Duel

A grating screech rang out as Liu Feng returned from the carriage, carrying that strange long spear reversed in his grip, and walked toward the noble young master who had rushed out.

The saw-toothed spearhead at the front of the long spear dragged half along the ground, scraping out a sound that made one's chest feel tight with irritation, throwing up sparks of light like the shriek of the Grim Reaper from hell itself.

Looking at the noble young master, whose eyes held some shock but far more disdain, the gentle smile on Liu Feng's face remained, yet the chill in his pupils grew thicker and thicker.

"Do not stop me! This concerns the dignity of the Palister Family!" Looking at Turner, Cookson, and the other two, all wearing nervous expressions, as well as Master Faraday, who had just hurried out, Liu Feng spoke softly, a trace of resolve flashing through his eyes.

The four of them instantly changed expression slightly at his words. The hands they had already stretched out to stop Liu Feng had no choice but to withdraw again.

The dignity of the Palister Family allowed no one to trample upon it. This was a rule every child of the family would swear to uphold even unto death, and no one was permitted to obstruct it. No matter how worried Master Faraday, Turner, and the others were about Liu Feng, at this moment they could only retreat unwillingly.

"Tsk, tsk! You're making it look like quite the serious affair. A piece of trash like you dares challenge me to a duel? Seeing as you're rather stupid, this young master can be merciful. If you regret it now, as long as you kneel and knock your head a few times, then curse the Palister Family a few times as nothing but garbage, I can agree to cancel this duel!" Seeing Liu Feng's solemn appearance, as if he were nobly marching to his death, the noble young master sneered again.

On the Falan Continent, as a way of protecting the weaker party, the challenged side in a duel could choose to accept or refuse, and even after accepting, could likewise choose to cancel it. However, for the sake of that pitiful thing called face, such a situation had basically never occurred.

"Thank you for your kindness, Your Excellency. If you agree to the conditions I mentioned earlier, I can consider letting you cancel the duel!" Liu Feng still said with a smile, but the long spear in his hand was gripped tighter and tighter. Although his soul power had not yet been released, the long spear was actually trembling slightly at this moment, and a savage killing intent gradually surged up from the shaft. The consciousness within the long spear once again made itself felt to Liu Feng, as if conveying a kind of desire to vent.

"Fuck! What the hell do you think you are? The more face my young master gives you, the more you act like somebody!" Before the noble young master could speak, a shrill voice rang out beside him. Then a figure darted forward, his eyes as he looked at Liu Feng filled with extreme contempt and killing intent.

He was not very old, and he wore a mage's robe. It was actually the young mage from among the mercenaries they had encountered outside the weapon shop last time.

Seeing that this young mage had, in a moment of impulse, stolen the noble young master's words, the middle-aged mage's expression could not help changing. Somewhat nervously, he quietly glanced toward the noble young master.

A trace of anger flashed through the noble young master's eyes with incredible speed, but it instantly turned normal again. He still leisurely waved his folding fan, looking as if he did not care at all.

Seeing the noble young master's expression, the middle-aged mage finally let out a slight breath of relief and wiped the sweat from his forehead. In that instant, cold sweat had actually poured out.

Though the noble young master's expression changed very quickly, it still did not escape Liu Feng's eyes. Hearing the young mage's insult, the smile on Liu Feng's face remained, yet the crystal core inside his body suddenly flared, and then two streams of soul power instantly surged out from both his feet.

Bang!

With a muffled sound, Liu Feng's body turned into an afterimage and arrived beside the young mage in an instant. Then the long spear in his hand let out a sudden, heart-shaking cry, and an incomparably savage aura shot into the sky, bringing with it a sheet of cold light as it stabbed straight toward the young mage's chest.

And on the ground where Liu Feng had just been standing, a pit about one meter in diameter and half a foot deep had shockingly appeared. After sand and dust splashed away, it revealed soil whose color had already turned somewhat scorched black, along with several insect corpses that had been roasted.

Although Liu Feng's spear strike had no technique to speak of, its speed had already reached an extreme. Before the crowd had even reacted, the cold-flashing, saw-toothed spearhead had already arrived before the young mage's chest.

"Pfft!"

Blood sprayed in all directions. The elemental light that had just risen around the young mage's body had not even had time to form a magical shield before Liu Feng's spear pierced straight through him.

"Aaagh!"

The young mage, his eyes filled with incomparable terror and confusion, only had time to let out one shrill scream before Liu Feng's hand suddenly paused. The long spear withdrew in an instant, then swung up again.

With a muffled bang, the spear shaft forged entirely of metal smashed viciously onto the young mage's head.

Fresh blood mixed with brain matter splattered out again, and the young mage's frail body pitched headfirst to the ground, not even having time to let out a second scream.

Facing everyone's horrified gazes, Liu Feng seemed as if he had merely done something utterly insignificant. His face still carried a gentle smile, and his strange long hair of pale blue drifted in the wind, adding a certain free and graceful air. Only, set against the blood covering the ground and that horrifying corpse, it gave people an extremely awkward feeling.

He slowly took a snow-white handkerchief from his chest and leisurely wiped the bloodstains from the long spear, saying softly, "According to imperial law, when a commoner publicly insults a noble, the crime is punishable by death! To spare Your Excellency the trouble, I dealt with him for you!"

Not a single person could say a word. Other than Turner, Cookson, and the other two, who had once seen Liu Feng make a move and whose expressions could still be considered normal, Catherine had already opened her tempting little mouth wide, using her hand to tightly cover the startled cry that was about to escape. Her beautiful eyes brimmed with extreme bewilderment and shock, and she simply could not figure out why that useless cousin of hers had suddenly learned martial skills.

As for Master Faraday, who had originally been wearing an anxious look at the side, he was also stunned at first, then became suddenly enlightened. In the end, however, it was as if he had thought of something terrifying; his face instantly turned pale, and an extremely fearful look appeared in his originally wise eyes.

After the noble young master's momentary shock, a severe glint flashed through his eyes. He did not even glance at the dead young mage, and instead chuckled coldly. "Not bad, not bad. It seems the rumors truly are unreliable. The eldest son who was trash for seventeen years is actually a martial skill expert. You have fooled everyone under heaven. Good! I formally accept your challenge!" As he spoke, his folding fan snapped shut with a swish and was tucked at his waist.

Then the noble young master beckoned, and a retainer behind him immediately stepped forward, respectfully handing him a somewhat strange weapon.

It was a longsword, yet the blade was not the wide-edged greatsword commonly seen on the Falan Continent. Instead, it was extremely narrow, a little over three feet long, and the entire blade shimmered with flowing brilliance, emitting a piercing cold air that showed its quality was extraordinary. At the tip of the sword, there was also a slight fork, somewhat like a venomous snake's tongue, and somewhat like a scorpion's tail. It looked very strange.

"In this past thousand years, you can be considered the first person who has dared issue a challenge to a disciple of the Twelve Palaces. To tell the truth, I have no choice but to admire your courage!" An incomparable pride appeared in the noble young master's eyes, and the frivolity on his face instantly vanished as well, replaced by a fanatical self-satisfaction.

A disciple of the Twelve Palaces? What the hell is that? Hearing the noble young master's incomparably proud words, Liu Feng was immediately confused. He had no idea what this so-called Twelve Palaces was, and there was not the slightest bit of information to be found in his memories.

Liu Feng felt nothing at all upon hearing of the Twelve Palaces, but beside him, Master Faraday, Cookson, and Box all changed expression dramatically once more, almost crying out in alarm. As they looked at the noble young master, an indescribable fear appeared in their eyes...