Chapter 106: A Duel of Practitioners

Zhang Qiang signaled to the person beside him. The two whispered briefly before the man spoke up:

“Li Sibai, right? My name’s Zhao Kang. Dare to spar with me?”

Li Sibai glanced at him. The man was short, barely reaching Li’s chest, with slender arms and legs—hardly the physique of a cultivator. Yet his sly, bright eyes hinted at some solid foundation.

Li Sibai wore a look of impatience, muttering, “Haven’t I told you? I’m busy right now. Can’t you see I’m swamped? How can someone your age have such poor judgment? Sigh…”

Zhao Kang hadn’t expected such a shameless outright refusal, especially with such a brazen excuse.

Within the inner sect of the Xuantian Sword Sect, unauthorized fights were strictly forbidden; offenders would be expelled. Yet, disciples were human and conflicts inevitable. Ignoring them without resolution proved futile.

Thus, the sect tacitly allowed sanctioned duels between disciples to settle disputes.

However, such matches required the combatants to be of similar cultivation levels to gain approval. If one’s level exceeded the other by two or more tiers, the challenge would usually be denied.

Exceptions existed for lower-level disciples challenging higher-level ones, encouraging upward competition and nurturing outstanding young talent.

Conversely, higher-level disciples challenging lower-level ones could be refused by their opponents or the elders, and such behavior was often ridiculed. Thus, few bothered to challenge weaker opponents.

Zhao Kang’s challenge to Li Sibai was a higher-level disciple confronting a lower-level one. Though he might not have surpassed Li by two full tiers, Li could still reject him, and Zhao was powerless.

With no other options, Zhao Kang resorted to provoking Li through words:

“Li Sibai, are you afraid to spar with me? How about this—I’ll fight you one-handed. That way, it won’t count as bullying, right?”

Li Sibai shook his head helplessly. “Zhao Kang, it’s not about one hand or two. Sparring with you brings me no benefit. No matter how much you nag, I won’t agree.”

“Benefit?” Zhao Kang and Zhang Qiang were stunned. “We’re here to give you trouble, and you want ‘benefit’? You must be dreaming.”

Another companion finally caught on, whispering something to Zhang Qiang, who nodded repeatedly.

“So, you want to raise the stakes?” Zhang Qiang asked.

Li Sibai smiled faintly. “Exactly. Fighting just for fun is dull. Bet some Xuantian Jade Purifying Pills or something like that. That’ll give me some motivation.”

“Fine. Here’s my condition: if Zhao Kang beats you, I want your identity jade token. Do you dare accept?” Zhang Qiang’s eyes narrowed, exuding murderous intent.

The identity jade token represented one’s inner sect status. Li Sibai’s token was infused with a fragment of Master Yunling’s aura. If Zhang destroyed it, Li’s inner sect privileges would vanish. Of course, he couldn’t seize it outright; only a lost wager allowed such consequences.

Li Sibai’s mouth dropped open in surprise. “You’re betting that high?” But he quickly recovered with a smile. “Alright, I’ll play. If I win, I want 200 Xuantian Jade Purifying Pills, and you must clean up this place.”

Master Yunling had been practicing calligraphy earlier and apparently noticed Li Sibai here, leaving the area deliberately messy. Tidying it up now was a hassle, so Li included it in the wager.

Before Zhang could respond, Zhao Kang, having understood Li’s terms, was furious.

“I’m your senior brother, and you refuse to spar with me but agree just for a bet? Am I that unwelcome?”

“Two hundred it is. But with stakes this high, I can’t spar one-handed anymore. Any objections?”

Zhao Kang was fuming but didn’t hesitate to accept. He never imagined losing. Though 200 Xuantian Jade Purifying Pills was a lot, it wasn’t beyond his means—he had to borrow some, but he managed to gather enough.

Though he seemed eager, Zhao Kang immediately dismissed the one-handed sparring idea.

Li Sibai nodded. “Alright, one hand is boring, and others would say I’m bullying you. Two hands it is. But you must show me your wager first. I’ve shown you my identity token; how do I know you actually have 200 pills? What if you renege? Who do I turn to?”

Zhao Kang’s face paled with anger. He withdrew a single bottle from his storage ring, showing Li 180 pills inside. Then he borrowed 20 more from Zhang Qiang and added them.

“Is that enough?” Zhao Kang was itching to beat Li up right then and there.

“That’s better,” Li nodded. “But don’t rush. We can’t spar properly here; let’s head to the first-floor arena. There’ll be people to witness.”

“Fine, as you say. Just hurry up,” Zhao Kang said impatiently.

Though some spectators had gathered outside from the earlier commotion, the second floor wasn’t crowded. Li, while confident, worried about being outnumbered and refused if disputes arose. The first floor’s arena had more people to ensure fairness.

They soon arrived at the first-floor arena, a complex of many fighting platforms for sparring.

Though it was already late in the evening, cultivators often trained late, some never sleeping, so a few were still present.

News of an upcoming duel drew a crowd. Those training paused, gathering to watch the two on the platform. Opportunists used their identity jade tokens to summon friends eager for the spectacle.

Li Sibai repeated the agreed conditions aloud to those nearby, seeking a fair judgment. The crowd steadily grew. Though sanctioned, duels were rare, and many sleepless cultivators came to witness the event.