The next moment, the young man in white raised a finger lightly.
"Whoosh—whoosh—whoosh!"
The water he had condensed to perfection seemed to take on a life of its own, bursting from his arm in an instant!
It tore through the night sky with the speed of lightning, shrieking as it cut the air.
Lu Mingxi felt death itself descend upon her.
"Pfft! Pfft! Pfft! Pfft—!"
In the blink of an eye, the sharp sounds of piercing echoed!
Her graceful body, delicate and exquisite, was struck—throat, chest, face—each hit leaving a bloody hole.
Blood gushed like a fountain, instantly staining her cyan gown a deep crimson.
Her eyes filled with regret and despair. Had she known the boy's strength was this terrifying… she would have gladly thrown herself at him, body and soul, without a second thought.
Yet she had dared to threaten him.
Too late. In this world, there's no remedy for regret.
"Ugh…"
A faint sound escaped her throat. Her gaze dimmed, and with a heavy "thud," she collapsed.
Breath ended.
[Killed a Breath Condensation Realm cultivator, Violence Points +1000][Current Violence Points: 1700]
After dealing with Lu Mingxi's body, Lin Yi calmly returned to his room and closed the door.
A slightly excited voice echoed in his mind:
"Offending the City Lord's Mansion now… the fun keeps getting better!"
The next day, dusk fell.
"Time to move."
Lin Yi drained the last of his tea, rose slowly from the stone bench, and began walking toward the South City arena.
…
The South City Arena lay in the very heart of Qingfeng City's southern district.
The arena was cast entirely from a silvery metal, circular in shape, with a diameter of several dozen meters.
From the moment of its construction, defensive arrays had been etched into its structure, capable of withstanding the full force of a Breath Condensation Realm master.
By now, the area around the arena was packed with spectators, voices buzzing with excitement and anticipation.
"Who do you think will win this duel?"
"Isn't it obvious? The Luo family's eldest young master. That kid from Qingshan County has no chance!"
"But that Qingshan youth destroyed the entire Tang family… shouldn't he be formidable?"
"He may be strong for outsiders, but he's up against the Luo family in Qingfeng City!"
…
Most in the crowd believed Lin Yi would lose, facing the Luo family's eldest young master, one of the city's top prodigies.
Not far from the arena, on the roof of a nearby tavern, a boy in a green robe stood with his hands clasped behind his back, eyes slightly narrowed, watching the arena with quiet intensity.
He looked composed beyond his years. Beside him, another boy lounged carelessly on the tiles, a blade of grass dangling from his mouth.
This boy was Ye Huan, ranked fourth on Qingfeng City's prodigy leaderboard.
The more composed youth beside him, in green as well, was indisputably the number one prodigy: Qiu Shan, whose power had long surpassed the Breath Condensation Realm.
Ye Huan kicked his legs lazily, his lips curling into a sneer.
"I really can't stand the way Luo Chen acts!"
"Isn't it just a duel? Why make the whole of Qingfeng City know about it, acting all high and mighty!"
"I really hope that kid from Qingshan County can teach that guy a proper lesson—best if he smashes that pretty little face so badly even his own mother won't recognize him!"
Qiushan shook his head, expression unreadable.
"You're overthinking it. That boy hasn't even broken through the Breath Condensation Realm. There's no way he can stand against Luo Chen."
Luo Chen had never lacked access to rare cultivation resources. His martial arts were among the absolute best of Qingfeng City's third-tier techniques, and he trained daily with the family's experts, accumulating vast combat experience.
No matter how talented the youth from Qingshan County was, how could he compare to Luo Chen?
Ye Huan's expression fell, his face full of helplessness.
"Sigh… I guess you're right."
Then he cursed under his breath.
"I really want to stomp on Luo Chen's smug face, spit on him twice, and point at him, yelling: 'Who the hell do you think you are, always acting all high and mighty!'"
Qiushan regarded him calmly.
"Maybe your strength is a bit higher than his, but your family can't match his. Don't get your hopes up."
Ye Huan rolled his eyes at him, muttering:
"Next time, just say the first half; I'll figure out the rest myself."
…
On the northern side of the arena, Fang Yu and Fang Qiong sat quietly in a corner.
Beside them was a middle-aged man with a solemn face—their father, Fang Ping, head of the Fang family.
With the Tang family destroyed by Lin Yi, one would think the Fang siblings would be pleased. But their brows were tightly furrowed; there was no joy on their faces.
They knew Lin Yi would barely survive tonight.
Fang Ping noticed their anxiety and gently patted their shoulders.
"That boy has offended powers far beyond what our family can provoke. The Fang family has no right to intervene."
He paused, voice dropping a few decibels.
"When tonight is over, if possible, I will have someone ensure the boy's body is sent back to Qingshan County."
Fang Yu and Fang Qiong felt their hearts sink further but knew their father spoke the truth. The only thing the Fang family could do was recover Lin Yi's body.
…
Moments later, many of Qingfeng City's prominent figures arrived, their appearance immediately stirring excitement among the ordinary spectators.
These were people they normally wouldn't even have the chance to see.
At that moment, a man clad in silver armor, holding a silver spear, streaked across the night sky and landed precisely in the front-row seats.
His face was cold and stern, eyes sharp, exuding an unmistakably forbidding aura.
"Whoa! That's General Di Qiong—the Cold-Faced Spear!"
"Just a duel between the Luo family's eldest young master and a kid from Qingshan County, and even General Di Qiong shows up?"
The crowd gasped in surprise.
Di Qiong was one of the city lord's generals.
After taking his seat, he scanned the arena but didn't see Lu Mingxi anywhere.
His brows furrowed. Where had that woman gone?
Could the City Guard have ambushed her?
No, that would mean openly confronting the city lord's mansion—something they wouldn't dare.
Di Qiong had come looking for Lu Mingxi, never suspecting that the Breath Condensation Realm general had already been killed by Lin Yi.
After all, rumors said Lin Yi was only a Meridian Clearing Realm cultivator, clearly no match for Lu Mingxi.