Chapter 10

A month passed in a hurry.

Today is the day Duan Lingtian and Li Jie agreed to fight.

In the early morning, in a clean and tidy room.

Duan Lingtian stood up from the bathtub and slowly walked out.

The last bottle of the Seven Treasures Body Tempering Liquid was used up by him.

Feeling the power contained within his slightly numb body, a faint smile appeared on Duan Lingtian's lips.

The efforts of this month were not in vain!

After a month of intense training, the innocence on Duan Lingtian's handsome face had faded somewhat.

Long-term body tempering made Duan Lingtian's body become strong and robust.

A set of deep purple tight-fitting clothes accentuated his perfect physique.

Compared to the sickly youth who had not yet completed body tempering and become a warrior over a month ago, it was as if he had become a different person.

At this moment, a gentle knock came from outside the door.

"Master, are you up?"

The sweet, melodious voice made Duan Lingtian's calm face soften slightly.

After getting dressed, Duan Lingtian walked out from behind the screen, slowly approached the door, and opened it.

As the door opened, soft and warm sunlight poured in, shining on Duan Lingtian, making him feel warm and cozy.

Outside the door, the graceful young lady glanced at Duan Lingtian and quickly lowered her head, her face turning slightly red.

The young lady was wearing a light green outfit today, perfectly accentuating her developing figure.

Her budding breasts, though still immature, exuded a youthful allure.

A light blue sash was tied around her slender waist, fluttering in the wind...

Looking at the young lady outside the door, Duan Lingtian was momentarily lost in thought.

"Ke'er, you're up so early."

Regaining his composure, Duan Lingtian smiled slightly.

He sighed inwardly; in this month, the young lady's figure had become increasingly alluring after completing body tempering.

While Duan Lingtian was sizing up the young lady, her face turned as red as if it were about to bleed.

"Master, Lady said she would go first and asked me to wake you up to go together, but I didn't expect you to be up so early."

The young lady blinked her eyes, her eyebrows curved into a crescent moon shape, and she nodded gently.

Her words made Duan Lingtian smile wryly.

Does Mother really think I'm still the lazy guy who likes to sleep in?

"Ke'er, you... have advanced to the second level of body tempering?"

Suddenly, Duan Lingtian looked at the young lady with slight surprise, noticing her advancement.

"Thanks to the medicinal liquid Master prepared for me, otherwise, Ke'er's progress wouldn't have been so fast."

The young lady's eyes twinkled, her eyebrows arched slightly, and she nodded delicately, a charming smile on her lips.

"The medicinal liquid is secondary; the most important thing is that Ke'er has good talent. It seems the Cold Ice Divine Sword Technique suits you... Ke'er, since you are cultivating a sword technique, you need a sword. I'll take you out this afternoon to buy one."

Duan Lingtian shook his head and smiled.

"Master, didn't you say there was no matching sword technique for the body tempering stage of the Cold Ice Divine Sword Technique?"

The young lady blinked her eyes.

"Master, I can teach you another sword technique. Do you want to learn?"

Duan Lingtian asked with a smile.

"Yes!"

The young lady nodded quickly, afraid that Duan Lingtian might change his mind.

"Ke'er, let's go."

Stepping out of the room, Duan Lingtian closed the door behind him and naturally extended his hand, holding the young lady's soft hand. The entire action was smooth and fluid, as if he had practiced it countless times.

"Okay, let's not keep Lady waiting."

The young lady smiled happily, her hand tightening around the young man's.

The young couple, like a golden boy and a jade girl, walked hand in hand out of the courtyard, heading towards the Li family's training ground.

Along the way, they attracted many envious, jealous, and hateful gazes.

Some of the Li family's young men looked at Duan Lingtian with eyes that seemed to be on fire, wishing they could push him aside and take his place.

Some young ladies looked at the beautiful Ke'er, who resembled a fairy, with envy.

...

The Li family's training ground was a vast stone field.

Outside the field, the terrain was slightly higher, and now it was crowded with people. These were all Li family members, gathered together, creating a loud and boisterous scene.

"It's just a duel between two young men, yet almost all the elders of the family are here. What a grand occasion!"

"Yes, even the elders responsible for managing the family market in Qingfeng Town have returned. The grandeur of today can be compared to a coming-of-age ceremony."

"In my opinion, the main reason is that the Seventh Elder invited the family head and the First Elder to witness today's battle. Since the family head and the First Elder are here, the other elders can't avoid coming."

...

In front of the training ground, on a high platform, some tables and chairs were set up, and many people were already sitting there, sipping the fragrant tea on the table.

These people were the high-ranking officials of the Li family.

The family head, Li Nanfeng, sat in the center.

Except for one empty seat next to him, all other seats were occupied. Behind these Li family elders, various numbers of young men and women stood.

As the Ninth Elder of the Li family, Li Rou sat at the far end, her expression calm, as if nothing could shake her.

"Ninth Elder, what great composure."

The Seventh Elder, Li Kun, who was separated from Li Rou by the Eighth Elder, turned his head to look at Li Rou and smiled faintly.

He had a look of confidence.

However, Li Rou seemed to have not heard him and ignored him, making the Eighth Elder in the middle unable to help but smile strangely.

"Hmph!"

Li Kun laughed in anger.

He wanted to see how long Li Rou could pretend.

Today, his eldest son, Li Jie, would surely cripple Duan Lingtian, avenging his younger son who had fallen into a decline.

"First Elder!"

"First Elder!"

...

At this moment, the crowd parted.

Accompanied by a series of respectful greetings, an elderly figure stepped forward and walked onto the high platform.

It was the First Elder of the Li family, Li Huo!

"First Elder!"

Including the family head Li Nanfeng, all the Li family elders stood up and respectfully greeted the old man.

This old man was not only the most powerful existence in the Li family but also a highly respected Ninth Rank Alchemist.

In the Yunxiao Continent, only those who had reached a certain rank could be considered true alchemists.

To become an alchemist, one needed to meet extremely stringent conditions.

It could be said that out of a thousand Condensation Realm warriors, not even one could become an alchemist.

The three major families in Qingfeng Town each had a Ninth Rank Alchemist.

Only the Li family's alchemist was one of their own, while the alchemists of the other two families were hired from outside and could leave at any time.

The old man lightly nodded, sat down next to the family head Li Nanfeng, and closed his eyes to rest.

"Xiao Jie, since the First Elder is here, you can go down to the field first."

The Seventh Elder, Li Kun, said. Li Jie, who had been standing behind him, nodded and stepped forward, entering the spacious training ground.

"Since the First Elder is here and Li Jie has entered the field, why hasn't Duan Lingtian arrived yet?"

"This Duan Lingtian really has a lot of arrogance!"

"Could he be afraid to come?"

...

The Li family's young members around the training ground were discussing, and some were even sneering at Duan Lingtian.

"Ninth Elder, since the First Elder is here, why hasn't your son Duan Lingtian arrived yet? Could he be afraid to come?"

On the high platform, the Seventh Elder, Li Kun, deliberately asked loudly.

"Seventh Elder, rest assured. Since my son has agreed, he will definitely come."

Li Rou snorted.

"Ninth Elder, I think this battle is unnecessary. Why don't you just admit defeat for your son to avoid him getting hurt and to maintain the harmony between you and the Seventh Elder?"

The Sixth Elder, Li Ping, a middle-aged man with a scar on his face, said calmly.

"Sixth Elder, by your logic, you think Li Jie will definitely win?"

The Fifth Elder, Li Ting, couldn't help but speak up.

"That's a well-known fact."

Li Ping smiled.

"Then I'll make a bet with the Sixth Elder... If Li Jie wins, I'll give you 500 silver taels, but if Duan Lingtian wins, you'll give me 500 silver taels. What do you say?"

Li Ting looked deeply at Li Ping and said slowly.

Each Li family elder's monthly salary was only a dozen or so silver taels, and Li Ting was putting up several years' worth of salary in one go!

The Li family's high-ranking officials, including the family head Li Nanfeng, looked at Li Ting in surprise, not expecting him to be so confident in Duan Lingtian.

Even the First Elder, Li Huo, opened his eyes and looked deeply at Li Ting.

Hearing Li Ting's words, Li Ping's eyes lit up.

He was a gambling addict, and in his view, Li Ting was giving him money.

However, he didn't have 500 silver taels at the moment.

His money had almost all been spent in the gambling den.

"What, Sixth Elder, are you afraid?"

Seeing Li Ping's silence, Li Ting smiled.

Li Ping's face turned red, and he turned to look at the Seventh Elder, Li Kun, beside him.

"Sixth Elder, I'll lend you 500 silver taels. Additionally, I'll put up another 500 silver taels to bet with the Fifth Elder. Will the Fifth Elder join me?"

Li Kun saw Li Ping's predicament and looked at Li Ting with a burning gaze.

Li Ting frowned.

Although 500 silver taels were only a few years' worth of his salary, including his daily expenses, he had only about 800 silver taels left in savings over the years.

Li Kun, who had saved up 1000 silver taels, was considered wealthy among the Li family elders.

It could be said that Li Kun was risking everything, going all in!