Chapter 263: Please Perform for the Monarch

After Li Fei sat down, the Crown Prince turned and named the representative of the next university:

"Who is the team leader for Moyun University?"

"Your Highness, it is me."

A Martial Arts Grandmaster stood up.

"What is Moyun University's view?"

"Moyun University agrees to let Pudu Temple join this martial arts exchange competition."

This Martial Arts Grandmaster didn't hesitate and said his view directly.

It was unknown whether he had decided on the spur of the moment or had communicated with the Crown Prince in advance.

"Good!"

The Crown Prince smiled and asked the next university team leader.

"Haoliang University agrees to let Pudu Temple join this martial arts exchange competition."

"Your Highness, sorry, this matter still needs me to discuss with the rest of the school before I can give an answer."

"Tianyuan University agrees to let Pudu Temple join this martial arts exchange competition."

"Your Highness, sorry..."

"..."

As the Crown Prince finished asking all the team leaders of the thirteen universities, the final result was that eight universities agreed to let Pudu Temple join this martial arts exchange competition, and five universities abstained and did not express their views.

In this way, the result was very clear.

"True Lord."

The Crown Prince turned to look at True Lord Qingxu and asked with a smile, "What do you think?"

True Lord Qingxu looked at the Crown Prince, and purple thunder constantly flickered in his eyes.

In an instant, it was as if an entire world was destroyed in his eyes, and then reborn!

The Crown Prince's expression was stunned, and an old eunuch standing on the side immediately took a step forward, as if facing a great enemy.

A faint silver radiance burst out from the old eunuch's body and spread outward.

Seeing this scene, all the Martial Arts Grandmasters present changed their expressions.

This was a Martial Arts Domain!

This old eunuch was actually a Great Grandmaster hidden from the world!

At the same time, Qingfan, who had been sitting quietly in his seat, also took action.

A pale golden light burst out from his body.

He also released a Martial Arts Domain!

The silver radiance and the golden radiance were like two waves, about to collide.

In the next instant, a purple lightning appeared between the two "waves."

Hum—

The space in the great hall seemed to vibrate, and everyone present, regardless of their cultivation, felt as if their whole body had been shocked by electricity, their scalps tingling.

The Martial Arts Domains that the two Great Grandmasters were about to unfold were thus annihilated into nothingness!

There was only one person present who could do such a thing.

A fiery glow flashed in Li Fei's eyes.

This was the true demeanor of the pinnacle of the human world!

This was the peak he wanted to reach!

"Since this is everyone's meaning, then let Pudu Temple join this martial arts exchange competition."

True Lord Qingxu suddenly opened his mouth at this time and said in a calm tone.

The Crown Prince suddenly came back to his senses, looking at True Lord Qingxu before him with lingering fear, his back already soaked with sweat.

In that instant just now, he felt as if he had died, and then was reborn, then died again, reborn, repeating this dozens of times!

But in reality, his spirit had not suffered any damage, and the protective talismans and treasures he carried had not been triggered at all.

Such methods were simply miraculous!

The Crown Prince looked at True Lord Qingxu with a trace of awe finally appearing in his eyes.

He had used his status and political skills to easily manipulate a group of Martial Arts Grandmasters, Grandmasters, and True Person.

He could stir up the wind and clouds of the world with a casual layout!

But just by looking at True Lord Qingxu like that, he suddenly realized:

It turned out that in front of these true pinnacle figures, all of this could be nothing!

True Lord Qingxu might indeed not dare to do anything to him because of the sect, but what if?

If one day this person before him really had murderous intent toward him, would he really be safe even if he hid in the Imperial Palace?

In the blink of an eye, the Crown Prince restrained his joy at successfully forcing True Lord Qingxu to bow his head, and restrained his flamboyant mentality.

Before sitting on that dragon chair, he decided to maintain the proper awe for these pinnacle figures.

"Good, True Lord's heart is as broad as the sea! I toast you a cup."

Saying this, the Crown Prince took the initiative to raise his wine glass to toast True Lord Qingxu.

True Lord Qingxu also raised his wine glass and gently touched the Crown Prince's wine glass.

After one cup, Great Master Huikong, who had been silent all along, stood up, put his palms together, and bowed to True Lord Qingxu:

"Amitabha, this poor monk also represents Pudu Temple in thanking the True Lord for his magnanimity."

True Lord Qingxu glanced at him and said faintly:

"You don't have to thank me; thank the representatives present."

Great Master Huikong followed the trend, turned to face the crowd, and bowed again:

"Amitabha, thank you, everyone."

Everyone present was not True Lord Qingxu; facing the thanks of a "Great Luo Han," they couldn't remain indifferent and returned the bow one after another.

After everyone was seated, the Crown Prince smiled:

"Before I entered the great hall, I seemed to hear the True Lord talking about some exchange; I wonder who is going to exchange with whom?"

He mentioned this, and everyone remembered the exchange that was about to start between Li Fei and Hongyi University professor Meng Tao.

This was another sudden arrival of the Crown Prince, and another visit by the people of Pudu Temple; after a series of major events, everyone had almost forgotten this small episode.

"Your Royal Highness the Crown Prince, it was Professor Meng Tao of Hongyi University who proposed wanting to have an exchange with Li Fei of Wu'an University."

Qingxia True Person finally managed to speak.

The previous topics were all major events, and she didn't have the qualification to talk directly to the Crown Prince.

But at this moment, the Crown Prince obviously wanted to liven up the atmosphere, so she took over the topic at the right time.

"Oh? There is such a thing?"

The Crown Prince immediately showed an interested expression.

He looked at the "honest-looking" Li Fei: "Li Fei, are you willing to exchange with this professor?"

Li Fei stood up and bowed calmly: "Willing to perform for the Monarch."

Before, he was "performing for the Monarch," but that was only for True Lord Qingxu.

Now, there is also the Crown Prince, this heir apparent.

It made the specification of this exchange even higher!

"Good!"

The Crown Prince clapped his hands directly, switching back to a playful temperament; not a trace could be seen of the means and shrewdness he had used to manipulate the situation just moments before:

"Since this is a sparring match, how can there be no stakes? Very well, the stakes for this match shall be provided by Gu."

After saying this, he turned his head to look at the old eunuch who had just revealed the cultivation base of a Grandmaster:

"How many bottles of my Spirit Heart Elixir are left?"

The old eunuch bowed slightly: "Your Highness, there is one bottle of Spirit Heart Elixir remaining, totaling thirty pills."

"Good, then the stakes shall be one bottle of Spirit Heart Elixir, plus one piece of Level 6 protective gear, the Cloud Dream Golden Thread Robe!"

The Crown Prince smiled.

Hearing these stakes, many of the martial arts masters present were somewhat moved.

The Spirit Heart Elixir is an elixir specifically for martial artists to cultivate 'Return to One'.

After consuming one Spirit Heart Elixir, one's mind will be clear and one's intent power highly concentrated for several hours, allowing one to more easily control the implants within the body to perform 'Return to One'; some bottlenecks that usually cannot be overcome can be passed after taking the Spirit Heart Elixir.

A bottle of Spirit Heart Elixir, thirty pills in total, can completely increase the probability of a martial artist stuck at the peak of the Qi Transformation stage breaking through to the Dao Foundation stage by at least thirty percent!

Such an elixir, even if those present no longer have a use for it, can be given to others to use, providing an opportunity to cultivate a Dao Foundation stage powerhouse.

As for the Level 6 protective gear, that is even more precious.

A piece of Level 6 protective gear is something even a martial arts master might not possess!

A great martial arts sect like the Qingshan Sword Sect only has one piece of Level 6 protective gear, and it is passed down only to the Sect Master.

The Cloud Dream Golden Thread Robe mentioned by the Crown Prince is a special imperial creation, and the current Emperor has bestowed fewer than ten of them.

To stake a bottle of Spirit Heart Elixir plus a piece of Level 6 protective gear right off the bat is definitely a grand gesture!

"With such a grand gesture, this Crown Prince is likely aiming at Li Fei, this 'First in History'."

Everyone present thought of this point.

Only the title of 'First in History' is worthy of the Crown Prince placing such a heavy bet.

Nalan Zhi turned his head to look at Meng Tao, giving the other party a look.

Originally, this sparring match was only intended to suppress Wu'an University and incidentally find an opportunity to severely injure Li Fei, slowing down the other party's cultivation speed.

But now, with these two stakes added, even Nalan Zhi was moved.

A bottle of Spirit Heart Elixir could potentially allow the Qingshan Sword Sect to have one more Dao Foundation stage powerhouse.

A piece of Level 6 protective gear could allow the sect to have one more precious treasure.

Therefore, this sparring match must be won!

Meng Tao nodded at Nalan Zhi, then composed his mind, rose from his seat, and walked toward the center of the arena.

Li Fei also picked up his Ghost-Slaying Blade, rose from his seat, and walked toward the center of the arena.

The two stood facing each other, less than ten meters apart.

"Since this is a sparring match, I ask that you both stop at the appropriate point. If you cannot hold back, we will intervene. As for the outcome, I believe that with so many masters and grandmasters present, we will certainly not misjudge it."

True Person Qingxia spoke, setting the tone for this sparring match—

No killing allowed!

After all, this banquet today was hosted by the Daluo Sect, and she could not allow anyone to die at this banquet.

Li Fei and Meng Tao both nodded.

"Please."

"Please."

Clang—

The next second, a flash of dazzling fire bloomed within the great hall.

Meng Tao drew his sword, and a line of fire extended from the tip of his blade, instantly crossing the distance of less than ten meters and arriving before Li Fei!

He possesses a core-level extraordinary ability of the fire attribute, 'Flame Decision', which allows his instantaneous maximum output of force to far exceed that of martial artists at the same realm.

Simply put, if everyone's total force is 100, without charging, the force output for each strike is 0.1~1; with 'Flame Decision', Meng Tao can make this figure 3 or even 5!

Combined with his fast sword technique, many of his battles are often resolved with just one strike.

Just as the line of fire was about to strike his face, Li Fei dodged the sword by moving sideways.

He had started moving sideways before Meng Tao drew his sword, and when the line of fire arrived, he had just completed this simple sideways movement.

Meng Tao's sword was indeed fast, but not faster than his pre-judgment.

For Li Fei, in this battle, he did not need to consider whether he could win, only how he should win.

In front of a crowd of masters, grandmasters, True Persons, and even a True Monarch.

How to hide his strength was the greatest challenge Li Fei had to face.

After dodging the sword by relying on 'Danger Perception', Li Fei stepped forward and charged toward Meng Tao.

His figure continuously expanded and grew larger during the charge, as he activated 'Tyrant Body'.

At the same time, he activated 'Godly Movement', leaving behind afterimages during his movement.

Sword lights appeared before him, sealing off all his forward paths.

Li Fei's movement speed was fast, but Meng Tao's sword strikes were faster!

Facing these sword lights, Li Fei held his Ghost-Slaying Blade horizontally before him, activating his Jin Gang Force fused with the Earth Origin Sha Qi.

The next second, he was cloaked in golden light, charging forward while forcefully enduring these sword lights!

Jin Gang Force is already among the 'top three defenses in the world' below all high-level forces; after fusing with the Earth Origin Sha Qi, its defense became even stronger, comparable to some defensive high-level forces.

Therefore, Li Fei successfully endured all the incoming sword lights and charged to Meng Tao's front.

Meng Tao's expression was calm; with a flick of his wrist, the long sword in his hand tore through the air, blooming with hundreds of fiery red sword lights!

His second core-level extraordinary ability is the wood-attribute 'Flower Grafting'.

This ability allows him to perfectly accommodate power that does not belong to him, temporarily 'grafting' it into his own body.

'Flower Grafting' can be used for cultivation, 'grafting' higher-level power to help oneself break through existing obstacles, and can also be used to experience various different abilities, increasing one's insights and knowledge.

It can also be used in battle, allowing oneself to possess power that exceeds one's own limits!

When he fought against the professor from Wu'an University, he did not use 'Flower Grafting' in advance to obtain higher-level power, because the outcome of that battle was not that important; what he wanted was to break through himself during the battle.

In fact, after that battle, his sword technique did indeed have a breakthrough.

But now, sparring with Li Fei, Nalan Zhi had input a strand of Dao Force into his body an hour in advance, allowing him to use 'Flower Grafting' to 'graft' it into his own force!

This is Nalan Zhi's reliance.

Even if Meng Tao's realm is limited, the 'grafted' Dao Force can at most exert one-fifth of the power of Nalan Zhi's own Dao Force.

But this is also one-fifth of a martial arts master's power!

Just one strike is enough to decide the outcome!

At this moment, Meng Tao released the Dao Force within his body, and in coordination with 'Flame Mountain' and his own fast sword technique, he unleashed the strongest move of his life:

A huge flame lotus bloomed in anger within the great hall!

This lotus of fire was both vibrant with life and filled with an aura of destruction, possessing the purest explosion and power.

Within Li Fei's heart lake, a blooming fire lotus also appeared, intending to steam dry and destroy his heart lake!

"It's over."

Watching the fire lotus swallow Li Fei's figure, Meng Tao thought with some regret.

If this sparring match between him and Li Fei were a pure contest of skill between the two, he would not have used the Dao Force within his body so quickly.

He also really wanted to have a good contest with Li Fei, this 'First in History'.

But this sparring match concerns the face of the sect, as well as the task entrusted by the Sect Master, so Meng Tao could only choose this method of fighting:

He must defeat Li Fei easily in the shortest possible time!

The faster Li Fei is defeated, the more face Hongyi University will have, and the greater the blow Li Fei will receive, making it more likely for him to be left with a mental block.

Inside the great hall, the crowd of martial arts masters all had strange expressions, and Nalan Zhi's face was even gloomier.

Just as that fire lotus completely swallowed Li Fei, no one intervened, and Meng Tao did not wait for the victory he had expected.

When he realized something was wrong, a flash of blade light split the fire lotus that had already finished erupting, and struck the top of Meng Tao's head, who was in his 'weak period' after just erupting!

Swish—

This blade finally hovered above Meng Tao's head and did not strike down.

Li Fei stood before Meng Tao, completely unharmed, looking at him calmly:

"You have lost."

PS: The protagonist has not been exposed; everyone can guess how he won~

Please vote with monthly tickets.

(End of this chapter)