Chapter 584: Victory Without a Battle
Tang Longfei, Ning Wenhuang, and the others had also received news of Xiang Shaoyun's return. They had also heard about the incident involving Lady Shura and the Han Clan sisters. It did not take them long to gather at the core disciples' residential area. They went straight to Xiang Shaoyun's 1 Dragon Villa. This was the number one residence available for core disciples, and it had a great significance attached to it.
One could say that being able to live here signified boundless glory. At the same time, it also represented endless trouble. One without sufficient strength would not be able to stay here for long. At that time, one might even be reduced into a joke instead. When Tang Longfei and Ning Wenhuang arrived, they found that a large number of disciples had gathered.
"What's going on here?" Tang Longfei asked in shock.
"It's obvious! They're here to challenge him!" Ning Wenhuang said.
"Hmph. They're simply courting death," said Tang Longfei coldly as he squeezed through the crowd.
At this time, Xiang Shaoyun's voice rang out from inside the villa, "You guys are really bothersome. This young master hasn't even warmed my seat, and you're already here challenging? Are you mental?"
"Xiang Shaoyun, are you going to hide like a cowardly turtle? Get out here! I'm going to beat you up!" shouted a regular disciple.
Tang Longfei managed to see clearly who the shouting disciple was. He quickly dashed toward that disciple and roared, "Who do you think you are? You dare challenge my brother? Do you want me to beat you up right here?"
When that disciple saw Tang Longfei, he shivered and quickly said, "I didn't say anything!"
He then turned tail and fled. He was merely someone trying to fish in troubled waters. Other people also finally noticed Tang Longfei. They knew that he occupied an upper middle position on the Serpent Fowl List and traces of fear appeared in their eyes when they saw him. Of course, there were also a number of people who weren't even bothered about him.
Tang Longfei also noticed a few individuals that even he feared. Inwardly, he wondered, What are the elders thinking? They are basically roasting Shaoyun atop a fire pit.
"Shaoyun, Wenhuang and I are here to visit you," Tang Longfei shouted. Soon, Han Xuewei opened the door and allowed Tang Longfei in.
The first thing Xiang Shaoyun did after settling down was invite Lady Shura and the Han Clan sisters over. This was his own place so he had full control over who he wanted to enter. After letting in Tang Longfei and Ning Wenhuang, Han Xuewei said to the crowd, "My young master said that he will only accept the challenges of those within top 1,000 on the Serpent Fowl List. All other challenges will not be accepted. Please leave."
Those within top 1,000 of the Serpent Fowl List could basically be considered top 3,000 among all the new disciples across the three rankings. These people could be considered the elites of the new disciples. Not even Tang Longfei was ranked that high.
"Splendid. I am Yun Zhuo, 999th place on the Serpent Fowl List. I hereby issue Xiang Shaoyun a challenge!" said a young man of about 27 years old.
One ought to admit that this individual was extremely lucky. He happened to be just within the range of the challenges Xiang Shaoyun was willing to accept, occupying an interesting rank of 999th place. He was a genuine Emperor. Like Tang Longfei, he had entered the Emperor Realm half a year ago. Since then, he had challenged many opponents to eventually achieve his current rank.
From his past feats, it was clear this Yun Zhuo was definitely no pushover. Even someone like Yue Huangquan, who was already a mid-stage Dragon Ascension Realm cultivator, only occupied a ranking of over 2,000.
"Please wait a moment. I will report this to my young master," said Han Xuewei as she went back inside the villa.
Soon, she returned and told Yun Zhuo, "My young master invites you to enter."
"Oh, sure," Yun Zhuo hesitated slightly before he agreed and entered with Han Xuewei.
The moment he entered, he was deeply attracted by the environment within the villa. Although it wasn't the most luxurious of villas, it had an environment extremely suitable for cultivation. Soon, somewhere within the villa, he saw a young man with extraordinary looks and temperament. Without a doubt, that young man was Xiang Shaoyun.
Xiang Shaoyun turned around, looked at Yun Zhuo, and asked, "You're challenging me?"
As he said that, he fixed his gaze on Yun Zhuo. His filthless soul started exuding an incorporeal pressure that swept out from his forehead onto Yun Zhuo. The filthless soul had brought Xiang Shaoyun's mental power to an inconceivable height. As for the filthless soul itself, it had reached a level near the soul of a Sovereign.
It was at this point that Xiang Shaoyun finally gained the ability to merge his mental power with his unrivaled presence of a King. He was now capable of emanating a sensation that could cause one's mental state to completely crumble.
Standing before Xiang Shaoyun, Yun Zhuo suddenly felt that Xiang Shaoyun was a mighty ruler overlooking him from high above, giving him a sensation that Xiang Shaoyun was someone he couldn't defy.
He himself was a genius who was able to enter the Emperor Realm before 30 years old. Although he wasn't the most talented of all, he was most definitely among the best of those in his generation. He possessed a willpower far beyond an ordinary person's.
He activated the presence of his Emperor Realm cultivation, trying to resist Xiang Shaoyun's pressure. However, his presence was dispersed again and again under Xiang Shaoyun's suppression. The helpless sensation took a heavy toll on his mind.
After an unknown period of time, Xiang Shaoyun finally withdrew his pressure and repeated his question, "Do you still want to challenge me?"
Yun Zhuo heaved a sigh of relief as he smiled bitterly and said, "I have been too confident of myself."
He then slightly bowed at Xiang Shaoyun before turning to leave. He knew that with the complete defeat of his presence, even with his higher cultivation level, he wouldn't be able to muster any sort of confidence against this opponent anymore.
He started lamenting to himself, No one with a freakish nine-star physique will be a pushover. Looks like we have all been lied to.
When he left the villa, he found that the same crowd was still waiting to know the result of his challenge. When they saw Yun Zhuo leaving completely unscratched, they were confused. "Did they agree to fight at a different time?"
Yun Zhuo could see their doubt. He couldn't help but to smile and say, "I have been defeated. It was a complete defeat. Anyone who thinks they're stronger than me, feel free to be the next challenger."
He then left with wide strides. When admitting his defeat, he felt no humiliation. Instead, he was relieved. Only those who dared to face their mistakes would be able to obtain more success. That was something Yun Zhuo had just understood. This defeat would serve as an important turning point in his path to his eventual greatness.