Chapter 181: Chapter 180: Challenge
After the spear competition, following the procedure of the coming-of-age ceremony, the Elder Witch Priest announced the rankings. He then awarded Wolf Fang Necklaces, symbols of honor, as encouragement for reaching adulthood.
As for further rewards, they would be collected after the ceremony concluded. The second stage of the ritual was now beginning: it was time for the envoy delegations to choose the young women.
This process wasn’t slow. In fact, while the young men had been competing with their spears, the envoys had already more or less selected their preferred young women. Now, it was just a matter of confirming the details.
Several hundred newly-of-age young women left their mothers, following the various envoy delegations out of the waiting area.
Jiang Qiu’s fingers toyed with the wolf fang he had just placed around his neck. His gaze nonchalantly swept over the group of young women. The chaotic crowd was packed with young men from other tribes, all of different appearances.
There were far more of these young men than there were newly-of-age women from the North Snow Tribe, so there was no concern about the women not finding a match.
In truth, women were an extremely important part of every major tribe. They were, of course, willing to take as many young women as they could.
Therefore, the envoy delegations visiting the North Snow Tribe were mostly composed of the most outstanding young men from the major tribes’ younger generation. There were also some who were slightly older—men who had lost their spouses and were still in their prime, needing to replenish their tribes with new blood.
These middle-aged men were often even more competitive. They might be Warriors of their tribes, with strength surpassing that of many younger men, giving off a great sense of security.
Moreover, men like that would have sizable houses, which were much warmer to live in.
Ordinarily, unless a young man of particularly special status was present, the newly adult women of the North Snow Tribe would be chosen first by those middle-aged men, with the other men then competing for the remaining partners.
But this time was different. A Young Master from the South Mountain Tribe had come.
SCRAPE, SCRAPE...
Jiang Qiu’s fingers rubbed against the wolf fang, his gaze growing deeper as he stared at the middle-aged man leading Flower away. The man’s black cotton robe was darker than smoke.
Having lived in the Northern Boundary for thirteen years, he had developed a keen intuition. He could basically sense who was strong and who was weak.
And that middle-aged man in the cotton robe was the strongest among the visiting envoys. His aura was no less imposing than that of Tiger, the captain of the main Hunting Team. He had to be a powerful Warrior who had already surpassed the Iron Flesh Realm.
It was rare to encounter an expert of that level or higher. They were essentially the backbone of their tribes. Any woman who married such an expert would naturally benefit greatly.
Yet, watching them, Jiang Qiu furrowed his brow for reasons he couldn’t explain. He took a deep breath, closed his slightly weary eyes, and remained lost in thought for a long time.
The chatter in his ears was as loud as a waterfall. The shuffling feet of the jostling crowd were louder than carriage wheels on a road. His heart thumped softly.
STEP, STEP, STEP...
The sound of unhurried footsteps seemed to be approaching. Jiang Qiu opened his eyes again, just in time to meet the Elder Witch Priest’s slightly cloudy gaze. "Hill, Young Master Ice of the South Mountain Tribe wants to challenge you."
Jiang Qiu raised an eyebrow, a trace of doubt in his voice. "Young Master Ice of the South Mountain Tribe?"
Challenges were common occurrences. He often saw peers within the tribe challenging each other. For example, Wood was always challenging Pile, even though he lost every day.
However, because of his status as a Chosen One, no one had ever challenged him.
Within a tribe, if there was a Chosen One, they were the tribe’s greatest public face and could not be allowed to have a single flaw. At the same time, a Chosen One possessed a significant reputation attribute. They couldn’t just be challenged at will, unless the Chosen One themselves really wanted to fight.
Even if a Chosen One wasn’t from their own tribe, most tribes would still choose to show respect. Generally speaking, they wouldn’t challenge a Chosen One.
’But the South Mountain Tribe’s Young Master Ice actually wants to challenge me, a Chosen One?’
Jiang Qiu mulled it over and suddenly connected it to the current situation in the Northern Boundary. "The South Mountain Tribe wants to test my potential?"
"That’s most likely the case."
The Elder Witch Priest nodded, the wrinkles on his forehead deepening.
"As the Young Master of the South Mountain Tribe, Ice’s talent can be said to be second only to their Chosen One, Wall. He is already a Hunting Team Warrior in the South Mountain Tribe and has hunted many Snow Patterned Deer. It’s said he once stumbled into the Mountain Ridge Strange Pool, and his physical body underwent a certain degree of refinement.
Even a Warrior who has stepped into the Copper Skin Realm isn’t guaranteed to defeat him. He cannot be underestimated..."
Ice’s strength was one thing, but what worried the Elder Witch Priest more was Hill’s attitude.
It wasn’t surprising that the South Mountain Tribe would send someone to probe the potential of the North Snow Tribe’s Chosen One. With Xibing now occupying Ice and Snow Ridge, their power was at its zenith, which inevitably made the South Mountain Tribe’s resolve waver.
Only if Hill displayed sufficient potential would the South Mountain Tribe feel secure enough to support North Snow and stand with them on a united front during the struggle for the Chosen.
’But Hill might not choose to accept the challenge.’
After all, Ice hadn’t publicly announced that he was here to challenge Hill, the North Snow Tribe’s Chosen One. So far, he had only relayed the message privately, indicating that if the challenge was not accepted, he would depart as scheduled once the coming-of-age ceremony was over.
If he accepted the challenge, Hill would face a certain amount of pressure. If he didn’t accept, Hill could still live his life as usual...
While the Elder Witch Priest was still pondering how to resolve the matter, Jiang Qiu asked, "What are the rules of the challenge?"
"Within a circular boundary, the two of you will push or shove each other bare-handed. The first person to have both feet step outside the boundary loses. You cannot use your fists or other striking attacks. The intent is to compete in terms of explosive physical power and endurance."
Hearing this, the corners of Jiang Qiu’s mouth lifted slightly. "I accept the challenge."
’I thought it might be a weapons challenge, like a spear duel or something. I didn’t expect it to be just a physical contest, and you can’t even use your fists.’
This was probably to ensure the safety of the challenge. After all, one was the Young Master of the South Mountain Tribe, and the other was the Chosen One of the North Snow Tribe.
If either of them shed blood, it would be detrimental to the relationship between their tribes.
Besides, a single stab from a weapon like a spear could be instantly fatal.
"Good. I will announce the challenge to the public shortly. You must be careful when you go up. Ice is four years older than you and has great talent. Don’t be careless."
The Elder Witch Priest gave a few more reminders before walking back toward the Altar.
"Ice, from the South Mountain Tribe."
Jiang Qiu muttered to himself, his gaze turning toward the opposite side, which had long since devolved into a chaotic mess. The young men and the envoy delegations were all mixed together. Flower’s figure was no longer among them.
The image of Flower being led away by that middle-aged man flashed through his mind. A couple of hot puffs of white air escaped his lips, and his gaze darkened slightly.
’Judging by that black-robed-and-caped attire, that middle-aged man must be from the South Mountain Tribe, even though this is the first time I’ve ever seen him.’
’But for some reason, I feel uneasy.’
"My first contest since coming to this world," Jiang Qiu’s knuckles cracked twice. He chuckled. "Let’s get this over with quickly."
