The Duke of Zhenguo had died when Feng Ninghe was young, and Ning Peilan, in pursuit of her goals, spared no means, even resorting to using the deceased to make her point.
Strictly speaking, Ning Peilan was in the wrong.
Feng Ninghe bowed respectfully to the elders, "Thank you, elders, for your righteous words. However, since Miss Ning is so eager to spar with me, I too wish to know if she can win."
Elder Xu stroked his goatee and nodded at her, "Then you must strive for success. I'm still waiting to make a fortune."
"Naturally. For my million spirit stones, I must put in some effort," Feng Ninghe said with feigned seriousness.
The elders were perplexed by their conversation.
None of them knew that Feng Ninghe was the one who had wagered a million spirit stones.
More than half of these million spirit stones had been pilfered from the First Prince's treasury, with the remainder being a joint effort between Feng Ninghe and Old Man Xu.
As for the various gambling houses, they were all Feng Ninghe's doing.
Without offering some incentive, how could these cultivators be persuaded to place their bets?
These were also Feng Ninghe's financial reserves, and she couldn't afford to lose them.
On the arena.
Ning Peilan was growing impatient, her delicate brows furrowed as she looked at the figure approaching the stage with a hint of displeasure.
"Feng Ninghe, you are truly slow. Anyone would think you were afraid."
The slightly provocative female voice drilled directly into Feng Ninghe's ears.
Feng Ninghe, however, acted as if nothing was amiss, unperturbed by the taunting words. She moved her lips and said unhurriedly, "I never expected there to be someone in this world so eager to court death."
The simple words struck Ning Peilan as if someone had stomped hard on her foot, her face turning pale and then flushed.
"Feng Tongtong, you are truly arrogant and utterly disrespectful. Since that's the case, I shall teach you a good lesson today and show you what true discipline is!"
With a muffled cry, Ning Peilan drew her long sword, poised and ready.
Dong—
The bells and drums sounded.
The muffled drumbeats echoed repeatedly within the arena.
In the seating area.
Si Xin Xin stared intently at the arena with her bright, large eyes.
For the past few days, she had not missed any of Feng Ninghe's matches.
Si Jian Ye looked down at Si Xin Xin, then raised his eyes to the figure on the stage.
It was evident that Xin Xin was very fond of this woman.
To him, it was undoubtedly Feng Ninghe who had used some trickery to make Si Xin Xin like her so much.
After all, he had already experienced Feng Ninghe's cunning in the Heavenly Snow Mountain secret realm.
Ning Peilan, clad in red, was as radiant and dazzling as the sun in the sky.
In contrast, Feng Ninghe wore white, her exquisitely featured face carrying an air of cold detachment.
Though her beauty was striking, Ning Peilan was renowned as a prodigy of her generation, having been nurtured by the Ning family with countless spirit stones and earthly treasures.
In the eyes of the crowd, facing such a dazzling figure, Feng Ninghe was destined to lose.
Even if Feng Ninghe had defeated Feng Tongtong, so what?
Could she possibly defeat Ning Peilan, who had been known for her talent since childhood?
Ning Peilan arrogantly raised her delicate brows, holding a long sword, and looked at Feng Ninghe, "Feng Ninghe, my previous offer still stands. I will let you have three moves. You may begin."
Feng Ninghe smiled and met Ning Peilan's gaze openly, "You said it yourself. Don't regret it."
Ning Peilan's cultivation was significantly higher than Feng Tongtong's.
To deal with her, Feng Ninghe indeed had to put in some effort.
Feng Ninghe gently swayed the spatial jade bracelet on her wrist, and the clear, melodious bells began to chime.
The bells were pleasant to the ear, yet they involuntarily drew people into a trance.
Ning Peilan found the clear ringing of the bells exceptionally pleasing, but her previously clear mind became hazy at this moment.
When the bells stopped, Ning Peilan felt her hand empty. She hurriedly looked down to see that the long sword that had been in her hand had fallen into Feng Ninghe's possession.
"This..."
Ning Peilan was stunned, unable to believe that she could be dazed by a string of bells.
If Feng Ninghe's intention had not been the sword just now, but her neck...
Feng Ninghe weighed the newly acquired long sword and swung it gently towards the arena.
A sharp sword light flashed fiercely.
Three words were engraved on the sword body: Ning Peilan.
"This sword of yours is quite good. I don't have any suitable weapons on hand, so I'll play around with yours for a bit."
Feng Ninghe idly fiddled with the sword, as if contemplating how best to wield it.
Ning Peilan also withdrew her gaze at this moment, stomping her foot in anger, a hint of darkness flashing in the depths of her eyes, "Feng Ninghe, you are despicable and shameless!"
For cultivators, spirit artifacts were indispensable.
Feng Ninghe snatching her spirit artifact was clearly an act of humiliation.
The cultivators below the arena were unaware of what had transpired on stage, assuming Ning Peilan had made a mistake and dared to be distracted in the arena.
From the Immortal Sect seating area.
A pair of eyes were fixed intently on the arena.
"A promising talent!"
"This person is simply born for my Divine Concealment Sect!"
Nie Zhao, the Sect Master of the Divine Concealment Sect, wore an expression of eager recruitment, his eyes unable to stray from Feng Ninghe.
The Divine Concealment Sect specialized in sonic attacks. He had clearly seen what had happened just now; the silver bell jade bracelet in Feng Ninghe's hand was a spirit artifact.
As the bells chimed, their clear melody was captivating and alluring.
Ning Peilan on stage, eager to win, could no longer calm her mind, thus falling into a momentary daze.
Mei Honghou, the Sect Master of the Clear Profound Sect, glanced leisurely at Nie Zhao beside him, "It is indeed not easy to find a junior skilled in sonic attacks within the territory of Li Country. However, this woman may not be suitable for the Divine Concealment Sect."
His casual remark carried a deep implication.
It also caused Nie Zhao to raise his eyebrows and meet Mei Honghou's gaze, "I find this woman very suitable for the Divine Concealment Sect, yet you say she is not. Could it be that she is suitable for your Clear Profound Sect?"
"Naturally."
Mei Honghou responded without hesitation, "This woman's state of mind is neither arrogant nor impatient, making her very suitable for the Clear Profound Sect's cultivation techniques."
Nie Zhao rolled his eyes in annoyance, "Those who can master sonic attacks are rare geniuses. Sonic attacks can be equivalent to a hundred, and if they were even more powerful, fighting one against ten thousand would not be an issue. If she were to come to my Divine Concealment Sect, I guarantee I would train her well."
Seeing that they were about to start arguing over the person, the Sect Master of the Emerald Mist Sect, standing nearby, interjected, "Don't be in such a hurry to snatch her. The final rankings of the Hundred Arena Tournament have not yet been released. It's not too late to fight over her after the rankings are out."
With this remark, the two Immortal Sect Masters finally fell silent.
On the arena.
Ning Peilan produced a new spirit artifact, a delicate, seven-colored iron whip that hung heavily to the ground.
She channeled spiritual energy, controlling the seven-colored whip in her hand and striking fiercely towards Feng Ninghe's location.
Feng Ninghe leaped into the air, holding Ning Peilan's long sword, and struck fiercely towards Ning Peilan's position.
A sword light, sharp and aggressive.
It almost made Ning Peilan unable to dodge. Her pupils involuntarily contracted fiercely, and a fine sheen of sweat subtly appeared on her forehead.
She hadn't expected this woman's speed to be so astonishing; she was proving to be quite troublesome.
Ning Peilan bit her lip fiercely and swung the long whip, lashing out at Feng Ninghe.
A white figure flashed rapidly before her.
A long sword was deeply embedded in Ning Peilan's shoulder.