I Can Add Points Infinitely - Chapter 15
Shen Lian hurriedly dodged.
However, no matter how quick his movements, they couldn’t match the speed of the incoming sword.
The blade drew closer, too swift to evade.
With no other choice, Shen Lian rolled clumsily on the ground, narrowly avoiding the strike.
The scene left the inner disciples watching from below in stunned silence.
“It looks like… Senior Brother Shen Lian isn’t a match for Lian Hong…”
“Well, Lian Hong did advance through the second round, so it’s no surprise he’s strong in battle.”
“Exactly. Even though Senior Brother Shen Lian has high talent and is already a peak level one Qi Refining cultivator, in this stage, the amount of spiritual energy doesn’t make much of a difference in actual combat.”
The inner disciples whispered among themselves, their faces showing concern.
Meanwhile, not far away, the True Disciples under the Third Elder were all smiling confidently, appearing entirely relaxed compared to the worried onlookers.
The young man leading the group crossed his arms, watching the duel with a casual demeanor.
The situation on the stage was exactly as he expected.
In his view, Shen Lian’s defeat was inevitable; the only variable was how long it would take.
He even thought that Shen Lian might have to surrender in the next moment.
However—
As time passed, Shen Lian’s defense, though seemingly precarious, held firm.
Even more surprisingly, after a quarter of an hour, Shen Lian hadn’t suffered any injuries.
“He’s actually holding on this long?”
The youth frowned, just about to remind Lian Hong to stop holding back and finish the fight quickly.
But just then, an unexpected turn of events unfolded on stage.
Lian Hong seized an opening in Shen Lian’s defense, thrusting his sword forward like lightning.
Shen Lian hurriedly evaded, but in his rush, he didn’t notice the ground beneath his feet.
As his right foot moved sideways, it caught on a deep sword mark carved into the floor, causing him to stumble awkwardly, losing his balance and completely disrupting his defensive stance.
Trying to regain his footing, Shen Lian instinctively made circular motions with his hands in mid-air.
This seemingly random movement suddenly altered the course of their duel.
While Lian Hong pursued Shen Lian, Shen Lian’s erratic movements inadvertently swung his sword in a chaotic arc through the air.
One of those arcs struck Lian Hong’s wrist.
“Slash!”
The blade cut through, and Lian Hong felt a sharp pain in his wrist, forcing his hand to release the sword.
With a metallic clang, the weapon fell to the ground.
The entire arena fell silent.
“Uh…”
Shen Lian steadied himself and looked up to see Lian Hong clutching his wrist, his expression filled with disbelief.
Lian Hong gritted his teeth, struggling to accept what had just happened. After a long pause, he sighed in resignation, “I lost.”
He had no other choice; Shen Lian’s random strike had severed the tendons in his hand.
Now, he couldn’t even hold his sword, let alone continue fighting.
“Ah… well fought, well fought.”
Shen Lian finally realized what had happened, hurriedly bowing in acknowledgment.
Lian Hong said nothing further, retrieving his fallen sword with a grim expression before leaping off the stage.
“I’m sorry, Senior Brother. I was careless,” Lian Hong said, lowering his head in shame as he approached the young man leading the group.
“It’s alright. It wasn’t your fault.”
The young man shook his head. He had witnessed the incident himself and could only admit that Shen Lian’s victory was purely down to luck.
“He won? He actually won?”
“Ha! Senior Brother Shen Lian is awesome!”
“That’ll teach you all to be so arrogant. Now you have to leave the Martial Arena, right?”
“And don’t forget the wager. You bet ten lower-grade spirit stones just now.”
The inner disciples cheered loudly.
They had long been fed up with the Third Elder’s True Disciples’ arrogant behavior. Now, they finally had a chance to mock them openly, not caring how Shen Lian won—as long as he won.
The young leader of the True Disciples glared coldly at the cheering crowd, his voice icy, “You don’t need to remind me. It’s just a bet; I, Cui Zheng, would never go back on my word.”
With that, he took out ten lower-grade spirit stones from his storage pouch and tossed them to Shen Lian.
Shen Lian accepted them without hesitation.
However, even after handing over the spirit stones, Cui Zheng and his group did not leave. Instead, Cui Zheng looked directly at Shen Lian and continued, “Though you won, it was purely by luck. Your strength isn’t enough to convince us.”
“So I want to challenge you again. Will you accept?”
“And following your rules, we’ll increase the wager this time—how about twenty lower-grade spirit stones?”
Cui Zheng’s gaze burned into Shen Lian.
“Oh, can’t take the loss, can you?”
“Exactly. You agreed that the loser would leave the arena, and now you want to fight again? What is this, a relay match?”
“Shameless, aren’t you? A fifth level Qi Refining disciple challenging someone at the first level? What a joke!”
“It’s not just shameless; the worst part is if he loses again, he’ll probably go running to the Third Elder. And then we’re really in trouble…”
In terms of raw power, the inner disciples weren’t a match for the Third Elder’s True Disciples.
But when it came to sarcasm and mockery, they held nothing back, displaying a mastery of snark that was unmatched.
Cui Zheng’s forehead throbbed with anger, his icy glare sweeping over the group as he growled, “I suggest you keep your mouths shut. Here in the Inner Sect, only True Disciples have the right to speak on equal terms with other True Disciples. Understand?”
The inner disciples rolled their eyes but knew better than to push further. Though they acted indifferent, their bodies told a different story—they knew Cui Zheng was truly enraged.
If they continued to provoke him, and Cui Zheng disregarded his status and attacked them, they wouldn’t stand a chance—especially with the Third Elder’s backing looming behind him.
Seeing the group fall silent, Cui Zheng exhaled, acknowledging that as a fifth level Qi Refining disciple challenging Shen Lian, it might indeed be seen as a low move.
After some thought, he added, “This duel is purely for sparring and has nothing to do with arena rights. Win or lose, we will leave afterward. So, what do you say? Yes or no?”
Facing Cui Zheng’s taunting gaze, Shen Lian didn’t hesitate long before nodding.
Cui Zheng immediately leapt onto the stage, facing Shen Lian with an eager stance.
“Let’s begin.”
Without further words, Cui Zheng, seemingly eager for a quick resolution, drew his sword. The blade gleamed with a half-foot aura of sword energy as he swept it toward Shen Lian.
He didn’t take Shen Lian seriously at all.
After all, Shen Lian was only at the first level of Qi Refining and didn’t seem particularly skilled in combat.
In Cui Zheng’s eyes, he could defeat Shen Lian within three moves.
However, as his sword approached, Shen Lian’s response was entirely unexpected.
No!
In fact, not just Cui Zheng—everyone present was caught off guard by Shen Lian’s actions.
In an instant, Shen Lian’s figure blurred, splitting into multiple phantoms that effortlessly evaded Cui Zheng’s rapid attack.
Gone was the clumsy and panicked demeanor.