I am dying of old age, and I have awakened to the character of longevity.

Tang Qingyun's words brought the emotions of everyone in the audience to a fever pitch.

Boom!

The surrounding spectators all focused their attention on Hong Lie and Xie An in the crowd. Some shouted Hong Lie's name, while others shouted Xie An's name.

Perhaps due to excessive excitement, the spectators had become incredibly enthusiastic, their faces flushed as they shouted.

Xie An's ears were ringing from the noise.

The villagers… were too passionate!

But it was understandable: in ancient times, there were no sports competitions, but a擂台 (Lei Tai, or arena) duel was undoubtedly a more blood-pumping event than any sports competition. Such a scene, especially the finals, naturally evoked the passion and hormones of every spectator. Shouting and cheering for the person they supported was the most normal thing to do.

Xie An had watched Spartacus in his previous life, and he could get a glimpse of this from the noblewomen's infatuation with the Spartan warriors.

Xie An saw Lin Yun, Zhou Xing, Wang Xiang, Liang Zhi, and Zhang Lin open their mouths wide at him, constantly changing their lip shapes, but he couldn't hear what they were saying.

The audience's roar was too loud.

However, Xie An could roughly discern some keywords from their lip movements: "Beat him," "Knock him down," "Be careful," "Concede if you can't win…"

Helpless, Xie An had no choice but to nod to Lin Yun and the others, indicating that he understood.

Then, amidst everyone's expectant and worried gazes, Xie An slowly walked out of the crowd and stepped onto the two-meter-high arena step by step under the watchful eyes of the public.

Before this, Xie An had already stepped onto the arena five times.

But the shouts he received from those five times combined were not as loud as this one.

Xie An forced himself to remain calm, not to be influenced by the crowd's shouts, and thought about the following precautions in his mind:

First of all, Hong Lie's strength was inferior to Chen Qing's, and Chen Qing's strength… was inferior to his own. Xie An could be sure of this, and there was no possibility of any accidents.

The only hidden danger was Hong Lie's use of poison.

But the question was… when was Chen Qing poisoned?

You know, Chen Qing had been steadily gaining the upper hand, suppressing Hong Lie, and had not been scratched by Hong Lie's knife. This would rule out the possibility of Hong Lie smearing poison on the blade.

Xie An had lived in this world for more than thirty years, and he knew very well the common methods people used to poison others in this world, which was nothing more than smearing poison on the blade. Just a scratch on the other party's skin could take their life.

The way to obtain poison was also relatively simple, such as snake venom, poisonous spiders, poisonous lizards, scorpions, poisonous insects, and so on.

If you wanted to get a higher level of poison, the difficulty of obtaining it would be much greater. That would require professional pharmacists or poison masters to configure it. Ordinary people would hardly be able to come into contact with it.

But Hong Lie was a Second Level Refinement Realm martial artist, and he had Fang Baiyu backing him, so it could not be ruled out that he could obtain other poisons.

Then, Xie An noticed a detail: Hong Lie had always chosen to exchange blows with Chen Qing, and even when he was about to lose in the end, he didn't forget to use his broadsword to exchange blows with Chen Qing… Moreover, Xie An, with his extraordinary senses, felt the direction of the wind.

The position where Hong Lie was located had always been upstream of the breeze. Although the direction changed several times in the middle due to the exchange of blows, Hong Lie would always return to that direction as quickly as possible.

After reviewing the entire process, Xie An had a rough guess in his mind: it was likely a kind of dust, or a volatile poisonous liquid, that formed a poisonous gas. Then, it drifted into Chen Qing's nose and mouth with the wind. After Chen Qing inhaled the poisonous gas or dust to a certain concentration, it broke out.

Although Xie An wasn't 100% sure, he was 70-80% sure. He immediately felt that this Hong Lie was really vicious, and the way he poisoned people was so unpredictable that it was impossible to guard against.

No wonder Chen Qing, who was at the Small Success stage of the Refinement Realm, was poisoned.

It seemed that Fang Baiyu was completely shameless in order to take over the Blood Ridge Black Market, this piece of fat.

But this was very much in line with Fang Baiyu's consistent style.

Huff.

After figuring out how the other party poisoned him, Xie An breathed a sigh of relief.

The means of poisoning by using dust and poisonous gas seemed unsolvable. After all, people had to breathe, especially in such a high-intensity duel, where breathing would continue to accelerate. The time of poisoning would be greatly shortened.

But… it was not a problem for Xie An.

Because Xie An had already cultivated Fetal Breathing Technique early on, he could achieve internal breathing circulation. He didn't need external breathing for several hours.

Fang Baiyu… Hong Lie…

You really don't treat people as people for the sake of the Blood Ridge Black Market…

At this moment, Xie An stepped over the last step and stepped onto the arena amidst countless cheers. His eyes looked straight ahead and saw Hong Lie, who was stepping onto the arena opposite him, smiling slightly at Xie An.

That smile was森森 (sēn sēn, gloomy), as if he had Xie An in his grasp.

"Xie An, even Chen Qing was defeated. You, an old man… still dare to stand on the stage. You have a lot of courage."

Xie An's expression was indifferent and he did not answer.

It's useless to talk too much with someone who doesn't share your views. There was no need to waste words.

Since Tang Qingyun had not yet struck the bronze chime, which meant that it had not yet started, everyone was waiting eagerly, and the atmosphere became somewhat suffocating.

On the rostrum.

Tang Qingfeng was whispering something to Tang Qingyun, perhaps that was why he was delayed in striking the bronze chime.

On the other side sat Wang Ziwen and Fang Baiyu, with Fang Baiyu smiling and very pleased. Wang Ziwen, on the other hand, looked worried.

"Congratulations, Hall Master Fang. With this move from Hong Lie, taking the top spot is a certainty."

"That's natural. If I didn't have this trump card, I wouldn't have reached this agreement with Tang Qingyun."

"What about the antidote?"

Faced with Wang Ziwen's question, Fang Baiyu glanced at Hong Lie and Xie An standing on the stage, thinking that even if he gave the antidote to Chen Qing to take at this moment, it would not affect the overall situation. He casually took out the antidote and handed it to Wang Ziwen, signaling Wang Ziwen to give it to Chen Qing to take.

If it had been before, Fang Baiyu would never have given the antidote. He was worried that someone would get the antidote and configure it based on the ingredients of the antidote. In this way, his and Hong Lie's plan would fail. But now that Xie An and Hong Lie had both stepped onto the stage, the overall situation had been decided.

Thinking of this, Fang Baiyu's face showed a very comfortable smile.

In fact, Fang Baiyu didn't want to take this step, after all, Chen Qing was Chen Qinglang's son. He didn't want to offend this Sect Master because of this. But after seeing Chen Qing's extraordinary performance on the stage yesterday, Fang Baiyu knew that Hong Lie had no chance of winning.

Therefore, in order to firmly hold on to the core asset of the Blood Ridge Black Market, Fang Baiyu became evil and was blinded by greed and desire, and then he took out the bottom-of-the-box poison.

He also had a fluke mentality: although this move offended Sect Master Chen Qinglang, he did not violate the rules of the examination, and Chen Qinglang could not publicly do anything to him. Second, the Tiger Wolf Sect was not only Chen Qinglang as Sect Master, but also Meng Hu. As long as he firmly held on to the Blood Ridge Black Market, he would have time and opportunities to make up for his mistakes.

At least that's what he thought.

He had been a Hall Master for more than ten years and was too afraid of losing everything he had.

When people were controlled by such emotions, they would do some stupid things and finally pinned their hopes on that small fluke mentality.

Fang Baiyu was no exception.

Wang Ziwen found Tang Qingyun as soon as possible with the antidote. After hearing this, Tang Qingyun glanced at Fang Baiyu sitting not far away, and then announced that the examination would be temporarily suspended. Then, he took Wang Ziwen out of the crowd and entered the Baiyutang's internal pharmacy to detoxify Chen Qing.

At this moment, Chen Qing was pressed on the bed by the shopkeeper of the pharmacy, constantly pouring water to clean his stomach and dilute the toxins, but it was not very useful.

"Ah, ah, ah."

Chen Qing's hands and feet trembled, and he screamed madly, looking like he was in extreme pain.

What shocked Wang Ziwen was that there was also a middle-aged man wearing a purple-gold crown standing next to the shopkeeper, his aura surging like a mountain, making people dare not look directly at him. It was Chen Qinglang.

Hiss.

Wang Ziwen was so frightened that his whole body trembled. He quickly knelt on the ground, held the antidote in both hands, and trembled, "This subordinate, Wang Ziwen, brings the antidote to atone for his sins."

Chen Qinglang stood with his hands behind his back, facing away from Wang Ziwen, and did not speak.

But this silence brought too much pressure to Wang Ziwen, making him feel suffocated. After swallowing a mouthful of saliva, he kowtowed on the ground, "Wang Ziwen can swear to the heavens that he was not aware of Hall Master Fang's use of poison by Hong Lie. If I had known, I would have stopped it in advance. If I couldn't stop it, I would have told Elder Tang as soon as possible. If there is half a lie, Wang Ziwen will be struck by lightning and have no descendants."

At this moment, Wang Ziwen burst out with an unprecedented desire to survive.

He really didn't know about this.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have done nothing.

The last time he saw Fang Baiyu's methods in the Chen residence, Wang Ziwen was a little scared. He felt that Fang Baiyu was very crazy. Today, he felt that Fang Baiyu was really crazy. This was completely courting death.

Even if Hong Lie won the first prize, so what?

But the authorities are confused. After all, they are blinded by desire and greed.

Wang Ziwen suddenly realized that if he continued to follow this Hall Master… he was afraid that his end would be very miserable.

Chen Qinglang himself came here.

"What are you spacing out for? Quickly, give me the antidote." Tang Qingyun snatched the antidote from Wang Ziwen's hand and handed it to the shopkeeper. The shopkeeper hurriedly examined it, roughly discerning the taste, color, and smell, and judged that it might be the antidote. He looked at Chen Qinglang with a questioning gaze.

After receiving Chen Qinglang's approval, the shopkeeper gave the antidote to Chen Qing to take.

Before long, Chen Qing's symptoms improved, and he slowly fell asleep.

Huff.

Wang Ziwen breathed a sigh of relief, kneeling on the ground, afraid to get up.

Chen Qinglang then said, "Did Fang Baiyu give the antidote willingly?"

Wang Ziwen thought for a moment and said something that struck at the heart, "Hall Master Fang was worried that the antidote would be deciphered if it was taken out too early, so he kept it in his hands. It was after I reminded him, and he saw that Xie An and Hong Lie had both taken the stage, that he gave me the antidote. Every word I have said is true, may Heaven bear witness."

Chen Qinglang said coldly, "The arena competition has no restrictions on methods. Fang Baiyu is just following the rules and has not made any mistakes. You may leave."

"Yes."

Only then did Wang Ziwen cautiously get up and leave.

When he reached the door, he realized that his inner shirt was soaked through, and he felt like he was sitting on pins and needles.

He was no longer a newbie, and he knew very well that Chen Qinglang's words were just for show. The more calm Chen Qinglang was, the more it meant that he had murderous intent. Fang Baiyu was probably… doomed…

After Wang Ziwen left, Chen Qinglang said to the shopkeeper of the medicine room, "Please fetch a bucket of water and clean Chen Qing's body."

"Yes."

The shopkeeper was also sensible and knew that Chen Qinglang was deliberately sending him away because he had something to say to Tang Qingyun in private. Even if he fetched the water, he couldn't come in immediately, but needed to observe nearby for a while.

As a subordinate, he had this awareness.

The newest and most complete novels are at 69shu.com!

Alas.

Tang Qingyun sighed slightly, "Brother Chen, I am to blame for this. I didn't take good care of Xiao Qing."

Chen Qinglang said, "Brother Tang, what are you saying? It's Xiao Qing himself who is young, arrogant, and ignorant. He doesn't know how treacherous the martial world is. How can I blame you? I still need to thank you for promoting him to deacon and giving him this opportunity. It's just a pity… that he didn't seize it himself."

Tang Qingyun glanced at Chen Qing, who was sleeping on the bed, and then said, "Actually… Xiao Qing has always been very hardworking and eager to make some achievements to gain your approval. He can't be blamed for this either. The poison used by Hong Lie is emitted through its scent, colorless and odorless. After being inhaled, it will cause poisoning when it reaches a certain concentration. It's hard to guard against, and even experienced martial artists can hardly avoid it."

Chen Qinglang said, "There are no outsiders here, so I will speak frankly with Brother Tang. Although the competition has no restrictions on methods, I don't care about the other branch leaders, but the position of the Blood Ridge branch leader is crucial and will need official endorsement in the future. Naturally, it cannot fall into the hands of a despicable person, otherwise, how can I make the Blood Ridge black market a trade center?"

Tang Qingyun said, "Then what does Brother Chen mean?"

Chen Qinglang said, "Since Xiao Qing has already missed the chance to win first place, then… the position of first place must not fall into Hong Lie's hands. It must be… Xie An.

Find a way to remind Xie An to quickly defeat his opponent while holding his breath. He must not only win, but also win beautifully. He must let all the villagers see that the branch leader of my Tiger Wolf Gate disdains using dirty tricks, but wants to… win fairly and squarely."

"Brother Chen, rest assured, Xie An has already cultivated his Qi sense and has long mastered the technique of internal breathing. These toxins will not harm him."

Hiss.

Chen Qinglang suddenly gasped and turned his head sharply to look at Tang Qingyun, "He has cultivated his Qi sense?"

"Yes."

Chen Qinglang breathed a sigh of relief, "No wonder… no wonder!"

No wonder Old Master Tang would personally make a trip to the Tiger Wolf Gate. It turned out that the person he spoke of was Xie An.

Cultivated his Qi sense.

What a heaven-defying existence this is!

Back then, Chen Qinglang and Meng Hu, two martial artists who had cultivated inner strength, followed Old Master Tang to practice health cultivation techniques for more than twenty years. Although they had both cultivated internal breathing, they were unable to cultivate Qi sense.

He never expected Xie An to achieve it.

"Hahaha, good!" Chen Qinglang, regaining his composure, couldn't help but laugh, "My Tiger Wolf Gate has produced such a talent. Then there is indeed no need to worry about Hong Lie's petty tricks. I am looking forward to it."

… …

Arena.

Xie An and Hong Lie were still standing on either side of the arena, staring at each other, quietly waiting for the sound of the bronze chime.

Hong Lie was not in a hurry, but rather even happier, with a playful smile on his face, full of confidence, looking at Xie An as if he were looking at a dead man.

Xie An knew what he was thinking.

It was nothing more than Hong Lie thinking that he was standing upstream in the wind, and the poisonous gas was blowing towards Xie An with the breeze. He believed that Xie An had already been poisoned, and as time passed, the poisoning would become more and more serious. The longer he delayed, the greater his chances of winning.

What Hong Lie didn't know was that Xie An had long since closed his mouth, nose, and the pores of his entire body, and switched to internal respiratory circulation.

The poisonous gas had no effect on Xie An.

Just then, Xie An noticed that Tang Qingyun had returned to the grand master's chair on the eaves, and he secretly made a throat-slitting gesture to Xie An.

Xie An nodded in understanding.

The next moment—

Dang!

The loud sound of the bronze chime, like a large bell, announced the start of the final competition.

The more than a thousand spectators outside the arena also erupted in an unprecedentedly loud shout, the voices were deafening, like a mountain roaring and a sea raging, resounding throughout this world.

And Tang Qingyun, sitting on the chief's platform, revealed an expectant expression.

Fang Baiyu picked up his teacup, quietly drank tea, and smiled expectantly at Hong Lie taking the final victory.

In the teahouse on the second floor across the street, two people were sitting by the window, drinking tea, looking at the two people in the arena through the half-open window.

"Old Master, you have kept me in the dark so well. You didn't even tell me about such a big thing as Xie An cultivating his Qi sense."

"You didn't ask."

Chen Qinglang suddenly turned red, thinking… Didn't I ask?

"It's starting."

With the Old Master's words, Chen Qinglang withdrew his thoughts and looked at the arena.

In the arena.

Clang!

Hong Lie suddenly drew his sword and rushed forward, like a fierce tiger descending the mountain, rushing in front of Xie An. He raised his hand and slashed down with a heavy cut, "You old geezer also want to compete with me for first place, die for me!"

Xie An remained unmoved, raised the sheathed knife and blocked it forward, using a thousand pounds of force to block Hong Lie's powerful slash, and even shook Hong Lie back a few steps.

What great strength!

"Mere brute force is useless."

Hong Lie was, after all, an expert in the Second Level of Refined Flesh Realm. After a slight daze, he recovered and slashed again.

Xie An used the sheath to parry the knife and pushed it back with great force, like pushing a mountain, pushing Hong Lie back six or seven meters again. Hong Lie staggered back several steps to stabilize his lower body, feeling a bit shocked, but thinking that the other party had already been severely poisoned, he was full of confidence and was about to say, "Still not drawing your sword? Are you keeping the sword for your grave?"

"As you wish!"

After trying twice, Xie An had already figured out Hong Lie's Fu Yang saber technique. He no longer hesitated and drew his sword. With a "clang" sound, the bright long saber was already unsheathed.

The saber followed the body, thrusting straight forward.

Although Hong Lie used the flat of his blade to block this thrust, he clearly felt the opponent's power erupt like a collapsing river, shaking his arms numb and forcing him to retreat repeatedly.

The strength and saber technique were not on the same level.

How could this be…

Xie An's offensive did not stop, and he advanced with a horizontal slash.

In a hurry, Hong Lie suddenly raised his saber to resist, and suddenly a "clang" sound, the huge force of the horizontal sweep hit Hong Lie's entire body, his bones were so sore and numb that he lost consciousness, and his body flew horizontally more than ten meters, spitting out blood.

How could he be so strong?!

Even Chen Qing, who was in the Minor Accomplishment stage of the Refined Flesh Realm, was far from having such divine power.

However, Xie An's offensive was like mercury pouring down, continuously erupting, leaping up, raising the broad saber high, and suddenly vertically slashing down from above.

Vertical slash, splitting mountains and rivers with force.

"Clang!"

Hong Lie raised his long saber high with both hands to resist, only feeling that Xie An's saber was as large as a mountain, pressing down on him, crushing his whole person to his knees, and the wooden planks under his knees were shattered.

Suddenly, with a "crack" sound, Hong Lie's saber was suddenly split in two. Xie An's icy blade was already pressed on his shoulder, stuck in the pipa bone position, and the flesh was bursting open.

An unprecedented panic swept through his entire body.

Is this still a human?

Where did Hong Lie dare to have half a point of resistance?

He directly shouted, "I admit defeat, I admit defeat!!"

Just then, Xie An's saber stopped, not continuing down.

The saber momentum seemed to dissipate.

Only then did Hong Lie feel like he had been granted amnesty. After a moment of stunned silence, he recovered and suddenly said gloomily, "Haven't you noticed that you have been poisoned…"

Crack.

Xie An's saber in his hand pressed down again.

Suddenly, a thunderclap erupted on the flat ground, and an unprecedentedly powerful saber momentum erupted directly on the blade, and the void shattered. The saber light swept wildly, cutting out a huge crack of one and a half zhang long on the arena, cutting away half of the arena, causing it to collapse.

And Hong Lie's body had already been cut in half, flying open to both sides, sliding more than ten meters before stopping. He couldn't be deader.

At the moment of his death, Hong Lie finally understood… Xie An's so-called "As you wish" was not about drawing the saber… but about letting him go to the grave.

And outside the arena, someone suddenly shouted in shock:

"This is… the supreme martial art of the Tiger Wolf Gate… Heavy Mountain Saber!"