"Why are you so scared?" Luo Jiujiang asked in disbelief, "Even when he wanted to kill me last time, I didn't feel the slightest bit of fear."

"I guess you've done too many bad things." Han Qianling loosened his fingertips, and a colorful translucent shadow left his index finger. The shadow was extremely small and agile, like a colorful butterfly playing in the sea.

"...What have you done?"

"I didn't intend to do anything to him. Du Chuan is your opponent." Han Qianling's expression was different from usual, and he was obviously a little surprised by the current situation. "Just now, that jellyfish was carrying a venom that can induce fear. I saw it and lured it to stay a little longer. But the poison is dispersed in the sea water, so it doesn't discriminate between people. You and I were both contaminated. Du Chuan ran away after just a little bit. What else could he do but feel guilty?"

Having said that, he cast his gaze at his fingertips, his eyes slightly blank, and let Luo Jiujiang lead him to the surface of the sea: "Jiujiang, did you feel the slightest bit of fear just now?"

Luo Jiujiang glanced at him, his eyes as calm as ever. "No. I believe I have a clear conscience and have done my best. Even if fate plays tricks on me, I will remain calm and walk the straight path. I don't think there is anything in this world worth being afraid of."

——————

Du Chuan finally made it to the finals. Although his group withdrew midway through the competition, they had already caught sixteen swordfish, which was indeed a good result.

Twenty-eight cultivators advanced to the final round, and the rest weren't particularly formidable opponents. Luo Jiujiang and Du Chuan faced off in the semifinals. Perhaps influenced by the previous group match, Du Chuan's reaction was quite stiff. Despite the significant difference in cultivation, the two fought for just a moment before Luo Jiujiang's blade held Du Chuan's vitals.

As someone who had directly fought against him, Luo Jiujiang could certainly sense that Du Chuan's defeat this time was not a deliberate concession. On the contrary, the venom in his eyes and the force of his movements all showed that he was trying his best to defeat Luo Jiujiang.

But he was indeed no longer able to do it, and his moves were becoming increasingly out of control... In short, he was frightened by Luo Jiujiang's repeated beatings.

In full view of the public, Luo Jiujiang entered the finals without any objection.

And his opponent is Han Qianling.

Luo Jiujiang's cultivation was one level higher than Han Qianling's at this point, and he had just defeated Du Chuan, who had previously been the favorite to win. Therefore, before the finals began, some people had already declared that Han Qianling was doomed to lose.

The night before the finals, Han Qianling came to find Luo Jiujiang specifically - this doesn't seem to be accurate, because they were always used to hanging out together on ordinary days, and talking for a whole night every now and then was nothing. Occasionally, when they stayed up late at night, they would lazily go back to the next yard and sleep on the same bed, which was not uncommon.

Luo Jiujiang joked, "Are you here to talk to me?"

"Why bother getting angry tomorrow?" Han Qianling shook his head, his expression indifferent. "It would be great to decide the outcome tonight."

Luo Jiujiang dropped the bamboo whistle he was fiddling with and took a closer look at Han Qianling: "Wow, you're serious."

Han Qianling was indeed serious.

"There's no one around right now except Xingyue. A fight between you and me would be considered a sparring match. But if we drag you to the stone platform tomorrow, surrounded by hundreds of noisy people, constantly betting on us to show off their judgment, that's not a competition, that's just monkey trickery."

Luo Jiujiang laughed and said, "If that's the case, then the matches we had before were all played out together?"

"You're comparing yourself to them?" Han Qianling's brows twitched. "How can others be the same as you? My fight with you is completely different from my fight with others. Putting everything else aside, if I really came to blows with you, who else but the vast sky, the thick earth, the clear wind, and the bright moon would be worthy of watching?"

"Don't show them the competition between you and me."

He always spoke in a calm tone, even the rise and fall of his voice kept within precise limits. Whatever he said seemed matter-of-fact. Even if he were to sing a song in this tone, it would sound logical and convincing.

Luo Jiujiang always knew that Han Qianling had an extraordinary pride, but even though he knew his tastes, temper, and even the number of times he got up at night, he never expected that this pride would be displayed at this time.

He looked at Han Qianling deeply, knowing that this was not his illusion. Qianling's personality had changed a lot recently.

More decisive, more arrogant, and mysterious.

"As you wish." Luo Jiujiang did not hesitate. He stood up and touched his knife with his backhand.

The two of them had exchanged countless blows, but they had never deliberately decided on the winner. This time, they were more serious than ever.

Swords clashed periodically, sending sparks of untraceable fire into the night. The two men understood each other as well as they understood themselves. They knew each other's every instinctive habit, accustomed to the movements of withdrawing and returning swords, the openings left by extending arms and bending elbows. This exchange was exceptionally dangerous, yet also exceptionally prolonged. Every thrust felt like a decisive move, every collision concealing a surging undercurrent.

In the end, Luo Jiujiang narrowly won by half a point.

Their faces were bruised and scratched, their bodies bruised and battered, and they needed a change of clothes. It had been a thrilling fight, but neither of them had given it their all. They were both well aware of this, as each still had some tricks up their sleeves that they hadn't yet unleashed.

But how could a killing move be aimed at a friend? It would never be directed at the opponent, only at the enemy with precision.

Luo Jiujiang sheathed his sword and pulled Han Qianling down to sit on the ground. The once neat and elegant courtyard had been left in a state of disarray by the two of them. Luo Jiujiang searched his storage bag for a long time before finally finding two small jars of fine wine.

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