CHAPTER 82: MY BROTHER SOUGHT ONLY EVERYONE'S SPOILS

"Little Jian..."

Lu Chen rushed forward and summoned the Green Sovereign Divine Tree, guiding it to gently lift Nantian Yijian and carry him down from the arena. He quickly put a Heaven Restoration Pill in his mouth.

Nantian Yijian slowly opened his eyes and cracked a grin as he looked at Lu Chen's face. "Hehe, Boss, how did I do? Didn't embarrass you this time, did I?"

His hand trembled as he reached out to grasp Lu Chen's palm. "I could be unrivaled among peers at the same realm, but my spirit qi just couldn't hold out."

"Yes, yes, Little Jian, you've become really strong."

Lu Chen quickly clasped Nantian Yijian's hand and said anxiously, "Rest for a bit. I'll take over the remaining fights."

While holding Nantian Yijian in his arms, Lu Chen felt deeply moved. The young man he regarded as his little brother had grown enough to stand on his own after only a few days away.

"Alright, boss. I haven't seen you fight since coming out of the secret realm. When the time comes, I'll play the guqin to cheer you on."

Nantian Yijian forced himself to lean against Lu Chen and lightly plucked a string on the guqin beside him. "By the way, make sure you don't lose the spoils."

"Those are all cultivation resources. I still need it to catch up to you, boss. Also..."

Before Nantian Yijian could finish, he closed his eyes and fell into a deep sleep, his hand still pointing to the spoils he had won on the table.

Lu Chen grew anxious seeing Nantian Yijian suddenly pass out. "Little Jian..."

Jun Wudi nodded at Nantian Yijian. "Little Lu, he's just overexerted himself. He shall recover after a night's rest. Take him back to rest first."

Lu Chen looked at Jun Wudi and nodded. "Understood, Uncle Jun. It's a relief to hear that."

Nantian Yijian hadn't defeated Jun Xiaoma outright with sheer strength, but he had proven his courage and talent through the battle.

The cultivators of Heavenly Mandate Hall made way for Lu Chen. No one underestimated Nantian Yijian anymore. Their eyes were now filled with newfound respect for him.

Lu Chen gathered the spoils from the table, placing them carefully with Nantian Yijian's belongings. "Don't worry, I'll put all the spoils in your room."

He then exchanged a glance with Jun Laoye before carrying Nantian Yijian back to their room to rest.

Jun Laoye took Nantian Yijian's token and leapt onto the arena. "Little Jian is my third brother. His wish is to have all your spoils, so I'll continue the fight on his behalf."

Jun Laoye quickly formed hand seals and summoned his divine spear, spinning it into a blooming flower of spear shadows that aimed fiercely at the crowd below. "Who's next? Bring your spoils up here yourselves."

A frail cultivator holding token number three stared at the spear and immediately faltered. "Se... Second Young Master."

The frail cultivator looked up at the arena, trembling as he said, "Second Young Master, you don't have to do this. If you fight now, how can we even join in the fun?"

"Enough nonsense. You either lose everything or lose half."

Jun Laoye twirled his spear toward the cultivator as he spoke. "Also, suppress your cultivation to the first level of the Qi Regulation Realm before stepping onto the arena."

The frail cultivator sighed and reluctantly placed half his spoils on the table. "Bad luck this time. Second Young Master, please go easy on me."

He drew his sword dejectedly and slowly stepped onto the arena.

The frail cultivator looked at Jun Laoye's spear and pleaded, "Second Young Master, can I not fight? I'll just hand over the spoils."

"Hmph, what are you thinking? The winner takes all, and the loser gets nothing. That's the rule."

Jun Laoye activated the Spirit Awaken technique and cloaked his spear with the Heavenly Spirit-Gathering Disk. A fiery dragon coiled around the weapon.

He swung his spear, tracing a dragon-shaped silhouette before pointing it at the frail cultivator. "You're part of the Jun Clan. How can you back down at such a critical moment?"

Seeing his hesitation, Jun Laoye cut him off sharply. "No more buts. Get ready. Let's start."

Then he charged forward with the fiery dragon spear.

The frail cultivator placed his Heavenly Spirit-Gathering Disk on his sword and summoned a silver snake. "Alright then, Second Young Master. Please go easy on me."

Jun Laoye snorted coldly. "Hmph."

He struck his spear against the cultivator's sword, then muttered, "Rest assured, I'll only use spear techniques on you."

Fatal techniques were forbidden in the arena. In this situation, Jun Laoye's spear skills, honed since childhood, came fully into play.

Slash, strike, and stab.

Within a minute, Jun Laoye had his spear pressed against the frail cultivator’s chest, the overwhelming force driving him backward step by step.

Jun Laoye only eased his assault after the cultivator was backed against the edge of the arena, giving him a moment to steady himself.

"Thank you, Second Young Master, for your mercy," the frail cultivator said, cupping his hands in gratitude before jumping down from the stage.

Jun Laoye nodded in return, then shouted toward the crowd, "Next! Hurry up. Today, all your spoils belong to me."

One after another, challengers climbed onto the platform for a full half hour, only to be thrown off one by one. Not a single person managed to land a meaningful hit on Jun Laoye.

Hundreds of fights in relentless succession had drained more than half of Jun Laoye's stamina.

He leaned against the edge of the arena, gripping his spear tightly as he gasped for breath. "Next! Get up here faster."

One cultivator called out from below, "Second Young Master, you've already faced your 108th challenger. Your stamina must be nearly gone. Should I give you some time to recover?"

Jun Laoye slowly lifted his spear, spinning it through the air as he looked down. "No need. I'm not that exhausted yet."

A tall cultivator stepped forward from the crowd. "Heh, if that's the case, then I'll have to take advantage of your weakness."

The man tossed half his spoils onto the table by the arena, flashed his number 110 token, and swiftly jumped onto the arena.

Jun Laoye looked at the man before him and said, "I was wondering who it would be. So it's you, Brother Wang Xiaolong. I know you're fast, but my spear is not to be underestimated."

Wang Xiaolong drew two daggers and let out a sharp breath. "Hehehe, then come at me then! Wind-Chasing Shadow!"

He circled Jun Laoye, gradually increasing his speed until he seemingly vanished from sight.

The spectators gasped.

"Can you see him? He's gotten even stronger."

"He's too fast. I can't see a thing."

Jun Laoye tightened his grip on the spear, carefully scanning his surroundings. "Brother Wang, you live up to your reputation as Second Uncle's top assassin. You have refined your Wind-Chasing Shadow even further."

Wang Xiaolong adopted the most basic skill of any assassin. He crouched in a shadowed corner of the arena, blending seamlessly with the darkness, waiting for the perfect moment to strike.

Jun Laoye tested the ground repeatedly. "Brother Wang, speak up. I just want to talk, that's all."

He hoped to catch even the slightest trace of Wang Xiaolong while conserving his energy.

The crowd watched intently, scanning the stage for any sign of the elusive opponent, but no one could spot him.

Jun Laoye sighed, "If only I had a wide-range attack, I could just blast him out."

He deliberately exposed a vulnerability behind him, hoping to lure Wang Xiaolong into making a move.

Yet Wang Xiaolong remained silent for over half an hour. By then, even Lu Chen had returned from the room.

Some in the crowd began to grow impatient. Eager for the match to end sooner, they shouted.

"Second Young Master, just go find him! He has to be somewhere on the platform."

"Yeah, once he shows an opening, you can take him down."

Jun Laoye sighed again. "I guess it'll have to be that way."

Annoyed by the crowd's clamoring and losing patience, he bellowed and summoned the fiery dragon back onto his spear. He activated the Seven-Star Spiral Step and dashed around the arena, striking from every angle.

Seeing Jun Laoye inch toward the corner, Jun Wudi shook his head. "Little Jun's going to lose."

"Little Jun is still too young and reckless. He's no match for Xiaolong's battle experience."

Nantian Wan'er frowned at Jun Wudi's words. "Brother Jun has already won so many matches. How could he lose now?"

Jun Wudi pointed toward the corner of the arena. "Wan'er, the most important thing in a fight is calmness. You can only see more when you stay calm."

Nantian Wan'er looked where Jun Wudi pointed, but saw nothing. "There doesn't seem to be anything there."

Lu Chen glanced at the corner of the arena and whispered, "The air there feels unstable. It looks like some kind of cover. It's probably a method of concealment."

Jun Wudi chuckled. "Hehehe, not bad. Your eyesight is much sharper than Little Jun's."

He turned back to the arena and said, "Little Jun's mind is already scattered. He may be stronger in raw power, but his judgment has faltered."

Jun Wudi took a sip of wine and raised his head. "Watch. He's going to lose."

Shortly after Jun Wudi made his remark, a shadow flashed behind Jun Laoye. It was Wang Xiaolong.

Wang Xiaolong said, "Second Young Master, you've lost."

Jun Laoye turned around. "What?"

Before he could react, Wang Xiaolong had already grazed his neck with the back of his dagger.

"Second Young Master, I won't stand on ceremony with your spoils."

Wang Xiaolong released Jun Laoye, snatched the nearby spoils, then swiftly stepped back to the center of the arena.

"Second Young Master, remember to always stay calm in battle. No matter how strong you are, you'll fall if your opponent uses other means to defeat you."

Jun Laoye sighed. "I know..."

He sheathed his spear regretfully. Knowing the outcome was already decided and nothing could change it, he glanced once more at Wang Xiaolong before stepping down from the arena.