Chapter 142 Pact of Life and Death

"I feel that in a martial arts sparring match, too many methods are restricted, and the outcome is not enough to convince the public. We need to sign a life-and-death contract right here on the spot."

Just as Xiao Nan was about to step onto the high platform, he heard Li Shaohua speak.

His footsteps paused, and when he raised his eyes and looked up, he saw Li Shaohua glaring at him with a dark, chilling gaze.

Although Li Shaohua had regained his composure, a faint trace of madness lurked deep within his eyes.

And deeper still, a profound murderous intent washed over him...

Tan Qiuyi sat nearby. Upon hearing Li Shaohua's proposal, she immediately felt her vision blacken, and she almost cried out.

She did not know much about martial arts and was only here to watch the spectacle...

Coming to watch the battle this time, her understanding of victory and defeat was simple: whatever Xiao Nan said, she believed.

Over these past few days, Xiao Nan's actions had given her a massive boost of confidence, which was why she had managed to remain seated.

However.

Isn't this just a martial arts spar?

How did it escalate to signing a life-and-death contract?

And risking one's life?

An uproar erupted all around, and the surrounding crowd looked at one another in dismay.

"This won't do. This is merely a match between classmates; how can we bring the ruthless practices of street martial artists into the school?

We are schoolmates and classmates. Fighting to the death in a spar makes no sense whatsoever."

Su Yuqing spoke out in opposition, her expression very unsightly.

She was still fiercely protective of her prospective son-in-law.

Even though the boy was somewhat fickle and liked to flirt around.

He was still a child she had watched grow up since he was little, just like her own son.

You cherish your own child; even a minor bump or scrape was distressing, let alone a life-and-death battle?

Having experienced plenty of bloodshed, she naturally understood the perils involved far better than Tan Qiuyi, and she thought this was definitely not something to be agreed to lightly.

Mainly, she didn't have all that much confidence in Xiao Nan.

"I think it's feasible," Li Yuanchen said, nodding in approval.

Sun Zhongli smiled bitterly and shook his head, "Bad idea. This proposal is simply too excessive. What if the worst happens? No matter who gets hurt, it would be a genuine loss for Yuanjiang First High..."

"No, no, only in this way can we display the iron-fist style of a martial arts high school like Yuanjiang First. Once word of this spreads, it will only enhance our prestige all the more," Huang Liang said with a chuckle from the side.

Anyway, no matter what Li Yuanchen wanted to do, his role was simply to chime in and support him.

Standing on the same front, casually echoing his superior was only to be expected.

"Haha, I also think this proposal is rather good. As a martial artist, one ought to have a spine; with hands and feet tied, true capability cannot be revealed.

How important is the opportunity of the Empty Crystal Stone Chamber? It takes five years of accumulation for such a chance to arise, so naturally, the two students must give it their all to contend for it."

Outside the ring of spectators, someone spoke up in a ringing voice.

The crowd was greatly surprised and instinctively parted a path.

They saw Li Shaoyun, dressed in a crisp dark-green military uniform, striding over with a warm smile on his face, though the words he spoke were not the least bit warm.

Behind him followed more than a dozen soldiers bearing one and two stars on their shoulders.

Every single one of them exuded a sharp aura, their expressions grim and solemn.

"Tigers rely on brothers, going into battle with father and son," a cold light flashed in Xiao Nan's eyes as he thought that this family certainly turned up in full force.

In truth, he also felt that this proposal was quite good.

There was something very strange about Li Shaohua; during their last two encounters, Xiao Nan had felt the bronze mirror vibrate slightly.

That sensation was even more intense than when he had faced the Wolf-Barbarian chieftain and priest in the Gloomy Wind Valley.

This indicated that if he were to slay Li Shaohua, he would likely reap immense benefits.

After the Wolf-Barbarian priest died beneath his sword, it had brought him a ball of divine radiance, which not only expanded the territory of the bronze mirror's space and sharpened his mental faculties,

but also accelerated the metamorphosis of his soul, leaving a full third of it now permeated by the divine light.

Furthermore, aside from this fundamental benefit, the auxiliary effect had directly propelled his spiritual realm past the state of "sitting and forgetting" straight into the realm of embryonic breathing.

This drove his physical body to break through the barrier and advance to the first rank, vastly increasing his strength.

His soul and physical body had advanced by leaps and bounds from the very moment he slew the Wolf-Barbarian priest.

So, what could he gain from Li Shaohua?

Although Xiao Nan desperately wanted to kill him and harvest his soul, his baseline as a human being told him that some things should remain mere thoughts.

At least, he couldn't be so flagrant about it.

Otherwise, if he felt the urge to kill and consume the soul of every human whose existence benefited his cultivation, where would it end?

As the saying goes: the mind is like a wild horse galloping across the plain; it is easy to let go, but hard to rein back in.

Of course, toward an opponent like Li Shaohua, who had repeatedly targeted him and plotted to murder him, he felt no psychological burden whatsoever.

His hesitation and deliberation at this moment were merely because he didn't want to appear too eager.

He believed that since the other party had already made their move, they still had backup plans in store.

A few objections from Su Yuqing and Sun Zhongli were certainly not enough to brush the matter aside.

Sure enough, Li Shaohua smiled contemptuously and said, "If classmate Xiao Nan doesn't dare to sign the life-and-death contract, he can simply admit his inferiority.

There's no need to fight this match; conceding and stepping down early might make things much more amicable for everyone."

Concede?

As soon as these words were spoken, even the freshman girls who had little deep exposure to the world of martial arts could tell something was amiss.

This was clearly looking down on their Xiao Nan; forbearance has its limits.

"Get lost, ugly freak! You're the one who should concede!"

"That's right, that's right! Our Xiao Nan just didn't want to lower himself to your level or take your life, and now you're pushing your luck?"

"The match hasn't even started, yet you act so sure you'll win. I despise arrogant braggarts like you the most. Why don't you just move the Empty Crystal Stone Chamber directly to your Li family's estate? There's no need to fight at all then."

These girls possessed combat prowess that was somewhat formidable.

Xiao Nan could not help but laugh inwardly while feeling a warm surge of gratitude, prompting him to instinctively touch his own face.

He wondered if his greatest cheat code in this life wasn't the bronze mirror, but rather this face of his?

"Shut up."

Bombarded from all directions, Li Shaohua's face turned as dark as pitch, and he could no longer maintain his calm and poised demeanor.

Veins bulged slightly on his forehead, and with a somewhat ferocious expression, he roared, "If you don't dare to fight, then forget it! I disdain competing on the same stage with cowards who cling to life and fear death.

A martial artist should put courage first and show no fear of life or death; I can see you don't even possess the heart of a martial cultivator."

Righteous and dignified...

This fellow actually had a few tricks up his sleeve; with just a few words, he had cornered Xiao Nan.

This time, many of the spectators and students in the outer circle looked at Xiao Nan with somewhat strange expressions.

"Isn't it just a life-and-death contract? I'll sign it... Let's make one thing clear beforehand: if any accidents happen, your Li family had better not hound me relentlessly."

Xiao Nan slowly stepped onto the platform, a flash of anger crossing his eyes as he thought that since Li Shaohua was so eager to seek his own demise, he had no one to blame.

Originally, he had intended to sneak into the Li family estate on some quiet night, kill the man without a sound, and reap the benefits.

Since retreat was no longer an option, he might as well go with the flow.

"Your Li family is influential, with massive manpower and ties to the military. If you decide to exact revenge later on, who could withstand it?"

Xiao Nan glanced at the dozen or so soldiers standing behind Li Shaoyun beneath the stage, his words laced with thorns.