"Then why do you not include a killing ban in the rules? For example, anyone who kills will be disqualified. With this rule in place, I think the participants would not be too reckless," Wei Chen advised.

This was the most sensible approach. Although some would still die due to bad luck, the number should be much lower, and he would not need to show force or pressure others to follow his wishes.

Of course, if he had to choose between staying silent and watching things unfold while the referees refused to care, he would rather force them to add this rule. If necessary, he would even force them to use the safety net array that could prevent fatal damage to the participants.

"There are more than five hundred participants in each arena. If we were to add that rule, no one would dare to go all out, and the time needed to decide the winner would be prolonged. As you know, we still have qualification rounds in the afternoon as well. If we add this rule, the official rounds that start tomorrow might be postponed," Wu Zheng explained.

Hearing this, Wei Chen pursed his lips in sarcasm.

"So you are saying that to keep the schedule on time, and because your venue is so insignificant and lacks a safety net array to prevent fatal damage, you would rather encourage rogue cultivators to kill each other," Wei Chen concluded.

Of course, he was bluffing about the array that could prevent fatal damage. In his previous life, most xianxia novels featured spirit technology and formations that could prevent death during tournaments, so he was simply throwing out a guess. He did not know whether this world actually had such an array or not.

The referee head's expression darkened at Wei Chen's words, and he replied, "We do have a fatality prevention array, but it is reserved only for the official rounds."

So this world really did have such an array, Wei Chen thought to himself. However, it did not show on his expression as he continued.

"Then that means you think the lives of rogue cultivators are so cheap that you would rather not prevent the loss of life because you believe they are not worth the spirit stones."

"Am I understanding that correctly?" Wei Chen concluded.

His voice was heard by all participants and the audience in the stands. Even those in the VIP boxes heard it clearly. All the participants turned to look at the referee head.

The referee felt as if he had been slapped in the face. If these words had come from a major figure, he would not have been angry and might even have complied by asking the venue owners to activate the array.

"You insolent vagabond!" Wu Zheng burst out in anger as his cultivation erupted, preparing to attack Wei Chen. What Wei Chen said had struck a nerve.

Even though Wei Chen was stating the truth, there was a difference between an unspoken truth and a truth that someone Wu Zheng perceived as beneath him, lining them up and presenting them for others to scrutinize.

"Heh…" Wei Chen sneered. He loved making people like this squirm, especially those with a holier than thou type like this guy.

… Inside the chat room …

Little Wealthy Demon: [Why did this guy suddenly provoke him like that!? I know it is the truth, but come on. You do not need to shout it right into his face!]

Bamboo Hatted Lady: [<Little Wealthy Demon> I think he is just a natural troublemaker, young miss.]

Little Wealthy Demon: [<Bamboo Hatted Lady> Sister Lan? Have you recovered?]

Bamboo Hatted Lady: [<Little Wealthy Demon> I am eighty percent recovered, thanks to your resources and care, young miss.]

Azure Sky Elder: [Just an arrogant brat!]

Drinking till Dawn: [<Azure Sky Elder> That brat you mentioned just beat the crap out of a Void Refining Realm expert inside that expert's own domain. What realm are you at, huh? Gu Tianhe, do you even have the qualification to criticize him?]

Azure Sky Elder: [....]

Little Butterfly: [The large spiritual screens that Lord Wei broadcasts himself have appeared all over Azure River Province. Why does this referee head not know Lord Wei's reputation? He is the epitome of having eyes but failing to see Mount Tai!]

Mirror Butterfly: [<Little Butterfly> SIMP]

Little Butterfly: [<Mirror Butterfly> Sister Mirror Butterfly!]

Handsome Tall and Rich: [<Little Butterfly> It is because this referee head, Wu Zheng, is the right hand man of Grand General Murong. He resides in the fortress near the East Sea all year long. That place is the complete opposite of Azure River Province. The public broadcasts Wei Chen does only cover the border between Azure River Province and Vermilion Bird Province. I do not think this Wu Zheng knows how absurd Wei Chen's strength really is.]

Handsome Tall and Rich: [<Mirror Butterfly> By the way, what is SIMP? Is it a new cultivation method?]

….

While the chat room was busy chatting, the situation outside was growing tense.

At this moment, one of the referees who had just come onto the stage for his second shift was stunned by what he saw. His eyes widened when he noticed that his leader was about to make a move against Wei Chen. Alarmed, he immediately jumped and flew toward his leader.

"Referee Head!" he called out, intending to warn him about Wei Chen. This man was no joke. Just a few days ago, he had beaten a Void Refining Realm expert into a pulp.

However, before he could arrive and whisper his warning, his leader's irritated voice rang out.

"If you are so merciful, then why do you not use your own spirit stones to fuel the array and save these rogue cultivators' lives? You know very well that fueling such a complex and powerful array requires an enormous amount of spirit stones. You are…"

Before he could finish his sentence, Wei Chen calmly pulled out a large spirit crystal from his personal space. It was roughly the size of a basketball.

"I thought you'd never ask," Wei Chen said with a smirk as he presented the spirit crystal he had just purchased from the Underworld Redeem Shop.

The spirit crystal in Wei Chen's hand stunned the referee head. If calculated properly, even a normal spirit crystal could be worth at least one hundred thousand spirit stones, depending on its purity and size.

The crystal in Wei Chen's hand was the size of a basketball, and its purity was top tier. Wu Zheng quickly estimated its value. This spirit crystal was worth at least one million spirit stones, if not more.

That was because spirit crystals were far rarer than spirit stones, and their applications were far more significant. Some powerful arrays, such as sect defending killing arrays, could only be powered by spirit crystals and would not accept spirit stones at all.

Because of this, spirit crystals were a commodity that countless sects desperately craved.

To maintain the fatality prevention array, only ten thousand spirit stones were needed every three hours. This meant that the spirit crystal Wei Chen provided could sustain the array from this moment until the end of the Martial Exchange event, with a massive surplus remaining.

However, that was not the main point.

The most important point was that Wu Zheng had only thrown the question back at Wei Chen to shut him up. He assumed Wei Chen would not have enough spirit stones to offer, which would make his so called sympathy or righteousness for rogue cultivators seem fake and hypocritical.

Yet who would have thought that this vagabond would actually pull out such a valuable spirit crystal?

What did this mean?

Did this not imply that the Murong Clan, the main contributor to this Martial Exchange Grand Stage, was cheap and petty, unwilling to invest in the safety of rogue cultivators?

If even a vagabond had the capital to offer his own resources, then why could the Murong Clan not do the same?

This was no longer a matter of sympathy or righteousness. It had become a matter of face.

People would think that the Murong Clan's generosity was not as grand as that of a rogue cultivator!

"You!" Wu Zheng gritted his teeth. He wanted to kill this vagabond more than anything.

However, before Wu Zheng could take any action, one of his referees rushed to his side and whispered a crucial piece of information into his ear.

After hearing the report, Wu Zheng's eyes widened. He stared at Wei Chen in shock. He never imagined that this vagabond was an expert of at least the Void Refining Realm. Since this man had defeated a Void Refining Realm expert within that expert's own domain, didn't this mean he was practicing a Golden Age cultivation method?

This was an expert.

An unfathomable expert.

With this conclusion, Wu Zheng's demeanor suddenly changed. He cupped his fists toward Wei Chen and spoke with reverence, while Wei Chen made a face as if he had seen something unexpected.

"Thank you, Mr. Wei, for your generosity. Due to a delay in our supply, we did not have enough spirit stones to fuel the array. However, with your generosity, we can preserve the precious lives of our cultivator friends," Wu Zheng said righteously.

This vagabond was an expert. No wonder he could take out such a spirit crystal. Since this expert had already offered his support, the Murong Clan should not refuse.

Yes… since this guy an expert… he decided to be shameless.

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