Ye Xiu shot Hong'er a look that held no warmth. "With the little bit you've got, you think you can learn martial arts like those folks? You'd only be throwing your life away, and all you have is that one sword."

"Should I rely on you!" Hong'er waved her hand in front of her nose. "Who knows how many steamed buns some dummy can eat in the morning, smelling like a whole basket of them."

Ye Xiu shrugged helplessly. He could only blame those buns for being so delicious. Still, an interesting show was about to unfold here.

The crowd converged on a large training ground within the city and then dispersed, a vibrant mix of spear-wielders, sabre-fighters, and swordsmen. The atmosphere was heavy, thick with the scent of imminent slaughter.

After a loud, rolling drumbeat, the Wei functionary from yesterday, dressed in slightly extravagant attire, stepped to the center of the platform. He addressed the assembly: "Esteemed heroes, we are gathered today. The martial contest is about to begin. I hope some discerning individuals among you will consent to serve our Lord."

"Our Lord?" Ye Xiu knew exactly what this man was about. He casually approached a short fellow nearby holding a staff and inquired, "Who is this Master Wei's master? What kind of thing is this 'Lord'?"

"Are you kidding me!" The short man immediately raised his sleeve and said with solemnity, "How could I possibly know!"

"Then..." Ye Xiu truly wanted to land a punch on him. "Then why bring weapons? Are you here to actually fight?"

"To earn a living, same as many brothers here," the short man declared righteously. "Once you enter the Functionary's estate, there's food and drink aplenty. Why bother asking about Lords and such? You really don't get the picture."

Ye Xiu tapped his lips lightly. It made sense; these fellows clearly lacked any grand ambition.

"Now, the contest begins. Whoever remains standing on this platform at the end is the victor; might makes right," the Wei functionary announced before quickly retreating below the platform, sipping tea with keen interest.

"Yaaaargh! I'll kill you!" A huge man wielding dual axes lumbered clumsily onto the stage, bellowing, "Who wants a taste of this big axe of mine!"

"Skinny fellow, don't get cocky. Watch this move from your elder!" Another powerfully built man clambered up, his weapon a fearsome spiked club.

Damn, Ye Xiu grinned. Turns out they were both strength-based combatants. This would be a sight to see; they were fighting with real blades.

The axe-wielder roared in fury, and the spiked-club man answered with his own bellow. The cacophony of roars drowned out the audience's cheers—how exhilarating.

"Fight! Hit him! Take him down!" Finally, someone's patience snapped, and they urged them on.

The axe-wielder charged without preamble, aiming a blow straight for the spiked-club man's head. But alas, length has its advantage; the club-wielder casually swept his weapon, sending the former spitting blood as he flew off the dueling platform.

"Yaaaargh!" He was laughing so hard his face split, completely failing to notice a brute with a massive hammer climbing onto the stage behind him. One swing of the hammer, and the laughing man was also sent flying into the stands.

"Ohoho!" The hammer-wielder crowed in triumph. But then, a smaller man wielding dual hammers sprang up behind him, and within three swift blows, the hammer-wielder was left spitting teeth and searching the ground.

"You still aren't dead!" Fortune turned. The dual-hammer man laughed maniacally, but suddenly, a figure soared upward and landed a Foshan Shadowless Kick. The dual-hammer man also crashed down.

"Yaaaargh!" He laughed again...

Ye Xiu groaned, clutching his head in utter frustration. This wasn't a martial contest; it was just a farce where people took turns getting themselves killed.

And so, the ground saw this rotation of combatants fighting for a very, very long time. Ye Xiu was already drowsy enough to lean against Hong'er’s shoulder to sleep.

"Hey! Hey! Wake up and look at this powerful person on the platform!" Suddenly, Hong'er yanked Ye Xiu's ear, nearly ripping it off. "Hurry up!"

"Who is it, so amazing? Just another brute, right?" Ye Xiu felt this was all just a sideshow; true martial artists wouldn't participate in this pointless nonsense.

Good heavens, the man currently on the stage was tall and imposing, wielding a massive heavy sword and angrily berating everyone below. Just look at his hair—a wild mess in the wind; his stubble—decidedly ragged; those melancholy eyes, even his nose hair was showing, and perhaps even his underarm hair—a truly melancholic, unique man.

"Who else dares to face my Xiang Yu!" The man's voice almost pierced the entire training ground, silencing anyone below into immobility. "Come on, if you want to die, get up here! My hands are itching for a fight."

Xiang Yu? Ye Xiu's eyes widened in shock. Could this be the legendary Hegemon-King of Western Chu? Why did he look so downtrodden? He possessed dominance, certainly, but none of the aura of a true king.

"I refuse to submit!" At this moment, a figure danced gracefully, seemingly about to fly onto the stage. The man's qinggong was superb. As he leaped up, before he even fully landed, Xiang Yu kicked him down. Holy cow!

"I come!" Suddenly, another fellow jumped up, and similarly, before he could steady himself, Xiang Yu kicked him down.

"Good!" The Wei functionary cheered excitedly. "This warrior is truly formidable; this is the man I've been looking for."

He did look quite formidable. Ye Xiu admitted this Xiang Yu had some skill, despite his rather unconventional appearance. Perhaps he should step up and test this fellow himself.

"Who else! Come up! Are you cowards?" Xiang Yu seemed invigorated. With a powerful roar, he ripped his already tattered clothes even further—another brute like the others.

Ye Xiu cupped his chin and thought deeply. Shouldn't Xiang Yu be a wanted criminal right now? Or perhaps leading an uprising with his elder, Xiang Liang? How was he here? This was amusing; maybe he should go up and try him out.

"Go on, aren't you supposed to be good at fighting?" Hong'er, sensing Ye Xiu’s thoughts, kept goading him. "Go! If you win, I’ll treat you to beef tonight!"

"..." Ye Xiu ignored Hong'er and roared loudly through the crowd, "I'm coming! All of you clear out! Don't let my momentum drop."

This shout, full of spirit, made the people blocking the way momentarily startle. Without a word, they automatically made a path, turning to stare at Ye Xiu: "Wow, that kid is too arrogant. He's walking straight to his death."

Ye Xiu made no other move. He rested one hand behind his back on his sword, head bowed deeply, chewing on the steamed bun he hadn't finished earlier.

He cautiously glanced at the people around him, then smiled at Hong'er. "Am I handsome, your husband?"

"Hmph!" Hong'er dismissed Ye Xiu's actions as mere craziness, deliberately making such a huge scene just to cause trouble. "Be careful yourself."

Xiang Yu, feeling instantly slighted on the stage, was naturally displeased. He raised his great sword and roared, "What little brat dares stand there? Come up and quickly beg for death."

"What the hell are you?" Ye Xiu had assumed this was just a friendly spar, where striking a cool pose was enough. He hadn't expected to infuriate Xiang Yu. Now it seemed he'd have to use his real skills.

Ye Xiu's movement was light, his stance impressive. As he neared the stage, he executed a series of small steps, leaped up intending to land on one foot—but the stage was too high. He failed to jump up and had to settle for awkwardly walking up.

"Hahahaha!" The crowd erupted in laughter, even Hong'er couldn't help herself. "So silly!"

"What jumping clown are you? You are not worthy to be my opponent," Xiang Yu grew even more smug, speaking without restraint. "Grandpa will chop you into dust with one swing."

"Why are you roaring! Roaring!" Ye Xiu took a heavy breath, recovering from his earlier faux pas. He realized this Xiang Yu was indeed just a reckless brute who only knew how to fight; how could such a person possibly defeat Liu Bang?

"Come, boy!" Xiang Yu took his stance, sword pointed directly at Ye Xiu. "Let's fight!"

Ye Xiu steadied himself and adopted a Sanshou stance. Although he always considered himself a master swordsman, in no actual fight had he ever used his sword to dispatch an opponent while fully conscious. Therefore, his primary attacks relied on Sanshou and Muay Thai.

Xiang Yu looked furious upon seeing this. He planted his feet wide and charged forward, constantly cursing, "I don't believe you can stand against my eighty-pound heavy sword today!"

"How much? Eighty pounds!" Ye Xiu almost lost the strength in his hands upon hearing that. Damn it, did these ancients really possess such strength? Wielding an eighty-pound sword with two hands just to swing and hack at people—that was truly the legendary might of a mountain-toppling, spirit-surpassing hero! It was like bringing a whole person to a fight!

"Hah! Take my sword!" Xiang Yu swung both hands, and the sword, which had been in mid-air, instantly struck toward Ye Xiu's head. "Die!"

Ye Xiu’s vision went black, feeling as if a mountain had collapsed. He barely managed to dodge the strike and tried to kick Xiang Yu's lower body.

Unfortunately, Xiang Yu was no novice in martial skill. The kick landed, but it felt like a gnat trying to shake a great tree. Could it be that today he would actually lose to this brute, Xiang Yu?

"Again!" Xiang Yu brought his sword down in another devastating blow, about to strike true.

"Whoosh..." Suddenly, a gentle breeze brushed past Ye Xiu’s ear. The sound was incredibly distinct. Why could he hear the wind? He shook his head; this wasn't the time to focus on the wind. Looking straight ahead, the sword tip was less than a meter, less than half a meter, from his chest. Looking sideways, he saw the spectators cheering for Xiang Yu. Why did the opening and closing of their palms seem so slow? Why hadn't Xiang Yu's sword pierced him after such a long wait?

Time had slowed down. How could this be!

Ye Xiu glanced at the Purple Wind Chain on his left hand; a faint mist seemed to be enveloping it.

Had the magical artifact activated? Ye Xiu couldn't believe his eyes. Xiang Yu's sword was already right against his chest. He naturally threw both hands backward, just like Keanu Reeves in The Matrix, easily dodging the strike.