Chapter 319 – Active Provocation
The words served as a grenade, causing the geniuses to open their eyes wide and drop their jaws.
Who was Jiang Bilan?
The Saintess of the Trading Alliance!
One who was appointed by a Peak Leader!
Not to mention her glamorous appearance and the gentle attitude.
In other words, Jiang Bilan was exactly the ‘goddess material’ in the crowd’s heart, and Qin Nan treated her with utter disrespect and demanded her to piss off?
Even if there existed some conflict between Qin Nan and Jiang Bilan, he should not be so harsh with his words.
That being said, although the geniuses at the scene were hot-blooded younglings, they were not stupid at all. It was clear to them that Qin Nan most likely possessed a formidable background since he had the guts to utter such words after knowing the Saintess’ identity.
“My friend Qin Nan, why do you hate me so much?” Jiang Bilan curled her lips in a pitiful manner, “I know it was my fault for allowing the previous incidents to happen, but I hope you would give me a chance. With all honesty, I only want to be friends with you.”
Be friends?
With all honesty?
Qin Nan almost burst out laughing.
Although he had met some shameless pricks before, he had never seen anyone as shameless as Jiang Bilan. Qin Nan was confident that although she appeared to be sincere and regretful—and even after being scolded many times in a row—this Jiang Bilan would never repent.
“You are someone with a significant identity, and so am I. There’s no point wasting my time talking with you.” Qin Nan said with an expressionless face, “Therefore, can you just piss off like I asked you? How shameless are you!”
According to Qin Nan’s temper, he would usually lash out a slap on impulse. However, this Jiang Bilan had reached the peak of the Martial Emperor Realm, resulting in a significant difference in terms of their cultivation.
If he were to fight her, it would not be considered courageous, but idiotic.
“Qin Nan…” Jiang Bilan’s expression remained the same, but her eyes began to turn teary, who appeared to be more pitiful than before.
Princess Miao Miao squinted her eyes as her tiny hand emitted an icy aura.
She could guarantee that if this Jiang Bilan were to continue acting shamelessly, she would definitely slap her in the face.
Were you trying to be a prick by abusing your peak Martial Emperor Realm cultivation?
Fine!
The Princess shall teach you some manners with a slap!
However, at that instant, an unsatisfied voice could be heard, which turned out to be Huang Zhiheng turning mad, “Qin Nan, what’s wrong with you? I don’t know what happened between you two, but I only saw how Saintess Jiang Bilan treated you sincerely, and you decided to humiliate her with your words. Where is your tolerance as a respected genius?”
“That’s right!”
“Well said.”
“How narrow-minded!’
“……”
Many of the geniuses burst out scolding after hearing Huang Zhiheng’s words.
It was a great honor to receive the fondness of the Saintess, and yet this Qin Nan humiliated her twice in a row. Therefore, they immediately expressed their dissatisfaction and stood up for Jiang Bilan.
“Are you Jiang Bilan’s pet dog? If not, please stop barking!”
Qin Nan’s eyes coldly flickered.
Jiang Bilan’s words were no doubt setting him up, and yet these geniuses following the lead of Huang Zhiheng ended up falling for it such easily.
These guys have no idea that they are being used as tools; how are they even qualified to participate in the selection of the two Sacred Areas in the first place?
“You!”
Huang Zhiheng’s expression turned dark. As a genius with a fourth-grade Xuan ranked Martial Spirit, since when had he been humiliated like this before? He immediately uttered a roar, “Qin Nan, I will not abuse my advantage. I’ll restrict my cultivation to the half-Martial Emperor realm and promise not to use any weapon or Martial Skill mastery, do you dare to fight me?”
A duel?
The crowd was startled.
The geniuses from Jianghuang City, in particular, wore complicated expressions.
As for Jiang Bilan, she continued to speak in a pitiful tone, “Senior Brother Huang, please don’t initiate a duel. It was my fault all along, so I can understand Qin Nan’s attitude. Don’t be mad; I believe he will approve of my sincerity after I apologize to him a few more times, and he will forgive me…”
“Forgive?” Huang Zhiheng glared with his eyes open wide, who turned even more furious, “A person like him is not worth apologizing to. I will challenge him to a duel today, and teach him some manners!” He then glared at Qin Nan and snapped, “What now? Weren’t you being smug just then? Are you too afraid to fight me?”
“Mind your words.” Qin Nan’s finger emitted a crackling sound as he calmly said, “Seal your cultivation first.”
“Fine!”
Huang Zhiheng had completely lost his mind due to his anger, as he immediately sealed his cultivation.
Fang Jian squinted his eyes in mid-air, but he showed no intention of stopping the duel.
A hollow laugh could be seen deep within Jiang Bilan’s teary eyes. It was all part of her plan to manipulate the geniuses so they would be Qin Nan’s enemies.
It did not matter whether Huang Zhilong would win the duel or not; with just a few sentences, she was able to stir up trouble for Qin Nan, placing his life in danger without doing much of anything.
As for the geniuses at the scene, some of them cheered for Huang Zhiheng, while the others shook their heads and chose to be bystanders and spectate the duel.
“I’ve done sealing it!”
Huang Zhiheng’s restricted his cultivation to the half-Martial Emperor Realm and uttered a roar, “Bring it on!”
As soon as he said the words, with a shoosh, Huang Zhiheng could only see his vision turning blurry. Before he could react, a powerful punch could be seen expanding in his eyes, which landed on his face in a surprisingly fast manner.
BANG!
A loud explosion took place in the ears of the crowd.
Huang Zhiheng’s entire figure was smashed into the ground, as his eyes rolled. The mark of a fist could be seen on his retracted face, as his nose and everything were broken, leaving him in a weakened state as he lost his consciousness.
At that instant, the geniuses cheering for Huang Zhiheng were stunned. The geniuses spectating the duel were stunned.
Was… Was that the end?
Although it was a fair fight, this Huang Zhiheng had a fourth-grade Xuan ranked Martial Spirit, and was a genius appointed by an envoy. How did he get knocked out by a single punch?
The rage in Qin Nan’s heart gradually dissipated, as he expressionlessly glanced at the geniuses cheering for Huang Zhiheng and said in a calm tone, “I hope you will use your brains more before you speak. Jiang Bilan forced me into a corner by damaging my reputation, causing an entire city to cast me aside. She even ordered experts to suppress me just to rob my possessions. None of you knew the truth, so you should keep your mouths shut. Otherwise, in a fair battle, you will share the same outcome as that guy over there!”
After saying this, Qin Nan’s eyes emitted an icy glow.
The geniuses who were cheering for Huang Zhiheng shuddered violently, as they could feel a chill rising in their heart. At the same time, a sudden thought came to them, Why would Qin Nan treat Jiang Bilan with such attitude for no reason? There must be some reasons behind it, and we are totally clueless about it.
The thought of them cheering for Huang Zhiheng caused them to feel embarrassed due to their idiotic act.
Jiang Bilan wore an unpleasant expression. She did not expect the Huang Zhiheng who she had spent her time provoking would end up being defeated in a single blow, which caused her to feel low-spirited, as all her efforts were in vain now.
“Well said!”
All of a sudden, a loud roar could be heard.
Translator: XephiZ
Editor: DOCuinn
Chapter 320 – Willing to Be Her Tool
The crowd could only see a chubby man chewing at a drumstick in his hand, leaving oily stains on his face.
The chubby man took another bite at the drumstick and glanced at Qin Nan before he exclaimed, “This buddy right here was exactly right, well f**king said! This Jiang Bilan is an absolute b*tch, who dares to cause such a scene here. If my cultivation were strong enough, even slapping her in the face would not be enough to release my anger.”
Jiang Bilan was startled.
The surrounding disciples were astonished.
Where did this fat guy come from, and why would he be cursing the Saintness?
At that instant, another blurry figure arrived from the sky, who also had a vague appearance, “Fang Jian, this guy is Pang Qiu, the genius whom I appointed. Please take good care of him.”
After saying this, the blurry figure vanished.
The crowd was utterly amazed. They had not expected this slobby fatty to be someone who was appointed by a Peak Leader.
Fang Jian was astounded, as this Peak Leader had always stayed in seclusion in the Qinglong Sacred Area, and it was rare to meet him in person. To his surprise, this Peak Leader would also appoint a genius. It was his first time doing so in the past five years.
“Pang Qiu? What an interesting name.”
Qin Nan’s left eye emitted a glow as he glanced at the chubby man. However, his expression changed after the glimpse.
What Pang Qiu, he could see five extraordinarily brilliant black lines on his forehead—this guy was none other than Sima Kong!
Why was this Sima Kong a participant for the selection of the two Sacred Areas, and how was this guy appointed by a Peak Leader?
Sima Kong gave Qin Nan a wink after realizing his identity had been exposed.
At that instant, Jiang Bilan spoke in a calm tone, “Err, this Pang Qiu friend, I’m afraid I’ve never met you before. Why would you embarrass me with your words?”
“Hehe, you’re asking me why?” Pang Qiu let out a strange chuckle and said, “I, your brother Pang, has always been a straightforward man. Who does not know the cunning behaviors of the Trading Alliance? You won’t differ too much long as you are from the Trading Alliance!”
The geniuses could feel their lips twitching after hearing the words.
The cunning behavior of the Trading Alliance?
Within the lower district, the Trading Alliance was famous for being just and fair, but why was it a totally different case in his words?
As a result, many of the geniuses felt sorry for Jiang Bilan. It’s obvious that Jiang Bilan didn’t do anything bad at all, but she ended up being humiliated in such disrespectful manners. That being said, no one would dare to comment further on the topic, as this fatty was someone appointed by a Peak Leader, a powerful talent.
“You…”
Jiang Bilan had already felt unpleasant after stumbling into a brick wall when facing Qin Nan. Despite her remarkable patience, she was on the verge of turning furious after being scolded like that.
However, before she could go enraged, a sudden loud roar was heard, which felt like a bomb being detonated!
“How bold!”
Following the roar, a piercing sound was heard, as a white-shirted young man holding a longsword emitting an icy glow could be seen dashing toward Pang Qiu while emitting a terrifying murderous intent.
“Stop it!”
A sudden change took place to the scene; before the crowd could react, Fang Jian uttered a furious roar and reached out his hand, which transformed into a giant hand and grabbed the streams of Sword intent in his hand, nullifying the attack.
Following this, Fang Jian snapped in a cold tone, “Friendly duels are permitted in the Qinglong Sacred Area, but murder is a serious crime! Since it’s your first time breaking the rules, your life will be spared this time. If it were to happen again, you will be slain right on the spot!”
“Humph!”
The white-shirted man withdrew the sword as his expression turned dark. Although his killing blow was stopped, he had no intention of hiding the murderous intent in his eyes.
Meanwhile, another blurry figure arrived from the sky, who uttered a blasting yell, “This genius is appointed by me!”
The crowd was utterly astonished once again.
Another Peak Leader!
This white-shirted man who appeared ferociously was also appointed by a Peak Leader!
“Damn it, so what if you are appointed by a Peak Leader? I don’t even know you, and you are trying to kill me; are you insane!” Sima Kong went enraged as his chubby hand exhorted a powerful might. It was as if the drumstick in his hand would be hurled like a weapon anytime soon.
“I don’t know you!” The white-shirted man spoke in a cold tone, “But you dare to humiliate Bilan with your words; killing you a hundred times would not be even enough to repay your sin! And you, you are Qin Nan, right? I was told that you too had humiliated Bilan! I don’t care if you team up with this fatty. I’ll seal my cultivation and have a fight with you two!”
The white-shirted man glanced at Qin Nan, his eyes fully filled with murderous intent.
Qin Nan’s eyes gradually turned sharp.
I just finished dealing with an idiot, and here comes another one?
Although this white-shirted man possesses a sixth-grade Xuan ranked Martial Spirit, he really thinks he can defeat both of us with the same cultivation level?
Leaving aside Qin Nan, Sima Kong was someone who was marked with five black lines. Even the left eye of the Divine God of Battle was unable to peek through all his secrets. It would not be a problem for him to smash this white-shirted man.
The surrounding geniuses were astounded. This white-shirted man is indeed ruthless, planning to fight them two when he had just arrived here.
“F**k, you dare to challenge us two because of that b*tch? Do you think I’ve been eating vegetables all my life? Forget about sealing your cultivation; show me what you’ve got, and be prepared to be spanked by my drumstick!” Sima Kong shuddered violently due to his extreme anger, causing the fat on his flesh to vibrate vigorously.
I, Sima Kong, had roamed across the lower district for many years, since when have I been disrespected like this?
Do you think you are Qin Nan!
“Because of that b**ch?” It was as if someone had just stepped on the white-shirted man’ tail, causing him to turn exceedingly furious as he snapped, “I, Jiao Shiyi, don’t care if she offended you two, or if you two offended her. If you dare to humiliate her, I’ll surely murder you!”
The surrounding crowd was startled.
They finally realized that this Jiao Shiyi was most likely a suitor of the Saintess. Therefore, he planned to fight them regardless of the truth.
“Jiao Shiyi, are you done?”
However, at that instant, an angry voice was heard.
The crowd could only see a white-robed man carrying a longsword on his back wearing a furious expression as he approach them. With a closer look, it appeared that his looks bore some similarities with Jiao Shiyi’s face.
Furthermore, behind this young man stood a tall blurry figure, who appeared to be another Peak Leader!
“Jiao Zhe?”
One of the disciples among the crowd let out a scream, as his face turned pale.
The other geniuses were shocked after hearing the name.
“What? He is Jiao Zhe?”
“Even he is participating in the selection?”
“Crap! There’s no doubt that he will be the King of Geniuses! Why are we even here!”
“……”
Qin Nan’s eyes glistened as he glanced at Jiao Zhe’s figure.
Translator: XephiZ
Editor: DOCuinn
TL Note: Pang Qiu (胖球) means plump/chubby ball.
TL Note: No offense to vegetarians or vegans. It’s a slang in Chinese which is the same as saying ‘Do you think I’m that weak?”
Chapter 321 – The Trial Begins
This Jiao Zhe possessed a cultivation of the half-Martial Ancestor Realm and a seventh-grade Xuan ranked Martial Spirit.
In terms of the ranks of Martial Spirits alone, besides Qin Nan, Jiang Bilan, and Sima Kong, his Martial Spirit was considered quite outstanding among the participants.
“Brother!”
Jiao Shiyi’s expression changed slightly, and it was as if a mouse had stumbled into a cat, who swiftly withdrew his murderous intent, not daring to move.
“I’ll deal with you later!”
Jiao Zhe gave him a glare before he glanced at Pang Qiu and Qin Nan with a stern look and brought his fists together, while saying in a sincere tone, “My friends, my brother has always been impulsive since he was born, please don’t blame him. If he somehow offended you, I’ll apologize on his behalf, and I hope you will forgive him!”
Sima Kong’s face turned calmer as he let out a harrumph and fell silent.
Qin Nan nodded his head without wearing any expression.
Even though he was not fond of this Jiao Shiyi, and would not mind teaching him a lesson, he would not be fussy if Jiao Zhe were willing to apologize with such sincerity.
The storm was calmed just like that.
Meanwhile, on the dojo stood Jiang Bilan, Jiao Shiyi, Sima Kong, and Jiao Zhe—four geniuses who were appointed by Peak Leaders. Jiao Zhe’s arrival especially, caused the geniuses from Jianghuang City to feel pressured and wear stern looks on their faces, as if he was a great foe.
At that instant, a few other cultivators appeared from afar, who turned out to be Martial Ancestor Realm experts who were planning to take part in the selection.
There were now over six hundred disciples taking part in the selection, resulting in a spectacular sight.
When it was almost time for the selection, Fang Jian’s figure rose into the air and scanned the crowd, before uttering a shout, “The trial will be split into two rounds. The first round will be one-on-one duels; each participant will only take part in a single duel. Although the losers will not be disqualified from the selection, only the winners will advance to the second round! Besides, as the selection takes place, six Peak Leaders and a hundred envoys will be spectating the entire process. Therefore, please do your best!”
After saying this, Fang Jian suddenly turned around and glanced at the towering Duanmu Peak. He then brought his fists together and yelled, “Let’s welcome the arrival of Peak Leader Duanmu!”
Upon hearing the words, the crowd of geniuses turned incredibly excited.
It’s Peak Leader Duanmu!
In the Qinglong Sacred Area, among the sixteen Peak Leaders, Peak Leader Duanmu was ranked first, whose authority and strength was second only to the Sacred Leader of the Qinglong Sacred Area; he could be considered a top authority figure in the entire lower district!
They did not expect to meet the legendary Peak Leander Duanmu at this selection.
BANG!
The space above the dojo suddenly crumbled downward, resulting in a piece of darkness. A white-haired old man could be seen walking out from the piece of darkness, who turned out to be Peak Leader Duanmu.
Peak Leader Duanmu scanned the disciples below him, his eyes secretly glancing at Qin Nan before he said with a smile, “Young geniuses, welcome to the selection taking place at Duanmu Peak. Before the trial starts, according to the rules, I’ll set up a barrier to prevent you from seeing the exterior, but the people outside the barrier can still see what’s happening inside.”
With a flick of his finger, a light dot was fired, which transformed into a huge glowing screen encapsulating the entire dojo within it.
The crowd was startled; That’s Peak Leader Duanmu for you, able to change the appearance of the Heavens and Earth with just a flick of his finger!
“The barrier has been established, the first ritual had been completed. I now welcome the Peak Leaders and the envoys to enter Duanmu Peak and spectate the trial!” Peak Leader Duanmu said in a blasting tone.
Shoosh shoosh shoosh shoosh… Although the disciples were not situated inside the barrier, they could still sense powerful auras arriving in the surroundings of the dojo from a distance away, and there were at least more than a hundred of them.
Even though they could not see it with their eyes, the thought of six Peak Leaders and a hundred envoys spectating them outside the barrier caused their blood to boil.
Those people are all famous great authorities within the lower district!
“A thousand clashes of fireworks!” Peak Leader Duanmu waved his sleeves.
From the towering Duanmu Peak, over thousands of light beams were fired upward, resulting in countless explosions that lit up the entire sky, shining upon the Qinglong Sacred Area. The sight of it was magnificent and shocking.
“Qinglong welcomes the talents!” Peak Leader Duanmu let out a grunt.
Buzz!
At that instant, if one were to look down from high above, the sixteen mountains that resembled the silhouette of a giant blue dragon began to move as it emitted the shocking cry of a dragon, as if a huge atavistic dragon was being awakened.
Countless people of the Qinglong Sacred Area were utterly astonished. The cry of the dragon was so clear that it felt like an explosion in their souls.
“The rituals are done. Let the trial begin!”
Peak Leader Duanmu flicked his finger, firing countless light dots that landed before each disciple, and transformed into a blue number. Following this, Peak Leader Duanmu wore a smile on his face as he re-entered the piece of darkness. The gap in the sky was slowly mended, as if nothing had happened.
Despite that, the disciples wore shocked expressions on their faces, and were yet to collect their thoughts.
A thousand clashes of fireworks!
The cry of the blue dragon!
Either one was enough to greatly impact their souls.
Despite the fact that it was only a mere selection, the rituals were surprisingly grand!
Fang Jian stared at the astonished crowd and let out a smile. He remembered that he had also worn the same expression when he took part in the selection back in the day. He hesitated for a moment, before uttering a shout, “Everyone, I believe each of you has received a number! Now, based on your cultivation realms, find your respective rings and battle against your assigned opponent! We’ll start from the Martial Ancestor Realm!”
Thirty disciples appeared behind Fang Jian’s figure, who were the assessing officers of the trial.
Fang Jian grabbed the space before him with his left hand, causing a scroll to appear. He then read the contents of the scroll in a loud tone, “Number one versus number two; number three versus number nine; number four versus number eighteen…”
“Hehe, it’s my turn. Wish me luck!”
The Longhu Ancestor Beast let out a proud smile. With a leap, his figure landed on the ring, while placing his hands on his back while wearing a disdainful face.
“Hmm? It’s been a long time since I had a satisfying fight!”
Princess Miao Miao was assigned number seventy nine. After her name was called, a smile appeared on her face as her watery eyes displayed a hint of excitement.
Qin Nan shivered upon seeing this; Who’s that unfortunate to bump into Princess Miao Miao?
Judging from her reaction, she would surely take a hold of the chance to warm up her joints and limbs.
“What a violent girl…” Qin Nan mumbled to himself, as he shook his head and sat down with his legs crossed.
He was not interested in the battles. There was no doubt that Princess Miao Miao and the Longhu Ancestor Beast would crush their opponents with ease. Therefore, it was better for him to spend the time observing his Inner Core.
“Hmm?”
When Qin Nan glanced at his Inner Core, he could not help but frown.
The previously dead silent Inner Core suddenly emitted a buzz, as if something were about to crack out from it.
“Could this be…”
Translator: XephiZ
Editor: DOCuinn