19: Chapter 19: How come my opponent is down before I even made a move?

What do you call this? This is called professionalism.

Shen Xiao stood at the entrance of his Immortal Cave, listening to the roaring crowd at the distant Martial Arts Arena and the shocked announcement of the Deacon, almost unable to hold back his laughter.

He had anticipated that Lin Yun would run into trouble, but he hadn't expected such a massive commotion—it had directly blown up the Immortal Cave.

It seemed that the "Peerless Divine Technique" he had casually copied indeed possessed extraordinary power; it was just that the recoil was a bit hard on the user.

In the center of the Martial Arts Arena, on the high stone platform, Wang Mang's face, which seemed written with the words "I am a brute," was changing colors more vividly than the four seasons in the back mountain of the Sect.

First, it flushed red with the agitation of waiting, then turned deathly pale upon hearing the Deacon's announcement, and finally, amidst the overwhelming discussions surrounding him, his face turned a liver-like purplish-blue.

"Senior Brother Lin Yun... suffered Qi Deviation? How is that possible!"

"It's said his Meridians are shattered, and his Foundation is shaken! Tsk tsk, what a pity, Heaven truly envies the talented."

"What 'Heaven envies the talented'? I think something went wrong with his Cultivation! Didn't you hear the Deacon? There were ashes of a Cultivation Technique remnant page in the Immortal Cave. What kind of evil technique was he practicing?"

"Shh... keep it down! But then again, this is getting interesting. Wang Mang aggressively initiated a deathmatch, only for his backer to fall first. Isn't that just a pure clown move?"

"Exactly. I originally thought I'd be able to see a battle between Dragons and tigers, but one of the protagonists killed his own master first. What is there to fight about!"

These words were like burning steel needles, mercilessly piercing into Wang Mang's ears.

He felt like a fool stripped naked and thrown into the snow, his entire body radiating a chill.

Three days ago, he was Senior Brother Lin Yun's vanguard general, the messenger of justice acting on behalf of the Heavenly Dao, and a future star about to step on Shen Xiao to rise to the top.

Three days later, he became an abandoned pawn that no one cared about after his master fell, becoming a laughingstock in the eyes of all the Sect Disciples.

He clenched his fists, which were thicker than an ordinary person's thighs, his knuckles cracking loudly.

No, this battle must be fought!

Only by winning, by killing Shen Xiao in public, could he regain a shred of face and prove that he wasn't just trash fit only to be someone else's dog!

Just as the focus of the entire venue was gathered on the explosive news of the "Prodigy's fall," a slightly slender figure stepped into the noisy Martial Arts Arena, unhurriedly.

It was Shen Xiao.

He was still wearing that simple cyan Inner Sect Disciple robe, his face as pale as rice paper, his Aura so weak it seemed as if he would dissipate with a gust of wind.

He was completely out of place with the surrounding crowd—who were either shocked, gloating, or whispering—like a drop of cold oil falling into boiling water, abrupt and striking.

Everyone's gaze instinctively shifted from the awkward brute on the high platform to this "victim."

However, Shen Xiao didn't even bother to spare a glance at Wang Mang on the high platform.

He directly ignored the opponent who was about to be burned to ashes by rage and shame, and walked straight toward the Sect Deacon who was standing at the edge of the Martial Arts Arena, looking flustered.

"Deacon."

He cupped his hands in a salute, his posture humble, his voice not loud, but it seemed to carry a peculiar penetrating power, clearly overriding the surrounding noise and reaching the Deacon's ears.

"Shen Xiao?" The Deacon frowned; with Lin Yun having an accident, this deathmatch had already become a farce, and he was already annoyed.

Shen Xiao straightened his body; although his Aura was weak, his eyes were clear, and his logic was sharp: "Deacon, Senior Brother Lin Yun is a Prodigy of our Sect. Now, he has suddenly met with misfortune while in closed-door Cultivation. This matter... is far too suspicious."

He paused, giving the Deacon a moment to think, then changed the subject, dragging himself into it: "I was afflicted with mystic ice evil poison a few days ago; he suffered Qi Deviation today. This Disciple is worried that within the Sect, there may be petty people taking advantage of the situation to confuse the public and stir up internal strife."

These words were like a clear spring, instantly waking up the Deacon who had been dizzy from the series of events.

That's right!

One poisoned, one suffering Qi Deviation, and these two had just formed a deadly feud—no matter how you looked at it, it reeked of a conspiracy.

Shen Xiao's voice became increasingly earnest: "To prevent the Sect's stability from being affected, and to give both Senior Brother Lin and myself a fair explanation, this Disciple implores you to postpone this battle! Wait until the truth behind Senior Brother Lin Yun's accident is discovered before making a decision!"

This move directly elevated a personal grudge to the level of Sect stability.

The Deacon's tightly furrowed brows instantly relaxed.

Look at that!

That is what you call an Inner Sect Disciple who considers the big picture!

Look again at that brute on the stage who only knows how to kill and fight—the difference was clear at a glance!

This proposal was reasonable and fair; it both gave the Sect time to investigate and showed the magnanimity of the parties involved in prioritizing the big picture. It was simply the most perfect solution at the moment.

"Good, what you say..."

Just as the word "good" left the Deacon's mouth, it was interrupted by an earth-shattering roar.

"You are courting death!!!"

Wang Mang, on the high platform, hearing Shen Xiao's words, felt as if his last shred of dignity had been ripped off and thrown on the ground to be trampled upon in front of everyone.

Ignore! Complete ignorance!

He, Wang Mang, had initiated this deathmatch, yet this guy surnamed Shen had actually applied for a postponement with his superior in front of the entire Sect, not treating him as anything at all!

His backer had fallen, and now even the chance to have a fight was about to be stripped away. If he just walked off the stage dejectedly today, he would be drowned by the spittle of the Sect Disciples tomorrow!

Rage completely shattered his already limited rationality.

"Roar!"

Wang Mang let out a roar, his sturdy body leaping off the three-zhang high Martial Arts Arena like a cannonball!

With a loud "Boom!", his feet slammed into the hard white stone floor, causing two spiderweb-like cracks.

He didn't pause for a second, the Qi in his body circulating frantically to an unprecedented degree. The whole person was like an enraged wild bull, throwing a punch at Shen Xiao's face, which was within arm's reach!

This punch carried the full cultivation of a Foundation Establishment Late Stage, the wind of the fist whistling, the Aura terrifying!

He wanted to use a fait accompli to force this duel to happen!

As long as this punch landed and injured Shen Xiao, then no one would be able to call it off!

The surrounding Disciples let out gasps, and the Deacon's face changed drastically, wanting to intervene, but he was already a step too late!

However, facing this thunderous punch, the scene of Shen Xiao being blown away and vomiting blood as expected did not happen.

Just as that massive fist was about to touch the tip of his nose, Shen Xiao moved.

He didn't block, didn't dodge, and didn't even set up a defensive stance.

He just tapped his toes on the white stone floor, seemingly casually.

The next instant, his body was like a fallen leaf that had lost its weight, lifted by an invisible wind, weirdly shifting three feet to the side-rear.

The entire movement was elegant and light, without a trace of artificiality, as if he had been standing there all along.

Wang Mang's powerful punch, enough to crack stones and break monuments, just grazed his clothing, carrying the whistling fist wind, and swung into empty air!

The huge momentum made him stumble, rushing forward several steps, almost face-planting into the ground.

The entire venue fell into instant dead silence.

One could hear a pin drop.

Everyone's eyeballs were about to pop out of their sockets, their mouths wide enough to fit an egg.

What just happened?

A seriously injured person who was "afflicted with strange poison," "depleted of Qi and blood," and "not long for this world," just effortlessly dodged a full-strength blow from a Foundation Establishment Late Stage Peak expert?

This was even more outrageous than Lin Yun suffering Qi Deviation!

Wang Mang himself was also stunned; he froze in place, maintaining the posture of throwing a punch, his brain completely blank.

He couldn't comprehend at all how his punch, which had locked onto the opponent's entire Aura, had missed.

"Presumptuous!"

The Sect Deacon's face was livid, and he finally reacted.

He took a step, and his figure instantly appeared between the two.

A majestic pressure belonging to a Golden Core Cultivator descended with a boom, like an invisible mountain, directly pinning the still-stunned Wang Mang in place, unable to move.

The Deacon's eyes were as cold as ice: "The deathmatch bell hasn't been rung to start, yet you, Wang Mang, have brazenly attacked within the Martial Arts Arena, intending to seriously injure a fellow Disciple. Do you still have any regard for the Sect's iron laws!"

His voice resounded throughout the venue, carrying unquestionable majesty.

"This Deacon declares, this battle... is cancelled! Wang Mang disregarded the Sect rules, is to be locked up in the Cliff of Reflection for one month, and punished with three months of hard labor, as a warning to others!"

After speaking, he didn't give Wang Mang any chance to explain, and shouted directly to two Disciples in the distance: "What are you still standing there for? Drag him away!"

After dealing with Wang Mang, the Deacon turned to Shen Xiao. The cold anger on his face had dissipated, and his tone had softened a lot: "Shen Xiao, I grant your proposal. You did very well, not letting temporary anger escalate the conflict. From this moment on, until the truth about Lin Yun's matter comes to light, no one is allowed to disturb you for any reason. Violators will be punished according to Wang Mang's crime!"

These words were equivalent to giving Shen Xiao an officially certified "Do Not Disturb" amulet.

"Many thanks to the Deacon for upholding justice."

Shen Xiao calmly cupped his hands in a salute, as if the person who had dodged a fatal blow like a ghost just now wasn't him.

He maintained his weak appearance, and under the gaze of a crowd full of complex, suspicious, and wary looks, he turned and slowly left.

And the moment he turned away from the crowd, in a field of vision that no one could see, a light blue System panel suddenly popped up.

A line of crisp green text appeared:

[Ding! Target Lin Yun practiced a fake Cultivation Technique, suffered Qi Deviation, Meridians severely damaged, Foundation shaken. Successfully plundered the Opportunity "Counter-flow Step", rewarded 20 destiny value.]

[Current destiny value: 45/100]

It worked.

The corner of Shen Xiao's mouth curled slightly at an angle no one noticed.

However, before he could be happy, immediately following, another line of glaring blood-red warnings occupied his entire field of vision like a sharp sword!

[Warning! Warning!]

[The Child of Destiny's Luck is severely damaged, the Heavenly Dao compensation mechanism has been forcibly activated!]

[Part of the fate line of the high-level Luck character "Xia Lengbai" has been forcibly pulled, and she is currently carrying the "Ice Soul Glazed Heart" (the core Opportunity originally intended for Lin Yun after his Breakthrough to Golden Core Late Stage), and is approaching the Qingming Sect at high speed!]

[Estimated time of arrival: Twelve hours!]

Shen Xiao's pupils suddenly constricted, and his footsteps even paused.

Xia Lengbai!

Lin Yun's nominal fiancée, that yandere belly-black woman whose millennium cold marrow he had stolen and whose memories he had partially erased!

He had just solved the trouble in front of him, and before he could even catch his breath, the Heavenly Dao, that shameless old conspirator, had immediately unleashed a more dangerous and fatal killing trap from his weakest and most unexpected link!