Chapter 819: Unity is Strength

"So, little sister, have you learned it?" Meng Jingzhou jumped onto the treetop and gulped down the juice Meng Jingyu was about to drink.

Meng Jingyu gave her brother a resentful look before finally saying, "Then why don't we open an underground casino and bet on Ning Fan winning?"

Meng Jingzhou waved his hand. "Our Meng family might collude with officials, but we can't engage in illegal activities."

The little wooden puppet's swordsmanship was exceptionally refined. Sun Chuanxian had seen many sword cultivators, but none possessed such skill.

"Ice Dragons Emerge!" Sun Chuanxian roared, conjuring two ice dragons that breathed icy mist. The ground froze over, and the leaves overhead were covered in a layer of frost.

The little wooden puppet continued to playfully brandish its small wooden sword, forming a rudimentary sword domain around itself. Neither the dragon's breath nor the extreme cold could harm it!

"Ning Fan, I can't believe you had such a trick up your sleeve!" Sun Chuanxian's impression of Ning Fan shifted. They had fought so many times, yet Ning Fan had never revealed his identity as a puppeteer. And now, in the arena, he even used the puppet's cute appearance to mislead him—what a cunning scheme!

Ning Fan was also surprised, not expecting the little wooden puppet to be so formidable. The five hundred thousand was certainly well spent.

"It seems you're my biggest competitor in this match! With this skill, even Lu Yang would likely face a tough battle if he encountered it!"

The second round of matches proceeded simultaneously. Sun Chuanxian noticed Lu Yang, who was tied to a chair, was paying close attention, indicating he also thought highly of Ning Fan's puppetry.

Lu Yang had always believed in getting what you pay for. Since Ning Fan had paid five hundred thousand spirit stones, his service had to be worth the cost. Therefore, he controlled the puppet clone with utmost seriousness.

"Slash!"

The little wooden puppet scoffed lightly, decapitated the two frost dragons, and then, like a small hammer, knocked Sun Chuanxian out of the arena.

"Ning Fan wins!"

"He really won?" Ning Fan was overjoyed.

As he was about to retrieve the puppet, he saw the little wooden puppet run into the crowd and disappear from sight.

The service, worth five hundred thousand, concluded here.

The other match in the second round was equally noteworthy, featuring An Nan'er, granddaughter of the Grand Duke, and Luo Wushuang, son of the Minister of War.

"Fellow Daoist An, I never expected us to meet here," Luo Wushuang said, clad in armor and wielding a great halberd, looking like a majestic young general who had fought through battlefields.

"Unfortunately, I can't go easy on you this time. My father ordered me to defeat Lu Yang to erase the shame of his previous defeat to Daoist Buyu!"

An Nan'er's expression was calm. The two jade bracelets on her wrists enlarged, transforming into two jade rings that buzzed in the air.

"What a coincidence, my grandfather also instructed me to acknowledge Lu Yang as an elder brother. I must win this battle!"

Lu Yang, who was the designated prize, heard this and was about to shout, "If you acknowledge him as an elder brother, you don't have to fight!" but Meng Jingzhou, as if anticipating Lu Yang's words, darted forward and gagged him with a rag.

No way, you can't have all the good things!

This was an unequal battle. Luo Wushuang was at the initial stage of the Spirit Transformation realm, while An Nan'er was only at the peak of the Nascent Soul realm. One was an unmatched combat genius, the other a wondrous person born with natural anomalies. If their realms were the same, they could have an even match, but with a full realm separating them, there was little left to fight for.

They exchanged glances, both seemingly having made a decision, and spoke simultaneously.

"Fellow Daoist An, if I were to suppress you with my realm, even if I won, you probably wouldn't be convinced. So now I'll lower my cultivation. That way, if you lose, you'll be truly convinced, won't you?" As he spoke, Luo Wushuang formed hand seals, restraining himself and lowering his cultivation to the peak of the Nascent Soul realm.

"Fellow Daoist Luo, don't assume you've won just because you think I'm a realm lower than you. To be frank, I actually broke through to the Spirit Transformation realm long ago; I merely sealed my cultivation before now." An Nan'er touched her glabella, and her aura surged dramatically, ascending to the Spirit Transformation realm in the blink of an eye.

Luo Wushuang: "..."An Nan'er: "..."

A deathly silence fell over the scene. An Nan'er was the first to speak, breaking the stalemate.

"Why don't you revert to the Spirit Transformation realm?"

Luo Wushuang paused for a moment. "...That would take an hour. Or perhaps you could continue sealing your cultivation?"

"Once cultivation is unsealed, I have to wait two hours before I can seal it again."

Both parties fell into a prolonged silence once more. They couldn't possibly make everyone stand there idly for an hour.

"Fellow Daoist Luo, no offense!" An Nan'er made up her mind. Although suppressing someone with her realm went against her principles, it was the only option now.

"Whoa, wait a minute..." Luo Wushuang hadn't expected An Nan'er to be so decisive. Before he could react, the two jade rings behind An Nan'er flew forward and knocked him directly out of the arena.

"An Nan'er wins!"

On the other side, Zhong Yi, son of the Grand Imperial Secretary, on whom everyone had placed high hopes, encountered a rather difficult opponent.

"Who is this person? So strong! It looks like Zhong Yi is going to lose."

"Probably someone's hidden illegitimate child, unwilling to be seen."

Zhong Yi was knocked back by his opponent, retreating several steps before he could steady himself. He panted as he stared at his opponent. "I didn't expect there to be a master like you hidden so deeply within Imperial City! Who are you? Why have I never seen you before!"

The opponent appeared to be a young man about Zhong Yi's age. Hearing Zhong Yi's question, the young man looked visibly embarrassed and slowly explained.

"To be honest, I'm just a cultivator from out of town. I heard the Luotian Forest in Imperial City was quite famous, so I came to check it out. Then you all appeared and pushed me into the crowd. I figured it wasn't a good time to leave, so I felt awkward about going. That Meng fellow even insisted on me drawing a lot, and after that, I just confusedly started fighting, and then I ran into you."

"By the way, I'm in the Integration realm."

Zhong Yi: "..."

You, being in the Integration realm, how do you have the nerve to fight against a group of young people like us? Have you no shame?

The young man in the Integration realm slapped the back of his head and chuckled. "If I had shame, I wouldn't have cultivated to the Integration realm, would I?"

Then he casually departed, not even leaving his name.

"Zhong Yi wins!"

Zhong Yi was terrifyingly strong. He cut his way through all opponents and met An Nan'er in the final. After three hundred rounds, he finally defeated her.

"Congratulations on your victory, Fellow Daoist Zhong Yi," Meng Jingzhou said, clapping with a smile. He then stepped aside, revealing Lu Yang, who was securely tied behind him.

"Now, Fellow Daoist Zhong Yi, you can either challenge Lu Yang or become sworn brothers with him."

Actually, there was no need to ask. Meng Jingzhou saw the burning fighting spirit in Zhong Yi's eyes; he would definitely challenge Lu Yang.

But could someone merely at the initial stage of the Spirit Transformation realm truly defeat Lu Yang?

Zhong Yi didn't answer directly. Instead, he said in a deep voice, "Our ancestors braved thorns and thistles, passing down knowledge through generations to create cultivation systems for posterity. At the end of the Great Yu Dynasty, the Jiang family rose, leading thousands of soldiers and horses to establish the Great Xia Dynasty. This demonstrates that some things cannot be accomplished by a single person; unity is strength."

Zhong Yi pointed at Lu Yang and declared firmly, "I choose to collectively beat up Lu Yang!"