12dz Chapter 42 Trial Battle
Chapter 42 Trial Battle
As soon as the examiner finished speaking, the first person to jump onto the stage was a black-clad man wielding a long sword and exuding a menacing aura.
He first took out the token for ascending the steps from his waist and respectfully handed it to the examiner. Then he turned and walked to the center of the arena, brandishing his long sword and looking down at the crowd.
"I am Shen Tu Ren, come on if you're not afraid of death."
The people below made a fuss for a moment, but no one stepped forward immediately. Although Shen Tu Ren was arrogant, he was at the ninth level of Qi Refining, so he certainly had the right to be arrogant.
However, he didn't have to wait long before someone came up. This person was only at the seventh level of Qi Refining, which made the people below the stage a little puzzled. Being two minor levels lower, it would be very difficult for him to win.
After handing over the ascension token, the man looked at Shen Tu Ren with icy eyes and asked, "Shen Tu Ren, half a year ago at the rocky hill north of the market, did you kill a pregnant female cultivator who begged you for mercy?"
The man's words immediately made the people in the audience realize that they had encountered an enemy.
"I've killed so many people, who knows who you're talking about? Do you even remember how many ants you've ever stepped on?"
Upon hearing this, the man's eyes immediately turned red. "The hatred for killing my wife and children is irreconcilable! Shen Tu Ren, even if it costs me my life, I will make you pay the price!"
The man roared, pulled out a giant axe, and charged forward. Shen Tu Ren sneered and went to meet him.
The man was not weak, but there was a two-level difference in cultivation. His powerful attacks were countered by Shen Tu Ren's agile movements, and he quickly fell into a disadvantageous position. Shen Tu Ren severed his arm with a single strike, and the outcome was no longer in doubt.
"Shen Tu Ren, I want you dead." The man's face turned crazed, and he suddenly lunged forward without regard for anything else, with several flames igniting beneath his clothes.
Shen Tu Ren's expression changed, and he hurriedly slashed the man's leg with his knife, causing him to lose his balance, and then kicked him away.
Before the man even hit the ground, he exploded into a fireball in mid-air, scattering large amounts of flesh and blood fragments on the ground and emitting a burnt smell; the scene was extremely gruesome.
However, the examiner in charge of the arena didn't even blink, and naturally didn't say anything.
Meanwhile, the people in the audience were buzzing with discussion. Some sighed, wishing that the shot had hit. Even if it hadn't killed the bastard, it would have been good if it had just injured him.
"Who's next? Come on up." Shen Tu Ren laughed arrogantly, brandishing his sword and looking at the people below, waiting for the next person to die.
His arrogant attitude infuriated many below, but due to his strength, no one dared to step forward. Shen Tu Ren didn't say anything either, simply sitting cross-legged in the center of the arena to recover his mana.
However, after the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, no one came up. Shen Tu Ren became restless and stood up, making another provocative statement to the people below the stage, but still no one came up.
So Shen Tu Ren started hurling insults, and this time the people in the audience didn't get angry; instead, they laughed.
There are four arenas, why would I want to run into someone as tough as you? The rule is that you have to win three matches, and if no one comes up to watch you, how will you win?
The scene immediately became awkward, and after a short while, even the examiners couldn't stand it anymore.
"If no one else comes forward to challenge you, you can take your place in the challenge order after everyone else. You can win three consecutive matches as the challenger. Now you may leave."
Upon hearing this, Shen Tu Ren felt as if he had been granted a pardon and slunk away first.
Meanwhile, fierce battles raged on the other three arenas. A young man in blue wielded a long spear, his movements as swift as a dragon, his steps steady, leaving his opponents utterly defenseless.
"That must be Wu Yun from the Wu family. I didn't expect his cultivation to have reached the eighth level of Qi Refining. I heard that the Wu family enters the Dao through martial arts, so their cultivation progresses more slowly. He is truly a genius." Someone exclaimed.
"Yeah, let's pick somewhere else. Don't be fooled by the fact that he's already played two matches; he's definitely holding back. He's no pushover."
On another arena, two cultivators at the seventh level of Qi Refining were engaged in fierce combat. One of them, a plump and fair-skinned youth, was gradually gaining the upper hand and was about to win.
"This must be a junior member of the Yan family, I think it's Yan Shaopeng. He should be under twenty years old, but he already has such strength. Truly, heroes emerge from among the young."
"That's right. I heard that the Yan family has produced a pair of twins, both of whom are exceptionally talented. It seems that the Yan family is about to prosper."
Some people praised the Yan family, their words filled with envy, while others scoffed at them.
"Hmph, they're nothing but vicious dogs who take advantage of their master's decline to seize power. What's so praiseworthy about them?"
Upon hearing this, some of those present who knew the inside story began to whisper among themselves. Some felt sorry for the Yan family, a once renowned family that had produced a Golden Core cultivator, but due to successive blows and a lack of promising young talents, they had been divided up by several maternal relatives.
While everyone was discussing, Yan Shaopeng had already won. He estimated that he had about 30% of his mana left, but that didn't matter. He still had a Qi-restoring pill on him, and he just needed to win one more match. He glanced at a boy in the audience who looked similar to him, and the boy nodded in agreement.
This is his younger brother, Yan Shaoyu. As long as he wins the second match, his younger brother will come up to fight the third match, and then just pretend to lose before admitting defeat.
This was something his father, the head of the Yan family, had decided long ago: one of the brothers would be sent to a sect to serve as a powerful backer, while the other would stay at home to inherit the family business, thus ensuring the Yan family's continued prosperity.
Just as Yan Shaoyu was about to go on stage, he was pushed aside and someone jumped up first. This person was a mysterious man wearing a black bamboo hat and a long cloth covering his body.
"Who is this guy? Why is he hiding his face during the sect selection? Surely he doesn't have more enemies than Shen Tu Ren?" someone muttered below.
The mysterious man ignored him and simply showed the examiner his ascension token. At that moment, the examiner spoke up.
"This small matter wasn't mentioned when the rules were announced earlier, so I'll add one more thing: participants must give their real names and show their real faces."
Upon hearing this, the mysterious man had no choice but to remove his black cloth hat, revealing a beautiful young woman dressed in green.
She was dressed in green, with jade-like hair, black hair like a waterfall, and skin as white as snow. Although she was not old, her appearance was already comparable to that of a stunningly beautiful woman in her prime.
"Yan Yuxue of the Yan family," the girl announced her name and background.
"The Yan family? No, could it be the Yan family?"
"To have the strength of the sixth level of Qi Refining at such a young age, and to have chosen this moment to come up, this is going to be quite a show."
"It's her." Xiao Ming recognized the woman as the one who sold him the alchemy furnace. It seemed that after using Xiao Ming's medicine, the scars on her face had healed, and her strength had also increased.
"It's you!" Yan Shaopeng looked at the girl and immediately gritted his teeth.
"You dog of a servant, you haven't seen your master for only a year, and all you know how to do is bare your teeth and sneer," Yan Yuxue said with a mocking expression.
"It's you, fine. I'll settle this here and prevent future troubles for the family. Although I don't know how you reached the sixth level of Qi Refining in such a short time, you're still a level below me. I'll tear your mouth open and see how you can still talk back." Yan Shaopeng's tone was filled with killing intent.