Chapter 203: A Complete Fool

The audience was simultaneously amazed at the enormous profits of the materials merchant and envious of the Laurel family's immense wealth.

From a distance, Imperius laughed heartily, "One hundred and sixty thousand gold coins is just enough to support a private armed force the size of the Firebird guard for a year. If Laurel Madam spent that money on building a private armed force, even if it's not as good as the Firebird guard, it would be better than buying a shield. Although the shield has ten added attributes, it's still just a wooden shield."

"What's even more pathetic is..." Trevor added from beside him, "That shield is about to become real rotten wood."

Imperius gasped, turning to Trevor in confusion, "Lord Trevor, you seem to have a lot of faith in that kid. How about we make a bet? If Rayan fails to shatter that Frost Shield, you give me your obsidian sword. If Rayan manages to shatter it, I'll give you my flame spear."

Trevor's face remained expressionless. "I never gamble."

Imperius sneered, about to say that Trevor also didn't believe in Rayan, but before he could, Trevor continued, "But if someone is giving away their famous weapon for free, of course, I won't refuse."

Imperius was stunned, not immediately understanding what Trevor meant. He blinked twice before he realized and then laughed out loud, "Everyone says Lord Trevor is the Iron-blooded Commander, as stubborn as a rock that even Holy Light can't break. Who knew Lord Trevor could make jokes?"

"I'm not joking."

Trevor reached down, unfastened his obsidian sword from his waist, and plunged the blade into the sand beside his black armored war horse's hoof. "Your turn, Lord Imperius."

Imperius was shocked. He had proposed betting their famous weapons, thinking Trevor would never agree. He had never imagined Trevor would accept.

Though he was not as highly ranked in Battle Qi as Trevor, Imperius had a long-standing reputation in Stonerock City, older even than Trevor's. Words, once spoken, were like water spilled out — there was no taking them back. He pursed his lips, twirled his spear in his wrist, and smoothly planted it next to the obsidian sword.

"Lord Trevor, you are sure to lose."

Trevor did not respond, only giving a faint smile and focusing his attention back on Rayan.

Meanwhile, as Trevor and Imperius were betting, Rayan inquired about the price of the Oak Frost Shield.

"One hundred and sixty thousand gold coins..."

Rayan nodded thoughtfully, "That sounds like a lot. How about this: you give me one hundred thousand gold coins, and I won't break your shield. How does that sound?"

The fat knight was so furious his nose almost crooked. If he wasn't afraid of giving Rayan an opportunity, he would have jumped and cursed loudly.

"One hundred thousand gold coins!? That's daylight robbery! You're nothing but a robber! I say, it was divine justice when the prostitutes of Stonerock City tied you to a bed, stole your lineage document, and reduced you to an ordinary Oath Knight!"

"Think whatever you like."

Rayan was indifferent to the fat knight's opinion. "Give me a hundred thousand, or you lose a hundred and sixty thousand. If you do the math, paying a hundred thousand is still worth it."

"You're dreaming!"

The fat knight gritted his teeth. "Why should I pay a hundred thousand for my own thing?"

Rayan sighed helplessly, "A complete fool."

With that, the orange Battle Qi and black sword gang power instantly converged on the Crow Sword, causing the atmosphere in the arena to change dramatically.

The fat knight shivered involuntarily and quickly summoned his not-so-skilled Eighth Tier Battle Qi, channeling all his Battle Qi into the Oak Frost Shield.

The ten layers of ice attributes displayed a remarkable effect under the Battle Qi, sweeping through the arena with winter-like coldness that made every spectator feel chilled to the bone.

A thick layer of dark blue ice crystals formed on the shield's surface. Moreover, the entire plane subtly hinted at a towering ice wall, impenetrable from any angle.

Rayan cleared his mind of all distractions, focusing solely on the tip of the Crow Sword.

He couldn't use Blood Crow Strike because it was a group attack skill, unable to control the focus of each hit. To shatter the ice wall fortified by ten layers of ice attributes, he had to use the simplest, most straightforward technique to maximize the effects of Battle Qi and sword gang power.

He held his breath, closely observing the fine lines on the ice wall — lines that were actually the grain of the oak wood. For the entire ice wall, the oak grain was almost negligible, but Rayan knew that the most overlooked detail could be the most fatal.

The audience held their breath, eyes wide open, not wanting to miss a single moment.

On the noble stands, Lady Spring Rain unconsciously clenched her fingers, her knuckles turning white from the force.

Phoenix Lady, leisurely fanning herself, saw Lady Spring Rain's nervousness and couldn't help but chuckle, placing her hand over Spring Rain's fingers. "My dear Spring Rain, do you have so little confidence in your Oath Knight?"

Lady Spring Rain opened her mouth, unsure how to respond, her watery eyes never leaving Rayan's figure.

The arena's atmosphere was taut to the extreme. A minute passed, then two, then three...

By the tenth minute, Rayan still hadn't moved.

The audience began to lose patience, with some even whistling at Rayan.

From afar, Imperius smiled smugly, saying to Trevor beside him, "Lord Trevor, it seems no result will come if this drags on. That shield's ice wall illusion is at least a hundred meters thick. Even with your Senior Hero Battle Qi and sword gang power, you'd only break through eighty or ninety meters. Rayan, an Apprentice Hero, can't possibly shatter it."

He concluded, "You can prepare to hand over the obsidian sword."

Trevor ignored Imperius, keeping his focus on Rayan. After a while, he murmured, "Could it be... this kid..."

In the entire arena, only Trevor and the cold-faced Lady Eileen on the noble stands could match each other.

While others saw only the surface, thinking Rayan didn't know how to proceed, only Eileen and Trevor understood. Rayan wasn't unsure; he was calculating the opponent's weakness.

This special ability, gained through thousands of high-level battles, became a unique skill — Insight.

Those with the "Insight" effect could easily find an opponent's weakness in battle and exploit it, potentially turning the tide and defeating stronger enemies.

But this skill was hard to acquire. It wasn't just about diligent practice or numerous duels. It depended on one's comprehension. The higher the comprehension, the more battles fought, the higher the chance of achieving "Insight."

While Trevor marveled, Eileen shook her head in disbelief, repeatedly saying, "Impossible." She couldn't believe a young Fighter like Rayan could show signs of "Insight" in an ordinary duel.

If Rayan truly achieved "Insight" and shattered the Oak Frost Shield, coupled with his exceptional control over sword gang power, it would mean that even with Junior Hero level Battle Qi, he was the most formidable person in the arena.

"Absolutely impossible—"

Before she could finish, Rayan's near-still figure suddenly moved. The Battle Qi and sword gang power on the Crow Sword burst forth, forming a striking line as if to split the world, straight at the ice wall.

Everything seemed to happen in an instant. When the distracted audience opened their eyes in shock, only the afterimage of the line remained.

The fat knight behind the Oak Frost Shield was already exhausted and was startled by Rayan's sudden move. But after the strike, Rayan's Battle Qi and sword gang power vanished as if nothing had happened—

Everyone fell silent.

Rayan sheathed the Crow Sword, coldly staring at the unchanged ice wall.

A few seconds later, the fat knight laughed wildly, "You lost, villain Rayan! You lost! My ten-layer ice enchantment is unbreakable! Unbreakable! Admit it, do you still dare to ask for ten thousand gold coins?"

Rayan smiled faintly, "You better not move, or your shield will shatter."

"Scaring children?"

The fat knight raised the Oak Frost Shield, his fat body twisting, "What if I move? What if I mo... mo..."

A faint cracking sound came from within the oak, crisp as the sound of a joint snapping.

The fat knight's face turned deathly pale, beads of sweat dotting his bald forehead. His hand stopped moving, and his corpulent body froze in the pose of swinging the shield, like a lifelike statue — though no sculptor would want to carve a statue of someone of his status. Not only was the status insufficient, but the primary reason was that it would use too much material.

The audience couldn't hear the sound from within the oak, so they were confused by the fat knight's comical posture. From a distance, Imperius had already noticed something, though he still couldn't believe it.

Rayan calmly shook his head, "Too late. Whether you move or not, it's no use. The fracturing has begun."