The top 10 inner court disciples were all at the late stage of the Astral Realm, the foundation of the palace's next generation. Ye Tianlong was a domineering and haughty person, and that was obvious from how he would charge his way forward while riding his mount.
Many outer court disciples were unhappy about it, but they did not dare voice their displeasure. Here, only the strong were entitled to a voice. Those without strength should always maintain a low profile lest the strong would suppress them.
Ye Tianlong's appearance caused the atmosphere to grow more lively. Not long after, Wu Mingguang and Wu Mingliang of the Wu Clan also arrived. They were led by their fifth brother, Wu Mingyang.
Wu Mingyang was an expert equal to Li Tianba, or to be precise, he was now stronger than Li Tianba since he had recently broken through to the seventh stage of the Astral Realm.
"Fifth brother, Ye Tianlong is back," Wu Mingguang said after glancing in a certain direction.
"Yeah. Looks like everyone was making their final preparations for the Battle of Towns in half a year," Wu Mingyang said. He continued, "So long as I get one of the spots, I don't care about anything else."
"Yes, I am confident fifth brother will amaze the world with a single brilliant feat. And if you can get the opportunity to cultivate at the Cloud Margin City, your future will be even brighter," Wu Mingliang said.
"You two have decent talent as well. Stop focusing on other unnecessary issues and focus on cultivation. That is where your focus should lie," Wu Mingyang advised.
Finally, Li Tianba arrived. Equipped with battle armor, he rode an armored lizard and wielded a weapon, looking like a general that was about to head to the battlefield.
Behind him stood Li Hong'er, dressed in red. The bright color was gorgeous, yet she seemed to have an arrogant look forever stuck on her face, one that annoyed anyone who looked at her.
The crowd parted and made way for them, but Li Tianba chose to leap straight onto the arena instead of walking to it. He was still about 10 meters away from the arena. Hence, the distance he covered with a single leap attracted cheers from the crowd.
Regardless of Li Tianba's character, he had the strength to back it up. The moment he landed on the arena, he howled, "Where is Xiang Shaoyun? Today, I, Li Tianba, will teach you an unforgettable lesson!"
With his domineering aura, Li Tianba seized the upper hand by a show of strength the moment he arrived. He would make a great general.
"This young master is here. I shall see what you can do to me today," an indifferent voice rang out from not far away.
When the crowd looked over, they saw Xiang Shaoyun casually strolling toward the arena. He was busy wolfing down some steamed rolls, and Little White was silently hanging around his shoulders. No matter how one looked at him, he did not seem like someone here for an arena battle. He was giving off an impression that both the arena battle and Li Tianba were not worth his attention.
The sight infuriated Li Tianba. He said, "Xiang Shaoyun, I will make you kneel and beg for mercy."
"Heh, you won't be able to do that," Xiang Shaoyun said and smiled as he ate, looking quite comical.
At this moment, a certain figure dashed toward Xiang Shaoyun and said, "Shaoyun, you got something on your mouth. Let me wipe it for you." Apart from Lu Xiaoqing, who else could this person be? The crowd was filled with envy.
Seeing Lu Xiaoqing with Xiang Shaoyun was akin to seeing a blooming flower stuck on a pile of cow dung. Of course, that was due to jealousy. In truth, many of the girls also thought Lu Xiaoqing was not worthy of Xiang Shaoyun.
By reflex, Xiang Shaoyun dodged Lu Xiaoqing's attempt to wipe his mouth, and he smiled, saying, "No, there's too many people. I'm shy."
Without waiting for Lu Xiaoqing to react, he charged toward the arena. When he arrived, he looked at Li Tianba and said, "By the way, I don't mind you and your sister fighting together. I'm worried that you alone won't last long."
"Haha, let me see if your strength is as mighty as your mouth!" Li Tianba howled with laughter before stepping toward Xiang Shaoyun. He did not launch a sudden attack. Rather, he was planning to let Xiang Shaoyun clearly understand the gap between them.
As Li Tianba had a tall and sturdy body, when he opened his eyes wide and glowered at someone, he would give off an incorporeal pressure. Unfortunately, it was ineffective against Xiang Shaoyun, who had faced a King Realm expert's presence before.
As Li Tianba approached Xiang Shaoyun, Xiang Shaoyun suddenly yelled, "Scram!"
His voice rumbled like a thunderclap. Li Tianba sensed a suffocating sensation press down on him, as if Xiang Shaoyun had suddenly transformed into a sovereign looking down upon him. His heart thumped as he stepped backward by instinct.
Xiang Shaoyun withdrew his presence, returned to his flippant self, and said, “Good boy.”
"You...YOU BASTARD!" Li Tianba howled in fury from embarrassment and slammed his palm at Xiang Shaoyun.
Blood Noxious Palm!
A crimson glow surrounded Li Tianba's palm as the palm energy directly crashed towards Xiang Shaoyun's vitals. The moment Li Tianba attacked, he went for the kill. His attack was quick and violent, and even a fifth-stage Astral Realm cultivator would find it hard to defend against this attack. Everyone held their breath and stared at Xiang Shaoyun.
Instead of facing the attack, Xiang Shaoyun dodged it before shouting, "Slow down, I have something to say."
"What final words do you have?" Li Tianba howled, evidently still furious.
Xiang Shaoyun glanced at Wu Mingliang and Wu Mingguang. He said, "All of you come together. Otherwise, this will be boring."
"What!" Everyone was shocked to see that. Li Tianba alone was already a scary opponent, but Xiang Shaoyun was also challenging others at the same time? This Xiang Shaoyun was too brazen!
"You sure you want to challenge us?" Wu Mingguang asked.
"Haha, are you too afraid to come up?" Xiang Shaoyun howled in laughter.
"Fine, since you want to die, I'll oblige," Wu Mingguang said.
Right as he was about to step onto the arena, Wu Mingyang patted his shoulder and said, "Be careful. This kid is not as simple as he looks."
"Don't worry, fifth brother. With Senior Brother Li here, he won't be able to do anything," Wu Mingguang said before jumping on the arena.
"Still not enough. Wu Mingliang, come as well. I thought you've always wanted to defeat me? I am giving you a chance. Come, if you guys are actually capable of defeating me, I will die without regrets," Xiang Shaoyun extended yet another challenge.
"Impudent!" Wu Mingliang cursed and jumped onto the arena as well.
"Do you have the guts to let me on the arena as well?" Li Hong'er couldn't help but ask.
"Come on up then. All four of you can come at me together. Please don't disappoint me," said Xiang Shaoyun as he gestured at all four of them. Everyone was of the opinion that Xiang Shaoyun had gone crazy.
One sixth-stage Astral Realm, two third-stage Astral Realm, and one first-stage Astral Realm cultivators. This combination was one capable of killing even someone at the sixth stage of the Astral Realm. Was Xiang Shaoyun a sixth-stage Astral Realm cultivator? That seemed unlikely.