue refuse so decisively, the flesh on Xiong Wu's face twitched. A more vicious glint entered his eyes, and he sneered, "So you really are a gutless Pearl Diver runt! Without that saber, do you even have the courage to stand on this arena? You mud-legged peasants have cowardice and weakness in your very bones!"
Chen Yue's eyes didn't waver at Xiong Wu's insults and goading.
He stared at Xiong Wu, then suddenly spoke. "Want to fight barehanded? Fine! Let's add a stake: three hundred taels of silver."
"Three hundred taels?"
Xiong Wu froze, then spat out a mouthful of phlegm and burst into scornful laughter. "Hahahaha! Kid, take a piss and look at your reflection! If we took you apart and sold you by the pound, how many copper coins would you be worth? Three hundred taels? Do you even have that kind of money?"
Chen Yue's face remained expressionless, but his words rang with resolve. "Of course I don't have three hundred taels on me. So if you win, aside from my life, you won't get a single tael from me.
"But if I win, you'll have to pay me every last bit of those three hundred taels. That's the condition for fighting barehanded. Otherwise, we use weapons, and each of us accepts whatever fate comes."
A low murmur swept through the crowd below.
For Chen Yue, the wager was a way to get something for nothing; for Xiong Wu, it was a real risk.
If he won, he got nothing. If he lost, he'd pay with both his life and his money! Chen Yue had clearly backed Xiong Wu into a corner.
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