Chapter 818: The Wager

"What did you say?!"

Li Fei's words caused Xiao Xiuyong's brain to stall, and for a moment, he doubted if he was suffering from auditory hallucinations.

From childhood to adulthood, no one had ever dared to humiliate him like this.

Never!

Even the Crown Prince treated him with kindness and regarded him as a friend.

*Slap—*

The force within Xiao Xiuyong exploded, shattering the wooden table beside him!

His expression was gloomy, and he looked at Li Fei with an icy gaze:

"I am not worthy? Very well, very well! I almost thought some Martial Saint was speaking to me!"

He was completely enraged by Li Fei's words.

Even if you, Li Fei, are the number one prodigy in history, no matter how great your potential is, it is only potential.

Who knows if you will suddenly be beaten to death by someone one day in the future? Or perhaps encounter some obstacle in your dual cultivation of magic and martial arts, causing your realm to stagnate from then on?

Before Lin Tianyi fully matured, who dared to guarantee that he would definitely become the best in the world?

No matter how impressive you, Li Fei, are, you are currently just a Martial Arts Master.

No matter how great your power is, once the Crown Prince ascends the throne, you will still have to listen to the Crown Prince.

So what gives you the right to humiliate me like this?

The more Xiao Xiuyong thought about it, the angrier he became, his fury burning!

Facing the enraged Xiao Xiuyong, Li Fei calmly picked up the teacup beside him, took a sip, and said slowly:

"This is not the Xiao family; you have to pay for what you break."

"Pay?"

Xiao Xiuyong's voice became somewhat shrill:

"Does Bian Jingru have ten times the courage to dare ask me to pay?!"

Li Fei glanced at him and stopped speaking, as if saying one more word to him would be beneath his status.

It was precisely this attitude that stung Xiao Xiuyong's self-esteem even more.

The pride and composure he had accumulated over the years were completely shattered by Li Fei with two sentences and a single glance.

In fact, if someone else had treated Xiao Xiuyong this way, he would not have been so broken.

It was precisely because Li Fei was so young and so dazzling that Xiao Xiuyong was particularly provoked!

He did not even realize himself that it was precisely because Li Fei was so dazzling that he especially wanted the other party to give him this face, thereby satisfying certain psychological desires of his own.

"Young Master."

Seeing that Xiao Xiuyong intended to say something more, the gray-clothed man who had been standing silently beside him like an old servant suddenly placed his hand gently on his shoulder.

This action made Xiao Xiuyong calm down significantly.

The gray-clothed man was not a real servant, but a bodyguard sent by the head of the Xiao family to Xiao Xiuyong's side, and also someone responsible for reminding him not to go astray at critical moments.

Having temporarily pacified Xiao Xiuyong, the gray-clothed man stepped forward and took the initiative to cup his hands in a salute to Li Fei:

"I am Xiao Tao, a servant of the Xiao family. I have long admired the great name of the Marquis of Jing'an. As fellow martial artists, I wonder if I might spar with the Marquis and exchange martial arts?"

A dignified Martial Arts Master calling himself a servant was enough to show the foundation of the Xiao family!

Xiao Tao stepping out to challenge Li Fei was to bring an end to today's matter.

In any case, Li Fei was now an important aid to the Crown Prince, and the Xiao family could not, and should not, make an enemy of him at this time.

If Li Fei were willing to give Xiao Xiuyong face today, that would of course be the most perfect outcome.

If he did not give face, it would not necessarily lead to enmity.

Although Xiao Xiuyong had a conflict with Li Fei, he could not represent the Xiao family after all.

This conflict was limited to words and was not a major issue.

Therefore, Xiao Tao stepped out in time; he could not let Xiao Xiuyong continue to escalate the matter.

Otherwise, the Crown Prince would be in a difficult position, and the family head would also punish Xiao Xiuyong.

But if they just dragged Xiao Xiuyong away like this, not only would Xiao Xiuyong be unable to accept it, but the Xiao family would also be looked down upon by Li Fei.

Therefore, Xiao Tao stepped out to challenge Li Fei as a martial artist.

I am a servant of the Xiao family; if you cannot even defeat a servant of the Xiao family, what right do you have to look down on the Young Master of my Xiao family?

Xiao Xiuyong understood Xiao Tao's intention at once, so he suppressed his anger and waited to see Li Fei's response.

Li Fei looked at Xiao Tao calmly:

"What qualifications do you have to cross hands with this Marquis?"

"Li Fei! How dare you insult my Xiao family like this?!"

Xiao Xiuyong stood up abruptly from his seat, his anger rising again.

Xiao Tao, however, was calm from beginning to end, not even getting angry when he heard Li Fei's words:

"The Marquis has illustrious battle achievements and shakes the world; a nobody like me indeed has no qualifications to challenge you."

"Uncle Tao?!"

Xiao Xiuyong became anxious at once.

Xiao Tao sighed inwardly; the Young Master was usually not someone so lacking in composure, so why was he so flustered in front of this Marquis of Jing'an today?

He first turned back to give Xiao Xiuyong a look, signaling him to be patient, then turned to look at Li Fei:

"I know the Marquis is emulating Lin Tianyi, walking the path of combining magic and martial arts. My Xiao family has a notebook written by Lin Tianyi back when he was at the Grandmaster and top-tier True Person stage, containing information on how to combine the Martial Domain with magic formations. I wonder if the Marquis is interested?"

Upon hearing this, Li Fei's eyes lit up.

Although the path of magic and martial arts he was walking was no longer the same system as Lin Tianyi's, stones from other hills could serve to polish jade, not to mention the 'hill' erected by that number one person in the world?

Moreover, the core problem of combining the Martial Domain with formations was something Li Fei would encounter sooner or later, and it was a problem he had to solve.

Therefore, the notebook Xiao Tao mentioned was truly of great value to Li Fei!

He did not doubt the authenticity of the notebook, because the Crown Prince had previously specially requested for him a secret of the Tianyi Pavilion—*Practical Examination of Dual Cultivation of Magic and Martial Arts*. (See Chapter 86 of Volume 3)

Combined with the relationship between the Xiao family and the Crown Prince, the Xiao family having an important notebook of Lin Tianyi's was plausible.

It seemed that this Xiao family likely had some connection with that number one person in the world.

"You want to use this notebook to trade for a chance to cross hands with me?"

Li Fei asked.

Xiao Tao nodded: "Correct. But if I am lucky enough to win against the Marquis, I hope the Marquis can apologize to my Young Master."

A priceless notebook in exchange for an apology—no matter how you looked at it, this wager was very unfair!

But given Li Fei's current status, if Xiao Tao wanted to obtain the qualification to cross hands with him, he could only use such an unequal wager.

After speaking, Xiao Tao turned to look at Xiao Xiuyong and asked for instructions: "Young Master, is this wager acceptable?"

Xiao Xiuyong nodded fiercely: "It is!"

He had great confidence in Xiao Tao!

He looked at Li Fei: "How about it? This is the wager, do you dare to bet?"

Li Fei asked indifferently: "After I win, when will the notebook be in my hands?"

"If you win, within three days, I will have someone personally deliver the notebook to you!"

Xiao Xiuyong stared.

"Fine."

Li Fei nodded, agreeing to this wager.

Xiao Tao lowered his eyes, his heart as still as water:

"Then please, Marquis, let us change locations; fighting here, I am afraid we cannot fully unleash our strength."

Li Fei: "Just leave the city."

Soon, the news that the Marquis of Jing'an was going to cross hands with a Martial Arts Master from the Changliu Xiao family spread throughout the upper echelons of the Datong Prefecture.

Everyone who had reached a certain status learned of this news, but not a single one dared to send people to watch.

Whether it was the Marquis of Jing'an or the Xiao family, they could not afford to offend either!

However, one spectator eventually came to this battle.

Qin Zhen, whose posture was upright and whose every step seemed measured by a ruler, arrived at a plain outside the Datong Prefecture.

Facing Xiao Xiuyong's unfriendly gaze, this Vice Principal of the Wu'an University said calmly:

"I have come to watch them cross hands."

Back at the National Martial Arts Exchange Tournament, Qin Zhen had broken through to become a Martial Arts Master on the spot in front of Li Fei.

Now, less than three years had passed; Qin Zhen was still cultivating hard to condense his second divine ability, while Li Fei, his former student, had already walked ahead of him.

So, after hearing that Li Fei was going to cross hands with someone today, he could not help but want to come and see.

But this action of his was viewed by Xiao Xiuyong as the Wu'an University sending someone to stand for Li Fei and cheer him on!

This caused Xiao Xiuyong to harbor a bit more resentment toward the Wu'an University as well.

Qin Zhen clearly sensed the hostility in Xiao Xiuyong's gaze, but he did not care at all.

If he knew what Xiao Xiuyong was thinking, he would only calmly tell the other party:

"After Principal Shi learned of this matter, he was not worried at all that Li Fei would not win, so he had no intention of sending anyone over. If he were truly worried about Li Fei, the old man would have come himself."

On the plain, Li Fei and Xiao Tao stood opposite each other, less than a hundred meters apart.

This distance was within the range that Li Fei's 【No Boundary】 could move.

With the Xiao family's ability to gather intelligence, it was impossible for Xiao Tao not to know what divine ability Li Fei possessed, yet he still stood calmly in place, appearing not worried in the slightest, displaying powerful self-confidence.

The man who claimed to be a servant of the Xiao family suddenly began to swell; his previously somewhat withered muscles instantly became engorged and bulging, while his entire body's sinews and bones cracked incessantly—

Pop, pop, pop, pop, pop!

In the blink of an eye, Xiao Tao's stature grew from one meter seven to over four meters!

The gray outer robe he wore was torn apart by his expanding body, shattering into pieces of rags and revealing the shimmering, pitch-black armor beneath.

The next second, the pitch-black armor began to change, continuously spreading outward to envelop Xiao Tao's exposed hands, feet, and head, while growing many barbs.

Xiao Tao seemed to have transformed from an inconspicuous ordinary person into a monster over four meters tall, covered from head to toe in scales and barbs!

This pitch-black scaled armor on his body, just like Li Fei's Golden-Thread Jade-Scale Armor, was also a seventh-grade divine garment!

Therefore, in terms of equipment, Xiao Tao was not the least bit inferior to Li Fei.

Li Fei did not rush to make a move, letting Xiao Tao perform his actions.

A stream of white steam surged from the opponent's body like wolf-smoke, shooting straight into the sky.

This was a phenomenon formed by Xiao Tao's overly vast life-blood, combined with his mental power and force, permeating out of his body.

This white pillar of energy gave one the feeling of a flood dragon in the sky, with a towering momentum; the pillar stirred the clouds in the sky, as if a real flood dragon were surging in the sea of clouds!

Merely by releasing his momentum, Xiao Tao demonstrated power approaching the Profound Realm level of Dao force.

That is to say, he must have mastered Dao force at the Profound Realm level, and his attainments were extremely high!

Because Grandmasters possess a Martial Domain, they can naturally master Dao force at the Profound Realm level.

But for Martial Arts Masters, it is very difficult.

Among ten Martial Arts Masters, it is hard to find even one who can cultivate Dao force at the Profound Realm level.

Therefore, it is generally acknowledged in the world that a Martial Arts Master who has mastered Profound Realm Dao force can be considered to have gained more than half a supernatural power!

And Xiao Tao is a Martial Arts Master with six supernatural powers.

Added to his peak Profound Realm Dao force, he has few rivals among Martial Arts Masters!

Even looking at the whole world, there would not be more than three people—Martial Arts Masters or True Persons—who would dare say they could steadily defeat Xiao Tao!

This is Xiao Tao's confidence, and also the reason why Xiao Xiuyong agreed to this wager.

When Xiao Tao was young, he was also proud and arrogant, disdaining to use the lowest three supernatural powers to break through and become a Grandmaster.

He was single-mindedly determined to challenge the legendary seven supernatural powers and then break through with the posture of the strongest Martial Arts Master.

As a result, after cultivating six supernatural powers, he discovered that it might take him seventy or eighty years to cultivate the seventh, and he only had eighty-some years of lifespan left.

So he had no choice but to give up the goal of seven supernatural powers and began to attempt the breakthrough.

As it turned out, he found that he had overestimated himself again.

The more supernatural powers one has, the greater the difficulty of breaking through.

The difficulty of breaking through with six supernatural powers far exceeded Xiao Tao's imagination!

The final result was that after spending more than twenty years, Xiao Tao still failed to break through, and was thus trapped at the realm of Martial Arts Master.

Those three-supernatural-power Grandmasters he once "looked down upon" became existences he could never reach, ones that could easily crush him!

Such an experience dealt him a heavy blow, and his spirit was completely broken.

Now, looking at Li Fei opposite him, he seemed to see his former self:

"Marquis, the tree that stands above the forest will be destroyed by the wind. Have you ever read a book called 'The Tragedy of Heaven's Pride'?"

Upon hearing this, Li Fei could not help but smile.

Back when he had just broken through to become a Dao Foundation stage martial artist and shattered historical records, someone had sent him a copy of "The Tragedy of Heaven's Pride." (See Chapter 83 of Volume 2 for details.)

This book recorded in detail how many peerless geniuses in history had fallen halfway or eventually faded into the crowd.

The future has too many variables; potential that has not been realized is, after all, just potential. (Note 1)

This is what Xiao Tao wanted to tell Li Fei.

Li Fei did not answer the other party's question, but instead asked in return:

"Do you have any life-type supernatural powers?"

Xiao Tao was taken aback: "Why does the Marquis ask this?"

Boom!

Li Fei did not speak; only a golden pillar of energy surged from his body.

This pillar of energy was like a golden sharp sword, also shooting straight into the sky, piercing through the sea of clouds in the air!

Xiao Tao's white pillar of energy was a three-in-one combination of his life-blood, mental power, and force; it was the embodiment of his exquisite Dao force.

And the golden pillar of energy that Li Fei erupted with at this moment, like a sharp sword, was purely because his life force was too powerful, his life-blood was exaggeratedly vigorous, and combined with the characteristics of the Flying Sword Body, quantitative change led to qualitative change, thereby producing this phenomenon!

Above the plain, two pillars of energy, one gold and one white, reaching the sky, confronted each other from a distance.

Xiao Tao's expression finally changed, revealing a look of astonishment.

It was only at this moment that Li Fei answered the question he had just asked:

"If you don't have life-type supernatural powers, I will be a little afraid."

"Afraid?"

Xiao Tao frowned.

Li Fei looked at him and nodded earnestly:

"I'm afraid I might accidentally beat you to death!"

Boom—

As his voice fell, he took a step and walked toward Xiao Tao.

The golden pillar of energy tore through the clouds in the sky!

Note 1: When I wrote the book "The Tragedy of Heaven's Pride" in the story, I just wanted to illustrate this phenomenon: the future has too many variables; those who were the number one talents of their time in history basically all fell halfway.

You all know that Li Fei is the protagonist and definitely won't die, but the characters in the book don't know that.

So if the readers' evaluation of the protagonist in their hearts is 10, the evaluation of the protagonist by many characters in the book might only be 5.

(End of chapter)