The stands were very lively. Disciples who knew each other greeted each other and squeezed in to find seats.
The upcoming match on the ring has attracted much attention. The pride of the new generation of disciples, Xiao Changge, will fight against Zhuo Yu, who has been criticized in the comments but is very powerful.
On the stage, where Xiao Changge stood, the vegetation was reborn and full of green, and heavy rain was pouring from the sky.
But where Zhuo Yu was, the situation was completely different. Flames were rising to the sky and the war was raging across the land.
In the center of the arena, where water and fire meet, fire touches gold and iron, and water dragons surge into the sky. The battle is fierce and spectacular.
"Xiaoxue, this way." Miao Honger waved and called Mu Xue in the stands, making room for her next to her.
"Why are you here so late? One of these two is your next opponent. You should come and see their fighting habits in advance." Miao Honger pulled Mu Xue to sit down and handed her the oil paper bag in her hand. Inside was donkey rolls dipped in soybean flour.
"Are you injured in the previous battle? Eat something quickly and take a rest."
"I'm fine. Ding Lanlan was injured. I'm sending her back." Mu Xue pinched a small, layered scroll and put it into her mouth.
Sweet, fragrant, soft and sticky, with a fresh taste.
"It's delicious. Give me another one." She puffed out her cheeks and took another one from Miao Honger's bag.
My mouth and heart are filled with satisfaction.
Mu Xue suddenly realized that she didn't know since when, but she could eat the snacks fed by her senior sister so peacefully and casually.
No need to worry about poison anymore
She was slightly stunned, but quickly put the matter aside, licked the soybean flour on her fingers, and cast her eyes on the field.
On the higher stands specially prepared for teachers, many Jindan-stage monks from the main peaks also arrived one after another, waiting to see the performance of their disciples who entered the finals.
Su Xingting was talking to Kong Ji of Xuandan Peak, "Changge is a really well-cultivated child. Not only is he extremely talented in alchemy, but his skills are also outstanding. This is really rare."
Kong Ji straightened his back proudly, and a rare smile appeared on his usually serious face. "We are disciples of Xuandan Peak, and our main training is alchemy. Fighting in martial arts is just a minor detail. It's OK as long as it's good enough to watch. Isn't the little girl in your family more eye-catching?"
"Hey, you know, the children in Xiaoyao Peak were all raised in the wild. They are used to fighting and each one is better at it than the other." Su Xingting unfolded the folding fan in his hand, fanned it slightly, and laughed, "I told her to go easy on her fellow disciples and not to always think about saving face for me, but she just won't listen."
Kong Ji snorted disdainfully.
Other Jindan-stage monks were discussing quietly.
"That, is that the disciple who is known as Liu Huo Pian Ye?" The person who spoke showed a look of contempt, "He is so arrogant and cruel, and it is obvious that he is not a good person. I really don't know why the master insisted on accepting him as a disciple."
"Hush, keep your voice down." Another person glanced at the Sect Leader who was sitting high up and lowered his voice, "The Sect Leader is right there."
"Why should you keep your voice down? Think about it. Xu Kun was at this level back then, and how many fellow disciples died in vain because of him. If you ask me, all disciples who show this tendency should not only not be accepted into the inner sect, but their foundations should be abolished, their meridians cut, and they should be sent back home."
There was a lot of discussion around them. The head of Guiyuan Sect, Dan Yangzi, stood on the stands, twisting his long beard and watching the two disciples fighting on the ring.
They are all still so young, under 20 years old. For those who practice cultivation, life has just begun.
One is like a spring breeze, full of vitality. The other is like a blazing fire, igniting the whole prairie. They are both energetic and talented children, which makes an old man like him envious.
He still remembered that when he had just started to learn, the state of mind of wishing for dragons everywhere and vigorous yang energy was very popular among teachers. But now, these have been replaced with unpleasant words, and any state of mind related to raging fire is criticized by people.
He had gone through a long time, and now it was the sunset of his life. Despite everyone's criticism, he was determined to try it once before entering the reincarnation again.
Not for anything else, I just want everyone to know that those children with pure and bright flames cannot be abandoned because of what happened in the past.
I hope that after I am gone, the sect will no longer treat people with the inherent prejudice when selecting disciples like it does now. I hope that in the future the sect will not miss out on more and more talents and narrow the path of the sect.
Zhuo'er, I am adding more burden to your shoulders. I just hope you won't let your teacher down.
The white-haired leader narrowed his eyes and looked at the arena.
On the battlefield, the much-criticized young disciple raised his head and looked towards the stands.
The master stood at the front of the platform, his white beard fluttering, looking at him. The group of people behind him, those famous and powerful Jindan-stage cultivators, were all discussing something quietly.
Zhuo Yu knew what they were saying without having to listen.
Ever since I entered the sect, the way they looked at me was always cold and full of disgust.
"The master is too soft-hearted to accept such a person as his disciple."
“This decision is definitely wrong.”
"Look at how badly that disciple hurt Master Ding Feng's niece, and Master Ding Feng could still bear it."
"He has been a bad guy since he was young. Anyway, since he entered the sect, I have told all my disciples not to have any contact with this kid."
Such whispers surrounded him almost all the time in the past ten years. He had done nothing wrong, but the raging fire had become a stigma of shame, not only covering his face, but also causing his respected master to suffer criticism because of him.
Zhuo Yu looked at the opponent opposite him.
The boy is innocent, confident, and has clear eyes, and is guarded in the center of a lush green forest.
On all sides of the ring, countless of his friends and fellow disciples were cheering for him.
He was born to be a respected person. From the day he entered the master's sect, he was loved by his fellow disciples and teachers.
It was exactly the opposite of himself. Zhuo Yu, standing in the flames, thought that he had been in the mountain gate for so long, but he had not made any friends. All he got were hateful looks and malicious bullying.
They always felt that their fire would burn and destroy everything. Sometimes, looking at those cold and disgusting eyes, he would really feel malicious in his heart, wanting to burn everything disgusting in this world at all costs.
Zhuo Yu put his hands together and said, "The wind is coming."
A cloth bag woven with chaotic flowing clouds appeared in the air. The bag was bulging and fixed in the air. The mouth of the bag was wide open, and a strong wind blew up from the ground.
A strong wind suddenly arose, and a stone haze covered the sky. For a moment, the fire took advantage of the wind and rose up fiercely, crushing the rain on the opposite side with its overwhelming force, forcing it to retreat continuously.
"Hunyuan bag?"
"The headmaster actually gave the Hunyuan Bag to this kid."
"Damn it! How can such a wild and sinister person receive gifts from the teacher?"
“It’s so unfair.”
The onlookers were talking about it for a while.
Xiao Changge on the stage saw the rolling heat waves coming from the opposite side, and no matter how hard he tried to make the rain come, he could not stop the thick smoke and flames.
He had no choice but to clasp his hands together and offer up a tripod that was glowing with spiritual light.
Kong Ji, who was sitting upright in the stands, saw his apprentice leaving the treasure tripod and snorted, "Are you guys taking advantage of me by relying on magic weapons? Are you bullying me because I don't have any magic weapons in Xuandan Peak?"
"So even the Golden Light Cauldron was given to you. You've also lost a lot of money." Su Xingting laughed at him while shaking his fan.
The outer wall of the Golden Light Tripod was covered with brilliant spiritual patterns, shining with golden light and full of mysteries. It spun in the air, enlarged its body, and pressed hard towards the center of the arena. The seal characters on the body of the Tripod began to move like a red snake.
The raging fire on the arena was instantly contained by the cauldron. No matter how strong the wind or the fire was, it could not pass through the golden cauldron and approach Xiao Changge.
Xiao Changge was just about to breathe a sigh of relief when a figure emerged from the raging flames opposite him. The man had a gloomy face and rushed straight towards him.
According to what Xiao Changge had learned from his past practice, fighting between fellow disciples should have nothing to do with close combat. After all, they were all practitioners, so they kept a polite distance from each other, and fought back and forth until the winner was determined. That was a decent fight.
Who would have thought that in this sect competition, the one he would face in his first battle would be the junior sister from Xiaoyao Peak who had just turned sixteen.
The young junior sister in a red dress fought in a way that was not consistent with her age. She got close when necessary and cheated when necessary, without any mercy, and threw him off the ring in public, which opened his eyes and taught him a lesson.
Now, the master's disciple had flames burning on his arms and fierce eyes, and he also looked like he was ready to fight him to the death.
The man came very quickly and was in front of him in the blink of an eye.
Xiao Changge made a sword gesture and retreated quickly, his figure disappearing behind a huge banyan tree. The surrounding branches turned into sharp wooden thorns, forcing towards the shoulders of the attacking Zhuo Yu.
The two of them were already very close, and through the swaying roots of the banyan tree, Xiao Changge could clearly see the eyes of the man opposite him. There was a dark cyanosis under the man's eyes, and his eyes were burning with surging fighting spirit. The vicious look frightened him.
The rainy forest was clearly his home ground. The branches around him had turned into steel spears, and the sharp spear tips were almost about to pierce his opponent's shoulders, but that person did not retreat at all. His arms, burning in the rain, broke through layers of defense and grabbed him. He was determined to catch him even though his shoulder was pierced and he was seriously injured.
Xiao Changge was almost stunned at that moment. Since he went up the mountain, he has been mainly studying alchemy. It is a Taoist method of refining external elixirs, helping fellow disciples improve their cultivation, and saving lives.
Even when practicing physical skills, the competitions between fellow disciples had never been so life-threatening and blood-stained.
He hesitated at that moment, unable to control the spikes that pierced his fellow brother's body.
He may have hesitated for only a moment. But this disciple of Xuandan Peak, who was raised under care, did not know that on the battlefield, a moment of hesitation could determine the difference between life and death.
Zhuo Yu's hot arms had already grabbed him and pressed him into the rain-soaked ground.
Xiao Changge felt a huge force pressing him to the ground, his arms twisted hard behind his back, his lower back and neck's Dazhui acupoints held down. His spiritual energy was unable to circulate, and he lost the ability to resist.
"Give up." A cold voice sounded behind him.
"No, I don't admit defeat. This is not fair." Xiao Changge was inexplicably stubborn. "It was obviously me who stopped first."
"Who told you about fairness? There is no fairness in this world. Only the winner is qualified to talk about fairness."
Zhuo Yu pushed his subordinate's head into the pool of water.
On the ring, the fight ends when one side admits defeat, falls into a coma, or is thrown out of the ring.
But he didn't dare to let go of this man for a moment. He also had to admit that Xiao Changge was a tough opponent. If he let go of him, he didn't know if he would have a chance to control him again.
"If you admit defeat, raise your hands, otherwise I will drown you."
His men struggled desperately, but refused to raise the only hand they could move to show their surrender.
A stream of fire fell from the stands outside the arena into the ring. Someone pushed Zhuo Yu away and pulled up Xiao Changge who was buried in the water.
This person is Xiao Changge's master, Xuandan Peak Master Kong Ji.
"Are you okay?" he asked his apprentice who had choked on the water.
"No...it's okay." Xiao Changge coughed and waved his hands reluctantly.
The ugly scar on Kong Ji's eyelid trembled, and he stared at Zhuo Yu in disgust and said, "He is exactly the same as that scum back then. He is such a disgusting thing."
He mentioned his apprentice, left the ring with his weapon, and said, "We lose!"
There was a low murmur of discussion in the audience stands.
The winner on the ring received no cheers or applause, and stood there alone.
"What do you think? Zhuo Yu is your next opponent. Do you hate this person?" Miao Honger asked Mu Xue sideways.
"I don't hate it. What's there to hate?" Mu Xue didn't understand what the people in the stands were thinking. "In a fight, everyone uses their own methods. Any victory within the rules is considered a win. Besides, this can only be blamed on Xiao Changge for being too inexperienced in combat. In my opinion, he will lose sooner or later."
"Oh, you are quite open-minded. But Zhuo Yu is a ruthless person, so you better be careful."
Mu Xue smiled. He had injured Senior Sister Lanlan, and it just so happened that he would be in the next match, so he could finally settle the account.
"Still laughing, you're the only one who's not afraid," Miao Honger stretched out her hand to tickle Mu Xue, "You little girl who doesn't know how high the sky is and how deep the earth is, are you scared?"
"I'm scared." Mu Xue held Miao Hong'er's arm in surrender. She looked up at the lonely figure standing on the ring.
If I hadn't met my master and these senior brothers and sisters in this life, I would be even more cruel than that person, and I would not know what warmth and kindness in the world are.
…
Inside a teahouse in Fuwang City, there was a storyteller in the lobby, telling the latest stories with his little disciple.
Under the stage, the hunters who fought day and night with blood on their swords listened to the ups and downs of the erotic legend, temporarily forgetting the ferocious claws of beasts and the dangerous battlefield of monsters. They whistled happily, asking the gentleman not to keep them in suspense and to tell them in more detail.
The storyteller spoke eloquently and with intonation, he told the sad and beautiful love story vividly and mesmerized the listeners.
Just as he was talking about the climax, he started clapping his hands and talking faster and faster, "It is said that the Mu family was a master among the flowers. After having tasted the sweetness, she threw her little disciple away. Today, she was flirting with the young master of the Yan family."
Before he could finish his words, a guest in a black robe who had been sitting quietly in the corner suddenly appeared in front of him, grabbed him by the collar, and pressed him hard onto the table.
Seeing someone acting so arrogantly when everyone was listening attentively, the audience began to curse and stood up with their weapons in hand.
But he saw the black iron scales on the murderer's arm covering him like a tide, becoming the iconic armor of a legendary person with a bad reputation.
All the indignant listeners restrained their anger at that moment, blamed each other a few times, and then retreated.
"What did you just say?" The man pinched the storyteller's neck with his cold hands. He spoke in a lukewarm voice, revealing a handsome face that made the storyteller tremble with fear.
"No, no... I didn't say anything, I didn't say anything." The storyteller was trembling and could hardly speak.
People have been making up this story for hundreds of years, and Mr. Cen has never had any objection.
The true story is there, a strong and handsome man who waited for a hundred years in misery, which is of course a good material for a story. It has become a classic erotic story that has been passed down for a hundred years.
In fact, this Cen Qianshan himself lives in seclusion in an abandoned old site and almost never shows up in the new city. How unlucky was I that I would run into him coming in person to listen to the book.
"Mr. Cen, I was wrong. I said something wrong." He frowned, raised his hands, and tried to please carefully, "Next time I won't talk nonsense like this. I will definitely speak properly."
Although the gentleman did not kill him, his cold iron claws did not loosen.
The storyteller's brain began to work rapidly, trying to recall the most offensive part of the story he had just told.
"Right...right. I really didn't say it well just now. Next time, I will write the story well and make sure you can show off your prowess and make the Mu family obey you and serve you tenderly and attentively." He tested carefully, and as he spoke, he reached out to loosen the armor that was pressing against his neck.
With a whoosh, several cold blades extended from the iron armor and pressed against his neck.
The storyteller was almost scared to tears, "Well, what do you say? I'll do it according to your instructions, okay?"
The man just looked at him coldly but refused to speak.
The young disciple poked his head out from the edge of the table where he was hiding and said tentatively, "Next... Next time, let the Mu family ignore the young master of the Yan family and send him away."
The sharp blade on the armor loosened and finally retracted.
The storyteller was inspired and said quickly, "Right, right, right, Ms. Mu already has you, how can she be interested in other vulgar women? Next time, she will definitely reject those attempts by Mr. Yan and Mr. Liu. She will only be with... hehe, and live a sweet and loving life with you."
"Really?" The voice sounded again, "Is it really possible?"
"Really, really, definitely true." The storyteller said with a bitter face, "In fact, we added these characters to the storybook to set off you. It also adds some twists and turns to the story. In fact, once a woman sees a beauty like you, which woman in the world can still look at other men?"
The grip on his neck finally loosened. The Yama who was demanding his life disappeared just as suddenly as he had appeared.
Only a few rolling spirit stones were left on the table.
The storyteller looked left and right, put the spiritual stones into his arms, squatted under the table and wiped the cold sweat off his forehead.
"This time it's all thanks to my disciple's cleverness, otherwise I would be dead." He held his little disciple's hand with emotion.
The door curtain of Niu Ji Food Store near the teahouse was lifted.
Cen Qianshan, dressed in a black robe, walked in.
Niu Dashuai, who was sitting idly behind the counter with his feet crossed, jumped down and pulled him aside.
"I spent all the spirit stones you gave me, and finally got some news from over there." He looked around to see if there was anyone around, and whispered, "I heard that the once-in-a-decade Yuxing formation is about to start, and all the prestigious sects over there are selecting outstanding disciples recently. They are preparing to send them to our place for trials and to hunt for natural treasures to bring back."
Cen Qianshan raised his face and moved his lips but said nothing.
Marshal Niu rubbed his hands excitedly, "How about it, do you think Mr. Mu will take the initiative to come over this time?"