<h4>Chapter 1255: Chapter 1563: Duel (3)</h4>


    "Third brother!" Xia Yue, unable to hold herposure, couldn’t help but shout out.


    However, Yuan Yun in the center of the arena seemed not to hear Xia Yue’s shout; his attention was entirely focused on his opponent. Seeing that his opponent had no intention of stopping, Yuan Yun gritted his teeth and abandoned the thought of holding back. His opponent wasn’t afraid to die, and neither was he.


    With a downward sh, Yuan Yun’s wrist trembled slightly, and the steel de that was originally aimed at his opponent’s shoulder suddenly shifted horizontally towards the middle-aged man’s neck. Striking the shoulder wouldn’t necessarily be fatal, at most it would result in the loss of an arm. However, if the head were to be chopped off, not even the gods could save you.


    This subtle action by Yuan Yun immediately took everyone by surprise. However, amidst their surprise, there was also a strong sense of admiration.


    When others are ruthless, you must be even more ruthless!


    "Stop!" At this critical moment, a voice finally came from the stands. Almost simultaneously, Yuan Yun and the middle-aged man withdrew their des and retreated to the side.


    After a brief moment of bewilderment, the audience finally came to their senses and turned their eyes towards Su He on the stands.


    "Elder Su, you are the referee. Who do you think is the winner of this duel?" someone shouted loudly.


    Su He smiled faintly, "It was a brilliant match, both contestants performed well. However, if we talk about victory and defeat, they are both slightlycking, so I believe dering a draw is the fairest decision."


    Upon hearing these words, the crowd began to discuss among themselves. Some agreed with Su He’s decision, while others were dissatisfied. It was obvious to the clear-eyed spectators that the middle-aged man’s final move was a result of desperation, meant to force Yuan Yun back due to his inability to withstand Yuan Yun’s assault; nheless, Yuan Yun wasn’t buying it and instead intensified his attack.


    If those two shes hadnded, Yuan Yun would undoubtedly have been the victor, while the middle-aged man would have faced certain death. Therefore, some people felt that Su He’s judgment was unfair. A grandmaster from the Heavenly List couldn’t possibly miss something so apparent to so many.


    He Ziyun remarked with a displeased expression, "Elder Su, isn’t this decision unfair? Our contestant from the Dragon Tiger Hall was clearly in the lead, so why dere a draw?"


    Su He replied indifferently, "Martial arts duels are ever-changing. Having the upper hand at one moment doesn’t mean it willst, and it is very likely that the next moment he could be killed by his opponent. Such situations aren’t rare, so it’s not enough to determine the result based on temporary advantage. Master He, if you think my judgment is wed, you may ask everyone present. If everyone believes my judgment is wrong, I’ll immediately correct it. What do you think?"


    "You..."


    "Mr. He, let it go!" Qiu Yong gripped He Ziyun’s sleeve and whispered, "Su He is clearly biased, but we can’t fight that. Regardless, a draw is better than a defeat, and we still have chances to win."


    He Ziyun took a deep breath, slowly calming his inner anger, and nodded, "Don’t worry, I won’t act rashly."


    While speaking, Yuan Yun had already stepped down from the arena. Seeing him panting heavily, Qiu Yong patted his shoulder and said, "Well done."


    "Big brother, Mr. He, I’m sorry, I let you down." Yuan Yun felt very apologetic. They could have won this match, but it ended in a draw, and he was unwilling to let it go.


    "It’s okay, it’s not your fault, the me lies with the treacherous ones from the Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion." After a pause, Qiu Yong asked, "Third brother, I’ve never seen you use that de technique before."


    "That’s a technique I recentlyprehended. Didn’t the sixth brother ask each of us to choose a martial arts manual best suited for ourselves? That’s it. Unfortunately, I was just a bit shy of defeating my opponent."


    Upon hearing this, Qiu Yong and others realized the situation.


    "Elder Qiu, we have the first move in the third round. Who do you think is most suitable?" He Ziyun asked.


    Qiu Yong looked at their members. Xu Ming and Yuan Yun had already participated, and the remaining candidates were himself, Zhang Zhongfeng, and Xia Yue. Xia Yue’s strength was too weak, unsuitable for the arena. As for Zhang Zhongfeng... Qiu Yong pondered for a while and then excluded him.


    Zhang Zhongfeng was reputed as Huaxia’s number one archer, indeed formidable, but his skillset was too singr and would easily be targeted. Besides, the opponents from the Martial Arts Academy came prepared, surely equipped to handle him. After much contemtion, Qiu Yong felt that he was probably the most suitable candidate.


    "Mr. He, if there’s no other option, I’ll have to step in."


    "You?" He Ziyun was slightly taken aback and immediately refused, "No way! You can’t go on now; it’s not yet your time to make a move."


    "Mr. He, let Big Brother go." Xu Ming chimed in, "The contestants, as you can see, are very skilled, far from ordinary. If we switch to Fourth and Fifth siblings, the chances of winning are minimal. Apart from Big Brother having the capability to fight, the others’ hope is very slim."


    "But... if we send Elder Qiu now, who will go next time?"


    Qiu Yong thought for a moment and asked, "Mr. He, is there still no contact with the sixth brother?"


    "I called him, but there was no answer," He Ziyun sighed lightly, "Ling Chen might not make it back in time, we can’t pin all our hopes on him now."


    "Big brother, why don’t you let me give it a shot?" Zhang Zhongfeng volunteered, "Currently, our record is one win and one draw. Even losing one round isn’t too much of a setback."


    Qiu Yong couldn’t decide, so he turned to the others and asked, "Do any of you have better suggestions?"


    "Everyone, you might have overlooked something very important." Xu Ming spoke slowly, "In the next two duels, we must win both to have a chance at victory. If we lose even one, we are defeated."


    Upon hearing this, everyone immediately understood Xu Ming’s point. The first four duels were fought by members of the Dragon Tiger Hall and the Dragon and Tiger Martial Arts Academy, with the final match being a contest between the hall masters. Now with Tong Zhentian unconscious, the Dragon Tiger Hall couldn’t find anyone to match Chen Quan. There was still Ji Gang, but he wasn’t considered an option.


    Ji Gang was just a puppet without his own consciousness, severely limited in strength. Whether he could defeat Chen Quan was uncertain. Furthermore, if Ji Gang were to be discovered by the Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion, Su He wouldn’t show mercy. After all, when Ji Gang was still with the God Organization, he onceunched an attack on the Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion, causing it significant losses. Given the vengeful nature of the Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion, they wouldn’t spare Ji Gang. Therefore, Ji Gang couldn’t go on stage.


    With these considerations, everyone found themselves in a dilemma.


    "What’s wrong, is the Dragon Tiger Hall unable to send anyone else?" A slightly mocking voice came, focusing everyone’s attention on Qiu Yong and his group.