Shi Lang and Liang Ping climbed the mountain leisurely, and the disciples who had been informed about the competition came over to Shi Lang to greet him and check his well-being. The terran was slightly shocked, but after regaining his composure, the terran greeted them with a smile.
Liang Ping and Shi Lang talked to each other before they arrived at the top of the mountain and stood before the Peak Master, Mei Lingyao’s courtyard house. They were not the only ones present there. The rest of the core disciples were also present on the spot.
Wen Lengxue looked at Shi Lang and said, “We are all almost reaching the breakthrough stage, so Master wanted us to use this battle as a whetstone. She has gone to the Spear Peak to issue the book of challenge and asked us to gather in the square as soon as possible to discuss the rules of engagement.”
Shi Lang passed a sheepish smile and asked, “Say, is Peak Master not acting with too much haste?”
Bai Yan yawned and said, “It was the Third Ancestor’s order to get things done sooner so that you could leave the sect early, Martial Uncle.”
The people were shocked, and the same applied to Shi Lang. He did not expect them to catch on to the news so quickly. He did not wish for his equation with people to change, so he said, “Senior Sister Bai Yan, can you all stop teasing me? Acknowledging a master does not mean my relationship with you will change.”
The people smiled faintly because they knew that getting around Bai Yan was not this easy. As they predicted, Bai Yan looked at Shi Lang from head to toe and said, “You need to pay up if you wish to buy my silence.”
Shi Lang thought about it and was about to deny it, but then he heard Ling San’s voice, “You can rest assured and impart a few skills that suit them.”
The terran raised his right hand, and five golden light rays flashed in the void. Shi Lang said, “Those are the skills I think suits you all the best. This is a gift from my Master. Please do not embarrass me anymore.”
Bai Yan was shocked by the knowledge growing her being because this was a big gift, and she did not expect to receive something like this. Shi Lang asked, “How is it?”
The people comprehended for a few minutes, and when the information was consolidated in their minds, they replied to Shi Lang with gratitude. These techniques could not be found elsewhere. Shi Lang had eased up their path of cultivation greatly. Just when the group was about to celebrate, Wen Lengxue said, “We should head over to the square.”
Shi Lang and the rest nodded and recalled the main motive of this gathering. They all flew through the void and made their way to the square. The entire sect knew that the Sword Peak and the Spear Peak were going to fight against each other today. The winner will gain an unspoken lead.
Shi Lang landed on the ground with Liang Ping, Hu Shan, Xu Guang, Bai Yan, and Wen Lengxue. They found a group of people standing in the middle of the square with long spears tied on their backs. Shi Lang commented, “Their weapons look nice.”
The disciples nodded to him and walked over to the opposing party. The spear holders saw them. One of the disciples said, “Can you people be any quicker? We do not have the whole day to wait for you.”
Bai Yan raised her brow and said, “If it is not the young Master of the Lu family. Are you trying to showcase your dominance here? Did you forget the lesson I taught you back then?”
The young man flinched, obviously scared of Bai Yan. However, another disciple said, “You should worry about your selves.”
Liang Ping smiled faintly and walked closer to the people, saying, “You think acting like a ruffian will give you a mental advantage? Ah, Tang Hubai, how low have you fallen.”
The young man furrowed his brow and replied, “You do not need to act big before me, Liang. You did not win me, and it was a draw. This time, you will lose.” 𝑜𝗏𝑙xt.𝗇𝓔t
Liang Ping shrugged, and Wen Lengxue said, “Shall we commence the negotiations, or do you wish to keep acting like a child?”
The sentence was like a blade through the chest of the spear wielders. They all glared at Wen Lengxue. But suddenly, the person standing at the back of the group cleared his throat, and all the people were pacified. The young man approached the front and asked, “How would you like this peak battle to play out?”
Hu Shan replied, “Junior Brother Shi, you should discuss things.”
The spear-wielders frowned. They thought that the Sword Peak was looking down on them by calling over a Junior Brother to talk. One said, “Senior Brother Xia, do we have to tolerate this arrogance?”
The square was brimming with people, and today, there was an even greater crowd to watch the show. The senior brother from Spear Peak emitted strong pressure at everyone from the Sword Peak. He tried to intimidate the people, but to his surprise, the quivering expressions did not appear.
On the contrary, something made his pupils constrict. A pressure even stronger than his countered him from the other side. Shi Lang walked to the front of the group and said, “If you all do not even have this much tolerance and patience, then you should admit defeat already.”
His pressure did not assault any of the cultivators on the other side, and he only countered the Senior Brother of the Spear Peak, Xia Tian. Shi Lang asked, “I have heard much about you, Senior Brother Xia Tian. Someone caused me a great deal of trouble to protect the atmosphere for you. You seem to be well-received by your juniors.”
Xia Tian was aloof and said, “I do not know what transpired between you and someone else, but I have never asked anyone to act like this. However, I still apologize to you for that matter. Now, I wish you could let bygones be bygones.”
Shi Lang nodded and replied, “I wish to let bygones be bygones. However, I will spar and learn from you during this peak battle.”
Xia Tian did not expect Shi Lang to be so amiable. He could not help but nod in a daze. Shi Lang asked, “How about we both mention one condition for the battle one after the other and keep it fair? Three conditions and rules: you can go first.”
Xia Tian thought briefly, saying, “We should keep things clean and not injure the other person severely, and also not crippling.”
Shi Lang nodded and said, “We will hold a team battle on any of the neutral mountains, and we will have the sect master and other elders preside over it?”
Xia Tian nodded and said, “No one is allowed to use forbidden techniques.”
Shi Lang agreed and said, “No use of cultivation-boosting medicine.”
This surprised Xia Tian, but the sword peak understood why Shi Lang was doing this. They did not object to him. The terran wished to end the fight soon, and if the enemy were tired from dealing with one enemy, they could gang up on them. However, the same advantage applied to the enemy, but it did not make a big difference for them.
Xia Tian agreed and said, “Concealment arrays are not allowed to be used to prevent people from hiding away.”
Shi Lang nodded and replied, “The elders or the weapons and talismans that can invoke an attack stronger than your strength are also forbidden to be used.”
The terms were set, and the two sides agreed. The two peak masters descended next to them, and Peak Master Mei Lingyao said, “Senior Brother Cao, we shall hold the battle tomorrow. What do you think?”
Peak Master Cao asked, “Why not now? We have other things to do.”
Mei Lingyao clenched her fists inside her sleeves and said, “That is because Junior Brother Shi Lang has just come out of seclusion and tutelage of Third Ancestor. He needs to take some rest.”
She used Shi Lang as a banner, but the sentence was passed through using spirit communication because Ling San had told her to keep this matter a secret from the rest of the disciples. Cao was shocked and looked at Shi Lang briefly before he said, “Very well, given that Shi Lang has just come out of seclusion, you can take a night to rest, and tomorrow we will begin the battle.”
The terran nodded and bowed as he said, “Thank you, Peak Master Cao.”
The old man nodded and vanished from the place. His disciples followed him and Mei Lingyao looked at Shi Lang. She said, “I want you to wipe the ground with his disciples. This old bag of bones have been acting very cocky do you understand? If you failed, I will have you all live in the sword hall for the next ten years.”
That said, she also left.