Arrogance of the Strong

Cheng Kai's words were met with complete silence, as both the Mo Group and Quan Hui's party tried to digest what just happened.

They were busy having their own battle, so why was this person suddenly butting in?

Quan Hui glanced over at San Wanfan, only to see a similarly confused expression hanging on the latter's face.

That gave her the final piece of the puzzle, allowing her to understand what was truly going on.

Cheng Kai was not here because he was on San Wanfan's side.

He was only here because he wanted to go against her!

"Do you think I am afraid of you?" Quan Hui scowled, though her tone was noticeably more subdued as compared to before.

Despite being a regular inner disciple from the Black Tortoise Sect, Cheng Kai's name was rather well known throughout the Four Great Symbol Sects.

The battle-crazed maniac – Crimson Sword Cheng Kai.

That said, having a deep love for battle was not that big of a deal. After all, there were plenty of other disciples from the four factions who loved fighting, some of whom were even crazier about it than Cheng Kai.

Instead, there was another more important reason why Cheng Kai was so much better known than all of the others.

Invincibility at his cultivation level.

Ever since he first embarked on the cultivation path, Cheng Kai had yet to lose a single battle against anyone at the same cultivation level or lower.

And it just so happened that he was currently at the Peak Essence Physique realm – the exact same cultivation level as Quan Hui!

"I sure hope not. It would be boring otherwise," Cheng Kai grinned. "So, can I take that as an acceptance of the duel?"

"Senior Martial Sister Quan...!" a member of Quan Hui's party called out.

"Don't worry, Junior Martial Sister Mei. I know what I am doing," Quan Hui raised her palm to her party member while maintaining eye contact with Cheng Kai. "Come! If you are itching for a fight, then I will gladly show you what is the true meaning of being invincible at your cultivation level!"

San Wanfan finally understood the situation at this point, and could not help but rejoice in his heart.

Yes, Cheng Kai's involvement at this point might end up stealing their thunder to a certain extent.

But at the same time, it also served to set their victory in stone!

Compared to gambling on a result that could easily go either way, San Wanfan would take this option any day of the week!

In any case, his party was still the one that had pushed Quan Hui's party to the brink, essentially forcing them to suggest a duel to conclude things.

That alone was good enough as a boost to their reputation.

As for the result of the duel between Cheng Kai and Quan Hui, he was not worried whatsoever.

After all, Cheng Kai was a complete monster.

Considering how Quan Hui was a core disciple, she might have stood a good chance at her best. However, her energy reserves had been largely expended by now.

All things considered, there was absolutely no way that she would be able to win!

But just as San Wanfan was thinking this, Cheng Kai's next words caused his heart to sink.

"I'm looking forward to the fight even more now! Go ahead and recover your energy. I have no intention of fighting an exhausted enemy!" Cheng Kai declared.

"What?!" Quan Hui was surprised for a moment, though this surprise quickly turned into a different feeling altogether.

Of course, it would be ideal if she had some time to recover before the duel.

But at the same time, she could not help feeling underestimated by the other party.

It was almost as though Cheng Kai was openly declaring that she, in her current state, was not even worth fighting. Not just that, but even at her best, he would still be completely confident of defeating her.

What arrogance from a mere inner disciple!

How infuriating!

"Wait, Junior Martial Brother Cheng! This might not be a good idea," San Wanfan hurriedly intervened. "We already have them cornered, carefully expending their energy to this level so that we can wipe them out all at once. It doesn't make sense to let them recover now!"

"You have us cornered? What a joke!" Quan Hui snorted in disdain. "All you did is take advantage of our situation using dishonourable schemes!"

"All we did are things that would be completely acceptable in actual battles!" San Wanfan retorted.

"The rest of you can do whatever you want for all I care, but she is mine," Cheng Kai said impatiently. "If you don't agree with what I have decided, you would have to change my mind by force."

"Junior Martial Brother Cheng, we are on the same side!" San Wanfan felt the corner of his lips twitch.

"How are we on the same side when you are trying to stop me?" Cheng Kai questioned.

"This... fine! But you'd better make sure that you win!" San Wanfan said through gritted teeth.

Despite his exasperation, San Wanfan had no choice but to relent.

He knew that once Cheng Kai had made up his mind, it would probably have to take an earth-shattering event to make him change his decision.

Now, he could only hope that Cheng Kai would truly live up to his reputation.

Against anyone else, San Wanfan would not be worried whatsoever. But against a core disciple like Quan Hui, it would be difficult to claim that the result had already been decided.

To think that they were straying away from certain victory just to satisfy Cheng Kai's desire for a better fight...

How exasperating!

This was exactly why all the inner disciples avoided hanging out with this battle-crazed maniac. That personality of his made him akin to a bomb that could go off at any time, potentially derailing all reasonable plans and predictions!

"Are you sure about this?" Quan Hui narrowed her eyes at Cheng Kai in a doubtful manner.

"One hundred percent," Cheng Kai nodded. "Don't worry, I will make sure nobody disturbs you while you recover."

"In that case, fine! Let's do this!" Quan Hui sat down in a cross legged position and brought out spirit stones to recover.

Cheng Kai did the same not far away from her, slowly recovering to his peak.

As the two started their recovery process, the others in the area were suddenly faced with an awkward situation.

It felt meaningless to continue their battle when this duel was supposed to decide the victor, but were they supposed to just stand by and watch the duo recover?

Technically, the fight had yet to end, so they were not sure if the other party would be willing to let them sit down and recover their strength as well.

Unsure of what to do next, the two sides that had been broken up into three battlefronts awkwardly gathered back up into their respective groups, watching the duo with a tight feeling in their hearts.

***

"How's the situation?" Sect Protector Pei asked. "Are they doing well?"

"The battle seems to have stopped, be it temporarily or permanently. San Wanfan's party is in a stable condition right now," Zhao Yunxiao answered.

"It stopped? All of a sudden?" Sect Protector Pei raised an eyebrow in surprise.

Just like Zhao Yunxiao, he understood that it was not that easy to defeat Quan Hui's party.

How could it be possible for them to secure victory without losing anyone?

Could he have underestimated San Wanfan and his ability to implement combat strategies?

"We can't discount the possibility of them either being in a stalemate or having been captured by the other party," Zhao Yunxiao reminded.

"Being captured at this stage? Unlikely," Sect Protector Pei shook his head. "Even earlier, the other party had tried to eliminate them entirely. Now that only a single day remains, there is even less reason for them to waste time on taking captives."

Zhao Yunxiao agreed with his sentiments.

In the first place, even the premise that the Mo Group was fighting Quan Hui's party had been a mere conjecture.

They simply lacked too much information.

Of course, Zhao Yunxiao had a little more information than what he was letting up on.

This pause in the battle coincided with the time at which Cheng Kai had stopped travelling, suggesting that the arrival of the latter might have been the trigger.

But why?

Even with Cheng Kai's arrival, there was no reason for everyone to just stop fighting because of him.

Going by Cheng Kai's style and settling things with a duel?

But Cheng Kai's energy expenditure had remained stable too, indicating that he was not in a fight. So, that could not be the case.

And even if Cheng Kai's arrival had truly managed to stop the fight, why were they not trying to recover their energy right now?

After all, all of them were stationary right now and not busy travelling.

Just what exactly was going on?

Wait, something's happening!

"Energy expenditure rising. Cheng Kai has entered battle!" Zhao Yunxiao announced.

"Watch the situation closely," Fei Weng said, clearly aware of the attention that Cheng Kai was getting from all corners of the Black Guardian Square.

"Yes, Senior Fei!" Zhao Yunxiao did not have to be told twice.

Yes, now things finally made sense.

He did not know the reason for the pause earlier, but he could roughly guess what was happening with Cheng Kai being the only one actively fighting right now.

Indeed, they had decided to go with a duel!

This was the main reason why Zhao Yunxiao had led Cheng Kai to the battle location in the first place.

With Quan Hui being a core disciple who was similarly at the Peak Essence Physique realm, there was absolutely no way that Cheng Kai would let her go without picking a fight.

And given Quan Hui's personality, she was unlikely to decline as well.

It was not necessarily obstinacy, perhaps closer to a confidence that was naturally present in those who possessed true strength. Zhao Yunxiao saw this as the arrogance of the strong – probably the exact same thing that was driving Cheng Kai to repeatedly challenge others without restraint.

Regardless of its true nature, Zhao Yunxiao wanted to use Cheng Kai to force Quan Hui's hand, effectively removing her from the battle.

If things panned out as he had planned, not only would Cheng Kai get the duel that he loved, but the Mo Group would also gain a greater advantage in the battle.

It was a move that would directly benefit both sides!

What he did not expect was for the entire battle to stop altogether.

But this was fine as well.

Cheng Kai had already proven himself by defeating Sword Finger Qi Yi from the White Tiger Sect. Even if this Infernal Claw Quan Hui managed to win somehow, she would be far too spent to participate in the rest of the battle.

At that point, the Mo Group would still be in a better situation than before.

Zhao Yunxiao looked up at the sky.

Half the day had already passed.

Even if Quan Hui tried to recover after the duel with Cheng Kai, there would not be much time left for her to rejoin the fight.

Zhao Yunxiao let out a long, deep breath before leaning back in his chair, most of the earlier tension leaving his body.

This was all he could do for the Mo Group. The rest would have to be left in their hands!

Zhao Yunxiao did not remember much about what happened in the following few hours, which went by in a relatively uneventful manner.

Cheng Kai's battle ended, yet the Mo Group did not commence theirs.

Instead, the two appeared to have parted ways right after, moving in two separate groups.

No one activated their jade slips to return, so there was no clear update on the situation.

All he knew was that for the rest of the day, the remaining participants under his watch had only encountered small skirmishes at most, none of them truly testing their limits.

Zhao Yunxiao had no trails to put Cheng Kai on as well, so he could only watch on silently as the day gradually came to an end.

As the half moon hung directly overhead, many of those present started to turn their attention towards the elders' tent.

Their growing sense of anticipation did not go unanswered.

After exchanging nods with the other elders, Elder Feng Wanjia promptly stood up from her seat and stepped forward to face the giant tortoise statue.

"Three days have passed. I hereby announce the closure of the Four Symbols Mystic Realm, and will be bringing all participants back immediately," Elder Feng Wanjia announced.

Zhao Yunxiao let out a sigh of relief upon hearing this, as did the other observers.

As of this very moment, their jobs at the event had officially come to an end.