“Who is he? Why is the Little Sword Lord being so polite with him?”
“He looks like he’s in his early teens. Could he be a famous and amazing younger generation member like the Little Sword Lord?”
“Something is off. Even if he’s the Little Sword Lord’s friend, there should be no need for them to meet in such a place. It’s like they want everyone to know about their meeting.”
The crowd wildly speculated but failed to identify Lin Xun’s origins. Some of the sharper individuals had already begun to sense that something was amiss.
Lin Xun and Xie Yutang seemed to ignore everything around them and appeared rather calm. It was because they both knew what they were here for.
“This is the challenge letter. The duel will be three days later at 11:45 am. The venue is the Haze City Battle Arena and Huang Jianxiong’s senior brother disciple, Huang Jianchen, will be waiting there for you.”
Xie Yutang presented a gorgeous wax-sealed letter to Lin Xun before he turned around and left.
He did not utter a single extra word from start to end and maintained a cool attitude while not displaying any personal emotion.
However, Lin Xun knew that this was the attitude Xie Yutang was displaying―complete disregard!
Lin Xun likewise did not reveal any emotion as he watched Xie Yutang leave. He gently opened the challenge letter with a finger and saw a single sentence written within: Let everything be settled by this duel!The words seemed to flow like swords and gave off a peerlessly sharp and fierce aura as if they were about to fly off the paper.
As the saying went, a person’s writing embodied their character. The challenge letter was clearly written by Xie Yutang. The unrivaled fierce aura from the words blended just perfectly with his aura.
Lin Xun narrowed his eyes for a moment before keeping the challenge letter. After which, he noticed that the nearby crowd was whispering and looking at him strangely.
“A challenge letter! So the Little Sword Lord was here to issue a challenge letter and is not friends with that young man.”
“I’m curious about who he offended to have made Xie Yutang personally come out. This is very abnormal.”
“Didn’t you hear? Three days later, the battle arena, Huang Jianchen!”
“Huang Jianchen? Who’s that?”
“He’s definitely no simple person. Otherwise, why would the Little Sword Lord personally issue a challenge letter on his behalf?”
“Interesting! This is too interesting! I’m definitely going to the battle arena in three days.”
The discussions were filled with an air of excitement. A famous and influential younger generation member, Xie Yutang, had suddenly appeared in Haze City and issued a challenge letter to an unknown youngster in public!
It was a matter that would make anyone think wildly and would draw much attention.
Lin Xun frowned. He had already guessed the intentions behind Xie Yutang’s actions.
“Young Master, President Chu Feng is waiting inside.”
A servant girl emerged from the Rune Master Association and led Lin Xun to the second floor.
When Chu Feng saw Lin Xun, he angrily said, “Brother, that Xie Yutang is quite vicious.”
Lin Xun smiled and asked, “Big Brother has also realized this?”
“Anyone who’s not blind can easily see what he’s doing. Xie Yutang was only supposed to send a challenge letter but he made such a scene today as if he was afraid no one would know about it. It's clear that he seeks to tell the entire Haze City and let everyone know that you will be fighting in the battle arena in three days.”
Chu Feng sneered. “He’s setting you up! He wants to make you the talk of the city so that your fall will be even more painful when you’re defeated on the day of the duel.”
Lin Xun said, “But this also tells me that he is very confident in Huang Jianchen and believes he is more than capable of defeating me in battle.”
Chu Feng slapped his thighs. “Exactly! Think about it, the duel will be held in the battle arena. That’s a first-class facility in Haze City that can hold several tens of thousands of spectators. If you lose, everyone in Haze City will know in less than a day. Xie Yutang is clearly harboring evil intentions, he is taking this too far!”
However, Lin Xun merely chuckled. “If he wants the whole city to know, I’ll happily play along. I’m only curious about what kind of opponent Huang Jianchen will be.”
Chu Feng was stunned. He frowned in thought for a long time and ultimately shook his head. “I’ve never heard of him but I’m guessing he’s a formidable individual in the Forbidden City.”
Lin Xun frowned. “Big Brother, help me find out about this Huang Jianchen. Only by knowing the opponent will one be able to win all his battles.”
Chu Feng immediately nodded and agreed to take on the task.
……
It turned out exactly as Chu Feng had predicted. Huge waves soon rose in Haze City.
The famous Little Sword Lord, Xie Yutang, had issued a challenge letter to a youngster in public!
This was sensational news. One must know that Xie Yutang was not merely a talented and powerful cultivator. He was also a direct descendent of the Xie Clan which was one of the empire’s seven high clans!
This status alone would draw the attention of all Haze City’s powerful factions. It was unthinkable that such a dazzling and peerless individual would disregard his dignity and act as an intermediary today by personally sending a challenge letter. Hence, it was difficult for this matter to not draw any attention.
New information soon spread that Lin Xun’s identity had been uncovered. However, most people only knew that he was a youngster that had qualified for the provincial exam and had created quite a commotion a few days ago in front of Haze Academy where he had defeated Qi Yunxiao and Yuan Shi.
Only the Haze City noble factions knew that Lin Xun had killed many cultivators on a certain rainy night. He not only boasted overwhelming battle power but also had rather mysterious origins and was not someone you should provoke.
Upon learning that Xie Yutang had brought a challenge letter to Lin Xun, the noble factions’ attention was immediately roused. No one would treat this as a small matter.
Lin Xun’s opponent, Huang Jianchen, was a descendent of one of the Forbidden City’s noble clans, the Huang Clan. Besides this, there was very little information about him.
However, this only made the matter appear more interesting. Neither Lin Xun nor Huang Jianchen were as famous as Little Sword Lord Xie Yutang to the people of Haze City. And yet, he somehow had a hand in the matter. The abnormality made many people feel that there was something more to the entire affair.
All in all, the news spread to the entire Haze City and received unprecedented attention. The interest of numerous people was piqued and several of them immediately went to snatch up tickets for the battle arena, hoping to personally witness the unusual duel.
In less than an hour, all of the tickets for the battle arena seating in three days were sold out. From this, it could be seen just how much interest the duel was garnering.
……
A high-class room in a restaurant.
Wen Mingxiu, Qi Yunxiao, Yuan Shu, and the other Haze City nobles were gathered together with excited expressions.
“I immediately called everyone over the moment I heard the news. I want to ask if you guys will be going to watch the duel.”
Qi Yunxiao looked very happy as he looked at everyone.
“Is there even a need to ask? Of course we’ll be going.”
“We might not dare to offend Lin Xun but who can miss seeing him lose and be made a fool of in public?”
“I wonder how formidable Huang Jiancheng is. However, since the Little Sword Lord Xie Yutang dared to step forward and create such an atmosphere, he must believe that Lin Xun is not Huang Jianchen’s match!”
“Haha, Lin Xun is in trouble this time.”
The others excitedly responded. Their factions had secretly suffered at Lin Xun’s hands but had no choice but to swallow their grievances instead of taking revenge due to his identity.
If there was a chance to personally watch him be crushed, they were, of course, more than happy to watch.
Only Wen Mingxiu appeared calm and collected. “It’s not so easy to bully Lin Xun. I’m curious to see how the Little Sword Lord will respond if Lin Xun somehow wins the duel.”
These words stunned the others.
“Regardless, all we can do is wait. We aren’t the only ones who are interested in the duel. Even the elders in our factions are unable to sit still any longer and will be personally going down to see the show.”
Qi Yunxiao’s eyes shone brightly as he continued, “I heard that even Governor Liu Wudiao, Great Cultivator Yao Tuohai, Haze Academy Principal Wei Lingzhen, and General Du Dongtu have also shown interest in this matter. However, no one knows if they will show up on the day itself.”
The others laughed. They knew that it was already no longer possible to buy tickets for the event through official means and the black market prices had reached a dumbfoundingly astronomical price!
It was easy to imagine what a spectacular sight the battle arena would be on the day of the duel.
Wen Mingxiu said, “The most pressing matter now is to find out more about Huang Jianchen. He is not well-known in the Forbidden City and appears to be mysterious and low-key. However, since Xie Yutang issued a challenge letter on his behalf, he’s definitely an extremely terrifying individual.
The others nodded in agreement. They had met Huang Jianxiong before and although his cultivation had been crippled, the original battle power he possessed was considered first-class in the Human Dipper stage.
As his senior brother, Huang Jianchen was definitely no ordinary person.
Similar discussions and conversations occurred in almost every corner of Haze City. Regardless of each person’s focus, Lin Xun’s name soon became known in every household.
Of course, if he were to lose in the duel, his reputation would take a drastic hit and he would become known as a failure to everyone in Haze City.
This was Xie Yutang’s ‘ploy’. It was no secret to anyone who could see it and thus would not affect his reputation even if people were to realize it.
Jade Leaf Pavilion.
When Liu Qingyan heard the news from Granny Feng, she could not help but bite her lip as a sliver of unexplainable anger surged in her heart. “Young Master Xie has gone a little too far this time.”