Chapter 155: Chapter 154: The Seniors’ Sense of Superiority
Before long, a great RUMBLE could be heard from miles outside Fenghua Mountain. It sounded like the war cry of a thousand armies, or the stampede of ten thousand horses. From a distance, the waterfall looked like a bolt of white silk hung in the air, plummeting down from the sky.
The group couldn’t help but quicken their pace.
The great waterfall was a turbulent, surging cascade. Water plunged from the cliff straight into the Flame Spirit Pool with overwhelming power. The resulting spray shot dozens of feet into the air, glittering like silver and jade.
As the group drew near, the roar of the falls seemed to resonate deep within them. A gentle breeze drifted by, whipping the waterfall into a fine spray that resembled smoke and mist. The droplets settled on their skin like a light drizzle. Bathed in the sunlight, the scene was dazzling, and despite the thunderous noise, everyone felt a surprising sense of peace.
The water’s surface shimmered and sparkled. A million wave crests, like slivers of silver foil, swayed gently, colliding with the crisp chime of golden bells.
Wen Qingye gazed at the water before him. This was the Flame Spirit Pool.
The others snapped back to their senses, their eyes fixed unblinkingly on the pool. They knew that soon, when the Flame Spirit Gold Water erupted from its depths, the real battle would begin.
The Inner Courtyard’s instructors, Vice Directors, and the Director all quietly withdrew, taking up a position on a distant stone bridge to observe from afar.
Wang Tianming watched the Inner Courtyard students in the distance and shook his head with a bitter smile. "With the Thousand Rivers Secret Realm opening this year, it looks like Qig Mountain Academy will only be able to send Wang Jie, Yann Chuxue, and Shen Yanxing."
Yann Shanjun’s eyes filled with concern. "The three of them are quite strong, but..."
Nie Qinglan’s gaze fell on the composed Wen Qingye in the distance. She shook her head and chuckled softly. "No, not necessarily. There is one other person we could send."
"Are you referring to Luu Fangliang?" The wrinkles at the corners of Wang Tianming’s eyes deepened.
Wang Tianming sighed inwardly. ’Others may not know, but I understand Luu Fangliang quite well. That boy is probably almost in the Divine Wind Country by now.’
Nie Qinglan just smiled and shook her head, not pointing to anyone in particular. She spoke with an air of mystery, "No. Director, just watch closely. I think you’ll be able to see for yourself this time."
Yann Shanjun was also confused. ’She knew the strength of every Inner Courtyard student like the back of her hand. How could she not be aware of their capabilities? And yet, she truly couldn’t see anyone else whose power could compare to the three Wang Tianming had named.’
...
Shen Yanxing was surrounded by other Inner Courtyard students. None of them were weak; they were either at the Peak of Refining Essence or were masters at the Refining Spirit First Layer Heaven.
Yann Chuxue fixed her cold gaze on Shen Yanxing. "Shen Yanxing, don’t even dream of taking a single drop of Flame Spirit Gold Water from the Flame Spirit Pool this year."
Upon hearing this, Shen Yanxing didn’t get angry. Instead, he burst out laughing. "HAHAHA! Yann Chuxue, for someone with your level of strength, that’s a pretty bold claim, isn’t it?"
"Chuxue is right. You can forget about getting any Flame Spirit Gold Water this year."
Just then, a brawny man stepped slowly out of the crowd. Everyone looked at him with solemn respect, for this was the Inner Courtyard’s number one expert, Wang Jie.
Wang Jie’s face was rather handsome, but his build was so imposing that he seemed to tower over everyone else.
Shen Yanxing’s expression faltered the moment he heard Wang Jie speak, but he recovered his usual composure in an instant.
Shen Yanxing sneered, "Are the two of you planning to team up just to deal with me?"
A flicker of disdain crossed Wang Jie’s eyes. "Deal with you? Why would we need to team up? I’m more than enough on my own."
"Such arrogant words. I wonder if you actually have the strength to back them up. Be careful not to talk so big you throw your own back out." With a final sneer, Shen Yanxing walked to the side and sat down cross-legged.
Many of the other Inner Courtyard students also slowly sat down cross-legged.
"You lot, get over there," one of the older Inner Courtyard students ordered, his brow twitching as he spotted Tang Long and his friends. "There’s only a little bit of Flame Spirit Gold Water at the start. You think you deserve any?"
Tang Long and his friends exchanged a look. They slowly stood up and walked to the very edge of the Flame Spirit Pool with their heads bowed. A wave of humiliation washed over them, but there was nothing they could do. The weakest of these senior Inner Courtyard students were at the Refining Essence Eighth Layer Heaven; they were simply no match.
"Hmph. A bunch of newcomers think they can get this year’s Flame Spirit Gold Water?"
"Exactly. There’s barely any to go around. What makes you think you’re worthy?"
The senior students burst into laughter as they watched the group retreat.
Wen Qingye watched the senior students’ arrogant and domineering display, his own face expressionless. ’He didn’t think Tang Long and his friends lacked backbone. What was true backbone, anyway? True backbone was turning humiliation into the will to become stronger.’
No one knew when the Flame Spirit Gold Water would erupt, so they all simply sat down to wait.
Wen Qingye stared at the Flame Spirit Pool, watching the light play on its surface. ’For the pool to produce Flame Spirit Gold Water every year, there must be some profound secret to it. But with so many people watching, there was no way for him to investigate it closely.’
As everyone watched and waited, time trickled by. Night fell in the blink of an eye, but still, the Flame Spirit Gold Water did not appear.
Wei Qiutong scratched his head, growing anxious. "Why hasn’t the Flame Spirit Gold Water appeared yet?"
Guu Lei glanced at the senior students. "Don’t worry," he said slowly. "Look at them. They’re all perfectly calm. What do we have to be anxious about?"
Moonlight spilled across the surface of the Flame Spirit Pool like liquid silk. When the wind blew, the water rippled, and the reflection of the moon shattered into pieces of jade that floated on the surface, breaking the tranquility of the night.
"TSS!"
A sharp sound echoed through the night. Four points of golden light had suddenly appeared on the surface of the Flame Spirit Pool.
"The Flame Spirit Gold Water! It’s the Flame Spirit Gold Water!"
"The Flame Spirit Gold Water has appeared!"
"Quick, grab it!"
...
In an instant, the silent, dark night was shattered.
The four golden lights were instantly swarmed by the crowd. One of them was not far from Wen Qingye, and he immediately dashed toward it.
At that exact moment, Wen Qingye felt a violent gust of wind at his back. ’Someone is ambushing me,’ he realized.
BAM!
Two fists collided in mid-air, the impact blasting water high into the sky. For a moment, water splashed everywhere in a chaotic display.
"Wen Qingye! If you want the Flame Spirit Gold Water, you’ll have to get through me first!" Wang Chong sneered at him.
Wen Qingye took a deep breath. The scene was utterly chaotic. Four drops of Flame Spirit Gold Water had appeared in total. Wang Jie, with his superior strength, had already claimed one. Yann Chuxue had secured another. Shen Yanxing was currently fighting over the third drop with masters from Duyun Mountain and Cliff Mountain.
Shen Yanxing was seething. ’He had been just about to grab it, but then the masters from Duyun Mountain and Cliff Mountain had ganged up on him, their only goal to stop him from obtaining this drop of Flame Spirit Gold Water.’
The sound of Primordial Qi explosions echoed all around the Flame Spirit Pool, sending constant waves across the water.
And right before Wen Qingye’s eyes, Yangg Zong, who was behind Wang Chong, was about to snatch the fourth and final drop.
"Wang Chong," Wen Qingye said with a cold smile, "it seems you still haven’t learned your lesson."
Wang Chong’s face changed at his words. "Don’t get cocky, Wen Qingye! I’m not a mere Refining Essence Martial Artist anymore. Today, I’m going to show you what I’m really capable of!"
Ren Hua suddenly rushed forward. "We’ll hold off Wang Chong! You go get the Flame Spirit Gold Water before it’s too late!"
Guu Lei and Wei Qiutong moved to join him, their intentions clearly the same as Ren Hua’s.
"Alright. You hold him off," Wen Qingye said with a decisive nod, clearly not one to hesitate.
With that, Wen Qingye leaped into the air, taking several steps on the wind as he rushed toward Yangg Zong.
