Chapter 54: A Duel Three Years Overdue

Three days passed quickly.

The Imperial City, Martial Arena.

This was a massive venue, capable of accommodating hundreds of thousands of spectators simultaneously.

The third and final stage of the Imperial City Hunt was to be held right here in this martial arena.

In fact, not just for this session...

Every single session of the Tianyan Dynasty's Imperial City Hunt was generally divided into three stages. While the rules for the competition among the talented youths in the first two stages varied and changed frequently, this final stage of the hunt had practically never changed.

The final stage of the hunt was a pure test of strength: a one-on-one decisive battle!

Furthermore, among the three stages of the hunt, the process of the first stage was not made public, and the second stage only allowed powerful figures from major factions and powerful sects to attend and watch.

Only this final, third stage of the hunt was entirely open to the public.

Countless high-ranking officials, nobles, and even commoners within the imperial city could enter the martial arena to watch as long as they purchased a ticket.

At this moment, the spectator stands of the martial arena were densely packed with people.

When the thirty-heits of geniuses who had advanced to the third stage of the hunt appeared in the open space in the center of the venue, guided by attendants, an instant uproar broke out across the entire arena.

Countless gazes converged on these thirty-six geniuses.

Among them, a few individuals drew particularly intense attention.

"That must be Xiamang, right? He should be the strongest in this hunt. I heard he's even a member of the imperial family."

"He's definitely in the top three, but whether he's the absolute strongest is uncertain. After all, until the very end, who knows if these geniuses have been hiding their true strength."

"I still think Xiamang is the strongest. Look at the way he carries himself—he clearly doesn't take any of the other geniuses here seriously."

Countless gazes were fixed on Xiamang, who stood in the center of the venue with a cold, proud expression and a trace of dominance.

Despite being stared at by so many people, Xiamang's expression did not change in the slightest.

"Look, that big monk, he's Wuchao. He's even barefoot and smiling. He feels so approachable."

"That must be Duan Yunfeng, right? I heard his saber technique is terrifyingly powerful."

Genius after genius was recognized by the crowd.

"What about Su Xin? Which of those geniuses down there is Su Xin?"

"Over there, the one in black holding a sword. Look at how young he is! I heard he's only nineteen this year. Yet in terms of strength, among all the geniuses in this hunt, aside from Xiamang, probably no one dares to claim they can steadily defeat him."

"So young, and yet he possesses such strength..."

Many people were also paying attention to Su Xin.

With the conclusion of the second stage of the hunt, the Scarlet Dragon Tower had released the latest intelligence on the geniuses. This was not only made available to the participating geniuses themselves but was published for everyone to see. Consequently, the spectators who came to watch the final stage of the hunt were well-informed about the top talents of this session.

Figures like Xiamang, Su Xin, Tu San, Wuchao, and Duan Yunfeng—those at the absolute peak of strength who possessed top-ten combat prowess—naturally drew an immense amount of attention.

As for Su Xin, he was the youngest and had the lowest cultivation level among all the geniuses present, yet his strength was among the very best. This made him exceptionally eye-catching.

"There are so many people."

Looking at the overwhelming crowds and the roaring noise echoing all around, Su Xin could not help but sigh inwardly.

Hundreds of thousands of people gathered in a single venue—it was overwhelmingly lively.

Fortunately, Su Xin was scion of a prominent family. Though young, he had seen enough of the world to adapt to the atmosphere.

However, some of the geniuses from the outlying prefectures were visibly growing nervous.

Su Xin cast his gaze around, observing some of the other top talents.

Xiamang’s expression was cold and arrogant, as if no genius other than himself was worthy of his notice.

It was only when Su Xin's gaze swept over him that Xiamang returned a look containing a faint trace of fighting spirit.

"You want to fight me?"

Su Xin smiled faintly, then shifted his gaze to the monk Wuchao.

Wuchao had a perpetual smile on his face, giving off an immensely gentle and approachable vibe. Sensing Su Xin's gaze, Wuchao brought his palms together, smiled back at Su Xin, and offered a Buddhist greeting.

"My cultivation has broken through to the Peak Sea-Transforming Realm, and my strength has soared. Among the thirty-six geniuses who have made it to this final stage, aside from Xiamang, the only one who still poses a threat to me is this monk Wuchao." Su Xin looked at Wuchao with a solemn expression.

For some reason, he always felt that this monk was even more terrifying than Xiamang.

During the previous second stage of the hunt, it had seemed that he and Xiamang performed the best. However, he learned afterward that this monk had not gone all out at all; he had merely cleared the fourteenth round and then intentionally conceded.

Apart from these two, the remaining geniuses...

Formidable though Tu San was, Su Xin was absolutely certain he could defeat him.

As for Duan Yunfeng... up until now, Duan Yunfeng had concealed a considerable amount of his true strength. Su Xin had only ever seen him execute a single ultimate move. If it had been before his cultivation breakthrough, Su Xin might not have had absolute certainty of victory, but now, he was confident he could defeat Duan Yunfeng.

At that moment, Su Xin's gaze suddenly locked onto a single figure.

His eyes instantly turned glacial.

And that person was none other than Situ Yu!

"Su Xin!"

Situ Yu also wore a gloomy expression as he glared at Su Xin.

Their eyes met, both gazes laden with astonishing killing intent.

The Su family and the Situ family were sworn enemies, and their feud had long since reached an irreconcilable point.

As the foremost geniuses of their respective families, the two of them were destined by fate to fight to the death.

Now that bitter enemies had met, their eyes were red with hatred!

If this were not the Imperial City Hunt, but some other place or occasion, the two of them would have immediately fallen upon each other in a fight to the death.

"I hope that in this final stage of the hunt, I get the chance to have a one-on-one showdown with you." Su Xin spoke softly, but Situ Yu still heard him.

"Hmph, we'll see!"

Situ Yu merely let out a cold snort without saying anything more.

Swish! Swish!

Two figures suddenly appeared on the elevated platform at the front of the venue, near the center.

These two were a man and a woman.

The man was an elderly man in green robes. He had a thin face and a refined goatee. Even though a faint smile hung on the corners of his lips, his appearance gave off a somewhat chilling vibe.

As for the woman, she was a curvaceous, beautiful matron. Although she was of a certain age, her figure and features were impeccably preserved, retaining a mature charm. In particular, her crimson lips were intensely alluring, and every movement of hers seemed capable of captivating souls.

The appearance of these two immediately drew the attention of everyone present.

"It's Palace Master Qingyang and Palace Master Diyue of the Tianyan Palace."

"According to custom, for the final stage of every hunt, the Tianyan Palace sends a Palace Master to attend and watch in person. But this time, they actually sent two at once?"

"The Palace Masters of the Tianyan Palace are rumored to be top-tier powerhouses in the Nirvana Realm!"

A wave of discussion and exclamation swept across the arena.

Many high-ranking aristocrats with status, including powerful figures from various factions and sects—such as Elder Mo of the Tianye Sect—stood up to bow respectfully upon seeing the two Palace Masters appear.

Aside from Wuchao, the thirty-six geniuses standing in the center of the venue also looked up, their eyes burning with anticipation as they gazed at the two Palace Masters.

Their ultimate purpose in participating in the Imperial City Hunt was to join the Tianyan Palace.

"Qingyang, the standard of the geniuses in this session's hunt is much higher than in previous years."

"They are indeed more exceptional. If not for that, there would have been no need for both of you and me to come here together."

The two Palace Masters of the Tianyan Palace took their seats and exchanged casual remarks.

"Oh?"

Palace Master Diyue, the beautiful matron, suddenly shifted her expression and looked toward a corner of the arena. "That person actually came too?"

Palace Master Qingyang followed her gaze and immediately spotted a grey-robed man sitting in a very inconspicuous corner of the spectator stands, resting his chin in his hand and leisurely tapping the armrest of his chair.

"Why is he sitting over there?"

Palace Master Diyue wore a strange expression; given that person's status, he was fully qualified to sit right alongside them.

Though puzzled, Palace Master Diyue still smiled and nodded in his direction as a greeting.

The grey-robed man gave a slight nod in return.

As for Palace Master Qingyang, he also intended to return the smile and greet him, but the grey-robed man did not even look at him, directly turning his head away.

Palace Master Qingyang's expression immediately became somewhat awkward.

"Haha~~ Qingyang, it looks like you really stepped on his toes last time; he's still holding quite a grudge against you." Palace Master Diyue chuckled.

"I'm not just saying this—given that person's status, he even personally ran over to the Tianyan Palace to make a recommendation. You should have given him some face. Moreover, the Su Xin he recommended genuinely possesses extraordinary talent, completely meeting our Tianyan Palace's special recruitment requirements."

"Look at him now—he's got such a big issue with you, yet the Su Xin he recommended came to participate in the Imperial City Hunt anyway, and is almost certain to break into the top ten and enter our Tianyan Palace. I heard that in the second stage of the hunt, relying on his defensive swordsmanship, that Su Xin even cleared the sixteenth round of the Heavenly Heart Realm trials. It's simply mind-boggling."

"Alright, enough of that." Palace Master Qingyang waved his hand and said in a deep voice, "I admit I underestimated Su Xin's talent. I didn't expect him to progress so absurdly much in just over two months. But at the time, he only barely met the special recruitment criteria of the Tianyan Palace, and on top of that, he had once been personally punished by His Majesty. Denying him a special recruitment quota was the right thing to do."

"Oh, is that really all there is to it?" Palace Master Diyue glanced at Palace Master Qingyang with a hint of amusement.

As fellow Palace Masters within the Tianyan Palace, Diyue was as clear as a mirror about certain matters, even if she did not explicitly point them out.

At that moment...

"His Majesty has arrived!"

A sharp, shrill voice pierced the sky, echoing throughout the entire venue.

Instantly, the massive martial arena, which had been buzzing with overwhelming noise, fell deathly silent in the very next second.

Under everyone's watchful eyes, a middle-aged man wearing imperial robes and sporting a mustache walked up to the towering throne at the very center of the elevated platform.

Instantly, everyone present, including the two Tianyan Palace Masters, stood up and bowed in unison.

"Greetings, Your Majesty!" The shout shook the heavens.

"The Tianyan Emperor."

Su Xin also bowed respectfully, though he could not help but cast a glance at the imperial-robed middle-aged man above.

It was this very Tianyan Emperor who had issued the decree to imprison him in the Demon-Suppressing Prison for three years.

Even so, Su Xin harbored no resentment toward the Tianyan Emperor.

After all, his failure to show up for battle three years ago had indeed deeply disappointed everyone, including the Tianyan Emperor himself, who had looked forward to the match and attended in person.

For the Tianyan Emperor to merely have him locked in the Demon-Suppressing Prison afterward instead of executing him on the spot could already be considered an act of mercy.

Furthermore, back when the ancestor of the Su family had perished and the Su family faced its greatest crisis, it was also the Tianyan Emperor who had thrown them a lifeline, granting him an opportunity to marry the Ninth Princess—even if he had failed to seize it.

The Tianyan Emperor had already done everything in his power for the Su family.

Neither the Su family nor Su Xin himself held any grievances against the Tianyan Emperor.

"Rise." The Tianyan Emperor waved a hand.

The crowd stood up.

An eunuch approached the Tianyan Emperor holding a jade tray, upon which lay a series of jade tallies inscribed with the names of the geniuses.

There were thirty-six jade tallies in total, corresponding precisely to the thirty-six geniuses who had entered the third stage of the hunt.

"For the one-on-one decisive battles in the final stage of every hunt, the fighting order of these geniuses is generally decided through strength analysis and comparison by the upper echelons of the Scarlet Dragon Tower. However, this opening match—the curtain-raiser—is uniquely chosen by His Majesty himself, who personally selects two people to fight. I wonder which two geniuses His Majesty will choose for the opening match this time."

In the arena, everyone waited in breathless anticipation.

The Tianyan Emperor casually flipped through the jade tallies, picked two of them, and handed them to the eunuch.

The eunuch carried the jade tallies down to the center of the venue and handed them to the purple-haired elder who was hosting the hunt.

After the purple-haired elder glanced at them, his resonant voice rang out loud and clear across the entire parade ground.

"The third stage of the hunt, one-on-one decisive battles!"

"Match one: Su Xin versus... Situ Yu!"

Hearing this, Su Xin and Situ Yu, standing in the center of the arena, both instantly raised their heads.

A trace of excitement and pleasant surprise flashed in Su Xin's eyes.

"I was just thinking I hoped to have the chance to run into this Situ Yu during the one-on-one battles of the final stage, and here he is right away."

"And it's the very first match, the curtain-raiser!!"

Su Xin involuntarily clenched his fists, his gaze turning sharp and cold.

"Situ Yu... This showdown, delayed by a full three years and more... I, Su Xin, am ready!"