"Isn't all this trash talk a good thing? It's giving you more time to live," Li Ming said, crossing his arms with a provocative sneer.

He was approaching this with the mindset of a cat playing with a mouse. He wasn't just going to simply defeat or cripple Xu Ke. He was going to play with Xu Ke on the stage until he died! Everyone says only Qian Jun can defeat Xu Ke? Everyone says Xu Ke is so amazing? Now that Xu Ke has been poisoned, he, Li Ming, wanted to see just how amazing Xu Ke could still be.

Seeing this, Xu Ke just smiled without saying a word.

Not far away, Jin Hankang stood up and glanced at both sides. "Are you both ready?"

"Ready!" Li Ming sneered.

Xu Ke nodded.

The next moment, Jin Hankang loudly announced, "Begin!"

Everyone's gaze instantly locked onto Li Ming, curious to see how this bulky man would take down Xu Ke. But to their surprise, at the very start of the match, Li Ming didn't rashly move forward as expected. Instead, he drew out a series of flying daggers.

Hidden weapons!

Seeing this, everyone's expression shifted, their interest piqued. So far, Li Ming was the first to use a Hidden Weapon! They had assumed that such a brawny man would favor head-on collisions and brute-force attacks. It seemed they had misjudged him.

Seeing this, Qian Jun smirked. This was his plan for Li Ming! Before Li Ming went on stage, Qian Jun had told him to use his Hidden Weapons to their fullest extent and drag out the fight until Xu Ke's condition worsened.

The look of disdain on Li Ming's face was now completely gone, replaced by intense concentration as he watched Xu Ke. "I hope you can withstand my Hidden Weapons," he said lightly.

Everyone thought he was big and reckless, all brawn and no brains. But in truth, he was the most meticulous person on the team. Looking down on Xu Ke didn't mean he wouldn't take him seriously. Since he intended to play his opponent to death, he had to use his wits and outsmart him! All the earlier mocking and antics were just to throw Xu Ke off balance, to make him lose his cool before the fight even began. Unfortunately, Xu Ke didn't seem like the type to be swayed by words. But that didn't matter.

Next, he would use his skill with Hidden Weapons to put Xu Ke on the defensive, forcing him into a corner. That way, Xu Ke would have to consume his True Qi, which would make it impossible for him to suppress the poison. When that happened, his victory would be at hand! Only a fool would choose to either surrender or fight Xu Ke head-on. Yes, he was talking about Wong Qiang and Koo Zuo. He was a smart man who knew how to use his brain!

Observing this, Xu Ke's eyes revealed a subtle glint. "Come on."

WHOOSH!

The instant Xu Ke finished speaking, Li Ming launched a flying dagger. He had wanted to catch Xu Ke in the split second he was distracted by his response and land a hit, but the attempt clearly failed. Xu Ke took a single step diagonally upward, easily dodging the dagger. However, as he arrived at his new position, another dagger was already there to meet him...

Li Ming sneered. Did he really think I throw my daggers one by one?

As the next dagger neared, Xu Ke sidestepped and twisted to dodge again, but three more followed like vipers, one each targeting his upper, middle, and lower body. Left with no choice, Xu Ke had to kick one away with the tip of his foot. He used the force of the blow to propel himself backward, twisting to evade the other two daggers aimed at his upper and middle sections.

Seeing this, the crowd gasped.

"That was close!"

"Xu Ke really is playing with fire."

"Still, he looks pretty relaxed about it, as if it wasn't all that dangerous."

Watching Xu Ke's composed demeanor, the audience began to doubt the effectiveness of Li Ming's flying daggers. At that moment, however, both Li Ming and Qian Jun were sporting triumphant smiles.

That's it! There's definitely something wrong with Xu Ke's body. If Xu Ke were truly at his peak, with his ability to kill Innate-level masters, he wouldn't even need to move from his spot to dodge Li Ming's flying daggers—just like how he blasted Wong Qiang away yesterday! But because his reaction speed and judgment have declined, Xu Ke has no choice but to rely on footwork and positioning to evade them.

Yuan Shang and Chen Xiong obviously noticed this as well, exchanging a look of concern.

Hiding among the spectators, Lin Zhongtian broke into a cold sweat. Xu Ke can't die! Otherwise, my hopes for an antidote will be lost!

The Huang and Ye Families, on the other hand, were visibly excited.

The audience thought Xu Ke was leisurely evading the attacks, but the insiders knew that Li Ming was the one playing a cat-and-mouse game. They were just waiting for Xu Ke, the mouse, to become exhausted and be overtaken by the poison. At that moment, Li Ming, the cat, would pounce.

"Xu Ke is a goner now!" Shi Hongda declared decisively, jerking his chin in Qian Jun's direction. "Tell Li Ming not to kill Xu Ke—I still want to torment him."

"Don't worry, Elder Shi. Qian Jun never planned to let Li Ming kill Xu Ke," Huang Sheng said with a faint smile. They had already discussed it.

Hearing this, Shi Hongda immediately felt relieved, his lips twisting into a sinister expression. He had sworn to torture Xu Ke to get his revenge, and he fully intended to keep that promise!

「Meanwhile, in the Ye Family's seating area.」

Ye Chong sneered at Ye Feng. "How about now? You said he was so impressive at the Postnatal Late Stage, but look at him, struggling just to keep up."

"I told you there was no need to bolster someone else's morale at the expense of our own!" Ye Chong continued. "You just need to send anyone with a few tricks up their sleeve to put him in his place!"

Watching Xu Ke struggle was incredibly satisfying for Ye Chong, but there was a hint of regret. The person on the stage toying with Xu Ke should have been him! With Xu Ke's "help," his own cultivation had reached the Postnatal Middle Stage—an astonishingly rapid progression. He felt his cultivation was on par with Li Ming's, and he could have been the one playing with Xu Ke! The very thought was exhilarating!

Ye Feng didn't seem to mind Ye Chong's words. "You're right, Second Brother."

Smug, Ye Chong was about to lecture Ye Feng some more when Ye Yunfeng said coolly, "That's enough."

Only then did Ye Chong fall silent.

Qin Jinghuan, being closest to Xu Ke's position on the stage, had the clearest view. He laughed smugly. "This won't do, Xu Ke! Weren't you so dominating yesterday, standing perfectly still? Why are you running all over the place now?"

He wanted to help Li Ming by shattering Xu Ke's composure from offstage.

Xu Ke ignored him. Without even turning his head, he gave Yuan Shang and Chen Xiong a meaningful look. The two immediately went to warn Qin Jinghuan, demanding he shut up. Qin Jinghuan instantly fell into a sulky silence.

On the stage, Xu Ke continued to leisurely dodge Li Ming's flying daggers, gradually closing the distance between them as he did. However, what the spectators saw was his complexion growing paler and his breathing becoming increasingly rapid.

Seeing this, Li Ming grew even more excited, but he didn't let it cloud his caution.

Noticing Xu Ke getting closer, his eyes narrowed slightly, and he began to retreat. Even though he knew Xu Ke had fallen into the rhythm of his attacks, he was still aware that Xu Ke possessed the ability to defeat him easily before the poison fully took hold.