Chapter 33: The Final Showdown, Li Aotian’s Arrogance!
The streaks of light inside the golden magic orb spun at great speed.
Everyone’s hearts had risen into their throats.
The four remaining teams were the “Aotian Alliance,” “Blazing Fire Valley,” “Ascension Group,” and another solid Inner Sect powerhouse that had broken into the top four, the “Profound Ice Pavilion.”
No matter how they matched up, it would be a fierce struggle of dragons and tigers.
But there was undoubtedly only one matchup everyone had been waiting for.
“Semifinal, first match: Blazing Fire Valley versus Profound Ice Pavilion!”
When that result appeared, the entire arena let out a sigh of regret.
So, the remaining result was obvious.
The Host Elder drew a deep breath and announced loudly, “Semifinal, second match: Aotian Alliance versus Ascension Group!”
“Boom—!”
The entire martial arena erupted!
It was coming!
Finally, it had come!
This fated confrontation, filled with countless grievances since before the competition began, would at last play out on the semifinal stage!
On one side stood the Inner Sect’s pride and first prodigy, Li Aotian, leading the “Aotian Alliance,” composed of top elites who defended the glory of traditional cultivators with crushing force.
On the other side stood the Ascension Group, led by the chores disciple Chu Feng, comprised of lower-tier cultivators who had created the greatest miracle of this competition with unheard-of, bizarre tactics.
It was the ultimate collision of two philosophies!
It was the final duel between the avant-garde and tradition!
“Senior Brother Li is mighty! Crush those trash!”
“The Aotian Alliance will win! Teach them what real strength is!”
Li Aotian’s supporters shouted until the skies trembled.
“Go Ascension Group! Create another miracle!”
“Chairman is awesome! Smash that show-off!”
The Ascension Group’s fans returned the jeers without giving ground.
At that moment, the atmosphere in the martial arena surged to its climax.
“Ha ha ha… hahahaha!”
Li Aotian looked up and laughed; his laughter was filled with repressed ecstasy and murderous intent.
Finally! Finally it had waited for this!
He stared at Chu Feng in the opposite corner as if looking at a corpse.
“Chu Feng, your luck ends here!”
His voice was ice-cold and bone-piercing. “Today, right here, in front of the whole sect, I will personally smash you and your useless underlings’ bones, one by one! I will let you know how laughable your tricks are when faced with absolute power!”
He was supremely confident.
He had seen Ascension Group’s battle with Thunder Hall.
He admitted that the opponent’s tactics were strange and their pills extraordinary.
But that victory of theirs had come at a heavy cost — it had been nearly a pyrrhic win.
And his Aotian Alliance’s overall strength was a notch above Thunder Hall!
In his view, Ascension Group’s trump cards had all been exposed.
All he needed was stronger force and faster speed to crush them entirely before those flashy tactics could be executed!
Faced with Li Aotian’s undisguised murderous intent and provocation, Chu Feng made a move that surprised everyone.
He did not retort nor lose his temper.
Instead, he surprisingly requested permission from the Host Elder to say a few words before the battle began.
After receiving permission, Chu Feng took a conch that amplified sound, stepped to the front, and cleared his throat.
The arena fell silent in an instant; everyone wanted to hear what this young man—who had created countless miracles—would say when facing the strongest enemy.
“First, here I must, on behalf of Ascension Group, offer our most sincere thanks to our opponent, Senior Brother Li Aotian.”
When Chu Feng began speaking, everyone was stunned.
Thanks? Thank Li Aotian? What was this operation?
Li Aotian was stunned too.
Chu Feng continued in an incredibly sincere tone:
“Without Senior Brother Li’s initial ‘whipping’ and ‘suppression’ of us, there would be no Ascension Group’s decision to ‘break the cauldrons and sink the boats,’ no determination to innovate! It was Senior Brother Li’s ‘pressure’ that fostered our group’s ‘core competitiveness’! From this perspective, Senior Brother Li is our group’s ‘Chief Motivating Officer,’ an indispensable ‘benefactor’ on our road to success!”
“Pfft—”
Someone in the crowd literally spat out their laughter.
Chief Motivating Officer?
Benefactor?
That was vicious! It stung worse than being called out to the face!
Li Aotian’s face flushed the color of liver.
Chu Feng seemed not to notice and continued:
“Second, I want to thank Senior Brother Li for perfectly demonstrating the strength of the ‘traditional cultivation model.’ Each of his victories provided valuable ‘negative case studies’ for our group’s ‘case analysis classes,’ letting us deeply recognize that a path of complacency and personal heroism would not endure.”
“So!”
Chu Feng shifted tone, his voice fired up.
“Today’s match, in my view, is not a simple contest of victory or defeat, nor is it merely the venting of private grievances. It is a friendly exchange of two different ‘development philosophies’!
“It is a collision and dialogue between ‘new and old business models’! Let us use this match to jointly explore which model better represents Qingyun Sect’s future!”
After these words, the arena fell into dead silence.
Everyone was stunned by Chu Feng’s brazen reversal and shameless sophistry.
He had not only defused all of Li Aotian’s provocations, but had placed himself on the moral high ground of a “reformer of ideas,” packaging a life-or-death duel into an outright “academic seminar.”
Li Aotian stood there, trembling with fury, unable to utter a single word.
He felt his momentum had been dissolved completely by those few airy sentences.
“All right, my words are finished.”
Chu Feng set down the conch and offered Li Aotian a slight smile. “Senior Brother Li, your turn.”
“Take the stage! Kill them…!”
Li Aotian squeezed the words out between his teeth.
Both teams, the focus of the whole arena, slowly ascended to the largest central arena.
On one side, white clothes whiter than snow, sword qi piercing the skies, like gods descending.
On the other side, black clothes tattered and plain-faced, like rogue heroes from the grasslands.
The stark contrast made everyone’s blood boil.
“Clang—!”
The bell of the decisive battle finally rang!
“Aotian Alliance! Crush them! Leave none alive!”
Li Aotian issued a hysterical roar.
In an instant, twenty figures surged forward like a dam-break, each trailing an indestructible sword light toward the Ascension Group’s position!
Sword qi like frost, murderous intent like a tide!
The moment the match began, Li Aotian and his Aotian Alliance unleashed their full strength!