The so-called duel is actually a contest where each party can resort to surprising tactics.
However, most of the time, duelists are concerned about maintaining faceâif theyâre shameless, they would simply ambush someone, so why bother with a duel?
Therefore, using poison in a duel is considered an excessive act.
Of course, one could use excuses like âI am a pharmacistâ to justify it, though itâs a stretch.
If someone says âI am an Array Masterâ, winning by using formations, then they should use an Array Plate carried on their person, not set up in advance.
Without fairness, whatâs the point of having a duel?
If so, by simply declaring âI am the Shopkeeperâ, wouldnât one be able to summon a bunch of underlings to assist?
Thus, the current situation, where the Yongyi Duke and Lord Beiyuanâs side, seems very shameless in everyoneâs eyes.
But obviously, the imagination of the masses is limited by status; when high-ranking individuals really act shamelessly, they truly become the epitome of brazenness.
As the great formation activated, three figures suddenly leaped out from the crowd of spectatorsâa pair of High-Rank Martial Masters and another person standing eerily in mid-air, again an Innate Expertâstrange, why say âagainâ?
A few County Soldiers maintaining order approached upon seeing this, âPlease waitâ¦â
âOut of the way!â The Innate Expert raised his hand and sent two County Soldiers tumbling away with a gesture.
A High-Rank Martial Master shouted, âThe Wonderful Hand Pavilion seeks revenge, bystanders disperse, do not get yourselves hurt!â
The spectating crowd erupted upon hearing thisâhow could an organization known for underhanded tactics dare to appear so publicly and boldly?n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
The reputation of the Wonderful Hand Pavilion was indeed tarnished, so the crowd turned their attention back to the two nobles.
Lord Beiyuan and the Princely Heir, however, were sipping tea, not even glancing in that direction, speaking softly and laughing about something.
In fact, the Wonderful Hand Pavilion had appeared in public more than just a few times. This time, under the banner of âvengeanceâ, it was clearly aiming to seek justice for the fallen Soul Capture Spike.
As the two nobles were ignoring the private feud, it was not utterly unreasonable.
The reaction of the two nobles served as a weathervane; with neither of them reacting, other officials were even less willing to intervene.
Even the county magistrate presiding over the duel remained expressionless and did nothingâthe three must be a fallback plan arranged by the nobles, right?
Whether it was or wasnât, he had decided to remain silent.
About a mile and a half away, Tian Yangni glanced at Lang Zhen, clearly asking: Should we take action?
Lone Wolfâs face was expressionless; he tapped lightly on his leg with one hand, looking very relaxed.
No one had more confidence in the Divine Doctor than he did; he had witnessed too many of Feng Junâs explosive moments.
Without mentioning other instances, didnât the battle with Luo Wendao bear a striking resemblance to the current situation?
Seeing his lack of urgency, Tian Yangni also calmed down and simultaneously tried to soothe his familyâs youths with a look: Be patient.
The Tian Family stabilized, but the young master from the Yu Family was a bit impatient, quietly asking, âSister⦠shall we make a move?â
âNo panic,â the older sister answered softly, âthis is nothing. We should get closer to have a look, but let others stay back.â
Leaving the rest of the onlookers aside, the account returns to the three who charged into the midst of the duel, stopping at the edge of the white fog, where the two High-Rank Martial Masters staggered slightly, distancing themselves by over two hundred meters each.
Thus, the three formed an equilateral triangle.
And the large expanse of white fog at the center became the incircle of the triangle.
One of the High-Rank Martial Masters took out a small green flag and began waving it clearly that was the command flag capable of controlling the formation.
Upon seeing the white mist, Feng Jun felt a slight sinking in his heart: trouble, itâs a formation.
He wasnât very knowledgeable about formations, but the presence of such strange phenomena, combined with the power of Spirit Stones, left no doubtâit must be a formation.
In The Secular World, there are plenty of legends about Immortal Arrays, and although most of them are exaggerated, Feng Jun was certain of one thing: thereâs more than meets the eye in a formation.
If someone thinks they can simply pick a direction and walk out of an Immortal Array with merely a hundred meters in diameter, they are sorely mistaken.
Moreover, there are too many ways to lay a trap within an Immortal Array; charging out blindly is akin to courting death.
As he pondered, he suddenly noticed that the white fog before him began to tumble and boil, as if a cloud was shifting shapes capriciously nearby, giving a real sense of clouds rolling and flowing.
However, clearly, this was not the time to admire the scenery. He was slightly taken aback, âSomeone is controlling the formation?â
The Array Master managing the formation was very skilled, appearing relaxed and at ease with the task at hand.
What they were most worried about was failing to intimidate the thousand or so spectators, considering that the attendants and officials accompanying the two nobles, together with the County Soldiers, would not exceed three hundred people. The remaining seven or eight hundred people comprised mostly of commoners.
With the nobles unresponsive and neither the Tian nor Yu families interfering, the hundreds of spectators, lacking a recognized leader, could only fall into disarray.
This made the three of them feel that this operation was especially effortless.
There were no troubles outside the formation; inside, even less likely. This Immortal Array is known as the âDense Mist Trapping Array.â Although it is said not to be very high-level, it can trap Immortals, let alone mere Martial Masters, which goes without saying.
Moreover, the Array Master, by manipulating the formation, can force people into an extremely narrow space. After that, even if they do nothing, wait for ten days or half a month, and the people in the formation will have to kneel.
Not to mention High-Rank Martial Masters, even Innate Experts, would struggle to survive such a long time without eating or drinking, right?
The formation itself is designed to entrap people, consuming very little Spirit Stone energy; it can last for three to five months, almost like play.
However, since an Immortal Array was involved, it was too easy to alert Mortals; therefore, the plan of the three was to capture Feng Jun as quickly as possible and end this farce.
Indeed, they intended to capture him alive to learn many things from him and to obtain a rich reward. If they forced the man to death, these Spirit Stones would have been wasted in vain, which would not be worth it at all.
If they truly wanted to kill Feng Jun outright, using an Immortal Array might not be the best choice. With so many experts, including Innate Experts, an ambush might have been more effective.
Because they wanted to capture him as soon as possible, they not only activated the Immortal Array but also planned to release Bewitching Heart Poison Powder after half a dayâby that time, the Yu Familyâs Antidote Pill would be almost out of effect.
Frankly, the Yu Familyâs Antidote Pill was only average against Bewitching Heart Poison; everyone proceeded with this plan just for an added layer of insurance.
As for the other two people inside the array, they could not afford to consider themâIf they could survive, they would be lucky; if they died, well, it was just bad luck.
In fact, when these two were dispatched, they were deemed as chips that could be sacrificed at any time.
These two, as chips, failed to capture their opponent desperately, causing a benefactor to resort to alternative methods, which was a big mistake. So, if they were accidentally hurt, they had no right to blame othersâ¦
The High-Rank Martial Masterâs cyan flag fluttered tirelessly, and the space within the formation trapping the people also shrank continuously.
Of course, these changes were invisible from outside the formation. Those within, though unable to see, could acutely feel the pressure from all directions.
Feng Junâs face turned a bit dark because he suddenly realized that he could no longer enter his mobile phone!
Escaping dangerous situations by entering and exiting the mobile phone space was his most fundamental means of survival. It was precisely because of this trump card that he dared to respond to the challenge, fully aware of the traps ahead.
With the mobile phone in hand, he still couldnât enter.
He tapped on it twice and found that it wasnât an illusion. His heart chilled, and he checked his friendsâ list, finding no response there either.
After being stunned for a moment, he sighed heavily, âAh, I really was too confident.â
But he was never one to give up on himself. Next, he circulated his energy for protection and pondered over what had happened.
After what seemed like an eternity, he finally felt a subtle difference in the pressure from outside his bodyâhad the pressure changed?
Noticing this, he paid closer attention and couldnât help but smile: Indeed it had!
Why was he so happy? Because he was unwilling to believe that the adventure had left himâEven without the adventure, you should send me, a plane-blind mortal, back to my original place, shouldnât you?
Where you come from is where you return; isnât that the universal rule?
Although he was reluctant to believe the adventure was gone, he was always anxious until he felt the pressure from the space that allowed him to breathe a sigh of relief.
Pressure from space? Yes, the pressure from space; someone outside was frantically waving the cyan flag.
But Feng Jun had already found the key reason for his mobile phoneâs malfunction: spatial overlap!
Spatial overlap is terrifying. Feng Jun isnât a science student, but he generally understood the concept.
Spatial overlap, depending on the situation, could lead to various consequences, the severest being spatial annihilation⦠it should lead to annihilation, right?
Okay, that sounded too severe. Letâs say the least dramatic consequenceâit might cause Spatial Disturbance.
Indeed, a disturbance. The shifting spaces would interfere with each other.
To prove this, he calmly sensed the surrounding pressureâ¦
The High-Rank Martial Master controlling the formation outside was quite relaxed, with an Innate Expert behind him; possibly, the enemies wouldnât dare to approach, and in the watching crowd, resentful but silent gazes were everywhere.
Can glaring kill? He thought disdainfully, if you dare, come at me.
They wouldnât dare to approach! He was very aware of this. But even if they came forward to fight, he wouldnât fear; maintaining the compressing space inside the array wasnât necessary all the timeâpausing occasionally wouldnât matter.
Indeed, pausing really wouldnât matter. Even if some backlash occurred, it would be exceedingly slow and could be suppressed at any time.
Such backlash might draw the attention of the Martial Artists inside the array, giving rise to a glimmer of hope they shouldnât harbor, thereby⦠causing them to exhaust a great deal of their physical and spiritual energy.
Thinking this, he couldnât help but slow the waving of his command flag. Come on, letâs enjoy ourselves; after all, thereâs plenty of timeâ¦
No, thatâs wrong. Itâs⦠come on, retaliate; youâre so arrogant anywayâ¦
(First update, congratulations to the leader for breaking the bicycle. Due to the character limit for chapter titles, I can only refer to it as âbroken bike,â which I really didnât do on purpose. Everyone, believe me, and also, cast your monthly votes for me.)