Chapter 72: Chapter 72: Gathering at Cloud Sky
"Senior Brother, what exactly is the purpose of the Cloud Sky gathering?"
Shi Xiaole asked.
"It’s really nothing special, it’s just a place for the elite of the Alliance to gather. Sometimes, in order to display the style of their Sect, they let their disciples’ve competition to improve their relationship."
Hearing this, Shi Xiaole roughly understood.
The so-called Cloud Sky gathering is similar to the summit forums on Earth in his previous life, except that the participants have been changed to various martial arts sects.
Yu Fangge coughed and cleared his throat, "This Cloud Sky gathering is not simple. It is said that a few days ago, two of the Four Outstanding Youths from Cloud Triangle had a battle with no clear winner. So they decided to have a definitive showdown at the Cloud Sky gathering."
Four Outstanding Youths from Cloud Triangle?
Including Shi Xiaole, all four disciples were taken aback.
There isn’t a young person in Cloud Triangle who doesn’t know about the Four Outstanding Youths. Those four represent the peak level of the younger generation in Cloud Triangle, each possessing extraordinary skill.
Shi Xiaole found that Yuan Qiuwei and the others all had excited expressions in their eyes, clearly looking forward to seeing the characters among the Four Outstanding Youths.
"The Cloud Sky gathering is held every two years, and every time it brings out commendable talents, it is also the best stage for young people to make a name for themselves. Shi Xiaole, you must seize this opportunity."
Xiao Yuanbo suddenly patted Shi Xiaole’s shoulder and chuckled.
As he knew, two of the Four Outstanding Youths came from wild sects, and they should be the ones who had decided to show up this time. Their initial rise to fame was at the Cloud Sky gathering.
Yuan Qiuwei and Mao Wenjing also looked at Shi Xiaole, surprisingly not denying Xiao Yuanbo’s words.
In their view, with Shi Xiaole’s strength, he might really make a name for himself at the Cloud Sky gathering where talents converge.
Of course, that’s just a possibility. There are too many sects in Cloud Triangle, who knows how many exceptional people have emerged in these two years.
"Stop thinking about Shi Xiaole, you three need to work hard too. Okay, now everyone should rest up. We leave at the first 2-hour period tomorrow."
Yu Fangge encouraged them a few times and dismissed the four of them.
Having received the notice, Shi Xiaole certainly wouldn’t slack off. He packed up his things that evening, and the next day, before the first 2-hour period, he arrived at the gate of the Huajian Sect.
Not long after, the three prime disciples also arrived. Seeing Shi Xiaole, Yuan Qiuwei and Mao Wenjing nodded in acknowledgement. Xiao Yuanbo walked up with a familiar grin.
What shocked the four of them was that, the leader, Yu Fangge, hurried over an hour later than the agreed time, apologizing, "I’m sorry, I was engrossed in practising and lost track of time."
The four: "..."
Out of the thirteen sects of Mountain Luyan, nine are members of the Cloud Sky Alliance. However, due to Yu Fangge’s delay, the five of the Huajian Sect were left behind and had to act separately in the end.
They bought five horses in the town at the foot of the mountain and urged them towards the main city of the Cloud Triangle, Cloud Sky City.
Along the way, Yuan Qiuwei and the others, including Yu Fangge, finally understood why Shi Xiaole improved so fast.
Diligence, selflessness.
That’s right, Shi Xiaole’s attitude towards martial arts could be described with these four words.
Traveling can be tiring, but whenever they rested in a place, or sometimes when they spent the night outdoors, Shi Xiaole was always practicing, never lazy.
"Shi Xiaole, if you keep practicing this way, it’s not going to work!"
That night, they were camping outdoors again, and Yu Fangge couldn’t help but speak up.
"Why won’t it work?"
Shi Xiaole frowned, wondering if Yu Fangge had noticed any flaws or problems in his training, and listened attentively at this thought.
Yuan Qiuwei and the others also looked over.
Yu Fangge sighed, "Shi Xiaole, if you keep practicing like this, you’ll definitely end up like me, a pitiful loner in the end."
"Pfft."
Xiao Yuanbo was the first to burst out laughing.
Mao Wenjing looked at Shi Xiaole, her pretty face turning red.
Even the stern Yuan Qiuwei laughed.
Yu Fangge earnestly said, "Relentless practice is useless, sometimes you have to rely on inspiration. I don’t believe that you got your comprehension from tireless practice."
Shi Xiaole looked strange, thinking that without tireless practice, where would the foundation come from? What could be gained from merely relying on inspiration? But he didn’t want to embarrass Yu Fangge and kept his mouth shut.
However, the expressions of Yuan Qiuwei and the others changed.
The fact that Shi Xiaole mastered two types of comprehension early had already shaken the entire Mountain Luyan, becoming a topic of endless discussion among the disciples.
The three prided themselves on their natural talents, but even the oldest Yuan Qiuwei hasn’t touched the edge of comprehension, even in this aspect, they were far behind Shi Xiaole.
Seeing the expressions of the three, Yu Fangge said, "Understanding comprehension is not necessarily better earlier, some people accumulate slowly but don’t end up weaker than others. For example, the current Alliance leader of the Cloud Sky Alliance, the lord of the Astonishing Dragon Castle, Yue Changzheng, the Nine Appearances of Cloud Dragon."
The Astonishing Dragon Castle is a founding power of the Cloud Sky Alliance, and its castle lord, Yue Changzheng, the Nine Appearances of Cloud Dragon, is among the top-tier experts in the entire Cloud Triangle region.
It was said that Yue Changzheng’s natural abilities were quite ordinary when he was young, but he was diligent and keen to learn. Day after day of rigorous training led him to understand a remarkable concept, which eventually set him apart and helped him to build a significant foundation.
"While you say so, the sooner you understand the concept, the broader your future path would be."
Xiao Yuanbo sighed rare and suddenly asked, "Master, do you know of any other young people who, like junior brother, have understood the concept in the Cloud Triangle region?"
He nailed it with his question.
Although the Huajian Sect would post updates of the Martial World’s news in the training ground from time to time, they generally focused on more significant events. Minor matters, such as who has understood the concept or made a breakthrough in their training, would not be published.
Yu Fangge suddenly beamed and said, "As far as I know, there isn’t a single young person in the Cloud Triangle region who has understood the concept."
"Not a single one?!"
Yuan Qiuwei and the others were greatly shocked. When they looked at Shi Xiaole again, their eyes held a different expression than before.
Even though they had known how hard it was to understand the concept, it was quite remarkable if out of the entire Cloud Triangle, only Shi Xiaole had managed to do so.
"It’s only on the surface that there’s none. It doesn’t rule out the possibility of some people who are naturally low-key and do not wish to show off. After all, what the Martial World does not lack are prodigies."
Yu Fangge added another sentence.
Still, Yuan Qiuwei and the others were greatly shaken. They realized abruptly that Shi Xiaole might have already taken a step ahead of most people in the Cloud Triangle.
Although he had only just begun to grasp the concept, he had, after all, grasped it. As long as he stayed on this path, his future would certainly be a bright one.
Considering how Shi Xiaole had been a year ago and how he was now, Yuan Qiuwei and the others simultaneously felt a sense of surrealness.
Their journey henceforth was much quieter.
Shi Xiaole was naturally not fond of talking much, and Yu Fangge was a martial arts maniac. Yuan Qiuwei and the others, seemingly stimulated by something, also spent their time practicing rather than talking.
Before they knew it, several days had passed.
On that day, the five of them finally reached Cloud Sky City.
Cloud Sky City, the main city of the Cloud Triangle, was grandeur and its city wall was twenty-four feet high- a clear twelve feet taller than ordinary city walls. It was constructed with green stone bricks and was so tightly knit that not even a needle could penetrate it.
The main street of Cloud Sky City was tens of meters wide, wide enough to accommodate more than ten carriages side by side. The shops, restaurants and the sorts lined up along the road, reflecting an atmosphere of prosperity.
After circling around, the group of five finally arrived at Astonishing Dragon Castle located south of Cloud Sky City.
Astonishing Dragon Castle was the venue for the annual Cloud Sky Assembly.
At the castle’s entrance, many people had already gathered. Based on their appearances, they were there for the same purpose as Shi Xiaole and his group: to participate in the Cloud Sky Assembly.
"Leader Ding, after not seeing you for a year, you’re still as charming as ever."
"Haha, Leader Yang, you become more youthful the more you live. Your skills must have improved."
Flattering voices filled their ears everywhere, to which Shi Xiaole was already accustomed. Under the lead of Yu Fangge, the five of them quickly handed over their invitations and entered Astonishing Dragon Castle.
Unexpectedly, there were even more people inside the castle than outside. If it were not for the spacious square, one might worry there wouldn’t be enough space.
"Oh, isn’t this Brother Fangge? You’ve arrived quite early this year."
A somewhat piercing voice suddenly sounded from their side.
Shi Xiaole instantly noticed that Yu Fangge’s body tensed up slightly. Even Yuan Qiuwei and Xiao Yuanbo’s faces changed a bit.
Yu Fangge turned around and smiled, "Brother Donghua, what a coincidence."
"Indeed, it’s quite a coincidence. I didn’t see you at the last Assembly, Brother Fangge. Could it be that my disciples have scared off your members of Huajian Sect, so you dare not come?"
Yan Donghua asked with a faint smile.
Behind him stood six or seven young men and women. Their expressions were either arrogant or indifferent; some were smiling, but their intentions were unclear.
"There seem to be two new faces this time, but they are quite young. Brother Fangge, is your Huajian Sect running short of people?"
Yan Donghua’s gaze lingered on Shi Xiaole and Mao Wenjing for a while before moving on without a care, as if he was worried about Yu Fangge.
Surely it was fate.
Back when Yu Fangge was wandering in the Martial World, he had a falling out with Yan Donghua due to an accident. Later, when both of them had founded their own sects and joined the Cloud Sky Alliance, this grudge carried on and intensified.
To be precise, Yan Donghua was the first to provoke. At every Cloud Sky Assembly, he made a point of having his disciples challenge the Huajian Sect, taking pleasure in humiliating the Huajian Sect.
Since Shi Xiaole and Mao Wenjing joined the sect not long ago, they naturally did not know the specifics.
"Whether we have people or not, Brother Donghua will find out soon."
Even a clay man has some anger, let alone Yu Fangge, who was not the persistently kind type, so he responded immediately.
"Oh? It seems that Brother Fangge has come prepared this time. My Fiery Fire Sect looks forward to learning a thing or two."
Yan Donghua let out a hearty laugh. The threat in his words made those who knew the situation and were watching from the sidelines reveal strange expressions.
The Fiery Fire Sect had always been formidable and reputedly recruited a rare genius in the past two years. It seemed that the Huajian Sect would be in trouble again this time.
