A sharp gleam flashed in his eyes, terrifyingly intense, revealing a shocking edge in an instant. The man stepped forward with an unyielding momentum.
"Isn't that the old butcher who used to help hunters slaughter fierce beasts? Why is he stepping out now? Could he be a hidden expert with extraordinary power? But how come no one's ever heard of him, or seen him hunt beasts? He only ever helped with the butchering."
"I've seen him before, chopping trees in the mountains with a cleaver. One swing could cut down an entire tree. I always thought it was the sharpness of his blade—but now it seems we were all mistaken. He must be a hidden master. No idea what level he's reached, but if he dares to step up, he must be at least at the Life Aperture Realm. But how far into that realm is anyone's guess—he's never shown it before."
Those familiar with the man were dumbfounded, stunned by what felt like a complete upending of their worldview.
A man who lived among them, always seeming so ordinary and unremarkable, had suddenly revealed himself to be a powerhouse. The sheer contrast was hard to accept and mentally jarring.
This was truly a case of "the greatest hermits dwell within the marketplace, hidden in the ordinary."
But regardless of what others thought, his strength was undeniable. This was a genuine expert—not one whose presence could be dismissed based on others' opinions.
"May I ask your name, fellow Daoist? What is your cultivation level?"Feng Xianlin stepped forward and asked.
"My surname is Pao. I'm a butcher—call me Old Pao or just Butcher. I was hoping to live a peaceful life. But since these undead refuse to let me be, I have no choice but to take up my cleaver again. I'm currently in the Life Aperture Realm."The man surnamed Pao sneered as he spoke.
"Fellow Daoist Pao, do you believe you have what it takes to face the undead champions?"Feng Xianlin's eyes flickered thoughtfully before he asked again.
"They're just corpses. I'll treat them as practice for my dissection techniques."Old Pao grinned broadly and answered quickly.
"Very well. Then you'll be our first."Feng Xianlin nodded. From this man, he sensed a sharp blade aura and a battle presence that made him feel threatened. This was no ordinary Life Aperture cultivator.
"I'm in too."
At that moment, a scruffy figure swayed out from the crowd, carrying a large gourd in his arms. His body reeked of alcohol, his eyes bleary, hair disheveled, face so dirty his features were barely visible. He looked every bit the drunkard.
He staggered but never fell.
"That's the drunkard—the madman who drinks! What's he doing here? Is he also secretly strong?"
"I've seen him. He's nuts. I once saw him fill his gourd with spring water from the mountain, drink it, and claim it was fine wine—he even got drunk from it! His whole body would reek of alcohol. Some people even tried his gourd and confirmed it was just water. But somehow, he drinks water like it's wine and gets drunk. Total weirdo."
"Yeah, I tried it myself. It was just cold spring water. But to him, it was divine wine. If this guy really turns out to be a powerhouse, I'll lose all faith in reality."
This infamous drunkard was well known in General's City. Many had seen him lying drunk in the streets, sleeping all day. If such a man turned out to be a hidden expert, it would defy all reason.
"What is your cultivation level, fellow Daoist? Can you hold a place as one of the duelists?"Feng Xianlin frowned slightly, clearly unimpressed by the drunkard's appearance, but still asked politely.
"I'm a drunkard. If I can't become an immortal through wine, then let me become a ghost in it. If I die drunk, so be it. I'm at the Life Aperture Realm, and I'll step onto the dueling platform. Let's see what these undead can do to me."The drunkard exhaled wine vapor as he spoke.
A trace of Life Aperture aura flickered briefly from his body—gone in a flash, but real nonetheless.
"Alright, we'll count you in."Feng Xianlin nodded after a moment of thought.
From the drunkard, he also sensed danger. His power might not be inferior to the butcher. Strong enough to qualify for the Dueling Platform—whether they lived or died would depend on strength and fate.
With the addition of Wushuang Ghost, three of the five spots were now filled.
"General Feng, count me in as well. General's Valley is our haven, and I won't allow the undead to taint it."From within the valley, a man in battle armor stepped forward, wielding a crimson guandao. The blade shimmered with a fierce glow—not a common weapon.
"It's General Guan. With your power, you're more than qualified for the dueling platform."Feng Xianlin nodded in approval.
This was a mighty warrior from General's Valley, said to be a descendant of the legendary Martial Sage Guan Yu, practicing his Spring-Autumn Blade Art. His name was Guan Xiong, though whether the lineage was real no one could confirm. But his blade skills were terrifyingly refined—he had slain countless beasts in the Golden Sand Desert, staining his blade red with blood.
He, too, was at the Life Aperture Realm.
"General Feng, how about letting me take the fifth spot?"Yi Tianxing suddenly spoke up.
Feng Xianlin looked at Yi Tianxing and smiled. He already knew of Yi's terrifying power from their confrontation during the black storm. Even with just physical strength and Life Aperture techniques, he exuded overwhelming might.
Now that Yi Tianxing volunteered, Feng Xianlin was more than pleased.
"If Daoist Yi is willing to help, how could I say no? With your strength, our chances in this duel rise greatly."Feng Xianlin agreed with a smile, feeling a great weight lifted from his heart. Yi Tianxing's power brought a reassuring sense of safety.
As the humans selected their duelists, the undead were doing the same.
Even inside the bronze coffin, the High Priest seemed aware of everything happening. The two eyes on the coffin gleamed with eerie light.
"You, you, you… go up and duel. Win or die!!"A mysterious force radiated from the coffin. Black light flashed as five beams of blood-red light descended on the undead side.
Within those beams, five undead figures appeared:
A tall mummy wrapped in white silk,
A crimson dried corpse,
A massive bone beast covered in menacing spikes,
A corpse mage in long robes holding a staff,
And finally, the skeleton general with a war banner on his back.
The five were forcibly lifted onto the Dueling Platform, unable to resist the power summoning them.
Each was marked with the duelist seal, granting them eligibility to fight.
"We're going up too."As the selection ended, five beams of divine light enveloped Yi Tianxing and the others, lifting them onto the platform as well.
The dueling platform was vast—large enough to host intense battles.
The undead stood on one end. Yi Tianxing and his group stood on the opposite side. Tension and battle intent clashed in the air, filling the space with a heavy, murderous pressure.
BANG!!
From the undead side, the crimson corpse stepped forward, dragging a red iron chain across the ground, producing chilling clinks as he reached the center of the platform.
He stared coldly at the human side, clearly awaiting a challenger.
"A mere dried corpse? Let me, Guan Xiong, take your head."Guan Xiong stepped forward, raising his guandao and charging onto the platform. With his momentum surging, he struck without hesitation.
This strike was the Spring-Autumn Blade Art — Spring-Autumn Battle Begins!
Spring-Autumn represents time and history—an era of endless conflict.This slash embodied war intent, killing aura, and blazing blade energy.Anyone who saw it would involuntarily be drawn into the magnificent and turbulent age of the Spring and Autumn period.
The blade aura shimmered violently.
The strike was so fast, its path was invisible.It had already reached the target before anyone could react.
It is said that Guan Yu's deadliest blades were always his first three, and the first was often fatal—not because enemies couldn't defend, but because it was simply too fast to react to.