Sophie and Ye Chuan both had the feeling that they had seen each other before.
However, upon closer inspection, Ye Chuan realized that he didn't actually know this person, just that she seemed familiar.
"I'm sorry, sir, I mistook you for someone else," Sophie said apologetically.
Then, the collar around her neck flashed again, catching Ye Chuan's attention.
"Why do you have that chain around your neck?" Ye Chuan asked, having a rough idea of what it was as he had read about it in a book.
It was a form of binding spell where a practitioner placed enchantments on the collar, allowing them to sense the emotions and thoughts of the person wearing it.
If the bound person had any thoughts of escaping, the practitioner would sense it and could control the collar to kill the bound person.
The people who could perform such spells were at least at the peak of the Enlightenment Stage and highly skilled in sorcery.
"I was a commoner in a small country. When the Shenjian Sect from Zhongzhou invaded, the whole country fell. My father died in battle. To protect my younger siblings, I was forced to sell myself into slavery."
Hearing this, Ye Chuan didn't say much, thoughtfully sipping his tea.
After learning about Sophie's background, Lin Ruomei, also a woman, couldn't help but sympathize. "One day, you will be free from slavery."
"Thank you!" Sophie said, her collar flashing again.
Undoubtedly, the collar would flash whenever there was a significant emotional fluctuation.
"The duel is about to start!"
"Kill, kill, kill!"
The audience erupted in shouts, their mouths wide open as they crazily screamed.
They were not shouting for the excitement of the match, but for the money they had bet. That was the key point.
No one wanted to lose money.
Inside the death cage, the Wuzong disciple made the first move, launching an extremely lethal attack!
Practitioners at the Enlightenment Stage were incredibly powerful, their bodies glowing with golden light, filling the entire death cage.
In the face of this extreme kill, the advanced hunter displayed astonishing combat skills. His eyes moved slightly as he quickly dodged and pulled out an ordinary-looking dagger.
Swoosh!
The dagger was thrown into the air, making a piercing sound as it cut through the air.
It felt as if the air itself was being torn apart by the dagger, the sound so sharp it affected most of the audience.
Boom!
The Wuzong disciple smashed the dagger with a single punch, then took another step forward, pressing the advanced hunter again.
He aimed to take down the advanced hunter in one strike.
Boom!
The advanced hunter blocked the frontal attack but was forced back several steps.
As the Wuzong disciple tried to follow up, the advanced hunter revealed a sinister smile.
"Too bad, you're still too inexperienced to seek revenge on me!" the advanced hunter taunted.
The Wuzong disciple realized he had been tricked, blood starting to drip from the corner of his mouth, but he remained calm.
"In terms of strength, no sect in Zhongzhou can surpass your Wuzong lineage. However, in this world, it's not just strength that wins—there's also strategy and tactics!" the advanced hunter said leisurely, waving his hand.
The audience also noticed that the advanced hunter's dagger was coated with poison. The hunter had anticipated that the Wuzong disciple would smash the dagger, causing the poison to spread through the air as soon as it shattered, filling the entire death cage.
In such an enclosed death cage, the poison's effects were maximized.
Some spectators, seeing the Wuzong disciple poisoned, began to regret believing Ye Chuan's analysis.
"Analyzing blindly here, disrupting my judgment, damn it!"
"You didn't trust yourself and believed someone else. You deserve to lose."
"Yes, look at me, I bet everything on the hunter, and now I've got tomorrow's drinking money."
"..."
At this moment, in the death cage, the poisoned Wuzong disciple slowly said, "You're right, you do have a lot of combat experience, but you can't kill me! The one who's going to die is you!"
Such stubborn bravado!
Seeing the Wuzong disciple poisoned and bleeding from the mouth, still talking tough, the advanced hunter became furious. He formed a hand seal, and more than ten vines began to spread from the ground, aiming to pierce through the Wuzong disciple's body.
"Not good!"
The Wuzong disciple retreated step by step, dodging the advanced hunter's attacks through movement.
But the advanced hunter wouldn't give him that chance. The more he dodged, the happier the hunter became, and his attacks grew more terrifying.
Retreat!
"Where can you retreat to? This cage is only so big! Haha!" The advanced hunter laughed loudly.
Whenever the Wuzong disciple tried to retreat to the side, thorny vines capable of piercing his body would appear behind him, restraining him.
If the Wuzong disciple tried to leap, the thorns would protect the hunter, preventing anyone from getting close.
"Green Hawk indeed lives up to the reputation of an advanced hunter!" Someone in the VIP section, who had bet on him, praised while sipping wine.
In their battle, the hunter completely had the upper hand.
No, it was a crushing defeat, like a cat playing with a mouse.
"If the Wuzong disciple hadn't been poisoned and unable to gather his strength, destroying these thorns would have been easy," Zhang Chen noted, observing the battle's progression.
At this moment, Sophie approached to pour water for Ye Chuan. "May I ask, sir, who do you favor in this fight?"
"Though the scales have tipped, life and death are unpredictable. I believe I won't be wrong; the Wuzong disciple can overcome his current disadvantage."
After speaking, Ye Chuan finished his cup of tea in one gulp.
"It seems, sir, that you and I share the same view. How coincidental," Sophie smiled as she continued to serve tea to Ye Chuan.
"Really? Interesting. A short-term setback doesn't define one's status. Once the wind changes direction, it can become a great help, allowing one to ride the waves to victory."
"Just like you, though currently a slave in the death arena, once given the chance, you'll regain your freedom and find your own light."
Ye Chuan's eyes were fixed on the death arena duel, his mind already drawing some conclusions.
Hearing Ye Chuan's words, Sophie stood there stunned. Although she showed no visible emotion, the collar around her neck lit up, indicating she was deeply moved by Ye Chuan's words.
"It's been a long time since anyone spoke such profound words to me. Thank you, sir!" Sophie said emotionally, feeling that Ye Chuan's words had brought light back into her life.
"No need for thanks. We only met by chance, and you haven't received any favors from me," Ye Chuan said, looking into Sophie's eyes and seeing her desire to regain her freedom.
Boom!
With a loud noise, the scales of the battle in the death arena began to shift.
The death cage was filled with dust.
"What happened?"
As the dust settled, the advanced hunter was seen with his throat locked by the Wuzong disciple.
"You, weren't you poisoned?" the hunter asked in disbelief, clutching at the Wuzong disciple's hand around his throat.
"I hail from Wuzong. Strength is our symbol. Your little poison couldn't harm me. My disguise was just to lure you in. Now, you've fallen into my trap, and you have no chance left!"
The Wuzong disciple's aura exploded again, sweeping through the entire death cage.
"So it turns out he wasn't really poisoned. The blood from his mouth was forced out by his inner strength to deceive Green Hawk."
"It's over, it's over. I've lost all the money I bet on Green Hawk!"
"Damn it! You idiot!"
"How could you fall for his trick?"
Those who had bet on the advanced hunter cursed him madly.
Unlike the others, Ye Chuan showed no emotion at the turn of events, as if nothing had happened.
Sophie, who was serving tea beside him, seeing Ye Chuan's deep composure, couldn't help but ask, "Sir, who exactly are you?"