Free Web NovelChapter 339: Chapter 282: Confrontation: Shaximo, #1 on the Dragon List
"What? Yi Qinglian?!" The surrounding crowd was stunned.
The expressions on the faces of the monk and Yi Qinglian changed drastically at almost the same time. The monk, in particular, looked as if he’d been struck by lightning, completely frozen.
Seeing this, Gao Neng knew his guess was right.
The person Shaximo—the Esoteric Monk ranked first on the Dragon List—liked was also Yi Qinglian. That explained the arrogance Yi Qinglian had displayed ever since she walked in.
With an admirer like that, it’d be strange if Yi Qinglian *wasn’t* arrogant.
Shaximo’s timely appearance was also explained. After all, who could stand by and watch the person they loved get publicly humiliated by someone else?
The atmosphere in the lab turned strange.
Everyone exchanged glances.
However, not everyone was completely surprised.
Shaximo’s affection for Yi Qinglian wasn’t a huge secret among some of the major sects; there were still people in the sects and great families who knew about it.
The Yi Family was a renowned family that had risen rapidly after the Great Cataclysm. Add to that Yi Qingge’s position as the Bright Sect’s Punishment Master, and the Yi Family’s standing in the Federation Government was actually very high.
The Esoteric Sect was located in the West District, so it was only natural that they had frequent dealings with the Yi Family.
Sects, families, and the Military Department.
Although they were all part of the Federation Government, they each had their own circles to a certain extent.
Gao Neng had been the center of attention for the past month. He’d earned a lot of money, but he’d also made plenty of enemies.
And now that Gao Neng had publicly exposed the situation between Shaximo and Yi Qinglian, everyone felt a good show was about to start.
"Looks like they’re going to fight!"
"After what Gao Neng just said to Yi Qinglian, it wouldn’t be out of line for Shaximo to make a move!"
"Heh heh..."
The crowd murmured amongst themselves.
But Gao Neng remained perfectly calm.
He wasn’t afraid in the slightest. He couldn’t sense any killing intent from Shaximo, which showed that even though Shaximo was a monk who hadn’t renounced worldly desires, his mental state was far from weak.
And just as Gao Neng expected...
As the designated successor for the Esoteric Sect’s next Sect Leader, how could Shaximo possibly get into a physical fight with Gao Neng in a place like this?
"Patron Gao Neng, you truly are no ordinary person!" After a moment of shock, Shaximo collected himself, turned around, and went straight back into the crowd.
The expected confrontation never happened.
Shaximo didn’t even utter any threats. He came and went in a flash, but everyone understood the situation perfectly.
Shaximo’s silence was as good as an admission of his feelings for Yi Qinglian.
Now that it was out in the open, his actions just now took on a deeper meaning. You could call it a simple greeting, or you could call it a warning.
"Tch, how boring. I thought that bald ass was going to fight you!" Fang Tangtang tilted her head back and added, annoyed, "Gao Neng, if I were you, I would’ve beaten him to a pulp!"
"MEOW!" Gao Xiaomeng, who hadn’t said a word until now, nodded in agreement.
Gao Neng was speechless.
He wasn’t afraid of trouble, but he didn’t go looking for it senselessly either.
There was no need.
Still, Shaximo’s warning had been clear, and Gao Neng didn’t want to look like a coward. "Well, for Senior Brother Lin’s happiness, beating him up is just a matter of time!"
"..." Lin Ying.
’So, I’m the one who has to take the blame for this?’
He said nothing.
But the expressions of the others in the crowd grew restless.
’How arrogant!’
’He’s only Tier Five!’
’Sure, Gao Neng is a genius, but everyone knows the sects and families are where the *real* geniuses gather. Does he really think the sects and families have no one to put him in his place?’
"Gao Neng, if you really want to challenge Shaximo, you need the strength of someone in the Dragon List’s top ten. Isn’t it a little early for you to be talking so big?"
"Don’t waste your breath on people like him. He’s just some guy from the Forgotten Land. All he knows is his own little world."
"Ridiculous, absolutely ridiculous!"
A few of the self-proclaimed geniuses didn’t mind venting their frustrations.
"You say Gao Neng only knows his own little world? How many of you were as strong as him when you were eighteen?" Wang Jun spoke up.
He was from the Military Department.
He may have lost to Gao Neng in a challenge, but the Military Department was a single entity. He naturally wouldn’t stand by and do nothing.
And he wasn’t alone. Others from the Military Department stood up as well.
"So what if he wants to challenge Shaximo? At least Gao Neng dares to. Do any of you have the guts?" another young man from the Military Department chimed in.
"Exactly! And with Gao Neng’s talent, he won’t necessarily lose to Shaximo once he reaches Tier Six Late Stage!" another from the military quickly agreed.
"The Military Department sure has strength in numbers... But by the time Gao Neng reaches Tier Six Late Stage, won’t Shaximo have already broken through to a higher tier?" a sect disciple retorted.
"Gao Neng went from Tier One to Tier Five in a few months. Could any of you do that?"
"He just got lucky on the battlefield!"
"..."
The two sides began to bicker back and forth.
But both sides stayed within their limits, showing no intention of coming to blows. Clearly, inside the Federation Government Building, everyone was still on their best behavior.
Meanwhile, Gao Neng pulled Fang Tangtang, who was ready to keep arguing, to the side. Then, as if by accident, he passed in front of Yi Qinglian again.
"Move it. Watch out, or I might blow you away with a single punch!"
"You!!!" Yi Qinglian was furious.
...
「In an office in the Federation Government Building.」
Several elders watched the chaotic argument unfolding on the screen. They all exchanged a look, then calmly went back to sipping their tea.
