Chapter 1166: Chapter 1166: The Full Act of Pretending
This quarrel caused quite a stir; many disciples were heavily affected and became extremely restless.
But whether it was Yang Yan or the Ten Swords, their status in the Ancient Abyss Sect was transcendent, so no one dared say anything; they could only silently endure.
In contrast, Butcher Palace was very quiet; even someone as bold as the Little Witch Guo Guoguo didn’t dare enter Butcher Palace anymore.
In the past, Miss Guo feared neither heaven nor earth, but this time her arrogance was unusually restrained, clearly not wanting to disturb a painstakingly arranged performance.
Yizheng Sect and the other sects all heard about this, and were overjoyed.
Previously, because the Ancient Abyss Sect not only had a Saint Son, but had also snatched away so many outstanding talents, everyone couldn’t help feeling anxious about the upcoming grand talent competition.
Upon hearing this news, some sects even slapped the table in delight.
"You bring ruin on yourself and can’t live"—that saying perfectly described the Ancient Abyss Sect’s current situation.
If the Ancient Abyss Sect were united as one, breathing as one, then this world would inevitably become the Ancient Abyss Sect’s private fief.
And they, these other sects, could only watch helplessly as the Ancient Abyss Sect rose, and in the end be forced to submit.
Now that such a conflict had actually appeared within the Ancient Abyss Sect, it was simply a heavenly blessing!
If you’re going to put on a show, you have to play it all the way through.
Ever since the quarrel began, Fu Changjian and the others had never gone to see Yang Yan again.
This situation gradually convinced those sects that had originally held doubts, making them believe that there truly was a problem between Yang Yan and his Ten Swords.
"It’s those people again. Do they ever stop, day in and day out?"
Jing Hong glared at the throwing knife suddenly sticking out of the stone pillar, and said angrily.
Recently, the three of them, who had originally been progressing at a tremendous pace, all seemed to have suddenly hit a bottleneck, unable to advance an inch further.
This made them exceptionally distressed, even somewhat irritable and uneasy.
"Huh, there’s writing on this throwing knife..." As Sanqian spoke, he yanked the knife out. On the blade were clearly carved four small characters—Come Out For A Talk.
"This level of strength is not something an ordinary person could wield."
As he spoke, Sanqian handed the throwing knife to Fu Changjian.
"Mm! To carve such powerful, vigorous characters on such a small throwing knife, and for them to look so natural—this absolutely isn’t something a common person could do. Looks like the other side has deep foundations, probably from a major sect."
Jing Hong came over to take a look as well, nodded, and asked, "So are we going or not? What if it’s a trap, and they’re just trying to test us?"
"Go, of course. What’s there to be afraid of? We’ve been waiting for them."
With that, the already impatient Sanqian was the first to leap out the window, pinching a Spell with his fingers as a vortex of qi formed beneath his feet, suddenly lifting him into the air.
"Let’s go, we’ll get to the bottom of this."
Fu Changjian shot Jing Hong a look, his figure suddenly blurring into a streak of light that shot off into the distant sky.
"Wait for me!" Jing Hong shouted, and hurriedly chased after them.
The three of them chased one another; just as they left the sect, they were blocked by a man in black.
Jing Hong was about to launch an attack, but was stopped by Fu Changjian.
Fu Changjian narrowed his eyes and sized the man up, then suddenly smiled and said slowly, "I take it you’re the one who used the throwing knife to call us out here."
The other man laughed heartily. "If I didn’t use a bit of a trick, how could I lure out several outstanding talents like yourselves?"
The man in black did not give his name, but it was almost certain that he was from another sect.
"Outstanding talents? How are we outstanding talents? We’re just ignorant fools being used by others."
This, of course, came from the impulsive Jing Hong.
The man in black laughed. "With physiques as exceptional as yours, you are naturally outstanding talents."
"It’s just a pity they don’t know the proper way to teach you, and instead are holding back your growth."
Sanqian let out a cold laugh. "You slander our King like this—what exactly is your goal?"
The man in black waved his hand. "Sanqian, right? No need to put on an act about what’s real or fake. From what I’ve observed, you’re actually the most dissatisfied of the three, aren’t you?"
"You..." As though his secret had been exposed, Sanqian was momentarily at a loss for words.
Taking advantage of the momentum, the man in black asked blandly, "Well then, can we have a proper talk? Whatever you want, we can give you, far beyond your imagination."
At this point, the most steady of the three, Fu Changjian, finally spoke up.
"Let’s hear it, then. What exactly can you offer us?"
As if he’d just gotten what he wanted, the man in black broke into a broad smile and said proudly:
"Naturally, we can give you the resources you desire, and the most exceptional Magic Techniques, to help you advance by leaps and bounds on the path of cultivation."
Before Fu Changjian could say anything more, Jing Hong couldn’t help himself and blurted out, "Just how strong is your Dharma Gate? Is it as strong as the King... ahem, as Yang Yan?"
The man in black replied casually, "You really don’t need to worry about that. Admittedly, the basic physiques of you three aren’t as monstrous as Yang Yan’s, but with a proper cultivation Dharma Gate, you’ll still be able to catch up to him."
"In that case..."
Jing Hong was just about to say something when Sanqian raised a hand to stop him, and said in a deep voice, "This is a serious matter; we need to think it over. You should head back first. We need some time."
The man in black didn’t seem surprised by this outcome. He nodded. "I hope the three of you can give me a satisfactory answer—and give yourselves a chance."
After the man in black left, Jing Hong asked, somewhat puzzled, "Do we really need to let the fish bite down on the hook even harder? No matter how we act, some people will still be suspicious."
Before Fu Changjian could respond, Sanqian gave a sly chuckle off to the side:
"As the saying goes, ’start with a sky‑high price, settle for what hits the ground.’ It’s no bad thing to take more time to consider something like this; we don’t have to make a decision so early."
"If I’m not wrong, other sects will be coming to us soon as well."
Fu Changjian also nodded, which counted as endorsing Sanqian’s view.
Some of the more impatient sects had already started secretly contacting Fu Changjian and the others, even some of the other swords, privately promising all kinds of benefits.
These unforeseen developments left the three of them somewhat surprised.
Only then did they finally realize just how sought‑after they were, all because of their special physiques.
The same result also gave them a bit of inspiration.
Maybe they could make a big score—cast the net for the biggest fish of all.
The three of them took all the terms offered by the various sects and compared them, and found that they were actually more or less the same.
These sects that had contacted them in private all said they were willing to provide resources superior to those of the Ancient Abyss Sect.
On the condition that they leave the Ancient Abyss Sect, enter their mountain gates, and become Inner Sect Disciples.
It seemed that the battle for talent was fierce no matter what world you were in.
What’s more, in this world, this wasn’t just about fighting over talent; it was also a great opportunity to strike at the Ancient Abyss Sect.
The Ancient Abyss Sect already had a Saint Son. If they could win over these few talents as well, then by weakening one side and strengthening the other, the gap between them wouldn’t be as huge.
At the very least, it would give them a bit more leverage in future competition.
Otherwise, with the Ancient Abyss Sect holding a Saint Son and dominating alone, it would definitely not be a good thing for the other sects.
