Chapter 422: Hair’s Breadth

Outer Sect Duelling Stage.

A few hours had passed since daybreak, and the clouds of fog that had completely engulfed the twelve peaks had long since lifted, allowing everyone to witness the green scenic peaks and the vast blue sky.

However, despite it being sunny, the breeze remained chilly, balancing the radiating heat from the sun and providing all the spectators gathered around the duelling stage with a great sense of comfort.

Standing on top of the duelling stage was a young man with short hair that reached only to his ears.

Because of the continuous winds, his hair fluttered alongside his white robes as he patiently waited on top of the stage with his arms crossed.

However, if one were to take a closer look into his black eyes, they would sense a trace of annoyance evident in them.

’Just why isn’t that bastard here yet?’ Yi Chen thought while pursing his lips and waiting with as much patience as possible on the stage.

His plan was to take care of the duel as fast as possible before rushing towards the library and spending the entirety of his day deciding just which occupation would be best for him.

However, thanks to a certain someone who hadn’t shown up even after half an hour had passed, his plans were delayed.

"Elder... Can’t we just cancel the duel? It’s been more than half an hour, and he has yet to come..." Yi Chen complained to the Elder, who had been silently waiting at the centre of the stage with a stoic expression all along.

"Duels once accepted cannot be cancelled." The Elder shook his head at Yi Chen’s suggestion and continued, "According to the rules, it’s only when the other party is delayed by more than an hour that it is considered that they have willingly abandoned the match. Therefore, if Disciple Liu Shen fails to show up in the next thirty minutes, the duel will see its conclusion."

"I see..." Yi Chen muttered while thinking to himself, ’So just because that bastard is planning to try something funny, I’ll have to wait for almost half an hour?’

Yi Chen thought with an annoyed snort while glaring at Liu Shen’s lackeys who had long arrived at the venue and had been continuously sneering in his direction after informing the Elder that Liu Shen had been held up because of some important work.

From their expressions, it was clearly evident that there was nothing wrong with Liu Shen and he had been deliberately keeping him waiting here.

’...When the match starts later, I’ll make sure to finish everything within the first few seconds!’ Yi Chen thought while clenching his fists in anger as he waited for Liu Shen to show up.

Time kept passing by, and with each passing second, Yi Chen’s anger also continued to grow.

However, when only a couple of minutes were left for the one hour to elapse and Yi Chen to be considered the winner, Liu Shen finally decided to show himself.

Feigning an exhausted expression, he rushed towards the stage and apologised to the Elder while making up a previously thought-out excuse.

"I apologise, Elder! Actually, when I was..." he explained.

The Elder just nodded his head a second later, not thinking much over his excuse, and said, "Now that you’ve arrived, we’ll be starting the duel. Are you ready?"

The Elder asked while looking at Liu Shen.

"Yes!" he exclaimed energetically while looking in Yi Chen’s direction in an amused manner.

Hearing Liu Shen’s response, the Elder glanced in Yi Chen’s direction and asked the same question.

"Yes. I. Am. Ready." Yi Chen answered with a glare that could kill while making sure to enunciate each and every word clearly.

’This little shit still has the gall to look at me like that? Just wait for the duel to start. I’ll finish you the very second the Elder gives me the signal!’ he thought while taking up the pose to rush straight in Liu Shen’s direction.

Hearing Yi Chen’s response, the Elder finally nodded to himself and, disappearing as an apparition, reappeared at the bottom of the stage, and declared, "Begin the duel!"

’Just wait you-’

Infusing a large portion of his Qi into his legs, Yi Chen was about to rush straight towards Liu Shen, who seemed to be also planning to do the same and put an end to his silly game, but just then, the sudden appearance of a system panel turned his vision blurry.

’SHIIT!’

Yi Chen exclaimed the very next instant, realising that Liu Shen wouldn’t let this chance slip. Immediately utilising his Bursting Fire Steps, he accelerated in a sideways direction, missing Liu Shen’s incoming punch by just a hair’s breadth!

’This shitty system! I almost got done in by this bastard!’ Yi Chen cursed inwardly while continuously utilising his movement technique to maintain the distance between him and Liu Shen, who, like a wild dog that had gained momentum, kept coming after him.

However, with the vast difference in their comprehension levels, there was just no way for Liu Shen to be able to catch him if Yi Chen himself didn’t desire to be caught, and hence the chase continued.

Meanwhile, with Liu Shen no longer a threat, Yi Chen finally pulled out the status panel, which had almost made him lose before going through its contents.

======= MISSION ========

Objective: Make Liu Shen challenge you to a Death Duel and Win

Time Limit: 1 hour

Reward: System Store will get unlocked + 50, 000 EXP

Penalty for Failure: System Store will never get unlocked

========================

’This!’

Yi Chen’s eyes instantly widened the moment he went through the entire mission panel as his gaze once again returned to the section that was the reason for his shock.

’System store...so something like that also existed!’

Clearly knowing how useful a system store can be, great desire appeared in Yi Chen’s eyes the very next moment.

However, the very next moment his mind slapped him with an obvious question.

’How?’

Getting one to agree to a Normal Duel was one thing, but making them agree to do a Death Duel was a completely different thing.

Even if that other party was someone like Liu Shen who hated him to the core, Yi Chen was certain that even he would hesitate to agree to a death duel, particularly because they were both at the Ninth Meridian Refinement Stage and the stakes of something going wrong were too high.

However, not wanting to lose the opportunity to unlock the system store, he forced his mind to think of a solution while continuously avoiding Liu Shen’s strikes, each of which carried enough force to break Yi Chen’s bones.

"What?! How long are you planning to keep running away?" Liu Shen provoked Yi Chen after realising how difficult it was for him to get hold of Yi Chen. "Weren’t you acting very high and mighty back then when you slapped away my hand? Why are you acting like a scaredy-cat now? Huh?!"

Liu Shen kept blabbering in order to find an opening and seal Yi Chen’s fate. Meanwhile, Yi Chen didn’t even bother to entertain those provocations for even a moment, as his mind was fully occupied with thinking of a solution while constantly dodging the incoming attacks.

’Yes! That’s it!’ Yi Chen thought with brightened eyes a few minutes later before finally focusing his eyes on Liu Shen’s frustrated figure, which was rushing in his direction with great intensity.

Instead of retreating, Yi Chen accelerated right towards Liu Shen, which immediately brightened Liu Shen’s expression.

’Finally! I’ll finally be able to teach this bastard a lesson!’ Liu Shen snickered inwardly, further accelerating his speed with his punch aimed right at the bottom of his chest.

’This!! Where did he go?!’

Just a few milliseconds before contact, Yi Chen’s figure disappeared from his eyes the very next instant, causing him to widen his eyes in alarm.

However, before he could stop and look around, Yi Chen, who was crouching right next to him, stretched out a leg and knocked him over the very next instant.

BANG!

The sound resounded in everyone’s ears as they witnessed the painful scene, expecting Yi Chen to lunge at Liu Shen, who was completely defenceless, the very next moment.

But Yi Chen didn’t do so.

Instead of finishing everything in a single strike, the very next moment he leisurely made his way towards Liu Shen, who had yet to recover from the previous fall.

Step.

Step.

Step.

Hearing Yi Chen’s footsteps, Liu Shen, who had been sprawled on the ground while covering his nose in pain, turned his neck in Yi Chen’s direction, his reddened eyes filled with both tears and hatred.

"Y-Yi Chenn you ba-!"

He tried to curse, but before he could continue, he was cut off by Yi Chen, who, after arriving right next to him, tightly grabbed him by the mouth and, using only one hand, lifted him into the air for everyone to see.

"Didn’t you start this whole duel gimmick because you felt insulted just because I lightly slapped your hand in front of everyone in the first place?

That made me think over it a little, you know?

If such a simple action could make someone respond so harshly, just what will you do if I were to do something that was truly insulting... Like this?"

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