The Duel of Death Arena lived up to its name—a place for resolving conflicts with finality.
Disciple life within any sect was inevitably fraught with grudges and enmity. The Sword Sect's philosophy was to channel, not suppress, these conflicts. Thus, the Arena existed as a sanctioned outlet for irreconcilable disputes. When all else failed, a challenge could be issued. However, a crucial rule existed: the challenger's cultivation realm could not exceed the challenged's by more than two minor grades.
Li Hao hadn't initially planned to resort to this. But when Chu Meng attacked with lethal intent, the message was clear: there would be no leniency. If they fought then and there, Li Hao stood to lose regardless of the outcome. Losing meant death or severe injury at Chu Meng's mercy. Winning would bring him no benefit; he couldn't kill or even seriously wound an outer sect disciple without facing severe repercussions as a mere Chore Disciple. Only on the Duel of Death Arena would they be equals under the law, granting Li Hao the right to kill.
"HA!" After a moment of stunned silence, Chu Meng burst into laughter, pointing a scornful finger at Li Hao. "This is the funniest thing I've ever heard! The 'Number One Waste of the Qi Sect' challenges me? To the Duel of Death Arena? On what grounds? Your legendary incompetence?"
Li Hao remained unperturbed by the mockery. "Sect rules state a challenge from a lower-realm disciple to a higher-realm one cannot be refused. Of course, you could decline. But then, the entire Sword Sect would soon know that Chu Meng was too cowardly to accept a challenge from a mere Chore Disciple."
"I know you're baiting me!" Chu Meng sneered. "But I accept your challenge. Don't worry, I won't kill you quickly. I'll shatter every bone in your body piece by piece in front of the entire sect! I'll make sure everyone understands that trash remains trash, even if you've somehow stumbled into becoming a Profound Practitioner."
"Finished?" Li Hao's voice was flat. "Then I'll see you at the Arena." He turned and walked away without a backward glance.
His calm demeanor infuriated Chu Meng further. This waste dared to act aloof? Li Hao had already disrupted his source of income, and now this public challenge—a Chore Disciple challenging him!—was a profound insult. "I will make you beg for death!" he spat venomously.
"Li Hao is fighting an outer sect disciple! At the Duel of Death Arena! Hurry, go see!"
"What? Are you insane? Li Hao fighting an outer sect disciple? Did you get hit on the head?"
"YOU got hit on the head! Your whole family got hit on the head! Zhang Qiang's cousin just went to hassle Li Hao, but it turns out Li Hao's become a Profound Practitioner! He challenged him right then and there! They're heading to the Arena now, come on!"
"Li Hao is a Profound Practitioner now? Good for him! Let's go, let's go cheer him on!"
On the Outer Sect Disciple Peak.
"What? A Chore Disciple challenging one of us? And it's that 'Number One Waste'? Are you sure? Wasn't he incapable of cultivation?"
"Don't know the details, but they're already at the Arena. Hurry, if we're late, the Chore Disciple will be dead and we'll miss the show! I'll notify the others."
"A Chore Disciple challenging an outer sect disciple? To the death? How recklessly arrogant. Let's go see how an outer sect disciple teaches him a lesson."
Like wildfire, the news spread through the Chore and Outer Sect peaks. Soon, thousands of chore disciples and hundreds of outer sect disciples had gathered around the imposing stone platform of the Duel of Death Arena.
On the platform, an elder in blue-and-white robes observed Li Hao and Chu Meng, his gaze lingering curiously on Li Hao. This was Elder Duan Ming, an Outer Sect Elder in charge of the Outer Enforcement Team. He had presided over many duels, but a Chore Discile challenging an Outer Sect Disciple was a first.
Elder Duan Ming flicked his wrist, sending two glowing Energy Stones floating towards the combatants. "The Duel of Death Arena has no rules. Any and all means are permitted. For fairness, you will now replenish your energy to peak condition. Then, begin." With that, he floated gracefully to the side of the platform.
"You will die," Chu Meng stated coldly.
Li Hao ignored him, walking instead to a weapon rack at the edge of the platform. He selected a longsword. It was a standard, unranked weapon, about five feet long and two fingers wide, forged from common refined iron—functional, but nothing special.
"Blue Water Sword," Chu Meng announced, drawing his own blade. A faint blue hue shimmered along its length. "Yellow Rank, Lower Tier. It can slice through iron. But don't worry, I won't kill you outright. I'll sever your tendons, shatter your bones, and have what's left of you delivered back to your family. Let them share in your suffering. How merciful of me, don't you think?"
Li Hao gave his plain sword an experimental swing. "Don't worry," he replied evenly. "I'll return the favor." He then sat cross-legged and began absorbing the pure spiritual energy from the Energy Stone.
A murderous glint flashed in Chu Meng's eyes before he too sat down to meditate and replenish his energy.
Below the arena, among the crowd of outer sect disciples, a long-faced disciple nudged the one next to him. "Qian Kun, Chu Meng is at the Eighth Grade of the Profound Practitioner realm. I don't know what grade that chore disciple is, but I bet Chu Meng takes his head within ten moves."
"I'll give him five moves," said Qian Kun, a coldly arrogant disciple. "Care to wager? Twenty Energy Stones."
"You have that little faith in the chore disciple?" Long-Face laughed.
"A waste who took two years just to become a Profound Practitioner? He's not worthy of my respect. So, twenty stones. Chu Meng ends it within five moves. Do you dare?"
"I dare!" Long-Face boomed. "That chore disciple wouldn't have issued the challenge without some skill. I don't believe he'll fall in less than ten moves! Anyone else want in?"
"I'll bet five moves!"
"Ten moves for me!"
"I bet the chore disciple wins! Fifty Energy Stones!"
A clear, slightly childish voice cut through the chatter. The outer sect disciples turned, startled. A girl of about fourteen or fifteen stood there, smiling mischievously. She wore a light yellow dress with a floral pattern, which hinted at a slender figure beginning to take shape. Her willowy eyebrows, small cherry mouth, and lively, darting eyes sparkled with cunning.
This was Ya Ya from the Talisman Peak. She had come specifically to find Li Hao, only to discover he was in a duel. She was even more surprised to find everyone underestimating him. They don't know he possesses the power of the Five Elements!
The outer sect disciples were momentarily stunned by the girl's budding beauty. A few even had the audacity to leer at her with lustful gazes.
Noticing their unpleasant stares, Ya Ya snorted. She pulled a thick stack of talismans from a small pouch at her waist and marched up to Qian Kun and the others. "I want to bet! I'm betting on that little apprentice to win."
Qian Kun was taken aback, but his eyes widened when he saw the stack of talisman paper. His cold arrogance instantly melted into fawning enthusiasm. "You... you're from the Talisman Peak?"
The other disciples also noticed the talismans. Their eyes grew hot with greed. Talismans! These were precious items typically only available to the top ten ranked outer sect disciples!
Ya Ya hmphed. "Yes. I'm betting the chore disciple wins. Do you accept?" She disliked these people—not only did they look down on her little apprentice, but some also looked at her with disgusting eyes. She was determined to win all their cultivation resources!
Bet on the chore disciple to win?
The outer sect disciples exchanged glances. Was this girl insane? Chu Meng was an Eighth Grade Profound Practitioner! That chore disciple was probably Fourth or Fifth Grade at best. How could he possibly win?
Greed shone unabashedly in their eyes.
Qian Kun's eyes shifted cunningly. "We... we can bet with you. But youhave to be the house. Since we're all betting on the chore disciple to lose, how can we match your bet otherwise? What do you say?"
Ya Ya thought for a moment. "Fine. State your wagers. I'll cover any amount!"
Suppressing his excitement, Qian Kun pressed on. "Look, there are hundreds of us here. The total could be enormous. If you lose, how will you...?"
Ya Ya knew what he was implying. She raised an eyebrow, reached into her pouch, and pulled out another, even thicker stack of talismans. "Here. About twenty mid-grade talismans. Each is worth at least five hundred Energy Stones on the market. If I lose, I'll pay with these. Acceptable?"
"Mid-grade talismans?!"
The disciples' eyes burned with avarice. Mid-grade talismans couldn't be bought for a mere five hundred Energy Stones! If they had them, they could easily sell them for a thousand each or more!
Now, without needing Qian Kun's prompting, the outer sect disciples eagerly nodded in agreement. A sucker was born every minute, and it would be a sin against heaven not to take advantage of this one!
"I wager five hundred Energy Stones!" Qian Kun declared suddenly. "We don't carry that much with us. You can mark it down. If we lose, we'll definitely pay. We're outer sect disciples; we won't cheat you!"
The surrounding disciples were shocked. Five hundred Energy Stones was a fortune—their monthly stipend was only twenty stones! Did Qian Kun even have that much?
As they suspected, he didn't. But he wasn't worried. Could the chore disciple win? The answer was an absolute, resounding no.
Ya Ya considered it. "Alright. All of you, name your bets. I'll write them down." She wasn't afraid of them reneging. No one in the Sword Sect dared to cheat her!
"Then I'll add another five hundred! No, two thousand total!" Seeing he could wager on credit, Qian Kun immediately increased his stake. This was an opportunity too good to pass up.
With Ya Ya accepting IOUs, the rest of the disciples grew restless and began shouting their wagers.
"I'll bet a thousand!"
"Eight hundred for me!"
"Two thousand!"
As the numbers soared, Ya Ya's eyes narrowed into happy crescents. She quickly pulled out a brush and scroll to record everyone's debt. For her, if Li Hao won, it would be perfect. If he lost, it was no great loss—these talismans were commonplace on Talisman Peak, and she could make them herself anyway. The real prize was the lesson she'd teach these arrogant fools.