Chapter 271 Chapter 271 – Encountering Backstabbers
Volume 6 – Martial Arts Summit
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"We will be in the Serene Lotus Sect within a few days. When your parents arrive, someone will take you to meet them. Another elder picked them up along with your friend, you have nothing to worry about."
"All right, thank you for your help, Elder Elmer." Ken thanked the elder politely. He did appreciate the aid the Serene Lotus Sect provided him with despite his low stage. No matter how much potential he had, he was only one person, and they could not know for sure that souring their relationship with two top sects for him was worth it.
"It's fine. You don't have to worry about the sect; leave that to us old bones, we will take care of the other sects," Elmer guessed what Ken was worried about and calmed him down.
The travel took them a few days until they made it to the sect's base. The place was stretched over a few long mountain belts, and the different peaks were taken by the many elders of the sect.
"Ken, do you want to tell us what exactly your Qi attributes are? Our sect has many elders with mysterious and enigmatic types of Qi, so we might be able to find you a master. You can be a core disciple this way and enjoy various benefits and resources."
"I'm afraid there is nobody with my attributes, so it'd be better to keep it secret. Once I become an elder, I can pass it on to my future disciples," Ken refused the offer. He added the last part to ensure the sect that he would pass his legacy on as long as he succeeded in making one.
It served the purpose of having them off his back for now until he was in the seventh stage in the faraway future, so he did not need to worry about it. From the perspective of a sect, a couple of hundred years was not a long time, so they did not have a reason to bother him.
"I see. You can still gain many resources by being an alchemist and a top inner disciple. The core disciples simply don't need to work for it."
"It's fine, I don't mind working a little for money." Ken shrugged when he thought about his money-making machine. With Darma's income, he did not need to worry about funds until he broke through to the seventh stage. The only thing he would not refuse was Immortal Qi Stones, but these were reserved for the ninth-stage elders, meaning he would not get any with the status of a core disciple anyway.
"Huh, you and your friends are quite peculiar. They also refused our offer to get a master for some reason, and their Qi attributes are not even a secret," Elmer sighed.
"Oh? Tiara and Alaric impressed the sect enough to be offered a position as core disciples?" Ken asked in satisfaction. He recruited them to his team for the long term, so he'd be disappointed if they could not even achieve that much.
"Yes, although they're in trouble right now."
"What is it?"
"Oh… The guy is quite passionate about justice…" Elmer chuckled.
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A few days ago:
"Are you ready?" Alaric asked Tiara while the two faced each other with serious expressions. They both had one hand stretched forward, forming a fist.
"I am, let's get it over with. I think the whole idea is ridiculous."
"You're just afraid, aren't you?" Alaric provoked her.
"Hmph, bring it on."
"3…2…1…"
The two raised their fists in the air and brought them down together at the same time. Tiara's hand was open while Alaric's did a V with two fingers.
"Haha, scissors beat paper, I get to challenge the first-ranked disciple!" Alaric laughed merrily and threw his discipleship token to the receptionist at the Hall of Glory who watched the duo with impatient eyes. The two have been bickering about who gets to challenge the first rank for a while now, slowing down the queue.
In fact, they were both in the top 10 for over a month now, and they procrastinated on their last challenge until now because they could not decide on it. However, they got a letter from Elmer saying that Ken would be in the sect within a week, prompting them to just do it.
"Whatever," Tiara grumbled and threw hers, letting him register a challenge against the second-ranked inner disciple of their age group.
Three days passed quickly, and the two claimed the first and the second places after short fights. They were both too strong for their opponents despite being younger; their bodies were stronger, their foundation was stronger, and their techniques were stronger.
"Let's go celebrate it with a meal?" Alaric asked his forced-by-circumstances friend if she wanted to tag along.
"Sure," even when trying to be somewhat friendly, Tiara still was not a woman of many words.
The two walked together to a fancy restaurant with four floors and a sign that said, "Nine Heavens".
"Why call a restaurant nine heavens when there are only four floors?" Alaric asked out loud, making Tiara smile.
"Hello, where would you like to sit?" A hostess wearing a tight cheongsam welcomed them.
"What's the difference between the different floors?" Alaric questioned while looking around him.
"The first floor is the noisiest one and is meant for everyone, so there are also servants and young children dining. The second floor is meant for those in the Nurturing Phase, the third floor is only for ranked disciples, core disciples, elders, or rich people."
"What about the fourth floor?"
"It's for people who don't mind the price and want privacy; it only has private rooms."
"All right, we will go to the third floor," Alaric decided, prompting the ice princess beside him to raise an eyebrow in displeasure. She was a core disciple from an elite clan in the Phoenix Feather Sect, she was not used to dining in anything that wasn't a private room. In contrast, Alaric was from a commoner background.
Their robes already had the badges of the top disciples, hence, the hostess brought them upstairs without asking for additional payment.
On the third floor, luxury reigned supreme. Deep red curtains adorned with gold trimmings, tables set with precious jade, and soft music from a zither created an elegant ambiance. The polished wooden floors sparkled under warm lantern light, while well-dressed guests chatted quietly, adding to the refined atmosphere.
"Oh, this is quite fancy!"
"You sound like it's your first time in a restaurant, weren't you a core disciple before?"
"Yes, but I used my resources for cultivation, so I never chose the expensive places, especially since most of my friends were commoners like me who remained inner disciples. I only chose the third floor because I knew a spoiled princess like you would be upset otherwise."
"I'm still upset, why isn't it the fourth floor?"
"Oh, I guess that's a princess from an elite clan for you," Alaric said with an impressed tone.
A waitress carried a tray laden with delicately plated dishes, each one a work of culinary art. Her attire, a flowing silk hanfu in hues of azure, matched the restaurant's decor. With a gentle smile, she set each dish before the diners, revealing intricate patterns carved from vegetables and garnished with edible blossoms.
"I hope you will enjoy your meal, please call me if you need anything," the waitress bowed and left under Alaric's awed gaze.
"Stop staring, it's just food," Tiara said somewhat embarrassedly when she noticed Alaric acting like a villager during his first time in a big city.
"Oh, let me enjoy my first time here peacefully," Alaric complained.
The two enjoyed the delicacies served, each trying a small bite from every dish, when suddenly a shout came from one of the tables nearby.
"It's not what we agreed on!" One disciple shouted.
Everyone's eyes on the floor turned to look, and the pair was not any different. They saw a group of 4 disciples, all wearing green, sitting around the table.
"Be quiet and don't make a scene." One of the other three said in a threatening voice and flared his aura, showing he was a lower Nascent Soul cultivator.
"You are just abusing your higher stage, but even if I still did not break through yet, I'm not that easy to bully. I want the full payment we agreed on!" The disciple from earlier did not budge.
"Are you sure you should take from us more than we already graciously gave?"
"Graciously? You gave only a third of the amount. I showed you the way to that herb field in exchange for 30% of the profits."
"But you couldn't defeat the beast guarding it without us, could you? You don't deserve that much of the profit," one of the trio said.
"And you would not find those herbs without me. I could take that offer to any other group and get the same deal," the weaker disciple argued back.
"And that other team would give you less than we did. Here, take 10% more and leave. If you dare complain, we will take everything and leave you with nothing."
"Fine," the young man said with gritted teeth. He took the payment and turned around to leave. When his back was turned to the other three, one of them suddenly attacked.
"Argh!"
The young man rolled on the ground with a few deep cuts on his back, some even deep enough to show the bone beneath the flesh.
"Haha, you can use the extra money to buy some healing pills, idiot. Next time don't be too greedy and know your place!"
"Sir, are you ok? Let us take you to the Medical Hall!" One waitress approached the wounded man worriedly while the three laughed.
Meanwhile, Tiara looked at Alaric who watched the scene with squinted eyes, his hands somewhat quivering. But she knew it was not fear; it was anger. She remembered his judgment fetish and the dream about exterminating backstabbers, and those guys were backstabbers even in the literal sense.
"Alaric, relax. If you must fight them, challenge them officially first," Tiara tried to reason with him, but Ken's brainwashing was not that weak. Alaric's eyes turned somewhat insane as he looked at the three and emanated thick killing intent.
"Huh? What's your problem?" One of the three asked loudly when he noticed it.
Unafraid of the stage gap, Alaric's spear appeared in his hand and lightning started raging around him.
'Oh damn madman,' Tiara thought to herself as she summoned out her saber, knowing that a fight was about to break out and she could not avoid participating. Although Alaric was strong enough to defeat one or two of them, he could not take on three Nascent Soul cultivators.
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