Chapter 274 I Challenge You!
Chu Xun and his companions ambled casually towards the dueling ring and were just in time to see a man falling off.
“I’ve lost,” the man got up and said, dipping into a humble bow and salute before he spun around and marched towards the gates.
The victor still standing on the platform that was the dueling ring, a man looking in his middle age with a stern glare and a commanding presence, was a Second-grade Human King.
With another look at the warrior who just lost – a Grandmaster of the Grand Completion level, there was small wonder nor doubt in the outcome of the duel.
“Allow me,” said a voice, and an aging man – a First Grade Human King – leaped up the dais.
“Greetings!” The middle-aged man on the stage bowed and saluted. His aura stretched out like a gentle, invisible wave as he lowered his power back down to First Grade.
Boom!
The duel began. The two men exchanged tens of dozens blows and the duel finally came to an end with the more senior man being knocked out of the ring.
Notably, the combatants behaved quite frankly and respectfully. Having lost his fight, the elderly man saluted, bowed, and he walked off, heading towards the gates to assume the duties of keeping wild beasts away from the city.
The man in his middle years stood in the ring with his hands crossed behind his back, watching reticently without challenging nor taunting anyone.
Anyone was free to walk up and challenge the man, and no one could be compelled if he so refused to compete.
For an hour, more than ten warriors stepped up to challenge the man to a fight, but in the end, only one of them managed to force a draw.
Strangely, the warrior whose duel came to a draw was barred from leaving and was instead being taken away by acolytes of the Sanctuary.
“What’s going on?” asked Chu Xun with interest.
“He is invited to the Sanctuary, Master,” explained Yu Cheng, “Good food and drinks shall await this one and he’d be extended an offer to serve the Sanctuary. If he agrees to the offer, he’ll stay on as a retainer. If he refuses, he’ll be allowed to leave, with all the dignity and respect that befit his abilities.”
Chu Xun’s eyes twinkled as he listened. Smart, he mused quietly. By erecting a small dueling ring, they solved the problem of wild beast attacks while being on the constant lookout for talents to further bolster their private army.
“All of you, go up there and give it a try. But no losing; you must win.”
Chu Xun had only just finished and before Yu Cheng and Winsome Widow could react, Jiu You was already leaping up to the dais, stepping into the ring.
“What a pretty little girl.”
Some of the warriors onlooking the duel said.
The middle-aged man on the dais could not help but be startled beyond speech for a brief second before he said gently, “Little girl, this is not a place to have fun. Get down quickly. Are your parents around?”
Jiu You’s appearance – long, flowing hair shiny in purple, a small, lithe frame, and tiny feet without shoes – were really deceiving that one could argue that she looked really like a life-sized doll.
“I challenge you!” Jiu You declared in her innocent and childlike voice. If not for the bright and clear gaze in his eyes and his soft demeanor, Jiu You would not have asked; she would have pounced at him directly instead.
A peal of guffaws came from the warriors spectating from below.
“You must be the little girl’s father, eh?” said a warrior, gesturing at Chu Xun. He saw Chu Xun coming with Jiu You earlier.
“Urm… About that…” Chu Xun stammered, his voice suddenly lost.
“You need to get your little girl down fast. This is not the place for her to have fun.” The warrior urged with concern.
“She’s been gaining some levels in her magical cultivation, so she’d like a try,” said Chu Xun.
“For Heaven’s sake, you must be mad for spiritual herbs. How can you expect a child like her to fight in a ring? What happens if she gets hurt? Gods, people like you shouldn’t be parents!” Another warrior griped angrily.
“…” Chu Xun was left speechless by the criticisms of parenting pelted at him.
Beside him, Yu Cheng and Winsome Widow watched on gleefully; this was the first time they witnessed anyone who was brave enough to criticize Chu Xun, and he could say nothing to defend himself.
“Don’t worry, Father,” Jiu You said, looking back at him, “I’ll win you a spiritual herb!”
Chu Xun’s knees almost gave way at that. Jiu You was making things worse!
What Jiu You said did really aggravated things; more and more people began hurling scathing criticisms at Chu Xun, calling him a callous and cruel father who forced his lovely little daughter to fight in the ring – all for a spiritual herb.
“Let us begin then!” Jiu You said to the middle-aged man.
“Little girl,” said the man, not being able to lay a hand on a little girl as lovely as Jiu You, “This really is no place to have fun. Get down now.”
Jiu You’s pair of enchanting eyes blinked once. Then she lunged, her little frame dashing straight at her opponent with her fists raised.
The man watched with an amused expression, but he did not move; a thick aura began swirling around him – his protective aura. He wished only for Jiu You to comprehend his strength and resign on her own.
Boom!
But Jiu You’s fist drove right through his protective aura with ease, shocking him so greatly that a tidal wavelike force blew him right out of the ring and down the dais.
A still, deathly silence percolated. No one was able to speak nor squeak. Everyone was bewildered with disbelief.
Even as he hit the ground, the man staggered for a few steps before he could steady himself. He stared hard at Jiu You who looked at him from atop the dais and understood that although he was caught unawares, the little girl was nevertheless very, very strong.
Jiu You scampered and took her prize – a sparkling-green herb from which natural fragrance permeated the air nearby and trotted back to Chu Xun. In her babyish and innocent voice, she chirped, “This is for you, Father!”
Chu Xun’s knees almost failed him again. He stroked Jiu You’s hair so roughly that her hair turned into a bird’s nest before he pinched her little cheeks.
Jiu You slapped away Chu Xun’s hand annoyedly and she hopped back into the ring, saying, “Any more spiritual herbs? I want to fight to win some more.”
A curtain behind the dais opened, revealing an old man with white flowing hair and beard, smiling benignly.
“Master Mu…” The middle-aged man who lost grimaced shamefully.
“It’s not your fault,” said the old man, waving him off gently.
He looked at Jiu You, still wearing his genial smile. From within his robes, he produced a little box and once he flipped open the lid, a soft, greenish glow escaped the box, accompanied by the faint aroma of the herb – a seven-leafed clover.
A Herb of Seven Stars.
Chu Xun’s lips twisted into a smile. The Herb of Seven Stars is an ingredient of the Level-improving Pill – one with potent efficacy, and Chu Xun could see that this one was of moderate grade.
Immediately, Chu Xun delivered a telepathic message to Jiu You, telling her that she must win the prize.
“What do you think of this, little girl?” The ancient man chuckled.
“Looks fine.” Jiu You remarked, looking at it.
Her indifference surprised the old man who broke into a guffaw nonetheless, “All right then, little lass. Win the next fight and this shall be your reward.”
Greed and craving burned in the eyes of the spectating warriors below the dais; it was apparent that the spiritual herb was extraordinarily rare.
At the old man’s signal, the curtain rose again, and this time, another man in his middle years, clad in robes burnished in lustrous white, came out.
“Don’t hurt her, Qingfeng,” the old man told him.
Lin Qingfeng nodded obediently and called out, “Defeat me, little girl, and this herb shall be yours.”
“You don’t look as good as my father in those clothes,” said Jiu You childishly.
“Er!”
Lin Qingfeng’s gaze washed down the crowd and landed on Chu Xun, who was also dressed in the same white burnished robe himself. He looked otherworldly handsome, like an immortal in the painting.
What an awkward moment!
Chu Xun managed a polite nod to Lin Qingfeng while trying his best to look calm.
But Lin Qingfeng instead shot back a disdainful glare at Chu Xun. Misunderstanding Chu Xun as an unscrupulous father who used his daughter to fight and win spiritual herbs, he had only the deepest loathing for him.
That stunned Chu Xun, who noticed the hostile look from the man above the dais. Yet he remained silent; it was easy to guess why Lin Qingfeng looked at him that way.
“Come, little one,” Lin Qingfeng beckoned, keeping one hand behind his back, clearly intending to take on Jiu You with only one arm.
The man whom Jiu You defeated earlier tried to say something as if to warn him, but ultimately decided against it.
“Do you want to fight me with only one hand?” asked Jiu You, tilting her head.
Lin Qingfeng nodded. “With one hand, yes.” He affirmed with a smile. “Defeat me, and the herb is yours.”
“Very well, but don’t regret this!” squeaked Jiu You.
Right at that instant, Jiu You lunged. The magic imbuing her little fists shone as brightly as her long purple hair and she threw a punch filled with Internal Breath at Lin Qingfeng.
At that very moment, Lin Qingfeng’s expression changed rapidly, for he unmistakably felt Jiu You’s power to be the might of a Human King’s.
Bang! Bang!
Savage and crude were the blows that Jiu You threw at Lin Qingfeng, who defended himself with only one hand.
Bang! Bang!
The punches battered Lin Qingfeng, forcing him to stagger backward in piecemeal steps until he reached the edge of the ring where he stopped right in time before he fell off.
He shot a horrified stare at Jiu You, his arm slowly retracting into his sleeve, throbbing and numb with pain.
“What an incredible strength… This little girl is a Human King, no doubt about that!”
Without unleashing her full strength, hardly anyone would notice Jiu You’s truth of being a demon.
The old, ancient man, who was stroking his beard, accidentally yanked off a few of his hair out of shock, leaving him grimacing with pain.
Under the stage, the warriors watching the fight looked up bewilderedly with their eyes as wide as saucers.
A weak smile broke upon the face of the man whom Jiu You defeated earlier. He had made the mistake of underestimating Jiu You before, and ironically, his senior trod down the same path himself.
Jiu You simpered sweetly, showing her perfect white teeth. Clenching her fists tight, she pounced again at Lin Qingfeng.
Only this time, Lin Qingfeng knew better. His Internal Breath burgeoned inside him and he threw forth a fist, firing a white blast of energy at Jiu You.
Jiu You sprinted non-stop. Her little hand shone again with magical energy and she fired another bolt of her own at Lin Qingfeng’s jet of white energy and both erupted into an explosion.
Jiu You hurtled courageously ahead with hardly a moment’s hesitation just when her opponent was still reeling in shock. With her fists raised aloft, she lunged with just the same recklessness and ruthlessness that Chu Xun always carried in his style.
Bang! Bang!
A barrage of punches pummeled at Lin Qingfeng, driving him backwards again and again with shock waves rippling out with every blow.
Jiu You’s light limber frame rose into the air and she whirled around in midair, her little white foot spinning around to deliver a sweeping kick with incredible force into Lin Qingfeng’s face.
Bang!
With one terrifying eruption of force that churned up winds, Lin Qingfeng was sent flying into the air, even though he managed to raise his arm just in time to block the kick.
He twisted himself in midair – a simple feat that Second-grade Human Kings were able to do – and slowly descended right in the edge of the dais, nearly falling off again.
To his startlement, Jiu You reappeared right beside him before he could barely react, her fists coming down on him like a sledgehammer.
Not being to hold back any longer, Lin Qingfeng lashed out with both fists, firing a pair of energy blasts.
“YOU CHEATING DOG! YOU SAID ‘ONE HAND’, AND NOW YOU’RE USING TWO!”
Jiu You bellowed in her babyish voice but the remark was loud enough to embarrass Lin Qingfeng, whose face immediately went red and so did the older man whose name was Mu.
Bang! Bang! Bang—!
The never-ending shelling of fists and kicks elicited a litany of shock waves that bashed the ring incessantly that the entire structure shook.
Boom!
Lin Qingfeng crashed to the ground, his face bruised and bloodied. Even with two hands, Jiu You was sure that he took a good trouncing.
She dove at him headlong, being eager to not afford Lin Qingfeng any respite. She swung her fists and flailed her legs wildly at Lin Qingfeng, keeping him along the sides of the ring as the man barely held his own against Jiu You’s overwhelming strength.
Swoosh!
A cold glint shot like steel into the air, striking a chill into all who witnessed the gleam; Lin Qingfeng had drawn his weapon – a long-bladed sword.
A peal of thick gasps and cries washed through the crowd; everyone knew what it was – a sacred relic.
“YOU DISGRACEFUL BASTARD! YOU’RE EVEN USING A SACRED RELIC NOW!” roared Jiu You angrily.
Lin Qingfeng had drawn his weapon out of frustration at being walloped by Jiu You.
“Qingfeng!” the older man growled. To draw his sacred relic against a little girl looking no older than eight or nine, Lin Qingfeng as good as had put shame to the name of the Sanctuary.
Ashamed by his misconduct, Lin Qingfeng wanted to stow away his sacred relic, but he could not; Jiu You’s punch came with all the might she put behind, its sheer force distorting even the fabric of air itself.
His hand came up frantically even before he could think, firing an energy bolt from his sword that screamed through the air like an arrow.
The bolt slammed into another one fired by Jiu You and an explosion ensued.
Jiu You was livid, absolutely livid.
“Do you think you’re the only one with a sacred relic?” She thought, seething furiously.
A long silvery-steel spear materialized in her grasp. She spun it in a flourish, its tip gleaming coldly with trails of blue sparkles flowing behind.