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Afterward, Yi Tianyun regularly hunted monsters at night by riding his Snow Wolf King through the snowy mountains.
However, since he no longer had the Ten Times EXP Card, the EXP he gained became relatively small. In addition, there were not many monsters in the area to begin with, so his leveling speed naturally slowed down.
Time passed quickly, and half a month went by in the blink of an eye.
Today was the day of the duel. The area was already crowded with people, yet Yi Tianyun was nowhere to be seen.
"Palace Lord Shi, is Yi Tianyun even coming?" Zhao Hualong mocked when he failed to spot Yi Tianyun near the stage.
Fang Yun's face showed disappointment.
If Yi Tianyun had run away, he would lose his chance for revenge.
"He's preparing himself. He will arrive soon." Shi Xueyun answered, though inwardly she actually hoped Yi Tianyun had escaped instead of coming here.
"Good to hear. If he really ran away, then Jade Palace will bear full responsibility! You can start by handing over your quota for entering the ancient ruins. Otherwise, Spirit Sect will not let this matter rest!" Zhao Hualong declared arrogantly.
"Why would I run away? Jade Palace is my home. Why should I escape? I already said I would participate, and I will keep my word!"
Yi Tianyun walked over from the distance. His footsteps were calm and steady, without the slightest trace of panic. No one had yet realized how much power now hid within him.
However, everyone vaguely felt that he was no longer the same person as he had been half a month ago.
When Yi Tianyun killed Fang Chen, everyone assumed it had merely been luck or that Yi Tianyun used some kind of dirty trick. No one truly believed he possessed enough strength to kill Fang Chen directly.
"I appreciate that you didn't run away with your tail between your legs!" Fang Yun's eyes turned cold.
Shi Xueyun sighed deeply. Even though Yi Tianyun had come, nobody believed he could win. Neither Jade Palace nor Spirit Sect had any expectations for him.
The people of Spirit Sect thought he was merely bragging, while the disciples of Jade Palace believed he was desperately protecting his pride and forcing himself to appear despite knowing the inevitable outcome.
"Since everyone is here, Palace Lord Shi, shall we begin?" Zhao Hualong sneered. Now that Yi Tianyun had arrived, he believed victory was already guaranteed.
"Very well. Then it will be best two out of three in five matches. The faction that wins three matches will be declared victorious and gain the right to enter the ancient ruins," Shi Xueyun said solemnly.
"Correct. Five matches, three victories. Who will go first?" Zhao Hualong narrowed his eyes toward Yi Tianyun, clearly provoking him to step forward.
"Then I'll go first!" Yi Tianyun volunteered before calmly walking toward the stage.
Just before he stepped onto the arena, Shi Xueyun stopped him and whispered softly: "Just admit defeat. Even in a life-and-death duel, you can still surrender!" Her expression was extremely serious.
"If I admit defeat, then I won't be worthy of your protection, Aunt." Yi Tianyun smiled at her before stepping onto the martial arts stage, leaving Shi Xueyun standing there silently.
The noble Shi Xueyun never hid how important Yi Tianyun was to her, and Yi Tianyun was equally unafraid of becoming enemies with Spirit Sect!
Shi Xueyun was not even his blood-related aunt, yet that did not matter. In order to protect Yi Tianyun, she had even slapped Zhao Hualong publicly and endangered the relationship between the two factions. Once again, Yi Tianyun was reminded how much she truly cared for him.
"Very well, then without further delay, let the duel begin!"
After Yi Tianyun stepped onto the stage, Zhao Hualong waved toward Fang Yun and solemnly said: "This is a life-and-death duel. Surrender is forbidden unless you leave the arena boundaries!"
By adding this condition, Zhao Hualong ensured Yi Tianyun could not simply surrender. Escaping the arena would be his only option.
Of course, in Zhao Hualong's eyes, a trash like Yi Tianyun would never be able to outrun Fang Yun anyway.
Shi Xueyun's expression changed, but she could not object and had no choice but to accept the conditions.
Fang Yun sneered coldly at Yi Tianyun: "I understand what the Second Elder intends. You won't be escaping today!"
Then Fang Yun stepped forward until he stood directly before Yi Tianyun, his eyes filled with killing intent.
"I will personally kill you and make you pay for murdering my brother!"
At this moment, however, his true goal was not revenge, but victory in the duel.
Although Fang Chen was indeed his younger brother and Fang Yun was furious about his death, he was equally ashamed. Fang Chen constantly bullied others, but that did not mean he deserved to kill people recklessly.
"Kill your brother? Your brother tried to snatch my pill and even attempted to kill me. Stop spreading blatant lies! All you care about is the quota for entering the ancient ruins!" Yi Tianyun looked at him indifferently before calmly continuing: "Go ahead and attack already. That way I can finally make my move too."
"It's you who's lying! Let me see what abilities you actually possess!" Fang Yun immediately took a fighting stance before activating Eagle Claw Art. His hands transformed into eagle-like claws as he rushed toward Yi Tianyun. A massive eagle phantom appeared behind him as if he had truly transformed into a giant eagle.
His attack directly targeted Yi Tianyun's throat, clearly aiming to kill him in a single strike.
Meanwhile, Yi Tianyun remained completely motionless.
The disciples of Jade Palace all believed Yi Tianyun had gone blind.
Was Yi Tianyun truly a fool?
Shi Xueyun was already preparing herself to intervene and save Yi Tianyun's life.
Zhao Hualong smirked confidently, believing everything was already over. Fang Chen may not have been especially talented, but dealing with trash like Yi Tianyun should have been effortless.
At that moment, Yi Tianyun suddenly opened his eyes. Brilliant light flashed within them like a vast galaxy flowing endlessly across the stars.
"Absorbing Stars Great Technique!"
Yi Tianyun forcefully reached out and grabbed Fang Yun's arm, instantly absorbing Fang Yun's spiritual power!
『Gained 1 EXP, 2 EXP, 3 EXP…』
Suddenly, Fang Yun's body stiffened as his face turned pale. He could clearly feel the spiritual power within his body rapidly disappearing! He desperately tried to break free, but Yi Tianyun refused to let him escape.
A cultivator who lost all spiritual power would gradually weaken before ultimately becoming crippled.
"Let go of me!"
Fang Yun roared angrily as he immediately pulled out a dagger with his free hand. He aimed directly for Yi Tianyun's heart, hoping to kill him before Yi Tianyun could finish draining him.
However, Yi Tianyun instantly saw through Fang Yun's intentions. He grabbed Fang Yun's armed hand and violently redirected the dagger into Fang Yun's own chest while simultaneously slamming him heavily into the ground.
Fang Yun crashed against the arena floor and became momentarily stunned from the impact.
Yi Tianyun tightly held Fang Yun's arm while forcing the dagger deeper into his chest.
Puchi!
The sound of blood clogging Fang Yun's throat echoed throughout the arena.
"Like brother, like brother. Always relying on sneak attacks. Is this some kind of family technique?"
Yi Tianyun sneered coldly before lifting his leg and stomping down fiercely.
Bang!
Fang Yun was kicked violently into the air. Zhao Hualong reacted quickly, leaping upward to catch him.
"Y-You…"
Fang Yun vomited a mouthful of blood as his eyes widened in horror. His face rapidly darkened, exactly like Fang Chen's before him. The signs of poisoning were obvious.
The next moment, Fang Yun's eyes dimmed completely, and he died.
The scene was nearly identical to Fang Chen's death.
Both brothers relied on dirty tricks, and both died by their own poison.
『Ding! Successfully killed Fang Yun and gained 700 EXP and 20 Crazy Points!』
『Obtained one Recovery Pill!』
"This is all I got?" Yi Tianyun shook his head somewhat disappointedly. He originally expected better rewards, yet all he obtained was a Recovery Pill. He quickly realized the reason.
The martial art Fang Yun used earlier was Eagle Claw Art, which Yi Tianyun already possessed. Most likely, duplicate martial arts would no longer drop if he had already learned them.