Two figures were flying through the sky. One of them tall and the other short; like a father with his son.
“This is too much! It is too damn much!”
Ye Xiaotian’s silver hair billowed as he flew, somewhat unsteadily the whole way.
“Well, he is not a spy. So why bother being picking on him? I’d say being able to cart away that many treasures only shows he’s something to be reckoned with, wouldn’t it?”
Qiao Qianzhi held onto the fuming Ye Xiaotian for fear that the young-looking man would crash into something while in flight.
After steadying the young man, he spread his hands and continued to speak.
“Think about it. Having one such exceptional disciple in the Spirit Palace means that the Spirit Palace is getting prosperous and heading for greater growth, right?”
It is just four world-stabilizing treasures. What is the big deal, eh?”
When the White Cave opens again, we will only need to fight with the other Spirit Palace, and we will certainly get back what has been lost.”
“Do not say that number, four, to my face!” Ye Xiaotian shouted, unable to contain his rage.
Four world-stabilizing treasures, g*dd*mn*t!
It meant Xu Xiaoshou had removed one-third of what was sustaining the world of Tianxuan Gate, and digging those treasures out had messed up the training grounds as well. Few could accept what Xu Xiaoshou had done.
“Xu Xiaoshou,” Ye Xiaotian mumbled under his breath, then continued in an icy tone, “We must have someone keep a close eye on him and not let him mess anything up anymore.”
“Yes, we should.”
Qiao Qianzhi patted the fuming silver-haired kid by his side, calming the “boy” down.
He picked up a few fat geese that flew past them when they got above the Goose Lake.
“Come on, let us have some roasted goose.”
Ye Xiaotian was in no mood for food. He was feeling rather dazed, with his head still throbbing.
“This cannot do. I have to think of a way to get him out of the Spirit Palace. Not even Elder Sang can stop me!”
“There is no need to do that.”
Qiao Qianzhi waved his hand dismissively as he spoke. Then, a man dressed in black came before the two of them when he was about to say something.
“Dean Ye, Elder Qiao!”
Ye Xiaotian regained his composure in an instant and asked with an impassive expression on his face. “What is the matter?”
Huff!
“Xu Xiaoshou…” muttered the panting man in black, who had made his way to them in a rush. He was out of breath, which kept him from finishing a sentence in one breath.
“What is with Xu Xiaoshou?”
Ye Xiaotian’s heart sank.
No!
Just how long had he left the place? What was it this time?
“Xu Xiaoshou… he, he is going to fight Zhang Xinxiong in the Ring of Life and Death!”
The message felt like a bolt of lightning, striking them both and charring them inside out.
Ye Xiaotian was momentarily stunned, and it took a little while before he questioned what he had just heard.
His hair billowed wildly the very next second, and he became infuriated.
“What did you just say?”
…
[Ring of Life and Death]
The ring took up an extraordinarily enormous volume of space. The area was so vast that its size was more than double the space of the arena where the Wind and Cloud Contest in the Outer Yard had taken place.
That was the only ring found in the entire Inner Yard.
It was a ring where contestants could not surrender once they got into it to fight.
One party had to die.
There was quite a crowd gathering around the ring. There were not all that many disciples in the Inner Yard. Perhaps a little over a hundred, and almost all of them showed up at the place.
“Man, this is the show of the year! The Big Brother of the Outer Yard versus the Big Brother of the Inner Yard. What more can you ask for!”
“This Xu Xiaoshou has guts. I thought he was just saying it for whatever reasons. I never expected him to take it to the ring, and he sure looks like he knows what he is doing.”
“I bet his legs are already wobbling so bad that he can hardly stand. He is just faking it now.”
“Hmph, what the hell do you know, eh? Do you even dare to get up there in the first place? He has earned my respect from just that one act alone.”
“Huh? Zhou Tianshen? Are you not a friend of Xu Xiaoshou? Why aren’t you telling him not to do this?”
“…”
The one-armed Zhou Tianshen was holding his blade as his newly cut short hair billowed in the wind.
He had awakened from Xu Xiaoshou’s talk about his death match and was very clear of mind at the moment.
Zhou Tianshen looked at the young man standing in the ring with his robes flapping in the wind. When he had heard what those around him had said, he could not help staying silent on the question.
Zhang Xinxiong could throw his weight around with just his intimidating presence alone. Zhou Tianshen never gave in to him, even with his knees were shaking and his feet stuck to the ground. He had made a vow after the incident.
He was determined to strengthen himself as much as he could within a year and then cut Zhang Xinxiong down.
It was what led him to the Slaughter Cape in the Tianxuan Gate, with no concern for the consequences. He wanted to hone his body to the maximum.
However, at that moment, in less than one-tenth of the period that Zhou Tianshen had given himself to improve, Xu Xiaoshou was already standing opposite Zhang Xinxiong.
Regardless of whether Xu Xiaoshou ended up winning or losing, the unyielding nature and martial bearing of Xu Xiaoshou had awed Zhou Tianshen. So much so that he had developed quite an affection—oops, respect for the man.
Stay alive, Xu Xiaoshou! Zhou Tianshen cheered inwardly for the underdog.
“Hey, why aren’t you saying anything?” Someone by his side nudged him a little. “Get up there and tell him to calm down and he might just be able to evade what is coming to him.”
Huh!
Zhou Tianshen snorted. What, tell him to back off?
Is it even possible?
He recalled the time he had fought against Xu Xiaoshou and felt his heart racing and blood boiling. In a sudden rush of inspiration, Zhou Tianshen shouted out at the top of his lungs.
“Fearing an enemy before a fight is taboo in the face of a foe. Running without fighting brings shame to the identity of a spirit cultivator. Surrendering is the disgrace of one’s life!”
“Xu Xiaoshou, go get him!”
The shout had almost snuffed out all the chatter below the ring. Even Xu Xiaoshou, who was facing up against Zhang Xinxiong, looked startled.
He turned around and saw Zhou Tianshen taking into the air as his short hair billowed.
The stout man pounded on his chest with his right hand and pointed at Xu Xiaoshou, giving him a look and gesture as if to say, ” I’ve got your back.”
Xu Xiaoshou looked rather stunned.
“Man, this is just so childish.”
But Xu Xiaoshou got riled up all the same.
He quickly spun around, fearing that he would get affected by Zhou Tianshen.
He needed to fight the battle with no distractions.
Zhang Xinxiong was anything but ordinary. He made a breakthrough to Master level three years ago and it meant that Xu Xiaoshou could not afford to judge his opponent by the level of his powers alone.
“Are you both ready?”
Zhao Xidong looked at the two of them, and his eyes fell on Xu Xiaoshou’s face. He moved his lips and was about to talk Xu Xiaoshou out of the duel at the last minute.
But then, Xu Xiaoshou posed a challenge to his opponent in a very excited voice. “Zhang Xinxiong, have you prepared to meet your doom?”
Damn!
Zhao Xidong hesitated and eventually decided against talking Xu Xiaoshou out of it.
Zhang Xinxiong shot a look at the man standing across from him. Then he glanced at Zhou Tianshen before smirking and muttering under his breath, “Two damned lunatics.”
“Begin!”
Zhao Xidong waved and immediately backed away.
There was no need for a referee in the duel.
Hah!
Xu Xiaoshou behaved as if he was possessed, and instantly charged at Zhang Xinxiong with his fist clenched without saying a word.
“He is trying to fight Zhang Xinxiong physically? Is he nuts?”
Some spectators seated below the ring looked positively stunned. They thought Xu Xiaoshou would have at least done his homework if he dared to fight Zhang Xinxiong.
However, judging by the looks of things, that did not seem to be the case.
To the spectators, Xu Xiaoshou looked like he got into the ring because he got too excited about the idea of fighting.
“Oh sh*t, he is a goner!”
“While Xu Xiaoshou has Innate Level Physique, Zhang Xinxiong has the backing of the exceptionally rare Ancestral Bear Bloodline! His physical prowess alone would be more than a match for Xu Xiaoshou.”
“If he were to activate his bloodline powers, the fight would end straight away!”
Zhang Xinxiong glared haughtily as Xu Xiaoshou charged at him.
“Fool!”
After he ridiculed his opponent, Zhang Xinxiong slowly raised his arm to remove his cape. The specter of a black bear appeared right behind him.
The specter was remarkably tall and measured over a dozen meters in height. It began roaring at the Heavens.
To see such a gigantic bear standing behind Zhang Xinxiong, already a giant himself, was undoubtedly a daunting sight. It was so intimidating that the spectators backed away in fear.
Zhang Xinxiong clenched his fist as Xu Xiaoshou reached the halfway mark. The black bear behind him roared mightily.
ROARRR!
The ring shook. Pieces started falling apart, and huge rocks were sent flying all over the place.