Chapter 152: The Flames of War Loom

The banquet hall was engulfed in silence, the one hundred million viewers watching the live broadcast all feeling as if their hearts might stop, their breaths nearly halted in tension. Every gaze was fixed intently on Le Kai.

Le Kai closed his eyes briefly, then slowly opened them. The anger in his eyes had vanished completely. Facing the other’s sharp, blade-like glare, he uttered a line that stunned everyone: “You say challenge, so challenge it is. Just who do you think you are?”

For a martial artist, honor outweighed life itself. Every practitioner of the martial way held honor as sacred as their own existence. When confronted by a relentless foe, only cowards would choose to retreat. Le Kai’s behavior was nothing short of an insult to the very title of ‘martial artist.’

Yet unexpectedly, the crowd watching the broadcast erupted with excitement, shouting loudly in support.

“Who does that arrogant Xi Bao think he is? He says challenge, so challenge! Why listen to him? Our Le Kai is truly bold and cool!”

“Haha, no wonder he’s my idol! Xi Bao’s nothing; ignore him!”

“Carrying a sword and yet claiming to offer others a chance to challenge—how shameless can Xi Bao be?”

…

Le Kai’s response did not surprise Li Yanlan or the others in the slightest. This was simply his style: always seizing the initiative, never letting the opponent lead by the nose.

“You… as a martial artist, how can you be so shameless? Coward, coward! You’re not worthy to compete for the spot with us.”

According to Imperial law, Le Kai did not carry a blade, so he could not force a challenge—thus, all Xi Bao could do was curse angrily.

Such crude behavior lacked any noble grace, causing many of the young ladies who had previously stepped forward to express affection to shrink back in silent shame.

“Yan’er, what do you think we should do?”

Unexpectedly, Le Kai turned to Li Yan with a gentle inquiry.

Li Yan was caught off guard by his public question, her cheeks flushing, yet she responded firmly: “Endless fighting solves nothing; peace is the true path. Le Kai, if you keep getting into brawls with riffraff, I won’t pay you any more mind.”

Li Yan’s words stunned everyone present.

Especially Xi Bao, who nearly exploded with rage. In her words, he was the very definition of that ‘riffraff.’

“Le Kai, you spineless coward! Always hiding behind women? If you have the guts, accept my challenge and fight like a man!”

Le Kai gave Li Yan a helpless look and said, “Yan’er, you heard him. It’s not that I don’t love peace, but he’s desperate for death, begging repeatedly. You know me—I’m kind-hearted and can’t bear to see anyone begging. Since he’s so eager to die, why not grant him his wish once?”

Le Kai’s sincere expression and earnest tone, combined with his adorable, obedient demeanor, made his biting words sound strangely fitting. It made people feel as though he was truly doing a kindness.

Xi Bao was about to lose his mind. A murderous glint flashed in his eyes as his hand flew to the hilt of his sword, ready to draw and slay Le Kai.

But a cold snort exploded in his ear: “Xi Bao, do you want to die so badly that you can’t wait a moment longer?”

Sweat drenched Xi Bao’s body as he gripped the sword hilt, veins bulging, trembling uncontrollably.

Li Yan shot Le Kai a coquettish glare and said, “You men and your endless fighting—I’m done with it.”

With that, she strode directly to Lanceka’s side.

Le Kai sighed helplessly and turned solemnly to Xi Bao: “Xi Bao, by your actions, you should have died a hundred or a thousand times over. But Heaven has mercy. I intended to give you a chance to reform. Since you refuse, no one can blame me. How about this: in half a month’s time, I happen to be free in the evening, so I’ll take care of you then.”

Le Kai spoke arrogantly with a playful tone and innocent expression. All present wore strange looks, clearly displeased with his arrogance. Yet the viewers watching the broadcast had gone completely mad, loudly cheering for Le Kai.

With casual ease, he exposed the once lofty Xi Bao’s disgrace, demonstrating intelligence and grace. Such a perfect hero was the true idol!

This striking contrast clearly stemmed from the long-standing social class conflicts. At this moment, by virtue of his identity, Le Kai stood firmly with the one hundred million second-class citizens. Seeing their fellow commoners outshine the high aristocrats, they felt a sense of pride and vindication. It was not just Le Kai’s personal charm; it was a spiritual sustenance.

This demonstrated the importance of spiritual leaders to a people.

In this regard, the Blood Wolf Emperor and the Nine Great Emperors of the Starry Sky had undoubtedly reached the pinnacle. Though they had vanished for countless millennia, their legends never ceased. Each became a spiritual icon in their respective star systems, adored by billions, enduring through the ages.

Xi Bao stared daggers at Le Kai. If looks could kill, Le Kai would have died over ten thousand times by now. He made no effort to conceal his hostility, desperate for Le Kai’s death.

“Le Kai, you finally dare to accept my challenge? Good. I’ll let you live a few more days. Half a month from now, on your savage people’s New Year’s Day, you’ve chosen that cursed day to die. Clearly, you’re prepared. How could I refuse such a small wish?”

Xi Bao grinned and began to taunt. He was no less skilled with words than Le Kai.

After speaking, he turned proudly and strode away, disdainfully ignoring even the most basic courtesies, never once glancing at Lanceka.

With his departure, the atmosphere finally eased somewhat. Yet few remained close to Le Kai.

What shocked all the nobles was that the evening’s protagonists showed no interest in the many fluttering beauties around them. Instead, they were captivated by the young Le Kai.

One target, Xi Bao, swept his sleeves and left. Another, Li Xiuxiang, seemed to ignore everyone entirely. Now, the last target, Hua Wu, lifted his wine glass and elegantly approached Le Kai.

Everyone’s hearts tightened. The rivalry between Hua Keqiang and Lanceka was well-known among the nobles. Was Hua Wu’s move meant to strike a final blow?

But to everyone’s surprise, Le Kai showed no coldness at Hua Wu’s approach. He raised his wine glass and smiled kindly.

“Hua Brother, if you want to challenge, you’ll have to wait another half month. But if it’s for a drink, I’m happy to join you.”

Hua Wu’s icy face remained unreadable, yet he raised his glass in a distant salute and downed it in one gulp, embodying coldness and boldness to perfection. This immediately drew gasps from a crowd of swooning maidens.

Le Kai drank deeply as well but said nothing, while Hua Wu silently turned and left.

“This is interesting. Hua Wu truly conceals his skills—he’s a master!” Le Kai thought grimly.

The other’s demeanor and magnanimity were clearly on a different level than Xi Bao’s. Such a master was truly formidable.

Li Xiuxiang looked at Le Kai and asked, “Le brother, do you have something on your mind?”

Le Kai smiled bitterly. “Anyone would be upset to have a wild dog like Xi Bao on their tail.”

Li Xiuxiang narrowed his phoenix eyes. “I don’t see any sign of nervousness from you. It seems you’re a bit disappointed in Xi Bao. Why is that?”

Li Xiuxiang’s intuition was terrifyingly sharp. Le Kai was taken aback, unable to hide his smile.

“Brother Li, your insight is remarkable. I’m impressed. This is hardly a place for such talk. Shall we move somewhere private?”

Li Xiuxiang smiled faintly. “I was just thinking the same.”

“Uncle Lan, you should come along!” Le Kai invited the surprised Lanceka. The three followed him into a private chamber.

This chamber was specially constructed by Lanceka to block all spiritual detection, and of course, no electronic surveillance could penetrate it. Here, they needn’t worry about eavesdropping or monitoring by the Cosmic Divine Network.

What Lanceka could never have anticipated was that, at this moment, the little steward Xianxian from Blue Star and the other 107 planets was right inside Le Kai’s consciousness space!

After much consideration, Le Kai decided to drag Li Xiuxiang into the matter. After all, the affair of the evil cultivation was too grave. With his own strength, he could barely handle it. Since there was someone here overflowing with a sense of justice but with nowhere to vent it, why not?

Seeing Le Kai so serious, even Li Xiuxiang focused intently. He vaguely sensed Le Kai’s spiritual fluctuations but could not pinpoint the anomaly. Clearly, something extraordinary was afoot.

Le Kai skipped over the matter of Sang Qing and instead laid bare the recent deeds of the Xi family, including the evil cultivation.

Neither Lanceka nor Li Xiuxiang was surprised that Le Kai had slain a one-star martial artist, but the revelation that Xi Bao was an evil cultivator shocked them deeply. After all, evil cultivation was said to exist only in legend, seldom seen. Moreover, under the righteous path’s suppression, such practitioners hid themselves well and rarely emerged.

For such a decaying planet to harbor evil cultivation was astonishing. Evil cultivators used blood and life to refine their power. If left unchecked, this planet would become their hunting ground.

Li Xiuxiang frowned. “Le brother, are you certain?”

Le Kai’s voice was grave. “One hundred percent certain. Moreover, this evil cultivator practices both soul and weapon cultivation—extremely dangerous.”

Lanceka was shocked. “Earlier at the venue, Xi Bao tried to make a move but was secretly stopped by the principal. Even the principal didn’t notice anything unusual. How is that possible?”

The one who had secretly restrained Xi Bao was none other than Lan Kai.

Le Kai said, “This matter remains top secret. Very few know. Although Xi Bao’s strength doesn’t match my expectations, there is no doubt the ‘Bloodstain Blade’ is with him.”