Chapter 3: The Wagered Duel, the Martial Arena

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Chapter 3: The Challenge at the Martial Arena

“Lose? You?”

Zhou Wentong narrowed his eyes and sneered.

“This morning, I merely let you catch me off guard. You’re getting a little too full of yourself! When all is said and done, martial arts are still a lesser path—garbage!”

The seemingly casual remark instantly darkened the faces of every martial-arts student in the classroom, yet no one said a word.

Compared with demonic arts and immortal cultivation, martial arts were indeed inferior.

Weak.

It was both a reality and an original sin.

Qin Zhe felt little in response to Zhou Wentong’s words.

The strong prey upon the weak. It was an iron law that could never be changed, no matter where one went.

Even in a world governed by laws, where the vulnerable were protected, the fundamental difference was not all that great.

Otherwise, how could Zhou Wentong have dared come alone to the martial-arts department to provoke them?

Qin Zhe glanced at the indignant expressions of the martial-arts students and smiled.

“Classmate, that’s rather pointless of you. You look down on me, you look down on martial arts, and yet you want me to go with you to the arena. What for? To prove a point? Sorry, I’m busy. I don’t have time to indulge you in this childish display of bravado.”

It was obvious that Qin Zhe was mocking him. Zhou Wentong’s expression grew even darker, and he let out a cold snort.

“All you have is a sharp tongue. I’ll see whether you actually possess any ability, or whether your mouth is the only thing that’s impressive! If you have the courage, come with me! Should I lose to you, I, Zhou Wentong, will cripple my own cultivation and willingly withdraw from school! From that day onward, I will never appear before you again!”

Damn, this guy was ruthless!

Qin Zhe stared blankly for a moment, somewhat hesitant.

From a certain perspective, Zhou Wentong had arrived at a rather opportune time.

What had happened that morning had unfolded far too quickly, and Qin Zhe had not paid close attention. He had only been able to make a few guesses.

Having someone volunteer to serve as a free sparring partner was naturally ideal.

As for provoking Zhou Wentong, Qin Zhe had merely wanted to get some benefits out of it—spirit stones, for instance.

There was no helping it. The original owner of this body was utterly, hopelessly poor!

Not only did he have no spirit stones in his pocket, but there were only a few hundred yuan in his bank account—not even enough for meals!

Watching Zhou Wentong gradually walk away, Qin Zhe knew he had already lost his chance to make some money. After a brief moment of thought, he followed.

…

Seeing how easily Qin Zhe had provoked Zhou Wentong into leaving, the martial-arts students in the classroom were all envious of his status as a member of the Discipline Inspection Department.

What else could they say?

The Discipline Inspection Department was truly formidable!

If it had been anyone else, Zhou Wentong might not have thought of going to the martial arena. He might even have attacked them on the spot!

Qin Zhe stood by the doorway for a while before suddenly walking out, leaving everyone present dumbfounded.

The man had already been provoked into leaving. Why was Qin Zhe following him?

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Could he really be going to the martial arena?

Wasn’t staying alive better?

The students exchanged bewildered looks. Before long, several of them rose and followed him out of the classroom.

…

In this world, which was governed by law, cultivators were forbidden from fighting regardless of the time or place, the reason, or their identity and status.

Haitown University was one of the Dragon Nation’s premier institutions. Its school rules were famous for being strict, but they also had a humane side.

Some matters could not be handled through strict control alone. Proper channels for release were necessary.

After all, expecting a group of hot-blooded young people not to have the occasional conflict was nothing short of a fool’s dream.

And so, the martial arena came into existence.

In truth, Haitown University was far from the only institution with one. All the major schools throughout the Dragon Nation had martial arenas where their students could settle matters through combat.

On the surface, these arenas existed to give students a place to test their abilities. In reality, however, they were used more often to resolve “personal grudges.”

This was practically common knowledge in the modern age. Everyone simply kept the understanding unspoken.

Setting all that aside, news of the wagered duel between Qin Zhe and Zhou Wentong spread swiftly.

By the time the two arrived, before they had even registered or taken the stage, quite a crowd had already gathered around the arena.

Most of them were from the martial-arts department. There were fewer from the demonic-arts department, while only a scattered handful had come from the immortal-cultivation department.

“Hmph. Looks like the martial-arts department has been getting a little too full of itself lately. They actually dared challenge someone from our demonic-arts department to a wagered duel. That fool probably doesn’t even know how the word ‘death’ is written!”

A demonic-arts student in the crowd sneered, directing a provocative gaze straight toward the cluster of martial-arts students.

“Some pieces of trash simply have no self-awareness. They enjoy courting death, and no one can stop them.”

Another demonic-arts student spoke up with a laugh.

“He’s bound to lose. There’s no suspense at all. Not only is Zhou Wentong one of the top fifty experts in our demonic-arts department, but he follows the path of the human demon and is invincible in close combat. The martial-arts department has only one advantage—close-range fighting. What kind of waves can he make against Zhou Wentong?”

The two spoke loudly, one echoing the other, and immediately drew furious glares from the martial-arts students.

It had to be said that the martial-arts department did have a few formidable characters.

Before long, a student whose muscles looked ready to burst through his uniform stepped forward and shouted, “What a load of crap! Is practicing demonic arts all about training your mouths? You’re not even going onstage, so what are you yapping about?”

The two demonic-arts students flew into a rage. But before they could react, a beautiful figure descended from the sky and drifted gracefully onto an elevated platform.

Caught off guard by her sudden appearance, the two demonic-arts students were both startled. They exchanged a glance and silently shut their mouths.

Seeing that they had quieted down, the martial-arts student did not pursue the matter.

After all, if he really got on the wrong side of those two, he would be the one suffering…

Across all of Haitown University, who would want to be targeted by people from the demonic-arts department?

At the same time, Qin Zhe and Zhou Wentong completed their registration and stepped onto the martial arena one after the other.

“I didn’t expect you to actually come. For possessing such courage, I, Zhou Wentong, acknowledge that you’re a worthy opponent.”

Zhou Wentong began coldly.

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“But don’t expect me to hold back. The humiliation you caused me this morning, I—”

Before Zhou Wentong could finish, Qin Zhe clicked his tongue.

“Why are you wasting so much breath? Are you fighting or not?”

As he spoke, Qin Zhe glanced down at the spectators, inwardly annoyed.

How had the news spread so quickly?

Did all these people really need to come?

Being the center of attention was not what Qin Zhe wanted.

Unfortunately, Haitown University was full of people with far too much free time. The moment they heard the news, they had rushed over.

His words had been interrupted so bluntly that Zhou Wentong’s expression immediately turned gloomy. Demonic energy surged around him as his entire body floated into the air.

When his opponent silently rose skyward, Qin Zhe was stunned.

Damn! Zhou Wentong was shameless beyond belief!

Everyone knew that martial artists could not fly.

That was the most fundamental weakness separating martial artists from cultivators of the immortal and demonic paths…

When faced with an immortal or demonic cultivator capable of flight, a martial artist standing on the ground could only suffer a one-sided beating. Their means of counterattack were extremely limited.

Yet in a wagered duel against a martial artist, this man had chosen to take to the air immediately, placing himself in an invincible position. It was utterly shameless!

But after thinking it over, Qin Zhe suddenly found that it did not matter.

Without the original owner’s memories, he was not even certain whether he could be considered a martial artist. His main purpose in coming here was simply to take a beating and test his physique and innate talent.

To avoid exposing himself, Qin Zhe struck a convincing opening stance. He raised his head toward Zhou Wentong, who hovered in the air, and beckoned with one hand.

“Come on! Let me see what you’re capable of. Is your demonic-arts department really as powerful as people claim?”

“You’re courting death!”

Zhou Wentong was cold and arrogant by nature. After enduring repeated provocations, he could no longer restrain himself. He raised his hand and slammed down a colossal palm seal from above.

“That’s the Blood Demon Hand. I never expected Zhou Wentong, despite following the path of the human demon, to have also cultivated techniques from the Heavenly Demon lineage. This boy has hidden himself well.”

A demonic-arts instructor responsible for managing the martial arena lifted his brows slightly, his eyes shining with surprise.

The moment Zhou Wentong unleashed the Blood Demon Hand, the martial-arts students below the stage all tensed, their faces filled with worry.

The Blood Demon Hand was the most infamous technique in the demonic-arts department!

Its direct destructive power was limited, but it possessed the ability to corrupt the physical body, making it almost the perfect counter to martial artists.

The physical body was the foundation of every martial artist!

Yet what no one expected was that Qin Zhe showed no intention of dodging. He merely narrowed his eyes slightly and looked upward…

End of Chapter.