Free Web NovelChapter 210: Chapter 203: Where’s the Hot Blood?! Where’s the Power-Up?
The next morning.
As the morning light pierced through the cracks of their houses, the undercover disciples, tormented by yesterday’s labor and mental anguish, slowly stirred from their light sleep.
However, when they pushed open their doors and stepped out into the wilderness, they froze on the spot.
As far as the eye could see, red carpets stretched out from the doorway of every disciple’s residence.
The carpets were short, but they all seemed to point in the same direction.
Spiritual Power swirled in the air, coalescing into a faint halo that hung in the sky, guiding them toward the end of the red carpets.
All signs pointed to one thing: a ceremony was about to begin.
Su Ling’er walked out of her bamboo house, and upon seeing the scene, her heart instantly tensed.
’Wait, why does this scene feel so familiar?’
’Didn’t they suddenly pull a bunch of random stuff like this during the last Golden Autumn Harvest Festival?’
’Is... is the demonic sect celebrating some kind of festival again?’
’Are we going to have another mass blood sacrifice, or are they preparing to summon some ancient demonic beast to fight?’
Just then, a figure appeared on a small path in the distance.
The person was humming a little tune, sauntering toward them with a slight sway in his step.
The oppressive silence that had pervaded the area was shattered by this figure’s arrival.
The newcomer was none other than Eldest Senior Brother Lin Qingfeng.
"Everyone’s awake?"
Lin Qingfeng cleared his throat, straightened his posture, and lifted his chin.
"Seeing as you all look so listless... ahem! I mean, spirited! You must be fully prepared for today’s Sect Grand Competition!"
"The hour is late! Hurry up and follow me to the training grounds for the Sect Grand Competition!"
???
Sect Grand Competition?!
’Is that a thing?’
Those three words hit the undercover disciples like a bolt of lightning, setting off an earthquake in their minds.
They instantly began whispering amongst themselves.
"S-Sect Grand Competition?! You’ve got to be kidding! Just a few of us in the Qi Refining Stage? Who are we supposed to compete against? The senior brothers and sisters who can tear Core Formation fiends apart with their bare hands?!"
"We’re so dead. I feel like if I go up there, one slap will be more than enough to take me out! With a single strike, I’d probably be turned into a mist of blood!"
"I... I think so too... With our paltry cultivation, what can we do up there besides getting ourselves killed? We can barely manage to spar among ourselves... and at least we’d hold back..."
"The demonic sect is sending us to our deaths..."
Panic spread rapidly through the crowd.
Ye Longtao stood in the crowd, his face a dark, ashen shade.
’I’m a proud Mid-stage Foundation Establishment inner sect prodigy, and now I’m being dragged off with this bunch of outer sect trash to be a plaything for those monsters?!’
But for now, all he could do was grit his teeth and endure the stifling frustration.
’It can’t be helped. I can’t beat Wang Xiedi’s ghost wife, and I certainly can’t beat Eldest Senior Brother. What else can I do?’
Dong Changsheng, on the other hand, looked even more dejected.
Last night, under the cover of darkness, he had sought out Ye Longtao to try and hand over the small, broken piece of the jade slip that he had left.
He wanted to repay his debt to Qingxu Temple and contribute what he could.
But before he could even finish his sentence, he was utterly humiliated by the other man.
Then he was sent flying by a single blow from Ye Longtao, crashing through the wall of his own house. It was the same house that already had a hole in it from Wang Xiedi’s wife, which only added insult to injury.
He had spent the entire night hauling stones to repair the house, getting less than four hours of sleep.
At this moment, a single thought churned in his mind:
’Why?!’
’My life as Dong Changsheng has always been smooth sailing. How did I get so unlucky ever since I came to this godforsaken place as a spy?’
Wang Xiedi, however, was in a different state of mind.
He rubbed the Heart-Protecting Mirror on his chest with his palm, its surface reflecting the daylight.
’Sect Grand Competition?’
’In that case... could I bring Shen Jieye along?’
’Would that count as cheating?’
’But we’ll be facing all the senior brothers and sisters!’
’What if I die by accident?’
Hearing the gasps around her, Su Ling’er could feel the veins in her temples throbbing.
’Sect Grand Competition?!’
’You want our all-star team of spies, with our pathetic cultivation averaging no higher than the sixth level of Qi Refining, to fight those monsters who are either at Core Formation or about to reach Nascent Soul?!’
’I think we’d all be turned into blood mist long before that, wouldn’t we?’
’What kind of joke is this?!’
’This isn’t a competition, it’s a one-sided slaughter!’
’If we go up there, won’t we each just get slapped once and turned into our own memorial portraits?’
’And bloody ones at that!’
Only Li Chunfeng remained at the edge of the crowd, repeating a single motion:
He would grasp the hilt with his right hand, draw the Wooden Sword from its sheath, and then slide it back in.
CLANG! SHING! CLANG! SHING!
A perfect reflection of his current state of mind.
’This is a good thing, and what follows will surely be good as well! The Sect Grand Competition is the perfect opportunity to test the legacy of my Sword Dao!’
Su Ling’er’s gaze swept over the group, then shifted to the distant training grounds.
Her chest heaved as she took a deep breath, then stepped forward to stand before Lin Qingfeng.
"E-Eldest Senior Brother... You see, we are all new disciples with shallow cultivation and unrefined techniques.
This Sect Grand Competition concerns the sect’s honor. If we were to compete, I’m afraid... I’m afraid we would bring shame upon the sect.
How about... we just go up and forfeit immediately?
That way, we can show our humility and avoid... getting beaten too badly."
Lin Qingfeng stopped in his tracks and turned around.
He focused his gaze on Su Ling’er, looking her up and down, then down and up, seemingly perplexed.
’Didn’t I tell them about the Sect Grand Competition yesterday?’
’Why are they all acting like this?’
’Oh well, it’s not too late to tell them now.’
’Besides, how can you think about forfeiting right from the start?!’
"Forfeit?"
Lin Qingfeng’s eyebrows furrowed.
"Sigh! Oh, Junior Sister, Junior Sister, I am so disappointed in you!"
"You’ve fought Core Formation cultivators so many times! How can you not even have the courage to defeat the strong as the weak?!"
"Where’s your passion?! Where’s the dramatic power-up?!"
"Where are the three core principles of JUMP: friendship, effort, and victory?!"
"When you’re on the verge of death, don’t you people ever think to flash back to your friends and family, recall past humiliations, and then scream ’I can’t lose!’? And right after that, you break your limits, get all kinds of power-ups, turn defeat into victory, and blot out the sky with a single hand?!"
Su Ling’er and the undercover disciples behind her listened to his words, their minds reeling.
’Huh?!’
’What’s JUMP?’
’What’s a dramatic power-up?’
’Friendship, effort, and victory?’
’Can that really let you win against someone in a higher realm?!’
’The only reason it worked last time was because that Cursed Spirit didn’t have much intelligence and didn’t try to kill me directly!’
’Don’t actually take that seriously, please!’
’Flash back to friends and family?’
’I’m afraid I’d be beaten to dust and scattered as ashes before I could even recall a single memory!’
’Of course! I hope that doesn’t happen!’
Looking at the wide-eyed faces of the crowd, he let out a breath, and his shoulders slumped.
"Sigh... You’re a hopeless case.
Your Dao hearts are clouded by dust. You see only the strength and weakness before you, not the universe within your own hearts.
If the heart is undefeated, then... Ugh, forget it. I’ll just say it plainly!"
"This Sect Grand Competition is the ’New Disciple Grand Competition.’ It’s just a sparring match between you new disciples. Are you all relieved now?"
