Under the public gaze, that young cultivator, unable to bear the provocation, stepped forth towards the stage. “Good! I shall face you…”

But his mouth was immediately covered. His master forcibly restrained him, quickly dragging him away. Master Ji Shaoqing of the Heaven Gate Divine Ability had already been defeated. This young cultivator, not even considered prominent within the sect, what could he hope to achieve? Rely on a surge of hot blood? How many strikes could that endure?

He could be reckless with his passion, but his master could not stand by and watch him court death.

“Perhaps I have been overly aggressive today. I admit my heart is full of resentment. But I originally held Fishing Sea Tower in high regard. You all should be able to see how much I respected Fishing Sea Tower. I sought help everywhere… at Tianya Stage, I never stood straight, always pleading. I just wanted one opportunity to atone, just to atone. Let me kill commander-level sea creatures, and I will. Let me kill however many, and I will.”

“I stayed in the labyrinth for nine days and accumulated ten thousand one hundred and thirty points of sea merit. Do my fellow cultivators have a concept of this? This number means, to kill soldier-level sea creatures, one must kill ten thousand one hundred and thirty of them! I fought for it with my life!”

“But when I returned with my life, to take away my suffering friend. He said…”

Jiang Wang pointed at Ji Shaoqing and said, “He said, Brother Jiang, duty calls, do not blame me… What utter nonsense duty calls!”

He roared, “I refuse to believe that the True Monarch of the Danger Tower Master Hall would actually toy with a junior like me, on one hand sending me into the labyrinth to risk my life, and on the other allowing a person who need not die, to perish here! I refuse to believe that Fishing Sea Tower, a great sect of the world, is so unreasonable, so unconcerned with the peace of the sea islands, that they would casually find a reason to send a fourth-grade green card holder from Qi Country to his death!”

The two points he raised were something Fishing Sea Tower would never admit to, especially not in front of Jiang Mengxiong’s will.

Thus, Jiang Wang continued, “Blood debts can only be repaid with blood. Therefore, I must let Ji Shaoqing die.”

He stood tall and straight, bowed once to each of the four directions, then said, “I hate Ji Shaoqing, but I still respect Fishing Sea Tower, respect its history and glory. So, if there are any who feel wronged by my actions towards him, because they bear resentment, I can understand it. I am also willing to bear the consequences. I can kill people, and people can also kill me. If I die here today, I will not cry injustice.”

His speech was substantial and dignified, containing both insistence and demands, attitude and position. At the same time, it also revealed a crucial point, giving Fishing Sea Tower a public opportunity to kill him.

Fishing Sea Tower was not a small sect or faction to be taken lightly.

Jiang Wang’s promise to welcome life-and-death challenges from all Inner Mansion level cultivators of Fishing Sea Tower was not born of arrogance.

Rather, it was to provide Fishing Sea Tower with a vent – I killed Ji Shaoqing today, and you can use the same method to kill me. This is fair. Whether they kill him or not is another matter.

He was, in essence, giving an account for his act of killing Ji Shaoqing.

Even if it was just returning the favor in kind, treating Ji Shaoqing in the same way, he still needed to give an account. This was the weight of the name “Fishing Sea Tower” behind Ji Shaoqing.

In fact, without the backing of Qi Country, this duel today would fundamentally not have had any fairness to speak of. Even if both sides had already wagered their lives.

This world fundamentally does not have absolute fairness. Jiang Wang had always been quite willing to respect the existing rules – at least until he had the ability to change them, he was more willing to choose to respect the rules rather than challenge them.

But at the same time, by doing this, he sought to avoid further escalating the conflict with Fishing Sea Tower, and also because he genuinely had a certain grasp – the contradiction was already impossible to eliminate, but at least for now, he wouldn’t be on Fishing Sea Tower’s must-kill list.

Among the younger generation cultivators of Fishing Sea Tower, of course, there were those stronger than him. For example, Chen Zhitao was now in the Divine Arrival realm, incomparably stronger than him.

But if limited to the Inner Mansion boundary level, no matter who he faced, he had the power to fight. Even if the opponent had four Mansions and four Divine Abilities, or even the legendary Heaven Mansion and five Divine Abilities.

The number of Divine Abilities is one aspect, their effect is another, and their application is yet another.

In a life-and-death duel, Jiang Wang dared to draw his sword against anyone!

Master Ji Shaoqing of the Heaven Gate Divine Ability was already an absolute powerhouse at the Inner Mansion level. Yet Jiang Wang defeated him without even resorting to unorthodox methods!

Of course, the Flat Step Blue Cloud Immortal Technique happened to perfectly counter the suppression of the Heaven Gate, but even without using Flat Step Blue Cloud, Jiang Wang was confident that he could still create opportunities through unorthodox means and win the fight.

It simply wasn’t worth exposing those secrets in front of so many people.

Zhuang Chengqian roamed the world his entire life, and no one ever knew he possessed an unorthodox Divine Ability. Only then could he roam undefeated. Leaving aside other things, this profound patience and concealment were worth Jiang Wang learning.

If people did not know about the unorthodox methods, then those methods could exert their strongest effect.

What made people silent was…

When Jiang Wang opened his mouth and indicated his willingness to accept life-and-death challenges from any Inner Mansion level cultivators, the crowd of excited young cultivators, on the contrary, all fell silent.

Having anger, resentment, pointing fingers, spitting, and even cursing vehemently were all common occurrences. Acting rashly in anger and deciding life and death was also human nature.

However, when given time to truly think, to let them weigh the consequences, and after Jiang Wang promised absolutely no refusal, anyone with a surge of resentment had to reconsider—

Am I a match for Ji Shaoqing? Can I withstand the Heaven Gate Divine Ability?

If they couldn’t even defeat Ji Shaoqing, where did they get the qualification to fight Jiang Wang to the death?

Many people dared to fight life-and-death duels. But to court death… who could do so calmly?

Moreover, it was such a meaningless courting of death. Except to increase Jiang Wang’s fame and become a testament to his challenge against Fishing Sea Tower, it had no value, no effect.

Fishing Sea Tower was a vast entity. It was not impossible to find several strong cultivators at the Inner Mansion boundary level. For example, Xu Yuan was not weaker than Ji Shaoqing, but only not weaker. Facing Jiang Wang, he similarly had no certainty of victory. Furthermore, what friendship did he have with Ji Shaoqing? In terms of emotion and interest, he only needed to watch from the sidelines.

As for True Master Chongguang and True Master Qin Zhen, their most outstanding disciples were already in the Outer Tower or even the Divine Arrival realm. At the Inner Mansion level, there really was no one who could claim to be stronger than Ji Shaoqing.

The young cultivators of Fishing Sea Tower remained silent. The cultivators from other sects, factions, and rogue cultivators naturally kept even quieter. Showing off at this time was almost no different from seeking death. Neither Fishing Sea Tower nor Qi Country, represented by Jiang Wang, were entities they could afford to provoke.

Chen Zhitao could no longer remain silent.

Jiang Wang, in front of so many people, had almost completely routed Ji Shaoqing and then, with a single word, silenced a multitude, leaving the scene in a dead silence… This greatly wounded Fishing Sea Tower’s dignity.

But what could be done?

The rules of the life-and-death duel were in place, and the claw of the Great Qi Military God hovered in the high sky.

With his cultivation in the Divine Arrival boundary, he truly had no possibility of making a move.

Chen Zhitao took a deep look at Jiang Wang, then said, “Dao friend Jiang’s youthful spirit truly reminds me of years past. If I were born fifteen years later, I would certainly not let Dao friend Jiang leave here.”

The crowd of Fishing Sea Tower cultivators was stirred by his words.

Yes, they still had their Senior Brother! No matter how arrogant Jiang Wang was, didn’t he only dare to take opponents at the Inner Mansion boundary level?

True top talents did not linger at the Inner Mansion boundary!

If Senior Brother Chen were born fifteen years later, and also at the Inner Mansion level, he would surely be able to defeat him! What Qi Country talent could be Senior Brother Chen’s opponent?

It just so happened that they were caught in a generational gap. Fishing Sea Tower’s strongest young talent was not at the Inner Mansion level!

The strength or weakness of an Inner Mansion cultivator did not necessarily explain the strength or weakness of a sect. It didn’t even necessarily explain one’s foundation, because everyone’s fortune was different. Divine Abilities at the Inner Mansion boundary were also very reliant on chance—

This was the influence Chen Zhitao wanted to convey with his words.

Although Ji Shaoqing was defeated, and although Fishing Sea Tower had no Inner Mansion boundary cultivator who could confidently defeat Jiang Wang, this did not explain too much.

Gu Huaixin glanced at Chen Zhitao without a trace, sighing slightly in his heart. He was indeed the foremost figure of the younger generation in this sect. His breadth and perspective were all stronger than Ji Shaoqing’s. Some words were inconvenient for him to say due to his identity, but Chen Zhitao was different, and he truly did very well.

In response to Chen Zhitao’s statement, Jiang Wang did not continue to be arrogant, but gave face and said, “If Senior Brother Chen were born fifteen years later, I believe there would be no junior who could make a name for himself, and this matter would not have happened either.”

He had to kill Ji Shaoqing today, and besides that, nothing else was important. Saying a few good words was no big deal. Chen Zhitao was indeed that capable, and flattering him a few sentences did not lose face.

Of course, smoothly stepping on Ji Shaoqing again was also necessary.

Chen Zhitao also did not take advantage to stir anything up. Ultimately, a Divine Arrival suppressing an Inner Mansion was not a glorious thing. And during his time at the Inner Mansion boundary, could he truly surpass the current Jiang Wang? That was actually still a question.

Withdrawing his gaze from Jiang Wang, this Fishing Sea Tower senior brother, suspended in mid-air, let out a long sigh.

Then, he spoke to the crowd of cultivators who had almost completely surrounded Tianya Stage, leaving no room, “Disperse, my fellow cultivators!”

“Ji Shaoqing is a cultivator of Fishing Sea Tower. He will acknowledge what he has done! He promised a life-and-death duel, and he will persevere to the end.”

“Right and wrong, I do not wish to reiterate. Let this battle of life and death decide the final chapter.”

“But senior brothers!”

He raised his voice, “I do not want to see another person challenge our sect, and no one among us can accept. Another person stands there, and no one among us can win. We are Fishing Sea Tower! How can this be?”

At this moment, tears welled up in his eyes.

He bowed deeply to the young cultivators of Fishing Sea Tower, saying earnestly, “Senior brothers, please strive harder!”

Some young cultivators in the field almost shed tears of hot blood. How could they not strive? To cause Senior Brother Chen to bow like this!

For a time, the Fishing Sea Tower cultivators in the field all bowed back in return.

Then, one after another, they indeed left Tianya Stage without looking back, their eyes filled with hot tears.

At this moment, they were full of fighting spirit. At this moment, their hearts were full of shame.

Many people in their hearts carved down a name, secretly swearing—in the future, they would use diligence and hardship, and one day, they would definitely go to Qi Country and reclaim the face lost by the sect today!

Jiang Wang’s several bows had pressed the younger generation cultivators of Fishing Sea Tower into silence, their spirits all but extinguished.

Chen Zhitao’s one bow, however, reignited their spirits.

This was indeed an era of talented generations!