Chapter 167: Shine My Shoes for Me!

"Do you know what happens when you humiliate our Heavenly Wolf Guard Commander?"

Tong Yi stood up, his expression turning very serious.

The young woman beside him picked up her Bone Flute again, ready to blow it at any moment.

The Frost Force Bear, which held a grudge against Yang Ling, also began flexing its muscles, eager to join the fight.

Tong Yi's gaze swept over every martial artist present:

"Ask them if any of them would dare openly humiliate the Commander."

Dongfang Haojie and the others had conflicted expressions.

Of course, they wouldn't dare. Rumors said that Commander's cultivation level might be a whole realm higher than the Ironclad Department Head's.

Above Grandmaster was the Second-Rank Human Immortal!

A powerhouse like that—even if he was from the Rong tribe—they wouldn't dare humiliate him in the slightest!

Yang Ling thought it over carefully. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed the Fourth Prince sizing him up. He took a deep breath and said calmly:

"The world belongs to Zhao State. Would your Commander dare set foot in Zhao?"

Even if he came, he'd still have to shine my shoes!"

The scene fell into dead silence.

Huikong and the others looked at Yang Ling in disbelief, inwardly horrified.

This guy really isn't afraid of death...

Could he have a powerful backer too?

The Ironclad Department Head?

The Rong tribesmen on-site slowly clenched their fists, the killing intent in their eyes now impossible to calm.

"This bastard... he's burning his bridges, but he's way too cocky."

Li Huaiyi sucked in sharp breaths of cold air one after another.

Mian Zhengdong and the other Mining Guild experts couldn't help exchanging glances, their hearts pounding with unease—maybe they shouldn't stick too close to this guy...

"Good!"

The Fourth Prince clapped and applauded with a smile:

"Tong Yi, did you hear that? Even your Commander would have to shine our Chief Constable Yang's shoes if he came here.

Trying to drive a wedge between us with that tactic? Your methods are far too naive.

And now you've even caused your Commander to be humiliated—how will the Heavenly Wolf Guard deal with you?"

Tong Yi seemed to ponder: "Fourth Prince, that move won't work on us.

The Commander won't hold a grudge against me for this."

With that, he suddenly smiled:

"But we can't just sit around for a few days, can we? It's freezing here; we need to find something to warm ourselves up."

"What do you have in mind?"

The Fourth Prince said with a faint smile.

"A sparring match—just fists and feet."

Tong Yi chuckled: "Just like you did in Yunwen Provincial Capital a few days ago. Everyone puts up some stakes."

"Fists and feet? No weapons?"

The Fourth Prince's expression shifted.

"Exactly. No weapons, no flying daggers either."

Tong Yi: "That's pure fist and foot combat. Using weapons would make it an unworthy victory.

After all, hand crossbows count as weapons too. What do you think, Fourth Prince?"

Yang Ling guessed what this guy was up to.

He wanted to see what kind of stakes the other side would offer.

"That works. Zhao State martial artists are unmatched in fist and foot combat. Your Rong tribe falls a bit short in that regard."

The Fourth Prince nodded lightly: "But what stakes can you offer?

It depends on whether your stakes are good enough."

A flicker of interest passed through the eyes of the Seventh-Rank experts present.

The benefits of Calamity Valley were still unknown for now. If they could gain something from this sparring, it wouldn't be a wasted trip.

"One Foundation Consolidation Pill per match."

Tong Yi said with a faint smile: "Your side does the same. Deal?"

Just one Foundation Consolidation Pill?

The disciples of the four sects were somewhat disappointed. Compared to the matches a few days ago, this stake was pretty trash.

But thinking it over, one pill per win wasn't bad either.

However, those from the Great Yan Sword Sect, Bitter Awareness Temple, Valley of the Dead, Star Observation Academy, and Mian Zhengdong's group were a bit excited.

For them, every Foundation Consolidation Pill was precious.

It wasn't easy to even buy one through connections on normal days!

The sect masters and elders of those Third-Rate sects, who had been standing at the back, all moved to the front upon hearing the stakes, a glimmer of desire in their eyes.

"Fine then. Yang Ling will fight the first match. Will you personally step up to face him?"

The Fourth Prince chuckled and nodded, specifically calling out Yang Ling.

Yang Ling didn't show any hesitation. He immediately stepped forward a few paces and locked eyes with Tong Yi.

He couldn't use weapons or blades, which meant he wouldn't get the attribute bonuses from the Jiaogu Saber, Tiger-Capturing Saber Technique, or Heaven's Will Divine Blade.

Still, even without them, his stats weren't weak. If he really faced Tong Yi, his odds of victory were still favorable.

"Tong Wu, you go first."

Tong Yi chuckled and ordered casually.

Nangong Yue narrowed his eyes slightly and walked out slowly.

Yang Ling's gaze flickered.

He had already seen Nangong Yue's strength. Among these Rong tribesmen, he was at the top of the line.

Solidly upper Seventh-Rank, 77 points in Strength, 68 points in Agility. Combined, that was 145 points, already close to 150.

"But he can only use the Ironclad Divine Armor Sutra and Swift Wind Step. The former is a Second-Rate internal technique, the latter a Third-Rate martial technique."

"Even if he has some equipment, since he's not a player, he won't get attribute bonuses from it."

"Advantage is mine."

"You can't use your saber or flying daggers. Your strength has taken a huge hit."

Nangong Yue said with a faint smile as his aura began to surge continuously.

His entire body was enveloped in a faint layer of Vital Qi.

As the Ironclad Divine Armor Sutra activated, Nangong Yue's dual attributes increased by a full 35 points.

"Slightly inferior to the Azure Dragon Technique. Total attribute boost is 10 points lower."

Yang Ling looked at Nangong Yue's stat panel, gaining a deeper understanding of this internal technique.

Nangong Yue's current Strength attribute had reached 112 points.

His Agility attribute had reached 103 points.

"Swift Wind Step will also give him 12 points of Agility."

"My Agility is 169. I crush him in that area."

"As for Strength... Vajra Bright King Technique and Twelve Paths Vajra Legs give me a 78-point Strength boost."

"Boulder Crushing Fist also adds 6 points of Strength."

"My Strength is 108."

By this time, Nangong Yue had already activated Swift Wind Step, his figure charging at Yang Ling like a nimble leopard.

"Strength and Agility are well-balanced. This guy takes a steady, solid approach."

Thinking this, Yang Ling didn't dodge as everyone expected.

Instead, he met Nangong Yue head-on, his ferocious leg techniques sweeping out wildly!

His Strength was on par with Nangong Yue's, but his speed was a full 54 points faster!

With this speed advantage, the Twelve Paths Vajra Legs hit so ferociously it didn't seem like a Second-Rate leg technique.

Nangong Yue was kicked so hard in the first exchange that he could only block with his arms.

Every kick made his arms ache!

Luckily, he was protected by Vital Qi, so he wouldn't be injured in the short term.

But Yang Ling's legs were also covered in a layer of Vital Qi.

Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, the two engaged in close-quarters combat.

It was a full-on contest of who had more Vital Qi!

The more Nangong Yue fought, the more shocked he became. He managed to counterattack occasionally.

Yang Ling couldn't be bothered to dodge; he just took the hits head-on and returned the favor with several kicks.

Every time Nangong Yue hit him once, Yang Ling repaid him with three kicks.

This trade was really quite a bargain.

Nangong Yue grew more alarmed the longer they fought.

After about a hundred exchanges, his Vital Qi was nearly depleted, while Yang Ling's was still abundant.

Seeing this, Yang Ling launched an even more ferocious assault.

The Twelve Paths Vajra Legs kicked Nangong Yue's arms aside, followed by one kick after another landing on his chest.

The assault was like a raging storm.

Nangong Yue's Vital Qi suddenly shattered, and he was sent flying backward, spewing a large mouthful of blood mist midair!

When he landed, Tong Yi reached out lightly and steadied him, preventing Nangong Yue from looking too pathetic.

"I..."

Nangong Yue's face turned ashen, his eyes filled with humiliation.

"No matter. A loss is a loss. Yang Ling's strength is indeed above yours."

Tong Yi let go and took out a Foundation Consolidation Pill, tossing it to Yang Ling.

After confirming the pill was fine, Yang Ling pocketed it.

He grinned at Tong Yi: "Looks like I can still fight. Anyone else want a round?"