You promised steampunk martial arts, but you've got an internal combustion engine in your chest

Upon hearing Hua Xiangrong's warning, Baili Jing's eyes narrowed slightly.

According to the bet agreement, Hua Xiangrong was absolutely not allowed to make a sound or interfere during the process.

Since she was willing to risk breaking the rules to shout this out, it means that the opponent hiding in the shadows is definitely a tough and formidable nut to crack.

"Perhaps... it really is amazing."

Baili Jing thought to himself, but he did not flee immediately.

Instead, he turned his head, his gaze passing through the darkness, looking towards the high platform.

But what he was looking at was not Hua Xiangrong, but Baili Jie.

He clearly saw his younger brother finally nod gently at him at this moment.

That nod was like a reassuring pill.

Bai Lijing's lips slowly curled upwards, revealing a sly smile.

He ignored the flying sword and abandoned any defensive stance. He simply wiped the blood from his hands onto his trouser legs, then turned around casually and laughed loudly at those around him:

"Hey, you big shot, you're so arrogant, even using a flying sword. You can't be someone who doesn't even dare to show their face, can you? How about you come out and let me see who you really are?"

As soon as he finished speaking, the flying sword paused slightly, then with a soft "whoosh," it cut through the air in a graceful arc and flew towards a dark corner in the distance.

Immediately afterwards, footsteps sounded.

A tall, slender figure slowly emerged from the shadows.

The newcomer was dressed in a clean and neat blue and white Taoist robe. He held the flying sword steadily in his right hand, with the tip of the sword naturally pointing diagonally at the ground. He was young and handsome, with a faint arrogant smile on his lips.

He stopped, calmly bowed slightly towards Baili Jing, and said in a clear voice:

"Xuandu Immortal Temple, Ye Xunwei".

Ye Xunwei's appearance caused a small commotion in the warehouse.

At the entrance to the warehouse, there were still some Blackwater Hall disciples who hadn't fallen yet. When Wei Zhaowu made his move earlier, it wasn't their turn anymore, so they had been guarding the gate. Now that they saw Ye Xunwei, they all became excited:

"Holy crap! Am I seeing things? Third Master actually invited everyone from the Xuandu Immortal Temple?!"

"Don't you know? That's Third Master's nephew!"

"Is Third Master that powerful?"

"Third Master's own sister used to be an apprentice in the Imperial Observatory's Talisman Bureau in the capital. With that kind of connection, it's not surprising that his nephew was able to become a disciple of the Xuandu Immortal Temple."

"Tsk tsk tsk... Baili Jing is completely finished now!"

On the high platform.

When Hua Xiangrong saw Ye Xunwei appear, she leaned weakly against the railing.

She gritted her teeth, her face pale, and murmured softly, "It really was him... Ding Yan actually managed to get him here..."

Baili Jie looked at the distinguished young man below and asked with a frown:

"Pretty sister, is this person... really that amazing? He looks perfectly clean, without a single disguise. Could he be a steam cultivator?"

Hua Xiangrong shook her head bitterly:

"No, quite the opposite. The modifications he underwent were made using the most advanced and expensive technology in the world: an embedded steam engine."

"All the miniature steam components are perfectly concealed under the skin and bones using the secret techniques of the Xuandu Immortal Temple. There is no trace of them on the outside, but once they start fighting, their explosive power is several times greater than that of other components of the same level."

As she spoke, she glanced at the longsword in Ye Xunwei's hand, a hint of apprehension in her voice:

"None of that matters... What's truly terrifying is the sword in his hand. The Xuandu Immortal Temple possesses a secret steam-powered sword technique. Even though he's only at the fifth level of the Forging Realm, he can still resonate with that specially crafted flying sword, achieving the ability to take lives from a hundred paces away!"

"The most deadly thing is that, as a swordsman, he doesn't need to suffer any backlash from the talismans! As long as he has enough energy, he can use that flying sword without limit to injure people from a distance!"

As Baili Jie listened to the introduction, no fear appeared on his face. Instead, he simply nodded thoughtfully.

"Long-range attacks without backlash... This flying sword sounds quite powerful."

"How come you're still not scared at a time like this?!"

Hua Xiangrong said urgently:

"Little brother, listen to me! If he really goes all out, even someone as composed as me will have to be wary! Your brother... your brother really has no chance of winning today!"

She gritted her teeth, a resolute glint in her eyes:

"No! We absolutely can't let your brother fight him! Little brother, I'm going down to save your brother right now! You call your brother and we need to retreat immediately!!"

However, before she could leap off the platform, Bai Jiejie reached out and gently tugged at her sleeve.

He raised his head, his face showing neither panic nor fear, and said in a low voice:

"Pretty sister, you can't go. If you go, you'll break the rules of this bet."

"What do you know!"

Hua Xiangrong whirled around, her voice sharp and stern as she hissed, "They haven't even fought yet, there's still time! Once the fight starts, it'll be too late to escape! This isn't the time to talk about rules!"

"Pretty sister, you've misunderstood. It's not that we're going to die for these rules, but that once this contract is voided, we'll have no way to protect ourselves. This gamble is the only way for us to escape this quagmire."

Hua Xiangrong was taken aback, looking at the boy in front of her.

Baili Jie's eyes were clear, and he smiled slightly:

"Sister, you're a smart woman. You should understand this world better than we do. If we really escape today... then the Blackwater Gang will haunt us for the rest of our lives. What will your White Flower Gang do then? Abandon us? Or protect us?"

"If Second Master decides to protect us, how much effort will it take you? And how many favors will we brothers owe you? Going back and forth, we will only sink deeper and deeper, forever becoming pawns of you big shots."

The boy said softly:

"To turn this dead end around, to truly escape our fate of being at the mercy of others, to sit at the negotiating table... now, the only way out is for my brother to rely on his own fists to fight his way out!!"

These words didn't sound like they came from a fourteen-year-old boy at all.

Hua Xiangrong listened, opened her mouth, but found that she couldn't find any words to refute it.

She remained silent for a long time, looking down.

At this moment, Baili Jing was already facing Ye Xunwei head-on, striding forward, and the two were about to clash.

Hua Xiangrong stopped trying to attack, but sighed with regret and dejection, murmuring softly:

"What a pity... He was truly a great man, but... he's going to die."

"Pretty lady, why would you think that?"

Just then, Baili Jie suddenly asked a question with a hint of a smile.

Hua Xiangrong shook her head helplessly:

"Your brother dealt with Ning Ji because Ning Ji's weaknesses were obvious; when dealing with Old Man Wei, he could only rely on endurance to stall for time until the talisman's backlash erupted. But Ye Xunwei... he doesn't have the weaknesses of the first two opponents, and is even several times stronger."

"All of your brother's tricks are completely useless now. How can he possibly win?"

"I see... Even you, sister, think my brother has no chance?"

Baili Jie scratched his head, a sly smile gradually creeping onto his face.

"That's good... Even you, beautiful lady, couldn't tell... I'm sure no one else could either."

Hua Xiangrong suddenly turned her head, her eyes filled with surprise and confusion, not understanding what Baili Jie meant by those words.

Before she could figure it out, a shocked roar suddenly erupted from the warehouse below!

"Holy crap?!?!"

"Am I hallucinating?! Young Master Ye... Young Master Ye, he..."

"Young Master Ye was sent flying?!"

"How is this possible?!?"

Hua Xiangrong suddenly snapped back to reality, looked at the battlefield, and her pupils contracted sharply!

In the very first exchange between Baili Jing and Ye Xunwei... he actually sent Ye Xunwei flying with a single punch?!