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墨書 Inktalez
Human Sacrifice
By the time I arrived at the Martial Arts Square, the place was already packed with people. As they saw me approach, they recognized me as the Challenger from my Daoist Robe.
A wave of murmurs erupted among the crowd.
"I thought it would be some middle-aged uncle who had endured years of training, ready to storm into the Inner Sect. But this Dao Qi fluctuation clearly indicates he’s only at the Entry-Level Realm. What a disappointment! These laborers have been around for years without anyone daring to challenge the Outer Sect. Finally, we get one, and he’s just here to play cute. He’ll probably surrender as soon as he opens his mouth. I’m not watching this anymore."
"Look at him strutting around like a peacock, hopping around like a flea. He acts like he’s not afraid of any Outer Sect Disciple. I just want to slap him dead."
"He's the one challenging Brother Shaoyu. Even though he's at the Entry-Level Realm, he sounds pretty confident. Isn’t he in his thirties? He looks barely over twenty."
I ignored their chatter and walked to the center of the Training Arena. Surrounding the arena were Outer Sect Disciples eager to watch, while a few older Daoists stood above, clad in Daoist Robes, looking down with indifference. They were likely the Managers of the Outer Sect.
Among them, I spotted Brother Ma, the Dao Child beside Elder Hong, but Elder Hong himself was absent.
Above us, on the Sundial, there was less than a moment until noon, yet Qi Shaoyu still hadn’t appeared.
After a while, a leading Outer Sect Steward turned to a Dao Child behind him and said, "The match is about to start. Go check on Shaoyu and see why he hasn’t arrived yet. We have so many people waiting; he shouldn’t be acting so high and mighty."
"Yes," replied the Dao Child as he walked away. By the time he returned, it was already past noon.
The Dao Child said, "Master, Brother Shaoyu seems to be in seclusion. I didn’t want to disturb his training, but he sent word that this match is meaningless and that he intends to forfeit. He doesn’t like crowded places."
"Hmph! These young people today are all so full of themselves. With so many people waiting here, he still expects me to send someone to ask? Who does he think he is?" The Manager's expression darkened; he looked to be in his fifties or sixties, similar in age to Elder Hong.
A Middle-Aged Steward beside him said, "Elder, please calm down. Qi Shaoyu ranks among the top one hundred in Outer Sect; it’s natural for him to be proud. Let me ask the Challenger if he agrees to let it go; it would save us all some trouble."
The Aged Steward nodded in agreement. The Middle-Aged Steward then turned to me in the center of the square and asked, "Yang Hao, Qi Shaoyu’s cultivation is at the Purple Qi Coming from the East Realm while you are only at Entry-Level Realm. He believes this match is unnecessary and wishes to forfeit. Do you agree?"
I said, "Brother Shaoyu has forfeited to allow me to enter. I am immensely grateful, but does that mean I am now an Outer Sect Disciple?"
"Yes," the middle-aged man instinctively replied.
"What do you mean 'yes'? No!" the Aged Steward corrected him, then looked down at me and said, "It's like this, Yang Hao. You might not have understood yet. Qi Shaoyu is asking you to forfeit because your cultivation level is too low. The gap is not just tenfold; you are challenging the Outer Sect, and he has the right to kill you without punishment, while you cannot kill him. This duel is unfair to you. The Outer Sect is not so easy to enter."
"I see. May I ask what relationship you have with Qi Shaoyu, Manager?" I inquired.
The Aged Steward replied, "There is no relationship; we have never interacted."
"Then does the Manager hold Qi Shaoyu in high regard?" I asked again.
The Aged Steward said, "It's not that he is highly regarded; there are many disciples, and I don't even recognize most of the top hundred."
"Then that's it. I thought the Azure Cloud Sect had such serious nepotism in the Outer Sect. Since there’s no relationship, let’s follow the rules. The competition should still take place; everyone is busy, and so many people are waiting. If he doesn’t show up, I think we should just declare him the loser. What’s this about taking my life within three swords? Life and death are fated; I have no complaints. Yet he makes the decision to forfeit for me—it’s like a joke."
As soon as these words were spoken, everyone was in an uproar.
Some were indeed getting impatient and began cursing Qi Shaoyu for being arrogant and putting on airs. After all, with so many people present, opinions would differ. Some watched with amusement, while more criticized me for being overconfident.
The Middle-Aged Steward said, "How about this? Since Qi Shaoyu isn’t coming, why don’t you choose a disciple here for a match instead?"
"Since you have such great power to alter the Outer Sect's rules, why not challenge yourself?" I replied angrily, looking at the middle-aged man.
The crowd erupted again; some remarked, "This kid has quite a personality—he's already clashing with the Manager before even entering. He’s got some guts."
Another person chimed in, "Yeah, challenging the Manager? He must be out of his mind."
The Middle-Aged Steward's face turned slightly awkward, and he quickly became irritated. "I'm doing this for your own good. You really don't know what's good for you. It seems that without a lesson, you won't understand the difference between high and low."
"Step back, what nonsense are you talking about?" the Aged Steward said, turning to the Dao Child behind him. "Go fetch Qi Shaoyu. If he doesn't dare to come here before three quarters past noon, even if he loses, these Outer Sect disciples are becoming more and more unreasonable."
Moments later, Qi Shaoyu arrived with the Dao Child, carrying a long sword on his back. His expression was grim. He bowed to the Managers above the square and said, "I underestimated him; I didn't expect this person to be so ungrateful."
The Middle-Aged Steward replied, "Hurry up and compete. There are plenty of people in this world who don't know their place. Since others look down on you, don't hold back."
Qi Shaoyu nodded, looking at me with some annoyance. "I thought we had an understanding. Why do you insist on seeking death?"
I looked up at the Aged Steward in charge and asked, "Can we start now?"
The Manager nodded and said, "It has already begun."
"Enough with the nonsense!" I slapped Qi Shaoyu across the face, sending him staggering backward.
The scene fell into a deathly silence.
Not only were the Outer Sect Disciples stunned, but even Qi Shaoyu himself was taken aback. A clear handprint marked his face, as if I had stamped it there.
"How could he sneak attack Brother Shaoyu? How rude..." a young boy murmured weakly.
Qi Shaoyu glared at me, his eyes filled with intense killing intent. He shouted, "I was going to spare your life, but you lowly person dared to hit me; you're just asking for death!"
Suddenly, the sword behind Qi Shaoyu shot out. He sprang into the air with a kick and swung his sword toward me. I watched his movements and the trajectory of the sword slicing through the air, enveloped in a layer of sword energy. As I shifted my foot slightly, his sword energy severed the Bluestone Slab behind me.
My expression hardened as I delivered another fierce slap to Qi Shaoyu's face. He flew backward again, rolling several meters on the ground.
The crowd fell silent once again. If the first time was unexpected when I struck Qi Shaoyu, this time he was the one who actively attacked me, intent on killing me with a single strike, only to be sent flying by my palm.
The Managers above the square exchanged glances, their faces filled with curiosity. Qi Shaoyu stood up as if possessed, not only angry but also confused.
With a furious roar, Qi Shaoyu twirled his sword and lunged at me. The tip of his sword trembled, producing a strange sound in the air. I felt something odd and used the Wind Spirit Technique to retreat, while Qi Shaoyu charged at me like an arrow, his body perfectly straight in mid-air.
I felt as if I were being targeted by a venomous snake. I kept backing away until I reached the wall at the edge of the square, with no more room to retreat. Suddenly, my Dao Qi erupted, and I silently activated the Fireball Technique. A massive fireball appeared before me.
Upon seeing the flames, Qi Shaoyu instinctively closed his eyes, causing the trembling of his sword to weaken. The feeling of being targeted by a snake vanished as I stepped aside. A layer of yellowish light appeared on my palm as I aimed for Qi Shaoyu's face, executing the Mountain Split Technique with a strike that could shatter his skull.
"Stop!" the Outer Sect Steward shouted, reminding me that a Challenger could not kill an Outer Sect Disciple. My strength diminished by ninety percent as my palm landed on Qi Shaoyu's cheek.
To everyone watching, it seemed as if Qi Shaoyu charged at me like lightning but was suddenly knocked down to the ground by my slap. It felt like someone had interrupted a singer just as they were about to hit the climax after clearing their throat.
Qi Shaoyu rolled on the ground, his face swollen and eyes rolling back. He sat there disheveled, legs splayed out to the sides while his shiny sword lay between them.
"Three Swords want to kill me?" I scoffed lightly.
Everyone was stunned; they could hardly believe that Qi Shaoyu, ranked among the top one hundred in the Outer Sect, was brought to such a pitiful state by three slaps from me, crying like a woman.
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