Chapter 116: Fierce Fight

Looking at the five tokens in his hands and feeling the predatory gazes of the surrounding martial artists, Ying Du exhaled deeply and chuckled.

“Heh, it’s just stepping into the arena, isn’t it? Worst case, I’ll just surrender as soon as I get up there.”

“Does a mere servant think he can outsmart me?”

At that moment, Gu Ning’an, who had been silent for a while, smiled and said, “Let’s hope you can hold out long enough to say the word ‘surrender.'”

Hearing this, Ying Du looked puzzled.

“What do you mean, Mr. Gu? Saying ‘surrender’ only takes a single breath. Even if I encounter someone incredibly quick, they wouldn’t have time to kill me in that instant, would they?”

Gu Ning’an pointed to the arena, where a fight had already begun, and smiled.

“Perhaps you’ll need to shout ‘surrender’ five times before they’ll stop.”

Still confused, Ying Du turned his gaze to the center of the arena.

On the stage, two martial artists eager to claim the spotlight of the first round were already exchanging blows.

Since their names were unknown, let’s call them “Swordsman A” and “Swordsman B.”

The two wasted no time with any fanciful techniques, starting off with lethal moves that tested speed, reaction, and strength!

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Sparks flew as their blades clashed repeatedly.

At first glance, their skills seemed evenly matched, and the fight quickly became a deadlock.

Meanwhile, Ying Du, eyes glued to the duel, asked with a smile, “Mr. Gu, I still don’t get it. What do you mean by ‘shouting surrender five times’?”

“Just keep watching,” Gu Ning’an replied.

Half a cup of tea later, Swordsman A seized an opening and drove his sword into Swordsman B’s abdomen!

Swordsman B coughed up blood, clutching the blade in his stomach, and strained to say, “I surrender!”

Slash! Slash! Slash!

Swordsman A pulled out his sword and stabbed Swordsman B in vital spots three more times in quick succession!

Bang!

He then kicked Swordsman B to the ground, casually searched him, and hung all five of his opponent’s tokens on his own chest.

At that moment, the quicker-witted martial artists in the audience turned their eyes toward Qiu Qianren, seated beside the arena. Seeing his complete lack of reaction, they seemed to understand something.

However, while some understood, others remained clueless—like Lu Ming, the bald brute they had encountered earlier on the mountainside.

Leaning against the pavilion railing, Lu Ming bellowed angrily, “He already said he surrendered! Why the need to kill him?”

Below, Swordsman A, who had yet to leave the stage, sneered. “Villa Master Qiu, have I violated any rules by doing this?”

“No,” Qiu Qianren replied with a calm smile. “The rules don’t state that you can’t claim all five tokens in one go. A single surrender costs a single token. If someone surrenders just once and is still on the stage, it’s not against the rules.”

“This gentleman’s methods may be ruthless, but they ensure he maximizes the tokens he gains while preventing the opponent from exploiting any loopholes to strike back and kill him unexpectedly.”

As Qiu Qianren’s words fell, the audience went silent, the tension so thick it felt like the air itself could shatter.

Most of the crowd had assumed this would be a friendly competition, with the winner earning the opportunity to study the Immortal Sword Manual.

But no one had expected this to become a life-and-death struggle!

If one wished to avoid death, they would need to shout “surrender” five times immediately—assuming they could survive long enough to finish shouting.

But among the martial artists who had come here, who would willingly give up the chance to observe the Immortal Sword Manual?

This was the kind of treasure that even a sword master like the Willow Leaf Swordsman would willingly degrade himself to become someone’s “dog” in exchange for.

The corpse of “Swordsman B” was quickly cleared away by servants, while his soul lingered in place, dazed and unmoving.

Gu Ning’an clearly saw a wisp of black energy rise from the sword lying on the table beside Qiu Qianren. The black energy dragged Swordsman B’s soul into the sword’s scabbard.

A sword nourished with souls!

When the Demon Sword emitted its power, Qiu Qianren showed no reaction, indicating he was unaware the sword could devour souls.

“I’ll take you on!” a rough voice suddenly rang out.

From the second floor of the pavilion, a burly man leaped over the railing and landed heavily on the arena!

Swordsman A hesitated briefly, then immediately ran off the stage.

“Coward!” The burly man spat on the ground before raising his sword and scanning the crowd. “Who dares fight me? Don’t worry, I’ll make sure you have enough time to shout ‘surrender’ five times!”

“How insolent!” With an angry shout, another martial artist stepped onto the stage.

The previously silent arena was once again filled with the sound of clashing swords.

Taking his eyes off the fight, Ying Du looked at Gu Ning’an with excitement and said solemnly, “You were right, Mr. Gu. I need to choose my opponent wisely. If I encounter someone like that venomous swordsman, I probably wouldn’t even survive long enough to shout ‘surrender’ five times!”

“Indeed,” Gu Ning’an replied calmly. “These tokens are useless to you. When the time comes, join the fight with Miss Liu and take your chance on the stage.”

Ying Du smacked his forehead and turned to Liu Feixue with a serious expression. “Miss Liu, you must help me!”

Liu Feixue nodded slightly. “When the time is right, join me on the stage.”

“Got it!” Ying Du nodded vigorously. He then stood up and left the table, saying, “Miss Liu, go up later. I have some things to take care of first.”

“Take care of things?” Liu Feixue frowned slightly.

Ying Du walked a short distance away, stopped at a conspicuous spot, cleared his throat, and shouted, “Hey, anyone who hasn’t gone on stage yet, interested in a bet?”

“Come on, come on! Take a look! Small bets for fun, big bets might hurt your pockets!”

Seeing this, Liu Feixue couldn’t help but curse, “Truly a dog that can’t stop eating filth! Even now, he’s thinking about gambling!”

The heavy stench of blood filled the pavilion, making many feel nauseated.

On the arena, soaked in dark, foul-smelling blood, two swordsmen—each holding thirty tokens—were locked in a desperate struggle!

Exhausted and drained, they had abandoned all techniques and were now hacking at each other in turn, driven solely by sheer willpower.

Neither of them dared to shout “surrender” to save their lives. To retreat now, they would need to shout “surrender” thirty times to ensure that Qiu Qianren, the “referee,” would step in and prevent the other from launching a sneak attack.

But in their current state, shouting even once would sap their remaining spirit, leaving them defenseless.

Slash!

Two arcs of blood flew through the air.

In their final desperate attack, both swordsmen simultaneously pierced each other’s hearts, collapsing toward one another in a lifeless heap.

“There are sixty tokens on the stage!” someone in the crowd shouted.

Realizing this, a swarm of martial artists rushed onto the arena, plunging into yet another blood-soaked battle over the unclaimed tokens.