I am the best in the world (9): Stunned

Si Qi almost died from laughing at this magic warrior.

Looking at the time since the moon appeared, the weaker monsters had already been mostly slaughtered by the magic warriors, leaving only the powerful ones capable of causing significant casualties to the magic warriors.

Chu Feng didn’t just sit and watch the show; seeing that the female demon cultivator not far away was about to be overwhelmed by the monster’s attack, he got up and left the tent.

The magic warrior sitting in front of the tent was startled and looked several times in the direction of the tent, but didn’t focus his gaze on the tent. He was puzzled about where exactly Chu Feng had suddenly appeared from. 

Then, they saw Chu Feng draw the long sword from his waist and coldly attack the monster in front of the female demon cultivator.

The sword aura, colder than the moonlight, resembled invisible beams of light, effortlessly touching the monster’s body and slicing it in half without any resistance.

The appearance of the corpses was almost identical to the piles of bodies beside the fox, further confirming the identity of the fox to the magic warriors.

The other magic warriors who were hanging by a thread instinctively rushed towards Chu Feng when they saw him come to the rescue.

Chu Feng did not refuse these magic warriors’ actions of using him as a tool to kill, as it caused him no trouble at all; instead, it indirectly accelerated his speed in slaying monsters.

Many people, seeing the monster that had nearly put them in mortal danger being swiftly dealt with by Chu Feng, were not only grateful for their survival but also deeply moved by Chu Feng’s actions.

And the experts of the Si family present, who were only slightly weaker than Chu Feng, after diverting the trouble, unceremoniously passed the trouble onto other magic martial artists, while they themselves took Si Wu to a safe place.

They didn’t actively hunt monsters, but instead waited for the monsters to kill the magic warriors to reduce their competition.They also did not allow magic warriors to approach them for help; otherwise, they would kill those magic warriors as well.

Such a cruel and ruthless style was not uncommon in this Magic Martial Continent, or rather, it had always been like this.

It was just that things always fear comparison. On one side, Chu Feng actively slaughters monsters, prioritizing the ones that almost took the life of the magic warriors. On the other side, the many experts of the Si family protected Si Wu in the middle, killing anyone who dared to approach and cause them trouble.

Who was selfish and who was great, who was despicable and who was noble, it was all clear at a glance.

Moreover, now that Chu Feng’s identity as a fox was clear, the identity of that murderous evil dinosaur just now was worth pondering.

After all, the Si family had at least two eighth-grade masters.

If they were to say who was most likely to be the evil dinosaur, it was obviously the strongest among the few eighth-grade masters.

The magic warriors, while despising the people of the Si family and secretly looking for opportunities to kill them, followed closely behind Chu Feng, working together to slay the monsters.

If there was ever a chance to kill all the monsters and end this brutal trial, it was probably now.

With more people attacking fewer, they had the advantage. Now that the monsters were fighting individually and the magic warriors were working together, the death rate of the magic warriors was decreasing, while the monsters were being killed off one by one, leaving only a handful.

Previously, the magic warriors who found the monsters incredibly terrifying and thought it was impossible to defeat them suddenly realized that the real terror was not the monsters stronger than themselves, but rather their own kind. If they hadn’t been secretly hoping to use others as shields to reduce the number of opponents around them and were unwilling to cooperate, they wouldn’t have ended up in the dire situation they faced yesterday, being defeated one by one by the monsters.

At the moment when the number of monsters under the moonlight reduced to nine, Chu Feng’s sword, which was aimed at the serrated mantis in front of him, suddenly lost its sense of impact.

Then, he saw the figures of the mantis and other monsters gradually transform into light, and the light flew towards a certain direction deep within the plain.

This was clearly a hint at something.

Everyone unanimously chased after it, but Chu Feng broke away from the group and headed towards the direction where he remembered the tent to be.

Like the others, he couldn’t see where the tent was either.

As he brushed past the tent, a hand suddenly grabbed Chu Feng. Chu Feng saw Si Qi smilingly twist the ring on his left hand, and then the tent appeared before his eyes.

The young man put the tent back into the storage ring and said to Chu Feng, “It seems the matter isn’t over yet. Those so-called monsters just now were part of the combat test.”

Chu Feng nodded slightly, “Otherwise, it would be too easy.”

Si Qi smiled and said, “Only those who can do it will find it easy. Those who can’t will always be unable to.” He continued, “I think monsters represent ‘potential.’ The Holy Realm wants to use this phase to select the few with the highest potential. Once they are selected, the test will end and move on to the next step…”

At this point, Si Qi smiled particularly happily, almost gleefully. “That fool Si Wu was killed by me from the start. It seems he won’t get a good review in this phase. As expected of me.”

Chu Feng looked at the distant light and noticed that it seemed to have stopped moving and was now docked at a certain place. He then reached out his hand towards the young boy.

Si Qi was slightly taken aback, then smiled even more joyfully, gently lying in Chu Feng’s arms, and was then lifted up by him.

The two, who had arrived later, ended up being the first to reach the new venue.

This place was also a plain, but unlike the earlier vast plain, this one had an additional feature that the magic warriors were very familiar with.

—A duel arena.

This ancient activity, which had been passed down for thousands of years, still resonated deeply even a thousand years later.

Everyone was well aware of the rules and the way battles were conducted.

Once you stepped into this arena, no matter what happened inside, the outside world was not allowed to intervene. Either one side died, or the victor allowed the defeated to leave alive; otherwise, both sides would fight to the death.

This was an excellent way for magic warriors to enhance their combat skills on the edge of life and death, and it was also the most beloved sport for magic warriors who craved battle and thirsted for blood.

If someone intervened in the arena to save a person, they would definitely be despised by all the martial artists, and the match would be considered null and void. This was not a matter of strength or weakness, but rather a violation of the dignity and bottom line of the martial artists.

The Si family, as one of the top families in the Magic Martial Continent, of course, opened several dueling arenas. This was a business that only the major families were qualified to engage in, not only because dueling arenas were the most profitable industry in the Magic Martial Continent, but also because only the major families had the strength to manage the many hot-blooded fighters and spectators in the arenas.

After all, in this world, there was no such thing as law. If there was anything that was inviolable, it was the will of the major families.

Outside, the spectators, fearing the authority of the various families, dared not interfere in the duel between the two contestants. They could only urge one of them to quickly kill the other with frenzied shouts.

Here, the unshakeable authority had become the rules of the entire secret realm. No one knew if violating the rules would result in the same fate as outside, being killed by the family managers.

Perhaps the outcome would be the same.

The magic warriors who wanted to participate in the duel each stepped forward and took their respective identity tags. Those who had lost limbs or were severely injured and near death turned away with dejected expressions, sitting on the grass and gazing at the scene from afar.

They realized that they could no longer obtain the inheritance of the Holy Realm Master.

Chu Feng led Si Qi forward, and under the watchful eyes of the surrounding magic warriors, he merely took a token.

After Chu Feng left, the magic warriors whispered to each other, “The Si family actually managed to invite Chu Feng to the secret realm to protect their young master. I wonder what price they paid.”

“Don’t you find it strange? Why did the Si family’s expert go to protect Si Wu instead of Si Qi? Haven’t they always been the opposite?”

There was someone who was quicker on the uptake, directly saying, “Don’t you get it? If the Si family obtains the inheritance, they won’t care about the marriage with the Qi family anymore. At that point, Si Qi would just be a pawn, and keeping him around would only become a dark chapter in the Si family’s history. Of course, they would prefer if he died quickly to make way for Si Wu.”

Another person countered, “Then how do you explain Chu Feng?”

“Yeah, if the Si family hadn’t paid a huge price to invite Chu Feng, would he have taken such good care of Si Qi?”

“Who knows if it’s care or abduction? Maybe they don’t want Si Qi to escape?” the person retorted.

“Speaking of which…” The female magic warrior who had approached Chu Feng yesterday and was saved because of him looked at Chu Feng leaving with Si Qi in his arms and said with a strange expression, “Don’t you think Si Qi might be that rabbit…?”

After all, the fox had previously been so close and intimate with the rabbit.

The crowd was slightly taken aback, then they all retorted in unison, “What are you talking about?!”

“Si Qi? the rabbit? Haha, I think it’s more like Little weak rabbit!”

The scene of the little rabbit kicking the evil dinosaur away under the moonlight had long been deeply etched in the hearts of everyone present. Everyone knew that it was an incredibly powerful being, otherwise, how could it easily toy with such a terrifying dinosaur?

The fox killed all the creatures that came near it, but spared that rabbit, which indirectly proved this point.

Other than the fact that the rabbit was strong and would be troublesome to deal with after a confrontation, what reason would the fox have to spare it?

Was it really just because the rabbit looked cute?

This group of martial artists, who had no concept of romance or poetic sentiments in their minds, swore with utmost certainty, “The rabbit absolutely cannot be Si Qi!”

“Among us, there is a hidden ninth-grade master! But he is too low-key, no one knows him!!”

“We just don’t know who he is, He hides too well…”

The female magic warrior was brainwashed by the group, each one chiming in, and she was left confused. In the end, she also nodded and said regretfully, “That’s true, Si Qi is a mortal. How could I have thought he was the rabbit just now…”

Sure enough, it was because Si Qi was too good-looking, right? That fair and delicate face, those red lips and white teeth, he looked as cute as a rabbit.

No wonder Chu Feng always liked to carry him around.

Saying this, she instinctively glanced at Si Qi’s face and saw Si Wu bringing a group of experts to Si Qi.

Si Wu, who was about the same age as Si Qi, casually tossed a token in his hand and said to Si Qi, “Do you know there’s a rule in the martial arts arena that allows you to designate an opponent?”

Si Qi lazily said, “So what if I know? I’m not interested in these crude things.”

After the original owner’s awakening failure, at the age of six, he was forcibly taken to the duel arena by his elders to toughen up. Coincidentally, the atmosphere of that match was too intense, and the original owner witnessed one contestant being disemboweled and having their intestines pulled out by another contestant. The bloody and brutal scene deeply shocked the original owner, who was both envious and fearful of the magic warriors at the time. He vomited profusely and fainted with a pale face.

Seeing him so cowardly at home, they thought he was truly useless, like a piece of rotten wood that couldn’t be carved. He couldn’t even handle such a small matter, truly worthless. So even though the Qi family hinted at it later, they never entrusted the most important and profitable business in the family to Si Qi. Instead, they gave him the family’s least valued gem shop and gold and silver jewelry, letting him squander it as he pleased, treating him like a mascot to be raised freely.

Si Wu also knew about Si Qi’s situation. Hearing this, his tone turned cold, and his eyes were deep, as if calculating some conspiracy.

“Is that so? Then that’s good.”

As soon as the words were spoken, two eighth-grade masters suddenly blocked Chu Feng’s path, gathering all their strength to withstand the attack that was about to come.

At the moment Chu Feng was blocked, Si Wu swiftly slammed the token onto Si Qi.

Chu Feng’s eyes narrowed, and he raised his hand to kill Si Wu, but he was stopped by the two eighth-grade masters who were already prepared.

The next second, a flash of light from the token directly bound Si Qi, forcing him to participate in the trial.

Si Wu let out a hearty laugh, pleased that his scheme had succeeded.

The eight-grade magic warriors on either side simultaneously spat out a mouthful of blood and staggered backward.

If they hadn’t been solely focused on defense just now, they would have definitely been killed by Chu Feng with a single strike.

He was actually this powerful in martial arts!!

Si Qi looked expressionlessly at the token pressed against him. The back of the token had a line of characters carved by Si Wu in advance, which was obviously Si Wu’s identity token number. This was also one of the rules of the arena competition: if the opponent’s number was written, the next match would be against that person; otherwise, it would be random.

Si Wu said with righteous indignation, “Since you’ve come to the secret realm and want to compete with me for the legacy of the Holy Realm, then take it from me openly! Rely on your own abilities!”

Si Qi almost laughed out loud, while Chu Feng, with a cold face, reached for his sword.

Si Wu didn’t want to confront Chu Feng directly, so he quickly stepped back a few paces and fled the scene under the protection of the experts.

Leaning against Chu Feng’s embrace, Si Qi casually played with the identity token and said to Chu Feng, “See, I told you he would do this.”

Earlier, Chu Feng only took one identity token, waiting for Si Wu to come to him voluntarily. Otherwise, how could Si Qi confront him directly under the protection of Si Wu’s world power?

Si Qi said to Chu Feng, “Don’t be fooled by his appearance of not daring to confront you and seeming to plot against me. He has many schemes in mind, and from start to finish, he is targeting you.”

Chu Feng understood Si Qi’s meaning and replied calmly, “If you are in danger, I will save you even if it means giving up the inheritance.”

Despite Chu Feng usually having a cold expression and never saying sweet words, when it came to such principled issues, he never hesitated to give his guarantee.

Si Qi smiled and said, “Yes, that’s his goal. Although I don’t know if breaking the rules here will directly lead to death, punishment, or disqualification from the competition, it would still be beneficial for him.”

Eliminating Chu Feng, the biggest obstacle, and obtaining the legacy of the Holy Realm Master were the most urgent matters for Si Wu right now.

Killing Si Qi was certainly important, but not particularly so.

Si Wu’s mind was clear on this.

Unfortunately, no matter how well he planned, the opponent he encountered was still Si Qi.

Si Qi covered his face, his shoulders trembling as if he were about to break down in tears. Seeing this from a distance, Si Wu was very pleased—Si Qi stifled his laughter, “My little brother is really interesting; if I don’t tease him, it would be a disservice to myself…”

Chu Feng silently carried the mischievous Si Qi to a spot not far from the arena, where the ground was covered in grass, making it impossible for Si Qi to walk on his own. Once the tent was set up, he placed the “sorrowful and sobbing” boy onto a soft recliner. Not long after, the boy fainted from crying, his breathing steady and rhythmic, as if he had fallen asleep.

Chu Feng picked up a thin blanket and gently covered the boy.

Si Wu stood at a distance, silently observing Si Qi’s actions with a sidelong glance. Watching Si Qi break down while Chu Feng took care of him meticulously, he said to the experts, “You guys are right, this Chu Feng is probably interested in my cheap older brother. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have come this far. Hmph, that useless person only has his looks to show for himself.”

The experts flattered, “Young Master is wise to think of using Si Qi to deal with Chu Feng. We admire your foresight.”

Si Wu sneered, “Stop with the flattery. If Si Qi had any self-awareness and didn’t covet things that don’t belong to him, I was thinking of making use of him, letting him use his face to charm a few young girls from decent backgrounds to help me expand my network and repay the family for the years of support. I wouldn’t have killed him. Who knew he would be so ungrateful, even thinking of competing with me for the inheritance? He doesn’t even consider his own worth. He’s really an ingrate.”

The experts laughed and said, “Actually, it’s pretty much the same. This Si Qi didn’t attract any young girls, but he did manage to lure in Chu Feng.”

Si Wu scoffed, “With his weak and delicate appearance, not even a mortal girl would look at him! I think Chu Feng treats him like a woman… Haha, aside from not being able to give birth, there’s no difference!”

The experts nearby couldn’t help but burst into laughter upon hearing this.

They were standing far away, so Si Qi couldn’t hear what they were saying, but Xiu Xiu, who was always on the lookout for Si Qi’s surroundings, could hear them.

He flew in Si Qi’s consciousness space, of course, he wouldn’t relay these words to the sleeping Si Qi, but no one could stop him from listening and feeling unhappy, hiding in his little nook sulking.

He always felt that if he could help his master outside the network, it would be great.

After thinking for a while, Xiu Xiu thought of the mecha given by the girl Lingling. He made up his mind that once Si Qi’s matter was settled, he would secretly drive the mecha to give those people a good beating, making them cry and wail, so they would never utter disgusting words again.

Over there, the magic warriors gradually finished collecting their identity tokens. When the moon disappeared behind the clouds and the sun slowly rose from the east, two magic warriors standing at different ends of the plain simultaneously let out a gasp.

The identity tokens in their hands lit up, teleporting them to the center of the arena.

Next, either both sides would fight to the death, or one would escape the arena alive for the match to end.

Si Qi was an ordinary person, his stamina couldn’t compare to those magic warriors who could go two days without sleep and still be fine. After tossing and turning until midnight, he finally fell asleep, but he didn’t know for how long. Suddenly, at a certain moment, his body felt light, and he fell onto the hard, flat arena floor.

“Ouch…” His chin and hand hit the ground heavily, and Si Qi let out a pained sound. He glanced around at the blood-soaked environment, slowly got up, lifted the thin blanket off his body, and rubbed his elbow that had just hit the ground with his palm.

His face still bore a hint of sleepiness and a touch of confusion as he looked around at the magic warriors staring at him with wide eyes, as if he had no idea what had just happened.

Meanwhile, these magic warriors, who had watched a whole morning of life-and-death battles, were now boiling with blood, shouting desperately, and had not yet fully recovered from the bloody fight that had just taken place.

No one expected that the next moment, a guy dressed in luxurious brocade clothes, who even took the time to meticulously groom his hair before sleeping, would just appear in the arena.

He used his innocent, naive, and seemingly untouched by hardship demeanor to meet the gaze of the burly, frenzied magic warriors around him.

The scene fell into an eerie silence for a moment, and the next second, everyone burst into laughter.

“Hahaha! How could this useless person be here!”

“Kill him! Torture him to death! Scrape his face off! Make him kneel and cry out loud!!”

Standing opposite Si Qi, Si Wu looked at his brother who was slowly getting up from the ground with a mocking expression. Confident of victory, he didn’t stoop so low as to ambush a mere mortal in front of so many people, deliberately prolonging Si Qi’s time of fear. He said to him, “Don’t worry, after all, you’re my elder brother. I’ll try to make your death as painless as possible.”

Si Qi blinked, looking at the Son of the World who was determined to win, and dramatically placed his pale hand on his chest, saying, “Oh dear, you scared me to death!”

Si Wu was about to mock him, but Si Qi continued, “You look so ugly that you’ve made me look ugly too!”

Si Wu’s face stiffened: “…………”

Unlike the previous ABO interstellar world, the environment around them, filled with the aftermath of countless battles and strewn with blood and flesh, made Si Qi feel anything but pleasant; in fact, it was quite nauseating.

The original owner was someone who extremely hated dirty environments, and even a little dirt on their body could make them frown for an entire day.

So, in front of the watchful enemies, Si Qi removed the blanket wrapped around him.

Without that blanket, he would probably be so furious that he could change into a new set of clothes on the spot and then say something else.

He took out the perfume from the storage ring and, amidst the uproarious laughter of those around him, sprayed it on himself. Then he took out a wet towel and carefully wiped the blood off his fingertips.

Si Wu wasn’t in a hurry; the more Si Qi made a fool of himself, the happier he felt. He mocked, “If you want to die with some dignity, why not bring out a weapon instead of this kind of thing?”

Si Qi tossed the dirty towel onto the ground, stepped on the shoes that were stained with blood onto the previous carpet, and changed into a clean, exquisite, and soft pair of shoes. Only then did he have the leisure to look at Si Wu and respond to his earlier mockery.

He took out the silver chain and red agate bracelet he had worn for countless years because he liked it. Amidst Si Wu’s sarcastic remarks, he casually said, “Weapon? This is my weapon.”

The people below couldn’t stop laughing, “Hahaha!”

“Si Qi is indeed a fool!”

“Does he think this is a beauty pageant? Holding up his bracelet and saying to the judges, ‘Look how beautiful it is,’ and then everyone would applaud and say he’s the champion.”

“Si Wu! Hurry up and torture him to death! I can’t wait to see him begging for mercy on his knees!!”

Si Wu chuckled and said to Si Qi, “Big brother, haven’t you made any progress over the years? Back in the cave, I slightly overestimated your intelligence, thinking I had misjudged you and let you hide your flaws. But it turns out you’re just as foolish as ever, always treating these little girls’ things as treasures. Are you even a man?”

He looked at Si Qi’s face, which was more beautiful and captivating than a woman’s, and his attire, which attracted more attention than the flowers of the world. Suddenly, he laughed and said, “Actually, you’re a woman, right? I mean psychologically.”

“Oh, so you look down on women? Do you really think that just because you have a bit more muscle, you’re better than a woman?” Si Qi said disinterestedly, “Is this all you have to say before you die?”

“Ha!” Si Wufei laughed incredulously and said with a click of his tongue, “Where do you get the confidence to talk to me like this? Back then, when Father put a knife in your hand and told you to kill a chicken, you cried and turned pale, saying you didn’t want to get blood on you. Now you’ve learned to bluff!”

Si Qi shrugged nonchalantly, “I didn’t want to get blood on me back then because it would be messy. Now it’s different; you’re standing farther away.”

Si Wufei scoffed, “As if standing farther away would make any difference.”

He gripped the great sword tightly, contemplating how to make Si Qi let out the most mournful scream possible, so that Chu Feng would be compelled to break the rules and rush onto the stage to rescue Si Qi.

However, standing opposite him, the already somewhat impatient Si Qi, amidst the mocking laughter and pointing of the onlookers, twisted the ring on his left hand’s ring finger, picked up the silver chain red agate bracelet, and pulled it back with force.

A massive scarlet flame longbow, infused with unparalleled magic power, suddenly appeared on the vast arena without any warning.