However, Lin Xiuyuan didn't care much about this. After his gaze swept around, it finally settled on Xu Hua. His eyes grew colder, and he slowly closed his eyes to rest and wait for the second round of the competition.
However, not long after Lin Xiuyuan closed his eyes.
A faint voice came, mocking, "When did it become your place to swagger around like a petty person from Nine Heavens Mountain?"
Lin Xiuyuan looked over and saw that the speaker was a burly man, who was none other than one of the late Foundation Establishment cultivators.
Zhong Hao looked at Lin Xiuyuan with an undisguised gaze, said a sentence, then glanced at Xu Hua beside him, a hint of covetousness flashing in his eyes, before continuing:
"Even if you have some tricks up your sleeve, it doesn't change the fact that you are a shameless scoundrel. My Yunxiao Sect cannot tolerate such a degenerate as you, and I, Zhong Hao, cannot stand by and watch!"
"My poor Junior Brother Zhang, he actually got tricked by a new disciple like you. Don't worry, Junior Sister Xu, given my friendship with Junior Brother Zhang, I will definitely not let this person get away with it."
After saying a few words to Xu Hua, Zhong Hao turned his head and looked coldly at Lin Xiuyuan.
"Now that I see you, kid, acting all arrogant because you have some skills, since he doesn't dare to go to the arena with you, how about I take his place?"
Xu Hua was taken aback when he saw Zhong Hao's actions, and a look of disgust flashed in his eyes.
This man had pursued her long ago, mostly because of her family background. He relentlessly pursued her, causing her endless annoyance during that time. Fortunately, her relationship with Zhang Zhenghai became closer, which made Zhong Hao wisely back down.
Now... seeing that Senior Brother Zhang has passed away, you can't wait to jump out?!
For a moment, Xu Hua felt uneasy and extremely nauseous.
However, seeing how he was targeting Lin Xiuyuan, Xu Hua managed to hold back.
After all, her hatred for Lin Xiuyuan far outweighed this feeling of disgust!
At this moment, as Zhong Hao walked out, many voices rose again from the previously quiet crowd.
Most of them were people who enjoyed watching the drama unfold, or those who sided with Xu Hua.
Especially the senior brother who had been defeated by Lin Xiuyuan on the arena, who was holding back his anger and finally found an opportunity to release it, immediately said:
"Heh, weren't you pretty arrogant just now? Now that Senior Brother Zhong Hao has stepped in, do you dare to agree?"
"Could it be that he's just playing dumb to fool others?"
"Hehe, don't make things difficult for him. How can he compare to Senior Brother Zhong Hao? He's just showing off to us."
"How could such a shameless scoundrel dare to fight?"
Lin Xiuyuan casually glanced around before focusing his gaze on that senior brother, and said indifferently, "I'll say it again: if that senior brother of the same realm doesn't like me, Lin, he's welcome to challenge me to a duel on the arena. I certainly won't refuse."
After a pause, Lin Xiuyuan turned his gaze to Zhong Hao and surprisingly nodded directly, seemingly agreeing. Then he said, "Since this senior brother wants to guide me, no problem. Once I break through to the late Foundation Establishment stage, I will invite this senior brother to the arena."
"Heh, after all that talk, haven't you just been wasting your breath? In the end, you're still too scared, aren't you? Just say it, stop with the nonsense!"
Zhong Hao ignored the implication of the difference in their cultivation levels in his words and arrogantly said that he wanted to show off in front of Xu Hua. Who knew when Lin Xiuyuan would break through to the late Foundation Establishment stage? Naturally, he wanted to take the opportunity to show off.
Lin Xiuyuan didn't bother to respond. After saying those words, he closed his eyes and continued to rest.
Seeing this, Zhong Hao simply walked up to Xu Hua and said, "It seems this kid is very afraid of dying. Don't worry, Junior Sister Xu, when the time comes, I will definitely kill him on the arena in the main branch!"
"Heh, yeah, looks like a coward who bullies the weak and fears the strong..."
"Breakthrough to the late Foundation Establishment stage? What a pipe dream. Who knows when he'll actually break through? Are we just going to wait for him forever? By then, Senior Brother Zhong might have already broken through to the Upper Realm. Are we going to come up with another excuse then...?"
"Such a shameless scoundrel, we will definitely help Senior Sister Xu teach him a lesson when we get the chance."
“…”
Whether they were currying favor with Zhong Hao or siding with Xu Hua, with Zhong Hao stepping in to suppress Lin Xiuyuan's "arrogance," they continued to whisper and mock.
Lin Xiuyuan paid no heed to these words. His Dao heart was steadfast; how could a few words sway him? He simply noted the matter down in his heart, knowing there would be plenty of time in the future. Because, at the moment, he truly couldn't respond to a challenge from a late-stage Foundation Establishment expert. As for the others, influenced by Xu Hua… they were just engaging in empty talk, their opinions spreading far and wide!
Since it was during the competition, we couldn't stop them from speaking. Otherwise, we would have challenged them one by one and see who would dare to say a word.
He then slowly closed his eyes, ignoring all words, to restore his magical power and mental focus, and waited for the second round of the competition to begin.
But Lin Xiuyuan did not expect that the matter was not over yet!
Xu Hua saw that this only created some public opinion pressure on Lin Xiuyuan and had no real effect. It seemed that at most it would have a negative impact on Lin Xiuyuan's reputation, but it would not cause any substantial damage.
Seeing this, a cold glint flashed in Xu Hua's eyes. He ignored Zhong Hao, who was still chattering on, and went straight to Lin Xiuyuan, looking down at him. He said:
"Since that's the case, then I'll challenge you to a duel in the ring!"
Lin Xiuyuan slowly opened his eyes, looked up at Xu Hua's eyes which were full of resentment and killing intent, and said indifferently, "If we meet on the dueling stage later, then let's fight."
"No, I meant going to the arena to fight now, not running into each other during the competition!"
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