Chapter 595 – The First Battle (1/2)

This was one of the iron rules of the arena. Unless the fighter personally admitted defeat, no one could interfere with the duel.

She widened her eyes as if she had blanked out from fright, or perhaps she could not let down the hopes placed on her, refusing to let go of her dignity as a genius.

The daemonic beast swallowed her arm and leapt up, lunging towards her. Even now, she was unable to forget its elegant and fierce posture. Death stared her right in the face.

A white figure rushed out. With a splash of blood, the daemonic beast collapsed on the ground. The duel had been interrupted, and she fainted.

Afterwards, she learnt that while the person held great status, she had broken the iron rules of the sacred duel, also suffering a rather severe punishment.

“Bao’er, what’s wrong?” Gu Yanying noticed Si Bao’s strange behaviour and asked.

“Screw duel. How boring. It’s not like this is the Dragon province. Let’s drink, let’s drink!” Si Bao filled two cups to the brim and shoved one into Gu Yanying’s hand while keeping the other for herself. She clinked the cups before drinking it all.

Gu Yanying smiled. “I almost forgot. A ‘dragon fighter’ is sitting right next to me!”

“Dragon fighters” were the highest honour of fighters. They were titles the Great Xiao empire conferred, and they possessed great glory.

“That title is worth nothing to me!” Si Bao said in disgust. Afterwards, she managed to reattach her arm, and she did not lose another duel again. However, she was simply unable to understand why Si Qing, no, basically everyone around him, was so enthusiastic about duels and liked it so much.

When the daemonic beast had almost eaten her, she had subconsciously looked at her mother, only to see a contorted face roaring, “Bao’er, kill it! Kill it!”

As the cultivation community of the Green province had become lazy and laid-back with the peace of the world, the Dragon province remained submerged in this crazy atmosphere throughout the years. Bloodthirstiness and battle-hungriness flowed through the veins of every single citizen of the Dragon province.

Li Qingshan’s eyes shone brightly. He had never thought the Dragon province was such a good place. If an opportunity ever presented itself in the future, he would definitely go there and take a look, but he basically had an opportunity tonight.

Based on the tradition of the Dragon province, when two parties encountered a dispute they were unable to settle, they could deal with it using a duel.

With a flip of his hand, Si Qing tossed an item into the air. It expanded as it sailed through the air, landing in the centre of the hall and standing firmly. At first glance, it seemed like a huge tent. It was round at the bottom and pointed at the top. Its surface was covered in inscriptions, producing rings of light. A dragon shimmered, wrapping around the entire thing.

“A Dragon Arena!” Si Bao was mildly surprised. She had never thought Si Qing would actually bring out this.

If “dragon fighter” was the greatest honour a fighter could receive, then “dragon arenas” were the strongest among arenas. They required tremendous amounts of resources and effort to create, which could instead be used to forge countless arcane artifacts. And, once they were created, they had no offensive or defensive capabilities.

If it were not for the wealth and the enthusiasm towards duels of the imperial clan in the Dragon province, there were no cultivators or sects that would create a Dragon Arena.

“Same rules as before, a revolving team battle. We’ll have a total of three people fighting, with the next person taking their place if they die in battle or admit defeat. Pills, talismans, puppets, and so on are forbidden. Only arcane artifacts on you are permitted!”

Si Qing waved his hand, and the old man in a long gown walked up first, entering the Dragon Arena before everyone else. Originally, the order that people fought would be hidden away, just in case the opponent could come up with counter-tactics. Si Qing demonstrated plenty of confidence by doing something like this.

Gu Yanying said, “Alright. Rongzhi, you go first. If you win, I’ll reward you with the three arcane artifacts on you.”

The Hawkwolf guards were all amazed and envious. They never thought the reward for a battle would be so great. That was three arcane artifacts after all. Just how many dangerous missions did they have to complete normally to earn enough contribution for a single arcane artifact?

They could not help but think, The three people on the other side are powerful, but if I had a few arcane artifacts on me, victory is not completely impossible!

“Yes, commander,” Qian Rongzhi lowered her head. She showed no joy or fear. Before this woman, all acts were useless, or she would have never been chosen to participate in the duels in the first place.

She had already made up her mind. If there was something amiss about the situation, she would immediately forfeit. The three arcane artifacts were not that enticing to her.

“Commander, your subordinates requests to partake in the duels!”

Before Qian Rongzhi had even finished speaking, Li Qingshan heard a voice filled with dissatisfaction ring out from behind. He glanced back, only to see that was from a late Foundation Establishment White Wolf guard. His face was frosty and proud, roughly thirty or forty years old. He must have been a genius too, with a great chance at undergoing the second heavenly tribulation. He was also equipped with a few arcane artifacts.

Clearly, Gu Yanying had never expected Li Qingshan to make it perfectly in time, so she had already arranged three people for the duels. This fellow colleague had been one of them. He was already displeased with being switched out on the spot, and now that he heard such great benefits existed, he was unable to stay put anymore.

Gu Yanying said, “Wei Ke, you aren’t suited for battles like these.”

“Your subordinate insists.” Wei Ke refused to accept this. The commander is looking down on me far too much. With my strength, am I supposed to be even more incapable than a woman who just established a foundation?

Hua Chengzan had once enjoyed the wonderful title of the “greatest genius” in the Clear River prefecture, while Wei Ke also had that title in the Leping prefecture. However, unlike Hua Chengzan, he did not sink to degradation from a bunch of setbacks. Instead, he maintained that title even until now, reaching his current realm of cultivation smoothly. He had always been favoured by Gu Yanying, so of course he was rather narrow-minded.

Qian Rongzhi said, “I’m willing to forgo this opportunity and let Wei Ke take my place.”