Martial Arts Longevity Begins with the Equipment Slot

"Challenge Chen Yu?"

Ye Chengying looked calmly at Cai Zhongtie.

"That's possible. He won the life-or-death duel, and according to the agreement, he's already considered a member of the inner court."

"Are you sure you want to fight him to the death?"

Cai Zhongtie stood by the stone railing at the front of the inner courtyard's grandstand.

None of his junior brothers dared to step forward and speak, or even meet his gaze.

It's understandable that he wants to challenge Chen Yu.

Everyone knows that Cai Zhongtie is in a bad mood right now.

Liu Chenyu was a trusted confidant whom he had personally promoted, and a key pawn he had placed in the inner court's sword guards.

Now that this chess piece has been openly swept away on the stage, it's tantamount to slapping him hard in the face in front of the entire manor.

The cheers from the stands at the Intermediate People's Court continued.

As Cai Zhongtie listened to those voices, the flames in his eyes burned even more fiercely.

He could hear every word clearly.

"Tsai Chung-Tie is a complete incompetent!"

When those words came from the other side, his fellow disciples next to him visibly moved to the side, as if they were avoiding a volcano about to erupt.

Cai Zhongtie raised his head, his gaze fixed on Chen Yu on the arena.

Chen Yu also raised his head, meeting his gaze without flinching.

There was neither arrogance nor unease on that young face.

The calmness sent a chill down Cai Zhongtie's spine.

"This young man absolutely cannot be allowed to live!"

Cai Zhongtie is not an impulsive person.

He spent fifteen years working his way up from the lowest level of the outer courtyard disciple to his current position as the commander of the sword guards, and he never relied on brute force or passion.

He was shrewd and patient, knowing when to strike and when to lie low.

Liu Chenyu's death certainly angered him emotionally, but a dead person is just a dead person, and the dead are worthless.

What truly drove his blood to surge was not grief, but a deeper sense of crisis.

The very existence of Chen Yu is a threat.

He killed Liu Chenyu, who had just entered the Bone Refining stage, with a single punch.

If this strength allows him to gain a foothold in the inner courtyard, it will be difficult for anyone to touch him in the future.

And now, right here on this stage, under everyone's gaze, he has one more chance.

An opportunity to completely crush Chen Yu before he fully matures.

"That's just the beginning of bone refining; I've already achieved minor mastery in bone refining!"

"No matter what, the advantage is on my side!"

Cai Zhongtie's pupils contracted slightly, like a cheetah locking onto its prey.

He took a step forward.

The step wasn't large, but it made a dull thud as it landed on the stone slabs of the inner courtyard's grandstand.

The junior disciples around him all looked up at him.

"Senior Brother Cai, why act impulsively..."

A junior student sitting behind him finally mustered up the courage to speak, his voice low and hesitant.

"That Chen Yu doesn't seem like someone to be trifled with. As for Senior Brother Liu's matter, perhaps we should go back and discuss it further..."

"No need. You might not be confident, but I'm different."

Cai Zhongtie interrupted him.

He needed to find a plausible reason for himself.

The manor has its own rules; a life-or-death duel is not something anyone can just decide to do.

Moreover, he was the commander of the inner courtyard's sword guards, whose status and position were far above Chen Yu's.

It wouldn't sound good if word got out that they were challenging a newcomer who had just been promoted from the Intermediate Court, and it would also be difficult to explain to the other leaders.

But now that Ye Chengying has spoken and the young master has encouraged a life-or-death duel, what else is there to say? Let's just do it!

Cai Zhongtie swept the hem of his robe back and took a step.

The disciples in the inner courtyard automatically parted to make way for each other.

No one stopped them, and no one followed.

They watched Cai Zhongtie's retreating figure.

Watching that tall figure walk down the stone steps one by one, stepping out of the shadows and into the sunlight.

The cheers from the stands at the Intermediate People's Court suddenly subsided as he stepped down the stairs.

The first to notice him were several disciples sitting in the front row of the central courtyard.

They were excitedly discussing how domineering and powerful Chen Yu's punch was.

But when they saw a tall figure walking towards the ring from the opposite stands, they all stopped talking at the same time.

"That's... Cai Zhongtie?"

Someone gasped.

The name was like a bucket of cold water, pouring down on the once fervent emotions of the disciples in the Central Academy.

Everyone knows that Cai Zhongtie is the commander of the sword guards in the inner courtyard sword guard hall, and is a well-known master of the Bone Refining Realm.

The sword guard squad leaders he trained were the elite of the inner court.

Before Liu Chenyu came to the Intermediate Court to show off his power, his position in the Inner Court was already rock solid.

More importantly, according to rumors, this person is not only incredibly powerful, but also ruthless and decisive, and few in the inner court dare to offend him directly.

"Is he really going to make a move against Chen Yu?"

Cai Zhongtie had already walked down from the ring and was looking up at Chen Yu above the ring.

His jaw lifted, and his Adam's apple bobbed.

Then, under everyone's gaze, he spoke.

"Deacon Zhou."

Zhou Juncheng stood on the high platform at the edge of the arena, still holding the bronze gong in his hand. Hearing this, he frowned slightly.

He had lived in the villa for decades and had seen all sorts of things.

As soon as Cai Zhongtie opened his mouth, he knew things weren't that simple.

But he didn't reply; he simply turned his head slightly, waiting for Cai Zhongtie to finish speaking.

"Cai has issued a challenge to his junior brother Chen Yu!"

"Cai Zhongtie, the commander of the Inner Court Sword Guards, a martial arts master at the Lesser Completion of Bone Refinement, wants to challenge a Middle Court disciple who has just finished a life-or-death duel?"

"What is this? Taking advantage of someone in distress? Or is it a ruthless attempt to wipe them out?"

However, Cai Zhongtie's next words silenced the doubters for the time being.

"Liu Chenyu is my junior brother. He has been by my side since we joined the sect."

"Today he was outmatched and died on the stage. According to the rules of the manor, life and death are left to fate, and I have nothing to say about it."

His voice was steady and restrained, even carrying a touch of just the right amount of sorrow.

"But as his fellow disciples, if I, as his senior, do not stand up and do something, it would be unreasonable."

He paused, then shifted his gaze from Zhou Juncheng, slowly scanning each area of ​​the stands on all four sides.

"I, Cai Zhongtie, have always acted with integrity and uprightness. Today, I issue this challenge to Junior Brother Chen, solely to comfort the spirit of Junior Brother Liu in heaven!"

"If Junior Brother Chen accepts the challenge, regardless of victory or defeat, this matter will be considered settled, and I, Cai, will not pursue it further. If Junior Brother Chen does not accept—"

His gaze returned to Chen Yu on the stage, a slight smirk playing on his lips, conveying both provocation and contempt.

"That's alright."

"After all, Junior Brother Chen has just fought a battle today and hasn't recovered his strength. It's understandable that he refuses to fight, and I, Cai, can completely understand!"

This statement is considerate and reasonable.

But anyone with a modicum of common sense present could tell the difference.

If Chen Yu doesn't accept, it would be tantamount to admitting defeat in front of all the disciples.

Even if they enter the inner court, they will always carry the label of "unwilling to accept the challenge".

All the brilliance and triumph he displayed today in his conquest of his superiors will be wiped out by this weak concession.

Zhou Juncheng's brows furrowed even deeper.

He glanced at Cai Zhongtie, then at Chen Yu.

As a referee in the fencing arena, his duty is to uphold fairness, not to favor either side.

Although Cai Zhongtie's challenge came at an inopportune time, there was no explicit prohibition in the rules of the manor. Challenging and being challenged are the rights of every disciple.

As long as both parties voluntarily sign the life-or-death agreement, Zhou Juncheng has no right to stop them.

Most importantly, the young master of the manor encourages life-or-death duels, leaving no room for argument.

After a moment of silence, he finally turned his gaze to Chen Yu.

In an instant, all eyes in the entire testing ground were focused on the same person.

On the arena, Chen Yu stood there.

Liu Chenyu's bloodstains were still on his robe, which had turned into several dark brown spots under the midday sun.

When everyone thought he would be afraid, angry, or run away, Chen Yu turned around and shouted towards the high platform.

"Young Master, if I accept this life-or-death duel, could you perhaps increase the reward for me?"

Seeing that Chen Yu did not refuse outright, Ye Chengying was overjoyed.

She loves watching two people fight to the death.

The life-or-death duel just now ended too quickly, and she wasn't able to watch it to her heart's content.

Compared to Chen Yu, Liu Chenyu seems rather weak.

With Cai Zhongtie's abilities, he's still worth watching.

Ye Chengying was going all out to watch a good show.

"If you can defeat Cai Zhongtie, I'll promote you directly to Commander of the Sword Guards!"

"not enough!"

Chen Yu shook his head.

This small reward is not enough to make him fight to the death.

"Then I'll grant you full access to all six floors of the library!"

Ye Chengying was in high spirits, and didn't even blink at the added rewards.

"not enough!"

Chen Yu shook his head again.

"Here's what we'll do! If you can win, it means you have some talent. Then I'll personally take you on as my disciple!"

These words caused another sensation in the audience.

"The young master is actually going to personally take on disciples?"

"Unprecedented! Unheard of! Is this the young master's first time accepting a disciple?"

"With the young master's strength, having her personally guide him will surely lead to a rapid increase in his power!"

"Damn! Chen Yu is so lucky! I want to be the young master's personal disciple too!"

"They earned that with their lives, and what about you? Look at yourself, you think you deserve it?"

Everyone was shocked and began to discuss it amongst themselves.

Chen Yu still shook his head.

"Not enough!"

Hearing him say this, Ye Chengying's amused expression grew stronger.

"Good lad! Greedy enough! I like it!"

She waved her hand and her voice suddenly rose.

"Add another Eighth-Level Xuanfeng Token. With this token, you can freely choose any weapon to take away from the first eight levels of the Hidden Edge Cave!"

"Is this reward enough?"

"That's enough!"

With the rewards piled up, Chen Yu finally agreed.

The disciples who had just been cheering in the stands of the Central Courtyard all fell silent.

They looked at Chen Yu on the stage, his face calm, and for a moment they couldn't tell whether he was confident or crazy.

"That's Cai Zhongtie! Cai Zhongtie, who has achieved minor success in Bone Refinement! Not like Liu Chenyu, who's just a half-baked beginner who's barely stepped into the threshold of Bone Refinement!"

"Although Chen Yu won a beautiful battle just now, it was clear to anyone with eyes that he didn't win easily."

"Yes, that final punch to the head was certainly swift and decisive, but before that, he had exchanged at least twenty blows with Liu Chenyu, and his stamina was truly depleted!"

"To take on another match now, especially against Cai Zhongtie, who is a whole level above Liu Chenyu, wouldn't that be suicidal?"

Ouyang Qing's face turned pale instantly.

She suddenly stood up from the stone steps and shouted at Chen Yu.

"No!"

"Junior Brother Chen, are you out of your mind?!"

"You barely survived, why do you have to fight again...?"

Before he could finish speaking, Ouyang Qing saw the expression on Chen Yu's face.

Very calm, very confident, without the slightest fear.

Cai Zhongtie also saw the expression on that face.

He couldn't help but clench his fists.

He saw no fear, no hesitation, not even the slightest ripple in Chen Yu's eyes.

There was only a calm and composed look in those eyes.

It's as if it's saying: It's good that you came, it saves me the trouble of looking for you.

This idea further fueled Cai Zhongtie's anger.

But he controlled his expression very well.

He simply nodded and responded to Chen Yu's challenge in an extremely calm tone.

"Excellent!"

He turned to Zhou Juncheng, clasped his hands in a respectful and dignified manner.

"Please have Steward Zhou obtain the death warrant."

The sword-testing arena was completely silent.

Everyone knew that compared to the life-or-death duel that was about to begin, the battle that had just ended was merely a prelude.

The real grand finale is about to begin.

Zhou Juncheng remained silent for a moment, then took two new death contracts from the page beside him.

His pen paused for a moment on the paper, and he looked up at Chen Yu.

That young man had just survived a life-or-death battle.

The bloodstains on his clothes were not yet dry, and his breathing had only just calmed down.

According to the usual practice of the sword-testing arena, there are precedents of the same person fighting two matches in one day.

But each time it happened under extreme circumstances.

It's either a deep-seated hatred that's irreconcilable, or one side is aggressively pushing the other to the brink of defeat.

Today's game had both.

Both parties signed the agreement.

Cai Zhongtie strode onto the ring.

When he reached Zhou Juncheng, he snatched the life-or-death contract.

He dipped his thumb in ink and pressed it firmly on the signature area, leaving a sharp red fingerprint.

After handing the death warrant back to the page, he began to take off his outer robe.

Only at this moment did those present truly realize that he was about to get serious.

The dark outer robe was taken off from the shoulders, crumpled up, and thrown toward the edge of the ring.

Cai Zhongtie revealed the upper half of his bronze-colored chest.

His muscles were incredibly thick and heavy, giving off a rough and solid feel.

His shoulders and back were as broad as a door panel, and his two arms were as thick as the branches of an old tree.

The muscle bundles twisted and turned beneath the skin, wriggling and undulating with every tiny movement he made.

What is most striking is the outline of his skeleton.

The bones of someone who has undergone the "Eighteen Forgings of Iron Bones" training will become deformed.

The joints are a whole size larger than normal, and there are fist-sized bony bulges at the elbows and knees.

When he clenched his fists, the bony ridges between his knuckles bulged out.

It doesn't look like a pair of human hands, but rather like a pair of iron hammers cast from bronze.

Cai Zhongtie stretched his neck, swinging it to the left and right once each.

The cervical spine emitted a crackling sound as the joints rubbed together.

Then he raised his hands to his chest, spread his fingers, and then slowly tightened them, the knuckles making a cracking sound under the immense grip.

After doing all that, he raised his chin, his gaze sweeping over the arena towards Chen Yu.

"Junior Brother Chen, now that you've signed the waiver of liability, please proceed!"

On the stands of the Intermediate People's Court, the commotion spread like ripples.

"Damn Cai Zhongtie!"

A disciple from the middle courtyard stared wide-eyed, his voice cracking with excitement.

"What kind of skill is it to bully a junior!"

"Cai Zhongtie is clearly taking advantage of someone in distress! What do you mean by standing up for his junior brother? That sounds nice, but isn't it just that he can't accept defeat?"

Another disciple angrily slammed his fist on the stone railing, the veins on the back of his hand bulging.

But some people remained silent.

Those disciples who had been shouting the loudest moments before now unconsciously lowered their voices.

Although they verbally expressed their dissatisfaction with the inner court, they knew better than anyone the weight of the name Cai Zhongtie.

In the inner courtyard's Sword Guard Hall, the Sword Guard Commander is not just an honorary title; it is a position earned through real merit.

Cai Zhongtie was able to hold this position for five years not because of seniority or background, but because of his iron fists that were invincible throughout the inner court.

"Senior Brother Chen really shouldn't have accepted!"

Sha Bao muttered to himself, his tone carrying a hint of wavering that he himself was unaware of.

"He's already won one match, so refusing to fight now isn't shameful..."

Before the words were finished, Chen Yu's voice came from the arena.

"Come on, let's have a good, hard-fought battle!"

A surge of anger welled up in Chen Yu's heart. He accepted the challenge not only for the reward, but also because he was truly ready to fight.

First it was Xiao Tianlu, then it was Liu Chenyu.

Now another one, Cai Zhongtie, has emerged.

They all want to kill themselves!

"It's not that I want to kill, but the world forces me to!"

Chen Yu ignored the various gazes coming from the stands on all sides.

He handed the death warrant to the page boy below the stage and began to remove his outer robe.

He did this not to show off his physique.

Instead, if clothing is close to the body, it might be caught by the other party and become a key weakness.

After the outer robe was removed, a smooth and understated muscle line was revealed.

When he stood next to Cai Zhongtie, the contrast in their physiques was striking.

One looks like an old tree stump, and the other looks like a green bamboo stalk.

Chen Yu is not actually thin, but compared to Cai Zhongtie, he is really not good-looking.

On a purely muscular level, nobody thought he had a chance to win.

Cai Zhongtie watched Chen Yu walk to the center of the arena and smiled slightly.

His expression was a mixture of mockery, ruthlessness, and the satisfaction of a hunter watching his prey willingly walk into his trap.

"I'd like to see."

"Is your fist as hard as your mouth?"

Chen Yu ignored him and simply lowered his center of gravity slightly.

I shuffled my feet on the stone slabs and found the most comfortable spot to stand.

Zhou Juncheng raised his hand above his head.

The midday sun shone directly on his hand, casting a shimmering outline around the gong hammer in his palm.

Everyone in the testing ground held their breath.

The murmurs and whispers that had been rising and falling just moments before vanished in an instant.

The entire place was so quiet that you could hear an echo if a pin dropped on the ground.

"clang!"

The hand slammed down, and the gong mallet struck the gong.

"The duel to the death begins now!"