Cain followed Penny back to where the rest of the group was, with Luna standing in front of the rest of his disciples, giving the challengers a look that promised violence.
"What seems to be the issue?" Cain asked the moment that he arrived, drawing the attention of the spectating crowd.
"These hussies turned down our generous offer even after I paid. I demand satisfaction." A middle-aged man in green robes insisted while Elder Ling rolled her eyes at him.
"Well, that's easy. I saw a fellow just up the road that will give you satisfaction for a few silver coins. Good luck with that, now are you done blocking the road?" Cain asked.
The crowd roared with laughter while Cain's disciples all came to his side, whispering about how the man and his friends made lewd requests of the Lotus Blossom Sect and wouldn't give up because they actually wanted a duel as an excuse to beat and injure them.
"You know that's not what I meant. I demand a duel to repair the damage to my honor from your insults and slander." The man insisted.
"Is there an arena here? The one in the Valley proved very informative, and the guards tell me that fighting isn't allowed in the streets." Cain responded, making the man and his disciples turn evil grins his way.
"Excellent, you accept then? Once we are finished with the do-gooder, we will deal with the rest of you." The man gloated, while the crowd's laughter slowly turned to murmurs of excitement.
Cain was about to ask again where the arena was when a powerful presence above them began to rapidly approach.
Two forms, one in Gold and one in Silver, landed between the two sides, each bearing the mark of a Sect Master.
"You, with the peach sash, explain what happened here." The man in gold demanded of Cain.
"I missed the start, but these gentlemen seem offended by my kind offer to find them a companion for the afternoon and demand a duel for the satisfaction of their honor." Cain shrugged.
"You, Disciple Hmong. Did you see everything?" The man in silver asked a young man in robes that matched his own.
"The men in green were harassing the ladies in white and the ones in peach, demanding favors the ladies refused. I was going to step in, but the Sect Master in black and Peach intervened to suggest that they would be happier with a male prostitute from the slums, and they didn't take it well." The disciple explained.
"Are you willing to duel them to allow them to restore their honor?" The Sect Master in Gold asked.
"One at a time or all at once, it makes no difference to me. I will happily show the world their Sect has no honor to redeem." Cain agreed.
Even Elder Ling went silent at that, and the tension in the crowd built rapidly until a loud burst of laughter echoed through the city.
"Master Cain, imagine that. I come to pick up a few essentials for the Tavern, and what do I see? You, goading another man into committing suicide in public." Master Moon laughed as he flew over.
Both Sect Masters nodded politely to the old man, recognizing his power and position.
"I do believe I spoke only the truth though. If they want satisfaction in the arena, I will oblige." Cain agreed.
"It is your right to duel for your honor, but I will warn you, it would be wise to simply walk away and take the loss." Master Moon told the man in green, who actually growled at him.
Cain checked his status quickly, to see if the man was a Lycan, but no he wasn't.
[Name] Dong Ma
[Level] 520
[Species] Human
[Awakened] Spirit
The others with him were only Mythic Awakened though, so if there were to be a fight, it would have to be in rounds against the disciples, or Cain would be accused of bullying the weak. Nobody would suspect that the two smallest girls in the group were also Spirit Awakened, so he should be fine on that front.
"I have decided. The Gods honor the strong. The challenge will be decided by a single matched strike between the strongest of each side." The Sect Master in Gold announced, and Master Moon shook his head in disappointment.
"Just try not to kill this one, it is hard on the reputation if you kill them every single time." Master Moon told Cain softly before jumping back into the air on his flying sword and gesturing to the arena.
Cain realized that he was in a bit of a conundrum. He didn't know how strong his opponent was, as he had never practiced telling them apart. Physically and mentally, it was Cain, but the other man might have a very strong hidden technique that could be an issue for Cain to match and beat without going overboard, or possibly even failing to overcome.
This wasn't the sort of fight that he usually had, so Cain wasn't entirely sure what to expect.
"You could use Cousin Neffie's Magic Punch," Luna suggested.
Fake a punch and kick him in the crotch? Tempting, but not very honorable.
"No, I think we will make this one a learning moment for Tena. I will use the twin dragons of light and dark to attack since they can stop themselves without killing the opponent." Cain decided.
The dragons did primarily Soul Damage, so the target would usually be left catatonic but not dead, and could be recovered with a couple of healing spells and a bit of time. It was among the finest of nonlethal attacks, though Cain had never seen a need for it, or had a Dragon Monk around before to see it in action personally.
He wouldn't have even thought of it if Tena hadn't gained the class and refreshed his memory.
"You don't have to do this, we can sort our honor on our own." Elder Ling whispered to Cain as they approached the arena, walking under the flying form of Master Moon.
"It is both my honor and my pleasure to fix stupid people," Cain told her happily.
That was only half true, the real reason had just appeared on his interface.
[Quest: Defend the honor of the Lotus Blossom Sect]
[Quest: Defend the honor of your disciples]
[Quest: Defend Luna's honor]
Three quests at once, all with bonus experience. Picking this fight was possibly the most worthwhile thing that Cain had done since he arrived in this world. Or it could be, depending on the amount of bonus experience that he gained from each quest.
The whole group in Green Robes had gathered in the arena when Cain arrived, and Master Moon was looking at them in dismay.
"What is this nonsense? That is not how an honor duel works." He muttered.
"I did tell them that I would happily whip them all at once if they so desired," Cain replied, but the Gold Robed Sect Master was already shooing the lower-ranked ones out of the arena.
"You morons, if you stand around for this fight, you will just die. One strike at full power from a Spirit Rank Cultivator is more than your bodies could withstand, even just the collateral damage." The Sect Master informed them before they finally left.
"If they really want to fight afterward, I can let them spar with one of the children. That should be close to a fair fight." Cain suggested, and a vein on his opponent's forehead began to throb.
Cain took a moment to wonder if it was actually possible for someone to get so mad that their head exploded, but that seemed a bit ridiculous, so he ignored the vein and focused on the fight.
The two contestants stared each other down as the two Sect Masters took their places on the walls, erecting a barrier that would keep the spectators safe.
"On the count of three, you may begin your techniques. Strength and speed both matter." The Gold Robed Sect Master decreed.
"3, 2, 1, GO." The other Sect Master counted, and Cain's opponent began shouting.
"Soul Devouring Immortal Power Bomb Blast" The man screamed, while Cain burst into laughter so hard he almost forgot to counter.
Using Versatility and dumping half of his mana into the [Twin Dragons] attack, Cain sent two dragons racing toward the growing black ball in the man's hands.
Black Energy met Black Energy, then the White Dragon surrounded the whole mass, opening its maw wide to swallow both its partner and the energy ball before continuing on to strike the enemy, who had raised a barrier in front of himself in defense.
His eyes rolled back, and blood began to pour from his mouth, eyes, and nose, but the two black energies canceled each other, limiting the effectiveness, and the Green-Robed man was still standing.
Well, sort of. He was clearly unconscious, all cognitive function destroyed by the attack, but he was still on his feet.
"That is the Twin Dragons? I have never seen them used that way before. Do you think the Dragon will want to see him in person?" Cain heard the Silver Robed Sect Master ask Master Moon.
"Possibly. He has a lot of secrets to him. He used Ice Dragon breath, or possibly Opal Dragon Ice breath, to shatter an equally matched cultivator in a single strike when he was challenged back in the valley.
I suspect that like Ancient Dragon, he is simply bored with the mundane passing of his life, but instead of curling up in a mountain to wait, he has started to wander in search of entertainment." Master Moon replied.
"So you think he is holding back?" The Sect Master asked.
"His Core is damaged. I think this is as strong as he is now, but if he is given time, he will quickly match my own level, and perhaps become much more deadly, thanks to the amount of knowledge that he possesses." Master Moon whispered, and Cain would have missed it if he had not been reading the men's minds.
The man in green raised a shaky hand to his mouth and swallowed a pill, bringing color back to his skin and clarity back to his eyes.
"We both stand. The first strike was a draw." The man declared, silencing the crowd.
Was he serious right now? They all thought he was a dead man for the first ten seconds after the strike. Or did he not realize he was unconscious on his feet for that long? But the crowd did admire his courage to try again.
"Was it enough to satisfy your honor? We can try again, or I can pick another skill. Perhaps Divine Lightning?" Cain suggested.
Divine skills were a hard counter to shadow skills, it would rip through his greatest attack like wet rice paper.
"You have proven your point. My Sect apologizes to your disciples for our uncouth behavior." The man said very formally, ignoring the blood still pouring from every orifice on his body.
"Likewise. I will endeavor to have my Sect show a more cultured and civil side to the world." Cain responded with a polite bow and left the arena so that the man could receive medical attention from his followers.
"There we have it, Master Moon. He is most definitely alive. Though I didn't expect him to remain on his feet, that is some impressive willpower." Cain told the Innkeeper, who shook his head in dismay and flew off to return to whatever errands had brought him so far from home.
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