"Make way for the two contestants!" Elder Xiang moved to push the participants aside.
Although he did not want Jian Ning and Lu Chen to actually kill each other, given their exceptional talent, he had to accept it. If they didn't resolve this issue today, it could drag in many other people and even plunge the sect into chaos.
Thus, Elder Xiang decided to let them fight for a while and then stop them when it became too dangerous.
Elder Tan, who was standing next to him, began to speak: "The rules are as follows: this will be a fight to the death. No one is allowed to assist either contestant. If anyone wants to stop the fight, speak now or remain silent until your death," said Elder Tan in a cold and flat tone.
Jian Ning, who was on the right side of the arena, did not speak but drew his sword, preparing to use his most powerful technique: the Hurricane Sword Art.
"Ling, elevate my Hurricane Sword Art to the highest level," ordered Jian Ning coldly, intending to finish the fight quickly. Thanks to his strategy, he had gained enough W.E to do so.
[Ding, your Hurricane Sword Art has reached its perfect state. This cost you 24,000 W.E. You are one step away from creating the second movement. For this, you have three paths to choose from.]
[One - Awaken your special body.]
[Two - Fuse other similar techniques to increase your understanding.]
[Three - Enter the rare state of enlightenment.]
A series of notifications rang out, and thousands of ideas about the technique flooded Jian Ning's mind.
He entered an extreme state of fast learning, where the first movement reached its current peak, but he now faced a bottleneck for the next movement.
Jian Ning didn't mind the W.E he had just used because he was about to gain much more.
"So, martial techniques have nothing to do with cultivation level. For creating new movements, I must rely solely on my understanding," thought Jian Ning before assuming a defensive stance.
Jian Ning suspected that this fight was primarily the result of his luck, which wanted to rise in rank, thus 'provoking' Lu Chen's luck.
This fight could be described as a battle of luck and destiny; everything could change as a result. Although his former self was a cautious person who avoided fights, his inner greed roared at the chance to change his destiny with a single battle. Especially realizing that this fight would have only one victor... himself!
"Coming into this world, I don't want to repeat my past mistakes, I don't want to leave any regrets. I will do anything to become stronger, whether it means using people or killing them. Justice exists only for the weak; the strong impose their justice. I will become strong enough to break free from mortal chains and be free for an infinite eternity! I will fight the strongest and conquer the fiercest! This is my purpose of existence!" Jian Ning's eyes sharpened like knives, a murderous sword intent condensed on his weapon, and lightning and wind blades danced upon it.
The sword began to crack bit by bit as Jian Ning increased the force within it.
"Let the fight begin!" shouted Elder Tan before stepping away from the battlefield.
Like a ghost from hell, Jian Ning charged forward with shocking speed. Even a Qi Gathering rank 9 cultivator specializing in speed couldn't match this velocity.
This speed was primarily due to his talent for wind and lightning elements, known for their rapidity.
In an instant, Jian Ning was in front of Lu Chen, who was stunned. Suddenly, his heart filled with regret, fear, and anger.
He realized he was about to die!
"If I had known, I would never have provoked this person for Qian'er. In fact, I was stupid to do so. He hadn't attacked me directly, verbally or physically, yet I chose to act so foolishly... It's as if I was driven by a force I don't understand."
"If I ever get the chance to live again, I hope not to make the same mistakes. But I will kill Jian Ning for my revenge." Lu Chen thought with regret and anger, harboring hatred for both Jian Ning and himself.
As if understanding Lu Chen's thoughts, Jian Ning said, "You are just a puppet on the stage of destiny, and now I will cut the strings that control you and make you disappear." Cold words left his mouth.
The sword in Jian Ning's hand began to disintegrate as a blue-violet arc slashed across Lu Chen's neck, severing his head.
Plop!
[Ding, you used 10,000 W.E to eliminate Lu Chen.]
[Ding, congratulations to the host for killing Lu Chen, the son of destiny with king-ranked luck, +800 luck points, +2 million W.E, a chance to ask Ling a free question, and a chance to use the full potential of your luck to win.]
[Ding, congratulations to the host for increasing your luck, from heaven rank [550/800] to king rank [550/1,600], + a chance to ask Ling a free question.]
[Ding, Ling's protection period has ended. Now, if you want to ask questions to Ling, you must pay.]
A deathly silence settled among the participants as Jian Ning received the notifications and began to ponder.
"Jian Ning is the winner of this fight..." Elder Tan's words snapped everyone out of their stupor.
Elder Tan himself had not yet recovered from the shock. Such a fight was unexpected!
Many had anticipated a fierce battle between two geniuses for glory and pride, but what awaited them was a cold and unhesitant murder.
Though Elder Tan felt some sorrow over Lu Chen's death, as he had initially planned to take him as a disciple, which added to his sadness.
However, Elder Tan was not about to do anything foolish like attacking Jian Ning in a fit of rage. After all, this was reality, not a novel. An elder like Tan had his own honor and was certainly not foolish.
The mere fact that he had lived to his age indicated he was intelligent enough to survive in a world where a man's life was worth less than a roadside spiritual herb.
Many geniuses have perished on the path to immortality and invincibility, but Elder Tan was still alive, indicating he was adept at managing his emotions.
While the spectators recovered from their emotions, Jian Ning analyzed Ling notifications and all his rewards.
"Before thinking about this, I should first get rid of a parasite," thought Jian Ning before heading towards girl No. 500.
"I'm sorry! Please, I will do anything for you, I will be your servant, your slave, but spare my life!" the girl pleaded with all her strength, tears in her eyes.
Jian Ning looked at her coldly before drawing a sword from his storage ring.
Cut!
The girl's head fell with a plop to the ground.
[Ding, congratulations to the host for killing a rank 8 Tempering Body cultivator, +80 W.E.]
This kind of behavior would surely be typical of a villain in a cheesy novel that Jian Ning read when he was young. Though Jian Ning hadn't done it intentionally, his goal remained to become stronger, so killing to achieve that was not shocking in this world.
Moreover, Jian Ning is neither a saint nor a fool. To achieve his goal, using others to become stronger is perfectly normal, and all cultivators do it consciously or not. Ask any high-ranking cultivator how many people they have killed, and you will be shocked by the number they give you.
"It seems there's no difference between killing a human or a monster," Jian Ning thought.
Jian Ning returned to his place, next to Jian Shi, who was now looking at him differently, with a bit more respect and attention.
It's important to remember that Jian Shi has acquired the memories of a former high-level master on the continent. He is far from being stupid or someone who thinks with his lower parts. Moreover, in those memories, Jian Shi has witnessed far more severe scenes and behaviors.
[Ding, Jian Shi feels astonishment and surprise towards you, +1 point of luck, +364 W.E.]
[Ding, Elder Xiang feels awe towards you, +1250 W.E.]
[Ding, Elder Tan feels surprise and shock towards you, +1650 W.E.]
[Ding, Participant No. 26 feels fear towards you, +120 W.E.]