As the sound of Jiang Wang’s voice faded, he drew his sword without hesitation and slashed forth.

“W-what?!”

A flash of cold light erupted. Fang Pengju scrambled away, barely avoiding the strike. He was both terrified and enraged, cutting a pathetic figure.

Aside from him, no one else present had even reacted. Almost everyone had expected to witness the reconciliation of brothers, a profound display of camaraderie that might even become a legendary tale.

No one had imagined that, with everyone watching and brotherly affection hanging in the air, Jiang Wang would actually draw his sword!

“Pengju,” Jiang Wang said, watching him with a smile playing on his lips, a smile that was exceptionally cold. “You promised to offer your neck for the blade. Why did you dodge?”

Fang Pengju’s handsome face alternated between green and white. He finally stood up from the ground, gritting his teeth as he met Jiang Wang’s gaze. “Third Brother, are you truly disregarding all brotherly affection?”

“Shameless, despicable bastard!” By this point, Du Yehou could no longer contain his fury. “I was blind to call you a brother!”

As he spoke, he moved to rush forward, but Jiang Wang raised a hand to stop him.

“Second Brother, let me handle this myself.”

Fang Pengju glared at him. “Du Yehou! What business is this of yours?!”

“Fang Pengju, you’ve disappointed me greatly!” The usually magnanimous Linghe could not suppress his anger. He stepped forward, drew the sword at his waist, sliced off a corner of his robe, and threw it heavily to the ground. “From this day forward, our brotherhood is severed!”

“Eldest Brother!” Fang Pengju gave a bitter laugh. “Second Brother is impulsive, but can’t even you understand me? I am willing to die to prove my innocence, but my parents have only me. I am their only heir, their only hope they cannot bear to give up! My life is not my own; how can I die here? Jiang Wang blindly believes villains, refuses to listen to explanations, and seeks only to put me to death! Does he have any brotherly affection in his heart?”

“Fourth Brother, this is the last time I will call you that,” Zhao Rucheng, the youngest of the Maple Five Heroes, finally spoke. His face still held some youthful innocence, but was already remarkably handsome. His words, at this moment, rang like gold and jade. “The Fang family of Fang Decai have served your Fang family for generations! What conditions could a band of defeated bandits offer to buy him off? Are you insulting your Fang family’s wealth, or are you insulting our collective intelligence? How did a pack of Western Mountain dogs even infiltrate Maple Forest City and set a trap in Moon Gazing Tower so brazenly? Finally, since you don’t have the resolve to die to prove your innocence, who was that performance just now for? Zhao Rucheng is ashamed to be associated with you!”

Of the five, Linghe and Jiang Wang came from poor families. Du Yehou’s family was neither rich nor poor, while Fang Pengju and Zhao Rucheng were both sons of wealthy merchants. The Fang family need not be mentioned, and although the Zhao family had only moved to Maple Forest City in the last ten years, their wealth was unfathomable.

“Little Fifth, you’ve always been close to Third Brother, and you usually favor him, but am I not still your Fourth Brother? You have no evidence, and you speak these heart-piercing words based only on conjecture. Can your conscience truly be at peace?”

Fang Pengju was pained and distraught, appearing to be in immense torment.

“Pengju, your eloquence remains as sharp as ever,” Jiang Wang said, stopping Zhao Rucheng and the others. “But have you considered why, even when I was severely injured and fleeing, I didn’t secretly contact Eldest Brother, Second Brother, or Little Fifth, and instead waited until today to come find you?”

His eyelids lowered slightly. “It’s because I never wanted to force them to make a choice, didn’t want them to be suspicious, didn’t want them to be put in a difficult position! The matter between you and me should be resolved between you and me alone. If I die, then I die. Since I am still alive, then what is owed must be repaid.”

Fang Pengju looked at him coldly. “Are you suffering from delusions of persecution? I owe you nothing. What are you asking me to repay? Why are you so stubbornly misguided?”

But Jiang Wang no longer spoke to him. Instead, he turned towards the tall statue of the Dao Lord in the Dao Academy and bowed deeply. “Disciple Jiang Wang was nearly killed by the treacherous Fang Pengju. This grievance cannot be resolved, this hatred cannot be extinguished. I request a death duel with him!”

The crowd erupted in an uproar.

A Dao-witnessed death duel!!!

Fratricide among fellow disciples is a sin, but if there is truly a deep-seated hatred, a blood feud that cannot be resolved, the Dao Sect does not shy away from duels.

And among the various forms of duels, the duel witnessed by the Dao Lord is the most irrevocable.

The Dao Sect generally believes that the Dao Lord dwells high in the Nine Heavens, observing the universe. Reciting His name means He knows. Bowing before His image means He feels. All oaths involving the Dao Lord are irreversible.

A Dao-witnessed death duel is a fight to the death.

As soon as Jiang Wang finished speaking, a middle-aged Daoist in black robes appeared before the statue of the Dao Lord.

He had a stern face and a short beard. On the right breast of his black robe was embroidered a small, lifelike azure dragon. This was the Soaring Dragon Dao Robe, which only those in the middle three ranks could wear.

Cultivators in the mortal world are generally divided into nine ranks. Various schools have different names or extraordinary manifestations, but the ranks generally correspond to the nine-rank system. The ninth to seventh ranks are the lower ranks, the sixth to fourth ranks are the middle ranks, and the third to first ranks are the higher ranks. Interestingly, this also corresponds to the official ranks of various countries.

Of course, in small countries like the State of Zhuang, even a first-rank prime minister may not actually have the strength of a first-rank cultivator.

As soon as the black-robed, short-bearded Daoist appeared, all the disciples present bowed and saluted. “Dean!”

There were only a handful of Daoists in the entire Maple Forest City who could wear the Soaring Dragon Black Robe, and this included Dong A, the Dean of the Maple Forest Dao Academy. Legend had it that he had cultivated in the State of Zhuang’s capital, Xin’an City, but had offended powerful figures due to his upright and impartial nature, and was thus transferred to Maple Forest City in Qinghe County.

Linghe had a look of sorrow on his face, but he did not say a word. He knew Jiang Wang’s swordsmanship well. Before he had even officially begun cultivating Dao techniques, no one in the outer courtyard was his match, and Fang Pengju was no exception.

But Jiang Wang’s proposal of a Dao-witnessed duel indicated that his grievances were irreconcilable. Now that the Dean had personally arrived, Fang Pengju either had to fight to the death or submit to the Maple Forest Dao Academy’s investigation into Jiang Wang’s ambush.

But how could Fang Pengju withstand a Dao Academy investigation?

Therefore, in reality, he had no choice.

Amidst countless gazes filled with suspicion, mockery, or anger, Fang Pengju’s face still did not betray any sign of panic. “Third Brother, do you and I really have to draw our swords against each other?”

Jiang Wang said calmly, “It is you, not I, who have brought us to this point.”

“What will it take for you to believe me?”

“I have already paid for that trust with my life once. Now, further words are futile. The Fang Pengju I know is not a coward who would refuse to fight.”

Fang Pengju was unmoved. “Are you so confident that you can kill me?”

Jiang Wang looked at him calmly. “Why don’t you try me?”

Fang Pengju stared at him for a long time, then suddenly laughed. “Unfortunately, you can’t kill me. Our duel cannot be established. Because just the other day, my Dao Meridian manifested. I can be considered an inner courtyard disciple! We are on different levels. How can we duel?”

As he spoke, he straightened his body and fully activated his Dao Meridian. Everyone present could sense an aura rising from his spinal dragon, causing his spirit to surge. This indicated that his Dao Meridian had manifested, and his flesh could feed back the Dao Meridian to produce Dao Essence, officially granting him extraordinary power.

The Dao Academy had long since established corresponding regulations for duels, an important point being that anyone could unconditionally refuse a duel invitation between different levels. This was to protect low-rank cultivators, preventing them from being bullied by high-rank cultivators. But at this moment, it became Fang Pengju’s reason for avoiding the duel.

Although he had manifested his Dao Meridian, it had not been long, and he had not yet begun to cultivate Dao techniques. Therefore, his strength had not fundamentally improved, so he still did not have the confidence to fight Jiang Wang.

Jiang Wang was silent.

He looked at Fang Pengju in silence, his emotions complex.

Then, he said slowly, “For the sake of this Meridian Opening Pill, I charged into Western Mountain alone, bathed in blood, and finally destroyed the bandit den. In that battle, I suffered thirteen wounds, two of which were fatal.”

“In order to achieve the best effect with the Meridian Opening Pill, I planned to wait until my body had recovered to its peak condition before using it. I understood the principle that possessing a treasure invites trouble, so I didn’t reveal a word to anyone. Everyone thought I would consume the pill that day, except for you, except for you five brothers who have shared life and death. Because I have nothing that I need to hide from you.”

“From the age of five, when I first came into contact with the world of cultivation, I have been chasing after this Meridian Opening Pill. I don’t have a naturally manifesting Dao Meridian, so I can only rely on pills to transcend mortality. It is my path to cultivation, my hope, my only light. You know my family situation, you know how hard I have worked. I get up to practice my swordsmanship before dawn every day, and I don’t rest until the moon is high in the sky. I never go to brothels or indulge myself in any way. I dare say that no outer courtyard disciple in the entire Maple Forest Dao Academy works harder than I do. For the sake of this Meridian Opening Pill, I have worked hard for eleven years!”

As Jiang Wang spoke, he stared intently at Fang Pengju. “Mixed with my sweat, my blood, and my tears, how effective is my Meridian Opening Pill, hmm?”

The arena fell silent.

Linghe pursed his lips tightly, Zhao Rucheng bit his teeth in silence, and even a tough man like Du Yehou had reddened eyes.

Yes, who among them didn’t know Jiang Wang’s obsession, Jiang Wang’s exhaustion, Jiang Wang’s suffering?

And Fang Pengju was cruel enough to do something like this!

“I don’t know what nonsense you’re spouting!” A hint of unnaturalness flashed across Fang Pengju’s face, but he quickly suppressed it. “My uncle went with a merchant caravan through Cloud Country earlier this month and happened to buy a Meridian Opening Pill from a struggling cultivator. That is how I was able to manifest my Dao Meridian. What does that have to do with you? Don’t think that everyone is like you, born poor and willing to resort to any means to advance! My Fang family is immensely wealthy. Do you think we can’t afford a Meridian Opening Pill?”

Zhao Rucheng was filled with extreme hatred, and no longer restrained his words. “Yes, the Fang family is indeed immensely wealthy. It’s a pity that your parents died early, and you are not the direct descendant of the Fang family. The family resources allocated to you are limited. Otherwise, how is it that you haven’t been able to obtain a Meridian Opening Pill for so long, but you happened to have one so coincidentally after my Third Brother was attacked?”

“That’s just a coincidence. I can only say, it’s too coincidental!” Fang Pengju’s eyes flashed with cold light. “Don’t speak about things without evidence. For the sake of our brotherhood, I won’t hold it against you. If there is a next time, I, as an inner courtyard disciple, will let you know what is meant by proper hierarchy!”

“You!” Zhao Rucheng was furious.

Du Yehou ground his steel teeth to powder. If the Dean hadn’t been present, he would have loved to smash Fang Pengju’s handsome face with a punch.

Only Jiang Wang appeared calm. “Fang Pengju, I’ve told you before. You are too arrogant, too self-righteous, and you often overlook the truth because of it. I’ve taught you this. Why can’t you learn?”

“Why don’t you consider, if a Dao-witnessed duel could not be established, then why would Dean Dong appear here?”

He stepped forward and activated his Dao Meridian as well. The earthworm in his spinal dragon thrashed fiercely, and his entire being was as sharp as a sword, as upright as a sword!

“That’s because I have also manifested my Dao Meridian, officially possessing the possibility of transcending mortality!”

“We are on the same level, and you dare not allow the Dean to investigate. Therefore, the duel is established!”

As Fang Pengju was struck with great alarm, Dean Dong A waved his sleeve.

Right at the entrance of the Dao Academy, right beneath the feet of Jiang Wang and Fang Pengju, a sapling suddenly broke through the earth. Within a few breaths, it grew wildly, becoming a huge wooden stake, lifting the two of them up while separating them from the other outer courtyard disciples.

The top of the wooden stake was as flat as if it had been cut by a sharp instrument, about ten steps square. From afar, it looked like a wooden circular platform. However, there were branches swaying around the “platform.”

Fang Pengju had no doubt that if he turned to run, these seemingly harmless branches would turn into man-eating beasts.

And Jiang Wang’s hand was already on the hilt of his sword, waiting to strike.

With a casual wave, Dong A caused a branch to twist and coil around the sword that Fang Pengju had thrown on the ground earlier, and flung it onto the platform.

Fang Pengju reached out and caught it.

Before the statue of the Dao Lord whose face could never be seen clearly, Dong A, a powerhouse of the fifth-grade Internal Mansion realm, announced in a flat voice, “The Dao-witnessed death duel begins!”