Chapter 40
As the voice fell, a middle-aged man dressed in a blue robe with his hands clasped behind his back and carrying a huge sword case landed beside Xiao Hongyi.
The middle-aged man stood as straight as a sword, his facial features sharp, and a faint smile always playing on his lips, occasionally stroking the short goatee on his chin with his right hand.
“Little Junior Sister, you wouldn’t mind an uninvited guest, would you?”
The middle-aged man said with a smile.
“Unwelcome, get lost.”
Xiao Hongyi replied instantly.
This left the middle-aged man looking rather embarrassed, but he still said, “Since today’s spar involves my Sword Peak and the first true disciple of Ninth Peak, as Sword Peak’s Peak Master, I naturally have to be present to witness it.”
“Hmph.”
Xiao Hongyi turned her head and snorted softly.
The middle-aged man’s name was Zhang Lingfeng, and he was the Peak Master of Jiuyan Sect’s Sword Peak.In recent times, whenever he and Xiao Hongyi met, they would engage in all sorts of sarcasm and snide remarks, with a strong undercurrent of tension.
The reason behind this was none other than Jiang Lianyue.
There’s no helping it. The allure of the empress’s bearing is simply too great. Even after it became certain that Jiang Lianyue would become a disciple of Ninth Peak, Zhang Lingfeng still couldn’t settle his heart and even went to the Jiuyan Old Ancestor to tattle.
Xiao Hongyi can’t tolerate this. So she went to Sword Peak the day she learned of this and scolded Zhang Lingfeng thoroughly in front of everyone!
And so, the feud between the two was established.
Now, not only do the leaders of Sword Peak and Ninth Peak not get along, but even the disciples of the two peaks often have arguments when they encounter each other.
“Junior Sister doesn’t welcome me, could it be because she’s afraid that Ninth Peak will lose too badly?” Zhang Lingfeng raised an eyebrow.
“Lose? Ninth Peak will lose?”
Xiao Hongyi scoffed, retorting, “You know full well that Jiang Chen’s cultivation was abolished, and now he’s only at the Human Origin realm, yet you agreed to let Zhou Jian spar with him. What, has Sword Peak declined to the point where you can’t even send out a swordsman of the same realm as Jiang Chen?”
“Junior Sister’s words are surprising. It was Jiang Chen himself who accepted the challenge, no one forced him. Just now, Zhou Jian said he was willing to suppress his cultivation to the Human Origin realm, and he didn’t agree, did he?”
Xiao Hongyi was momentarily at a loss for words, and then glared at Jiang Chen!
She, as his master, hadn’t agreed, yet Jiang Chen had directly accepted the challenge, even using money to force Zhang Lingfeng, the Sword Peak’s Peak Master, to show up!
If she stopped it now, wouldn’t that be admitting inferiority?
“Master, since it’s a sparring between true disciples, then I am willing to fight Zhou Jian.” Jiang Lianyue suddenly appeared, her peerless face covered with frost.
Hearing this, Xiao Hongyi’s eyes lit up, thinking this was a good idea. Zhang Lingfeng, however, was somewhat surprised.
He naturally knew that Jiang Lianyue’s madness had not yet been cured, but from the conversation just now, it seemed there was nothing inappropriate.
At least logically, there were no issues.
Suddenly, Jiang Lianyue waved to Jiang Chen on the stage and said with a charming smile, “Eldest Senior Brother, rest assured, I will definitely kill that Zhou! I’ll twist his head off for you to kick around like a ball! His utterly tragic appearance is even worthy to lift a hand against you.”
Zhang Lingfeng decided to retract his previous thoughts.
Zhou Jian’s mouth twitched. His appearance might not be handsome, but it wasn’t that bad, okay?
Being spoken of like this by a peerless beauty made him feel quite hurt…
“I think that’s a good idea,” Xiao Hongyi said nonchalantly.
“Since it’s a sparring between true disciples, let Jiang Lianyue fight in place of Jiang Chen! She’s also at the Earthly Origin realm and has some knowledge in the Way of the Sword, so this sparring would be fair.”
“This…” Zhang Lingfeng hesitated.
In his view, Zhou Jian sparring with Jiang Chen, victory was without any suspense. If it was Jiang Lianyue sparring, then the odds were fifty-fifty as long as Jiang Lianyue didn’t suddenly self-destruct her imperial essence.
Comparing the two, Zhang Lingfeng ultimately chose the latter.
Beating him up would indeed be satisfying since Jiang Chen usually spoke harshly to the Sword Peak disciples, but the actual benefits Sword Peak would gain were not significant.
Compared to this, it was better to let Zhou Jian spar with Jiang Lianyue. If Zhou Jian could win, then Sword Peak’s reputation would completely overshadow Ninth Peak!
“Agreed!” Zhang Lingfeng nodded and stroked his beard.
“This is indeed more fair. My Sword Peak disciples never bully the weak.”
Who he referred to as “the weak,” everyone understood all too well. Just as Xiao Hongyi and the others from Ninth Peak breathed a sigh of relief, and even had some anticipation about who would be stronger between Jiang Lianyue and Zhou Jian…
“Peak Master Zhang, I can’t pretend I didn’t hear that!”
Jiang Chen wore a look of dissatisfaction and added, “Contrary to Sword Peak, what I enjoy most in life is bullying the weak! Therefore, Zhou Jian, I’ve set my sights on bullying you!”
His words shocked everyone present.
Xiao Hongyi’s beautiful eyes widened as she raised her hand to cover her mouth.
The disciples of Ninth Peak had their mouths agape, forming an “O” shape!
They seemed to recall something, which made them a bit excited!
Zhou Jian’s reaction was the most vivid and exaggerated.
He was first enraged, then suddenly had an epiphany, and after pondering deeply, a hint of regret appeared in his eyes!
After a while, Zhang Lingfeng voiced everyone’s thoughts: “Junior Sister, it seems this Jiang Chen has gone mad too.”
Xiao Hongyi didn’t respond, just sighed softly to herself.
When Jiang Chen accepted the challenge, she thought it was just a young man unable to withstand verbal provocation and acting impulsively.
When Jiang Chen suggested adding money to the spar, she mentally applauded, thinking it was a clever way to get out of the spar.
But now, the spar had nothing to do with Jiang Chen, yet he still jumped out!
And not just that, he even said he wanted to bully Zhou Jian?
A Human Origin realm daring to boast about bullying an Earthly Origin realm sword cultivator?
What is it if not madness?
‘Fortunately, I asked Grandpa to go to Ghost Ridge Soul Abyss to snatch two Nine Abyss Soul Embryos, the spare ones can just be given to Jiang Chen,’ Xiao Hongyi consoled herself internally.
Although she was dissatisfied with Jiang Chen and extremely disappointed, as long as Jiang Chen was her disciple, she would treat him with equal concern.
“Jiang Chen, I think you’re tired, go back and rest.”
Rubbing her fair forehead, Xiao Hongyi said with a somber voice.
Go back? Impossible.
Jiang Chen naturally didn’t want to.
Not to mention anything else, he had already sensed what everyone was thinking, and if he really went back, wouldn’t that confirm their suspicions of his “madness”?
He didn’t want others to lump him together with the two madmen, Jiang Lianyue and Lin Mubai!
“Master, you know me. I wouldn’t humiliate myself if I didn’t have confidence.”
Jiang Chen took a deep breath and said.
Upon hearing this, Xiao Hongyi was momentarily stunned.
When he said these words, Jiang Chen dropped his frivolous demeanor, and his words exuded immense self-confidence!
Such a demeanor was indeed rare for him.
“Jiang Lianyue, this battle has nothing to do with you, go stay wherever it’s cool.”
Jiang Chen then turned to Jiang Lianyue.
“Oh.”
Without any hesitation, Jiang Lianyue nodded obediently.
With that, she looked around and slowly walked to the ancient tree on the right side of the arena, sat down on the ground, and propped her head with her hands.
‘Hmm, that should be quite cool there,’ everyone guessed in their minds.
Seeing Jiang Lianyue give up, Xiao Hongyi had no choice but to bite the bullet and say, “Since that’s the case, let today be the battle between Jiang Chen and Zhou Jian!”
“Good!”
Li Fadu clapped his hands in agreement.
Upon hearing this, the elders and disciples of Ninth Peak all shook their heads silently.
“Junior Sister, you haven’t gone mad as well, have you?”
Zhang Lingfeng blurted out.
Xiao Hongyi didn’t respond, her aura gradually intensifying as a red whip appeared in her hand.
Zhang Lingfeng instantly cowered, turning his head to look away, adopting an ‘I didn’t say anything’ demeanor.
He wasn’t that scared, but he knew that if a fight really broke out, plenty of Supreme Elders would come out to ‘stop them’, and then take the opportunity to mess with him a bit…
“Since that’s the case, you guys go ahead and start.”
After dropping this line, Zhang Lingfeng left the arena to watch from in front of the main hall.
Xiao Hongyi thought for a moment and did the same.
The atmosphere became tense once again, and everyone fell silent.
Zhou Jian leaped onto the stage, and with a “clang,” he drew the spirit sword from his chest.
“Jiang Chen! Do you dare to battle me?”
He was brimming with fighting spirit.
Jiang Chen didn’t respond, simply spreading out his right hand.
“What does that mean?”
Zhou Jian was taken aback.
“Pay up!”
God, he hadn’t forgotten about the money!
Helplessly, Zhou Jian turned his head to seek help from Zhang Lingfeng.
Zhang Lingfeng was straightforward, immediately taking out hundreds of mid-grade spirit stones and tossing them to Jiang Chen.
“Not enough.”
After counting, Jiang Chen shook his head.
“How can it not be enough?”
Zhang Lingfeng frowned.
“Zhang Lingfeng, are you not human?”
Jiang Chen shook his head.
Whoosh—
As soon as these words came out, the crowd was instantly in an uproar.
Daring to directly insult a peak master as not being human? So audacious!?
Seeing Zhang Lingfeng’s eyes narrow with a dangerous aura, Jiang Chen asked again,
“Since you are a human, why don’t you pay up when everyone else has to? You still owe me a hundred mid-grade spirit stones!”
Zhang Lingfeng was left speechless by the retort, glaring at Jiang Chen before reluctantly taking out another hundred mid-grade spirit stones.
Seeing this, Xiao Hongyi thought for a moment and also took out a hundred mid-grade spirit stones…
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