71

Mo Qiuxian, with an air of absolute certainty, said to Li Feiyu, "Today's matter seems a foregone conclusion. It appears I will win this contest again."

Li Feiyu loathed Mo Qiuxian's perpetually confident and self-assured demeanor. Hearing this, his eyes flashed with a sharp light, and he retorted without backing down:

"Fine, then let's have a duel and see who has the superior skill."

As the two exchanged words, the disciples of the Battle Hall loudly announced the start of the duel.

A protective light barrier rose in response, enveloping the entire dueling platform.

Qing Chen did not hesitate. With a flick of his sleeve, he simultaneously summoned the [Thunder Shield] and the 'child sword' of the [Mother-Child Thunder Shadow Sword].

Crowds crackled across the surface of the Thunder Shield;

The foot-long child sword hummed and trembled, its blade shrouded in a layer of pale purple lightning, radiating an oppressive spiritual pressure.

"Two decent mid-grade magic artifacts!"

A murmur rippled through the crowd below.

They hadn't expected a disciple who had only been a disciple for a little over ten years to possess such wealth.

Each of these magic artifacts was worth at least eighty or ninety spirit stones.

Yu Cheng's face darkened, and he coldly snorted, "Child's plaything! You dare to show off your skills before an expert?"

With a flick of his right hand, a jet-black 'hook' covered in strange runes appeared out of thin air.

The moment the hook appeared, it emitted a chilling aura, a point of eerie light swirling at its tip—it was a deadly weapon approaching the power of a high-grade artifact!

"Look, it's Senior Brother Mo's Soul-Snatching Hook! His famous magic artifact from before!" a knowledgeable disciple exclaimed in surprise.

Li Feiyu's eyes twitched slightly, and he turned to Mo Qiuxian with a cold smile:

"Heh, Senior Brother Mo, quite the skill! The Soul-Snatching Hook is your signature magic weapon, incredibly powerful. You're even willing to bestow it upon your subordinate? Aren't you afraid you won't be able to retrieve it?"

Mo Qiuxian smiled calmly: "Likewise. Didn't you also bestow two decent magic weapons? I underestimated Junior Brother Li; you're so well-prepared. It seems you're determined to win this bet."

On the dueling platform, the Soul-Snatching Hook had already transformed into a streak of black light, heading straight for Qing Chen's face.

Qing Chen remained calm. His Thunder Shield shone brightly, forming a wall of light interwoven with lightning in front of him.

With a loud clang, the Soul-Snatching Hook slammed into the light wall, sparks flying, barely managing to block it.

At the same time, the 'Thunder Shadow Sword' emerged like a venomous snake, attacking Yu Cheng from the flank.

Yu Cheng hurriedly manipulated the 'Soul-Snatching Hook' to defend, the two magical artifacts clashing fiercely in mid-air, the clanging of metal echoing incessantly.

Although, in terms of individual quality, neither the Thunder Shield nor the Thunder Shadow Sword could match the Soul-Snatching Hook, their combined attack managed to barely withstand the onslaught of this deadly weapon.

Yu Cheng's expression grew increasingly grim. With a flick of his left hand, another purplish-gold 'bell' appeared.

With his cultivation level and divine sense, this was the limit of the number of magical artifacts he could activate!

He gently shook it, and the clear sound of the bell immediately resounded throughout the arena.

"Purple-Gold Bell! Yu Cheng actually possesses such a mind-disrupting mid-grade magical artifact!" someone exclaimed from below the stage.

"Junior Brother Qing, under the Purple Gold Bell, you're simultaneously manipulating two magical artifacts. Your spiritual power must be starting to give out," Yu Cheng sneered. "Let's see how long you can hold out."

He increased the flow of his magical power, and the bell's sound suddenly became rapid, invisible sound waves surging towards Qing Chen like a tide.

If it were an ordinary Qi Refining Level 5 cultivator, the interference of this Purple-Gold Bell would likely have already caused them to lose their composure.

However, Qing Chen's spiritual strength was actually at the Qi Refining Level 9!

The sound of the bell was nothing more than a gentle breeze to him.

But his mind raced, and he deliberately furrowed his brow, feigning some influence. His face paled, and his movements as he manipulated the magical artifacts became somewhat sluggish.

"He really can't hold on any longer!"

Yu Cheng was overjoyed at the sight. His magical power surged, and he shook the Purple-Gold Bell even more vigorously.

The bell's sound grew increasingly intense, like a demonic chant. "Junior Brother Qing, do you think you can withstand my Purple-Gold Bell like this? You're too naive!"

Qing Chen's complexion grew increasingly worse, as if he might lose control of both magical artifacts at any moment.

Below the stage, Li Feiyu's fists clenched unconsciously. He hadn't expected that Yu Cheng, besides the Soul-Snatching Hook, had also purchased such a special magical artifact as the Purple-Gold Bell.

Gao Yuliang, who had bet on Qing Chen's victory, was sweating profusely, his eyes glued to the situation, inwardly furious:

"These Senior Brother Mo and Yu Cheng are shameless! They're going to such lengths to deal with a mere new disciple."

However, despite the perilous situation, Qing Chen managed to maintain his defensive posture and avoid defeat!

Yu Cheng, unable to break through, grew increasingly impatient, never expecting Qing Chen to be so formidable.

No wonder he dared to cultivate the almost suicidal *Brahma Demon Refining Technique*; his willpower was truly astonishing!

He glanced at Qing Chen's 'pale' face out of the corner of his eye, steeled his resolve, and secretly retrieved a strange magical artifact shaped like a bat's fang.

This was Mo Qiuxian's second trump card—the one-time-use magical artifact, the 'Bat Fang'!

This item only required a small amount of divine sense to activate; it contained a potent poison, enough to instantly render a mid-stage Qi Refining cultivator powerless, turning them into lambs to the slaughter.

Even a one-time use magic artifact is worth no less than a mid-grade magic artifact.

Originally, they thought the Soul-Snatching Hook and the Purple-Gold Bell would be enough, but they hadn't expected Qing Chen's strength to be so troublesome.

"To force me to use this treasure, you deserve to die!"

Yu Cheng's eyes flashed with murderous intent!