Yue Shi stood before Shi Lang with her eyes spewing fire. The crown jewel of her sect almost died to this kid. She wanted to beat him up but was hesitating. It was not because of public opinion but because of Immortal Sovereign Tian Long.
Shi Lang sensed the rage from Yue Shi and stepped forward. Mei Lingyao and Sect Master Ling wanted to intervene, but Long Shan stopped them and said, "You will not always be there to protect him. If he has the capital to provoke someone, he shall face a threat alone too."
Shi Lang bowed to Yue Shi. The lady had a superior cultivation realm. If not for that, for the sake of virtue and his principles, Shi Lang did not hesitate. He said, "Elder, I did not intend to harm Senior Sister Yun. The technique was incomplete, and when faced with the excellence displayed by Senior Sister, I could not hold back and gave in to the urge to battle and surpass my opponents. I apologize for harming Senior Sister or offending you with my stupidity."
The crowd fell silent at this. They did not expect Shi Lang to humble himself like this. However, they would not hesitate to swap places with Shi Lang either. The person suppressing him was a quasi-emperor.
The lady spoke with scorn, "If you are so apologetic, then kneel and apologize."
Shi Lang clenched his fist and stood up. The humble expression on his face was nowhere to be found. Instead, Yue Shi was greeted with a cold and indifferent face. She was surprised to see this sudden shift in expressions.
Not only her but even Long Shan was the same. He did not expect this young man to have such a strong spine. Shi Lang said, "I am sincere. That is why I bowed. However, your anger has made your wisdom degrade."
There was pin-drop silence in the surroundings. Shi Lang just called a Quasi Emperor mad with nice words. None of the people had such guts. Some of the weak-minded in the crowd even felt shaky in their legs.
Yue Shi asked coldly, "What did you say?"
She radiated a pressure of a Quasi Immortal Emperor, and the people felt suffocated. Long Shan waved his hand and contained the pressure within the limits of the stage. He did not expect the conflict to increase to such a height. In his view, although Shi Lang used a move that could have harmed Yun Xue, he controlled it and stopped it before any serious damage.
He also bowed to apologize. However, Yue Shi wanted him to kneel. This was unnecessary. Why humiliate a talent? He wanted to intervene, but he did not expect Shi Lang to counter so sharply.
While the people felt relieved, all the pressure was focused on Shi Lang's back. The terran slumped a little, and Yue Shi snorted. The pressure increased even more, cracking the stone under his feet. However, Shi Lang did not bow, and his shoulders slumped.
The terran raised his gaze and looked at Yue Shi, and he said, "Why did you not intervene when your disciple used a similar move that she had not mastered completely? Do you think the lives of your disciples are precious and mine is expandable? I call you senior and bow to you, but do you want me to kneel? Hmph, I don't kneel to anyone except my parents, not even the heavens!"
The spirit energy in his body erupted, and lightning streaks appeared, covering his skin. The pressure on his back was dispersed a bit, and he stood up straight. His eyes turned blue, and a lightning sword appeared in his hand.
Yue Shi could not believe this young man was defying her so ferociously. She could tell that if Shi Lang had been stronger than her, she would have died by now. The lady asked, "Do you intend to fight me even when you are no match?"
The terran replied, "We all know I am no match for you. Isn't that why you are trying to suppress me? Isn't that why you flexed your majesty to everyone? So that you can act like an elder who taught an impulsive junior a lesson? I retreated and apologized for something that was not wrong. It was a tit for tat in reply to the move of your disciple.
Yet here you are, turning black and white. So what if I fight you? You crippling me is the worse that can happen. However, If it came to that, I will ensure that the Grand Elder of Snow Maiden Peak will not last either."
The threat was issued, and the people sucked in cold breaths. This was beyond their imaginations. Shi Lang gazed Yue Shi right in her eyes fearlessly. This was not the courage a young Immortal Soldier should have, but it was pure madness.
Yue Shi was angry, but then she suddenly chuckled. Everyone thought she was going to kill Shi Lang and was laughing maniacally. However, the pressure she emitted vanished in a blink. Long Shan withdrew his barrier, and the people heard the lady say, "I commend you, Shi Lang. You are a true swordsman."
Shi Lang was momentarily confused, and then he realized that the lady was testing his dao heart. He took back his aura and calmed down before he bowed to the lady and walked off the stage without saying anything.
Long Shan said, "Sister Yue, you almost disturbed his spiritual flow."
Yue Shi smiled and said, "His courage carried me away. Well, the winner has been decided, so is it time for rewards?"
The elders appeared on the stage, and Sect Master Ling said, "The battles today had set an example for all the sect disciples. I hope you all learned where your flaws lie and what you must do to improve them. I am not talking only about the martial techniques but also the character. You all know where your flaws lie, so learn from your seniors and excel."
The sect disciples nodded and replied in unison, "Yes, Sect Master!"
The roar was so loud that it must have reached the sky. Sect Master Ling continued, "Now Peak Master Mei will distribute the rewards."
Mei Lingyao stepped forward with an elegant aura, saying, "Every disciple will be awarded five hundred spirit stones to encourage participation. Only the top twelve of the eighteen disciples will be given a low-grade spirit sword.
The top six disciples will be given ten greater healing pills, five hunger quenching pills, and one greater rescue pill."
The crowd gasped when they heard a greater rescue pill. This medicine could bring someone back to life even if they have only one breath left. Mei Lingyao paused and said, "The top three disciples will be rewarded with one low-grade spirit sword, a set of pills, and a greater escape talisman."
The crowd gasped again, none of the people expected the sect to be so generous. These things were normal to be used by Immortal Kings or Immortal Emperors, but now they were handed over to Immortal general level cultivators.
When everyone was fidgeting about things, Shi Lang was calmly concentrating on meditation. His spiritual energy was disturbed when suppressed by Yue Shi, his abrupt fight back caused even greater disarray.
Mei Lingyao glanced at Shi Lang and said, "The contestant who came out on the top will be rewarded by Sect Master Ling, Grand Elder Yue Shi, and Grand Elder Long Shan."
The people cheered, they knew the rewards from the three elders already so it was not much of a shock. The people started to step forward and they all accepted the rewards, thankfully the entirety of the Sword Peak Disciples had secured a place in top twelve.
(DO NOT COME AND ASK ME HOW THAT WORKS. I HAVE NO EFFING IDEA :<....)
Sect Master Ling saw that Shi Lang was still immersed in cultivation, he whispered to the two elders and said, "Disciple Shi Lang is in deep meditation, for now his rewards will be handed over to Peak Master Mei. I think, Peak Master Mei has another announcement to make."
Mei Lingyao smiled and said, "Shi Lang's skills have shown that he is qualified to be promoted to the next level. I announce with great joy that from now on, Shi Lang will be one of the sword peak's core disciples."
The crowd was stunned for a second and then the all cheered together. Hu Shan and the rest also nodded. They accepted Shi Lang as one of them. The contest ended and the crowd dispersed. However, the eighteen disciples did not move. They were all conversing in the Arena exchanging their ideas and news from different regions.
They all were waiting for Shi Lang to wake up. However, suddenly, they sensed a terrifying pressure emit from the Terran. They turned around and looked at Shi Lang. Liang Ping sighed and said, "Say, do you also think he is a monster?"
Bai Yan kicked Liang Ping in the shin and said, "If you made fun of Junior Brother Shi, I will beat you Pingping."
Everyone was confused, when Wen Lengxue said, "He is not a monster, he just had a lot of residual energy stored in his body. He is only advancing a minor realm. Today he absorbed a lot of knowledge. It is only normal."
Liang Ping said, "Junior Sister Wen, are you calling us weak?"
The young lady shrugged and the people began to banter. Soon, they heard a buzzing sound. A sword appeared over Shi Lang's head, and it was made of lightning, however, it was not a crude streak of lightning but it looked like a sword with a proper hilt.
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