Chapter 141: The Duel (Part II)

The middle-aged general was a confidant of Li Tianquan. Li Qingyun’s words were utterly blunt, without any embellishment. Hearing this, the general was displeased but dared not show it, merely snorting and saying, “What imperial twin stars? Blood combats are just children’s games, can they be taken seriously?”

Li Qingyun smiled and said, “In a few years, they won’t be children anymore. These words are only spoken here. Who would dare say such things in front of Zhao Jiandu?”

The general’s face darkened. Even he, naturally, wouldn’t dare to speak so boldly in front of Zhao Jiandu. Setting aside future potential and the backing of the Zhao clan, just the fact that in the Evernight Camp battle, a 12th-level Zhao Jiandu could challenge a marquis five levels higher using his domain, was enough to make most people think twice before provoking him.

Seeing that the fight was about to begin, Li Qingyun said, “Isn’t the second elder coming? I think this match is worth watching.”

The general was dismissive, “A bunch of unworthy guys, what’s there to see? I’m here to keep an eye on things, which is more than enough. Why would the second elder need to come personally?”

Li Qingyun scanned him from head to toe, then chuckled, his expression still amiable. The general’s face, however, turned awkward. Li Qingyun’s meaning was clear: You’re not qualified.

Yet, the general was also a member of the Li family and very well aware of Li Qingyun’s craziness and cruelty beneath his ordinary appearance. Despite his current normal demeanor, one misstep, and blood would be spilled. The general swallowed his anger and pretended not to notice the disdain in Li Qingyun’s eyes.

On the spectator seats, Lu Sha and others had arrived.

Lu Sha crossed his arms, looking at Qian Ye with a dark, menacing glare, like a beast about to pounce. The others were not so quiet; they came in raucous groups, their expressions challenging, their movements exaggerated, and their mouths spouting lowbrow slang, veiled insults, and even outright profanity.

Hearing the explicit insults, Qian Ye finally opened his eyes and beckoned to Lu Sha and his group, saying, “If you want to fight, wait until this match is over. One by one, regardless of life or death, how about it?”

The voices from the other side immediately lowered, and the few men exchanged glances, their faces far from relaxed.

Perhaps before, they hadn’t taken Qian Ye seriously, but after the burly man who provoked Qian Ye in the military merit exchange area was subdued in one move, they realized that even with a level advantage, they had no certainty of winning against Qian Ye. At least, if they were in that burly man’s shoes, they couldn’t win so decisively.

Now, with Qian Ye’s challenge thrown out, one-by-one fights, already a significant advantage, they couldn’t very well rush at him all at once. Though these mercenaries were ruthless and cunning, they still had some pride in this widely watched arena.

Lu Sha remained silent until now, finally saying, “You all shut up. If you have the energy, use it on the battlefield.” He strode to a row of seats and sat down.

His subordinates sullenly fell silent, finding seats around him, effectively showing weakness but at least having a way out.

Qian Ye ignored Lu Sha and his group, stepping into the arena to the sound of the horn, and then thrust the Dongyue sword into the ground. The arena’s floor was made of coarse rock, yet Qian Ye’s casual thrust sent the heavy sword half a meter deep as if it were cutting through tofu.

Qian Ye’s entrance immediately sparked a flurry of discussion. Apart from Dongyue, he carried no other weapons, and he wasn’t wearing any armor. His outfit was a simple combat uniform, offering almost no protection.

Du Li also entered the arena, fully armed in contrast to Qian Ye. He held a trilateral blade spear in his left hand, had a double-barreled short gun at his waist, a force crossbow on his back, and short knives and daggers in his belt and thigh, even carrying a grenade under his chest armor.

The horn sounded again, announcing the official start of the fight.

Du Li fixed his eyes on Qian Ye, his pupils gradually turning red, and sneered, “Do you know, Qian Ye, I’ve endured you for too long! From the first time I saw you, I felt an immense dislike. You stole my spotlight, my military merit, and even wanted to take my position? Come on, I’ll show you the difference between killing and your fancy sparring!”

With a sharp scream, Du Li lunged at Qian Ye, his spear whistling sharply, aiming straight for Qian Ye’s heart. As the spear moved, a deep blue spear glow extended over a meter, indicating that Du Li was using all his strength.

The spear glow came extremely fast, reaching Qian Ye’s chest in an instant. Just as it seemed the first round would end in blood, Qian Ye remained motionless. The crowd held their breath, and suddenly, they saw a blur. It seemed Qian Ye had moved, or perhaps he hadn’t, but the spear, without any warning, veered off course, as if Du Li had pulled back at the last moment. But everyone knew that was impossible.

Du Li’s momentum didn’t stop, and the spear strike missing, he should have had the strength to switch moves, but an invisible force field seemed to pull him, forcing him to continue charging at Qian Ye.

Qian Ye remained unperturbed, as if nothing had happened. He simply stepped forward, slightly shifting his body, and with a muffled thud, Du Li was sent flying backward, staggering several steps upon landing to regain his balance.

The arena fell silent, no one expecting such an outcome.

Li Qingyun, who had been tapping his fingers on the armrest, paused for a moment before continuing in rhythm.

Du Li, bloodied and dazed, didn’t understand what had just happened. He wiped the blood from his face, seeing Qian Ye still standing, as if he hadn’t even lifted a hand, and Dongyue still planted in the ground, untouched.

Grinding his teeth, his bloodlust roused, Du Li, abandoning his earlier caution, let out a roar, threw his spear away, and drew his short knife and dagger, launching a lightning-fast assault. Once close, he unleashed a relentless barrage, his blades a whirlwind of light around Qian Ye.

Those below the rank of warrior couldn’t even follow his movements.

This assault revealed Du Li’s true strength, ferocious, swift, and precise. On the battlefield, an opponent under such pressure might meet their end, even if stronger than Du Li, potentially overwhelmed by surprise.

But the spectators again felt their eyes deceiving them. Qian Ye’s form blurred, like multiple shadows overlapping.

Many rubbed their eyes in confusion, while some used their force to enhance their vision. They then realized it wasn’t their eyes but Qian Ye’s incredibly fast and subtle movements, leaving afterimages even for the strong.

Qian Ye, however, was assessing the situation.

He felt something was off. Du Li’s attack should have been fierce, but in Qian Ye’s eyes, it was loud but sluggish and full of openings.

Qian Ye didn’t even need basic military combat skills, casually deflecting and blocking, keeping his range within half a meter, and easily neutralizing Du Li’s assault.

Suddenly, Qian Ye stepped forward, somehow passing through Du Li’s knife storm, getting close, and with a raised elbow, sent Du Li flying.

Watching Du Li fly away, Qian Ye’s mind stirred, a rune from the River of Blood surfacing.

A nearly invisible red thread extended from Qian Ye, stretching dozens of meters, overtaking Du Li in mid-air.

Qian Ye, guided by an unseen force, glided forward, leaving behind images, each in a different pose. In a single step, he reached Du Li, grabbed his neck, and casually pushed him into the ground, then stood up.

The afterimages appeared and disappeared almost simultaneously.

In the arena’s rough rock, Du Li’s upper body was embedded, motionless, dead or alive, unknown.

Qian Ye stood still, seemingly lost in thought. The arena was silent, no one making a sound, neither cheering nor cursing, as if afraid to disturb the young man.

Li Qingyun’s right hand, suspended in the air for a long time, finally fell, slapping the armrest. No surprise, only amusement in his eyes, he sighed, “Such skill, such skill! It won’t be lonely from now on!”

Rising, Li Qingyun left, not glancing back at Qian Ye. A strong follower, before leaving, glanced at the chair Li Qingyun had sat on, his eyelid twitching. The chair, from armrest to back, was covered in clear cracks but remained intact.

Silence reigned in the arena. People didn’t know whether to cheer, shout, or react differently. None had seen such a fight, each detail questioning what they’d just witnessed.

Actually, Du Li had built a name, often winning among peers, proving the strength of Lu Sha’s team.

But this fight lacked the clash of forces and the flash of swords, ending before anyone could clearly see the techniques.

Qian Ye emerged from his thoughts, looked at Du Li, and told the still-stunned referee, “Send his equipment to me.”

Lu Sha shot up, unable to restrain himself, shouting, “Qian Ye, don’t go too far!”

“Isn’t this the rule?” Qian Ye met Lu Sha’s gaze, calm, “Of course, the rules are set by the strong. If you think I’m going too far, then come down, life or death.”

Lu Sha’s face clouded. Qian Ye’s defeat of Du Li was too effortless, especially the final move, giving the impression of walking on air. Warriors could fly, but to walk as if on solid ground, turn at will, what kind of strength was that?

Taking a deep breath, Lu Sha stood firm, suppressing the urge to fight.

Qian Ye didn’t push, saying, “Before I leave this door, you have the chance.” Picking up Dongyue, he walked out of the arena.