Chapter 151 The Arena

The news of the staggering bet between Zhao Yuan and "Mu Changge" wasn't officially publicized, but secrets have a way of leaking. Especially when it involved a peerless divine treasure like the ancient dragon-vein crystal and a bet so outrageous it could shake the foundations of the Sect, word spread like wildfire. Within an hour, it had secretly circulated through Earth Sword Peak and the entire Core Disciple circle of the Wandao Sword Sect at an incredible speed.

"Have you heard? Zhao Yuan from Heavenly Sword Peak is going to duel that new Prodigy from Earth Sword Peak, Mu Changge!"

"It's just a spar, what's so special about that?"

"A spar? Do you know what the stakes are? An ancient dragon-vein crystal!"

"What?! An ancient dragon-vein crystal?! How is that possible?!"

"It's absolutely true! Someone saw Mu Changge take it out with their own eyes. The dragon veins were faintly visible, and the pressure was terrifying. It couldn't be faked!"

"My god, this Mu Changge is filthy rich... What is Senior Brother Zhao putting up as his stake?"

"A Qianyuan Creation Pill and the Xuanguang Sword? The gap between the two stakes is way too large. How could Mu Changge agree to that?"

"Hehe, here's the kicker! Mu Changge said if he wins, he doesn't want Senior Brother Zhao's pill or Flying Sword. He only wants Senior Brother Zhao to do something on the platform..."

"Do what?"

"Ahem... I don't know... Senior Brother Zhao didn't say..."

"So, did Senior Brother Zhao agree in the end?"

"He did. I heard... he even swore a vow upon his Sword Heart..."

"Whoa, that's serious! But it makes sense. After all, they're betting on such a divine treasure. Who wouldn't be tempted?"

"Stop thinking so much and let's get to the Duel Platform! Such a show is a once-in-a-century event. We can't miss it!"

For a moment, countless streaks of light rose from various Peaks and converged toward the Duel Platform. There were Disciples there purely for the spectacle, busybodies or spies sent by various Peaks to observe Mu Changge's true strength, and even solemn-faced Elders and deacons from Earth Sword Peak and Heavenly Sword Peak who had rushed over upon hearing the news. In less than half an hour, the area around the Duel Platform was packed with people, buzzing with more excitement than during the Sect Grand Competition. The deacons and Elders responsible for maintaining order and management had furrowed brows and felt immense pressure, especially after hearing rumors of the shocking bet. Their scalps tingled, and they could only hope this duel wouldn't lead to any major chaos.

Mu Wanning eventually came as well. She had changed into an inconspicuous dress of the same color as the Sect Disciples' uniforms and covered most of her face with a veil, blending into the edge of the crowded crowd to minimize her presence. However, her unique temperament and peerless grace, which couldn't be fully hidden even with a veil, still caused many surrounding Disciples to glance her way frequently. Her heart was a tangled mess right now; she felt anger at Mu Changge's audacity in daring to mock a Saint, absurd imaginations of what would happen if the ridiculous bet were realized, and more than anything, a heart-wrenching worry that she didn't even want to examine closely. She kept telling herself she was only here to see how this bastard would lose and get beaten, but her eyes couldn't help but stay fixed on that figure in the crowd, her heart pounding fiercely.

"Mu Changge, Zhao Yuan!" The Referee Elder had to use his Spiritual Qi to let out a clear shout that suppressed the noise of the crowd. He looked solemnly at the two people standing opposite each other on the platform. "This is a spar between fellow Disciples. Stop when the point is made. You must not intentionally harm anyone's life, or your cultivation will be abolished and you will be expelled from the Sect. Do you understand?"

"This Disciple understands," Mu Changge said with a cupped-fist salute, his tone indifferent.

Zhao Yuan also nodded, but his eyes were fixed gloomily on Mu Changge as if he wanted to skin him alive. At the thought of that bet, he felt a suffocating sense of shame, indignation, and fear, but even more so, a burning greed for the ancient dragon-vein crystal and a desperate resolve to win. He would never allow himself to lose, he absolutely could not lose! Otherwise, the consequences would be unimaginable!

"In that case... let the duel begin!" the Referee Elder announced helplessly, retreating to the edge of the platform and activating the protective Formation. He sighed inwardly, only hoping this farce would end quickly. Regardless of the outcome, he hoped no trouble would arise and that neither of them would be hurt.

Almost the instant the Elder's voice fell, Zhao Yuan moved! He wasted no more words and even skipped the probing phase, unleashing a killing Move right from the start! He wanted to crush his opponent with thunderous momentum and give him no chance to play any tricks!

"Heavenly Sword Art: Slash!"

Zhao Yuan held a long sword, and the Peak Nascent Soul Stage Spiritual Qi within his body erupted without reservation. A clear sword chime rang through the arena as three incredibly solid silver sword lights suddenly appeared behind him. Each sword light was about ten feet long, their Sword Qi flourishing and emitting a sharp aura that seemed capable of cutting through anything! The three silver sword gangs formed a triangular shape, roaring as they tore through the air with terrifying strangling power, instantly sealing off all of Mu Changge's evasion space and aiming for his vitals! The power of this strike far exceeded that of an ordinary Peak Nascent Soul Stage Cultivator. Clearly, Zhao Yuan was truly enraged and intended to kill, or at least heavily injure, his opponent in one blow!

"A killing Move from the Heavenly Sword Art right at the start! Senior Brother Zhao is truly furious!"

"What incredible power! Each of those three sword gangs is comparable to a full-strength strike from a Peak Nascent Soul Stage Cultivator, right?"

"It's a good sign, and Senior Brother Zhao is so impressive. He truly deserves to be one of the top-ranked Core Disciples of Heavenly Sword Peak. To think it took me over five years of cultivation to barely master two sword gangs, and they say Senior Brother Zhao hasn't even been practicing this technique for three years?"

"Mu Changge is in danger! He's only at the Nascent Soul Middle Stage, how can he block this?"

Exclamations rose from the crowd. Many people were sweating for Mu Changge, thinking he probably wouldn't even be able to take one Move before handing over his stake.

At the edge of the crowd, although Mu Wanning had seen her bastard brother's skills and knew he should win, her heart still tightened for no reason. Her fingers unconsciously gripped her sleeves, and her pale gold eyes stared unblinkingly at the figure on the platform as she cursed inwardly: 'Go ahead and seek death! Go ahead and be arrogant! You deserve to be beaten!'

However, facing this terrifying strike that would make even an ordinary Peak Nascent Soul Stage Cultivator dodge in fear or even fall, Mu Changge (Xiao Ming) on the platform remained standing in place, as if stunned by the sharp killing intent and the silver sword gangs, unable to Move. It wasn't until the silver sword rainbows tore through the air and were less than three feet from his forehead, with the breath of death blowing in his face—

That he finally seemed to have a "delayed reaction" and moved in a "clumsy" manner.

There was no explosive strike or hidden trump card as everyone had expected, nor were there any world-shaking ultimate techniques. With a flick of his wrist, an object appeared in his palm.

It wasn't a divine Sharp Weapon, nor was it a Talisman or a Formation Plate. It was a... wooden sword?

No, to be precise, it was an extremely small, crudely made peach wood short sword, even possessing a bit of a cute cartoonish style. It was only about a foot long, with a rounded blade and crooked, nonsensical "patterns" carved onto it. Rather than a weapon, it looked more like a child's toy or some poorly made handicraft.

The area below the platform fell into a dead silence. Everyone was stunned, almost thinking their eyes were playing tricks on them, their eyes nearly popping out of their sockets.

At this moment of life and death, he pulled out a toy wooden sword?

Next, an even more jaw-dropping scene occurred. Mu Changge held the short peach wood sword, but not for blocking or thrusting. Instead, he held it like a giant brush, as if he were... doodling ghost talismans in the air?

His wrist flicked, and the tip of the peach wood short sword moved rapidly through the air in front of him, tracing out a series of disorganized and crooked "lines." Those "lines" weren't Talismans condensed from Spiritual Qi; instead, they looked more like a child using a stick to scribble randomly in the sand. There was no Spiritual Qi fluctuation, let alone any Daoist rhythm—only the faint, imperceptible trails left by the wooden sword as it cut through the air.

"What... what is he doing?"

"Drawing... drawing Talismans? Drawing Talismans with a toy wooden sword?"

"Is... is this him giving up resistance and starting a comedy routine?"

"Fooling around even when death is at his door?"

After a brief silence, there was a sudden uproar of disbelief and ridicule. Everyone felt that Mu Changge had either completely lost his mind or knew he was doomed and was using this absurd method to seek a final bit of psychological comfort.

Even the Referee Elder couldn't help but shake his head, preparing to intervene forcibly. Although he might not be able to save Mu Changge in time, he could at least preserve a sliver of his life.

Zhao Yuan was even more enraged. His ultimate strike, launched at a great cost, was being met by his opponent with a toy wooden sword and ghost talismans? What level of contempt and humiliation was this! A dark glint flashed in his eyes as he roared, "Stop playing tricks! Break for me!"

The speed of the silver sword light increased by another thirty percent, and the killing intent almost condensed into substance!

However, at the very moment that the blood-colored sword light was about to touch Mu Changge's forehead, and even the hair on his brow began to stir inch by inch—

A sudden change occurred!

The final "stroke" of the peach wood small sword that Mu Changge was randomly waving was completed in the void. Those seemingly disorganized, child-like scribbles instantly formed an extremely distorted "pattern" upon completion.

Buzz—!

Although the sword light continued to push forward inch by inch, trying to tear through this strange obstacle, its power weakened and dissipated at a speed visible to the naked eye!

"What... what is this?"

"Impossible! What kind of ghost talisman is that? It can actually block Senior Brother Zhao's attack?"

Most of the Disciples below the platform were dumbfounded, completely unable to understand what had happened. From their perspective, Mu Changge had just gestured randomly with a wooden sword and somehow easily blocked Senior Brother Zhao's ultimate strike.

This was simply inconceivable!

But a very few beings hiding in the shadows or watching from higher vantage points suddenly had a sharp light burst from their eyes!

[part:gemini-3.1-flash-lite]

Outside the quiet room where Elder Di Jian was in seclusion on Earth Sword Peak, a blurred Incarnation (none other than a wisp of Elder Di Jian's Divine Sense Incarnation) was "watching" the direction of the Duel Platform.

When Mu Changge drew that strange "pattern" to launch his attack, the Incarnation flickered slightly, emitting an almost inaudible, soft "Huh."

"Using the sword as a brush, using the spirit as a guide, turning chaos into order, gathering the trivial to form a cage... Although it is immature and rough, resembling the form but lacking the essence, this insight into the nature of Spiritual Qi, this manipulation and utilization of 'momentum'... Did this child really only master this in the Scripture Pavilion?"

The Incarnation murmured to itself, its tone carrying a rare trace of surprise and curiosity. "Interesting..."

On Heavenly Sword Peak, at the summit of the sea of clouds, a figure as sharp as a Heavenly Sword stood with hands behind his back, his gaze piercing through the clouds and landing on the Duel Platform. It was none other than the Heavenly Sword Peak Master.

His brows furrowed slightly as he watched Mu Changge, who had chaotically yet effectively blocked the fatal strike below, a trace of confusion flashing in his eyes before turning sharp.

"Mu Changge, interesting... This child, he hides his depth well! It seems Wushuang has kicked an iron plate this time."

The Heavenly Sword Peak Master's tone was flat, revealing neither joy nor anger, but the faint sound of sword humming reverberated around him, showing that his heart was not calm.

In several other hidden places, breaths also fluctuated slightly, clearly all startled by this "stroke of genius" from Mu Changge.

With their high Realms and sharp eyes, they could naturally see that Mu Changge's Move was by no means "luck" or "fooling around," but rather displayed an extremely unique, even unconventional, crooked path! However, the "possibility" and "talent" Mu Changge revealed made them have to take him seriously.

On the platform, Zhao Yuan was terrified! He felt it even more deeply than the Disciples below!

He clearly felt that his indestructible silver Sword Qi, upon touching the pattern Mu Changge had casually drawn, seemed to sink into a quagmire full of viscous mud and chaotic whirlpools; not only was its speed greatly reduced, but the condensed Sword Intent within it was also being rapidly "diluted" and "dismantled"!

This feeling was extremely bizarre, completely beyond his scope of understanding!

"What kind of evil art is this?" Zhao Yuan roared in his heart, but with the arrow already on the bowstring, he had no choice but to fire. He crazily urged his remaining Spiritual Qi and continued to charge forward.

Watching Zhao Yuan charge up again, Mu Changge moved.

His footwork was strange, sometimes flickering, sometimes clumsy, his body like sword light, passing by the sword beam that Zhao Yuan had slashed horizontally again at an incredible angle and trajectory, narrowly avoiding it.

This time, he was like strolling in a courtyard, dodging the incoming lethal Moves without a single error.

Mu Changge "stumbled" to a steady stance (pretending), his face "pale as paper," and even "cold sweat" seeped from his forehead (with his current cultivation and control over his Physical Body, forcing out a little cold sweat was easy). He held his knees, "panting" slightly, and the peach wood short sword in his hand also hung down "powerlessly," looking as if he had exhausted all his Spiritual Qi and mental energy to "luckily" dodge this fatal strike.

"He... he dodged it again?!"

"This time it's not luck, is it?"

"Good heavens, how did he do that? Middle Stage against Peak, how is he faster than Senior Brother Zhao?"

"Monster! To what level has this guy's understanding and control of Spiritual Qi reached?"

The crowd below completely exploded, with exclamations and discussions rising one after another.

If Mu Changge's previous dodging and blocking still carried a heavy color of "luck," then just now, using the wooden sword to "draw Talismans" and dodge the Sword Qi attack completely shocked them. This could definitely not be explained by luck!

Zhao Yuan watched helplessly as Mu Changge escaped danger time and time again, yet he couldn't even touch his skin. This operation, bordering on "teasing," and the shrill exclamations from below felt like a surge of blood rushing to his head, causing his vision to blacken. The power of backlash, intertwined with extreme shame and disbelief, made him almost vomit blood.

"Impossible! This is impossible!" Zhao Yuan acted like a madman; he could not accept this fact.

A Nascent Soul Middle Stage Cultivator, using a toy wooden sword, broke his fatal strike? This was even harder for him to accept than being defeated directly! Moreover, he prided himself on being among the top-ranked in Heavenly Sword Peak and was arrogant; he absolutely did not believe that a newly joined Disciple of Earth Sword Peak could rub him into the ground.

"Evil heresy! What kind of demon art are you using?" Zhao Yuan roared hoarsely, his voice somewhat distorted by anger and weakness.

He completely did not recognize what method Mu Changge was using; it was neither an orthodox Talisman nor Formation, nor any Divine Ability or Spell he knew, revealing an indescribable weirdness.

Mu Changge slowly straightened up, although he was still "pale-faced" and "unstable in breath," his eyes were terrifyingly calm.

He gently flicked the peach wood short sword in his hand, as if it had something dirty on it, and his tone was flat with a trace of imperceptible mockery: "Demon art? Senior Brother Zhao is joking. It's just some minor trick, not presentable, and cannot compare to Senior Brother Zhao's Heavenly Sword Art, which has infinite power."

Mu Changge secretly emphasized the last four words. Hearing this in Zhao Yuan's ears was tantamount to the most vicious sarcasm. He was trembling with anger, no longer caring about any strategy, nor the churning blood and remaining Spiritual Qi in his body, roaring and brandishing his long sword, which had dimmed significantly in light, and pounced again like a mad tiger! His sword technique was in chaos, leaving only pure slashing, chopping, and stabbing, without any strategy, and the power was far less than before.

Clearly, he was already impatient and in complete disarray.

The high-level Sect members hiding in the dark and watching from afar sensed this scene, couldn't help but shake their heads secretly, and withdrew their prying gaze.

Mu Changge looked at the frantically charging Zhao Yuan, a trace of boredom flashing in his eyes. The teasing should also come to an end.

He no longer dodged "awkwardly," nor did he use those "ghostly Talismans." He simply changed his footwork slightly, becoming more concise and effective, easily dodging the chaotic attacks.

At the same time, the peach wood short sword in his hand no longer slashed wildly, but like a butterfly flitting through flowers, sometimes pointing at the joints where Zhao Yuan's Spiritual Qi was not circulating smoothly during his Moves, sometimes tapping lightly at his openings where old strength had been exhausted and new strength had not yet been born, and sometimes "accidentally" tripping Zhao Yuan's weak footsteps...

His movements still looked not very clever, even a bit clumsy, but every strike landed perfectly on the nodes where Zhao Yuan was most uncomfortable, most awkward, and unable to exert force or change Moves.

Zhao Yuan felt as if he had fallen into a huge, invisible quagmire, or as if he were drunk and fighting his own shadow; he had no place to use his strength, and every Move and style was extremely awkward, feeling so uncomfortable he wanted to vomit blood.

The opponent clearly did not show much powerful strength, and the speed did not seem fast, but he was just one step ahead at the right time, stuck in the most uncomfortable position, making him very awkward, his offensive repeatedly frustrated, and full of openings.

In just a few breaths, Zhao Yuan was panting like an ox, sweating like rain, and there were several red marks on his body where he had been poked and tapped by the peach wood sword. Although not fatal, the humiliation was extremely strong. His Moves were completely deformed, his Spiritual Qi circulation was sluggish, and even standing steady was difficult.

The crowd below saw clearly, how was this still a duel? It was clearly a cat playing with a mouse! Mu Changge was completely using a way that bordered on humiliation to tease Zhao Yuan, who had lost his reason and was in complete disarray!

"Enough."

Just as Zhao Yuan stumbled forward again, his opening fully exposed, Mu Changge spoke indifferently, and the peach wood short sword in his hand seemed to be thrust forward casually. The tip of the sword, neither biased nor slanted, happened to land exactly on the acupuncture point on Zhao Yuan's chest, which was slightly bulging due to excessive force and uneven breath.

A light tap. Pfft!

Zhao Yuan's forward-lunging figure suddenly froze, then as if struck by a heavy blow, his whole body flew backward, spraying a small mouthful of blood in the air, and he fell heavily to the ground several feet away, the long sword in his hand also flying out of his hand with a "clang."

He struggled to crawl up, but felt his whole body's Spiritual Qi like exploding fireworks, darting everywhere, completely out of control, and his chest was so stuffy he wanted to vomit; he couldn't even muster any strength for a moment, and could only collapse on the ground, looking at the figure holding the peach wood short sword and slowly walking towards him with shock, anger, and endless fear.

Mu Changge walked to Zhao Yuan, looking down at him from above, the ridiculous peach wood short sword in his hand shining with a dim luster in the sunlight. He had no expression on his face, just calmly asked: "Senior Brother Zhao, do you still want to fight?"

Zhao Yuan opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but only spat out a mouthful of blood foam, his eyes full of unwillingness, humiliation, and deep fear. He knew he had lost, lost completely, lost without a shred of dignity.

Mu Changge no longer looked at him, turned his head, his gaze sweeping across the silent crowd below who were still in extreme shock, and finally spoke loudly, his voice clearly spreading throughout the entire Duel Platform: "It seems that I luckily won by a Move or two."

He paused, his gaze falling back on Zhao Yuan, whose face was ashen, his tone still flat but carrying an unquestionable power: "Then, according to the agreement... Senior Brother Zhao, it is time for you to fulfill the bet. Say it loud. Let everyone hear."

With the last few words, he slightly raised his volume, clearly echoing over the silent Duel Platform. Zhao Yuan trembled violently, his face ashen.