489: Chapter 489 The Ten-Year Agreement Must Be Fulfilled

As the words fell, several people were momentarily stunned.

A promise?

What promise?

Chu Wujiu raised an eyebrow, Li Xuan glanced sideways slightly, and Yan Wujin lowered his crossed arms.

They all knew something had happened between Ji Wuchen and Qin Wangchuan, but no one knew the specifics.

Even less did they expect it to be brought up at a time like this.

Qin Wangchuan looked at him.

There was no surprise, no confusion.

He simply nodded.

"The ten-year promise."

He paused.

"Coincidentally, I wanted to talk to you about that as well."

Qin Wangchuan took a step forward and continued walking.

"I heard you've comprehended a Life-Bound Technique."

"To comprehend a Life-Bound Technique at such a young age is unprecedented and will likely never be repeated."

"Of course," Ji Wuchen replied, his tone as calm as if he were stating the obvious. "If I didn't achieve something unprecedented, how could I ever hope to defeat you?"

Qin Wangchuan looked at him, the corners of his mouth curling up slightly.

"Then let's begin."

As the words fell, the Myriad Dao Academy's arena came into view a hundred paces away.

It was a massive arena made of pitch-black stone.

Spanning a thousand feet, it was surrounded by nine dragon-coiled stone pillars, each towering into the clouds.

The surface of the arena was covered in ancient formation runes that shimmered with a faint light; it had clearly witnessed countless battles between prodigies and was long since soaked in blood.

The spectator stands were a sea of people.

Cultivators from the Myriad Realms filled every inch of space.

Some stood in mid-air, others atop the clouds; countless gazes were fixed simultaneously on the arena.

Whispers surged like a tide, yet the crowd grew notably quieter upon seeing who had arrived.

At the judges' table...

Several white-haired Elders sat upright, their gazes sharp as torches as they landed on Qin Wangchuan.

Further away, on a high platform, the Headmaster of the Myriad Dao Academy stood with his hands behind his back, the leaders of various Families standing behind him.

On the Qin Family's side, several Clan Elders had also come to watch the battle.

The entire world seemed to focus on him at this moment.

Qin Wangchuan and Ji Wuchen walked toward the arena, one behind the other.

Chu Wujiu craned his neck and shouted from behind, "Don't you dare lose!"

His tone was sincere, his face full of concern.

Once they were further away, Chu Wujiu quietly leaned in and whispered to Yun Zexuan:

"Watch his Moves closely. Keep a sharp eye out for any new techniques."

Yun Zexuan rolled his eyes.

"Do you really need to tell me that?"

Yan Wujin clasped his hands behind his head and looked at Chu Wujiu with interest.

"Chu Wujiu, sometimes I really think you left your brain at home."

"But other times, I think you're actually quite shrewd."

"You're using all your cleverness on him, aren't you?"

Chu Wujiu paused in his tracks.

After a moment, he looked up at the sky and sighed.

"I really don't like using my brain, but I have no choice."

"If I don't use it, I'll get kicked into the horizon."

"Kicked into the horizon?" Ye Lingchuan asked, confused.

"Oh right, you guys probably don't know," Li Xuan took up the conversation. "The first time those two met was in a Secret Realm. Back then, Qin Wangchuan was traveling, and someone tried to block his path."

"Chu Wujiu mindlessly rushed up to him."

"As a result, Qin Wangchuan didn't even give him a second glance. Like kicking a stray dog on the side of the road, he sent Chu Wujiu flying with a single kick, embedding him into the ground."

"I spent quite a while pulling him out."

"Hey, hey!" Chu Wujiu quickly spoke up to stop him. "Didn't we agree not to mention that!"

Li Xuan glanced at him.

"Everyone here is a defeated opponent, what are you afraid of?"

"Defeated opponent..."

As soon as those words were spoken, everyone, including Chu Wujiu, fell silent for a moment.

They looked at each other, then turned their gazes back toward the distant arena.

After a moment of silence.

"Yeah."

"We are all defeated opponents."

Chu Wujiu withdrew his gaze, his lips twitching slightly.

"But it's precisely because we've lost that we know how high the mountain is."

"If you lose, you chase."

"Once you catch up, you climb over."

"And once you've climbed over—"

He grinned.

"Only then are you qualified to see the scenery on the other side of the mountain."

"Qin Wangchuan has occupied the summit for so long; it's about time he let us have a look."

On the arena.

The Quenching Edge Battle had actually ended a few days ago.

The battles currently taking place on the arena were purely personal duels and sparring matches.

Whoever wanted to fight could simply step up.

The main arena was divided into many smaller platforms, most of which were now empty.

Because word had spread that Qin Wangchuan was coming, most people's hearts were no longer on the stage, and they had stepped down early to wait.

Only the last two people were still fighting.

One of them was Gu Tianye.

A top-tier Prodigy who had fought his way up from the Middle Thousand Province, possessing a Sacred Body and an illustrious battle record.

His opponent was from a major province in the Upper Realm, also a renowned Prodigy with a cultivation level significantly higher than his.

Initially, Gu Tianye was being heavily suppressed.

But after several dozen exchanges, the situation actually began to reverse.

Gu Tianye's offensive grew increasingly fierce, while his opponent gradually became unable to withstand the pressure.

The most crucial point was—

He hadn't even activated his Sacred Body.

Relying solely on his own cultivation and combat instincts, he had forced the situation back in his favor.

High on the platform.

The Headmaster of Myriad Dao Academy stood with his hands behind his back, his gaze fixed on the arena.

The last time he had personally attended the Quenching Edge Battle was during Qin Wudao's year.

An Elder beside him squinted for a moment and couldn't help but speak up:

"This kid isn't bad at all, but why isn't he using his Sacred Body?"

He had seen Gu Tianye manifest his Sacred Body before; its power was terrifying.

But on such an important occasion, in front of so many people, why wasn't he using it?

"What other reason could there be? He's too arrogant!"

Another Elder stroked his beard as he replied, though his tone carried a hint of admiration.

"But he certainly has the capital to be arrogant."

"Rising all the way from the Middle Thousand Province to this day and defeating countless people—he didn't rely on Luck."

"With such a record, he's more or less a Child of Luck who has gathered the Luck of an entire plane, but..."

As the Elder spoke, his gaze shifted below the stage.

There, Qin Wangchuan and Ji Wuchen stood facing each other, their Battle Intent already beginning to surge.

"Even if Gu Tianye has immortal talent and a Sacred Body... compared to these two, he is but a firefly to the bright moon."

No matter how strong a Child of Luck from a single plane might be, they were only the peak of that plane.

But Qin Wangchuan was not only from an Imperial Clan, he was also the Divine Son of one of the Three Great Families.

The territories and planes under their control were beyond counting.

There was simply no comparison.

Bang!

On the arena, Gu Tianye threw a punch, and his opponent went flying off the platform.

He won.

But as he stood on the stage, he heard no cheers.

The surroundings were eerily quiet.

In the spectator stands, everyone's gaze bypassed him and fell toward a certain direction below the stage.

The atmosphere was so heavy it had almost solidified.

They all wanted to see the battle between the Qin Family Divine Son and the Ji Family Successor.

As for the match just now, it didn't even count as an appetizer.

Gu Tianye didn't care.

He simply wiped the sweat from his body, turned around, and walked down the arena.

As he passed by Qin Wangchuan, his footsteps paused slightly.

"I've heard them say you've become weaker."

Gu Tianye didn't look back, his voice very low, audible only to the two of them.

"But I don't believe it."

With that, he left directly.

He didn't look back even once.

Very much in Gu Tianye's style.

Qin Wangchuan didn't say much.

On the stage, a figure had already soared into the air and landed steadily in the center of the arena.

Ji Wuchen stood there, his aura as steady and heavy as a mountain.

"I, Ji Wuchen—"

"Request a battle!"

The spectator stands erupted instantly.

Qin Wangchuan stepped onto the arena.

The two stood facing each other.

One in white as pure as snow, the other in black robes fluttering in the wind.