Chapter 210 - There Are Rules
“Him there, made the most mess.” Jian Chen pointed into the crowd.
Ye Wei followed Jian Chen’s finger to see an eight feet tall, well-built young man. He was dressed in a sleeveless beast hide. His muscular chest and arms glowed like metal, made him stood out like a watchtower in a cornfield.
‘He looks intersting.” Ye Wei murmured.
“Yue Tieniu, that’s his name. But everyone calls him the bull in secret. I am pretty sure he is at one-star returned prime level.”
“He made a scene and knocked down a few walls in his villa before Baili Hengtian tamed him.” Jian Chen quickly took his eyes off the aggressive Yue Tianiu, shifted his attention to Ye Wei and thought, ‘I will be able to beat the bull, how about you Ye Wei? You must have gotten stronger too right?’
‘A sword that hesitates is a sword that breaks in battles…’ Jian Chen thought to himself. He saw Ye Wei as his target since the rushing defeat at the regional tournament, he was here to face his demons, to get rid of the self-doubt that had been building up because of the encounter.
While Ye Wei and Jian Chen were chattering, catching up. Twenty veterans were looking down onto the palace, assessing the newcomers.
While Ye Wei and Jian Chen were chattering, catching up. Twenty veterans were lounging on a hilltop just outside the palace, looking down onto the palace, inspecting this year’s newcomers.
“We ought to get a few troublemakers, it could be worse. We only really have one reckless brat this year. Yue Tieniu even looks like a rabid dog, I didn’t expect much from him the moment I saw him entering the premises.” Said a youth dressed in a gold robe, his cold gaze aimed at the young giant, shone through the shadow his hood casted on his face.
“He is new, what do you expect? And why do you think we make the newcomers fight every year? All of them will learn to respect this palace.” A light laughter sounded as a faint silvery figure walked forth.
The youngster in gold robe was Zhou Kuang, and Bai Qing in silver. Both three-star returned prime Warriors were renounced presences at the Million Star Palace.
Although neither of them were on the black dragon listing, they were at the pinnacle of their cultivation level.
The twenty strong behind him were last year’s newcomers, they rejoiced shaking the first year label but were still slightly traumatized by how the palace treated them.
“No matter what you say, I am going to fight the strongest among them in a bit!”
“Why you?! I want to give him or her a beating!”
“Enough nonsense! There are a few dangerous newbies this year, all of you who are return prime Warriors step forward, we are drawing straws.” Zhou Kuang’s gaze landed on the newcomers as he spoke to his followers. “We have to step on them, break them!”
“Boss, you are over-reacting. We have been training in the secret realm. Do you really think these newbies can beat us?”
They bickered and argued, all of them thought they have been through enough to show the newcomers a tough time. Recruited by Zhou Kuang and Bai Qing, they were eager to improve and prove themselves to the Helians in the future.
Baili Hengtian briefly explained the rules to the volunteer, single-elimination newcomers fight series and suggested the winner of the series might have a chance to be relocated to a better villa. All hundred and thirty-six youngsters at the square suddenly became more enthusiastic, they all stretched and warmed up as they waited for the first person to step into the temporary ring.
“I am sick of the pigsty already, I am going to kick all your heads in to get myself moved! Come on then, who wants to get knocked out first?” With ground shaking steps, Yue Tieniu walked into the square’s center.
“I am pretty sure I am the strongest man here! Any of you pieces of trash care to prove me wrong!?” His walnut shell-shaped eyes bulged up, his rumbling voice startled the gatherers like dry thunder and his Qi swept the square like a ruthless storm.
“I, Li Wu will prove you wrong!” A figure took off from the crowd and rushed towards the center of the square.
All one hundred and thirty-seven newcomers had their own pride, they were all used to being the best, although some of them were quieter than others, none of them was going to believe the other was superior without a fight.
“Bang!”
The two’s Qi shell crashed together, filling the square with ripples of recoiling force waves and the whole square felt a shock.
“Cute!” Yue Tieniu took the initiative and leaped into the air. His fists were fast, fired down like a rain of arrows, filled the square with a shrill exploding sound.
With an advanced speed boosting technique, Li Wu’s figure turned into a flash. He avoided waves of Yue’s punches for a minute before he was caught by the reckless strikes.
Li Wu was just grazed and slowed, Yue Tieniu seized the opportunity and lunged forth to deliver the knockout punch.
“Who else wants to taste my fist?” The bull glared around and shouted with his foot on his defeated opponent.
“That strength is rather impressive…” Ye Wei murmured as the crowd went wild.
“Yea, Baili Hengtian was punched by a fist with similar force, he was knocked back three feet even he managed to divert the momentum.” Jian Chen added, then thought to himself. ‘His cultivation is still unstable, I don’t think he had been a returned prime Warrior for long. He is only physically strong because of the body strengthening stance…’
Jian Chen then closed his eyes and replayed the brief fight in his head, calculating the best way to handle opponents with a physically aggressive fighting style like Yue Tieniu’s.
A few more contestants ran into the ring but all of them, including a one-star returned prime Warrior, fell to the punches. The newcomers became cautious after the returned prime Warrior fell, none of them wished to risk embarrassing themselves in front of everyone else.
“Hahaha, is that it? How about if all of you come at once? It will save us some time!” Yue Tieniu’s arrogance grew in victory, he stared down at the crowd with a disdainful gaze and shouted.
None of the newcomers were happy that Yue Tieniu’s ego grew but there was nobody to stop him. They were elites, but the truth was that vast majority of them were yet to be returned prime Warriors.
“Don’t you want to shut him down? There is no way you could lose.” Jien Chen turned to Ye Wei and smiled.
“I’m not interested in fighting someone who doesn’t have much to offer.” Ye Wei chuckled and shook his head.
Jian Chen nodded agreeingly, peeped towards hills where the veterans stood.
“Anyone more challengers?” Baili Hengtian scanned across the square and waited. “Are you sure you don’t want to fight him? You will be stuck at the trashed villas for at least another year!”
Most of the newcomers were brought up by powerful martial families, they never had to fight anyone fight or confront in their lives.They all felt ashamed, mistreated but too shocked and scared to react.
‘Ha, I am pretty certain the Helians would endorse the bullying, these people are soft and clueless! Real talents can swim up against the current, fight against the odds!’ Baili Hengtian chuckled, then announced in a slightly wicked tone, “Yue Tieniu will be the series’ winner in three... Two... One!”
“Show time!” Zhou Kuang, Bai Qing and their followers clenched their fists and cracked their knuckles.
“Boss, let me deal with him!” A scar-faced youngster stepped forward and shouted confidently, licked his lips at the thought of humiliating Yue Tieniu, “He will be on the ground begging for mercy in three blows!”
“Don’t let me down Feng Shan, Go!” Zhou Kuang nodded.
Upon the approval, the scar-faced cultivator jumped off the hill, turned into a flash and rushed towards the square.
“What do they call him again? The bull?” Bai Qing couldn’t keep his eyes off the eight feet tall teenager.
“Don't worry, Feng Shan is as strong as a one-star returned prime Warrior can get, I am pretty sure he can even take down ordinary two-star returned prime Warriors on a good day. Nicknames and gimmicks are irrelevant. Zhou Kuang replied, clearly not concerned about the matchup.
“Hahaha, screw you all! Have fun living like pigs for a year!” Yue Tieniu’s laughter echoed, his smile grew as the other newcomers looked more upset and irritated.
“Idiot! Do you really think it will be that easy?” A sneer came from the sky and everyone looked up with wary eyes.
“You will be staying exactly where you’ve been assigned.” Feng Shan was levitating thirty feet above ground looking down at Yue Tieniu, said in a cold voice.
“What do you mean!?” Yue Tieniu’s hysterical smile evaporated, he narrowed his eyes and scream at the unexpected visitor.
Not only Yue Tieniu, all newcomers were also confused.
“I fought with my own fist, earned my place with my strength!” The bull shouted at the mysterious scar-faced cultivator in the sky then set his furious eyes onto Baili Hengtian. “Is this some kind of stupid joke? Are you serious!?”
‘Has any of you ever been to school before? You can’t really avoid being messed with…’ Ye Wei was the only newcomer with a clear head, he rolled his eyes and thought.
“There is another condition! You may get relocated if you beat me! If you don’t want to live like a newbie, you will have prove to us that you are not weak like a newbie!” Feng Shan pointed at the bull and stated fiercely. “This is a part of the tradition here, if you don’t like it then leave!”