Jiang Yunong nodded, her expression remaining submissive, but the trace of shame deep in her eyes grew increasingly heavy.
Now that she had entered the inner sect and had a backing, she could no longer allow herself to be bullied like this. Therefore, she had exposed her own scars, betting that the head of the Mystic Dharma Hall was a righteous person. Looking at it now, she had bet correctly.
“This is simply outrageous!” Fan Li slammed his hand heavily onto the side table, nearly knocking over his teacup. “Rest assured, this master and your two Senior Brothers will definitely vent this grievance on your behalf!”
With that, he turned his head to look at Wei Lingfeng, his voice growing a few degrees colder: “Lingfeng, what do you think of this matter?”
Wei Lingfeng said in a deep voice: “This is not the Ming Kingdom. Even if she is a princess, she cannot flout the sect rules. I will investigate and handle this matter.”
“Thank you, Senior Brother Wei, but my parents’ lives are still in the hands of the Princess. We still need to plan this carefully. Furthermore, right now…”
Jiang Yunong looked out the window: “The one I am most worried about is still Junior Sister Lin.”
“Don’t worry.” Mu Heng leaned against the window frame, his tone lazy. “She is much stronger than you. You’d better worry about whether the opponent will be beaten to death by her.”
Jiang Yunong: “…?”
Before she could ask further, three earth-shattering drum beats suddenly echoed from the direction of the arena.
The group gathered by the window in unison.
The massive circular arena was built of bluestone, with a carved stone pillar standing every two zhang. To prevent anyone from being blasted out of bounds during the duel, a semi-transparent golden-thread spiritual net was stretched between the pillars.
The referee stood at the edge of the arena, his heavy mallet falling as the bronze gong vibrated. A resounding announcement echoed through the valley layer by layer:
“Silence—the duel begins immediately!”
The bustling spectator stands instantly fell dead silent.
“Today’s duel arises from Li Xiaolan, an outer sect disciple of the Spirit Gathering Sect, challenging the qualification of Lin Lumi, a prospective disciple of the same sect. If Li Xiaolan wins, Lin Lumi will be expelled immediately; if Lin Lumi wins, Li Xiaolan will immediately lose her status as a disciple of the Spirit Gathering Sect!”
The referee’s voice was like a booming bell, each word clear: “On the arena, life and death are disregarded. The one who surrenders loses; those who would rather die than surrender—death shall also be deemed a defeat!”
The mountain wind swept past, kicking up dust at the edge of the arena.
“Will both parties ascend the stage to sign the life-and-death contract!”
Li Xiaolan took a deep breath and stepped heavily up the stone steps.
Today, she wore silver armor, her hair tied high in a neat ponytail, and two crescent scimitars slung across her waist, their scabbards embedded with spirit stones.
This set of equipment was personally bestowed by the Princess. Once she put it on, she felt her spiritual energy surge and her confidence multiply. She straightened her back and strode forward, taking up the brush to sign her name on the life-and-death contract, though the tip of her brush trembled uncontrollably, leaving a small smudge of ink on the silk fabric.
At the same time, Lin Lumi walked up from the other side. Unlike Li Xiaolan, Lin Lumi wore only a simple set of ordinary white robes, her dark hair casually held up by a wooden hairpin, with no protection whatsoever on her body.
No weapons, no armor—so simple that the entire audience broke into an uproar.
She walked onto the stage leisurely, making her way to the table with composure, and dipped her brush in ink.
Seeing Lin Lumi dressed like this, Li Xiaolan could no longer keep her composure.
“You’re wearing that!?”
“Otherwise?” Lin Lumi did not stop writing, her handwriting flowing like water, her tone indifferent. “A fight is a fight, what’s the point of all those fancy trimmings.”
Li Xiaolan’s heart suddenly tightened.
If her opponent were also fully armored, she would actually feel more at ease. After all, everything bestowed by the Princess was of premium quality, so she would definitely not be at a disadvantage in terms of equipment. But to go into battle so lightly equipped… could this person truly have something to rely on?
No, she must simply be unloved in the Yue Kingdom’s Marquis estate, unable to even afford decent equipment.
Lin Lumi, this fool, had truly underestimated her enemy.
Seeing that both of them had signed the life-and-death contract, the referee immediately struck the gong: “The arena duel begins now!”
With the referee’s command, Lin Lumi and Li Xiaolan took up their positions on opposite sides of the arena.
The runes on Li Xiaolan’s armor glowed with spiritual light. She rested her right hand on the hilt of her scimitar, a confident smile hanging on her lips: “I advise you to surrender now, that way I can still let—”
Her voice cut off abruptly.
Lin Lumi’s figure wavered slightly in her line of sight, rippling like a reflection in water, and vanished into thin air in the next instant.
“You are too slow.”
The cold voice sounded right by her ear. Shocked, Li Xiaolan whipped her head around, only to find that Lin Lumi had already closed in beside her at some unknown point.
She raised her hand seemingly at random, yet her palm gathered a blinding azure radiance, striking directly against Li Xiaolan’s chest.
With a loud crash, Li Xiaolan was sent flying backward like a broken kite, her silver armor scraping against the air to produce blinding sparks.
In an instant, dust swirled in all directions, and the entire arena was enveloped in a thick gray mist, obscuring the figures inside.
An uproar broke out in the spectator stands, and everyone instinctively stood up, craning their necks to try and see the situation inside the arena.
Inside the private box, the teacup in Fan Li’s hand slipped to the floor with a shatter, porcelain shards and tea splashing everywhere.
Yet he was entirely oblivious, only staring fixedly at the dust cloud, his Adam’s apple bobbing: “Oh my god… wasn’t that strike a bit too heavy?”
Leaning by the window, Mu Heng casually brushed away the water droplets that had splashed onto his sleeve: “This is already her holding back.”
“You call that holding back!?” Fan Li spun around abruptly, his finger nearly poking through the window paper.
“She only struck her once in the chest.” A faint, imperceptible curve appeared on Mu Heng’s lips. “If she truly intended to kill, she could have directly pinned her to the ground, which would have been lethal.”
Fan Li narrowed his eyes suspiciously: “How do you know this so clearly?”
Mu Heng’s eyes flickered slightly, his fingertips unconsciously brushing against the side of his neck: “I’ve tried it. She choked my neck and pinned me to the ground, almost stopping my breath.”
Everyone: “…”
The dust swirled across the arena like a thick fog. As it cleared slightly, Lin Lumi was seen still standing in her original spot, her white robes untainted by a speck of dust.
Meanwhile, ten zhang away, Li Xiaolan was struggling to prop herself up from the pile of rubble, a charred palm print clearly stamped on the chest of her silver armor.
Just as she struggled to her feet, she spat out a mouthful of fresh blood. The dark red blood splattered onto the shattered bluestone tiles, a shocking sight.
“Lin Lumi… you actually dare, you actually dare to injure me to this extent!?” Li Xiaolan’s voice trembled from the intense pain, her eyes filled with disbelief.
Lin Lumi let out a sigh before saying: “I already held back my strength. Do you want to surrender? You signed the life-and-death contract, after all. You wouldn’t want to throw your life away, would you?”
Li Xiaolan shuddered involuntarily. She instinctively glanced toward the spectator stands, only to see Princess Wen Jing watching her coldly, her slender finger gently tapping her crimson lips.
This hint caused Li Xiaolan’s entire body to freeze. Li Xiaolan knew she had no retreat left. She looked up, staring at Lin Lumi with hatred: “I didn’t want to resort to lethal measures, but you forced me to!”
Before her words could settle, she swiftly took a crimson pill from her sleeve and stuffed it into her mouth.
The pill dissolved the moment it entered her throat. In the next instant, several blood-red rays of light erupted from behind her, twisting and dancing in the air like unfolding wings.
Her eyes gradually turned an ominous crimson, and the aura around her body suddenly skyrocketed.