Chapter 65: Getting Nervous
Zen didn't tell them that he had accepted the task of killing blade locusts when he left Cloud Sect.
So they didn't know what he was doing during this period.
“It's a long story. Let's talk about it later. What's going on here? Why are so many people gethering here today?” asked Zen as he surveyed the scene before him.
Generally speaking, disciples could hardly wait to improve their strength after they joined Cloud Sect. Most of them would indulge in martial arts and cultivation upon being accepted at the Sect. Some disciples were so diligent that they rarely left their cultivation sites except for meal times. It was thus beyond Zen's expectation to see so many disciples gathered at Drizzle Peak.
“Zen, you've been away for a while. You probably don't know that Drizzle Peak has gotten into trouble recently!” said Nory. “But the matter doesn't relate to us. After all, we can't interfere in the disputes of those disciples.”
“Drizzle Peak has gotten into trouble? What kind of trouble?” asked Zen in surprise. Although Drizzle Peak was ranked last among the 33 peaks, it was still a part of Cloud Sect. Who dared to cause trouble?
Seeing the bewilderment on Zen's face, Sean said, “A few days ago, there was a conflict between disciples of Drizzle Peak and those of Vulture Peak. It grew increasingly serious, and the masters of the two peaks had to intervene. Since the matter couldn't be resolved to everyone's satisfaction, the masters of Vulture Peak challenged Drizzle Peak.”
“Challenged? Only disciples can throw down the gauntlet, right?” asked Zen with total confusion.
Sean smiled and continued to explain, “One peak can also challenge another. There are a wide variety of competitions and rankings in Cloud Sect, including inter-peak rivalry once every three years, the annual trial for the inner and outer disciples, the free challenges between different peaks, and so on. This challenge between Vulture Peak and Drizzle Peak is one of them. All outer disciples will be able to participate in the competition as long as they get the approval of their masters.”
“Rub-a-dub!”
Just as Sean was explaining the various competitions to Zen, the sound of drumbeats filled the air.
Once all the outer disciples heard the sound of drums, they swarmed to the arena.
Seeing this, Sean said, “Zen, today's rivalry is about to begin. Let's go over there and take a look. We can talk about it as we walk.”
On the way to the arena, Zen got a general idea about the rules of the challenge.
From Sean's explanation, Zen gathered that Cloud Sect permitted contests where disciples of different peaks could compete with each other. The masters at Cloud Sect believed that such competitions could motivate disciples to make rapid progress.
The challenge between two peaks did not involve the outer disciples only. Similar contests were organized for inner disciples of disputing peaks. This time, however, the challenge between Vulture Peak and Drizzle Peak was open only to outer disciples.
Sean believed that it was a deliberate and carefully planned competition. The Vulture Peak asked several outer disciples to stir up trouble first and escalated it into a major conflict. Then the masters of the two peaks had to come forward to alleviate the tension. Finally, the two sides decided to end the dispute with a contest. Vulture Peak must have planned the battle for a long time.
Vulture Peak ranked 24th in Cloud Sect. Why did Vulture Peak choose to challenge Drizzle Peak?
The answer was obvious. They thought that Drizzle Peak was the weakest peak in Cloud Sect and hence, it would be the easiest to defeat.
The comprehensive strength of Drizzle Peak ranked last from among all peaks, which made other peaks feel that their strength was far better than that of disciples at Drizzle Peak.
According to the rules of Cloud Sect, if the disciples of Vulture Peak won in the challenge, they would get a month's expenses and pills distributed by Cloud Sect to the outer disciples of Drizzle Peak.
The masters of Drizzle Peak knew that their outer disciples were no match for those of Vulture Peak. They were not supposed to accept the challenge. But the truth was they had accepted the fight. Sean did not know why they did so.
Zen, Nory, and Sean crowded into the arena with the other outer disciples.
Since the challenge involved the welfare of all the outer disciples, almost all of them were present to watch the competition. The number of disciples watching the competition today had doubled, if not tripled, compared with the last contest between Zen and Leo. Although the area around the battle ring was very spacious, the sheer number of onlookers made it seem as though the place was too small.
After all, it wasn't just the outer disciples of Drizzle Peak that had come to watch the event, but also some inner disciples, who were wearing black robes. They stood in the crowd, keeping a close eye on the situation in the battle ring.
The inner disciples couldn't take part in the challenge. They wouldn't be affected even if the outer disciples were defeated. But the result of the challenge affected the reputation of Drizzle Peak. So they were very concerned about the game.
Zen found a good place to watch the competition. He looked up and saw Wurth Zhang standing in the battle ring.
“Why is Wurth in the arena?” asked Zen with curiosity.
Sean said, “Vulture Peak has won three games in recent days. They have defeated three outer disciples of Drizzle Peak, namely, Otto Chen who is ranked 16th, Samson Zheng who is ranked 13th, and Truman Xu who is ranked 9th. So it's Wurth's turn this time.”
Hearing this, Zen understood that things hadn't been going well for Drizzle Peak.
Zen didn't care about the money and pills that Drizzle Peak would receive every month. Those pills were of limited benefit to him, and the money was a small sum for him. But as an outer disciple of Drizzle Peak, he was a member of the group. If he had the opportunity to contribute to Drizzle Peak, he would head up and fight for the peak's honor.
“Look, the match is on. The candidate chosen by Vulture Peak is Tan Tian. He has defeated three of the outer disciples from Drizzle Peak already. I hope Wurth can beat him!”
“Alas, it's hard to say. Yes, Wurth is strong. But even if he defeats Tan, what's the use? Tan has already proven to be too strong for our disciples. But he only ranks 16th at Vulture Peak. Even if Wurth defeats Tan, Vulture Peak will send a higher ranking person next. Then how will we deal with it?”
The outer disciples of Drizzle Peak were talking about the challenge. Obviously, they thought that the prospects of Drizzle Peak were not good.
At this time, Zen saw a man jumping into the battle ring. He was six feet tall and as thin as a rail. He must be Tan Tian.
As soon as Tan jumped into the battle ring, he looked around. Arrogance shimmered in his eyes. He leisurely surveyed the outer disciples of Drizzle Peak, and then he fixed his gaze on Wurth. He sneered and with a curl of his lips said, “Is there anyone better in Drizzle Peak? Why send a butterball here?”
“Wow ...”
To challenge one of the other peaks was to stand and fight on someone else's turf. In general, challengers tended to keep a low profile, even if they were sure to win.
After all, if they enraged all disciples of that peak, they would be at the risk of being attacked by the bystanders. No matter how powerful they might be, they couldn't withstand the attacks of a crowd of cultivators. Though the rules of Cloud Sect were strict, they couldn't punish numerous offenders. So if Tan were beaten to death by an angry crowd, perhaps no one would be held responsible for his death.
But Tan didn't rein in his arrogance. Winning three games consecutively seemed to have increased his ego. After hearing what Tan said, the outer disciples of Drizzle Peak got angry and burst out a storm of abuses.
Tan, without the slightest fear, stood on the edge of the battle ring and shouted, “Why do you abuse me? If you have the guts, come up to the arena and challenge me. I'm waiting for you. No matter how many of you come, I'll defeat you. Drizzle Peak ranks last every year, and there are no outstanding disciples in it. I think it would be better to remove it from the 33 peaks!”
Zen frowned when he heard what Tan said. At the same time, the outer disciples of Drizzle Peak were getting even more hostile, and the name-calling became louder. Things were going to get out of control.
At this moment, Wurth, who had been smiling and standing silently in the battle ring, suddenly raised his hand.
At the moment, his expression grew serious and all traces of his smile disappeared. It was a weird thing to see a smiling, fat man showing such a calm expression.
His action immediately caused the other disciples to stop.
Wurth stood at the seventh rank from among the outer disciples at Drizzle Peak.
He was unassuming and easy to get along with. He hadn't offended anyone in Drizzle Peak.
He was a quiet and under-the-radar guy.
But it was clear to all that the strength hidden under the fat body was astonishing.
Some people still remembered what had happened when he had entered Cloud Sect and become an outer disciple of Drizzle Peak. At that time, a few disciples thought he was weak and could be bullied easily. But when they went to cause trouble, they were easily slammed to the ground.
Only then did they realize that this fat man, who looked kind and harmless to all, was definitely a fierce man.
His strength was stable ever since. No one had been able to take his rank at Drizzle Peak.
But many disciples suspected that Wurth had concealed his real strength. If he did his best, he would be in the top five.
“Tan, the challenge between two peaks is a very ordinary competition in Cloud Sect. It's unacceptable for you to talk like that,” said Wurth with a straight face.
Wurth was a good-tempered man. If anyone else had been contesting Tan, he would have been scolding Tan. But Wurth wouldn't do that. As a matter of fact, people who really knew Wurth could say that despite his pleasant demeanor, Wurth was furious at the moment. They knew that Wurth displayed his anger differently from others.
However, Tan couldn't detect Wurth's anger at all. He shook his head and with a contemptuous sneer asked, “But I did speak like that. Now, what are you gonna do? And what's wrong with what I said? I think you should give up right now. If there's no one stronger, we Vulture Peak will win the challenge. It's a real pity that I can't find an outstanding disciple from Drizzle Peak to fight. It disappoints me to see a fat man up here.”
“We will play, and then you can tell us who is more powerful. Let's stop talking and get started. I really don't like the way you guys whine. So much for Vulture Peak,” Wurth shook his head and retorted.
“Don't want me to whine?” Tan laughed and said, “OK, then, let's begin. I'll give you a good hiding and ensure that you have no power to fight back.”
Then Tan raised his hands and burst out brown life energy. With a sudden and loud shout, he put the brown life energy into the ground of the battle ring.
“Sacred Wood Thrust!”
“Peng, Peng!”
When Zen saw this, his brows shot up in surprise. Tan's life energy seemed to have a strong affinity for the metal element. He was able to put his life energy into the battle ring made of gold and iron.
Then, a shining brown light appeared at Wurth's feet. Two brown wood stakes started to come out from where he stood.
Tan was only a half-step into the nature level. The Sacred Wood created by his life energy was half virtual and half real, as it had not yet congealed into a physical form. If he had reached the nature level, the stakes rising from the battle ring would be pieces of real Sacred Wood.
Even so, the attack power of these pieces of Sacred Wood should not be underestimated. If the Sacred Wood hit Wurth, he would be severely wounded and would lose half of his life. Zen was getting nervous at this scene.