"Huh? Why surrender so early? I was planning to spar with you for a while longer."
Seeing Lei Ting surrender, Wan Lei no longer remained on guard and flew towards him.
"Knowing I'd lose, why bother to pester you? I can't beat you anyway. The physical suppression is too strong. Although I'm unhappy about losing, a loss is a loss. From now on, the Tai Xu Realm disciples of the Lei Hall will be under your leadership."
"No, no, I meant I originally planned to fight you all day before defeating you. I was going to defeat you before dawn tomorrow. The longest I've ever fought anyone is for fifteen minutes. Fighting you for a whole day would make others think you're amazing, that we fought back and forth, and that I won with great difficulty. How impressive would that be? Besides, no one outside can see it, right?"
Wan Lei was actually thinking of his senior brother, afraid he might lose face in front of outsiders.
"Stop, stop talking, the more you say, the more embarrassing it gets..."
Lei Ting covered his face with his left hand and waved his right hand repeatedly, too ashamed to lift his head.
"What are you afraid of? It's just the two of us here, heaven knows, earth knows, you know, I know. There will never be a third person who knows. Senior Brother, rest assured, I have no interest in the position of Hall Master. I'm only here to challenge the Creation Pagoda because of that mandatory mission. I can't refuse it even if I wanted to, otherwise I wouldn't be here. And you know, your junior brother can't afford to lose. If I fail the mission, I'll be expelled from the Five Elements Hall, so I have no choice but to come. Rest assured, the Hall Master of our Lei Hall will always be you. Whoever forces me, I'll confront them."
"No, no, no, I don't care about this position either. I'm also very happy that the Lei Hall has a genius like you... Stop talking, the more you say, the more embarrassing it gets."
"Oh, what are you afraid of? No one is watching. Can this Creation Pagoda leak anything? How about this: after I go out, I'll say you didn't want to see me fail, and that you deliberately surrendered after defeating me. Will that do? And then I'll treat you to drinks outside, how about it?"
"Stop talking, stop talking..."
"Look at you, such a grown man, what's there to be ashamed of? It's just the two of us here. If I were to pee here, would an outsider see it?"
"That... Junior Brother Wan."
Lei Ting finally raised his head, summoning his courage, and said to Wan Lei,
"You probably don't know, but from the moment you started fighting Xing Chen, the big screen outside has been broadcasting live. Millions of people outside are watching our fight clearly. That... Senior Brother has other matters to attend to, I'll take my leave now. You prepare for the final battle."
Lei Ting's figure disappeared, leaving Wan Lei alone.
Boom!!!
In an instant, Wan Lei was struck by lightning, freezing in place.
Damn it!
I've been publicly shamed again?
Thinking about what he had just said, about pretending Lei Ting had defeated him, about wanting to pee right there, Wan Lei felt so ashamed he wanted to roll on the ground. My cool persona! You scoundrels of the Creation Pagoda, you're targeting me too!
Wan Lei's toes dug into the soles of his shoes, his face flushed red. He also felt a bit resentful, wondering why he was always targeted by various people and rules in the Five Elements Hall. Isn't this bullying an honest person?
Wan Lei continued to sit cross-legged in the void, resting his chin on his hand, looking utterly dejected.
"Isn't he going to rest and adjust his condition? The final battle is about to begin."
"That's Jian Fanchen. Is he going to continue challenging?"
"Regardless of whether he succeeds, he has already accomplished the feat of challenging a hundred rounds consecutively, which is enough to be recorded in history."
"How many moves do you think he can last against Jian Fanchen? He's quite strong, he shouldn't be defeated in just one sword, right?"
"It's hard to say Wan Lei's exact strength, but he's definitely stronger than the disciples of the third tier. Saying he defeated Xing Chen was due to elemental advantage, but water doesn't necessarily counter fire, and fire doesn't counter water. He defeated Lei Ting because of his innate lightning body, which perfectly counters lightning attributes. But look at his close-quarters combat with Lei Ting, they were almost evenly matched. So, Wan Lei's strength should be comparable to the disciples of the second tier."
"But the second tier disciples are no match for Jian Fanchen. In the past, all four of them challenged the final round, but they were all defeated by Jian Fanchen with a single sword, without exception."
"Perhaps Wan Lei can withstand Jian Fanchen's two swords."
"Regardless, Jian Fanchen is too strong. Even though Wan Lei has broken through ninety-nine rounds without defeat, he still cannot escape the fate of defeat."
"Alas, do you think Jian Fanchen will make a personal appearance? It would be great if he did, then we'd have a good show."
"No, Jian Fanchen is too transcendent. In all previous challenges, projections have always appeared. He stays in his Sword Hall's main peak, rarely coming out, paying no attention to worldly affairs, and dedicating himself to comprehending the Way of the Sword. He probably won't come out."
"Alas, what a pity. I really want to see the strongest and most talented disciple in the Tai Xu Realm of our Five Elements Hall face off against each other."
"To be precise, it's a duel between the most outstanding disciple of the Five Elements Hall and the most outstanding rogue cultivator. Don't forget, how long has Wan Lei been in the Five Elements Hall? As far as I know, he hasn't exchanged for any cultivation techniques or divine abilities."
The crowd outside buzzed with discussions. Little Gold looked worried and anxious. Wan Lei was about to face Jian Fanchen, and he had no confidence in Wan Lei at all. That was Jian Fanchen, who had never been defeated since his debut. Although he had taken many years to challenge the Creation Pagoda, he had never lost.
Time passed peacefully. The sun set, and stars began to light up the night sky.
Behind the Sword Hall, in a bamboo forest, there was a secluded and elegant courtyard. The courtyard was not large, only about eight or nine bamboo houses. Normally, only the Hall Master of the Sword Hall and his wife lived there. Occasionally, the Hall Master's personal disciples would visit for a day or two to seek guidance.
As the starry sky filled the heavens, two young men sat facing each other in a bamboo pavilion. The young man on the right wore the silver-white disciple uniform of the Sword Hall. He had a lean face and sat upright, his back as straight as a drawn sword. This was the strongest Hall Master of the Five Elements Hall—Jian Fanchen. The young man on the left, however, wore a simple white robe. His handsome face was not overly delicate, exuding a masculine charm, truly a rare beauty.
He was the founding elder of the Five Elements Hall, the Hall Master of the Sword Hall, the Void Sword Saint—Wan Jianyi!
Wan Jianyi looked relaxed and smiled at Jian Fanchen.
"During my time fighting in the Sea of Bitterness, your cultivation of my divine ability, 'Myriad Swords Return as One,' is almost complete. You've also grasped some nascent forms of my master, the Starry Sky Sword Saint's, 'Starry Sky Sword Intent.' Next, you need to fully comprehend the Starry Sky Sword Intent and truly use the power of starlight to extinguish countless enemies."