Overdraw the future and become a peerless martial god

Chapter 75 Challenge
At this moment, a figure in white moved swiftly like a sword, crossing the square and stepping into the referee's platform.

"Please postpone the removal!"

Xie Mingli, dressed in a plain white robe, spoke in a clear, bright voice. She raised her hand and presented an official document, with Zhao Tianyu behind her holding the seal as proof, his expression solemn.

"Chu Ning was unable to return to his post in time due to special military duties. The Marquis of Wu's mansion submitted a petition for amnesty three days ago and requests a delay until his arrival."

The crowd around the square fell silent, and the elders of the various sects all showed slight surprise. Daring to step onto the stage and say "postpone" when Prince Duan himself was present? The audacity of the Marquis of Wu's mansion was truly astonishing.

The deacon frowned slightly, about to speak:
"His Highness is personally presiding over the judgment, we dare not presume to act on our own, please wait a moment for your reply."

"Report?"

A lukewarm sneer came from the high position.

Prince Duan slowly put down his wine cup, a mocking glint in his eyes, but his gaze remained fixed on Xie Mingli's face, not on the documents.

"So it's Miss Xie." His tone changed, with a lazy teasing tone. "I remember you. You were also wearing this plain white dress at the palace banquet three years ago, except that time, you were dancing a sword dance."

He smiled meaningfully: "That sword strike that pierced the red lantern, brought the world to a standstill. Tsk... I never expected that today, the sword is still there, but the person is even more beautiful."

Xie Mingli's expression hardened slightly. Before she could speak, Zhao Tianyu took a half step forward, but she gently stopped him.

Prince Duan laughed even more heartily: "When a beauty speaks, she is naturally different from others."

"What a pity..." His gaze suddenly turned cold, and his voice changed, "If you had offered me flowers and wine, I would have shown you some mercy."

“But what you submitted was an official document, a set of rules, a challenge to the bottom line of the Great Qian legal system.” He raised his eyes, his expression instantly sharp. “Being half a day late means you’ve already missed a golden opportunity.”

"I am here to oversee the overall situation. How can I allow your Marquis Wu's Mansion to take advantage of your military merits to ask for special privileges? If everyone is late and claims to have a 'reason,' then there's no need to hold the Qingyun Arena. Let's just call it the 'Affection Arena.'"

His words were like thunder, silencing all the surrounding sects.

Xie Mingli gritted her teeth, hesitating to speak.

"What?" Prince Duan smiled seemingly unintentionally. "Miss Xie, do you still want to persuade me? What a pity, I have always cherished women, but I don't like beauties who are 'reasonable'."

He shook his ring, his tone casual, "Women are prettier when they're obedient."

Zhao Tianyu's eyes blazed with anger, and he was about to step forward when Xie Mingli whispered, "Don't rush in."

The deacon, his forehead covered in cold sweat, took the golden scroll, his fingers trembling as he unfolded it, and loudly proclaimed:
"I hereby announce... in this year's Qingyun Arena, Group 10, Wuhou Mansion, Chu..."

Before the words were even finished, the heavens roared in fury.

A beam of light crashed down, like divine punishment descending upon the world, striking directly at the main platform of Qingyun.

The black-feathered eagle in the sky suddenly let out a long, tearing cry, its feathers bursting open like a rain of blades, scattering across the square.

Everyone looked up, their faces paling. On the back of the blood-feathered eagle stood a white-haired figure, robes fluttering, like a celestial being walking alone amidst thunderclouds!
The Prince Duan's wine cup suddenly trembled, and the blood-jade thumb ring felt icy cold.

He sat slightly stiffly, his gaze fixed on the sky.

The next instant, "Boom!"

The shockwave swept across the entire plaza like a raging torrent, enveloping it in a fierce pressure. The flags along the edge of the arena fluttered wildly, the stone slabs cracked inch by inch, and all the sect disciples were forced back half a step.

The black eagle swooped down, its sharp talons digging into the dust of the ground before disappearing, while the white-haired youth slowly descended from the sky.

He walked steadily, his robes billowing like battle flags fluttering in the wind.

It was a silent oppression.

With each step he took, the earth seemed to tremble; each footprint seemed to crush a mountain, a vast territory. Lightning danced between his eyes, dazzling and captivating.

He didn't utter a single word, nor did he reveal any sharpness, yet his power descended like thunder from the heavens.

In an instant, all was silent.

Before the referee's table, Xie Mingli stared blankly at the figure, her chest heaving, her eyes slightly red, and finally she whispered, "He's here...he's here..."

That soft whisper felt like a heavy burden had been lifted off her shoulders, leaving her weak and almost unable to stand.

Zhao Tianyu was shocked. His throat tightened, and then his lips twitched violently. He gritted his teeth and whispered, "This kid... he really did take a lot of coaxing to come back!"

The elders of all the sects remained silent.

Wang Chongshan's face was extremely ugly, as if at that moment, something had slipped through his fingers and could no longer be held.

He stepped steadily onto the main arena, slowly pulling out a stack of challenge invitations, his eyes indifferent, as if flipping through a register of ants.

He looked up at the main flag high above, his voice calm yet booming like thunder:
"Group 10 - Marquis Wu's Residence, Chu Ning is here."

"I accept all challenges."

His words fell like thunder, causing the entire viewing platform to tremble slightly. The audience erupted in cheers, whispers, and gasps of surprise.

Xie Mingli, however, seemed to hear nothing. She stared fixedly at the figure on the stage, her mind blank, and her heart skipped a beat.

At this moment, what she saw was not just the young inspector from Qingyang County, nor the boy who returned to avenge himself by splitting open hundreds of examination papers with thunder and fire.

Instead, he was a man who, for her and for the Marquis of Wu's mansion, single-handedly stood against a hundred of the greatest talents of the Great Qian Dynasty.

In that instant, it felt as if something exploded in her chest.

—Over the years, who made a decision for her?
—Who has ever stood up for her even once?

—Who, amidst the fierce battles of the court, uttered the words "I will do it"?
Since her father's long-term stay in the northern border and her brother's disappearance, the entire burden of the Marquis of Wu's mansion has fallen on her shoulders. She has become accustomed to bearing it all, to negotiating alone, writing letters alone, and dealing with internal troubles alone.

But at that moment, she suddenly felt as if there was a figure standing beside her. It wasn't a high wall, nor a shelter—but a knife, a bolt of lightning, a sharp blade blocking her path.

Her nose tingled, her throat tightened, and her fingertips trembled as she gripped her sleeve tightly.

"……Fool."

She cursed softly, but couldn't help but chuckle softly, a bittersweet feeling of relief after suppressing it for so long. She knew this battle was extremely dangerous, and she also knew that this man might not be able to hold on.

But at that moment, her heart suddenly—wanted to believe him. Not just because he was from the Marquis of Wu's mansion, not just because their interests aligned. It was because she saw him walking through the wind, engulfed in lightning and fire, yet still standing.

She suddenly longed to look at him one more time. She wanted to know how each of his next battles would unfold. Would his sword, too, cleave her destiny?

Before he finished speaking, Chu Ning flipped his hand and tossed the stack of heavy, iron-like challenge letters into the golden fire basin in the center of the main arena.

Just as everyone was wondering if he was simply throwing the paper into the fire, they were surprised by what happened next.

"boom."

Lightning crackled in Chu Ning's palm, and lightning surged wildly, like a whip of divine punishment pouring out from between his five fingers, violently striking the brazier.

Thunder and fire intertwined, unleashing a powerful celestial might that instantly swept the challenge into the void of thunder.

(End of this chapter)