However, the final piece of information regarding the Arena Duel half a year later was announced.
"The rules for the Arena Duel half a year from now will change. Once you choose to participate in the challenge, you will not be teleported out when facing mortal danger. The next Arena Duel will not only determine victory but also life and death."
This caused many to pale. It meant that the opponent could either defeat you or kill you—the choice lay with the victor.
Lin Muxue frowned slightly.
When Ye Yu heard this, he sneered mockingly.
"What, scared? Given the rules and the grudge between us, in the next Arena Duel, I won't just defeat you—I'll kill you."
Lin Muxue gritted her teeth, seeing he wasn't joking, and snorted coldly.
"You're overconfident. I told you, half a year from now, you'll be in your weak phase. You're stronger than me now because you've just reached level thirty, but in six months, I'll surpass you."
With that, Lin Muxue was teleported away.
The moment she emerged, Jin Mo and the others rushed to ask questions—they had long since won their own matches.
Jin Mo and the others first sensed her aura and noticed her level hadn't risen significantly. Their hearts sank as they pressed her.
"Well? Did you defeat Ye Yu? How strong is he?"
Lin Muxue's grim expression confirmed their suspicions. If she had won, she wouldn't have looked like this.
"I lost. But in the Arena Duel half a year from now, I will defeat him."
This shocked everyone.
"You actually lost?"
"You're a Rumble Rumble Fruit Ability User, a top-tier Chosen One! You even inherited Enel's power and gained significant improvements—how could you lose?"
"You're badly injured. It must've been a brutal fight, right? Ye Yu must be heavily wounded too? Did he barely scrape by?"
The barrage of questions irritated Lin Muxue, filling her with shame. It was hard to admit.
Jin Mo frowned. "You need to explain in detail. We need to decide whether to ally with Yang Luo to eliminate Ye Yu."
Wang Quanshi nodded. "Right. Let's see if what Yang Luo said holds any weight."
But in truth, Wang Quanshi wanted to know just how much stronger Ye Yu was than Lin Muxue.
If the gap wasn't too wide, it would mean he himself was still the strongest in single combat—the Strongest Creature in the Sea, Land, and Air—and that he might be able to defeat Ye Yu. After all, he could defeat Lin Muxue.
But if the gap was too large...
Lin Muxue, furious and humiliated, spoke through gritted teeth.
"I lost—and it was a crushing defeat. Ye Yu was barely injured."
"What?!"
Jin Mo and the others were stunned. This was beyond their expectations—they knew Lin Muxue's strength well.
In fact, aside from Wang Quanshi, the three of them were roughly equal in power. If Ye Yu could defeat Lin Muxue without injury, it meant he could do the same to them.
Wang Quanshi was shaken, his heart heavy. This meant he wasn't the strongest in single combat—Ye Yu surpassed him.
Jin Mo couldn't believe it. "How is that possible? We know your strength. How did this happen? Did Ye Yu go all out from the start? Did he use Body Techniques?"
Lin Muxue shook her head, her expression grave and shaken.
"Ye Yu didn't use Body Techniques. He used swordsmanship to defeat me like this."
Once again, Jin Mo and the others were utterly stunned.
Lin Muxue faced Ye Yu with full force, undoubtedly going harder than during their sparring sessions. Yet, she was defeated by Ye Yu using only his swordsmanship. How could this be? Not only was it a crushing defeat—was she utterly outmatched?
Jin Mo grew solemn and asked, "So, just like in the previous major battle, you were completely overwhelmed again?"
Lin Muxue nodded. "Yes, his Divine Departure is still as powerful as ever. But I don't think it was as one-sided as last time. We've grown stronger."
After hearing this, Jin Mo and the others exchanged uneasy glances, their expressions grave.
"Could it be that what Yang Luo said is most likely true?"
"If so, this is utterly unbelievable."
"Does that mean Ye Yu's combat power will forever remain leagues ahead? That's just absurd."
"Even among us top Chosen Ones, even if there's a strongest, the gap isn't that vast. But with Ye Yu's overwhelming superiority, what hope do we have?"
"Exactly. In the end, the biggest beneficiary—the Pirate King—will still likely be him."
"In that case, we must eliminate him. If we ally with Yang Luo and his crew, it's definitely possible. They're a powerful Pirate Crew too."
At this point, Lin Muxue snorted coldly.
"I'd rather defeat Ye Yu with my own hands. Though he bested me this time, I believe it's because his weak phase hasn't truly arrived yet. It hasn't been long since he reached Level 30. Once we inherit more abilities, further develop our Fruit Abilities, or even achieve Awakening, he won't stand a chance. So, it doesn't mean he'll always be this far ahead—that's just ridiculous. Once I awaken, I'll surely crush him. I still firmly believe our potential is greater. Ye Yu will inevitably decline in the later stages."
Jin Mo and the others relaxed slightly. Deep down, they shared this belief—though they had wavered momentarily. They hoped this was true; otherwise, the blow would be too devastating.
Song Ling nodded. "That makes sense. But regardless, we must eliminate Ye Yu now. After all, he's still the strongest, even significantly stronger than us. If more Mystic Realms and opportunities appear, he'll likely reap the greatest rewards. Since he'll falter later, we can't let valuable resources go to him—they should be ours. If he gets them, it'd be a waste. When the time comes to face the Marines and the World Government, it'll be up to us high-potential Pirates."
Jin Mo agreed. "Indeed, eliminating him is still necessary. Let's contact Yang Luo."
In Lin Muxue's heart, she wanted Ye Yu to survive until their second Arena Duel half a year later, where she could kill him herself. But she couldn't make that decision alone now.
Wang Quanshi also felt somewhat unbalanced and resistant. He, too, longed to defeat Ye Yu fair and square in the later stages, proving himself the strongest in single combat.
When Yang Luo answered the call and learned the outcome, he wasn't surprised. But upon hearing how severely Lin Muxue was injured, he grew frustrated.
"I warned you before—since you were bound to lose, why participate? You didn't listen. Now you're injured and won't recover anytime soon. In just one day, the two Ranking Realms will arrive. The Bounty List doesn't matter—Ye Yu will undoubtedly be first. But the Pirate Crew List was within reach. With your combined strength, you might've surpassed the Dominant Feather Pirate Crew. But now, with you injured, our team will be short a key fighter in such a group-oriented Mystic Realm."
Lin Muxue also felt regretful and awkward, but she naturally couldn't back down.
"Hmph, don't think your speculation is correct just because I lost. I still find your guess laughable. My current defeat is merely because I haven't reached the late stage yet, haven't achieved Awakening yet. Otherwise, none of you, not even Ye Yu, would be my match."
Yang Luo remained silent. While he stood by his own speculation, he had to admit the Rumble Rumble Fruit indeed held tremendous potential.
Yang Luo sighed helplessly: "Let's not dwell on this anymore—it's pointless now. The most important thing at hand is to jointly deal with Ye Yu after we complete the two Ranking Realms."
"Agreed. Let's continue moving closer. We'll approach your position too. As for dealing with the Dominant Feather Pirate Crew, we'll discuss that after the two Ranking Realms. These two realms take priority now. Even if Ye Yu has the highest bounty, we can't allow too large a gap between his bounty money and ours."
"Right. Let's begin our preparations. We must reach peak condition to face what will be the most anticipated Ranking Realm since the anomaly began."
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