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Chapter 62: I'll Give You the Ninth Match
Chapter 62: I'll Give You the Ninth Match
Silence, a silence as still as death.
Amidst the thunderous cheers from the ten-thousand-strong audience at the Phoenix Mountain arena, there was one section that remained deathly quiet.
On the stands, the body of Xu Renke, the Broken Blade, lay there in stillness.
After a long while, someone finally spoke, their voice dry and hoarse.
"How could he lose?"
With those words, everyone seemed to snap back to reality.
Yes, how could he lose? Xu Renke was so strong, known as the Broken Blade, one of the two chief enforcers of the Mountain Breaker Gang, and he had wandered through many markets, earning a fearsome reputation.
But just now, he had lost to Gao Tingyuan, whom they had all looked down upon.
Zeng Wen, who had returned to the stands, had a slightly flushed face.
He said, almost disbelievingly, "Xu Renke activated the Broken Blade just now, displaying a hint of the power of a magical treasure, and he did indeed strike Gao Tingyuan. Why didn't Gao Tingyuan die?"
Even if Zeng Wen had performed at his peak, he would not have been able to win against such a technique.
Yet, Gao Tingyuan had won and survived.
Uncle Mi Shuhua frowned, his eyes fixed on the Dao Discussion Platform where a short, weak man was sitting on the ground.
After a long pause, he said uncertainly, "A life-replacement puppet?"
"Eh?" Murong Qianlian was surprised, as if she had just realized something. "He actually has a life-replacement puppet!"
On the Dao Discussion Platform, Gao Tingyuan was sitting on the ground, his face filled with fear, his body trembling uncontrollably.
He muttered to himself, "Before the match, wasn’t it agreed that I would win easily?"
"Why did he try to kill me!"
"That weapon, it was definitely far beyond a top-grade magical tool, almost reaching the power of a magical treasure."
"If it weren’t for the life-replacement puppet from the Cloudfall Sect, I would have died just now."
He clutched his abdomen, where there was no visible wound, but bright red blood was seeping through his skin.
His dantian was ruptured! A hole had appeared in his qi sea, and his spiritual energy was leaking uncontrollably.
Even if he used the best spiritual elixirs to repair the damage, he would likely never be able to achieve the Foundation Establishment stage in his lifetime.
This was caused by a single thread of blade qi containing the power of a magical treasure.
It wasn't an external blow but the blade qi seeping into his dantian and disrupting his spiritual energy.
"Eh, he actually has a life-replacement puppet from the Cloudfall Sect?"
Elder Zhou's exclamation was clearly heard through the sound transmission.
Wang Haichao smiled slightly, clapping his hands softly.
Under his lead, the members of the Great River Gang cheered and applauded wildly.
Truly, the top cultivator of our gang, even a Broken Blade with a fragment of a magical treasure was no match for him.
"Mixing Dragon is invincible!"
"On the list of prodigies, his name should be there!"
"Long live the Great River Gang!"
When Gao Tingyuan weakly made his way to the stands, he was showered with praise from the entire gang.
Even the Foundation Establishment stage leader, Wang Haichao, gave him a warm welcome.
"Are you badly hurt?"
"Ah, your qi sea is ruptured!"
"Here, take this Qi-Stabilizing Pill."
"Don’t be polite, we are all family."
Gao Tingyuan lowered his head, clutching the Qi-Stabilizing Pill, his body trembling with rage.
Old man, how dare you scheme against me like this!
To outsiders, it seemed he was moved by the leader's favor.
Look at our leader, how he respects and cares for his subordinates!
"Make sure Xu Renke's body is properly taken care of and bury him in the mausoleum behind the main headquarters."
"Our brothers of the Mountain Breaker Gang are not homeless spirits; even in death, they have a place to rest."
Mi Shuhua arranged Xu Renke's funeral with meticulous care.
The gang members were deeply moved.
Being a solitary cultivor was already difficult enough; to have such a leader was a true blessing.
Mi Shuhua sighed, a sense of unease gnawing at his heart.
Not securing the fourth victory had left him genuinely unsettled.
The Broken Blade, on whom the Great River Gang had pinned their hopes, had fallen at the feet of the Mixing Dragon. Hardly anyone, about nine out of ten, would have predicted such an outcome.
Xu Renge, a man Luo Chen had high hopes for, died on the newly opened debate platform.
It was the decisive match, with the two strongest guardians taking the stage.
Despite winning three matches, their reserve of trump cards was dwindling fast.
As for the Great River Gang, their remaining members were all external reinforcements, just like the first one, Min Longyu.
"The next match, it should be Feng Linhu!"
In the sixth match, Feng Linhu of the Mountain Breaker Gang faced off against Gongsun Changji of the Great River Gang.
The battle was brief.
When Gongsun Changji summoned his azure flying sword, Feng Linhu's fate was sealed.
That was the supreme magical weapon of the Foundation Establishment cultivator, Wang Haichao.
Uncle Mi Hua's eyelid twitched as he watched the gang members retrieve Feng Linhu's corpse.
"Can Yuejianhu win the next match?"
The answer was no.
He faced Yang Rusheng, a well-known Qi Condensation cultivator in Tianye Market.
Or rather, Yang Rusheng wasn't a wandering cultivator at all; he came from a cultivation family.
His family was destroyed later, forcing him to become a wandering cultivator.
But his wealth and resources far exceeded those of ordinary Qi Condensation cultivators.
Two magical weapons exploded in quick succession, and Yuejianhu, known for his agility, was reduced to a pulp.
This time, even retrieving his remains was impossible.
The Mountain Breaker Gang's record, from one loss, three wins, to now three consecutive losses, was a rollercoaster of ups and downs.
Now, even the crucial decisive match was in the hands of the enemy.
If they lost the next match, the deadly duel would be over.
Uncle Mi Hua's mood was heavy as he looked at Murong Qinglian.
Murong Qinglian smiled gently, "Old Qin will do his best."
Luo Chen, sitting nearby, could see the complexity in her smile.
It was a mix of trust, hope, worry, and fear.
Such a smile, he had never seen in either of his lifetimes, and even an Oscar-winning actor would struggle to portray such complexity.
Kou Yuelin, the new Jade Tiger, clenched his fists and gritted his teeth.
He knew that it wasn't just Wang Yuan's rapid rise that had taken his place on the stage; it was actually his sworn brother, Qin Liangchen, who had taken his spot.
If not for this, the next match would have been his.
But!
The reinforcements the Great River Gang had brought were one stronger than the last. If he had gone, he would either have been torn apart like Han Dang or exploded into pieces like Yuejianhu.
He couldn't bear to imagine such a fate.
He was young, and his path of cultivation had just begun.
Fear for his own life, worry for his brother, and the horrific deaths of his comrades left his mind in turmoil.
Entering the world of cultivation, I came to practice, not to be caught in the same struggles as the mortal world.
This isn't how it should be!
What about the peaceful and ascetic path of cultivation?
In the underground chamber below the debate platform, Qin Liangchen stood while Wang Yuan sat.
They were not close, only nodding acquaintances in everyday life.
The Qin family ran a small business, selling spirit fish and raising children, living a comfortable and prosperous life.
Wang Yuan, on the other hand, traveled between the wandering cultivator market and the Ancient Plains Mountain Range, leading a life of hardship and asceticism.
At the moment, Qin Liangchen didn't turn his head, his new purple robe billowing without any wind.
Outside, a loud voice announced, "Eighth match, Qin Liangchen of the Mountain Breaker Gang versus Bai Qi of the Great River Gang."
Qin Liangchen took a deep breath and strode out, leaving behind a single sentence.
"I will secure the ninth match for you!"
Wang Yuan's eyes remained closed, his eyelids trembling, but he didn't open them.
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(End of Chapter)
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