Chapter 418: The Fight Begins

"Are you all still betting? A little gambling is fun, but a big bet can be ruinous. Playing for such high stakes... no matter who wins or loses, it won't end well for the other party," the Seven Kills Sword Master said.

If they got caught up in the heat of the moment and started fighting to the death, it would be a real mess to sort out.

Most importantly, he'd acted as the notary for Chu Feng's group so many times already, and he hadn't gotten a single thing out of it.

"Sword Master, when I win, I'll give you five Martial Cultivation Spirit Stones as a fee for officiating. You can stop worrying," Chu Feng said.

When the Seven Kills Sword Master heard this, a happy smile spread across his face.

'Now that's more like it.'

He'd seen Chu Feng win so many Martial Cultivation Spirit Stones before and had been incredibly envious. But there was nothing he could do; it wasn't like he could just rob him outright.

But now that there were Martial Cultivation Spirit Stones involved as a fee, things were different. He wasn't working for free anymore—he was getting paid. How could the Seven Kills Sword Master not be pleased?

"If I win, I'll give the Sword Master ten Martial Cultivation Spirit Stones as his fee," said the Vice Valley Master of Spirit Sword Valley.

Her cheeks were puffed out in anger. She was clearly doing this just to one-up Chu Feng; it was the only way she'd feel satisfied.

"Ahem. You are all Cultivators of considerable standing. Let's hope we can keep things amicable and not ruin the mood," the Seven Kills Sword Master said.

Chu Feng couldn't be bothered with pleasantries and tossed out one hundred Martial Cultivation Spirit Stones.

The Vice Valley Master of Spirit Sword Valley did the same, throwing out another hundred Martial Cultivation Spirit Stones before falling silent.

The duels in the arena continued, and soon it was dawn.

Only then did Li Zhengyi finally face off against Black Blade.

At that moment, Li Zhengyi stepped lightly onto the platform. This was already his fifth victory.

Quite a few people had already taken note of his strength. He was powerful.

Winning five matches in a row placed him firmly among the top contenders of the twenty participants.

"Black Blade of Blood Blade Manor," a man in a black robe said, his voice raspy. "Surrender now, kid. It's not too late. Otherwise, you might just die."

His voice was enough to give anyone who heard it goosebumps all over. It was that terrifying.

It was mainly his attire that gave off a strange, sinister vibe, and combined with that eerie, horrifying voice, it sent a chill down anyone's spine.

"Li Zhengyi," he replied. In every duel, he only gave his name, never his Sect.

"Cloud Mist Sect..." Bai Han said with a puzzled expression. "That sounds so familiar, but I can't quite place it."

The Celestial Sword Sect's records did mention the Cloud Mist Sect, but only in passing, so most people wouldn't remember it.

Among all the volumes in the Celestial Sword Sect's archives, it only received a brief mention, so the average person would never notice it.

"You've probably seen the name somewhere before," Chu Feng said.

"So, do you think he can beat Black Blade from Blood Blade Manor?" Bai Han asked.

"Beat him? He's going to absolutely crush him!" Chu Feng declared.

He had absolute faith in Li Zhengyi and knew that Li Zhengyi was aiming for nothing less than the championship.

It's just that the guy had always been low-key, never revealing the true extent of his abilities.

"Really? They look pretty evenly matched to me," Bai Han said.

"You're just looking at their realms, aren't you? A realm is just a realm; it doesn't represent true combat strength. Speaking of realms, plenty of old-timers at the Martial Arts Limit are about the same as me, but can any of them beat me?" Chu Feng said with a confident smile.

"Hmph. Don't get overconfident. Be careful or you'll eat your words," Bai Han retorted.

"Me, eat my words? I'm the one who makes other people eat theirs!" Chu Feng said with a laugh.

On the battle platform, Li Zhengyi didn't make the first move, instead standing his ground and waiting for his opponent to act.

Seeing Li Zhengyi stand there for a long moment without attacking, Black Blade of Blood Blade Manor grew furious, his expression turning grim.

He was the strongest disciple representing Blood Blade Manor in the competition; his pride was naturally immense.

"Die," Black Blade said coldly.

The moment the words left his mouth, the two clashed.

Both were powerful, having reached the late-stage Foundation Establishment Realm. As they began to fight, a series of explosions rocked the platform.

Countless shockwaves interwove with the clang of battle. Both fighters moved with incredible speed, so fast it was dizzying to watch.

"Blood Blade Slash!" the Blood Blade Manor disciple roared. The black blade in his hand instantly erupted with an eerie black mist as he unleashed a flurry of lightning-fast slashes.

Moreover, the black blade was incredibly sharp; a single strike could likely cleave a man in two.

At the same time, the eerie black mist could affect a person's mind, leaving them disoriented and powerless, completely at their opponent's mercy.

Li Zhengyi, however, was unaffected. He immediately dodged, retreating to avoid a direct confrontation.

But Black Blade's assault was relentless. He attacked continuously, each strike aimed to be fatal.

Yet, no matter how powerful Black Blade's attacks were, Li Zhengyi always managed to neutralize them with ease. He blocked every move, making it look effortless.