Chapter 73: The Showdown

The arena occupied the very center of the first deck’s grand hall. The duel between these two had stirred such a commotion that, before their arrival, the ship’s owner had already cleared the space in anticipation. The arena itself was square, with luminous crystals embedded at each corner. These special crystals, through mirrored reflection, formed a wall of light sensitive only to phantom energy. This wall could absorb abilities cast by phantoms below the level of a spirit phantomer, serving as a unique protective barrier; it isolated the conflict within the arena, allowing the audience to witness the dazzling battle firsthand without any concern for their own safety.

It was clear the ship’s owner had invested heavily in this arena.

Aisha was the first to step onto the platform, looking down at Shen Duo from her elevated position with unconcealed disdain.

Shen Duo, her slender and strikingly delicate face set in a cold expression, also entered the ring. The standard phantomer’s robe she wore had been bought in haste and hung loosely on her, emphasizing her frail and petite stature.

The onlookers shook their heads, some of the more soft-hearted female phantomers even calling up from below to urge her to surrender. Otherwise, the orbs of phantom energy would show no mercy, and it would be a shame for a young girl to lose an arm or a leg.

Such an unprecedented mismatch in rank drew virtually every passenger from the “Sailing Star.” Some even set up a betting pool nearby: a bet on Shen Duo offered odds of one to a hundred, while a wager on Aisha was even money. As expected, nearly all the passengers put their money on Aisha—Shen Duo’s side didn’t attract even a single copper coin.

Feng Jun strode up to the betting table, pulled a cloth pouch from his storage ring, and tossed it onto Shen Duo’s side. The clink of gold coins inside caught the attention of the staffer tallying the bets, who opened the pouch and stared at him with incredulity. “Are you sure you want to bet on her to win, young master?”

Feng Jun glanced back, confirming Shen Duo’s name on the betting slip. “My eyes are quite good—I know what I’m doing.” With that, he went to find a prime spot to watch the coming duel.

The staff member could only shake his head in disbelief. “If you’re really that foolish and rich, there’s nothing I can do. Who wouldn’t take your money?” He clutched the pouch, his eyes gleaming as he dreamed of pocketing all that gold.

In the arena, the two girls stood at opposite ends—one cold and exquisite, the other delicate and arrogantly proud.

Aisha let out a contemptuous laugh, and a sphere of green phantom energy gathered effortlessly in her right hand. She hurled it at Shen Duo. “Since you’re so eager to die, who am I to stop you? Remember, next time, be born a genius—don’t waste your life as a nobody!”

Many of the phantomers in the audience shut their eyes. A girl who couldn’t even emanate a trace of phantom energy, struck by a grand phantomer’s energy orb—there was no way she could survive. There might not even be a body left!

Aisha’s orb transformed into a net, heavy with oppressive force. Any ordinary phantomer would be frozen in place under such pressure. But Shen Duo was no ordinary phantomer. In fact, she wasn’t a phantomer at all—she was a high-level sword spirit!

With effortless agility, she dodged aside, and the net of phantom energy grazed past her, crashing into the wall of light and vanishing.

What?

The audience could hardly believe their eyes. Some even pinched their neighbors’ legs in disbelief. “Did I see that right—is this an illusion?”

“Damn it, that hurt! How could it be fake?”

The previously subdued atmosphere erupted with excitement at Shen Duo’s nimble dodge.

Aisha stared at her wide-eyed, demanding loudly, “You clearly have no phantom energy—how did you evade my attack?”

Shen Duo only smiled faintly, offering no reply.

Never before had Aisha been so blatantly ignored. Her pretty face twisted with rage as she gathered all her phantom energy into her hands. With an angry shout, her energy orb blazed with light, transforming into hundreds of green leaves that sliced toward Shen Duo from all directions.

The emerald leaves flew at blistering speed, sharp enough to seem as though they could cleave through steel. The spectators gasped repeatedly. To gather phantom energy and instantly disperse it into thousands of tangible attacks—this was a feat only a spirit phantomer could achieve. And yet, Aisha was only a five-star grand phantomer. She had already glimpsed the next level; only the accumulation of phantom energy within her body remained before she could advance directly to spirit phantomer, bypassing the typical barriers. Such comprehension was rare—perhaps one in a thousand.

In an instant, hundreds of leaf blades were about to strike Shen Duo’s slender form. The audience began to sweat in anticipation. Just as they were certain she’d be pierced like a beehive, Shen Duo’s right hand flicked several times. With each movement, arcs of radiant green light sliced through the air, forming a closed barrier around her. Every blade of leaf struck the shield and dissolved into nothingness.

When the audience forced their eyes wide enough to see the scene clearly, Shen Duo was already standing firm, her right hand gripping a longsword that shimmered with green light.

The black robe, the neatly tied ponytail, the strikingly cold and beautiful face—Shen Duo now appeared utterly transformed in the eyes of the crowd. Few could gauge her true strength, but an instinctive sense of her power took hold of them all.

At last, Aisha’s expression changed. She no longer underestimated the girl before her. Even a fool would realize by now that her opponent was a swordswoman—very likely a high-level one.

On the spiral staircase to the second floor, a lone figure stood watching. His lower face was wrapped in coarse gray cloth, a deep scar across his forehead half-hidden by a long fringe, and a massive sword slung across his back. He watched the girl in the arena, eyes flashing with excitement.

Aisha was done holding back. She raised her hand and summoned her contracted beast from the phantom beast space. A creature the size of a turkey appeared at her side. This insect sported a long, needle-sharp proboscis, iron-gray wings, and multiple sets of eyes on both its head and underbelly—it was truly hideous.

Shen Duo’s faint brows creased in distaste. She’d never seen such an ugly beast before—Aisha’s sense of aesthetics was appalling.

As soon as Aisha released her beast, those in the know began to whisper. This unsightly insect was a one-star sacred phantom beast—a sandworm, wind element. Males were average, but females were notoriously vicious, and their skills were downright revolting…

At that moment, both Ben Yi and Yu Sha were diligently training in the phantom beast space. Yu Sha, having glanced at Aisha earlier, had only sneered, dismissing her as Shen Duo’s problem. He couldn’t even be bothered to speak to her—she was so weak, she didn’t even merit the swipe of a tiger’s paw.