223: Chapter 223 Li Yunfan vs. Nie Wen

"This guy couldn't have intentionally made us bet on him losing while he bet on himself winning, right?!"

Someone reacted instantly, speaking with a hint of uncertainty.

"No way. He's a Prodigy Disciple of Yuanxu Mountain and a Disciple of the Nirvana Ancestor. He doesn't lack Origin Stones; he probably wouldn't do something like that."

"Exactly. He's a Disciple of the Nirvana Ancestor; he shouldn't be doing such things."

This idea was refuted one by one. In their eyes, a Prodigy of Yuanxu Mountain and a Disciple of the Nirvana Ancestor wouldn't do such a thing.

Lin Ming hiding his strength before might have been for other reasons, such as an issue with his Cultivation Technique or being injured.

Little did they know, that person's guess was correct.

Lin Ming was indeed here for the Origin Stones.

Xu Chuan had the same suspicion, but like most people, he dismissed it.

He also couldn't quite understand why his Junior Brother had acted that way before.

"Senior Brother, this is your true strength."

Yu Yaoqin said.

For some reason, she felt a strange sense of relief now.

"It's alright."

Lin Ming said casually.

"Junior Brother, are you confident in taking first place?"

Gong Hui looked at Lin Ming.

He actually felt that Lin Ming had the strength to take the top spot.

"I'll only know after the fight."

Lin Ming also replied.

"Interesting."

At the Shangji Sect Disciples' area, Nie Wen looked at Lin Ming, a strange light flashing in his eyes.

The eleven-to-six duels ended within a day. Nie Wen, Fu Xici, and Song Shu still hadn't encountered each other.

Everyone knew in their hearts that the drawing was likely rigged.

But the spectators had no complaints; instead, they hoped the draw was rigged.

This was all because of the final round, which was different from the previous matches.

In the final round, these six people would fight each other to determine the rankings for the top six.

This meant that Lin Ming, Nie Wen, Fu Xici, and Song Shu would all have the chance to fight one another.

This was what made them excited.

Such battles were rare to see for them, and they certainly couldn't miss them.

In their view, only the matches between Lin Ming, Nie Wen, Fu Xici, and Song Shu were the main events. As for the other two, they were ignored; though their strength was decent, they couldn't compare to those four.

Some even excluded Lin Ming, considering it a three-way showdown.

...

"There's no reply from the sect, and no news from the Fang Family either."

Inside the inn, the four of them had returned.

"I've tried to investigate information about the four families, but there's nothing out of the ordinary."

Gong Hui shook his head.

These past few days, he had been secretly gathering information on the four families but hadn't found anything unusual.

But for some reason, he felt a slight sense of unease.

"Keep an eye out, Junior Brother."

Xu Chuan said.

He had wanted to sneak into the Ma Family to gather information, but facing experts at the True Monarch of the Other Shore level, he wasn't confident in his ability to stay hidden.

Moreover, with Lin Ming and Yu Yaoqin there, his primary task now was to ensure their safety.

"Senior Brother, don't worry too much. I have the methods my mother left for me; ordinary people can't do anything to us."

Seeing this, Yu Yaoqin spoke with a face full of confidence.

Hearing this, Xu Chuan and Gong Hui relaxed slightly.

...

"Elder, they can't wait any longer."

In a small courtyard within the city, the middle-aged man spoke to the old man.

"Who do you mean by 'they'?"

The old man spoke slowly.

"Everyone."

The middle-aged man said.

They were all getting a bit impatient, and he even felt that if this continued, there might be some variables.

"Keep waiting."

The old man said coldly.

He was also waiting—waiting for a person, waiting for a message.

"The people from Yuanxu Mountain might have noticed something wrong."

The middle-aged man said after a moment of hesitation.

"Hmph..."

The old man gave a cold hmph.

The man seemed to have suffered a heavy blow, stumbling back several steps before barely steadying himself.

"Tell them to behave. If anything goes wrong, I will take their lives."

The old man said.

"Yes."

...

Several days passed in a flash.

The rankings from seventh to twentieth had been determined through successive battles. Tomorrow would be the start of the final round of confrontations, which everyone was looking forward to most.

The entire Martial Arts Arena was packed once again. To accommodate this, the four families used glass-like Origin Weapons outside the arena to broadcast the matches inside, creating a viewing area. Of course, they charged a fee, though it wasn't as high as the arena's.

As such, the area outside the Martial Arts Arena was also overcrowded.

"I will be serving as the referee today."

Sun Yiduo stepped onto the stage and said.

"This referee isn't much use anyway."

Yu Yaoqin muttered.

After the battles during this period, the referee was basically useless except for announcing the match list and who won or lost.

After all, the rules were hardly different from having no rules at all.

The first match was again opened by Nie Wen.

Nie Wen's opponent was Li Yunfan, the person who had a bye in the last round and the only Loose Cultivator in this round.

"Li Yunfan. Please advise me."

Li Yunfan said.

As his voice fell...

Nie Wen moved. Like a phantom, he appeared before Li Yunfan and reached out to grab his neck.

Li Yunfan reacted quickly, meeting it with his palm.

After the initial clash, their figures blurred across the stage in rapid succession.

"This Li Yunfan is indeed not simple."

Gong Hui said, slightly surprised.

From his previous battles, he had noticed that this Li Yunfan was somewhat extraordinary.

Now, he was actually able to trade blows back and forth with Nie Wen.

"Hard to say."

Xu Chuan shook his head.

Nie Wen hadn't used his true strength yet.

On the stage...

Nie Wen transformed into several phantoms, attacking Li Yunfan simultaneously.

Facing attacks from multiple Nie Wens, Li Yunfan appeared extremely calm.

A long spear appeared in his hand.

A surge of Spear Intent erupted from his hand.

With a horizontal sweep of the spear, he wiped out all the phantoms.

None were real.

Nie Wen appeared above Li Yunfan, a Cold, Gloomy Qi emerging from his hand.

A single finger descended.

Li Yunfan looked up at the sky, the Spear Intent in his hand soaring upward.

"Second-level Spear Intent."

Xu Chuan said with a hint of surprise.

For a Loose Cultivator to comprehend Second-level Spear Intent at the Spirit Platform Realm was truly astonishing.

This Li Yunfan was indeed quite extraordinary.

The finger and the spear collided. That cold, gloomy aura struck Li Yunfan's spear, corroding it and attempting to use the spear as a bridge to invade Li Yunfan.

Li Yunfan naturally noticed this.

He certainly wouldn't let Nie Wen have his way.

*Sizzle...*

A burst of scorching fire erupted from the spear, swallowing Nie Wen along with the Spear Intent.