Red Heart Patrols the Sky

As Dong Ah announced the start of the duel, the sound of the clash of two longswords on the wooden platform rang out clearly!

Before the duel, Fang Pengju had shunned it in every possible way, but once it truly began, he didn't hesitate for even a moment. His sword strikes were extremely stable, accurate, and ruthless, leaving no margin for error. Being able to stand out among all the outer disciples of the Maple Forest Daoist Academy and having earned the respect of people like Jiang Wang in the past, it was clear he was not unworthy of his reputation.

But Jiang Wang was even faster, steadier, and more resolute!

Because he had been waiting for fifty-seven days, and throughout those fifty-seven days and nights, he had been imagining this moment incessantly.

Despite being seriously injured, despite enduring the agony of illness, despite coming close to death several times.

To face the enemy in battle, with swords clashing, he would accept injury or death. But the pain and torment in his heart from being betrayed by the person he trusted most was far greater than any physical suffering.

What kept him going through that time, aside from his unquenchable thirst for life, was the deep-seated hate that was etched into his bones!

With one sword strike, he broke through Fang Pengju's sword technique.

As the sword advanced, so did he, charging straight at Fang Pengju's longsword with his abdomen. As blood sprayed, Jiang Wang coldly swung his sword across, severing Fang Pengju's wrist tendons!

Two wounds appeared almost simultaneously, but one was intentional, the other not, and that already decided the outcome.

Jiang Wang advanced again, leading with his elbow and slamming forward fiercely. He crashed heavily into Fang Pengju's chest.

Just as Fang Pengju, in excruciating pain, lost control of his sword, he heard the clear sound of his bones breaking.

His body was blasted back in a shrimp-like arc, hitting beyond the edge of the high platform and then being bounced back by the swaying branches, falling from the high platform.

In just one exchange, Fang Pengju was defeated!

"How is this possible? The gap... is it really this vast?!"

There was a stir of shock below the high platform.

Everything happened too quickly; various factors including Jiang Wang's blood and tears, the Channel-opening Pill elevated Fang Pengju's initial manifestation of his Dao channels, his momentum soaring.

The sword moves infused with Jiang Wang's hatred and pain also caused Fang Pengju to fall to the dust.

"He lost to himself, to his own fears," Zhao Rucheng said in a deep voice. "If it hadn't been for fear, he would not have chosen to betray his third brother, to take the Channel-opening Pill by despicable means. He knew that without it, he had no other way to surpass his third brother, and once the gap widened, he would never be able to catch up."

Ling He couldn't help sighing, "When the third brother first came to the academy, his strength was at the bottom and nowhere near Peng Ju's. Several years have passed, and his swordsmanship is now recognized as the best among the outer disciples, and Peng Ju has always been proud..."

Du Yehu said angrily, "In the end, isn't it just because of incompetence and shamelessness?!"

Clang!

Jiang Wang slowly pulled out the longsword that had pierced through his abdomen and casually tossed it aside.

The bloodied longsword clattered to the ground, as helpless and panic-stricken as the Falcon usually is, spitting out blood.

With the longsword hanging by his side, Jiang Wang walked forward slowly.

"Save me! Headmaster, save me! I am a scion of the Fang Family, one of the three big families of our city!"

Fang Pengju was shouting in panic, without a trace of the distinguished noble's demeanor he once had.

Dong Ah was emotionless, "Since this is a deathmatch to prove one's Dao, it is naturally a fight to the death. The only one who can decide your fate is your opponent."

"Third brother, third brother!" Fang Pengju propped himself up on the ground and kept retreating, "Spare me, spare me this once!"

"The Fang Family has been a prestigious family for a century! But it has been twenty years since someone has managed to open the Heaven and Earth Gate! A slow start leads to constant delays! How much time can I wait? I can't afford to stop; I carry the earnest hopes of my deceased father, I can't stop!"

With tearful eyes, he looked at Jiang Wang, "Your Channel-opening Pill, if I asked you, would you have given it to me?"

Jiang Wang remained silent.

"My uncle went to Yun Country, yet he couldn't purchase the Channel-opening Pill at all. Even if he did, he might not give it to me. The control over the Channel-opening Pill has become stricter, only rewarding the most promising outer sect disciples. In the entire Maple Forest Dao Institute, only you have earned such honor; I had no other way, I just couldn't do anything!" Fang Pengju cried out in agony.

Jiang Wang narrowed his eyes, "I actually understand you. I understand your anxiety, unease, and fear. The Fang Family is a large clan that provided you with a superior environment, but with fierce competition. I knew long ago that human desires are endless. I also knew how desperately you wanted to prove yourself, wanting to win glory for your prematurely deceased father; you've said as much, and I remember it all. You were impatient for success, losing your way, and I really could understand."

In the eyes of Fang Pengju, which suddenly flashed with a glint of hope, he continued, "But understanding is not the same as forgiving."

Having said this, Jiang Wang was just in front of Fang Pengju.

The longsword traced a clear arc through the air, piercing his chest with precision and without a hint of hesitation.

"To repay evil with kindness, how then should we repay kindness?"

"Thus, having died once before, you owe your life in return."

Jiang Wang spoke slowly.

Fang Pengju, with his intact left hand, grabbed the blade of the sword, letting it cut open his palm, allowing the sword to stay within his body, delaying death for a moment longer.

He struggled to speak, producing a hoarse sound.

"After...stealing your pill, I couldn't sleep at night. I regret it...I am so sorry. But, but you are safe and sound, aren't you? We are brothers. Why...why can't you forgive me...just once."

Many watching from below the platform had complex emotions, unable to continue watching, unable to continue listening.

But Jiang Wang simply looked at him calmly.

"Do you know the feeling of being betrayed? Do you know that kind of pain and anger that sears the soul? You made my trust seem foolish, my experiences a joke. You rendered my suffering meaningless."

Memories flowed like water, yet they no longer held warmth, unable to stir ripples.

"Have you experienced lying on a pile of straw, weak and powerless, only able to watch and wait for death to come?"

"I seemed to see two shadows swaying before me, I knew they were Black and White Impermanence. I seemed to hear their breathing, slow, oh so slow, resounding in my ears. I once vowed to overcome fate! But I knew death was near, and I was utterly powerless."

"If you had been through what I've suffered, you would understand that some pain cannot be remedied. I am someone who has died once already. If I forgave you, I would not be able to face myself."

Jiang Wang stopped there, slowly and resolutely pulling out the longsword.

The platform slowly descended, branches contracting, until the entire Dao Technique-extended dueling ground shrank back into a tiny sapling, burrowing into the ground.

And there Fang Pengju lay silently on the ground, his right hand hanging down, his left still outstretched in front of him, as if firmly grasping the longsword that had taken his life. His eyes were wide open, faintly reflecting pain, unwillingness, and a myriad of emotions.

But he was already dead.

Ling He sighed lightly, stepping forward to remove his outer garment and cover Fang Pengju's face with it.

Du Yehu opened his mouth as if wanting to curse, yet in the end, he could say nothing. The man was already dead.

Zhao Rucheng remained motionless, silent.

Jiang Wang stood still on the spot, his gaze not on anyone in the arena, but looking into the boundless distant sky, as if he was facing another self from a different time and space.

"Rest in peace," he said in his heart.

His mind was suddenly clear. The earthworm within his spine became agile, leaping from the tail vertebrae, smoothly journeying through a passage, and then exhaling a round, full, beautiful Path Origin.

A thought suddenly came to Jiang Wang's mind—"All understanding of worldly affairs is cultivation, every clear thought nourishment for the journey."