Chapter 224: Chapter 141: I Will Take Good Care of Your Fiancée.
Lu Maozhi ground his molars, his mouth filling with the rusty tang of blood, mixed with an indescribable bitterness and resentment that threatened to devour his reason.
He had never imagined Chen Sheng could be so terrifying.
In particular, Chen Sheng’s strange and tyrannical Evil Qi had completely suppressed his own Cyan Blade Evil Qi. Every time their Evil Qi clashed, his Meridians would tremble and his qi and blood would stagnate, allowing him to exert only seventy to eighty percent of his full power.
’If not for that, with my peak Earth Fiend Cultivation and the exquisite Cyan Lotus Sword Technique, how could I have lost so decisively, so pathetically?’
However, the reality was as cold as iron, leaving no room for debate.
Lowering his head slightly, Lu Maozhi glanced at the faint silver Soft Armor visible through the tears in his cyan robe.
It was this Protective Treasure Armor, a gift from his family, that had deflected the majority of the fatal Sword Qi during their final, deadly exchange. Otherwise, he would be nothing but a cold corpse on the ground right now.
But even so, the Yin Cold Force that had penetrated the armor had shaken him so violently that his organs felt displaced and his bones on the verge of splintering. The memory alone was enough to make his heart pound with lingering fear.
From the air above, Chen Sheng looked down, blade in hand, like a god surveying the mortal realm. He descended slowly, the tips of his feet touching the ground without stirring a speck of dust, yet the intimidating pressure he exuded still filled the air.
The corner of his mouth curled into a hint of a smile, breaking the almost-frozen silence of the courtyard:
"Young Master Lu, is there anything else you’d like to say?"
"I..."
Lu Maozhi’s throat worked. He struggled for a long moment before finally forcing out three words, his voice hoarse, dry, and trembling with humiliation:
"I have lost."
Those three words were as heavy as a mountain, striking Lu Maozhi with such force that his head spun.
But what could he do, regardless of how he felt?
He was heavily injured, his True Qi was in disarray, and he could barely remain standing. To press on would be to invite further humiliation, and he might even lose his life on the spot. Between life and face, Lu Maozhi had no choice but to concede.
Besides, the duel had taken place under the watchful eyes of everyone. To deny the outcome would only bring him greater shame.
"In that case, I am the winner of this wager."
Chen Sheng’s tone was placid, but his gaze had already shifted to Wang Zilan, who stood as still and graceful as an orchid. The implication was clear.
"Captain Chen."
Lu Maozhi snapped his head up, his eyes shot with blood, and pleaded urgently:
"The Elemental Crystals! I’ll have twenty Elemental Crystals delivered to you as soon as I return. No... thirty! I can add ten more! I only ask... I only ask that Captain Chen show mercy and cancel our agreement for the banquet. How about it?"
He was practically begging.
Having lost a duel he himself initiated, he had already become a laughingstock. If he were to then stand by and watch as Chen Sheng took Wang Zilan to the banquet, he would become an enduring joke among the Noble Family circles of Ning’an Prefecture.
With his dignity trampled into the dust, even the reputation of Luoyun Manor would be sullied because of him.
Chen Sheng slowly shook his head. His gaze swept past Lu Maozhi’s ghastly pale face and returned to Wang Zilan, his tone laced with an undeniable nonchalance:
"Young Master Lu, when one navigates the Jianghu, a promise is worth a thousand pieces of gold. Words spoken are like spilled water; they cannot be taken back. Since the wager was made, how could there be any reason for it to be unilaterally abandoned?"
’Was his goal truly just a few dozen Elemental Crystals?’
’Elemental Crystals were precious, true, but not precious enough to warrant his attention.’
’The Profound Yin Qi that Wang Zilan possessed—that was what he was truly after.’
’If he could refine it, his Cultivation would skyrocket, saving him years of painstaking training.’
’Although this wager wasn’t for her Profound Yin Qi, it was a start. From here, he could begin to plot his next move.’
’After all, according to the Celestial Book of Seeking Fortune and Avoiding Evil, Wang Zilan was not without desires of her own.’
’And what he excelled at was making deals.’
At these words, the last trace of color drained from Lu Maozhi’s face. His clenched fists trembled from the strain, nails digging so deep into his palms that they left bloody, crescent-shaped marks. But in the end, he powerlessly unclenched them.
A bone-chilling despair, mixed with a towering hatred, began to grow rampantly in his heart.
With Lu Maozhi’s verbal concession, this brief but intense contest between members of the Ten Heroes finally settled.
An uproar—
After a brief silence, the surroundings instantly erupted with a wave of long-suppressed gasps and discussion.
"He... actually won!"
"Lu Maozhi conceded himself. Deputy Captain Chen is truly incredible."
"Incredible! To defeat a member of the Ten Heroes just after reaching the Earth Fiend realm... this achievement will be talked about in the Ning’an Martial World for years to come."
"You can say that again. I thought Young Master Lu had better odds, but I never expected... Sigh, Captain Chen really keeps his skills hidden."
"From this day forward, Deputy Captain Chen deserves a place among the Ning’an Ten Heroes!"
"A place? He deserves more than just a place! His ranking won’t be low, I’m afraid. Lu Maozhi may have been the lowest-ranked, but he was a bona fide member of the Ten Heroes. And it was obvious Captain Chen still had power to spare in that fight."
Awe, wonder, disbelief... a whirlwind of emotions swept through the guests.
They had been fortunate enough to witness the birth of a new member of the Ten Heroes—one who had powerfully ascended by trampling on the glory of an established member.
One could predict that once news of this duel spread, it would be like a boulder dropped into a calm lake, sending massive waves through the Ning’an Martial World. The established order might very well be shaken.
Hao Tong, Vice General of the Military Preparation Army, stood in the crowd, his expression complicated and his heart a mix of emotions.
He had originally intended to use this opportunity to build a connection, but now all he felt was profound shock and a hint of self-deprecation.
Chen Sheng’s strength had far exceeded his estimations. It might even... surpass his own. ’No wonder he accepted the challenge,’ he thought. ’That confidence was born from absolute power.’
In contrast to the guests’ stunned amazement, the Jingwu Guard of G Camp erupted in a tsunami of cheers.
