Draw a circle to make a prison, so I'll owe it to you first

“Yes, you are very strong,” Feng Yuanqing said, eager to try, his eyes full of excitement.

Xiao Fan looked at Feng Yuanqing, puzzled. Had he been discovered for wandering too long?

He shook his head and said, “I’m just a passerby, you’ve mistaken me for someone else.”

With that, Xiao Fan moved two steps to the right to bypass him and continued on his way.

Unexpectedly, Feng Yuanqing called out, “Just now I was too abrupt. My name is Feng Yuanqing, a True Disciple of Saint Hall, under the tutelage of the August Heaven Adamantine Saint.”

“As a True Disciple of Saint Hall, I extend an invitation for a spar.”

His serious demeanor left Xiao Fan bewildered.

A Saint’s Disciple, no wonder he was so confident.

The people around Feng Yuanqing also turned their heads, looking at him as if they were seeing him for the first time.

“Senior Brother Feng, what’s wrong with him?”

“I don’t understand.”

Although his followers didn’t understand, it didn’t mean they couldn’t act.

As if afraid Xiao Fan wouldn’t understand Feng Yuanqing’s words, someone immediately stepped forward and said,

“I don’t know what level True Disciples belong to in other places, but in our Saint Hall, True Disciples are the highest tier among Disciples.”

“The August Heaven Adamantine Saint is the honorary title of our Grand Elder.”

“To put it simply, our Senior Brother Feng is the future pillar of Saint Hall.”

The beloved Disciple of Saint Hall’s Grand Elder, the highest-level Disciple in Saint Hall—no wonder Feng Yuanqing was so confident.

Seeing Xiao Fan remain silent, Feng Yuanqing continued,

“I promise you, it’s just a spar, we’ll stop at the right moment. Even if I lose, I’ll accept it willingly, and I will never bully you or bring in others.”

Xiao Fan felt this person was a bit stubborn.

However, his identity was special and could be utilized.

Thinking of this, Xiao Fan said, “You’re looking for a spar with me for no reason, wasting my time. I won’t get any benefits, it’s not worth it.”

“No spar.”

Seeing Xiao Fan relent, Feng Yuanqing immediately replied,

“If you beat me, I can grant you any request.”

“Yes, any request.”

Xiao Fan raised an eyebrow and said, “Is that true?”

“I, Feng Yuanqing, never break my word.”

“Good, I accept your challenge,” Xiao Fan nodded and replied.

Feng Yuanqing was overjoyed to get a positive answer.

“How do you want to spar? I’ll let you choose,” Feng Yuanqing said confidently.

Xiao Fan looked at his confident demeanor, thinking he might soon face defeat.

“I’ll draw a circle for you. If you can walk out of the circle, I’ll consider you the winner.”

“There’s no time limit, no method limit, no means limit. The only requirement is that you can walk out,” Xiao Fan said with a smile.

Feng Yuanqing was stunned. He had never heard of such a sparring method. Could it be that he was proficient in the Dao of space?

His gaze was like a torch, staring directly into Xiao Fan’s pupils, trying to see why he was so confident, daring to spar with him in such a simple manner.

But what he saw was Xiao Fan’s calm gaze, like an ancient well without ripples.

Was he looking down on him? No, it couldn’t be that simple. He must have come prepared.

Feng Yuanqing had countless questions in his heart, but thinking that he had once fought against a Primordial Elder of Saint Hall and even had some advantage, he agreed.

He couldn’t possibly be a Saint, could he?

“Alright, let’s do as you say,” Feng Yuanqing nodded.

“What do you want? Tell me first, so I can arrange it for you later.”

Xiao Fan chuckled, “I haven’t thought about it yet. If I win later, you can just owe me for now.”

“As you wish. Can we start now?”

“Of course, I’m ready anytime, as long as you are.”

Feng Yuanqing said, “Let’s begin.”

The crowd moved aside, clearing a space for the two to spar.

Feng Yuanqing also wanted to know how strong this man in front of him truly was, and why he felt a sense of trepidation just from a glance.

Feng Yuanqing’s eyes held a serious look, watching Xiao Fan’s every move, trying to discern a clue.

What Magic Treasure would he use, or what special spell, to complete that circle?

“That person’s request is so strange, drawing a circle to determine the winner.”

“Senior Brother Feng is actually playing along with him, isn’t this a waste of time?”

“Idiot! Can a frog in a well like you understand Senior Brother Feng’s foresight? He must have seen that the person opposite is a Revered Master.”

Everyone’s eyes were also serious, wanting to see what methods Xiao Fan would employ.

Under everyone’s curious gaze, Xiao Fan simply plucked a small twig, chose an empty spot, and drew a small three-foot square circle.

His every movement was clearly visible, with nothing special about it.

Just as others thought he was about to take the next step, Xiao Fan threw away the twig in his hand and said to Feng Yuanqing,

“Go in, I’ve drawn it.”

Not to mention the surrounding Disciples, even Feng Yuanqing found it unbelievable.

He had been expecting Xiao Fan to make a next move, perhaps setting up a Formation, or taking out a Talisman, or using a rare treasure to guard the circle.

He had thought of countless possibilities, but he never expected it to be as simple as drawing a circle.

Feng Yuanqing said seriously, “Are you sure? Don’t you need to add anything more?”

“You’ll know once you go in,” Xiao Fan said.

At this moment, Feng Yuanqing wondered if he was being overly sensitive, leading to a sensory error that made him mistake this person for a strong one.

Since things had come to this, he might as well treat it as a joke.

He looked at the ordinary small circle on the ground and casually walked over, stepping directly across it, intending to end this farce.

But the moment his foot entered the small circle, he realized something was amiss.

“So heavy!”

Feng Yuanqing’s expression changed, and he wanted to withdraw.

Unexpectedly, the moment he lifted his foot, he had already entered Xiao Fan’s trap.

The surface appeared ordinary, but inside, the Universe was churning.

Feng Yuanqing was instantly pulled in, standing perfectly upright in the center of the small circle.

One breath…

Two breaths…

Three breaths…

Ten breaths…

A hundred breaths passed, and Feng Yuanqing remained standing in the middle, motionless, as if he were being punished by standing still.

This dumbfounded his followers.

“Why isn’t Senior Brother Feng moving?”

“Wouldn’t taking one step out allow him to successfully exit?”

“How strange.”

“No, look at Senior Brother Feng’s expression. He’s too serious. When I used to spar with him, he was always relaxed and at ease; he’s never been this serious before.”

“It seems that what that person said about drawing a circle truly has profound depths.”

The scene returned to Feng Yuanqing. He only felt his feet were as heavy as lead, as if billions of stars were pressing down on his body.

Space seemed to have solidified, making every step difficult.

Looking around, everything was pitch black, as if he was in the deep, cold expanse of outer space, with no end in sight.

He finally understood why that man had been so confident earlier.

This was not just a circle; it was clearly a vast world, an endless starry cage!

He tried to soar into the sky, using great Divine Abilities to move about.

But no matter how much he struggled, he couldn’t find a way out.

Unable to go up, he began to walk left and right.

Shrinking the ground into an inch, making a great distance seem like a mere step—he used all the escape Divine Abilities he had learned, but still, all he saw was darkness.

After an unknown amount of time, he was truly exhausted and collapsed.

…

…

Feng Yuanqing’s struggles appeared so comical to those outside.

“Why is Senior Brother Feng jumping up and down there?”

“Why is Senior Brother Feng circling in place? Just one more step forward and he’d be out!”

This made the Disciples anxious, wishing they could go up and pull him out.

But before they could act, they saw Feng Yuanqing sitting on the ground, panting, covered in sweat, and pale-faced.

Everyone finally realized something was wrong; Senior Brother Feng seemed to be in some kind of predicament.

“What did you do to Senior Brother Feng?” someone questioned Xiao Fan.

“Didn’t you all see what I did? I just made him enter the circle.”

“But, he…”

Everyone was speechless. Xiao Fan’s every move was unconcealed; even the small twig he used to draw the circle was broken off on the spot.

They saw everything clearly, and after he finished drawing the circle, he made no other movements. This meant that he had laid down a Divine Ability while drawing the circle.

And they hadn’t noticed it at all.

Instantly, they seemed to understand why Feng Yuanqing had suddenly spoken up, wanting to spar with the man in front of him.

He really was a Revered Master!

Xiao Fan didn’t know their thoughts, he just said to the exhausted Feng Yuanqing in the circle,

“Do you want to continue?”

In the boundless, pitch-black Universe, a resonance of the Great Dao drifted, like timely rain after a long drought, bringing a ray of hope to Feng Yuanqing.

Although he didn’t want to admit it, he truly had no way to break free from it.

“I concede.”

Feng Yuanqing said, somewhat helplessly.

Revered Master was right: there are always people stronger than you, and there’s always a higher heaven.

I made some small progress before and became complacent, immersed in my own world. Now it seems quite naive.

Feng Yuanqing smiled bitterly. This was the first time he had tasted defeat, and the feeling was truly unpleasant.

Upon hearing his concession, Xiao Fan also withdrew his Divine Ability.

He was already a Saint. Any small action he made would be an insurmountable mountain for these so-called Prodigies.

That circle, to Xiao Fan, was merely a small trick of drawing a prison on the ground.

“Lost?”

“Senior Brother Feng conceded?”

“I must be dreaming. This is the first time I’ve seen Senior Brother Feng defeated, and without any power to retaliate.”

The Disciples felt their world collapse. The arrogant Prodigy, the Grand Elder’s most beloved Disciple, hailed as one of the top three Prodigies of the great era, had thus silently fallen.

Feng Yuanqing took a deep breath, stood before Xiao Fan, and said, “I lost.”

“Why don’t you ask me what Realm I am, and how much I differ from you?” Xiao Fan said.

“If we were mortal enemies, would you deliberately suppress your Realm to fight me during a confrontation?” Feng Yuanqing retorted.

“I would never abandon my Realm advantage for the sake of so-called fairness,” Xiao Fan said.

“I am the same as you,” Feng Yuanqing said.

“It seems we are fellow practitioners of the Dao.”

Xiao Fan finally understood this fellow’s personality: no Genius’s stubbornness or arrogance, and not someone who couldn’t accept defeat; he was very pragmatic.

“A bet is a bet. I’ll grant any request you make.”

“A request? Let’s save it for later,” Xiao Fan said.

Feng Yuanqing: “I don’t like to owe things.”

Xiao Fan: “Don’t worry, I’ll let you make a move during the Saint Hall Training. You’re not short on time, are you?”

Feng Yuanqing murmured, “Make a move during the Training?”

Before he could react, Xiao Fan waved his hand and turned to leave.

Feng Yuanqing only felt a blur before his eyes, and then the figure was gone.

“So strong!”

Feng Yuanqing was secretly startled. Who was this person?

“Senior Brother Feng, are we still going to meet the Prodigies coming up from below?”

“No need, I’ve already found my opponent,” Feng Yuanqing said.