The crowd on the stage exchanged glances. They all saw the arrow behind Chen Feng, but none of them saw where it came from, as if it had suddenly appeared there.
Xu Fengnian looked at the young masters around him and knew it couldn't have been them; they were too disdainful.
But with no one else present, the problem had to lie with Su Fan, Chen Feng's opponent.
Chen Feng, unable to find the attacker, could only continue fighting Su Fan.
"Brother, why don't you just surrender?"
Su Fan felt a bit embarrassed. They couldn't decide a winner for a while, and the longer it dragged on, the more suffering Chen Feng would endure. It would be better to surrender now and suffer less.
"Impossible! I am the man destined to be champion!"
How could Chen Feng give up after encountering a little difficulty? He had to fight Su Fan to the end.
Su Fan, helpless, continued to fight Chen Feng.
*Pfft!*
Another arrow struck Chen Feng from behind. This time, he didn't even bother to resist.
"Continue!"
Chen Feng gritted his teeth and persisted in his fight with Su Fan.
Su Fan even felt a pang of sympathy for Chen Feng. But he couldn't turn off the equipment's attributes, so there was nothing he could do.
*Pfft!*
*Pfft!*
The "hidden arrow" attribute triggered twice in succession. Feeling the arrows in his back, Chen Feng was troubled, completely unable to deal with the attacker.
As time passed, Chen Feng's back was covered in arrows, making him look like a reincarnated porcupine.
"I can't... I can't hold on anymore..."
Chen Feng, pale-faced, waved his hand at Su Fan and said.
He truly couldn't endure it any longer. Although the arrows didn't deal much damage individually, with so many stuck in him, the bleeding alone could kill him.
"So, you surrender?"
Su Fan confirmed.
Chen Feng looked at Su Fan strangely. Although he was extremely reluctant to surrender, but...
"Yes..."
Chen Feng nodded weakly.
"Alright then, go down and tend to your wounds."
Su Fan said, guiltily pointing at the arrows in Chen Feng's back.
Chen Feng, dejected, walked off the stage to find a doctor to treat his injuries.
Naturally, Su Fan was declared the victor.
But it wasn't over yet; another opponent awaited him.
As Su Fan was resting, before he could seek out Xu Fengnian, Xu Fengnian found him first.
"Here's the money you won. Want to play again?"
Xu Fengnian handed Su Fan two ten-thousand-tael silver notes and asked.
"Play, and bet on me again."
Su Fan replied without hesitation.
This was the last match; he couldn't miss this chance to make money.
Xu Fengnian smiled and put the silver notes back.
In the next match, he would let Su Fan experience the feeling of falling into an abyss.
A sinister smile touched Xu Fengnian's lips.
He walked over to the participant who had a bye, gave them a look, and made a throat-slitting gesture.
The person nodded slightly.
Su Fan knew none of this until an hour later when he stepped onto the stage again, facing his opponent.
Su Fan's opponent stood with a cold, indifferent expression, gazing at Su Fan.
"Allow me to introduce myself, the champion of the last martial arts tournament, Chen Fang."
Su Fan was somewhat surprised. Why would the previous champion participate in this tournament?
The rewards for the martial arts tournament were only a few martial essence stones. The most significant prize was the noble title; winning the championship would grant the title of Baron, elevating one from commoner status to nobility.
Having already won once, Chen Fang was a Baron and had no reason to risk participating in the tournament, especially for a few martial essence stones.
Su Fan couldn't quite figure it out.
"Su Fan."
Su Fan also introduced himself briefly.
"I know. Someone wants me to kill you."
Chen Fang said calmly.
"Hm?"
Su Fan was taken aback.
"Who wants me dead?"
Su Fan asked, frowning.
This time, Chen Fang didn't answer directly.
"I won't hold back. Whether you live or die depends on yourself."
Chen Fang told Su Fan.
Although he was a Baron now, there was still a gap between him and true nobility. He couldn't refuse Xu Fengnian's order. However, as someone who also came from a common background, he sympathized with Su Fan and secretly hoped Su Fan would survive. But he couldn't go easy on him, or he would be the one in trouble. Thus, he could only hope Su Fan had the ability to survive his onslaught.
"I'm about to attack. Be careful."
With that, Chen Fang vanished, appearing before Su Fan in the blink of an eye.
His sword thrust directly at Su Fan's heart.
Startled, Su Fan hastily defended.
Chen Fang's sword struck Su Fan's blade, sending Su Fan flying backward.
Such immense strength!
Su Fan looked at Chen Fang in astonishment.
"I broke through to a new realm long ago. I'm not on the same level as you. Being able to block one of my attacks is a good start."
Chen Fang explained calmly to Su Fan.
A breakthrough to a new realm? Could it be beyond level forty?
This was the only explanation for Chen Fang's incredible strength.
Ten levels higher than him, and given Chen Fang's status, he was at least a boss-level entity. This was going to be tough!
"For the next move, I'll use a technique."
Chen Fang warned Su Fan again.
Su Fan immediately became alert.
"Geng Metal Sword Art, Shadowless!"
Chen Fang's aura surged. Sword energy coiled around his longsword, emitting sharp Geng Metal Qi.
For the first time, Su Fan felt as if he were fighting someone in reality, as if Chen Fang were also imbued with true energy.
The Geng Metal sword Qi instantly surged towards Su Fan, who had nowhere to dodge. The range of the Geng Metal sword Qi was too vast.
Golden Bell Shield!
Su Fan could only use the Golden Bell Shield to defend.
*Boom!*
With a loud roar, dust and smoke billowed around Su Fan. The sharp Geng Metal sword Qi left countless sword marks around him.
Xu Fengnian smiled slightly.
Although Chen Fang was also a martial arts tournament champion, he was the champion of the previous one. Over such a long period, his strength had far surpassed many of his peers. Su Fan stood no chance.
Chen Fang felt a touch of regret. Su Fan hadn't managed to withstand his attack. If he had, Chen Fang could have held back more later. After all, he had already demonstrated his expected strength. If he still couldn't defeat Su Fan, he would have a valid excuse for losing.
"Brother Xu, is the person you favored nothing special?"
A young master on the viewing platform said to Xu Fengnian.
"This is the result I wanted. I wonder if his two friends are nearby."
Xu Fengnian said happily.
Watching Su Fan fall, he felt an inexplicable sense of satisfaction. It was the joy of watching an ant climb to the highest point only to be pushed down.
"Brother Xu, did this person offend you? Why are you so invested in him?"
The young master asked, puzzled.
"No, I just find it amusing. And this person is very interesting, as are his friends."
Xu Fengnian did it purely for fun, not because of any prior grievances. Even if Su Fan were a stranger, he would have acted the same way.