NOVPUB"Who do you think will win?" Just as Xu Zimei was engrossed in watching the two fight, a gentle voice suddenly rang out from beside him.
Xu Zimei was momentarily startled and hurriedly turned to look.
He saw a woman sitting gracefully beside him.
This woman was wearing a white long dress, spotless and pure.
Her entire demeanor was as lofty and holy as a fairy’s.
Beauty does not mean a flawless complexion, but captivating charm is for sure.
With a melon seed-shaped face and a high nose bridge reminiscent of women from the Western Region, her thin lips were painted a soft red.
However, those eyes were as calm as still water, revealing nothing.
A faint scent emanated from the woman in white.
It was reminiscent of plum blossoms, admiring their own solitude.
Her long dress spread out gently on the ground, like a lotus blossoming slowly.
Her skin was fair, fragile enough to seemingly break with a touch.
"Why aren’t you speaking?" the woman looked at Xu Zimei and asked, smiling.
"Do I know you?" Xu Zimei asked in confusion.
"I know you, but you might not know me," the woman shook her head and said.
"Having passed the tenth floor of the Tower of Heavenly Dao, I think many people at the academy would like to get to know you."
"I’m not interested," Xu Zimei waved his hand and said calmly.
"You haven’t answered my question yet," the woman tilted her head, still sitting next to Xu Zimei.
She placed her arms on her legs, propping her head up, miffed.
"I think Ren Pingsheng has better chances," Xu Zimei calmly replied.
"Why?" the woman in white continued to ask.
"Ren Pingsheng practices the Sun Devouring Emperor’s inherited cultivation technique, which is very powerful.
That Wang Lang is probably not a disciple of the Imperial Rule Immortal Sect, so his cultivation technique must be inferior."
Xu Zimei said, "Moreover, the two have different foundations, with Ren Pingsheng clearly being deeper."
"I’ve heard you are from the True Martial Holy Sect," said the woman in white.
"You ask too many questions," Xu Zimei replied indifferently.
They were strangers, and he truly did not wish to talk much. 𝓃𝓸𝓋𝓅𝓾𝒷.𝒸ℴ𝓂
"I’m just curious," the woman in white looked quite pitiable.
Her eyes even appeared slightly misty.
She gazed at Xu Zimei with a pathetic look, "Don’t you like me?"
"Seducing me with your wiles?" Xu Zimei furrowed his brow as he looked at her.
The woman’s behavior was indeed strange to him; he could sense she should be very aloof.
It wasn’t just in appearance, but the very aura she emitted should have been off-putting to strangers.
"Just tell me, answer a few of my questions," the woman pleaded, tugging lightly at Xu Zimei’s arm.
She acted coquettishly.
"Crazy," mumbled Xu Zimei, and he stood up and walked away.
Watching Xu Zimei’s retreating figure, the woman in white was astonished for a moment.
Then, she chuckled to herself.
"Unappreciative of romance, this will be tough."
...
On the Combat Stage, Ren Pingsheng wielded the Sun Devouring Axe as if a real Great Emperor had descended.
Swallowing Power swirled around his body.
Each wave of force was stronger than the last.
Wang Lang could only defend passively, his body already bloodied.
The True Fate Ghost Shark behind him also struggled furiously.
The sounds of explosions boomed across the Combat Stage.
The Combat Stage was made of Heavenly Dao Crystal Stones, capable of withstanding even the attacks of those who have Stepped into Immortality.
As a Great Emperor’s True Artifact, the Sun Devouring Axe also reverberated with the Great Emperor’s might.
Moreover, it had undergone the tempering of Destiny and held an advantage over many weapons.
Another explosion sounded, and Wang Lang failed to dodge in time. The massive blade of the Sun Devouring Axe landed mere inches from his head.
He could even feel the oppressive might from the axe, as well as that suffocating sensation of imminent death.
Wang Lang, who had been stubbornly resisting up until now, couldn’t hold back any longer and shouted towards the crowd below, "Crown Prince, save me!"
Everyone knew he was calling out to the Azure Dragon Crown Prince for help, and they were all curious to see how the Crown Prince would react.
...
"Ao Nan, you’d best not interfere with this matter," someone at his side advised.
In a life-and-death duel, after signing the death waiver, intervening could be both difficult and troublesome.
It’s not like any ordinary sparring match.
This Azure Dragon Crown Prince’s real name was Ao Nan.
His expression was grim as he weighed the pros and cons.
If he were to intervene, it could become very complicated.
But if he chose not to, everyone knew that Wang Lang was fighting on his behalf.
Should he recklessly abandon him, what would people think in the future? Who would be willing to lay their lives on the line for him again?
"Enough," seeing the Sun Devouring Axe cornering Wang Lang with no way out, a thunderous shout suddenly erupted from beside them.
Within this bellow, there was a faint sound of a dragon’s roar.
This caused Ren Pingsheng’s head to shake suddenly, his movement slowed for a moment, and Wang Lang narrowly escaped disaster.
"The Azure Dragon Crown Prince has made a move," someone said with keen interest.
"Now this is going to be a good show."
Neither Ren Pingsheng nor Wang Lang were well-known figures within the academy, and their skirmish wasn’t of much interest.
But dragging a Saint Heir of the Imperial Rule Immortal Sect into the fray was something many were eager to see.
Now that would be entertaining.
"That’s enough," the Azure Dragon Crown Prince Ao Nan looked towards Ren Pingsheng and stated indifferently.
"You’re breaking the rules of the combat," Ren Pingsheng looked up, fearlessly meeting Ao Nan’s gaze, and replied faintly.
During a duel to the death, third-party intervention wasn’t allowed without the consent of those involved.
That was the rule of the Heavenly Dao Academy.
Violators would be punished according to the consequences.
In the Heavenly Dao Academy, everything was meant to be equal; even a Saint Heir of the Imperial Rule Immortal Sect couldn’t escape punishment.
Of course, this sort of equality was only as fair as possible.
Just as people varied in status no matter what, true equality didn’t exist.
Neither in reality nor in theory.
"I’ve said, that’s enough," Ao Nan didn’t directly address the question but instead continued with a fierce glint in his eyes.
Ren Pingsheng furrowed his brows slightly.
Ao Nan indeed had broken the rules, but the academy was unlikely to enact a severe punishment.
Because he hadn’t been hurt, the penalty would be proportional to the outcome.
"What’s the matter? Are you unsatisfied?" Ao Nan said in a calm tone.
"Then how about you fight me instead? If you have the guts, let’s have a match.
A fight to the death, until one of us perishes."
When he uttered those last four words, there was a chilling intent in his voice.
A murderous aura that anyone could sense.
"Pingsheng, don’t accept his challenge," just then, a female voice rang out from a distance.
A woman wearing a purple cloak, with a fair complexion, rushed over anxiously.
She looked pale, as if she had just recovered from a serious illness.
Her long hair was tied back with a purple ribbon into a braided ponytail.
Her eyes were filled with worry.
As the woman appeared, the spectators watching the fight below also became excited.
"That must be her."
"Correct, she’s the one at the center of the dispute between the Azure Dragon Crown Prince and Ren Pingsheng."
"This just got interesting, but she looks quite ordinary."
