Chapter 99

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Chapter 99: No Witnesses Left

The Burly Man trembled violently and blurted, "Fang Lie, don’t frame me! How could I cheat under everyone’s watch?"

"Hmph!" Fang Lie glared. "A third-tier combat puppet and two third-tier treasures! You chased me for nearly half an hour as a mere Qi Sea cultivator, even casting Snowflakes Across a Thousand Miles Dao magic! I’d collapse from exhaustion even after boosting my Magic tenfold with Explosion Qi Technique. How does someone at my cultivation level have such reserves?"

The Burly Man froze.

Murmurs erupted from the crowd: "That’s right! His Magic’s unnatural!"

"Cheating for sure!"

"Did he swallow pills secretly?"

Regaining composure, the Burly Man shouted, "Where’s your evidence, Fang Lie? You can’t accuse without proof!"

"Enough!" Fang Lie snapped. "Your Magic multiplied tenfold – that’s proof enough! Explain yourself or I’ll let the flames consume you!"

"You can’t force my secrets!" the Burly Man protested.

"Secrets that break rules aren’t secrets!" Fang Lie retorted.

Defeated in argument, the Burly Man turned to the referee. "I surrendered! Why won’t you stop him? Heal me!"

The referee forced a bitter smile. "I declare Fang Lie victorious. But the protective array ignores my healing requests."

"What? Why?" The Burly Man paled.

The referee silently pointed at Fang Lie. Understanding dawned – the Benevolence Token Lord’s special privileges had blocked the array.

"Fang Lie!" the Burly Man roared. "Must you destroy me completely?"

"You cheated to kill me first," Fang Lie countered coldly. "Now face the consequences."

"Fine! I cheated! Spare me!" The Burly Man’s voice cracked.

"Who helped you?" Fang Lie pressed. "No Qi Sea or Golden Pool cultivator could do this alone."

The Burly Man’s eyes widened. "Meeting you was eight lifetimes of cursed luck!"

Crack! His palm smashed into his skull. Brains splattered across the ground.

The crowd gasped in confusion. Fang Lie understood – powerful backers made the man choose death over betrayal.

"Cheap way out," Fang Lie spat before flying off without acknowledging the Ascending Immortal Tower’s observers. The Ice and Fire Poison Dragon squad followed.

Homebound, after playing with younger siblings, Fang Huo exclaimed, "Big Brother! You beat a cheater! Are you invincible now?"

"Don’t jest." Fang Lie sighed. "I cheated too, technically."

Though the old bird hadn’t acted, its whispered guidance during the battle had been crucial – another form of deception.

But since the other side cheated first, Fang Lie didn’t feel guilty.

Fang Huo and the others gaped at Fang Lie in disbelief. Ice Second Brother blurted, "Big Brother, how did you cheat? We couldn’t spot anything!"

"Even the Referee and elders in Ascending Immortal Tower didn’t notice," Longxing Tianxia added. "Your technique’s beyond incredible!"

Fang Lie sighed heavily. "It’s complicated. A master pointed me in the right direction – no external tools involved. But still… feels underhanded." His shoulders slumped slightly.

"Hey! They cheated first!" Ice Second Brother protested. "This is self-defense!"

"Exactly!" Fang Huo slammed his fist. "Too bad that Burly Man died protecting his boss. We’ll never catch the real culprit now!"

Longxing Tianxia crossed his arms. "Whoever’s behind this has powerful connections. Want us to investigate?"

"Don’t!" Fang Lie cut him off. "You’d get killed for nothing. Two trials down, one to go. Once I enter inner gate and claim Benevolence Token, I’ll handle this myself."

The group nodded obediently.

"Big Brother," Fang Huo changed subjects, "that beat-up Pill Furnace is healing well. Surface cracks vanished, divine script Formations working… but…"

"But what?"

"It’s too basic. Ancient alchemy Formations mean terrible efficiency and fire timing. Can you upgrade it?"

Fang Lie scratched his head. "Not sure if possible. Let’s table this until after the trials."

As Fang Huo agreed, Longxing Tianxia spoke up. "Gentle Breeze Tower’s Steward positions stay empty. Outer disciples flock here for sect missions now. Your reputation surpasses the Clan Leader’s!"

"Empty fame." Fang Lie chuckled. "But why no Stewards? Those posts used to cause blood feuds!"

"Because of you!" Longxing Tianxia grinned. "Stewards need to bribe their way in, then recoup losses by skimming rewards. With you watching? Too risky. No takers."

Fang Lie laughed. "Will we never have Stewards again?"

"Not anytime soon." Longxing Tianxia frowned. "Good for fairness, bad for overcrowding. Limited missions can’t satisfy everyone. Fights already break out daily."

Ice Second Brother nodded. "If this continues, outer gate brothers will resent us. Need solutions!"

Fang Lie groaned. "Why’s this my problem?"

"You’re our leader!" Ice Second Brother insisted. "We owe these disciples favors. Can’t abandon them!"

"Fine." Fang Lie stroked his chin. "The world runs on profit. Announce this: I’ll prioritize alchemy requests from those posting high-reward sect missions at Gentle Breeze Tower."

Ice Second Brother jumped up. "Brilliant! Mo Sect will flood us with missions!"

"Wait," Longxing Tianxia grabbed his arm. "Our spirit pills stockpile’s low. I’ll help."

Mao Mao stood too. "Need to inspect spirit herb quality."

As the trio left, Fang Huo headed to the Pill Furnace. "Focus on cultivation, Big Brother. Crush that final trial!"

Alone at last, Fang Lie retreated for closed-door training.