"Brother Xu, the person you've taken a liking to is quite strong, likely exceeding the normal level of the Martial Arts Tournament. What if, instead of playing with ants, you get bitten by one?" the young master who had spoken with Xu Fengnian earlier chimed in again, this time with a hint of schadenfreude in his tone.
Xu Fengnian remained unfazed. "Don't worry, he won't cause any trouble." He sounded very confident.
"If he wins the championship, he won't be a commoner anymore. Will you still be able to control him then?" the young master said with a light chuckle.
"He won't win," Xu Fengnian stated with certainty. No matter how strong Su Fan was, he couldn't possibly defeat the previous champion, right? Xu Fengnian had already made his plans; Su Fan was not going to win the championship. Xu Fengnian subtly nodded at the contestant who had a bye. The contestant nodded back, acknowledging the signal.
Su Fan arrived at the spectator stands. "I won. Bet all your money on me to win," Su Fan told Xu Fengnian, wanting to maximize his earnings. He would bet on himself to win the remaining match.
"No problem," Xu Fengnian agreed with a smile. He wanted Su Fan to fall into his trap step by step, losing everything in the end. Watching someone on the verge of reaching the peak only to plunge into the abyss would be incredibly amusing.
After the other group finished their match, only three people remained. One person would have to get a bye, decided by a draw, just like before. The eunuch placed the numbers of the three contestants into a dark box, shook it, and then reached in to draw a number. Xu Fengnian subtly winked at the eunuch, who nodded discreetly.
"Number 49," the eunuch announced, pulling out the number. It was number 49 again. The person with number 49 walked to the side and sat down without any reaction.
Su Fan frowned, sensing something was amiss. Two consecutive byes, such incredible luck? The other contestant didn't think much of it. With so few people, it wasn't impossible to get two byes in a row. However, such consecutive matches were quite unfair to them, the contestants.
"I propose an increase in rest time. Our fights are too rushed, and he hasn't participated in any matches. This is unfair to us," he immediately raised an objection.
"After this match, you will be allowed to rest for an hour," the eunuch replied without arguing. This appeased the contestant, who had no further objections.
"Come on, I am Chen Feng!" Chen Feng said to Su Fan.
"Su Fan," Su Fan replied, cupping his fists in greeting. Since the other party was being polite, Su Fan saw no reason not to reciprocate.
"Be careful!" Chen Feng warned Su Fan, preparing to attack. Su Fan immediately became serious. Any contestant who won their first final match without a scratch must be extraordinary.
"Nine Suns Illusory Array!" Chen Feng instantly split into nine figures, each appearing as real as the original. Even their shadows were present. The nine Chen Fengs, swords in hand, surrounded and attacked Su Fan.
Su Fan's brow furrowed. If all nine clones were real, Chen Feng's strength would increase at least ninefold. This would be difficult to handle! The first Chen Feng to reach Su Fan thrust his sword at him. Su Fan dodged and then counter-attacked, stabbing the figure in the abdomen. The blade penetrated without resistance, as if piercing air rather than flesh. This Chen Feng instantly dissipated.
Seeing this, Su Fan was not discouraged by the missed attack but rather felt relieved. It seemed these clones were illusory and lacked substance, which was good news for him. Two more Chen Fengs attacked. Su Fan, unsure if they were real clones, remained vigilant, treating all of them as genuine. Su Fan dodged an attack from one Chen Feng with his left, and another with his right, before slashing at the Chen Feng in front of him.
"Force Shatters Ten Thousand Armies!"
*Clang!*
Su Fan's sword clashed with Chen Feng's, producing a metallic ringing sound. This Chen Feng was real.
"Impressive," Chen Feng said, retreating a couple of steps to create distance after his attack missed. The illusory figures also dissipated at this moment.
"Thank you for the compliment," Su Fan replied with a smile. This Chen Feng was quite interesting.
"Be careful," Su Fan warned, then took the initiative, attacking Chen Feng with his sword. Chen Feng raised his sword to block. He easily parried Su Fan's attack.
"Attacks like this are useless against me," Chen Feng stated. Ordinary attacks would not be able to harm him at all.
*Whoosh!*
A sound of something piercing the air came from behind Chen Feng.
*Thwack!*
A short arrow shot from behind struck Chen Feng.
"Hmph!" Chen Feng grunted, quickly retreating. He frowned at the arrow in his shoulder. "Who ambushed me!" Chen Feng looked around, asking sternly. The onlookers exchanged glances; no one had attacked Chen Feng, and they had no idea where the arrow came from.
Su Fan was taken aback. "This... triggered the 'Hidden Arrow' attribute? It really is a hidden arrow. How can this be defended against?" Chen Feng glared around. He knew the rules of the Martial Arts Tournament were brutal, but this was too much. It was the finals! And now there was a hidden assailant! "Su Fan, did you bribe someone to attack me from outside!" Chen Feng turned his suspicion towards Su Fan, as it was a two-person match, and an attack on him must somehow involve Su Fan.
"Uh... you're overthinking it," Su Fan said helplessly. He couldn't explain.
"Hmph! Let's see what else you've got!" Chen Feng was now on guard. Even if attacked from outside, he believed he could dodge. He wanted to see who was responsible! He then resumed fighting Su Fan.
They exchanged blows, and soon, Chen Feng felt a piercing sound behind him. This time, he was prepared and immediately turned to block.
*Thwack!*
An arrow embedded itself in his shoulder. "Who! Who the hell is it!" The arrow was too fast; he was hit before he could even turn around. He looked back but saw no suspicious figures. This enraged Chen Feng. "Don't let me find out who you are!" Chen Feng shouted angrily at the stands. Su Fan felt speechless. He wanted to tell Chen Feng it was him, but decided against it, as it would be too difficult to explain.
Chen Feng endured the pain in his back and continued fighting Su Fan. If he could defeat Su Fan quickly, these issues would be resolved. He could handle this minor injury.
*Whoosh!*
While fighting Su Fan, Chen Feng suddenly heard another piercing sound from behind him. Chen Feng was furious. Was this going to end? This time, he didn't choose to turn and block. He knew the arrow's speed was too great for him to react in time. Instead, he dodged to the side, hoping to avoid it.
*Thwack!*
The arrow struck Chen Feng's left shoulder squarely. His attempt to dodge was completely ineffective. "Who is it! Come out if you dare!" Chen Feng shouted angrily at the spectators. Hadn't they heard that three times was the limit?