Gentlemen, it's time to enter the Banner of Ten Thousand Souls.

Chapter 115 Winning Must Be Won Beautifully
No one had high hopes for Chen Ye, after all, he was challenging a behemoth like the Mirage Sect.

Qin Ze wasn't famous to begin with, because no one knew that he had once infiltrated the Crimson Serpent Demon Sect. Among the five major sects, a cultivator at the Gang Sha Realm wasn't particularly conspicuous.

But now, Qin Ze's name is being mentioned more and more often.

Those who had experienced the previous battle began to show off their "insights".

The magical artifacts and spells Qin Ze used on the arena were all described in exaggerated and embellished ways.

Fu Lu Shou and his two companions collected this intelligence overnight and sent it to Chen Ye.

Chen Ye could only politely accept the information and say that he would definitely read it carefully, but then he turned around and put the information aside.

Regardless of the accuracy of this intelligence, as long as Qin Ze isn't a fool, he must know that his methods from back then have been exposed, and that he certainly won't be standing still after several years.

Besides, these rumors are far from the truth, and reading them will only mislead you.

Chen Ye simply prepared step by step, waiting for the day of the duel to arrive.

Time flies, and the day everyone has been waiting for has finally arrived.

As dawn broke, Qin Ze was already on the arena.

Given his status, he should have arrived later. But Qin Ze not only wanted to win today, but to win beautifully, so that no one could criticize him or find fault with him.

Therefore, not wanting others to say that the Mirage Faction was arrogant, he simply arrived early and waited for Chen Ye's arrival.

There were many onlookers and whispers, but Qin Ze closed his eyes to rest, pretending not to hear them.

Besides the Qinghe Sword Sect, disciples from the other four major sects were also present to cheer for Qin Ze, including the disciples of the Fenxiang Sect.

Even though the Incense Burning Sect and the Mirage Sect had a fight and almost turned against each other on the spot, Chen Ye still managed to trample the Incense Burning Sect's face into the ground.

At this point, even the dead Wei Changsheng wouldn't agree to not supporting Qin Ze.

The previous farce had left the disciples of the five major sects feeling stifled for too long. Now that Qin Ze had challenged Chen Ye to a duel, they saw it as their chance to vent their anger and show those rogue cultivators what a prestigious sect was like, reminding them of the respect they should maintain.

The two groups of spectators were clearly distinct. Although there were far fewer righteous disciples, their momentum was in no way inferior.

When it was fully light, Chen Ye rode Black Whirlwind to the arena.

Many independent cultivators were grateful to Chen Ye for saving their lives, and they cheered loudly as soon as he appeared. However, while many greeted him, few dared to shout that they were certain of victory.

Everyone knows that the gap between rogue cultivators and disciples of prestigious sects is too great, not to mention that Qin Ze's cultivation is a level higher than Chen Ye's.

Everyone just hopes that Chen Yeneng won't lose too badly.

Chen Ye finally appeared, and Qin Ze opened his eyes to carefully examine his opponent.

Qin Ze was very surprised after only a few glances.

It wasn't because Chen Ye's face was particularly handsome, much more so than the average person; the beauty or ugliness of a cultivator was not important.

What truly surprised Qin Ze was Chen Ye's age. He had only heard that Chen Ye was very young, but in his mind, he was in his forties or fifties.

Today, however, the reality is quite different from what I expected.

Although cultivators have long lifespans, making it difficult to determine their true age, Chen Ye's eyebrows, eyes, and bone structure make him look less than twenty years old.

Judging from the spiritual energy surrounding him, he seemed to have cultivated to the point where his Qi Sea was overflowing.

"At such a young age, he's already undergoing body tempering with fierce energy?"

Qin Ze was somewhat surprised. How did he cultivate like this? Did he consume some powerful rare and precious herbs?
Despite his shock, Qin Ze would not lose his fighting spirit.

He must win today, and he must win spectacularly.

The two stood on the arena, bowing to each other with their hands clasped in greeting.

Lu Shichang distributed the jade tokens to the two men and then loudly recited the rules of the dueling arena.

"Each of you holds a jade tablet, which, when infused with spiritual energy, grants you a protective effect. If this protective shield shatters or turns red, you lose. Both of you must rely on your own abilities; there are no restrictions on the methods used. Do either of you have any objections?"

These words weren't actually meant for the two of them, but for all the audience members.

After all, this fighting arena has been abandoned for many years, and many cultivators are unaware of its rules. Upon hearing that "any means are allowed," many people were worried for Chen Ye.

I originally thought that this arena would restrict the use of magical treasures or spells, and there would be many taboos, so that Chen Ye would have a chance to win.

The result was that there were no limits to the methods used. How could those rogue cultivators compare to the disciples of the Mirage Sect? They couldn't even compete in terms of magical treasures.

Viewers who had initially held out hope are now mourning for Chen Ye, hoping he can hold on a little longer.

Upon hearing Lu Shichang's inquiry, Qin Ze replied, "Although Fellow Daoist Chen challenged me to this duel, I am, after all, a disciple of the Mirage Sect, and I cannot bully a rogue cultivator. To be fair, before the duel, I will tell you about the magical treasures and spells I will use today, without any concealment or falsehood."

"As you all witness, if I, Qin Ze, had used any other means, then I would have lost."

This statement caused an uproar among the audience.

In battles between cultivators, surprise attacks are a huge advantage. Revealing all one's techniques beforehand is a significant concession. Especially since the Mirage Sect excels in illusion techniques; revealing their secrets beforehand would be tantamount to crippling half of one's cultivation.
Many people were surprised by Qin Ze's "arrogance," but many others felt that this was how a disciple of a prestigious sect should behave.

Facing Chen Ye, a rogue cultivator, whether it's a direct crushing defeat or employing every trick in the book, it looks like the strong bullying the weak. Everyone knows Qin Ze has a better chance of winning, but if everyone knows you'll win, what's the glory in winning?
Qin Ze wanted to win decisively and regain the face lost by the Mirage Faction, only then could he truly overcome his inner demons.

That's why he dared to make such a declaration; he wanted to leave no room for criticism.

Chen Ye hadn't expected this Fellow Daoist Qin to be so magnanimous; it seemed he really wanted to win.

Seeing that Chen Ye remained silent, Lu Shichang couldn't help but ask, "Fellow Daoist Chen, do you agree to this rule that was added on the spot?"

Chen Ye shook his head and said, "That's too unfair. Even if I win, it won't be a fair victory."

Qin Ze insisted, "I never bully the weak. Fellow Daoist Chen, your cultivation is a realm lower than mine. It would be dishonest for me to win like this."

Chen Ye advised, "Fellow Daoist Qin, there's no need for that. I've made many preparations to win this battle, several days in advance."

Qin Ze laughed and said, "That's only right. You've challenged the Mirage Sect, so no amount of preparation will be enough."

Although his tone was calm, Chen Ye could hear the arrogance in his words. Since he had said so, Chen Ye didn't insist anymore. He also wanted to win, but he didn't have the same burden as Qin Ze. He didn't care how he won, and besides, if they started fighting, everyone would probably think that Chen Ye's victory was too despicable.

Since we've already acted despicably, what difference does a little more make?

Chen Ye cupped his hands and said, "Since that's the case, I'll consider myself to have gotten the better deal."

Qin Ze then cupped his hands in greeting and loudly declared, "Today I will only use two magical treasures: one is the Mirage Pearl, which can create illusions, and the other is the Purple Cloud Smoke Canopy, a protective magical treasure on my body. As for spells, I will only use the most common Palm Thunder. Any other means will be considered a loss."

Two magical treasures and one spell may not sound like much, but those in the know understand that the mirage pearl alone is capable of countless transformations.

Don't think that illusions are just illusions. In the hands of the Mirage Sect disciples, these illusions can all be deadly.

Many people haven't heard of the Purple Cloud Smoke Curtain, but since it's a protective magic treasure, breaking it probably won't be easy.

As for the palm lightning, it was probably just there to make up the numbers.

After all, you need to break through the shield on the opponent to win. Qin Ze probably wanted to use illusion magic to deal with the opponent and then casually defeat Chen Ye with a palm lightning strike.

After Qin Ze finished speaking, he asked Chen Ye, "Did Fellow Daoist Chen hear me clearly? Do you need me to repeat it?"

Chen Ye shook his head and said, "No need, no need, but I would also like to remind you, fellow Daoist, that I have really made many preparations in advance, and I hope you will not blame me."

Qin Ze said smugly, "How could I blame you? Please use whatever tricks you have up your sleeve. Do you need me to give you three more moves?"

Chen Ye could only smile wryly and say, "No need for that."

Seeing that the two had reached an agreement, Lu Shichang went to the stone pillar and loudly announced, "Both sides have confirmed that there are no errors, the contest of magic begins!"

clang!
The moment the bronze bell was struck, endless smoke billowed out in front of Qin Ze, covering the direction where Chen Ye was.

At the same time, Qin Ze also made preparations, opening the Purple Cloud Smoke Canopy to prevent Chen Ye from launching a sneak attack with the Myriad Soul Banner or the Sword Box.

However, Qin Ze realized that he seemed to have done nothing of value.

Because Chen Ye didn't actually fight him; instead, he stomped his foot hard on the ground.

Centered on Chen Ye, countless runes appeared on the arena, forming a huge array.

By the time the fog reached Chen Ye, he had already disappeared.

Qin Ze observed carefully and realized that Chen Ye had not used illusion magic to conceal his figure, nor had he moved too fast to hide in a blind spot. He had clearly merged into the ground and completely disappeared into it.

"An array?! How could such a massive array be hidden on this arena?" Qin Ze's expression changed drastically, his heart filled with surprise: "Oh no, he built this arena!"

He then remembered that the dueling arena wasn't originally designed this way.

Just a few years ago, it was nothing more than a round platform made of stones, which was completely destroyed after several fierce battles.

It had only been a few years, and who would remember what the arena looked like back then? Qin Ze had thought that the cultivators who maintained the arena had rebuilt it for this battle.

So, Chen Ye hid such a huge formation on the arena?!
Now that Chen Ye has disappeared underground, it won't be easy for Qin Ze's mirage pearl to affect the underground world, no matter how powerful it is.

This earth-burrowing technique actually countered his most relied-upon method.

Although Qin Ze was somewhat surprised, he was not panicked. He decisively manipulated the smoke from the mirage pearl, allowing it to seep into the ground.

The speed might be a bit slower, but Qin Ze didn't believe Chen Ye could hide underground indefinitely. Once the illusion took effect, Qin Ze would naturally sense it. At that time, Qin Ze would even control Chen Ye's senses of up, down, left, and right, forcing him to show himself so he would have no choice but to crawl out obediently.

As for Chen Ye's counterattack, Qin Ze was not afraid at all. With his methods, how could he possibly break through this Purple Cloud Smoke Curtain?

But just when Qin Ze thought he had found a way to deal with it, strange noises came from the arena again.

Qin Ze looked in the direction of the sound and saw a demon dressed in a black robe and wearing a tall hat, resembling a dried corpse, appear from the void.

This evil spirit was several feet tall, with the words "Peace Under Heaven" written on its tall hat. It held a token in its left hand and a mourning stick in its right.

As soon as he appeared, he swung the mourning stick in his hand at Qin Ze.

(End of this chapter)