C14 Surprised(3)

The system was a mysterious entity, and no one could detect its presence within Wang Yufei, not even the most powerful individuals.

Wang Yufei's motive for having Lee Xiaoyao confess her feelings to Wang Dafei was to stir up trouble. Wang Dafei was just a notch above Lee Tianhu in terms of cultivation level, and although their strengths were comparable, Wang Dafei's brother was a different story. A celebrated figure within the sect and one of the four great prodigies, Lin Shouchuan's reputation meant that Lee Tianhu wouldn't dare to confront Wang Dafei.

Thus, Wang Yufei's plan was to give Lee Tianhu a taste of his own medicine, a lesson of sorts. Of course, Wang Yufei was secretly hoping that Lee Tianhu would challenge Lin Dafei, which would certainly provide an entertaining spectacle.

The night passed uneventfully, but the following day brought sensational news. Wang Yufei was still asleep when a knock at the door and an urgent voice roused him.

"Master, hurry and come out! There's an exciting event today—Lee Tianhu is challenging Lin Dafei!" The voice outside was somewhat unfamiliar yet recognizable. In the sect, the only person who eagerly addressed Wang Yufei as 'master' was Zhang Tianmeng, whom he had only met the day before.

Zhang Tianmeng was a straightforward, burly man with a touch of cunning. He was ingratiating himself with Wang Yufei because he believed Wang Yufei to be the secret offspring of the elders, hoping to gain favor and future advantages from the sect's missions. Initially grumpy from being woken up, Wang Yufei's mood shifted to excitement upon hearing of Lee Tianhu's challenge to Lin Dafei.

Leaping out of bed, Wang Yufei opened the door and stepped out, refreshed and spirited. As a cultivator, he no longer needed the morning rituals of his Earthly life. After listening to Zhang Tianmeng's account, Wang Yufei learned that in a bid to save her own core, Li Yaoqian had indeed made a public declaration of love to Lin Dafei, which enraged the smitten Lee Tianhu, prompting him to challenge Lin Dafei on the spot.

Moreover, the two had stepped onto the Platform of Life and Death, the only place within the sect where combat was sanctioned and honorable. Regardless of the outcome, life or death, it was considered to be in the hands of fate. By all accounts, since Li Yaoqian had completed his mission, he was entitled to a system reward.

A moment later, Wang Yufei's eyes brightened: "Congratulations, host, on receiving the following rewards: two mission points, two fragments of the mysterious Shadow Kill skill, and with three skill fragments, you can exchange them for a complete set of the mysterious skill, which comes with lifetime usage rights."

Wang Yufei hadn't anticipated that by simply assigning Li Yaoqian an easy task, he would receive two skill fragments. If he could also secure a skill fragment from Lee Tianhu, that would give him the three he needed.

With the three skill fragments in hand, Wang Yufei could trade them for an enigmatic skill. Not one to dawdle, he promptly took Zhang Tianmeng to the Platform of Life and Death.

True to Zhang Tianmeng's word, the Platform was crowded with spectators. The crowd was abuzz with talk about Lee Tianhu, who was known to have feelings for his cousin. Yet today, he had been publicly humiliated by her.

In a bold move, the girl had declared her affection for Lin Dafei in front of everyone, leaving Lee Tianhu with a figuratively swollen face. No man of honor would stand for such an affront.

Lin Dafei's capabilities already surpassed Lee Tianhu's, but Lin Dafei's brother, Lin Shouchuan, posed an even greater threat. As one of the four prodigies of the outer sect, his reputation was formidable.

Hence, Lee Tianhu stood no chance against Lin Dafei. At best, he could only intimidate him. There's wisdom in the old adage: even when striking a dog, one must consider its master. For Lee Tianhu to challenge Lin Dafei would be to disrespect Lin Shouchuan.

Lee Tianhu and Lin Dafei had taken their places on the Platform of Life and Death. Lee Tianhu's face was stoic, his vital energy visibly pulsing, creating a vacuum in the surrounding air.

At that moment, it seemed as though every wisp of air was under the command of Lee Tianhu's formidable presence. Lee Tianhu's awakened talent was the python strike, and as he prepared for battle, a dark portal would form above his head. Though the spectral python was invisible, its roaring could still be heard emanating from the abyss.

Let's also take a moment to introduce Lin Dafei, whose talent was the wildfire blaze. As the battle drew near, the temperature of Lin Dafei's body would rise, and a small but intensely hot black flame would appear above his head. The flame crackled in the air, as if incinerating all the surrounding gases in an instant.

"Lee Tianhu, have you thought this through? Are you truly willing to challenge me, to risk life and death, all for a woman?" Lin Dafei was baffled. Although Li Yaoyao was stunning, he couldn't help but feel that this was too good to be true.

Why would such fortune fall upon him? There were plenty of men more outstanding than he, yet Li Yaoyao had chosen to confess her feelings for him in public. And Lee Tianhu had witnessed it all, leading to a grave misunderstanding between the two men.

But with Lee Tianhu challenging him, if Lin Dafei were to back down, where would that leave his pride?

"Enough talk. You must have deliberately seduced my cousin. You're always smooth-talking and deceiving the female disciples. I've turned a blind eye until now, but today you've crossed the line by flirting with my cousin. I'm going to pulverize your bones," Lee Tianhu declared, each word seething with rage.

Lin Dafei knew that explanations would be futile at this point. Besides, given his reputation for welcoming the advances of women like Li Yaoyao, rejecting her would be out of character for him.

Moreover, Li Yaoyao's beauty was the kind that inspired a desire to conquer. To prevent Lee Tianhu from bothering Li Yaoyao again, Lin Dafei was pushed to the brink. After all, he had Lin Shouchou's support to fall back on.