Chapter 271: The Eccentricities of Jie Dao Han

At dusk, the sunset in the western sky was as red as a frost-covered forest.

The area in front of the Zeying Tai at the County Office had quieted down by now; the second round of duels had ended.

Many people had pale faces, and several were nursing injuries. This second round of duels was clearly more intense than the first.

The voice of Clerk Qin rang out at this moment.

"Chen Jinxiang, Wang Yuedi, Wang Shu, Liu Wenchao, Gai Lin, Yang Qi. These six people have a total score of zero over two rounds; they are declared eliminated!"

According to the rules, there was indeed no need for these six to continue competing, because even if they participated in the third round and won, their score would only be one, and those with a score below two must be eliminated.

Of the six whose names were called, three were nursing injuries, and all of them looked dull and listless; the moment they were knocked off the stage, they had already known this would be the result.

Twenty-four people, six eliminated, eighteen remain.

Among these eighteen, six had won two consecutive matches for a score of two; these six were: Duan Rong, Tao Rong, Ximen Kankan, Xiao Yu, Shen Mizhi, and Xia Shuangshuang.

The other twelve had a score of one, including the six who lost in the winning group and the six who won in the losing group.

Tomorrow is the third round of the points battle!

The third round of the points battle will still be divided into two groups: the six with a score of two will form one group, and the twelve with a score of one will form the other.

Random matchups within the groups, with half winning and half losing!

For the twelve with a score of one: the six who lose are directly eliminated! The six who win enter the Segmented Life-and-Death Challenge!

For the six with a score of two: the three who win are directly promoted to Registered Disciple! The three who lose also enter the Segmented Life-and-Death Challenge!

This means that in the end, there will be nine people entering the Segmented Life-and-Death Challenge.

These nine people will compete for the remaining four spots for promotion to Registered Disciple at the cost of life and death!

Such a cruel tournament format! And it is more cruel with each passing round!

Duan Rong stood there, his face also full of gravity!

Although he had displayed the strength of the Great Accomplishment, it was clearly not easy to get promoted.

He only had to win the third round of the points battle to be directly promoted.

Otherwise, he would still have to enter the Segmented Life-and-Death Challenge! The Segmented Life-and-Death Challenge could involve wheel battles, and the strength of the Great Accomplishment did not guarantee a win. Those who could make it to the end were by no means weak.

Duan Rong stood there, scanning the area; looking at the others in their group of six for tomorrow's points battle, he really did not have much confidence.

There were three people at the Great Success Realm: himself, Ximen Kankan, and Tao Rong!

And although Xiao Yu, Shen Mizhi, and Xia Shuangshuang had not yet broken through to the Great Accomplishment, they were all on the verge of doing so, and they could not be taken lightly either!

Not one of them was easy to deal with!

Furthermore, what if he was matched against Xiao Yu tomorrow? The probability of this was not small; how should he choose?

His chances of winning were clearly higher than Xiao Yu's if he entered the Segmented Life-and-Death Challenge, but they were only higher—not a guaranteed win!

"I hope that awkward situation doesn't arise..."

If it did, and he eliminated Xiao Yu in the third round of the points battle... then if something happened to Xiao Yu in the subsequent Segmented Life-and-Death Challenge, he would never be able to associate with the Xiaojia again.

This was entirely possible; in life-and-death wheel battles, people died tragically in almost every session!

Duan Rong walked with Xiao Zongting and Xiao Yu; an invisible weight permeated the air, and the cruelty of tomorrow's battle pressed down on the hearts of Xiao Yu and Duan Rong like a stone.

Zhu Xiaoqi had already gone back early to cook, but when the three reached the entrance of the Yuanshun Escort Agency, Xiao Zongting did not mention having Duan Rong come over to eat this time, so Duan Rong tactfully walked away on his own.

Duan Rong understood that what he was thinking, Xiao Zongting was thinking as well.

Not inviting Duan Rong over represented a certain ambiguous attitude from Xiao Zongting.

Xiao Yu stood at the intersection, watching Duan Rong's back in the twilight, and immediately understood what her father and Duan Rong were thinking!

But Xiao Yu's heart was as clear as a mirror; she was not Duan Rong's match to begin with, and she did not want Duan Rong to show her mercy.

Rely on one's own ability, accept one's own fate!

Duan Rong returned to Liu Lu to rest for a while and drank some tea before going to the street to eat.

After eating, he did not wander around but returned to Liu Lu early, intending to read some miscellaneous books before sleeping.

Duan Rong was lying on the bed, reading by the lamplight.

He had only been reading for a short while when a knocking sound suddenly came from the courtyard gate.

Duan Rong's expression shifted, and his Divine Sense swept over; seeing that it was Zhu Xiaoqi standing outside the gate, Duan Rong immediately got off the bed, crossed the courtyard, and opened the gate.

The dim lamplight shone on Zhu Xiaoqi's face.

Zhu Xiaoqi stuffed several steamed buns wrapped in a dried lotus leaf into Duan Rong's hands and said, "I made your food, why didn't you come?"

Duan Rong just gave an awkward smile and said nothing.

Zhu Xiaoqi handed an unsealed letter to Duan Rong and said, "Miss Yu asked me to give this to you."

Duan Rong's eyes jumped as he took it.

"I'm leaving."

Zhu Xiaoqi said this and, without waiting for Duan Rong's reply, slipped into the night.

Duan Rong glanced at Zhu Xiaoqi's back, then closed the courtyard gate and walked back to the Inner Room with the buns and the envelope.

Duan Rong placed the buns on the side table, pulled a sheet of letter paper from the unsealed envelope, and read it by the lamplight.

There were only three sparse lines of text on the letter, which were clearly in Xiao Yu's handwriting, and the ink was not yet dry, clearly written just a short while ago.

"Do not say that women are not heroic, the Dragon Spring rings on the wall every night! In the battle of life and death, I will not yield an inch!"

The meaning of Xiao Yu's letter was that if they met, he should not go easy on her! If Duan Rong went easy on her, it would be looking down on her!

"Do not say that women are not heroic, the Dragon Spring rings on the wall every night!" Holding the letter, Duan Rong murmured Xiao Yu's poem, and an inexplicable emotion echoed in his heart...

The sky had just turned dark, but since it was early spring, the weather turned cold the moment the sun set.

Liu Ergou stood by the city gate with his arms crossed, shivering from the cold; the cold wind whistled through the gate passage, stinging people's faces.

Seeing that the time had come, he was just preparing to close the city gate and huddle in the sheltered corner of the wall to warm up for a while and take a nap.

Liu Ergou had just grabbed one side of the city gate and was preparing to pull it shut when suddenly, a burst of rapid hoofbeats came, clattering like dense drumbeats.

Liu Ergou immediately stopped his hand, only to see a large black shadow flash past.

Liu Ergou cursed angrily: "Who is riding so blindly! You almost hit your Second Master!"

The black shadow jumped off the horse at the city gate and lashed a whip across Liu Ergou's face; Liu Ergou let out a cry, and a bloody welt swelled up on his face.

He was just about to flare up, but by the dim light from the city gate, he vaguely made out that the person was wearing an official uniform, and upon closer inspection, it was actually Xie Daohan.

"Xie... Head Xie..." Liu Ergou covered his face and stammered: "You... have returned from official business?"

"Nonsense! If I didn't return, do you think I died out there?" Xie Daohan said, stuffing the horsewhip in his hand into Liu Ergou's arms, and said: "Take the horse to the Ya Men for me and put it in the stable."

"Yes..." Liu Ergou held the horsewhip and nodded and bowed.

Xie Daohan had already strode away by this time.

Seeing that Xie Daohan had walked far away, Liu Ergou touched the bloody welt on his face that had already swollen up; he hissed, and while cursing, went to lead the date-red horse by the city gate.

Xie Daohan was hungry, but he was not prepared to eat or drink on the street; he wanted to go to the Gou Lan Yuan in Jinmao Lane, and after drinking, vent his suppressed desires.

Xie Daohan walked with urgent steps, passing by the Huaying Pavilion on the street; it was already the time when the lanterns were first lit, and the Huaying Pavilion was shimmering with light, with the sound of strings and music mixed with laughter faintly drifting over.

Xie Daohan gave a cold laugh; he had never liked the Huaying Pavilion, as the Huaying Pavilion was too grand and beautiful, and he preferred the rotten smell in the Gou Lan Yuan...

There was a faint, musty, foul odor, and every time he smelled this scent, his lower abdomen could not help but feel a wave of heat...

Xie Daohan tossed and turned all night in the Gou Lan Yuan in Jinmao Lane...

The next day, with the dark circles of a night's hangover, he didn't even wash up before sitting on the viewing platform outside the County Office.

This Zeying Tai, by the third day, finally had something worth watching; Xie Daohan felt that his return was just right.

Xie Daohan sat on the viewing platform next to Fan Yuanhai, and the two chatted idly from time to time.

Fan Yuanhai could smell a faint foul odor from Xie Daohan, and if it weren't for the biting cold wind blowing the smell away, he really wouldn't have been able to sit still...

Over at the Zeying Tai, a dense crowd of people had already gathered; the commoners who came to watch today were more than the previous two days combined.

Xie Daohan sat on the viewing platform, looking at the group of youths standing in front of the Zeying Tai, and could not help but sigh in his heart.

For these three years, he had once fantasized that he would be sitting on this viewing platform, while his own nephew Xie Lei would be standing in front of the Zeying Tai, just like those youths...

And at this moment, he was truly sitting on this viewing platform, but his own nephew Xie Lei had long since turned into dry bones...

"Truly, fortune plays with men!" Xie Daohan lamented.

And at this moment, Clerk Qin had already spun the turntable!

The turntable wobbled and stopped on a name.

It was Tao Rong!

A black shadow flipped, and Tao Rong was already standing on the Plum Blossom Stakes; his movements were as fast as a ghost, clearly his Lightness Skill was not weak!

Tao Rong stood at one end of the Plum Blossom Stakes, wearing black tight-fitting clothes, scanning the people under the Zeying Tai with an arrogant expression.

On the viewing platform, Xie Daohan said to Fan Yuanhai: "This kid Tao Rong is quite a character among the younger generation. Look at that movement technique, how sharp!"

Fan Yuanhai smacked his lips and didn't speak; he had already watched two of Tao Rong's matches, and it had indeed left a deep impression on him.

At this time, Clerk Qin had already spun the turntable for the second time!

The few people under the platform had different thoughts; the old turntable creaked and slowly stopped on a name.

Xie Daohan looked at the name on the turntable and frowned. Because he actually did not recognize this name.

"Duan Rong?"

Xie Daohan searched his memory and could be almost certain that this was an unfamiliar name. He smiled at Fan Yuanhai: "This kid named Duan Rong is likely done for! He ran into Tao Rong as soon as he came up!"

Fan Yuanhai looked at Xie Daohan with a strange expression and said: "He is also at the Great Success Realm!"

"He is also at the Great Success Realm?" Xie Daohan's brow twitched, and he re-examined the youth who had just flipped onto the Plum Blossom Stakes.

Shen Mizhi stood under the platform, looking at Duan Rong; she naturally remembered this fellow who had been flirtatious with her.

A year ago, this fellow was still a painter selling paintings for Head Xie, and now he had actually come to participate in this year's Zeying Tai with her, and he even had the strength of the Great Success Realm.

She still couldn't forget the mental shock she felt on the first day of the Zeying Tai when Duan Rong knocked Qiu Tong away in a single encounter.

It could be said that in these three days, the opponent she least wanted to encounter was Duan Rong.

Xia Shuangshuang, standing beside Shen Mizhi, had other thoughts. This opening was quite good for him; with two Great Success Realm fighters dueling, her pressure was immediately reduced by quite a bit.

Xiao Yu looked at Duan Rong on the stage with worried eyes, her left hand not holding her blade subconsciously clenching tight. Tao Rong was also at the Great Success Realm, and she was afraid Duan Rong would get hurt.

As for Ximen Kankan, he looked at the stage with a reckless expression; he had a lot of confidence in Duan Rong, and although he himself was at the Great Success Realm, he knew very well that he could not beat Duan Rong at all.

A year ago, he often sparred with Duan Rong, but later on, he never won, and the more they sparred, the stronger his sense of frustration became, until he finally gave up entirely.

Duan Rong stood at one end of the Plum Blossom Stakes, looking at Tao Rong at the other end; Tao Rong's expression was arrogant and his strength was formidable, but fortunately, he felt it was better than encountering Xiao Yu.

He would rather fight a hard battle than face that kind of awkward situation...

After Duan Rong flipped onto the Plum Blossom Stakes, he stood there, not moving for two breaths.

Tao Rong watched Duan Rong for a while, then suddenly his figure flashed, and he drew his blade to slash at Duan Rong!

Before the match, Tao Rong had set himself the goal of winning three consecutive matches and advancing directly!

Now this goal was within reach; he only needed to defeat the Duan Rong before him.

Although Tao Rong was arrogant, his heart was very calm at this moment, like a leopard that had begun to hunt; he had only his prey in his eyes!

Duan Rong had actually already achieved the Entering Micro realm, and he also had the ability of Divine Sense Envelopment; if he fought all-out, he could defeat Tao Rong within ten moves!

But Duan Rong did not want to unlock his strength any further in front of the crowd. He wanted to grind Tao Rong down bit by bit!

Duan Rong's strategy was very simple: he used Divine Sense Envelopment to see through Tao Rong's attacks and kept dodging in the way that conserved the most Internal Breath.

Once Tao Rong's Internal Breath was mostly consumed, he would then launch a fierce counterattack and take him down in one go!

Tao Rong slashed with his blade, but Duan Rong's Divine Sense penetrated through, having long since seen through his Internal Breath circulation, and he swayed his body to dodge to the right.

Tao Rong attacked with several consecutive slashes, all of which were easily dodged by Duan Rong, and Duan Rong hadn't even drawn his blade by this point.

Tao Rong looked at Duan Rong and said angrily: "Where is your blade?"

He was always arrogant, but since Duan Rong wouldn't even draw his blade now, wasn't that even more arrogant than him?

Duan Rong sneered, "My saber drinks blood, it doesn't drink wind!"

"Who the hell are you saying drinks wind?!" Tao Rong's expression turned ugly, and he swung his saber to slash at Duan Rong.

Duan Rong was indeed mocking Tao Rong.

Having struck several times without even touching the corner of his clothes, wasn't that just drinking wind?

However, he said such cool, sarcastic words precisely to provoke Tao Rong and make him attack him more fiercely!

In that case, by the time he realized it, it would likely be too late!

The onlookers all felt that Duan Rong was being too arrogant, as he was blindly dodging in front of an expert of the same realm. Only the attacker could hold the initiative; blindly dodging like this, if one were the least bit careless, would lead to eternal damnation!

Even Xiao Zongting held the same view, and his gaze toward Duan Rong was filled with heavy curiosity.

But he did not think like the others that Duan Rong was being arrogant; he was certain that Duan Rong must have his own considerations.

Tao Rong attacked fiercely time and again, yet he still hadn't touched the corner of Duan Rong's clothes, and after these few rounds of fierce attacks, his breathing had already become disordered.

Tao Rong's heart turned cold, because he realized that if things continued this way, he had already reached a state of certain defeat!

His attacks could not possibly be more fierce than those previous rounds; if Duan Rong could dodge those rounds, then how could his subsequent attacks possibly injure Duan Rong?

And with Duan Rong waiting at ease for the exhausted enemy, with one side waning and the other waxing, how could he cope?

Tao Rong's eyes suddenly narrowed, and he swung his saber to slash horizontally at Duan Rong once more!

As soon as Tao Rong's saber momentum moved, Duan Rong flashed his figure to the side, but just at this moment, Tao Rong suddenly reached out and flicked his left hand, and several slender flying knives flashed with cold light, shooting toward where Duan Rong's figure was heading.

A cold sneer appeared on the corner of Duan Rong's mouth; he had long known that Tao Rong's hidden weapon techniques were not weak, as Duan Rong had seen it back at the City God Temple fair when they hung the Prayer Tablet.

What's more, Duan Rong had already scanned the few flying knives hidden in Tao Rong's cuffs with his Divine Sense.

Duan Rong's momentum remained unchanged, and as his figure flashed, he swung his sheathed Ox-Tail Saber, intending to knock down those flying knives.

But just at this moment, the one in the very center of those flying knives suddenly burst open, and three even thinner and longer throwing darts scattered out from within, aiming straight for Duan Rong's face!

(End of this chapter)