sinovels Chapter 973 Opponent Lei Sha
Chapter 973 Opponent Lei Sha
Year-end competition.
These four words were like a pebble thrown into a calm lake, creating ripples in Lin Qiye's heart.
He'd waited so long, and he'd finally arrived.
"Please speak." Lin Qiye's tone was completely calm, as if he were listening to a trivial matter that had nothing to do with him.
Zhao Ping took out a jade slip from his robes and handed it over with both hands: "The specific rules of the competition are the same as in previous years, and they are recorded in this jade slip. However, there are a few key points that I need to explain to Steward Lin verbally."
Lin Qiye took the jade slip, but didn't rush to read it, gesturing for him to continue.
Zhao Ping cleared his throat and continued, "First, the year-end tournament is the highest-level event held annually in the arena, and all senior deacons must participate without exception. This is an ironclad rule, and no one can be exempted unless granted a special exemption by the Oversight Council. Second, the tournament uses an elimination system; all participants are paired by drawing lots, with winners advancing and losers being eliminated. Third—and most importantly—during the tournament, all participants' signed 'safety agreements' will be temporarily invalid. In other words, on the competition stage, life and death are left to fate."
Lin Qiye nodded after listening.
Life and death are determined by fate.
The same thing happened last time.
This was precisely the opportunity Lei Sha had been waiting for.
According to the tournament rules, all senior deacons must participate, without exception. This means he will face Lei Sha head-on on the arena.
"Understood." Lin Qiye nodded.
Seeing that he had no objections, Zhao Ping did not linger any longer. He gave a few more instructions on the time and place for signing in, and then turned and left.
Lin Qiye stood in the courtyard, watching Zhao Ping's figure disappear at the end of the passageway. He looked down at the jade slip in his hand and remained silent for a long time.
What was bound to happen has finally happened.
He didn't hesitate for long. He turned around and went into the room, read through the contents of the jade slip in detail, confirmed the rules and procedures, then leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes to think.
Year-end competition.
Lei Sha is waiting for him at the main stadium, but he won't let his opponent have his way so easily.
After news of the year-end tournament spread throughout the arena, the atmosphere changed completely. The training area was three times busier than usual, the prices of medicine and weapons in the trading area doubled, and even the normally lazy lower-ranking gladiators were working overtime to hone their weapons. The year-end tournament was not only a stage for high-ranking deacons but also an opportunity for lower-ranking gladiators to rise in rank—during the tournament, the arena would open additional challenge channels, and outstanding lower-ranking gladiators would have the chance to be selected by the Supervisory Council and qualify for promotion to high-ranking deacons.
Lin Qiye didn't care about this.
His daily routine remained unchanged—he practiced the Origin Qi Breathing Method in the early morning, handled some trivial matters in the morning, accompanied three women for a walk in the yard to stretch their muscles and bones in the afternoon, and continued his practice in the evening.
Life was as calm as a stagnant pool of water.
But Lin Qiye could sense that the undercurrents beneath the surface were surging faster.
Soon, Shuang'er reacted again, her eyes meeting Luo Sheng's for a moment.
Neither of them spoke, but they both understood what was going on.
This is her second pregnancy after she recovered from childbirth.
Meanwhile, things progressed even faster for the Barbarian Princess. Her ancient beast bloodline not only didn't decline after childbirth, but instead became even more active thanks to the nourishment of the Blood Demon's power. Less than two months postpartum, she confirmed she was pregnant again.
Luo Sheng was the last one.
Her foundation was the most severely damaged. Although she had been nourished by the power of the Blood Demon and treated with high-level medicine, her recovery speed could not compare to that of Shuang'er and Manji. It wasn't until half a month after Shuang'er confirmed her pregnancy that she vaguely sensed the faint aura of new life within her body during a meditation session.
The news that all three women were pregnant again was within Lin Qiye's expectations.
His daily routine remained simple: cultivation, breath regulation, spending time with three women, and feeling the power emanating from his bloodline accumulate, settle, and merge day by day.
The sensation of all three streams of blood flowing into his body simultaneously was completely different from the previous three times.
It's not a quantitative change, it's a qualitative change.
The feedback from those three newly formed bloodlines was like three keys being inserted into the same lock simultaneously, slowly turning. He could feel that the invisible barrier deep within his body was being pried open little by little by that force, and each influx of feedback would cause a few more tiny cracks to appear in that barrier.
But he wasn't in a hurry to break through the border.
He is waiting.
When the three forces of feedback have accumulated sufficiently, the barrier will shatter on its own under the erosion of natural forces—instead of being forcibly blasted open by his brute force.
The former is a natural outcome, while the latter is a forced breakthrough.
When things fall into place naturally, the foundation will be more stable.
Forcing your way through a level may leave you with hidden injuries.
In the primordial universe, a place fraught with danger at every turn, a hidden wound means a vulnerability, and a vulnerability means death. He couldn't afford to gamble, nor did he want to.
Time passed by day by day in this peaceful yet fulfilling rhythm.
Luo Sheng's belly grew bigger day by day, and her complexion was much rosier than when she was pregnant with her first child. Although her foundation had not fully recovered, under the continuous nourishment of the Blood Demon Power, it was no longer in danger of collapsing at any time.
Shuang'er's frost-like constitution became more pronounced during her pregnancy. Her body temperature was nearly two degrees lower than normal, and a very faint layer of white cold air always filled the air around her. Even the stone benches she sat on would be covered with a thin layer of frost.
Barbarian Princess remained as vigorous as ever. Despite her already protruding belly, she still practiced boxing in the courtyard every day, saying it was to "stretch her muscles and bones so that she wouldn't have trouble pushing during childbirth." Luo Sheng tried to dissuade her several times but to no avail, so she just let her be.
Three women, three different constitutions, three completely different pregnancy reactions.
But one thing is the same—the fetuses in their wombs are frantically absorbing the source energy around the mother's body.
Three distinct types of primal energy, through the mother body, are transformed into bloodline feedback and continuously flow into Lin Qiye's body.
He could feel that the cracks on the barrier were getting denser.
Meanwhile, the atmosphere in the arena was also undergoing subtle changes.
The closer the year-end competition gets, the more tense the atmosphere becomes.
The entire arena was making final preparations for that annual grand event.
In this tense atmosphere, Lei Sha became even more silent.
This deliberate low profile only made those who knew his style of doing things more uneasy.
The quieter he is, the bigger the preparation he is making.
two months.
One month.
half a month.
Seven days.
The date of the year-end tournament, like a sword of Damocles hanging over the heads of all gladiators, was approaching day by day.
The cracks on the barrier deep within Lin Qiye's body had become so numerous that they almost covered the entire barrier. Each surge of bloodline feedback would cause those cracks to extend a little further. He was only one sheet of paper away from breaking through that threshold—but he still hadn't pierced it.
He is waiting.
Wait for the most suitable time.
When that power accumulates to a sufficient and powerful state, it will break through that constraint in the most perfect way.
"Aren't you nervous at all?" Luo Sheng leaned against the bed, gently stroking her protruding belly with one hand, looking at Lin Qiye who was sitting at the table with his eyes closed, meditating.
Lin Qiye didn't open his eyes: "Is being nervous helpful?"
"It's useless," Luo Sheng admitted. "But most people, even knowing it's useless, will still get nervous."
"I am not one of the majority."
Luo Sheng was silent for a moment, then a very faint smile appeared on her lips: "Indeed."
She paused, then added, "The draw results for the competition will be announced in three days."
"Um."
Who do you hope to draw?
Lin Qiye finally opened his eyes, his gaze calm as still water: "It's all the same."
"Are they all the same?"
"We're going to play anyway. It doesn't matter who we get drawn from."
Looking at him, Luo Sheng suddenly felt that the man's calm and almost indifferent temperament had become more profound than it had been a year ago.
She recalled him a year ago, when he first arrived at the arena. Although he was equally calm and decisive, that calmness was tinged with the tension and wariness of a newcomer. Now, that tension had completely disappeared, replaced by a composure that emanated from his very bones.
That's the composure that comes with strength.
She didn't know exactly how much Lin Qiye had grown in the past few months, but she knew that he was now much stronger than he was when he killed Tu Gu.
The day the draw results were announced, the entire arena was in an uproar.
In the first round, Lin Qiye faced Lei Sha.
The news spread like wildfire, flying from the bulletin board in the administration office to the ears of every gladiator. The training area, the trading area, the living quarters—everywhere was abuzz with discussion. Some gloated, some lamented, and many more simply watched with amusement, eager to see how this spectacle would end.
"Facing Lei Sha in the very first round? That's too much of a coincidence!"
"What's so special about it? Everyone knows the ins and outs of the management office when it comes to drawing lots. Lei Sha has been running the arena for years; arranging a spot is just a matter of a word for him."
"Then Lin Qiye is finished, isn't he? Although he killed Tu Gu, Lei Sha is not comparable to Tu Gu. Lei Sha is ranked in the top twenty among the senior deacons, and his strength is many times stronger than Tu Gu."
"Whether it's over or not, we'll only know after the fight. But I bet he won't last three moves."
"Three moves? You overestimate him. I'll bet one move."
Similar conversations echoed throughout the arena. No one had high hopes for Lin Qiye. A newcomer who had ascended less than two years ago was facing off against a veteran high-ranking deacon who had fought in the arena for tens of thousands of years; the outcome seemed to be a foregone conclusion.
Lin Qiye did not react to this.
He was sitting in the courtyard when he heard the news, holding a cup of herbal tea brewed by Luo Sheng. After Shuang'er finished reading the results of the lottery, the courtyard was quiet for a moment, and the three women's eyes all fell on him.
"Lei Sha." Luo Sheng repeated the name in a low voice, her brows furrowing slightly. "He really did tamper with things."
"As expected." Lin Qiye took a sip of tea, his tone as calm as if he were commenting on the nice weather. "He's been waiting for this day for so long. I would have found it strange if he hadn't pulled some strings."
"Are you confident?" Shuang'er asked directly, her clear eyes staring straight at Lin Qiye without any beating around the bush.
"certainly."
The three women were stunned for a moment.
They knew Lin Qiye had been getting stronger over the past six months, but they hadn't actually seen him fight at full strength. In their minds, Lei Sha was a veteran powerhouse who had fought in the arena for tens of thousands of years, with profound experience and ruthless methods, while Lin Qiye was just a newcomer who had ascended less than two years ago.
I didn't expect Lin Qiye to be so confident.
Lin Qiye didn't say anything more, turned around and went into the house to begin making final preparations for the competition three days later.
The three women sat in the courtyard, watching his figure disappear through the gate. They exchanged glances, their eyes conveying a complex mix of emotions: worry, trust, expectation, and something else entirely—a subtle understanding that had only developed after they began living together.