"I bet he really doesn’t dare to come!"
"Sigh, what did I tell you? How could a mere Battle Master dare to accept a challenge from a Battle Grandmaster? Just as I thought, Tang Yi ran away, didn’t he?"
"Let me tell you, I haven’t seen a trace of Tang Yi for the past three days. His room is completely empty. He probably fled three days ago!"
"What a disappointment. I was really looking forward to a clash between titans, but it turns out that good-for-nothing Tang Yi didn’t dare to show up."
On the high platform, the Elders also wore faint, unreadable smiles. However, none of them spoke, simply fixing their gazes on the Seventh Elder and the Clan Leader, Tang Haotian.
The Seventh Elder’s face was covered in a cold frost. At this moment, he was in no mood to taunt Tang Haotian. He was only concerned with one thing: whether Tang Yi would show up or not!
If Tang Yi didn’t come, then no matter how viciously he cursed, he still couldn’t avenge his grandson. What would be the point of that?
The Seventh Elder controlled himself with great effort. Since Tang Haotian had said he hadn’t let Tang Yi escape, he was unlikely to be lying. Thus, he was eagerly anticipating Tang Yi’s arrival. He couldn’t wait for Tang Mingtian to slay him on the arena stage and finally avenge his grandson, Tang Fangzhou!
Tang Haotian, on the other hand, was slightly worried. Tang Yi had said he was going out to hone his skills, and he meant it; he wouldn’t lie about something like that. Now that he was late in returning, Tang Haotian couldn’t help but think, ’Could he have run into some kind of danger?’
At this thought, the worried clouds on Tang Haotian’s face grew thicker. However, he suppressed his anxiety. There was still a little time left. ’Perhaps Tang Yi just ran into some trouble and couldn’t get back in time?’
「On the arena stage.」
"Hmph!"
Seeing that Tang Yi still hadn’t appeared, Tang Fanghua let out a cold snort. "That Tang Yi is such a spineless coward. He was a good-for-nothing before, and he’s a good-for-nothing now. He must be afraid of dying at Brother Mingtian’s hands, so he doesn’t dare to come!"
"No. From the look in his eyes back then, Tang Yi didn’t seem like he wanted to avoid this fight," Tang Mingtian explained on Tang Yi’s behalf. "Since he agreed to it, I don’t think he would run away without a fight. He must have encountered some trouble and is running late."
"Brother Mingtian! How can you still be speaking up for Tang Yi at a time like this? That brat killed my brother! He’s afraid of your revenge, so he definitely won’t show up. I say we stop waiting. Let’s gather our men and hunt him down. We might still be able to catch him; he can’t have gone far!" Tang Fanghua said hatefully, her eyes filled with malice.
"There’s still a little time left. I think he’ll come," Tang Mingtian said with confidence.
"Brother Mingtian!" Tang Fanghua said, displeased. "Are you on that good-for-nothing’s side or mine?!"
"Of course I’m on your side, Fang Hua," Tang Mingtian replied immediately, sensing Tang Fanghua’s dissatisfaction.
"Then why do you keep speaking up for Tang Yi? You know he’s my enemy!" Tang Fanghua said in a huff.
"An enemy is one thing, but a person’s character is another. There’s still time left, so what’s the harm in waiting a little longer?" Tang Mingtian coaxed.
"And what if he doesn’t show up?" Tang Fanghua asked.
"If he doesn’t come, then I will personally hunt him down and bring his corpse back to you, Fang Hua!" Tang Mingtian’s gaze hardened as he spoke with conviction.
"Fine!" Hearing Tang Mingtian’s promise, Tang Fanghua nodded and said no more.
Everyone waited a while longer, but there was still no sign of Tang Yi.
By now, it wasn’t just the Elders on the high platform who thought Tang Yi wouldn’t show up for the fight. Even the spectating Tang Family Members were buzzing with discussion, convinced that Tang Yi had gotten scared.
"Let’s go, let’s go. It looks like Tang Yi isn’t coming."
"A good-for-nothing, through and through. I have no idea how he suddenly gained the strength of a Battle Master."
"And to think some people were calling him the Tang Family’s second genius. What a complete disgrace to the Tang Family."
"Daring to be mentioned in the same breath as our number one genius, Tang Mingtian. It’s an even bigger insult to Tang Mingtian himself."
"What a letdown!"
"I got my hopes up for nothing. He was too scared of dying to even show up!"
"See? What did I tell you? I knew Tang Yi wouldn’t dare to come!" Tang Fanghua snorted, her face etched with displeasure.
"I guess I was wrong about him." A look of disappointment crossed Tang Mingtian’s face. ’To think I actually considered Tang Yi an opponent,’ he thought. ’I never expected him to be so afraid of death that he’d run away. It seems Tang Yi is just a coward after all.’
"Let’s go. I’ll gather the men at once to hunt him down and avenge Fangzhou!" Tang Mingtian said in disappointment.
"WHOOSH!"
But just as the crowd was about to disperse and leave, a sharp sound of something cutting through the air rang out. A figure entered the Martial Arts Arena at an incredible speed, and before anyone could react, he leaped gracefully onto the stage.
The figure’s speed was so extreme that by the time the crowd heard the sound and looked toward it, all they could see was a blurry shadow. They couldn’t even tell if it was a person, a ghost, or a beast before it had already landed on the Martial Arts Arena.
"Who’s there!"
Tang Mingtian roared.
The Elders on the high platform all rushed to the railing, staring at the figure with wary eyes.
Down below, the Tang Family Members, who had started to leave, all stopped in their tracks and turned back toward the Martial Arts Arena.
And there, before their very eyes, stood a figure with tattered clothes and a face covered in dust, looking rather sloppy and battered.
"It’s Tang Yi!"
Someone in the crowd shouted.
"He actually came!"
"Tang Yi really came! He’s not afraid to die!"
"Now we’ve got a show to watch!"
"Look at what a mess he is. Where has he been? Did he spend the last three days begging?"
"Haha, who cares? As long as he’s here! At least there’ll be a fight. After all, we’ve waited this long!"
"Right, right! A fight, a fight!"
"Looks like Tang Yi has some guts after all!"
The members of the Tang Family who had been about to leave all swarmed back to the area below the stage, their faces alight with excitement.
Up on the high platform, the Elders returned to their seats. They exchanged amused glances with the Clan Leader and the Seventh Elder before turning their attention to the arena, saying nothing more.
’His skills have improved again. I can’t even gauge his strength anymore!’
Tang Haotian was overjoyed to see Tang Yi’s return and his apparent increase in strength.
In the past, he had been able to see that Tang Yi was at the Level of a Nine-star Battle Grandmaster. Later, after Tang Yi had advanced to become a Battle Master, Tang Haotian had been able to discern that as well. But now, as Tang Yi stood on the Martial Arts Arena, Tang Haotian couldn’t tell what his Level was at all!
What did this mean?
It meant that either Tang Yi had acquired a Magic Technique that concealed his Level, or his Level was now even higher than Tang Haotian’s!
The former was very likely, but the latter...
Judging by the speed at which Tang Yi had been improving his strength, it wasn’t entirely impossible!
This sparked a flicker of anticipation in Tang Haotian. He hoped Tang Yi would bring him a huge surprise!
Meanwhile, when the Seventh Elder saw that Tang Yi had actually come to fight, a vicious glint flashed in his eyes. This time, he was determined to have Tang Yi slain on the Martial Arts Arena. If Tang Mingtian couldn’t do it, then...
"You’re here."
Tang Mingtian smiled and spoke softly.
He had been disappointed, thinking Tang Yi wouldn’t come, that Tang Yi was no longer worthy of being his opponent. He never expected Tang Yi to arrive on the stage with the presence of a true expert. This was, frankly, a slap in the face.
But it was a slap in the face he enjoyed.
After all, for a Martial Artist, having a powerful opponent and then defeating them would only strengthen one’s Martial Arts Heart. The path forward would become smoother, and one’s own strength would grow even greater!
And although Tang Yi looked tattered, disheveled, and battered, he exuded an aura that only a true expert could possess. This ignited a burning desire to fight within Tang Mingtian, leaving him incredibly excited.

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