183: Chapter 183 A Cunning Scheme! To Drink or Not to Drink! Deadly Poison!

Li Pojun personally held the vial, which emitted an alluring purple halo, and walked step by step toward Lin Qi.

A flawless smile hung on his face, full of the demeanor of a victor.

This was a meticulously designed trap, a dilemma placed before billions of viewers across the Federation.

An open conspiracy.

To drink was to walk a path to death.

Not to drink was to be guilty, to be cowardly, and to be completely crushed in terms of Aura.

In an instant, every camera and every gaze in the venue focused on Lin Qi.

Countless flashes went off wildly, as if trying to record every subtle expression on his face.

In the audience seats.

Zhang Wei's face turned pale in a flash, and cold sweat instantly broke out on his forehead.

"Brother Qi, don't! Absolutely don't accept it! This is definitely a trap!"

He clutched his clothes tightly in nervousness, his voice trembling.

Although he didn't know exactly what was wrong with the potion, he knew with his eyes closed that the Li family wouldn't be so kind.

This was definitely a sugar-coated bullet!

Beside him, Instructor Su Qing, in those cold Phoenix eyes, also shot out a look of extreme gravity.

Her lips were pressed tightly together, her nails almost digging into her flesh.

As a former high-ranking military official, she had vaguely learned through internal channels about some terrifying rumors regarding "Void Realm energy."

It was an extremely unstable, forbidden substance that had a destructive, erosive effect on any living organism!

The Li family actually dared to use this kind of thing on an occasion like this!

They were crazy! They were all crazy!

She cast a gaze filled with strong warning at Lin Qi on the stage, constantly signaling with her eyes that he must absolutely not touch that thing!

In the online live stream chat, the comments had completely exploded.

Viewers were also arguing frantically, split into two distinct factions.

"Damn! Thunder God's bearing is superb! To ensure a fair duel, he's even willing to give away an S-grade forbidden drug! This is the true style of a king!"

"Too cool! This is what you call heroes cherishing heroes! The level of this final has been maxed out!"

"I'm a fan now. Regardless of win or loss, I give Li Pojun full marks for this move!"

But another group of people with keen instincts sensed the scent of a conspiracy beneath that righteousness.

"Are you all stupid? Have you forgotten what the Li family is like? In the semifinals, they wanted to exhaust Lin God to death using a Titan, and now they're this kind?"

"This potion definitely has a problem! There's definitely something fishy! Lin God, don't drink it!"

"An open conspiracy, this is a fucking blatant open conspiracy! Using the public opinion of the whole Federation to force Lin God to submit! Too vicious!"

"Stop with the conspiracy theories, upstairs. This potion is a masterpiece of the Federal Academy of Sciences; the information has already been released, how could there be a problem? Would the Li family risk their lives to fake it in front of the whole Federation?"

Arguments, debates, speculation.

But regardless, one unchangeable fact was that all the pressure was now on Lin Qi alone.

He was like an actor nailed to the center of the stage by a spotlight, with the whole world waiting for his choice.

Under the gaze of countless eyes.

Lin Qi's gaze lifted slowly from the potion exuding a mysterious luster and landed on Li Pojun's hypocritically perfect smiling face.

He saw the deep-seated complacency and murderous intent hidden beneath that smile.

Very interesting.

Clearly wanting to put him to death, yet insisting on putting on a noble facade of doing it for his own good.

Just when everyone thought Lin Qi would fall into a dilemma, be angry, or be at a loss.

He smiled.

That smile was very faint, carrying a playfulness that saw through everything, and a trace of imperceptible... mockery.

He did not immediately reach for the vial.

This action caused a flash of almost imperceptible disappointment in the depths of Li Pojun's eyes.

He wasn't taking it?

Was he going to use silence to protest? Or publicly accuse the potion of being problematic?

It was useless.

Without any evidence, any accusation would only be treated as the cowardice and slander of the weak.

However, Lin Qi's next words made everyone at the scene and in front of the screens fall into a state of petrified shock once again.

"I can drink the potion before the final."

Lin Qi's voice was calm and rang out faintly, but it exploded in everyone's minds like a bombshell.

What?!

He was going to drink it?

He was actually going to drink it?

Zhang Wei, sitting in the audience, felt the world go black upon hearing this and almost fainted on the spot.

Instructor Su Qing's body also trembled violently, the color draining from her face.

Li Pojun himself was stunned, unable to understand for a moment what Lin Qi was up to.

Could he not see that this was a trap?

Or was he so confident that he could withstand the erosion of Void Realm energy?

Impossible! Absolutely impossible!

Just in the deathly silence of the venue, Lin Qi continued unhurriedly.

"However, I have one condition."

It was coming!

Everyone's heart jumped into their throats!

Lin Qi slowly scanned the venue, his gaze sweeping over the media reporters holding their long lenses, over the expectant audience, and finally, it landed precisely on the representative seats of the Tianji Pavilion and the tournament organizing committee at the side of the rostrum.

Those representatives in suits and leather shoes, targeted by his gaze, felt their hearts skip a beat for no reason, giving rise to a very bad premonition.

Sure enough.

Lin Qi's clear and cold voice rang out through the venue once again.

"Before I drink this vial of potion that represents the spirit of a 'fair duel'."

He deliberately emphasized the words "fair duel," making it sound incredibly sarcastic.

"Transfer the gambling winnings I am owed, every cent of it, to my account."

Boom!

This sentence had ten times the impact of the "I'll drink" from just a moment ago!

The entire press conference scene completely exploded!

"My god! He... he he he... what is he doing?"

"He is actually asking the bookmaker for money in front of the entire Federation broadcast?"

"Holy shit! God-tier move! Using Li Pojun's open conspiracy to turn around and blackmail the Tianji Pavilion and the organizing committee?"

"Hahahaha! I'm dying of laughter! Isn't your Tianji Pavilion trying to welsh on the debt? Isn't your Li family trying to pull an open conspiracy? Fine! If you want this 'fairest Peak duel' to continue, pay me first!"

"This is Lin God! Ruthless enough! Direct enough! I'm fucking impressed!"

At this moment, everyone suddenly realized!

Because of Lin Qi's upset victory, the Tianji Pavilion had faced massive payouts and had directly torn off their masks to freeze all related gambling funds!

This matter had long since made a huge stir on the internet!

Now, Lin Qi had actually connected these two things in a way that no one could have imagined!

Aren't you guys flaunting fairness?

Then isn't paying back debts the most basic fairness?

Don't you want to see a Peak duel without regrets?

Then if you don't pay, I won't drink the medicine, and I won't play along with your show!

Let's see whose face loses more face in the end!

Using an open conspiracy to counter an open conspiracy!

This was no longer a simple counterattack; this was a blatant, loud slap across the face of the Li family and the Tianji Pavilion in front of the entire Federation!

In the VIP seats, Li Qingcang, who had just caught his breath, saw this scene, and his face, which had just regained a little color, instantly turned into the color of a pig's liver again.

And on the rostrum.

The smiling face that Li Pojun had maintained with perfect grace stiffened for the first time.