Chapter 142 Arena Duel

“Not happy? Then fight me one-on-one!”

Wu Tian’s words were outrageously arrogant, and he said them so loudly that even the other disciples eating in the dining hall heard him.

The statement was so shocking that Shen Congyuan and his companions were all left speechless.

After several seconds of stunned silence, Shen Congyuan finally came to his senses. Pointing at Wu Tian, he burst into laughter.

“Hahaha… What did you just say? You want to fight me one-on-one? Hahaha… That’s the funniest joke I’ve heard in all my years! A rookie who just arrived at headquarters actually wants to challenge me. Tell me, isn’t that hilarious?”

“Senior Brother Shen, this kid from Pingyang City must have something wrong with his head. Isn’t challenging you just asking for humiliation?” said one of the newcomers behind Shen Congyuan disdainfully.

“He’s far too full of himself. He should take a good look at himself and figure out how much he weighs. Forget Senior Brother Shen—even I could beat you!” another newcomer behind Shen Congyuan stepped forward and pointed at Wu Tian with contempt.

Clearly, the two newcomers were trying to show off in front of Shen Congyuan.

“You’d better stay out of this, or you’ll regret it,” Wu Tian warned calmly, glancing at the two of them.

“Damn, you’ve got some nerve! These two junior brothers come from much better backgrounds than you. Both of them were selected from the Tianmen Pass branch, which is far stronger than your little Pingyang City!” Shen Congyuan swept Wu Tian with a cold glance. “You really don’t know how to read the situation. Apologize to me right now, or I’ll teach you a lesson!”

At that moment, Zhou Zheng tugged at Wu Tian and whispered, “Junior Brother Wu, Shen Congyuan is also a tenth-level Martial Spirit cultivator. His combat experience is richer than yours, and he also has an Earth-grade piece of equipment awarded by the sect. If you confront him head-on, I’m afraid you won’t stand a chance!”

“Senior Brother Zhou, don’t worry. This bastard is acting arrogant in front of me, so I’m going to beat his face until it swells,” Wu Tian said indifferently.

“But…”

“Damn it! What are you two whispering about?” Shen Congyuan interrupted them and shouted, “Kid, I’ll give you ten seconds to choose. Are you going to apologize, or do you want me to beat you?”

“My choice is to beat you,” Wu Tian replied with an amused smile.

Shen Congyuan’s expression abruptly changed. His right hand closed around the sword at his waist, and he was about to draw it.

“Senior Brother Shen, absolutely not!” the newcomer behind him hurriedly warned. “Private fighting is forbidden within the sect, and anyone who violates that rule will be punished. If you want to teach this kid a lesson, you can do it on the arena. Besides, I don’t think Senior Brother Shen needs to trouble himself. I can easily make this kid kneel and beg for mercy!”

Only then did Shen Congyuan halt his movement. He took a deep breath and said, “I was so furious that I nearly forgot the rule. But it would be too humiliating for me to challenge this kid personally. You go to the arena and teach him a lesson.”

“No need, Shen Congyuan. As I said before, if you’re unhappy, then let’s fight one-on-one. I’ll see you on the arena.” Wu Tian looked at Shen Congyuan.

The Heaven-Reaching Sect had a rule: no matter what conflicts arose between disciples, they were forbidden from fighting privately. However, they were free to settle their disputes openly in a formal duel on the arena.

After receiving Wu Tian’s challenge, Shen Congyuan’s expression darkened. To be honest, he felt that fighting Wu Tian on the arena would be beneath him. But Wu Tian’s challenge was so bold and imposing that if Shen Congyuan refused, it would amount to admitting defeat. With his temperament, he would never allow himself to back down.

“Damn it! Since you’re looking to be humiliated, I’ll grant your wish. See you on the arena!” Shen Congyuan pointed at Wu Tian coldly before walking straight out of the dining hall and toward the fighting arena on the training grounds.

“Junior Brother Wu, you really… You really intend to fight him on the arena?” Zhou Zheng asked incredulously.

“Since private fighting is forbidden, of course we have to fight on the arena. Otherwise, I would have already slapped his face swollen,” Wu Tian said with a shrug.

“Senior Brother Zhou, you can relax. My big brother is incredibly powerful. That petty man isn’t remotely his match—not even one of my big brother’s fingers could compare to him,” Niu Wuji said confidently, patting Zhou Zheng on the shoulder.

“All right, then. Just be careful,” Zhou Zheng said helplessly, having no choice but to let Wu Tian have his way.

Wu Tian and the others followed Shen Congyuan to the fighting arena on the training grounds.

Before the duel even began, news of it had already spread rapidly.

“The newcomer who just arrived is challenging Senior Brother Shen. They’re going to fight on the arena! Hurry and go take a look!”

“What happened? Why would a newcomer challenge a senior disciple?”

“Shen Congyuan mocked him, and the newcomer got angry. That’s why they’re fighting.”

“This is a spectacle rarely seen in a century. Hurry and go watch!”

The rumor spread from one person to ten, then from ten to a hundred. Before long, every disciple under Liu Qingxu had heard about it. Even Liu Qingxu received word that Wu Tian and Shen Congyuan were about to duel.

Yet Liu Qingxu was not surprised in the slightest. She merely muttered helplessly to herself, “As expected, the Heaven-Reaching Sect will never know peace while he’s around. It seems things like this will happen all the time from now on. What a headache.”

Wu Tian and Shen Congyuan stood at opposite ends of the arena. Before the duel even started, the area was already surrounded by disciples who had come after hearing the news.

“Rookie, prepare yourself to be taken down in one move!” Shen Congyuan raised his right hand and pointed at Wu Tian’s face. “I was originally going to let things go if you apologized, but you kept provoking me again and again. So I won’t hold back. I’ll use this hand to slap your face until it swells!”

“Hmm. That’s not a bad suggestion. I think I’ll accept it,” Wu Tian said with a nod and a smile.

“Hmph! You’re still mouthing off with death right in front of you. Since you’re a rookie, I’ll let you make the first move. Otherwise, people will accuse me of bullying someone younger and weaker,” Shen Congyuan said disdainfully.

“You go first. Otherwise, you won’t even get the chance to attack later,” Wu Tian replied with a shrug, looking completely unconcerned.

Flames of anger flickered in Shen Congyuan’s eyes. Clenching his fists, he roared, “You’re far too arrogant. Die!”

The instant his voice fell, Shen Congyuan’s body transformed into a blur and shot toward Wu Tian.

The disciples surrounding the arena shook their heads one after another.

“That newcomer is actually fighting Shen Congyuan? He’s just looking for trouble. Shen Congyuan has spent five more years cultivating at headquarters than he has. They aren’t even on the same level,” one disciple said with a shake of his head.

“Senior Brother Shen is already a tenth-level Martial Spirit cultivator and ranks among the strongest disciples under our master. Even many senior brothers aren’t his match. A newcomer actually dared to challenge him—he’s simply inviting humiliation,” another disciple said with contempt.

“I say that newcomer will be defeated in two moves.”

“No, I think it’ll take only one.”

“…”

Not a single spectator believed Wu Tian could win. Most even thought he would not survive a single move. Zhou Zheng was sweating nervously as well. Although he knew Wu Tian was a tenth-level Martial Spirit cultivator, he believed Shen Congyuan’s greater experience gave him a decisive advantage, and that Wu Tian had very little chance of victory.

By then, Shen Congyuan had already reached Wu Tian. His right palm was only a few inches from Wu Tian’s face, and Wu Tian could almost feel the force of the wind.

“Kid, you dared to act arrogant. Go to hell!”

Smack!

The crisp sound of a slap rang throughout the entire training grounds.