Dong A announced the start of the duel, and before his voice had even faded, the clash of longswords already rang out on the wooden platform!

Before the duel, Fang Pengju had made every excuse to avoid it. But once the duel truly began, he showed not a sliver of hesitation. His sword strikes were extremely steady, extremely accurate, and extremely ruthless, leaving no room for error. He was able to stand out among all the outer disciples of Maple Leaf Dao Academy, and had earned the respect of Jiang Wang and others in the time before this – he was certainly no mere charlatan.

But Jiang Wang was faster, steadier, and more decisive than he!

Because he had waited fifty-seven days. Because, for these fifty-seven days and nights, he had imagined this scene without pause.

Even with grievous wounds, even with a weakened body, even having brushed against death countless times.

In battle, they could kill each other with swords and blades. He could accept injury or death. But to be betrayed by the person he trusted most; the pain and torment in his heart far surpassed that of his body.

What had sustained him through that time, besides his endless desire to live, was a hatred etched into his bones!

One sword strike, breaking into Fang Pengju’s sword momentum.

As the sword pierced, so did the man advance, his abdomen crashing directly against Fang Pengju’s longsword. As blood splattered, Jiang Wang indifferently swung his own sword horizontally, severing Fang Pengju’s tendons!

The two wounds appeared almost simultaneously, but one was intentional, and the other was forced. This alone decided the outcome.

Jiang Wang advanced again, using his elbow to drive his body forward, smashing brutally into Fang Pengju’s chest.

Fang Pengju had just lost control of his sword in the face of excruciating pain. The next moment, he heard the clear sound of his own bones cracking.

His entire body was sent flying outwards like a shrimp, crashing off the high platform, only to be bounced back by the swaying branches, and finally falling to the ground.

In just one exchange, Fang Pengju was defeated!

“How is it possible? The difference… is so great?!”

A clamor erupted from below the platform.

Everything had happened too quickly. The Opening Vein Pill, mixed with Jiang Wang’s blood and tears, had allowed Fang Pengju’s Dao Meridian to emerge, his aura soaring.

The sword, steeped in Jiang Wang’s hatred and pain, sent Fang Pengju plummeting into the dust.

“He lost to himself. He lost to fear,” Zhao Rucheng said in a low voice. “If not for fear, he would not have chosen to harm Third Brother, using despicable means to seize the Opening Vein Pill. He knew that he had no other way to surpass Third Brother. Once the gap widened, he would never be able to catch up.”

Ling He couldn’t help but sigh. “When Third Brother first came to the Dao Academy, his strength was among the worst, far inferior to Pengju. Years have passed, and his swordsmanship is now recognized as the best among the outer disciples. And Pengju has always been of a proud nature…”

Du Yehut growled, “In the end, isn’t it just because he’s incompetent and shameless?!”

Clang!

Jiang Wang slowly pulled the longsword that pierced through his abdomen, tossing it aside.

The blood-soaked sword fell to the ground with a clang, as helpless and as panicked as Fang Pengju who spat up blood.

Sword hanging at his side, Jiang Wang slowly walked forward.

“Help! Academy Master, save me! I am a member of the Fang family! The Fang family is one of the three great clans of this city!”

Fang Pengju cried out in terror, with no trace of his usual noble young master demeanor.

Dong A remained expressionless. “Since it is a Dao Witnessed Death Duel, it is naturally a fight to the death. What decides your fate is only your opponent.”

“Third Brother, Third Brother!” Fang Pengju supported himself on the ground with his hands, constantly retreating. “Spare me! Spare me! Spare me this once!”

“The Fang family is a hundred-year clan! But it hasn’t produced a cultivator who pushed open the Gates of Heaven in twenty years! One step slow, every step is slow! How much time do I have to wait? I can’t stop, I carry the fervent hopes of my deceased father, I can’t stop!”

He looked at Jiang Wang with tearful eyes. “My Opening Vein Pill, I’ll tell you, would you have given it to me?”

Jiang Wang did not speak.

“My uncle went to the Yun Kingdom, but he couldn’t buy an Opening Vein Pill at all. Even if he did, he might not give it to me. The control of the Opening Vein Pills is becoming stricter and stricter, only rewarded to the outer disciples with the most potential. Only you in the entire Maple Leaf Dao Academy obtained such merit. I had no choice, I had no choice!” Fang Pengju wept bitterly.

Jiang Wang narrowed his eyes. “I actually understand you. I understand your anxiety, your unease, your fear. The Fang family is a great clan, giving you a superior environment, but the competition is also very fierce. I knew long ago that people’s desires are endless. I also know how much you long to prove yourself, how much you want to win glory for your father who died young, you have said it all, I remember it all. You are eager for success, possessed by evil spirits, actually I can understand.”

In the light of hope that suddenly flashed in Fang Pengju’s eyes, he continued, “But understanding does not mean forgiveness.”

Having said these words, Jiang Wang had just walked to Fang Pengju.

The longsword drew a clear arc in the air, accurately and without the slightest hesitation, piercing into his chest.

“How can one repay virtue with resentment? What would one use to repay virtue?”

“So, I once died, and you will need to repay me with your life.”

Jiang Wang slowly said.

Fang Pengju used his intact left hand to grab the sword, allowing the blade to cut open his palm, allowing the sword to remain in his body, allowing death to be delayed slightly.

He struggled to make a gasping sound.

“After… taking your pill, I couldn’t sleep at night. I regret it very much… I’m very sorry. But, but you’re unharmed, aren’t you? We are brothers. Why… why can’t you forgive me… just once.”

Many people under the platform had complex emotions, unable to bear to watch or listen any longer.

But Jiang Wang simply looked at him calmly.

“Do you know the feeling of being betrayed? Do you know the pain and anger that burns in your heart? You made my trust seem foolish, you made my experience like a joke. You made my pain meaningless.”

Memories flowed like water, but they no longer had warmth, and could barely cause a ripple.

“Have you had the experience of lying on a pile of straw, weak and helpless, only able to watch death approach?”

“I seemed to see two shadows swaying in front of me, I knew they were the Black and White Impermanence. I seemed to hear their breathing, slow, slow, echoing in my ears. I once vowed to fight fate! But I knew I was about to die, but I had not the slightest way to change it.”

“If you had experienced what I experienced, you would understand that some pain cannot be repaired. I have already died once. If I forgive you, then I am not worthy to face myself.”

Jiang Wang spoke only to this point, slowly and firmly pulling out his longsword.

The high platform slowly descended, the branches retracted, and finally, the entire Dao art-extended dueling ground transformed back into a small sapling, drilling into the ground.

And Fang Pengju lay quietly on the ground, his right hand hanging down, his left hand still grasping emptily in front of him, as if firmly holding onto the longsword that had taken his life. His eyes were wide open, faintly lingering with pain, unwillingness, and all sorts of emotions.

But he was already dead.

Ling He sighed softly, stepped forward, took off his outer garment, and covered Fang Pengju’s face.

Du Yehut opened his mouth, seeming to want to curse something, but finally couldn’t say a word. The person was already dead.

Zhao Rucheng remained motionless, silent.

Jiang Wang stood quietly in place, his eyes not looking at anyone in the arena, but looking at the endless distant sky. As if looking at himself in another time and space.

“Rest in peace,” he said in his heart.

His mind was clear. The earthworm-like Dao Meridian in his spine suddenly became agile, leaping up from his tailbone, smoothly swimming through a stretch of travel, spitting out a round, full, and beautiful Dao Yuan.

Jiang Wang suddenly thought of a saying – “Understanding the world is all cultivation, clear thoughts are provisions.”