Chapter 105: The Sect Tournament (Part Two)

“Get lost! What are you talking about?” Liu Long’s face darkened, his displeasure evident.

Liu Long was usually very sensitive about others mentioning his son’s peculiar habit, and now Zhao Shan had openly brought it up in public. How could Liu Long not be furious?

After speaking, he turned his face away, refusing to look at Zhao Shan any longer.

Seeing that he was being ignored, Zhao Shan had no choice but to focus on the activity in the arena. If Liu Zichen dared to do anything vile to his son, he would be ready to intervene in time.

“I am number twelve, so my opponent should be number twenty-one,” Lin Yanghao began searching for his rival.

Of course, not only Lin Yanghao but others were also looking for their respective opponents.

“I’m number twenty-one, who’s number twelve?” Lin Yanghao followed the voice and saw that his opponent was Yi Shun from the Xulin Sect.

Before Lin Yanghao could think further, Yi Shun’s taunting voice reached him.

“Hahaha! So it’s you! A useless member of the Tianwu Sect! I advise you to admit defeat early, or you might lose your life. I won’t go easy on you.”

This entire scene was naturally witnessed by Zeng Quan, who found Yi Shun’s words somewhat amusing. He sympathized with Yi Shun, thinking, "You’re in for it. Even I could barely fight back against him, so you, Yi Shun, don’t stand a chance. Even if there were five of you, you still couldn’t beat Lin Yanghao alone."

Of course, Yi Shun was oblivious to these thoughts and still believed that the Tianwu Sect was full of weaklings.

Lin Yanghao smiled slyly. So he wanted to hold back? Well, since he was so confident, there was no need for Lin Yanghao to be sentimental.

He resolved to thoroughly test Yi Shun’s strength.

Bang!

Just as Lin Yanghao was contemplating how to deal with Yi Shun, a sudden sharp pain struck his waist—he realized someone had collided with him.

And the one who hit him was none other than Zeng Quan, the very person who had been defeated by Lin Yanghao before.

Lin Yanghao thought, "Could he be seeking revenge for that day? His father is here too; maybe he wants his father to help him get even. Am I about to face two high-level experts from the Huashen Realm? If that’s the case, I’m caught between a rock and a hard place. This doesn’t bode well."

Lin Yanghao was already struggling against Le Hao; adding Zeng Fei would surely spell disaster.

Zeng Quan pretended not to recognize Lin Yanghao. “Sorry, I was distracted just now.”

Then, swiftly, he slipped a note into Lin Yanghao’s hand and left.

At this moment, Lin Yanghao still hadn’t fully grasped what was going on. He carefully pocketed the note, knowing it was unwise to read it here amidst so many prying eyes.

“Could he be challenging me to a duel?” Lin Yanghao thought, increasingly convinced that was the case.

However, Lin Yanghao had misjudged Zeng Quan. Zeng Quan merely wanted to meet him, nothing more.

The sect competition soon began, starting naturally with numbers one and thirty-two.

The sharp voice of the referee rang out: “Number one, Xu Ji, and number thirty-two, Wei Dong, prepare!”

The duel between the two was quite unusual. Xu Ji specialized in offense, while Wei Dong excelled in defense. This attack-versus-defense matchup attracted many spectators’ attention.

The duel commenced.

Lin Yanghao predicted that the two would stalemate for a long time, neither willing to yield.

Eventually, Xu Ji would suffer because Wei Dong’s defensive style consumed much less stamina and spiritual energy, so over time Xu Ji would naturally lose ground.

Sure enough, as Lin Yanghao had anticipated, Xu Ji was ultimately defeated.

With the first round over, the second match began.

Number two, Chen Xiang, faced number thirty-one, Lu Zhan.

In the end, Lu Zhan’s overwhelming strength secured the victory.

...

After the first eleven matches, it was finally Lin Yanghao’s turn.

The referee’s sharp voice sounded again: “Twelfth match, number twelve Yi Shun versus number twenty-one Lin Yanghao!”

Clad in a flowing green robe, Lin Yanghao leapt onto the stage with flair, exuding confidence.

The crowd below murmured in anticipation.

“Hmph, do you Tianwu Sect only know flashy tricks?” Duan Jiude, leader of the Xulin Sect, taunted Le Hao.

Le Hao retorted without hesitation, “It’s not about flashy moves but results. Although Tianwu Sect may not be impressive, we’re definitely stronger than you Xulin Sect.”

Seeing Le Hao successfully provoked, Duan Jiude sensed an opportunity and proposed, “Since Leader Le is so confident in beating our Xulin Sect, why not make a bet?”

Le Hao glanced at Yi Shun and agreed, “Hmph, bring it on. Who’s afraid?”

He thought, “I can’t promise he’ll win first place, but beating you, Yi Shun, should be easy enough.”

Le Hao took the bait, and Duan Jiude smiled, “Good, Leader Le is straightforward. Since it’s a wager, there must be stakes. I’ll put up ten thousand mid-grade spirit stones. What about you, Leader Le?”

Le Hao gasped inwardly. Duan Jiude’s wager was enormous—ten thousand mid-grade spirit stones would require the entire sect’s resources.

Though he was confident Lin Yanghao would win, Le Hao hesitated about accepting the bet.

If they lost, even if Tianwu Sect didn’t finish last, losing that sum would spell ruin.

Seeing Le Hao’s hesitation, Duan Jiude pushed further, “Oh? Leader Le can’t come up with ten thousand mid-grade spirit stones? Need me to lend you some?”

Le Hao’s face darkened, displeased. “Hmph, Tianwu Sect can afford this much; no need for your charity, little Duan.”

Since the other party called him Leader Le, he couldn’t neglect to address Duan Jiude respectfully.

Duan Jiude smiled, pleased that Le Hao had taken the bait. He cared little about the formalities.

Then he turned to Patriarch Jingyun. “Today, Leader Le and I have made a bet. I hope you, Senior Jingyun, can witness it so no one can deny it later.”

“Wait a minute. How could a bet happen without me, Zhao?” Zhao Wei interrupted. “Though poor, I can still put up a thousand mid-grade spirit stones. I bet on Yi Shun.”

Soon, several others placed bets as well.

Without exception, they all backed Yi Shun.

As for why no one bet on Lin Yanghao, they simply didn’t believe the Tianwu Sect could produce any prodigies; thus, they saw no risk in taking their money.

Patriarch Jingyun had no objections. “Alright, since everyone has placed their bets, I have nothing to say. With me supervising, no one will dare cheat.”