Chapter 1048
Chapter 1048 - 1034: Ceremony of Life and Death
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"A gas explosion? On this ship? Uh, you think I’m stupid or what..."
Lu Ping’an had just woken up when he heard this shocking news.
In a certain area of the ship, a mass gas explosion had occurred, and now it was under repair...
"Yesterday, some people got into a fight on the ship... It got pretty intense, and they ended up destroying a swimming pool, a movie theater, and more than a dozen guest rooms."
After purchasing the information, Lu Ping’an felt there wasn’t much to it.
Although it seemed possible to leave and enter this Secret Realm, using the local "Power Suppression Path for non-fighters" to settle some private grudges was normal.
"One of them was a blond-haired, blue-eyed lady, who issued you a duel declaration yesterday..."
Well, that made it relevant to Lu Ping’an.
Outcome? The major damage to the ship’s structure led to the postponement of the originally scheduled morning event.
But Lu Ping’an felt there was something subtle about this kind of "damage" within the Secret Realm; with the Lord of the Secret Realm present, repairing should have been no difficulty... Even if the audience’s ship sank, there was no need to postpone the competition, right?
"...Seems like there’s no problem."
Lu Ping’an still strolled over, just in time to catch her sneaking... picking up little cakes at the restaurant. She glared at him fiercely, and Lu Ping’an didn’t say a word.
However, shortly after Lu Ping’an returned to his own room, he encountered an unexpected visitor right outside his door.
"...What brings You here?"
"Haha, we in the Church don’t care for all that pomp, just call me Gan Qianyun."
When this eighth-tier Mr. Emcee came to block his door, Lu Ping’an was somewhat surprised.
This man was the true busybody, the controller of the entire ceremony and the Secret Realm, as well as the avatar of the Deity’s will... Here, this "White Martial Face" Gan Qianyun could even be considered a third of the Domineering Three Faces.
And his visit was obviously for business, but it immediately put Lu Ping’an on edge."
"...Young man, I personally advise you to give up on this competition and just turn around and run for your life."
This time, Lu Ping’an actually laughed.
Clearly, this Big Boss had something to say.
"Of course, I also know that at your level, simply giving up without a fight must be hard to accept. My Lord is willing to bestow upon you a Decree-level Divine Grace..."
Lu Ping’an simply shook his head silently. He knew this was just a formal gesture, utterly insincere.
The other party certainly knew that as a "Front Line" candidate for future Life-based professionals, Lu Ping’an would not choose to drop out without a significant reason.
Decree-level Divine Grace? While not bad, if he could get more and better...
"Indeed, if you keep fighting, your chances of winning aren’t low. The champion should emerge from six or seven persons, and your odds are at least in the top three."
At this moment, facing the surprising "Martial Destiny" on the junior before him, Gan Qianyun had to marvel at the fearsomeness of the younger generation.
This young man seemed to have figured out the mechanics of the Secret Realm... From Gan Qianyun’s perspective, there were probably only three or four people who could pose a threat to Lu Ping’an.
And getting such a "Championship Candidate" to withdraw from the competition was naturally not a simple matter.
"Last night, several groups boarded the ship, and they were all targeting you."
Alright, that explained everything.
"Tsk, they move fast..."
"Of course, this is an opportunity for them. Suppressed by My Lord, non-Fighting Series powers are greatly weakened within this Secret Realm, and your data... shows that you have almost no Fighter Profession, is that right?"
"Yes... I haven’t even been in this profession for a month. But I’m Life system, and among my Magic Pets, there are Fighters of no small proficiency, so, you understand."
Lu Ping’an spoke of the complete and true information, but if the news really spread out, it would create a severe "misunderstanding."
This version of the answer suggests that Lu Ping’an didn’t quickly learn those skills through his talent and abilities, but instead, he acquired them with the unique capabilities of his Magic Pet from the Life system... The essential difference in this claim is "unreplicability," Lu Ping’an aimed to lower the threat he posed in the eyes of his opponents.
And by informing Priest Gan, he was misleading his opponents through official channels... Whether they believe it or not, that’s another story.
"...Youngsters are truly fearsome. But clearly, your enemies won’t give you the time to develop. They see this as an opportunity..."
Lu Ping’an "came alone" to this isolated sea, where no help could reach him, and his "majority of abilities" were still suppressed by the rules of the Secret Realm, which was naturally the time he was theoretically weakest.
So, hiring some assassins and professionals from the Fighting Series to eliminate him at the lowest cost was nothing out of the ordinary...
"This is My Lord’s annual celebration, and we don’t intend to turn it into a tool for murder..."
That’s why the scene before us unfolded, with Gan someone directly urging Lu Ping’an to escape and promising to let him take his current harvest and give an extra Divine Grace.
But perhaps, Gan someone also guessed that Lu Ping’an would not accept.
"Let them come, who’s afraid of whom..."
"That’s the point, My Lord is the ’God of Martial Fight,’ not the ’God of Private Fight.’ We will prevent private duels to the death, but Martial Fights, especially high-level ones glorified by My Lord..."
"A ceremony of life and death?"
"Yes, they have all issued you a ceremony of life and death, but technically, we cannot refuse to accept it... so, it’s best you escape now before accepting."
Just like in the past, Mr. Knight, who bolstered the rules of the Dueling God, his "Dueling Rules" were the fundamental rules of the Secret Realm, allowing anyone to issue a duel challenge to an individual.
In the past, because of this rule, Lu Ping’an was intercepted quite a bit.
And this God of Martial Fight has a similar set of rules.
Technically, it is now the time for the festival, which takes precedence over all duels to the death... but the "ceremony of life and death" is different; it’s a foundational rule of the God of Martial Fight.
"Ceremony of life and death, the victor lives, the vanquished dies..."
A very simple and direct "ceremony," yet it’s the most primal and fundamental concept of "Martial Fight."
The two opposing parties stake everything, both the result of the fight and their lives.
Of course, the vanquished could forfeit... but that’s tantamount to losing everything.
Clearly, the assassins who arrived employed the rules to initiate a "ceremony of life and death" against Lu Ping’an, and the organizers, who didn’t want the event to become a tool for revenge, came to inform Lu Ping’an privately of the news.
But in all respects, this was a kind of "friendly expression"...
"...Do they have Rule-level powers?"
"No, those of the Rule-level don’t need to take advantage; they’d block you directly."
"Then it’s nothing to worry about, arrange it for me."
Lu Ping’an was surprisingly calm, and his acceptance of reality also excited Gan someone.
If it was just to notify him or suggest that Lu Ping’an should escape, there’d be no need for such a busy man to come in person.
"Then, we have a suggestion. See, the remaining contestants aren’t too exciting; why don’t we change the format of the competition to make it completely lively..."
After getting Lu Ping’an’s approval, Gan someone left with a smile.
In his view, this unexpected factor might make the upcoming performance exceptionally thrilling.
And in Lu Ping’an’s view, turning an assassination attempt from stealth to overt was also a good thing.
But from now on, every fight would likely leave no room for retreat...
"Every ceremony, staking everything including one’s life, I really can’t lose a single one... Heh, in some way, isn’t this ’my rule’?"
Lu Ping’an looked up, vaguely seeing the road to heaven, and all along the road, were the bones of those who had fallen.
— End of Chapter 1048 —