Chapter 72: The Maiden Combat Duel

“Justice… Lin Shuai is not that kind of person! No matter what, he would never sacrifice so many Red Scorpions!”

Wei Po Tian’s expression was solemn, all his usual frivolity swept away. Looking at Qian Ye’s passionate and resolute face, he just patted him on the shoulder without saying anything more.

Qian Ye felt lost and filled with an unease he didn’t want to acknowledge. In his memory, Lin Xi Tang was not the kind of person who would sell out his subordinates for a bit of gain. If he could be so ruthless and merciless, he wouldn’t have been dragged into the quagmire of the Western Border Rebellion.

Qian Ye couldn’t believe that such a man would do something like this! It was Lin Xi Tang who had taken him away from the garbage dump, giving him not only a new lease on life but also a purpose. Qian Ye’s struggles and efforts were all for the day when he could stand before that man and show him that he had not let him down.

Even during the darkest days after being tainted by the Dark Blood, Qian Ye clung to every faint hope to live, because the life given to him by that man was too important to abandon easily. But if, if there was even a tiny possibility that Wei Po Tian’s suspicions were correct, then all his past efforts and struggles would become utterly meaningless!

Wei Po Tian reached out and gripped Qian Ye’s arm tightly. “Xiao Ye, forget about those things. You can’t go back now!”

Qian Ye hadn’t expected the rough and straightforward Wei Po Tian to say something like this, and he was momentarily stunned. His thoughts were chaotic and sluggish, and it took a while before he asked, “Am I the only survivor of that battle?”

“In the eyes of the Empire, you’ve already been listed as dead.”

That night, Qian Ye couldn’t sleep at all. He finally got up and began to practice, mastering the state where the golden blood energy operated independently in his body. Since Chief Steward Wen thought his abnormal condition was due to the Dawn Awakening, he might as well make use of this misunderstanding.

The next morning, the martial arts tournament was held in the training grounds behind Duke Weiguo’s villa. The vast training ground was divided into dozens of areas, allowing multiple matches to take place simultaneously.

Hundreds of people signed up to compete, with the majority being members of the gentry. The first three rounds were elimination and round-robin style, to be completed in one day, meaning each victor had to defeat several opponents. Someone like Qi Qi, a member of a noble family, would only enter the competition in the fourth round the next day. Meanwhile, Zhao Jun Hong and Song Zi Ning would only enter in the fifth round and could choose their opponents.

Unlike the hunting field, which was dominated by noble teams, the martial arts tournament was the true stage for the gentry to shine. To say nothing of other rewards, the top prize was a custom-made, fifth-level Origin Gun, perhaps the strongest weapon a gentry family could acquire!

With the addition of the term “custom-made,” it went beyond just the level of the Origin Gun. In the hands of someone with special talents, a fifth-level gun that fully utilized their abilities could potentially surpass a standard sixth-level Origin Gun.

Zhao Jun Hong’s iconic Silver Wing Fantasy was a custom-made fifth-level gun. As one of the Four Young Lords of the Zhao family, he used a fifth-level custom gun, which showed how tempting the grand prize of the martial arts tournament was.

Apart from the generous rewards, this was also a ladder for the gentry to ascend. Duke Weiguo and his distinguished guests would all be present to watch, providing a direct display of individual strength and talent. Outstanding participants would invariably be eagerly recruited by the major noble families. Therefore, every gentry disciple took this tournament extremely seriously and spared no effort.

As soon as Qian Ye arrived at the venue, he felt the intense fighting spirit. On one side of the training ground, participants lined up to receive their numbers. The first three rounds were determined entirely by drawing lots, and sometimes two powerful warriors would be paired against each other right in the first round, an event that occurred every year during the Spring Hunt.

Duke Weiguo made no attempt to prevent such occurrences; in the Empire’s view, luck was also a part of one’s strength. If one had the heart of a strong contender, they must have the courage to crush all opponents in their path.

Qian Ye joined the line, slowly moving forward, and eventually received his number: 163.

On one side of the training ground, a giant virtual screen rose, displaying all the arenas. Soon, pairs of numbers began to appear in the various arenas, indicating the upcoming match-ups.

Qian Ye found his number and headed towards Arena 20.

A bald, burly man stood in front of Qian Ye. He had a thick beard and strange blue-gray eyes. His massive frame was almost two or three times larger than Qian Ye’s, and one of his arms was thicker than Qian Ye’s thigh.

The burly man flashed a sinister smile, eyeing Qian Ye up and down. “So, you’re the guy who uses a gun, huh? I know about you. Heard you crippled the Second Young Lord Zhao’s team with your Eagle Strike? Impressive, indeed. But this is the arena, and we settle battles with our fists. You can’t use your gun here.”

The burly man cracked his knuckles, and then began to jog around Qian Ye, saying, “I’ve always hated snipers, absolutely detested them! Do you know why? Because I think they’re all cowardly, hiding in the darkest corners, solving their enemies from afar with bullets. They only need finger strength, so they’re all skinny like monkeys or look like women! Yes, just like you!”

Qian Ye lowered his gaze, his legs slightly apart, parallel to his shoulders, adopting the most basic stance of military combat. He didn’t move, as if he hadn’t heard a word the burly man said.

“Kid, when the match starts, I’ll smash that pretty face of yours with one punch! So, you’d better concede quickly, or I won’t be able to hold back!”

Qian Ye remained still, like a statue.

At this moment, a deep, mournful horn sounded overhead, signaling the start of the martial arts tournament.

Qian Ye’s eyes snapped open, and his aura surged, rising higher and higher, like a raging storm in an instant!

The bald man, who had just set himself in a diagonal bow stance, seemed to suddenly freeze, his mouth wide open, and his hand stalled! In front of him, it was as if a colossal wave of Origin power was crashing down, unstoppable!

The experienced man quickly regained his senses, realizing he had been intimidated by Qian Ye’s aura! With a wild cry, he accelerated his punch, aiming straight for Qian Ye’s head!

But the burly man had already lost the initiative, and his punch, meant to break through Qian Ye’s aura, was rushed and lacked finesse. He saw Qian Ye’s posture as typical of military combat, and prepared to counterattack, having already thought of his next move.

However, Qian Ye exhaled sharply, channeling his strength into his fist, and threw a punch identical to the burly man’s, colliding with him head-on!

The burly man’s face contorted, showing a myriad of expressions, indiscernibly shocked, fearful, or worried. His arm crunched and twisted out of shape.

The result of the punch left the burly man’s arm completely useless!

Qian Ye kicked hard, striking the burly man’s stomach! This kick sent the burly man flying, but bizarrely, he stuck to Qian Ye’s boot, not flying out of the arena immediately.

The knowledgeable knew that Qian Ye’s kick was too powerful, and delivered too abruptly, leaving no room for the opponent to retreat. The burly man could only absorb the full force of the kick.

Qian Ye pulled his leg back, and the burly man paused in mid-air for a moment before crashing to the ground, face-first, with a muffled thud. Blood and teeth scattered across the ground.

“Sorry, you conceded a bit too slowly, so I couldn’t hold back,” Qian Ye said calmly.

The burly man could only groan in pain. After the fight began, he was swiftly defeated by Qian Ye’s overwhelming force, leaving no chance for him to speak.

Two private guards of Duke Weiguo came and carried the bald man away.

Qian Ye looked around at the other arenas, most of which were in the heat of battle.

Those from the gentry who dared to participate in these round-robin matches were usually quite skilled, resulting in many evenly matched battles. Blood was starting to be spilled on several arenas, and even two lives had been lost. In comparison, the bald man Qian Ye had defeated was relatively unharmed, but his loss was embarrassingly one-sided, likely to be mocked for a long time.

Qian Ye slowly walked to the side of the arena, looking for a place to rest, when he heard a few claps. “Nice fight!”

He looked up and saw Zhao Jun Hong standing by the side, not knowing how long he had been there.

Qian Ye smiled slightly, “Thank you for the compliment, Second Young Lord Zhao.”

Zhao Jun Hong, as if not hearing the slight sarcasm in Qian Ye’s words, said, “This is a bit more interesting, so you won’t miss the chance to see me. I’ll be waiting for you in the final. If you win, the prize I get in the Spring Hunt will be yours.”

Qian Ye smiled again, this time with more sincerity, “Thank you for your generosity, Second Young Lord Zhao.”

Zhao Jun Hong replied indifferently, “We’ll see if you have the skill to reach me.”

Warriors continued to step onto the arenas, winning or losing, and then leaving. Some became permanent corpses on the arena, with each step up the narrow ladder no less brutal than the bloody fights in the Blackstream City on the Eternal Night Continent.

Finally, the first round ended, and Qian Ye faced his second opponent, a rather sweet-looking gentry girl. She stood in front of Qian Ye, her beautiful, expressive eyes fixed on him.

“You are very handsome!” she suddenly said.

“Thank you,” Qian Ye replied mildly.

“My name is Xie Yu Miao. Can you let me win this one, please?”

“No.”

Qian Ye’s cold response made her eyes tear up, as if she had suffered a great injustice. She stood there, a bit timidly, fiddling with her clothes, looking like a young maiden kept in seclusion, not at all like someone about to fight.

The horn sounded again, and Qian Ye’s aura surged once more, like a roaring sea. In a few steps, he was in front of Xie Yu Miao, delivering a punch to her chest.

Xie Yu Miao, seemingly startled, did not dodge but instead thrust her chest forward, meeting Qian Ye’s punch. Her action nearly pushed her impressively full breasts out of her clothes, causing two gentry youths watching from the sidelines to flush with excitement.