Chapter Sixty-Nine: The Prodigy

The three of them brawled with each other. Thus, Zhang Chulan seized the opportunity.

This much-anticipated battle concluded amid a chorus of jeers and accusations of shamelessness, and Zhang Chulan advanced smoothly to the next round—though his methods were far from honorable.

“Well, look at you two. One is the upright Ye Buxiu, and the other is the shameless Zhang Chulan. And it’s only the first day of the Luotian Tournament, yet you two have already made a name for the North China Division.” Xu Si grinned mischievously at Ye Yan and Zhang Chulan beside him, his tone full of irony. “I’m rooting for you both.”

“Get lost,” Ye Yan rolled his eyes. “If using other methods wouldn’t have risked revealing my identity, do you think I’d have brought out hot weapons in a competition for exponents?”

Given the need to keep his identity hidden, Ye Yan didn’t have many options at his disposal. The Demon Banner had to be used discreetly, and the Soul-shaking Gong and Soul-suppressing Gong were even more conspicuous—if he brought those out, everyone would recognize him at once. That was why he resorted to the rather unsavory method of using firearms, something frowned upon in the world of exponents.

Zhang Chulan, however, didn’t care much. Reputation? What was that worth? Compared to his name, winning was far more important to him; otherwise, he wouldn’t have staged the whole Xiao Huohuo incident.

Xu Si glanced at the time, stretched lazily, and stood up. “Let’s go. The matches here are more or less done—nothing especially exciting left. Let’s go watch the next round.”

“The next round?” Zhang Chulan asked.

“Yep,” Xu Si lit a cigarette. “The next match features Zhuge Qing from Group C, Vermilion Bird. He's worth watching.”

Zhang Chulan was curious. “You’ve all been talking about this Zhuge Qing. Is he really that incredible?”

“We’re not sure yet,” Xu Si shook his head. It was Xu San, usually silent, who spoke up for once. “Actually, the Zhuge family isn’t very active in the world of exponents, but their family’s Wuhou School Qimen techniques are famous. Zhuge Qing, they say, is the first in decades to master the entire Wuhou Qimen system.”

Xu San’s words made Zhang Chulan sigh. “One Zhang Lingyu was already enough for me to deal with, and now there’s a Zhuge Qing as well.”

Xu Si chuckled and tried to reassure him. “You think it’s just those two? Wishful thinking. We’ve watched several rounds, and there’s no shortage of talented young people. If you run into any of them, it’s bound to be a tough fight.”

“First, there’s Xiao Xiao of Group B, Black Snake. He practices Qi Expulsion, using the sounds ‘hum’ and ‘ha’ to forcefully eject energy, which can temporarily send a person’s soul out of their body.”

“The technique of Qi Expulsion was created in ancient times by the legendary generals Zheng Lun and Chen Qi—the ‘Hum-Ha Duo.’ The terrifying part of Qi Expulsion is that once you get hit, you’ll lose all ability to resist.”

As Xu Si finished, Xu San picked up seamlessly, “Also, be careful of Bai Shixue from Group A, Koi.”

“That girl is a natural exponent. Her ability seems to be absorbing other people’s Qi; her opponents always collapse from exhaustion.”

“So the Golden Light Spell won’t work on her. If you face her, use Thunder Law and finish it quickly.”

“And there’s Hu Jie from Dongxiang Village. He used to be known as an idle playboy living off his father, Hu Lin, but today…”

Xu San and Xu Si passed all the intelligence they’d gathered to Zhang Chulan, which only deepened his sense of foreboding about his prospects.

While Zhang Chulan was fretting, Feng Baobao beside him was listening intently, occasionally jotting things down on a map, lost in her own calculations.

Zhang Chulan leaned over and saw that the tourist map of Mount Longhu was filled with names—the very ones Xu San and Xu Si had just mentioned.

He was speechless. “Bao’er, how many people are you planning to bury on Mount Longhu?”

“All of them,” Feng Baobao replied earnestly.

“Is that really necessary…”

Zhang Chulan rubbed his forehead, but then Ye Yan joined in. “I think it’s a pretty good plan. Saves a lot of trouble.”

“Feng Baobao, if you’re short-handed, I can lend you the Banner Spirits.”

“Great,” Feng Baobao nodded seriously.

She’d seen those Banner Spirits before—each one was highly capable and extremely professional.

Zhang Chulan was at a loss for words.

“Liangchen, Bao’er causing trouble is one thing, but do you have to get involved too?” Hearing their conversation, he felt as though he’d wandered into some strange organization.

Like… Confucius, perhaps.

…

…

“Group C, Vermilion Bird. The match begins!”

At the southwestern corner of the arena, Ye Yan and his companions arrived just as the match was starting.

It was the same old routine. At the very beginning, Zhuge Qing’s three opponents surrounded him in a triangular formation.

Then came a volley of fierce attacks.

But faced with the onslaught, Zhuge Qing remained calm, dodging with ease.

Every move, every attack from his opponents seemed as if he could anticipate and evade them in advance.

Though it was a four-person brawl, the fight soon turned into a one-man showcase.

“This guy is incredible,” Zhang Chulan couldn’t help but marvel as Zhuge Qing, fighting one against three, effortlessly dispatched his opponents, even using their own momentum against them.

“Interesting…” Ye Yan murmured in admiration beside him.

Hearing Ye Yan’s remark, Zhang Chulan was even more surprised—this was the first time he’d ever heard Ye Yan praise someone. He couldn’t help but glance over.

After a moment’s thought, he asked, “Liangchen, what do you think of Zhuge Qing’s strength?”

As a newcomer, Zhang Chulan knew he lacked experience and insight. It was better to directly consult someone more seasoned—like Ye Yan.

“His strength is average, but his techniques are quite troublesome. That’s all.”

“Then, Liangchen, if you fought him, who would have the better chance?”

“Chance of winning?” Ye Yan tilted his head. “Do you mean in my current, concealed state, or under normal circumstances?”

“Just under normal circumstances,” Zhang Chulan hesitated slightly.

He knew Ye Yan was strong, but just how strong, he really wasn’t sure—he’d never seen Ye Yan actually fight.

Zhang Chulan was earnest, but Ye Yan couldn’t help laughing.

“Don’t even talk about my normal state. Even now, it’d feel like bullying. If I got even a little serious, among all the contestants present, barely any could withstand a single strike from me.”

“Really?” Zhang Chulan drew in a sharp breath, thinking Ye Yan was exaggerating, but Xu Si clapped him on the shoulder. “Don’t listen to him. He’s a monster.”