Invincible Young Master in the City
Chapter 722: 718: Battle!

Chapter 722: Chapter 718: Battle!

Li Huaren and Dong Ziqi, due to their concern for Shen Biancheng and his sect, didn’t dare to become bitter enemies with Ye Fan’s sect. They sought to subdue the enemy without fighting, so they deliberately arrived at the life-and-death duel platform to show their faces.

“Mr. Shen,” Li Huaren greeted Shen Biancheng with a clasped fist and a bow.

However, Shen Biancheng ignored him, his tiger-like eyes intensifying as they shone like silver beams, staring at Dong Ziqi.

Dong Ziqi was already a half-step Qi-Blood Master, so although he felt the sting from Shen Biancheng’s piercing gaze, it caused him little discomfort.

He greeted Shen Biancheng with a clasped fist, saying, “I have seen Mr. Shen.”

Ye Fan was also fixing his gaze on Dong Ziqi and noticed that just from the momentum alone, Dong Ziqi was clearly much stronger than when he had tried to assassinate him before.

Standing nearby, Gu Youlan frowned slightly. She moved half a step closer to Ye Fan and whispered urgently in his ear, “Ye Fan, do not duel with him, he has made a breakthrough!”

Hearing this, Ye Fan’s heart clenched and his expression grew grave.

“Hehe, Mr. Shen, the little old man stands by what he said this morning,” Li Huaren said to Shen Biancheng.

Shen Biancheng turned his head slightly and whispered to Ye Fan, “Junior Brother, Dong Ziqi has made a breakthrough. Although he hasn’t fully sublimated to a Qi-Blood Master, he’s not as simple as an ordinary Dark Energy late stage anymore. The risk is extreme if it really comes to a life-and-death duel. They mean to reconcile, with Dong Ziqi publicly apologizing and offering compensation. The decision is yours.”

Ye Fan took a deep breath, his hands forming fists, waging a battle within himself.

To fight or not to fight?

To fight would be to court death. Even though Dong Ziqi had not truly become a Qi-Blood Master, a breakthrough meant his strength had certainly increased greatly since before, and Ye Fan had no assurance of victory.

Not fighting would mean avoiding risk and saving face, but where would his warrior spirit be then?!

Could he let go of the blood feud that had accumulated over several months for fear of death?

Had he not already been so close to death at Dong Ziqi’s hands?

If he chose not to seek revenge out of fear, his martial spirit, which fervently pursued progress, would be shattered. Losing the courage to face adversaries on the narrow path, could he even call himself a martial artist? Without the courage of a martial artist, an unbreakable shadow of evasion would be cast over his lifetime, and no matter how talented, he would likely achieve nothing in the world of ancient martial arts. Perhaps, he would never reach the stage of Qi-Blood Mastery.

Gu Mingshuang and Lin Yuehua also understood the situation and began to worry.

Lin Yuehua, in particular, couldn’t contain her anxiety and stepped forward to persuade Ye Fan, “Ye Fan, it’s better to make friends than enemies, to spare others when you can. Why not just reconcile?”

“Fight!”

Ye Fan spat out the word decisively, loosened his fists, and walked step by step towards his seat, leaving footprints behind.

Sitting down, Ye Fan closed his eyes and regulated his breath quietly, calming himself completely.

Hearing Ye Fan’s determination to fight, Li Huaren and Dong Ziqi’s expressions shifted subtly. They had expected Ye Fan would choose reconciliation. The chasm between Dark Energy and Qi-Blood was insurmountable. Even a half-step Qi-Blood Master was not someone a late-stage Dark Energy expert could challenge.

Especially since, to their knowledge, Ye Fan had exceptional talent and a powerful sect behind him, and seemingly a good background. How could he possibly know death was certain and still choose to fight to the death?

Gu Youlan, Gu Mingshuang, and Lin Yuehua also changed their expressions dramatically upon hearing his decision. Lin Yuehua almost cried out. She wanted to persuade Ye Fan, but she restrained herself. Since Ye Fan had made up his mind to fight, they could not shake his resolve.

As for Shen Biancheng, he laughed heartily and called out, “Excellent!”

He no longer intended to persuade Ye Fan either.

He, too, had understood why Ye Fan had made that choice.

A few minutes passed in the blink of an eye, and finally, the time had come for the life-and-death duel between Ye Fan and Dong Ziqi.

The host of the event took the stage and introduced to everyone why Ye Fan and Dong Ziqi were dueling to the death.

After the introduction, the host invited Ye Fan and Dong Ziqi to take the stage.

The rest of the audience, unable to wait, shouted and urged Ye Fan and Dong Ziqi to go up and duel, truly eager for a spectacle.

As Ye Fan and Dong Ziqi stepped onto the platform of the life-and-death duel, Shen Biancheng and others, as well as Li Huaren and others, were asked to leave the vicinity of the dueling stage and were isolated to several meters away, with super-reinforced glass barriers set up in between to prevent them from interfering with the duel.

That is to say, whether it was Ye Fan or Dong Ziqi, victory or defeat, life or death could only rely entirely on oneself.

“Ye Fan, you still have time to make peace,” Dong Ziqi approached Ye Fan and spoke in a voice that only the two of them could hear, “I’m already a half-step master of Qi-Blood transition, and no matter how talented you are, you can’t possibly be my opponent. You’re still young, with great talent and background, a bright future awaits you, why risk it? Moreover, once the duel truly starts, I will abandon all reservations, put you to death, and show no mercy!”

He said these words to Ye Fan, certainly to persuade Ye Fan to reconcile, but on another level, he also had ill intentions, which was to shake and dissolve Ye Fan’s will to fight.

In such a life-and-death duel, those without firm will are very likely to be defeated, especially when there is a significant disparity in strength.

However, having experienced countless life-and-death challenges on the battlefield, Ye Fan’s will had long been as hard as steel, how could Dong Ziqi easily sway him with a few words?

Ye Fan merely snorted coldly, without expression, and said, “If you kneel and beg for mercy, I might spare your life!”

“Hmph! You refuse a toast only to be forced to drink a forfeit,” Dong Ziqi said coldly, “Since it’s come to this, today I will kill you! An unfulfilled genius is no genius at all!”

The two men separated, each standing at one end of the life-and-death duel stage, confronting each other.

The host stepped down, to be replaced by a middle-aged man with a powerful presence to serve as the referee.

This middle-aged man’s Qi-Blood was so vibrant that even from a distance people could feel it, and his tiger-like eyes inadvertently revealed a silver light, betraying his strong aura. He was Cheng Yuanqiao, a late-stage Qi-Blood transition master well-known overseas. Although his strength was somewhat lesser than Shen Biancheng’s, he was also among the top masters.

Having him serve as the referee and witness to the duel was more than adequate.

No sooner had Cheng Yuanqiao ascended the platform for the life-and-death duel than he held in his hand a sheet of paper, alongside a pen and a box of red ink paste.

Cheng Yuanqiao didn’t waste words. He first went to Ye Fan and said, “This is the life-and-death agreement. Sign it.”

Ye Fan took the pen, scanned the agreement, and resolutely signed his name before pressing his fingerprint on it.

After Ye Fan signed, Cheng Yuanqiao turned and walked towards Dong Ziqi, having him sign the life-and-death agreement as well.

Finally, Cheng Yuanqiao took the life-and-death agreement to the center of the duel platform and read aloud for all to hear:

“Life-and-Death Agreement:

Today both parties have a life-and-death duel, life and death are fated; wealth and honor are in the hands of the Heavens, and there will be no pursuit of either party post-duel, regardless of life or death.

Party A’s signature: Ye Fan

Party B’s signature: Dong Ziqi

Witness’s signature: Cheng Yuanqiao.”

After reading, Cheng Yuanqiao showed the life-and-death agreement to the audience below the stage for one minute, and then securely kept the agreement.

He walked to the edge, turned, and loudly declared to Ye Fan and Dong Ziqi:

“The life-and-death duel begins!”