Chapter 23: Comical End
Chapter 23: Comical End
“Nonsense!”
“So having a brother who is a True Disciple makes you special? Why do you think you can just barge into Elder Mu’s training room whenever you please?”
After the news reached Zhu Fuqin’s ears, she got really angry and raged in her room, terrifying her maids so much that they trembled in fear.
Angry as she was, Zhu Fuqin didn’t dare to show it outside.
After all, a full True Disciple, a future important figure in the Xuanxin Sect, a true top talent, the best of the best, with big authority in the cultivation world, was not someone she, an Inner Sect disciple who was not doing well, could speak poorly about.
“It’s noon. I hope that kid is smart enough to hide if he can, and never agrees to the fight.”
Zhu Fuqin paced around her room nervously, unable to calm down at all. Actually, she knew that even Senior Brother Leng couldn’t do anything about it now, and didn’t dare to easily cause trouble with True Disciples.
……
In the Bamboo Forest, the sound of rustling waves filled the air.
……
At the duel stage, the third quarter of noon arrived.
Over a thousand Outer Sect Disciples had gathered below to watch the fight.
A group of them looked at each other:
“Where is he?”
“He won’t really dodge the challenge, will he?”
“Hu Bugui is a True Disciple. If he uses that to make a big deal out of it, kicking an ordinary Outer Sect Disciple out is easy.”
While some Outer Sect Disciples were loudly talking, they suddenly heard surprise gasps from the other side. They stopped and turned, just in time to see a young boy climb the steps and step onto the stage.
“Huh?”
“Second-rank Cultivator with mid-stage power? What’s going on?”
“He really is a newbie.”
“This is getting fun now.”
“Hehe, Hu Wang, a full Third Grade Cultivator, actually challenged a Second-rank Cultivator below him by a full realm. If this got out, people would die laughing.”
The crowd quieted for a moment, then burst into even louder chatter, getting completely worked up.
Hu Wang had now opened his eyes too, staring in confusion at Lu Hangzhi, who stood steady after walking up slowly, looking dazed.
“You?”
“New disciple Lu Hangzhi, greets Senior Brother Hu.”
Lu Hangzhi replied with a smile on his face, openly saying who he was.
As soon as he spoke, Hu Wang was completely speechless.
Below, people pointed and laughed loudly:
“Haha… it’s true!”
“A Third Grade Cultivator challenged a Second-rank one. Let’s see how Hu Wang can even fight.”
“Interesting!” Among the crowd, some Third Grade Cultivators who had originally come to check out Hu Wang’s strength changed their mindset, settling in to watch how Hu Wang would wrap this up.
Almost everyone believed the outcome was obvious: Third Grade versus Second-rank, the gap was too big.
Plus, Hu Wang had his True Disciple brother personally teaching him, so his strength wasn’t ordinary for Early Third Grade. Anyway, this duel looked like a joke.
“Damn!”
Hu Wang’s face turned green.
He never imagined that Elder Mu had snubbed him like this for the sake of a Second-rank Cultivator… If he had known earlier…
He would have never begged for a Message Talisman to send this challenge.
Using a cannon to kill a mosquito was a total waste.
Now, with so many people watching, he couldn’t bring himself to attack a Second-rank Cultivator.
For a while, Hu Wang didn’t know how to respond.
Now it was Lu Hangzhi’s turn to be speechless.
Leaving him hanging like this wasn’t good.
“Could it be…”
“Xuanxin Sect disciples don’t like chit-chat when they fight?”
In that case.
Lu Hangzhi quietly got ready in a battle stance.
Hu Wang looked at him with a strange expression, wondering…
No way?
This Second-rank Cultivator really wanted to fight him!
The next second, Hu Wang saw Lu Hangzhi calmly spread out a layer of Mysterious Armor, preparing for the match, and saying politely, “Since Senior Brother won’t make the first move, I, your junior, will have to offend.”
Huh?
What?
Was this guy crazy?
This felt all wrong.
The crowd below stared in shock.
In their minds, wasn’t this fight supposed to have the Second-rank Cultivator begging for mercy or apologizing, or Hu Wang gritting his teeth to cancel it?
How did this suddenly turn into the invitee provoking?
Before they could think further, they saw Hu Wang’s expression change, and he instantly cast his defensive Art Technique—Fierce Gaze Golden Aura!
It was a Third Grade defensive Art Technique that could block three attacks from Early Third Grade Art Techniques or ten from Second Rank Peak Art Techniques.
With the Fierce Gaze Golden Aura active, Hu Wang looked powerful, fully releasing his Third Grade Cultivator aura, his robes flapping noisily. He stared calmly at Lu Hangzhi, a flash of admiration in his eyes.
Facing an opponent one realm above him, how could this kid stay so calm and fair, even helping to break this awkward situation for him? It was definitely the best way to handle things…
Next, his plan was to stand there motionless, letting the other attack until all his energy was gone. Then walk away freely.
After winning the Cultivation Chamber One, he could give Lu Hangzhi a little compensation…
Perfect!
But…
He had no idea he wasn’t facing a Second-rank mid-stage cultivator at all. Instead, it was a small monster hidden under the skin of a Second-rank Cultivator, one who had actually reached Early Third Grade.
Lu Hangzhi felt the strong presence of the Third Grade defensive Art Technique and instantly became very serious, moving into a fighting state.
Tongue Sword gathered strength;
Floating Fire Art!
The testing attack got no response from the other side.
The Floating Fire Art drifted slowly toward Hu Wang on the other side. The crowd below became hugely disappointed, leading to waves of mocking laughter:
“What the…”
“Floating Fire Art?”
“You’ve got to be kidding me!”
“You should have at least learned the Sharp Gold Sword Qi before coming out to embarrass yourself.”
“Haha… He probably just joined the Xuanxin Sect and hasn’t fully mastered the Sharp Gold Sword Qi yet, so he used the technique he is most familiar with. Although, his casting speed is quite fast.”
The Outer Sect Disciples laughed and chattered loudly.
Everyone was making fun of Lu Hangzhi, and Hu Wang’s face turned red as well. Feeling extremely frustrated, he sent a mental message:
“Junior Brother, you can’t be serious. You’re using such a slow attack spell?”
Lu Hangzhi was stunned into silence: “…”
How could his opponent have the leisure to chat with him and give advice during a fight?
Brother! You’re the one breaking the rules here!
Both of them had their own thoughts.
“Forget it, just hurry up and attack. When you run out of Magic Power, step down from the stage. Anyway… losing to me isn’t that embarrassing. Just give it your all.”
As soon as Hu Wang said this, Lu Hangzhi immediately knew he was being deeply looked down upon. He didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.
Come on!
That was just a test attack.
Since that’s the case…
Lu Hangzhi stopped wasting words.
Want to drain my Magic Power?
Hmph!
The Tongue Sword had been charged for a long time, and its power was comparable to a Second-grade Art Technique. He immediately shot out a Floating Fire Art and without pause, formed hand seals to release a Sharp Gold Sword Qi.
The Sharp Gold Sword Qi, though released later, arrived almost at the same time as the Floating Fire Art, hitting the motionless Hu Wang and causing the Fierce Gaze Golden Aura to shake violently.
Huh?
Another wave of surprised sounds rose from below the stage.
Experts could tell the skill with just one move.
The two spells had been cast in quick succession, almost hitting the Fierce Gaze Golden Aura at the same time. The damage was comparable to a Third-grade attack spell, directly dimming the Fierce Gaze Golden Aura significantly. This was completely different from the style and momentum of his first attack.
“He’s got something!”
“This is interesting.”
“With this level of damage, his opponents at the same rank would have a hard time handling it.”
Little did they know that at the critical moment, Lu Hangzhi had forcibly held back and quietly dispersed the long-charged Tongue Sword Art. Otherwise, with three spells hitting the Fierce Gaze Golden Aura at once, it would have definitely dimmed the glow even more.
If combined with the Wood Spirit Sword Qi…
But thinking that it wasn’t wise to reveal too many secrets before the Sect Grand Competition, Lu Hangzhi suppressed the urge to blast through his opponent’s defense and chose to disperse the Spiritual Energy in his mouth.
The violent shaking and dimming of the Fierce Gaze Golden Aura shocked Hu Wang! He then realized that the first attack had merely been a test.
After checking the state of the Fierce Gaze Golden Aura, Hu Wang’s expression finally turned serious and focused.
He couldn’t withstand more than two rounds of attacks at this intensity…
What surprised him even more was that his opponent’s speed in releasing the Sharp Gold Sword Qi and his control over it seemed even more skilled than his own.
Lu Hangzhi paused briefly and looked at his opponent, saying:
“Senior Brother, aren’t you planning to make a move yet?”
Hu Wang smiled bitterly. He was already in a difficult position. Earlier, he had acted all high and mighty, standing firm with the Fierce Gaze Golden Aura without dodging. If he got serious now, it would be like slapping his own face.
The area below the stage also fell silent.
Lu Hangzhi had proven his strength with the Sharp Gold Sword Qi—ordinary Second-rank Cultivators could hardly cast spells twice in such a short time while controlling the timing so precisely.
The match seemed to be getting interesting.
But…
Lu Hangzhi stopped fighting at this point.
He clasped his hands and said, “Since Senior Brother disdains to attack, I will return to continue my training. Half a month from now, on the day of the Sect Grand Competition, I hope to have a chance to spar with you.”
Hu Wang maintained his superior attitude, watching as Lu Hangzhi stepped down from the stage, and quietly let out a sigh of relief.
Just then, a thunderous, cold snort echoed over the dueling stage:
“Hmph! A Third Grade Cultivator challenging a Second-rank Cultivator—you really bring me face! Hurry up and get back here!”
The thunderous voice rolled through the air.
True Disciple, Hu Bugui!
Lu Hangzhi, along with all the Outer Sect Disciples on Daoshan Peak, felt their Magic Power stagnate and their breath catch under the overwhelming force. It wasn’t until the thunderous sound completely faded that they returned to normal.
So strong!
Lu Hangzhi was inwardly shocked.
This level of strength was probably even higher than Leng Wuya’s.
As for Hu Wang, his face turned pale, and with a troubled expression, he listlessly left the dueling stage.
And so, the much-talked-about match ended abruptly amid everyone’s sighs.
One refused to take advantage of the situation and voluntarily left the stage;
The other refused to attack and ended up being scolded away by True Disciple Hu Bugui.
However, Lu Hangzhi’s reputation was officially established in this battle.
Just based on his mastery of two spells, many Second Rank Peak Cultivators had already marked him as a formidable opponent, thinking they needed to be cautious when facing him in the Sect Grand Competition.
Lu Hangzhi gained a lot from this fight.
In this battle, he witnessed the power of a Third-grade defense spell. Against it, he would surely lose, unless…
Returning to Cultivation Chamber One, Lu Hangzhi saw the smiling Senior Brother Leng standing gracefully in the Abode.