"It appears the rumors are true."
A figure stepped out from the shadows. Zhang Long.
He didn't look angry. That was the worst part. He looked… amused. His eyes peered down on Lu Chen's injuries with detached curiosity.
"They said my little brother was beaten. Then my other brother was broken by his own Rage Pill." His voice was conversational. "Both by the same cripple who couldn't cultivate a week ago."
He took one step forward. The pressure of his Body Forging aura settled over the courtyard like a physical weight.
Li Yun paled. "Senior Brother Zhang, Elder Tao just ordered—"
"Sunrise judgment. I know." Zhang Long cut her off, his eyes fixed on Lu Chen. "But the elder didn't say anything about... clarification."
He smiled. It was the most dangerous thing Lu Chen had seen all night.
"I find myself curious. How does broken trash suddenly stand up? How does a shattered dantian allow for Body Tempering Sixth Stage?"
The reason was personal. This wasn't just revenge. It was about the old ranking. #4 versus #5. The humiliation Zhang Long had swallowed when the "genius" Lu Chen had used him to mop the ground.
"Our 'talk' can be simple," Zhang Long said, his voice cutting the rain. "I have a formal proposition."
Lu Chen felt every hair rise. Not just from fear, but from sheer exhaustion. Again? I just want to sleep.
Li Yun's grip on his arm tightened. "Lu Chen… whatever he says, nod and walk away. Please."
Lu Chen's mind yelled back: Polite? He doesn't want polite. He wants the old Lu Chen back so he can break him right this time.
"Do you agree," Zhang Long's voice dropped, carrying across the silence, "to a life-and-death duel? Outer Court Martial Ascension Meet Seven days later. At the main arena. No elders. No pills. Just you… and what's left of your talent."
Gasps. Sharp. Sudden.
Disciples stumbled back. Hands over mouths. A sword hit the mud with a wet thump.
Li Yun's grip almost became a chokehold. "Lu Chen—no. That's not a duel, that's a death trap! He's Body Forging Third Stage! You're barely Tempering Sixth!. Don't agree to it!"
Lu Chen stood in the downpour. Quiet.
The heck? A life-and-death duel? This master hasn't even found the decent latrine here yet. Why is every tradition just legalized murder?
While those thoughts were going on in his mind he didn't let it show. He kept his straight poker face
Zhang Long watched him with his eyes gleaming from calculation. It was a though he was calculating how long a candle would burn before snuffing it. Making the candle traumatized from not knowing when it'd get snuffed out.
DING.
[Major Event: 'Martial Ascension Duel Proposal']
[Temporary Quest: 'Accept the Inevitable']
[Objective: Accept challenge and defeat your foes]
[Reward: Hidden (Scales with opponent's strength).]
[Penalty for Refusal: Coward's Brand (All cultivation gains -50% for one lunar cycle).]
Lu Chen stayed silent. But Inside. Not now… please.
The pros and the cons were quite obvious.
Refuse?Zhang Long makes his life hell. The system that should have his back would gladly cripple him.
Accept?Face a Body Forging monster in seven days. Almost certain death.
But one option had a "Hidden Reward." It's quite risky. But risky enough to gamble all my eggs in one basket.
It wasn't bravery. It was logic.
Die slowly… or die spectacularly in seven days. At least the second has better seating view.
His eyes lifted. Met Zhang Long's gaze.
"Do you think," Lu Chen said, his voice calm, slightly annoyed—like he'd been asked to move furniture, "Do you think this Master is afraid of you?"
The courtyard froze.
Another sword hit the mud with a wet thump.
Zhang Long's eyebrow twitched. A tiny, imperceptible movement. His brain processing the audacity.
Lu Chen spread his hands.
"You want a life-and-death fight? Fine. Seven days. Main arena. But…"
He leaned closer, his voice dropping conspiratorially.
"…don't go crying to your elders when it goes sideways. Wailing ruins a man's reputation."
Choked gasps rippled through the crowd.
"Did he just say that?!"
"He had a chance to survive, but he just dug his own grave."
One disciple couldn't help muttering, "This younger generation is truly arrogant."
Another scoffed. "Brother Chu, we're all about the same age. What nonsense are you spouting?"
Zhang Long's expression darkened. After a moment, his sluggish mind finally caught up to the insult. A faint but oppressive aura spread outward, pressing down on the surroundings.
The nearby disciples immediately shut their traps and retreated to avoid being shot by a stray bullet, faces turning pale.
Li Yun grabbed his sleeve with both hands, shaking him. "WHAT WAS THAT?! You could've nodded! Or fainted! ANYTHING BUT THAT!"
Lu Chen kept staring at Zhang Long, face cool. Inside. Wait a minute? Why did my mouth do that? Is my tongue trying to commit suicide?
Zhang Long pointed, finger trembling. "You… very well. Seven days. Dawn. Don't be late."
He spun. Walked away. Each step left a deep, steaming print—his aura as though boiling the rainwater.
When he vanished into the mist, the courtyard exhaled as one.
Li Yun released his sleeve. Smacked his arm. "ARE YOU TRYING TO DIE? HE'LL DISMANTLE YOU IN FRONT OF EVERYONE!"
Lu Chen blinked. A resigned thought floated through: If I'm already in the pot… might as well season the soup.
He sighed. "I don't know. My mouth is faster than my survival instinct. It's a design flaw."
Li Yun buried her face in her hands. "You're doomed. I'll have to watch you become a cautionary tale."
Right then—
DING.
A cheerful chime.
Lu Chen's eyelid twitched violently.
Inspiring? Don't praise this! This is a medical condition! Punish it!
He glared at the rainy sky, demanding divine intervention.
Li Yun stared, baffled. "Why are you looking at the clouds like they offended your ancestors?"
Lu Chen groaned. "Something in this universe marked me for entertainment. I'm the unwilling main act."
Li Yun rubbed her temples. "I'm glad you found your spine back… but that? That's like asking the heavens to smite you."
"I know," he said simply.
Inside, a slower realization: So this is what my predecessor was like. All confidence and reckless mouth. No wonder everyone wanted to punch him. I didn't just get his broken dantian—I got his suicidal pride.
He immediately, without the slightest silver of shame, shifted all the blame onto the original Lu Chen.. The dead guy could take the blame. If the original Lu Chen in the circle of reincarnation heard this, he would likely cough out a mouthful of blood on the spot, even as a soul.
That was his last batch of coherent thought before he bid Li Yun a weary goodbye, turned, and dragged his battered body through the rain toward his cave.
A man walking to his temporary tomb. Seven days to learn how not to die in it.
[TO BE CONTINUED...]