"After dragging on for two hours, it's finally starting, how exciting!"
"Yeah, one defeated Yun Ge with a single blade, and the other survived such a terrifying sea of fire. Neither of them is easy to deal with. I wonder who's stronger, who will have the last laugh... "
"Haha, you guys are hilarious. Can't you see that Mu Jinyu was already struggling in his battle against Di Shitian?"
"Right, my senior brothers said that although Mu Jinyu survived the sea of fire and obtained that spiritual treasure, he was severely injured. They might even be able to easily defeat him now!"
The audience in the plaza saw Mu Jinyu step onto the stage, about to face Dao Wuming in the final battle, and they began discussing heatedly.
The fear caused by Di Shitian was already forgotten.
As they continued talking, everyone from the Blood Sword Sect firmly believed that Mu Jinyu was no match for Dao Wuming!
The disciples of the Heavenly Sword Faction wanted to argue back.
But when Dao Wuming spoke on stage, their words got stuck in their throats, and their expressions stiffened.
On the newly built combat platform.
Dao Wuming stood with his hands behind his back, looking at Mu Jinyu with a deep voice: "At first, I was quite looking forward to fighting you. But now, in your current state, you are no match for me. I don't really want to fight you, but orders are orders. To show my respect, I will go all out in this battle, but I will refrain from harming you."
With Dao Wuming's words.
With a "boom", an incredibly terrifying aura burst forth from Dao Wuming.
He indeed intended to go all out against Mu Jinyu, with no reservations.
As this aura surged out, the few white clouds in the sky instantly dispersed!
This was an aura beyond the Ninth Layer of the Divine Transformation Realm!
This was the aura of a strong practitioner at the Fanxu Realm!
Xie Chenkun, Jian Ruyan, and Yun Ge, feeling the overwhelming aura from Dao Wuming, turned pale on the spot.
"This..."
The disciples of the Heavenly Sword Faction, who had harbored a sliver of hope that Mu Jinyu could defeat Dao Wuming, were stunned when they realized Dao Wuming's aura was no less than that of their Sect Leader and Supreme Elder.
Instantly, no one believed Mu Jinyu could defeat Dao Wuming anymore!
Xie Chenkun came to his senses, eyes bloodshot, and turned sharply to Zhou Taiping beside him, shouting: "You actually concealed Dao Wuming's strength? Why didn't you tell me before the bet?!"
Zhou Taiping, seeing the shocked and angry expression on Xie Chenkun's face, felt exceedingly pleased.
He had been waiting for this moment for over half a month.
Hearing Xie Chenkun's question, he calmly sipped his tea and said happily:
"When you made the bet with me, you didn't ask if Dao Wuming had entered the Fanxu Realm. How could you blame me for intentionally hiding it? You became careless out of overconfidence, and that's not my fault!"
"Besides, did you think I didn't know you were trying to trick me into losing a month's cultivation time in the Blood Essence Pool?"
"Ridiculous, I knew what kind of person you were. If Little Sword hadn't broken through to the Fanxu Realm half a month ago, I wouldn't have dared to bet with you in the first place!"
"You were so sure of your victory, hastily making the bet with me, and now you're suffering the consequences of your own arrogance. How can you blame me?"
Zhou Taiping continued to sneer coldly.
The initially furious Xie Chenkun was left speechless by Zhou Taiping's words.
Indeed, Zhou Taiping was right!
Yesterday, he had deliberately brought up Mu Jinyu's breakthrough to the Ninth Layer of the Divine Transformation Realm, and his confidence in Mu Jinyu's victory stemmed from the Intent Domain and a fabricated Innate Sword Bone...
He had also intentionally hidden Mu Jinyu's achievements at the Eighth Layer, defeating Yun Ge and others, to lure Zhou Taiping into a bet with him!
But now, not only did he fail to trick Zhou Taiping, but he also trapped himself!
Now he understood why Zhou Taiping had so readily agreed to the bet!
It turned out Dao Wuming had already broken through to the Fanxu Realm, an entirely different level from Yun Ge and the others. With his current strength, Dao Wuming could even become Sect Leader!
Even at his peak, Mu Jinyu was unlikely to defeat Dao Wuming, and after his grueling fight with Di Shitian, his power was only a fraction of what it was. How could he possibly fight Dao Wuming now?
Xie Chenkun slumped back onto his seat, filled with regret!
Meanwhile, Fang Xiuyuan, unable to leave early even after Di Shitian's death, looked equally unfortunate.
He realized he was still too naive, unable to match the sly minds of Xie Chenkun and Zhou Taiping!
He originally planned to rely on Di Shitian to win the Four Sects Martial Meeting, earning the Liuyun Sect a higher standing with a top position.
But who could have predicted, even with the renowned Bi Fang Cauldron, Di Shitian couldn't burn Mu Jinyu to death and was ultimately killed by Mu Jinyu, who then took the Bi Fang Cauldron!
Now, with Dao Wuming displaying his Fanxu Realm strength, he knew even if Di Shitian hadn't died, he wouldn't be a match for Dao Wuming now.
He felt like an idiot, why did he join their bet yesterday?
Now, the Liuyun Sect lost their painstakingly trained Di Shitian, received no compensation, and lost the Bi Fang Cauldron to Mu Jinyu. Because of the bet, they would soon lose another Spiritual Treasure.
Adding to these losses, their initial goal of achieving good results in the Four Sects Martial Meeting was now completely unreachable...
What a loss!
How could I be so unlucky?
Fang Xiuyuan's heart was filled with cold despair.
Everyone present, seeing Dao Wuming no longer concealing his strength and showing his Fanxu Realm power, lost any hope for Mu Jinyu.
Even though Mu Jinyu had just acquired a Top-Quality Spiritual Treasure!
Mu Jinyu, seeing Dao Wuming's full display of strength, narrowed his eyes, and his expression became grave.
Moments ago, he thought defeating Dao Wuming wouldn't be difficult, even easier than Di Shitian.
But now, he was struck with the harsh reality.
Dao Wuming had already broken through to the Fanxu Realm, making their fight incredibly tough.
However...
Mu Jinyu didn't feel any fear or hesitation; instead, a strong fighting spirit rose within him.
Back at the Eighth Layer, he could already defeat those at the Ninth.
He had tested it in the Wooden Dummy, and while an Eighth Layer practitioner couldn't match the Fanxu Realm, he was now at the Ninth Layer, no longer the same frail state as before. His confidence that he could face Dao Wuming remained!
Seeing this strong fighting spirit in Mu Jinyu, Dao Wuming's eyes showed a hint of appreciation.
"Please!"