But now, he was the first to lose his composure.
"We get on the platform just because you say so? Who do you think you are, the Sect Leader of the Pinnacle Celestial Immortal Sect?" Zou Feng sneered.
Li Dingjie snorted, his eyes wide. "You. Donât you dare?"
Then, with a painfully forced laugh, he shouted, "The prodigy celebrated by the ringing of the Celestial Dao Cauldron, the hidden dragon of two leaderboards from back in the Outer Sect... Is this all you are?!"
"Didnât you just say you didnât even see me as a threat back in Great Yan? What, have you suddenly realized whose fist is stronger?"
Zou Feng waved his hand. "No need to goad me. If you want me on the Dao Discussion Platform, itâs simple. One hundred thousand Immortal Fate points!"
This wasnât a number Zou Feng had just pulled out of thin air; it was the result of careful consideration.
Opportunities like this were rare. If he asked for too little, it clearly wouldnât be worth it.
But if he asked for too much, the other party might get suspicious and cause unnecessary complications.
One hundred thousand should be just right.
Of course, Li Dingjie himself, having poured everything into his Cultivation, probably couldnât come up with it.
But didnât he have True Disciple Lu Guanghua backing him?
For a True Disciple, one hundred thousand Immortal Fate points was nothing.
"One hundred thousand Immortal Fate points?" Li Dingjie was stunned for a moment, then roared, "Why donât you just go rob someone!?"
"Youâre the animal Iâm robbing!"
"One hundred thousand Immortal Fate points. Otherwise, Iâd feel like I was dirtying my hands just by slaughtering an animal like you."
Li Dingjie was so angry he laughed. "How shameless! Zou, even arrogance has its limits!"
"Cut the crap. If you canât come up with one hundred thousand Immortal Fate points, then get lost. My time is far more valuable than yours, you animal."
With that, Zou Feng impatiently turned to leave.
Li Dingjieâs anger was about to erupt like a volcano.
But he hadnât lost his senses. After a momentâs thought, he said decisively, "Stop! One hundred thousand it is, but we must use the Celestial Dao Cauldron to form a contract!"
"Furthermore, if you get on the Dao Discussion Platform and lose, you wonât just return these hundred thousand Immortal Fate points. Youâll have to pay me another hundred thousand on top of that!"
In truth, Li Dingjie had no intention of letting him leave the Dao Discussion Platform alive.
He was just trying to mislead Zou Feng, to make him subconsciously believe that even a loss wouldnât result in immediate death.
This would increase the chances of Zou Feng agreeing to get on the Dao Discussion Platform.
Hearing this, Zou Feng finally stopped in his tracks.
"Since youâre so eager to be my benefactor, I see no reason to refuse."
Next, Li Dingjie immediately contacted Lu Guanghua for the money.
Lu Guanghua was convinced of Li Dingjieâs destiny to become a Great Emperor and believed he couldnât possibly lose, so he transferred the one hundred thousand Immortal Fate points without hesitation.
For a True Disciple like him, whose life was nearing its end, any problem that could be solved with money wasnât a problem at all.
Helping Li Dingjie establish a Celestial Tier Dao Foundation for just one hundred thousand Immortal Fate points was an absolute steal!
Zou Feng was actually thinking too small. Even if he had demanded two hundred thousand Immortal Fate points, Lu Guanghua would have paid up instantly.
But it couldnât be helped. In most cases, oneâs Realm determined oneâs perspective, and Zou Feng truly didnât yet understand just how wealthy True Disciples were.
It wasnât a major issue, though. Zou Feng had other ways to make money lined up.
In any case, he was determined to make a killing from this venture.
They then used their Tokens to draw up the contract. After confirming everything was in order, Li Dingjie promptly transferred the one hundred thousand Immortal Fate points to Zou Feng.
Then, the two, who were already sworn enemies, broke into smiles simultaneously.
Their happiness was only natural; after all, both were convinced they would be the victor.
However, they wouldnât immediately head to the Dao Discussion Platform. They set the time for high noon in two days.
Li Dingjie had no objections to the two-day delay; he also needed time to get himself into peak condition.
Zou Feng, however, wanted the news of the duel to marinate for a while, giving people time to organize betting pools.
If anyone dared to open betting on this fight, then without a doubt, Zou Feng would go all-in with the hundred thousand Immortal Fate points he had just received.
He would use this chance to slaughter Li Dingjie to make a killing.
If all went well, this sum of Immortal Fate would allow his preparations for Foundation Establishment to take a huge leap forward.
Originally, if Li Dingjie hadnât shown up to be his benefactor, Zou Feng would have had to spend a great deal of time working in the Dining Hall, or swallow his pride and borrow Immortal Fate from wealthy people like Jiang Wanzhao and Xue Cang.
With his potential certified by the ringing of the Celestial Dao Cauldron, borrowing Immortal Fate wouldnât have been difficult.
But accepting help puts you in debt. If he borrowed too much and they made a request, it would be hard for him to refuse.
For instance, Jiang Wanzhao had previously mentioned wanting Zou Feng to work for her.
In short, Li Dingjieâs arrival was incredibly timely. Otherwise, his frenetic, fast-paced Cultivation would have been forced to slow down.
After they both had their laugh, Li Dingjieâs smile suddenly turned cold. He shot Zou Feng a vicious glare, then turned and left without another word.
He couldnât be bothered with a war of words against Zou Feng. In two days, he would shut that bastard up for good.
No one could stop him!
It was worth noting that a duel on the Dao Discussion Platform between ordinary Inner Sect Disciples would hardly attract any attention.
But Zou Feng and Li Dingjie were two Inner Sect Disciples of a completely different caliber.
One was certified by the ringing of the Celestial Dao Cauldron; the other was a Sword Emperor undergoing Reincarnation Rebirth.
The hype was off the charts, certain to attract Elders, True Disciples, and other spectators.
They might even interfere with the final outcome.
Of course, not even a True Disciple would dare to step onto the Dao Discussion Platform and interfere directly, but they could use their words to persuade the victor to show mercy.
âTheyâre both exceptionally talented prodigies. Just deciding a winner should be enough. If one of them were to fall, it would still be a small loss for the sect...â
"Palace Master, interested in making a huge profit?"
Zou Feng sent Su Qingyu a message on his way back to the Hongxing Inn.
Since they had discussed this matter before, Su Qingyu knew exactly what was happening the moment she saw the message.
"You really agreed to face Li Dingjie on the Dao Discussion Platform?"
Zou Feng replied, "If I donât eliminate him now, heâll become a major threat. Itâs easier to just kill him and get it over with."
This was the truth. As a Sword Emperor undergoing Reincarnation Rebirth, Li Dingjie had yet to awaken many of his past-life memories and skills.
Once he succeeded in his Foundation Establishment, it was feared that his past lifeâs various divine abilities would begin to awaken on a massive scale.
At that point, even with the List of Gods at full power, it wouldnât be easy to wear him down in a short time.
"Even if you can win, it wonât be easy to actually kill him..."
Su Qingyuâs concerns were valid. Leaving aside the fact that Lu Guanghua would do anything to prevent Li Dingjie from dying, just considering how Li Dingjie himself might react to a loss, he wouldnât be easy to kill.
After all, the moment he realized he was about to lose, Li Dingjie could choose to flee the Dao Discussion Platform to save his own life.
With his level of power, if he was fully committed to escaping, the difficulty of killing him would increase severalfold.
And if Zou Feng attacked Li Dingjie after he had left the Dao Discussion Platform, it would be a public violation of sect rules, with severe consequences.
"Donât worry, he wonât get out of this alive!"
Zou Feng wasnât worried. As long as he could severely wound Li Dingjie, he could use his side-effect transference ability to land the finishing blow, even if Li Dingjie managed to flee the platform in time.
Sensing Zou Fengâs absolute confidence, Su Qingyu didnât hesitate any longer. She immediately declared that she would go all-in the moment the betting opened.
Meanwhile, Lu Guanghua, who was still in the Sword Tomb, stared blankly at the starry sky.
Even though it was daytime, a being of Lu Guanghuaâs Realm could still see the stars clearly.
As he watched, Lu Guanghua found himself overjoyed.
The Sword Emperorâs Star was shining brighter than everâa sign that Li Dingjieâs fortune was on the rise again.
âI thought it would take more effort to force him onto the Dao Discussion Platform,â he mused. âI never expected him to be so blindly confident!â
âHe has no idea what the Reincarnation Rebirth of a Sword Emperor truly signifies...â
"KEKEKE..." Lu Guanghua hadnât been this happy in a long, long time.
After all, this would secure Li Dingjieâs Celestial Tier Dao Foundation.
Moreover, compared to other Celestial Tier Dao Foundations, Li Dingjieâs would be considered among the very best.
And as for himself, he could finally ride the coattails of this emperorâs star and break through the bottleneck that had plagued him for so many years.
Originally, Lu Guanghua had a backup plan. If Zou Feng had refused to get on the Dao Discussion Platform with Li Dingjie, he would have looked for an opening by targeting Zou Fengâs Dao companions...