Chapter 86: Chapter 85: Fighting a Senior Student
At the Purple Stone Arena next to the Heaven-Reaching Martial Pavilion, the Four Mountains Martial Arts Gathering continued. Today promised to be even more intense than yesterday.
Of course, as the only new student to advance, Wen Qingye was the center of attention, the hope of all his peers. But at this moment, Wen Qingye had not arrived.
Nearby, an older student had set up his betting table again. Wen Qingye’s shocking upset yesterday had earned him a pretty penny, and he was in high spirits.
’Hmm, it’s all older students today. There’s no way Wen Qingye’s strength could have improved enough for him to advance again,’ the student running the betting table mused.
The student running the table gathered his Qi in his Dantian and bellowed, "Two hundred to one odds on Wen Qingye making it to the third round! Come on, place your bets!"
"I’ll bet Wen Qingye doesn’t get through."
"Me too! I’m betting he won’t get through either."
"It’s obvious. If Wen Qingye actually passes this second round, I’ll eat my own table! I’m also betting he won’t get through."
The older student’s face fell as he watched everyone place their bets. The difficulty of Wen Qingye pulling off another upset today was countless times higher than yesterday. After all, he was up against only older students now.
........
"Master, why isn’t he here yet?" Xiaxia said anxiously. "The lot drawing is about to start!"
Gao Yuerou quickly reassured her, "Don’t worry, Qingye will be here soon. Don’t fret. When it’s time for the drawing, you can just draw a lot for him."
Xiaxia’s big eyes darted around as she nodded. "Okay, that’s the only way."
"Wen Qingye of North Mountain, come up and draw your lot!"
Suddenly, the announcement reached Xiaxia and Gao Yuerou’s ears.
Xiaxia hurried onto the Purple Stone Arena and said, "I’ll draw a lot on behalf of my Master. He’ll be here shortly."
The several thousand people in the arena were all stunned. Where had Wen Qingye gone? He was in the top sixteen, yet he hadn’t shown up. Could he have forfeited?
"What, did Wen Qingye not dare to come?" Geng Hao, the older student from West Mountain who had defeated Lu Hongfei yesterday, sneered.
Xiaxia frowned. "Who says my Master doesn’t dare to come? He just had something to take care of and will be here in a bit."
"Hmph. The result will be the same whether he comes or not," Geng Hao said coldly.
"Alright, start drawing the lots," the Steward on the Purple Stone Arena said, unable to stop his brow from furrowing.
After drawing a lot, Xiaxia stepped down from the arena. The first match was just beginning.
Yunshan glanced around, then said with a helpless sigh after a moment, "Brother Qingye still isn’t here. Where on earth did he go?"
Xiaxia rolled her eyes. "I don’t know either."
"Don’t tell me Wen Qingye was too scared to show up?"
"I don’t think so. If he wasn’t coming, would he have sent his disciple and sister?"
"This is so weird. His match could be next, and he’s still not here."
"This doesn’t make sense. Even if he has no hope in this fight, he should still show up."
"So timid. And this is the champion of this year’s new students?"
Many of the older students couldn’t help but laugh.
The new students all looked anxious. Wen Qingye was the only one of them left in the Four Mountains Martial Arts Gathering; he was representing their entire year. How could they not be worried?
Two more matches passed before the Announcement Stele finally displayed Wen Qingye’s name, along with that of Geng Hao, the older student from West Mountain.
"Hahaha, my luck is really something! Yesterday it was Lu Hongfei, today it’s Wen Qingye." Geng Hao laughed as he walked onto the Purple Stone Arena.
Geng Hao laughed smugly. "Wen Qingye, get out here! If you don’t come out now, you’ll miss your chance to cross swords with me. I can even give you a pointer or two."
"Geng Hao’s luck is pretty good, getting Wen Qingye as an opponent."
"Totally. Otherwise, with his strength, it would’ve been tough for him to advance any further today."
......
Everyone was getting anxious. Three matches had already passed. Why hadn’t Wen Qingye appeared yet?
Nie Qinglan spoke slowly from the side, "Light the incense. If Wen Qingye has not arrived by the time one stick has burned, he will be considered to have forfeited."
A stick of sandalwood incense was slowly lit on the arena. Geng Hao stood nearby, chest puffed out and arms crossed, staring straight ahead arrogantly.
The incense burned down bit by bit. Geng Hao grew impatient. "Is he coming to fight or not? If not, just declare me the winner. What a waste of time. If he’d shown up earlier, I’d have already won by now."
"Is that so?"
Suddenly, a clear, cool voice drifted from offstage.
Everyone turned toward the sound to see Wen Qingye walking slowly toward the Purple Stone Arena.
Geng Hao looked at Wen Qingye and sneered, "Wen Qingye, you’ve finally arrived. I was starting to think you were too scared to come."
Wen Qingye looked at Geng Hao, his eyes narrowing. "If I had arrived earlier, you wouldn’t still be standing here."
"Hahahaha!"
Hearing Wen Qingye’s words, Geng Hao burst out laughing. "Who in the world gave you that kind of confidence? Was it Xia Moyu?"
At that moment, Xia Moyu was standing in the distance, his face turning pale then green.
Geng Hao’s cultivation at the Peak of Refining Essence Fifth Layer was indeed enough to sweep through the entire generation of new students. But today, he had run into Wen Qingye.
CLANG!
Seeing that Wen Qingye didn’t draw a sword, Geng Hao threw his own Long Spear down with both hands. It plunged half a meter into the ground with a loud noise.
"Today, I’ll play with you for a bit and teach you a lesson about the gap between old and new students."
As soon as Geng Hao finished speaking, he stomped forward. A powerful aura erupted from his palm as immense Primordial Qi surged forth.
"A gap? I’ll show you what a real gap is!"
Wen Qingye didn’t back down in the slightest, meeting the roaring Primordial Qi head-on. There were no flashy Palm Techniques, only an absolute collision of Primordial Qi—a direct clash of power.
Seeing Wen Qingye dare to meet Geng Hao head-on, the new students below the stage couldn’t help but cheer loudly.
BOOM!
A huge wave of Primordial Qi billowed out, forcing many students to back away to avoid being caught in the crossfire.
Geng Hao was shocked to see Wen Qingye only take a slight step back. Many of the older students also stared at Wen Qingye in astonishment.
You had to understand, Geng Hao’s greatest strength wasn’t his Spear Skill, but his physical body. His violent strength and astonishing aura had made him a dominant figure in the Outer Courtyard for a year. In a direct clash of Primordial Qi, he had rarely met his match. Yet now, someone was fighting him head-to-head without being at much of a disadvantage—and it was a new student. How could they not be shocked?
"Again!"
Geng Hao roared. He shook out his numb arm, gathered his strength, and his muscles bulged. Veins coiled thickly on his arms like serpents. Looking like a savage beast, his entire body took on a faint, black-iron sheen. He charged forward again, another fist whistling through the air with lightning speed.
"Black Mountain Fist Technique!"
A rumbling, thunderous sound echoed through the air.
"Good!"
Wen Qingye shouted, his palm striking out like thunder. He thrust his palm forward, and a giant Hand Seal slowly materialized.
Geng Hao’s entire arm glowed with a black light, carrying a world-shaking, domineering momentum as it ruthlessly pressed down on Wen Qingye.
"Great Heaven-Tearing Monument Hand!"
Wen Qingye pressed his left palm against his right. The moment the two hands overlapped, a shocking aura spread out. The Hand Seal grew even larger, its power becoming more immense.
BOOM!
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
In the blink of an eye, a continuous series of thunderous booms from the clash of fist and palm echoed from the arena.
The collision of fist and palm exploded with sounds like the booming of giant drums, a terrifying noise that could be heard for miles. It made the faces of the new students around the arena turn pale. Some of the weaker students had to quickly retreat further and use their Primordial Qi to block their ears.
On the arena, currents of air radiated outwards as the two figures flickered about. From start to finish, neither had drawn a weapon; they were simply clashing with raw, brute force.
Fist against fist, neither one retreated!
The scene was like a bronze pot meeting an iron brush, a needle meeting a spike. Every move was a hard, direct clash, sending sparks flying. It was explosive to the extreme, with both sides refusing to give an inch, each fighting with fierce and relentless courage.
"What terrifying strength! Are these two Demon Beasts? How can their bodies be this tough?"
"Heavens, how can they have such terrifyingly powerful bodies? Are they even human?"
"Wen Qingye’s strength is astounding! How in the world did he cultivate to this level?"
The new students around the arena were completely stunned, unable to believe what they were seeing. The strength Wen Qingye was displaying completely surpassed what a new student should possess. It was enough to utterly crush them.
Just then, Geng Hao threw a punch. Wen Qingye dodged to the side, and the fist smashed directly into the ground, shattering the rock of the Purple Stone Arena. Without giving an inch, Wen Qingye slapped his own palm onto the ground. The palm print he left behind instantly pulverized the Cyan Stone within a three-inch radius. A wave of sharp, involuntary gasps rose from the crowd.
The two of them refused to back down, simply clashing head-on, pitting their Primordial Qi and physical bodies against each other.
Many older students, Inner Courtyard students, and even Stewards had gathered around to watch this earth-shaking, savagely terrifying battle that had already lasted for the time it takes two incense sticks to burn.
