Chapter 726: Many Suspicious Points
Translator: Timothy_ Editor: GlobeGlotter
Liu Lei’s words ignited another uproar. Sima Ping of Shang Qing Mountain had proven to be all talk. Even the Shu Mountain disciples were forced to reassess Liu Lei. While his killing blow was a sneak attack, he had swiftly dispatched Sima Ping and tossed him into the sea.
Liu Lei’s challenge to Pan Cheng shifted everyone’s attention. The cheers belonged to the victor; Sima Ping was already forgotten.
Pan Cheng’s face paled. His legs trembled as he felt the weight of everyone’s gaze. He roared, “Liu Lei, you used a sneak attack! What’s heroic about that? Without the sneak attack, you wouldn’t have beaten Martial Brother Sima!”
Liu Lei laughed. “So I used a surprise attack. What are you going to do about it? Sue me for breaking the rules? Bite me? Isn’t it time for our death match already? I’ll even give you a chance to sneak attack me. Come on, stop being such a coward.”
His words sparked laughter and scorn. On the stage, the only rule was to kill your opponent, by any means necessary. Pan Cheng’s fear was obvious.
“Coward! Get lost!” “Trash!”
Scorn and curses rained down. Pan Cheng’s face was ashen; he knew a sneak attack wouldn’t save him. Liu Lei was clearly far stronger than a yellow level middle stage cultivator.
“Pan Cheng, if you don’t dare come up, don’t blame me for coming down and killing you!” Liu Lei sneered, terrifying Pan Cheng.
A life and death battle demanded a fight, unless one party conceded. Pan Cheng had already publicly agreed to the duel. Even if he refused, Liu Lei could descend and kill him with impunity.
Even Shang Qing Mountain’s members felt embarrassed by Pan Cheng’s cowardice and distanced themselves.
Unable to bear the pressure, Pan Cheng charged onto the stage like a madman, but his attack was sloppy and disorganized. Liu Lei easily sidestepped, countered with a swift strike, and Pan Cheng collapsed. Liu Lei felt both fights had been underwhelming. If he’d known, he wouldn’t have bothered with the sneak attack on Sima Ping; he would have tested his own strength.
No one expected such a swift victory. Even Ye Mo was surprised by Sima Ping's incompetence.
In a corner, a middle-aged man muttered, “When I brought Liu Lei in, he was clearly at the yellow level middle stage. How can he suddenly have black level inner qi? Did he hide his strength, or did he experience some stroke of luck on the ship?”
Liu Lei had won the match and a significant sum of gold coins, leaving him quite satisfied. As he searched for Ye Mo, a Shu Mountain disciple stopped him; an elder wished to see him.
Ye Mo understood; Liu Lei was about to become an inner sect member, a position of considerable status.
…
“What? Liu Lei won?! Sima Ping, a yellow peak cultivator, lost to a yellow level middle stage Liu Lei? How?” Yun Ziyi exclaimed, standing in shock.
“Not only did Liu Lei win, he killed Sima Ping with one move. Sima Ping couldn’t even resist,” the green-dressed girl replied.
Yun Ziyi frowned. “Was our intel wrong? Was Liu Lei not yellow level, but black level?”
But how was that possible? Yun Ziyi meticulously tracked all black level warriors under thirty. If Liu Lei were one, she would have contacted him.
Wait. Mo Ying had visited Liu Lei's room before coming to her. Could this be related? There was no way Mo Ying could have made Liu Lei so strong in a few hours.
Yun Ziyi shook her head. “Find out more about Liu Lei; learn his circumstances.”
Liu Lei soon announced he had obtained a Blue Liu Carrot with two flowers. He'd planned to use one flower to reach black level from yellow peak, and the other to reach earth level from black peak, but the challenge forced him to consume both at once.
Reaching black level before thirty secured him inner sect membership in the Shu Mountain Sword Sect.
“The Blue Liu Carrot. No wonder he reached black level. That herb is useful even for reaching earth level; what a pity he used both. He's certainly lucky,” Yun Ziyi murmured.
Meanwhile, leaders of major hidden sects had gathered. They weren't discussing Liu Lei, but the conflict between the Gemini Sword Sect and the Forgery Hall.
Both sects boasted extensive alliances. The Gemini Sword Sect possessed many beautiful female members and practiced dual cultivation techniques, accelerating cultivation speed for both partners. This led to numerous alliances through marriage. The Forgery Hall enjoyed even wider support, forging the continent's best weapons.
Many sects sought a peaceful resolution. The sect leaders maintained a fragile peace, largely due to several suspicious points.
However, remembering his son's death, Qi Youxin struggled to control his rage towards Xia Chongyan and Wan Houde, the Forgery Hall’s Vice Sect Leaders.
Before violence erupted, a thin old man from Taiyi intervened. “Sect Leader Qi, please calm down. Brother Ling and I have analyzed this repeatedly, and Martial Sister Jie Xian from Ci Hang Jing Mosque also believes this incident is suspicious. This is why we've called everyone together.”
This was Zhang Changwen, a great heaven elder of Taiyi. His words commanded respect.
He continued, “Five major points of suspicion exist. First, the big-bearded man knew he'd be pursued after buying those items, yet he openly strolled out with his cart – a blatant provocation. Second, he and his companion vanished. Third, Wei Wu, instead of fleeing immediately, bought clothes outside Hang Shui City – intentionally leaving a trail. Fourth, if Vice Sect Leader Xia orchestrated this and acquired the loot, he wouldn't have returned to Hang Shui injured, leaving Wei Wu to his own devices. The most suspicious point is the last one: while Elder Ming Zhifeng's wound was inflicted by a curved sword, he died from a long sword wound, only then pierced by the curved sword. Unless Wei Wu is an idiot, he wouldn't intentionally fake the scene to make it look like he killed Ming Zhifeng, would he?”