Chapter 193: Arrogance
Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation
Chen Fei looked at the refined iron in Lan Yunfeng’s hand and nodded slightly. The refined iron was good, a fine choice for forging weapons. Paired with various mystical ingredients Chen Fei had gathered, he could use it to forge a semi-spirit sword.
“Quite fortunate. 1 also have a piece of refined iron here, slightly larger than Senior Brother Lan’s.”
Qian Guangji stepped forward, cutting off Lan Yunfeng’s words, and took out a piece of refined iron from his pocket. In terms of size, it was indeed larger than the one Lan Yunfeng held.
Not only in size, but even the color of the refined iron was deeper, indicating that Qian Guangji’s refined iron had a higher purity compared to Lan Yunfeng’s.
Seeing this, the other seven people couldn’t help but frown. Qian Guangji’s refined iron in terms of weight and purity far exceeded the chips they held.
“Junior Brother Chen, my initiation into the sect was relatively late compared to other senior brothers, and my breakthrough to the Visceral Tempering realm was also the shortest. If we were to choose, the odds of success in a match between you and me should be the greatest.”
After suppressing the others with his refined iron, Qian Guangji turned to Chen Fei, his face filled with a smile, and said, “There have been rumors within the sect about some of Junior Brother Chen’s statements. If Junior Brother Chen wishes to counteract these actions, choosing me is the best option.”
“Being the latest to break through doesn’t mean the weakest in strength. Junior Brother Qian, there’s no need to be self-deprecating like this.”
Lan Yunfeng furrowed his brows. Qian Guangji had said both good and bad things, leaving nothing for the others.
“Senior Brother Lan is right. If breakthrough time were the standard for strength, many fights wouldn’t need to happen. We could just state how long it took us to break through our cultivation stages, right?”
“I’ve heard that Junior Brother Qian’s Light Splitting Sword has already reached a high level of proficiency. His strength is indeed quite formidable.”
The others immediately refuted Qian Guangji while also reminding Chen Fei that Qian Guangji’s strength was not weak but rather quite strong. They were afraid that Chen Fei, upon hearing Qian Guangji’s words, might choose him outright.
What would be left for them later? The position of true disciple was likely to be taken by Qian Guangji.
Upon hearing the others’ words, Qian Guangji remained calm. He smiled at Chen Fei and said, “In addition to this piece of refined iron, I also have a vial of frozen spring water.”
As Qian Guangji’s words fell, the expressions of the others froze.
This was a bit excessive; a piece of refined iron this large wasn’t enough, and he even wanted to add a vial of frozen spring water. These stakes, combined with the fact that Qian Guangji did indeed break through to the Visceral Tempering realm later than the others, were quite a lot.
If it were them, they’d probably choose Qian Guangji outright.
Strength wasn’t solely measured by breakthrough time, but it was indeed an important reference point.These conditions were really difficult to refuse.
Chen Fei looked at the faces of the others, realizing that their stakes were likely inferior to Qian Guangji’s. But that was normal; after all, they were all only early-stage cultivators of the Visceral Tempering realm.
Being able to accumulate over ten thousand contribution points and gather spiritual materials was already incredibly challenging, considering the consumption required for cultivation.
Chen Fei even doubted whether the spiritual materials they held in their hands had been borrowed from somewhere else.
Turning to Qian Guangji, Chen Fei met his gaze. It was clear that Qian Guangji was already in a dominant position, as Chen Fei would most likely choose him. There was no logical reason to choose someone with lesser stakes unless Chen Fei had already coordinated with someone else.
Chen Fei hadn’t coordinated with anyone, but he genuinely wanted what Qian Guangji held in his hands. However, Chen Fei wanted more than just that – he wanted everything they held!
A few days ago, 1 specifically inquired at the Hall of True Transmission whether 1 could accept challenges from my fellow senior brothers simultaneously.”
Looking at Qian Guangji and the others, Chen Fei’s face showed a harmless smile.
“At the same time? What do you mean?”
Qian Guangji’s brows furrowed. He had already offered so much as stakes, and yet Chen Fei wasn’t readily accepting, making Qian Guangji feel that things were slipping out of his control.
Qian Guangji didn’t like that feeling!
“It means that I will simultaneously accept challenges from all of you senior brothers. If 1 win, the fights continue until 1 lose. But if I don’t lose, you senior brothers can’t back out of the agreement. You must step into the arena and face me!”
Chen Fei’s eyes widened slightly as he looked at Qian Guangji and the others, his gaze carrying a hint of pressure.
Lan Yunfeng and the others exchanged glances, then burst into laughter.
Such audacity, such determination, but also such recklessness!
Chen Fei’s intention was clear – he had his eyes on the spiritual materials and contribution points they held and wanted none of them to escape his grasp. How confident he was, but also how arrogant.
Before they came, their main concern was that Chen Fei might falter at the last moment. If he didn’t falter, they were also worried that he might choose someone else in the end, not them.
After all, opportunities were rare. For so many years, it was rare for someone to become a true disciple by reaching the Marrow Tempering realm and having just recently broken through to the Visceral Tempering realm.
Compared to other disciples who had been in the Visceral Tempering realm for years and had been exposed to the true transmission techniques, Chen Fei’s status as the last true disciple was truly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
In the past, the success rate of inner disciples challenging the last true disciple was very low, with few cases of success. Yet many inner disciples still followed in succession, all in pursuit of that slim chance.
Now, challenging Chen Fei as the last true disciple was undoubtedly a very promising opportunity, especially since Chen Fei didn’t wait for half a year but was willing to accept the challenge midway, which delighted everyone.
While the rumors about Chen Fei’s strength had been fueled by their actions, they were still reflective of their true thoughts and the thoughts of many inner disciples.
Did the rumors about Chen Fei’s strength really make them seem weak?
After cultivating for so many years, they had already developed strong mental resilience, or they wouldn’t have broken through to the Visceral Tempering realm at such a young age.
If they were in a small city like Apricot Fen City, with their level of cultivation, they could easily become the leaders, commanding respect from all directions.
“Does the Hall of True Transmission agree with Junior Brother Chen’s proposal?” someone sneered.
Chen Fei’s arrogance had already stirred up dissatisfaction among everyone present. But to break through to the Visceral Tempering realm and then be this audacious was truly something.
“Although there’s no precedent, the Hall of True Transmission has agreed.”
Chen Fei looked at their expressions, gave a slight smile, and continued, “If all senior brothers agree, shall we go to the Hall of True Transmission now and make this wager official?”
“Whom do you choose as your first challenger?”
Qian Guangji felt uncomfortable, but this question needed to be clarified. Regardless of how much confidence Chen Fei had, he could still be defeated by Qian Guangji in the end.
In fact, Chen Fei’s actions might become a laughingstock among the inner disciples in the future.
“Since you’ve offered the most stakes, naturally, I choose to face you first.” Chen Fei smiled.
“Okay! Then it’s settled!”
Qian Guangji’s face broke into a smile. No matter the tricks, in the end, it was the real moves that mattered in the arena.
Lan Yunfeng and the others exchanged glances. Chen Fei’s behavior was audacious, but the outcome hadn’t changed. The first choice was still Qian Guangji.
Chen Fei’s confidence made them hesitate to some extent.
“If we agree to your wager, it’s not that we can’t. But after you defeat Senior Brother Qian, how long will you wait before accepting challenges from the rest of us? Surely you won’t make us wait for months?” Lan Yunfeng asked with a furrowed brow.
“I can accept challenges from all of you today.”
Chen Fei’s words were astonishing, causing Qian Guangji and the others to narrow their eyes. This decision wasn’t arrogance anymore; it was genuine disdain.
He was just short of pointing at them and calling them all trash.
Chen Fei actually wanted to face their relay battle alone. Never before had a last true disciple dared to make such a decision. Yet here was Chen Fei, who should have been the weakest true inheritor, making that very choice.
“Just one condition, though. You’ll have to add more stakes. If you run out of spiritual materials, increase the contribution points by thirty percent. How about that?” Chen Fei continued, ignoring the expressions of the others.
“Alright, alright, Junior Brother Chen, since you put it that way, if we don’t accept, we’ll be seen as weak. Let’s go, to the Hall of True Transmission!” someone said with a mix of anger and laughter.
“Junior Brother Chen, it’s not every time that you’ll get as lucky as you did in the mystic realm,” someone coldly snorted, already quite displeased with Chen Fei.
“Junior Brother Chen, since you’re so confident, how about betting your Aperture Breaking Pill as well?” Qian Guangji sneered, “I’ll use the Wu family’s Elemental Pool as stakes against your Aperture Breaking Pill!”
“Alright!”
Chen Fei nodded without hesitation. It wasn’t an exchange; it was a wager, so naturally, Chen Fei had no objections.
Lan Yunfeng and the others looked at Qian Guangji. The stakes were substantial but also harsh. If Chen Fei lost, not only would he lose his position as the true disciple, but his future opportunities to break through to the Aperture Tempering realm would also be severely limited.
However, associating Chen Fei’s arrogant decision with his current course of action, they felt he might be going too far. Was it possible he had gone off the deep end? His cultivation method might not be suitable, but he had proposed this audacious decision.
After a brief moment, Chen Fei and the other ten arrived at the Hall of True Transmission. Chen Fei presented his request to the attending disciples.
The attending disciples looked at Chen Fei with astonishment. When Chen Fei had inquired a few days earlier, they had assumed he was joking or merely seeking idle information.
They hadn’t expected Chen Fei to be serious, actually wanting all nine others to challenge him on the same day in a full-scale relay battle.
It was madness. The attending disciples hadn’t dealt with anything like this in a long time, if ever.
“Junior Brother Chen, are you serious?”
The attending disciples couldn’t help but whisper, reminding him that the position of the true inheritor wasn’t easily obtained, so why degrade it this way? Even if you’re confident, you could still accept challenges from one person per day, letting the others wait a while longer.
A relay battle would magnify even minor injuries, not to mention the exhaustion of physical strength and inner energy. These were all significant risks.
“I apologize for the inconvenience, Senior Brother!” Chen Fei said with a bow.
The attending disciples looked at Chen Fei’s earnest expression and couldn’t help but sigh, beginning to record the terms of the wager.
However, when the attending disciples saw that Chen Fei was also betting his Aperture Breaking Pill, they felt their heads spinning.
Though the Aperture Breaking Pill was only being wagered against Qian Guangji, the stakes were still incredibly high.. Was Chen Fei completely disregarding the consequences?