“Elder Xiao, this one would like to ask again: are you pulling out?” Jin Caitan inquired.
Xiao Huangquan guzzled a mouthful of wine, then snapped, “Look, fool, do any if us appear to be in any shape to fight?! My back has been aching ever since Dragonroot Island! In any event, our first competitor has pulled out, full stop.”
As the invited guest of the event, Jin Caitan was already introduced to the young man who quickly drew attention for his good looks in the ring. Jin Caitan took it upon himself to convey, “This is Luo Clan’s Sun Character Worship leader. Master Tang may be young, but he is Luo Clan’s first department head not from their clan.”
“Who is he? Since when was outsiders allowed to head the smithing department?” The man’s hands did as much talking as his mouth did. “How can he represent Luo Clan when we don’t even recognise him?”
A-Ji, who wasn’t in the ring, had his eyes as curved slits similarly to his lips: “I really do get whatever I wish for. The moment you need a dummy to demonstrate on, someone offers himself up. A-Ye, show them what you got.”
Tang Ye could only consider A-Ji, among all of those in Luo Clan, his friend, which was more or less the result of A-Ji providing him with answers or keys to his answers whenever he had questions.
Tang held his right arm parallel to the floor and cooked up the air around it. The heat and the fluorescent orange could only belong to one style those present could name – Scorching Sun Spirit Manual. Even though he had convinced them his internal energy could rival Luo Yan’s, Tang Ye decided to turn it up a notch, expanding the formless internal energy coalesced in his hand until it developed into a crimson sphere.
Poof! Tang Ye launched the fireball at the protestor. The man smashed it with his hammer as a desperate reaction, only for the flame to ravage the length of his hammer and incinerate him. By the time people beside him turned to aid him, the fire had already penetrated his body. To their bewilderment, the man froze and zoned out, resembling a doll.
One of Luo Clan’s elites checked the man’s pulse to find Tang Ye burnt all of the man’s meridians. In short, the man was now a vegetable. Tang Ye’s shocking ruthlessness was one thing, but to manifest internal energy as fire and inflict damage without direct contact? It was akin to something out of a fantasy story.
Tang Ye only gained the ability thanks to his proficiency with Yang Blood True Qi, Scorching Sun Spirit and Poison King’s supplements. For someone to replicate that without all three components should be impossible.
Tang Ye’s still-warm hand didn’t just tell him he had improved by leaps and bounds since joining Luo Ming. It also reminded him that he hadn’t decided on whether he was doing the right thing – and reminded him of Shangrila.
Jin Caitan observed Tang Ye staring at his own hand and rolling it into a fist: “Mount Daluo, please send in your contestant.”
Insouciantly relishing his tea, Ming Feizhen scanned their revving-to-go competitor: “Not too shabby. Head high and chest out. Now go.”
Hong Jiu: “You sure about this? Can he really hack it?”
Su Xiao: “I don’t think he can win.”
Ming Feizhen wagged his hand: “If he doesn’t win, you can call me Ming Dogpoo.”
Su Xiao: “Big Brother Dogpoo, wh-”
“He hasn’t lost yet!” Ming Feizhen turned around and nodded: “Your turn.”
It would sound odd to describe the man with the crown, cloud boots and coat as a dark cloud crashing the bright day’s party, but that really was the vibe he gave off as he entered the ring.
“Yi Wangyou?!” Tang Ye’s pitch went up.
Yi Wangyou drew his sword at his sash and pointed it at his foe across from him. “And?”
Feng Jian mumbled, “How is he still alive…?” He then used Voice Transmission to tell Tang Ye, “I caught his heart already. Even with the best medical attention, he can’t have recovered his full power in such a short time. Go all out. You only need to win.”
Tang Ye pulled his eyebrows even closer together.
“Fight!” Jin Caitan announced.
“Hey, Leader, what’s the big idea behind having Yi Wangyou dress up as a sage or something? Also, what’s Tangy doing over there?” Hong Jiu asked.
Ming Feizhen moistened his throat with another sip of tea: “Like a bull charging with its eyes on the ground, he took someone’s advice and decided cutting corners was something to fashion. Since he thinks he can cut corners, I’ll fry his brain. I’ll show him what a real shortcut is.”
Glossary
Yi Wangyou’s appearance – For the crown, imagine Lu Bu’s antler crown without the antlers. For the coat, imagine the huge coats nobles often wore in the Han dynasty. The following image is only a general reference and shouldn’t be taken as exact replicas of what Yi Wangyou has.
Coat – /uploads/images/%img%/%book%
