Chapter 191: Bullying The Geniuses
Mu Xue's face darkened immediately. Revered as a celestial maiden on Yuhua Star, she was reduced to a weeping damsel in the eyes of this alien?
"What's your name?" she asked sharply.
"Wang Xuan," he replied with composure. "Remember it well. This name is destined to resonate through the deep cosmos, known in every realm where life exists."
"Arrogant!" Mu Xue couldn't tolerate his audacity. Who was this man, so full of himself, aspiring to be a revered figure across the stars?
"Presumptuous!" echoed the others, their expressions turning sour. Yuan Kun, still struggling with his injuries, managed to swallow a healing pill, desperately trying to stabilize his condition. He couldn't afford to remain vulnerable, especially with the talents from other worlds possibly targeting him.
"Hold on a moment," Wang Xuan said to Mu Xue, then turned and strode towards Yuan Kun.
"What do you want?" Yuan Kun asked warily, his face grim. He didn't believe Wang Xuan would dare defy the Old Fox's warning and kill him.
"I'm here for my spoils of victory. You owe me a pill you just swallowed. Hand over your jade token," Wang Xuan declared, proceeding to claim his prize.
Shivering with rage, Yuan Kun felt powerless to resist. Even at his peak, he doubted he could stop Wang Xuan.
"Elder, isn't he going too far?" Yuan Kun appealed to the Old Fox.
"Take the token, but no more," the Old Fox instructed.
"No, please! I'll compensate you with ten more tokens," Yuan Kun pleaded urgently. The tokens, engraved with their names in demonic script by the White Peacock itself, were essential to each contestant. Losing it meant the end of their participation in the contest.
"Your ten jade tokens have always belonged to me," Wang Xuan declared unapologetically as he proceeded to search Yuan Kun.
"Those tokens are kept in Earth Immortal City," Yuan Kun informed him, clarifying that besides his personal token, which was required to be on him at all times, the rest of his spoils were stored elsewhere.
"Send someone to fetch them. I'll wait, or I'll confiscate your token. Ten isn’t enough; I demand at least twenty!" Wang Xuan asserted, snatching Yuan Kun's personal token without hesitation.
Yuan Kun was seething with anger and regret. He had practically been robbed! But if he refused, it would mean his immediate disqualification from the Earth Immortal City's rewards and opportunities.
"Everyone pays the price for their actions," Wang Xuan remarked casually, patting Yuan Kun's shoulder.
Yuan Kun's eyes flared with rage, regretting his earlier provocations. In reality, even without his taunts, Wang Xuan would have relieved him of his tokens.
With a face ashen with defeat, Yuan Kun gestured to one of his followers, instructing them to retrieve the tokens from the Earth Immortal City.
Nearby, Old Chen watched enviously. Twenty jade tokens were about to be in Wang Xuan's possession!
He turned to the Old Fox, declaring, "Elder, I feel young and vigorous, like the rising morning sun!"
The Old Fox ignored him, unimpressed.
The little fox spirit couldn't help but taunt, "You look older than my grandfather."
Old Chen suppressed the urge to retort. He wanted to boast about his rejuvenation from the Celestial Spring, but he held back.
"My grandfather looks just over twenty," the little fox added cheekily.
Old Chen fell silent, convinced that both the fox spirits were nothing but trouble.
Meanwhile, the battle between Mu Xue and Wang Xuan commenced. Mu Xue kept her distance, clearly avoiding a close-quarters fight. She unleashed a series of thunderous palm strikes and suddenly summoned a flying sword, swift as lightning, aiming directly for Wang Xuan's throat in a blink of an eye.
Even as a sword cultivator, it was exceptional for one to wield a flying sword in the early stages of transcendence. Mu Xue’s ability to do so suggested either extraordinary spiritual strength or the aid of a unique treasure.
Old Chen's expression changed, concerned that Wang Xuan might not evade in time. Sword cultivators were renowned for their formidable attack power.
Wang Xuan, reacting with incredible speed, dodged the sword. Yet, it pursued relentlessly, aiming for his neck. Raising his hand, he deployed the first true form of his strongest scripture, striking the sword's side. With a resonant clang, the sword's luminous glow dimmed instantly.
The crowd gasped in shock. The force of Wang Xuan's strike was so immense that it shattered the runes on the sword.
With a second strike, the flying sword exploded into shimmering shards, scattering in all directions.
Suddenly, Wang Xuan felt a chilling sensation at the back of his neck. Mu Xue had stealthily launched a second sword, striking without warning. He swiftly sidestepped, narrowly avoiding a direct hit. The sword grazed his neck, sparking as it struck his resilient skin.
Wang Xuan touched his neck, wincing at the pain. The blade had pressed into his flesh, leaving a vivid mark, but it failed to penetrate his defenses.
Realizing that even the powerful attacks of a sword cultivator couldn't penetrate his flesh, Wang Xuan reassessed the strength of his defensive capabilities granted by the strongest scripture. His defense was augmented by auxiliary texts like the Six Feet Golden Body and the Nine Tribulations Mysterious Body, derived from the mystical true form diagrams on the stone tablet.
With a resonant clang, Wang Xuan effortlessly caught the flying sword in his bare hands, intending to keep it as a trophy. However, the sword vibrated violently, cutting into his palm and leaving deep, reddened marks.
Gritting his teeth, Wang Xuan snapped the sword in two. He then moved with lightning speed towards Mu Xue, who retreated hastily. Confronted with such an unyielding opponent, she realized the gravity of her situation.
Despite her swift retreat, Wang Xuan caught up. He swung a palm towards her, but she evaded and launched a psychic attack, which proved futile against Wang Xuan's defenses.
Capturing her arm, Wang Xuan landed two solid punches, causing excruciating pain and breaking her ribs. His hand then connected with her face in a firm slap.
The Old Fox intervened, his powerful magic causing the air itself to ripple, halting the combat. "Enough, she concedes defeat," Jiang Xuan also called out, urging Wang Xuan to stop.
Mu Xue, the ethereal sword cultivator, now lay in disarray. Her once pristine white robes were stained and torn, her face streaked with involuntary tears brought on by the pain. Wang Xuan, somewhat satisfied, helped her to her feet, remarking, "See, I told you you'd end up crying."
Mu Xue, still wiping her tears, was infuriated. If only her swords could cut through this man!
"Does it hurt that much? Stop crying," Wang Xuan consoled her, then added, "Give me your jade tokens."
Jiang Xuan quickly intervened, "I'll have someone bring twenty jade tokens to you."
"Thirty," Wang Xuan countered, shaking his head.
"Why thirty?" Mu Xue asked between sobs, her frustration evident.
"You both count as two, so there should be more tokens," Wang Xuan reasoned as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
Jiang Xuan, incredulous, said, "I haven't even fought. Why include me?"
"Exactly," Wang Xuan replied. "If you fought, I'd collect twenty from her and then twenty from you. But since you won't fight, let's just settle for thirty from both. She cried, after all. It's a discount."
Jiang Xuan was exasperated, turning to the Old Fox for support.
"If you can't solve it, fight. Isn't that what you all wanted?" the Old Fox commented indifferently.
"Fine, thirty it is," Jiang Xuan conceded, knowing he wouldn't fare better than Mu Xue in a fight.
Old Chen approached Wang Xuan, whispering a warning. "You're collecting tokens now, but if they call for higher-level assistance, we're in for a chase."
Wang Xuan responded, "They were after us anyway. If I don't take the tokens, they'd still hunt us. Let's collect while we can."
He then turned his attention to the Ou siblings. "We're not fighting. We'll give you twenty tokens," Ou Yun quickly offered.
"No," Wang Xuan refused. "I want to see the strength of the once top cultivation family's secret techniques."
Ou Yuyan didn't hesitate and immediately attacked from a distance, using her psychic abilities to create a foggy illusion, launching several psychic spears directly at Wang Xuan's mind!
The next moment, Ou Yuxuan was stunned. Wang Xuan's psychic force was vibrant with colors, accompanied by a floating island that materialized in the psychic realm.
"Overturning Seal!" Wang Xuan thundered.
The floating island merged with his psychic power, crashing down in a formidable display. Not only were the young talents from the three Transcendent planets shocked, but even the Old Fox looked moved.
Exhibiting such marvels at the early stage of transcendence, connecting with a fragment of the psychic world, was indeed a rarity noted in historical records.
"Show mercy!" the Old Fox interjected again.
Ou Yun reacted instantly, rushing to aid his sister. The clash of psychic forces was dangerous, and he feared for Ou Yuxuan's mental integrity.
As Wang Xuan unleashed the island, it resembled a massive seal descending, nearly shattering the siblings' psychic defenses.
They staggered back, dazed and disoriented, unable to recover immediately.
Wang Xuan approached and struck each of them on the nose with a punch, instantly overwhelming their senses and causing tears and mucus to flow uncontrollably.
The onlookers were speechless at his tactics, seemingly enjoying making them cry.
After regaining their senses, Ou Yun and Ou Yuxuan were both furious and humiliated, quickly wiping away their tears.
"Since both of you cried, I'll just take thirty jade tokens," Wang Xuan declared.
Meanwhile, Zhao Qinghan and Wu Yin, although unable to understand the conversations due to the Old Fox's intervention, witnessed the entire scene. Seeing Wang Xuan dominate the battle and suppress his opponents, they relaxed and showed expressions of joy.
"Are these really the prodigies from the three Transcendent planets? It doesn't seem like it," Zhao Qinghan and Wu Yin whispered among themselves.
The scene before them was indeed bizarre. Five talents from renowned cultivation families were in disarray – three were wiping away tears, and one, Yuan Kun, was coughing up blood.
Determined to keep this humiliating defeat a secret, the five prodigies resolved to seal any leaks about the battle.
Old Fox sighed, "Despite not being from higher Transcendent planets, your families once had Earthly Immortals and even mighty Life Extenders. You must strive harder. It's somewhat shameful to be bested by a wandering cultivator from a planet where transcendence energy has waned."
The comment left the five talents crestfallen, with little desire to respond.
Soon, a collection of jade tokens was delivered. Old Chen's eyes widened in disbelief, his heart trembling at the sight. Wang Xuan's haul of tokens seemed to surpass even that of Old Zhong.
Wang Xuan exhaled deeply, "Don't be envious. We should prepare for what's coming. We'll be facing a storm soon. If we survive this and break through, we'll have a chance. Otherwise, there's no way out."
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