Nine Nether Dragon Emperor

"Ning... Ning Xuan, are you... are you really still a Martial Artist?"

On the dueling platform, Kang Qing, his expression complex, finally mustered the courage to ask Ning Xuan. He was the one who had attacked, so he knew better than anyone how powerful his last strike had been. It would be no easy feat for even a Holy Realm Cultivator of the same realm to withstand it. For a Martial Artist, there could be only one outcome: a shattered body. Yet, this Ning Xuan had merely spat out blood—and from the looks of it, even that could have been avoided! This was terrifying.

"No! How could I possibly be a Martial Artist?" Ning Xuan denied it without a second thought.

With the pride of these prodigies, if they knew I was a Martial Artist, they would most likely suppress their Cultivation Realm to fight me. If that happened, what would be the point? It would be impossible for me to lose!

Kang Qing started to speak again, but Ning Xuan cut him off. "But—"

"But nothing! Are you stupid? If I were a Martial Artist, would I be able to stand here talking to you like nothing’s wrong after taking my hit? Are you that unconfident in your own strength?"

At Ning Xuan’s words, Kang Qing grew even more hesitant, yet he also found himself more convinced. It wasn’t just him; the same went for everyone else. The spectators, who moments ago had been so embarrassed they wanted to find a hole to crawl into, now perked up.

"I said so! There’s no way he’s a Martial Artist!"

"That’s right! I only remember the Envoy saying he was concealing his true strength, never that he was a Martial Artist!"

"Damn it, you’re right! Why the hell didn’t you say that earlier?"

"I wanted to, but in that situation, how could I dare!"

"That makes sense... Damn it, this guy must have done that just to embarrass us!"

"Hey, you! Beat him to death!"

"Yeah! Beat him to death!"

As the chorus of agreement grew louder, Ning Xuan’s eyes shone brighter and his heart raced with excitement.

After that last failure, if Kang Qing attacks again, he’ll definitely have to use his trump card. This time, I’ll just let myself get knocked off the dueling platform, and it’ll all be over. If anyone asks, I’ll just say I was lying before. I’m not a Cultivator at all; I’m a Martial Artist! The only reason I claimed to be a Cultivator was to see how big the gap really is between me and these prodigies. It’s the perfect plan!

Across from him, Kang Qing took a deep breath and attacked again. Overjoyed, Ning Xuan also struck out with a palm.

Aside from not using his Bloodline Power, this was a full-strength attack. After all, Tu Jingcheng is extremely perceptive. If I don’t go all out, he will definitely notice something is amiss.

For this reason, Ning Xuan even used the invincible fist intent of the Silent Destruction Fist, merging it with the layered sword momentum of the Impermanence Sword!

In the blink of an eye, their attacks collided. Then, someone was sent flying backward. The entire crowd was stunned, because the one sent flying was Kang Qing!

BANG!

Kang Qing’s body crashed solidly against the high platform, and he spat out a mouthful of fresh blood. The crowd snapped back to reality as if waking from a dream.

"What in the world is going on?!"

"Th-this... This has to be fake, right?"

"How could this happen?!"

On the dueling platform, Ning Xuan snapped out of his stupor, absolutely furious. He spun on Kang Qing and demanded, "Kang Qing, are you stupid? Why on earth would you suppress your Cultivation Realm for no reason?!"

Everyone froze, their gazes shifting to Kang Qing.

With a bitter smile, Kang Qing said, "The Envoy was right. You truly are a Martial Artist! Venerable Realm Twelfth Layer Heavens, the pinnacle of martial arts... so powerful! I am no match for you!"

After speaking, he turned and clasped his fists toward Tu Jingcheng, then left without a backward glance.

I see what happened now. Ning Xuan glared at Tu Jingcheng, grinding his teeth in frustration. Why did you have to send Kang Qing a psychic message?! Why did you have to meddle?! Great. Now I’ve accidentally made it into the top five!

This was because the duels between Duan Qi and Zhang Yuan, and Chen Lin and Qin Yuan, had already concluded. Unsurprisingly, Duan Qi and Chen Lin were the victors. Only Luo Ji and Zang Peng were still entangled in their fight.

"Alright, time’s up!"

With that announcement, Luo Ji and Zang Peng immediately separated, both sitting down cross-legged to meditate and recuperate. The corner of Ning Xuan’s mouth twitched. He quickly sent a psychic message to Luo Ji. "Old Luo, why don’t you just concede? I’ll deal with Zang Peng!"

At this point, I can’t count on Duan Qi or Chen Lin anymore. That only leaves Zang Peng. He’s definitely here on the orders of the Great Saint of Blood Yu. There’s no way he’d listen to Tu Jingcheng. As long as Luo Ji concedes, Zang Peng will one hundred percent make a move on me in the next round. What’s more, Zang Peng won’t suppress his Realm. It’s perfect!

But Luo Ji refused, his transmitted voice filled with excitement. "No way! I’m about to break through! That guy still has some moves he hasn’t used, probably because he doesn’t dare to! If I fight him one more time, I can shatter my bottleneck and reach the next level!"

After that, Luo Ji ignored him no matter how many psychic messages Ning Xuan sent. Ning Xuan was flabbergasted.

This won’t work. If my guess is right, and Luo Ji ends up facing me, he’ll definitely go easy on me!

The thought flashed through his mind, and Ning Xuan immediately sent a psychic message to Zang Peng. "My dear Zang Peng, you must be extremely careful in the next match. That fellow Luo Ji just said he’s about to have a breakthrough! You absolutely cannot lose to him!"

Zang Peng’s brow furrowed, though his eyes remained closed. "Why are you helping me?" he asked via psychic message, his tone laced with confusion.

Ning Xuan immediately replied, "Isn’t it obvious? I think you’re wise and valiant! If you were to win first place, it would be an honor you truly deserve!"

"I understand," Zang Peng replied succinctly, and then went silent.

Wait! What do you understand?! Damn it, at least give me a clear answer! Ning Xuan was bewildered. How can every single one of these guys be so unreliable?

Anxiously, time slipped by like flowing water. In the blink of an eye, the time it takes for an incense stick to burn had passed. As expected, Luo Ji and Zang Peng were the first to clash once more.

As for Ning Xuan, he was completely ignored. Duan Qi and Chen Lin each considered the other their strongest opponent, and neither was willing to demean themselves by picking on him.

Ning Xuan was dumbfounded. Before the two of them could start fighting, he shouted to stop them, "Hold on! I’m still here!"

After giving him a passing glance, they both ignored him.

"Hey! I blasted Kang Qing away with a single blow just now! Didn’t you see that?"

It was useless. His words were a waste of breath, as Duan Qi and Chen Lin had already begun to fight.

Just when Ning Xuan thought he was about to stumble into the top four, the match between Luo Ji and Zang Peng on the other side suddenly ended. He was very surprised, because the victor was Luo Ji. Their duel had been a long, drawn-out affair from the start, so most people had stopped paying attention. It wasn’t just Ning Xuan; no one else was quite sure how Luo Ji had managed to win.

Here, Ning Xuan was left speechless. He was certain Zang Peng had thrown the match.

What is wrong with that guy! Didn’t I warn him? He even said he understood. What the hell did he understand?!

Ning Xuan thought about sending a psychic message to Luo Ji, but the latter was already ignoring him, sitting down on the spot to meditate and prepare for the next duel.

He had no choice but to wait.