Mu Long was born talented. Even before the great calamity that befell the world, he already stood out among his peers and siblings. The introduction of spiritual qi only heightened his extraordinariness. While his siblings fell asleep and perished, he awoke and became a superhuman. Under his leadership, the Mu Imperial Family consolidated power like never before, rivaling or even surpassing the time of the Mu Dynasty’s founding.
Naturally, Mu Long had his own enemies. However, he prevailed and attained victory. And now, his instincts told him that the newest inner disciple was such an enemy. Even if he were to be sentenced by the Punishment Department, he had to eliminate Wuqiang.
Jun Qiangwu glared at no one in particular. A heavy air surrounded him, causing even more disciples to distance themselves from him. He knew that he had lost the best chance to kill Qian Jiafeng.
He knew that as long as Mu Long lived, he would hinder him. That’s why Mu Long must die. Even if he would be expelled by the Xi Immortal Dynasty, Jun Qiangwu already swore to eliminate Mu Long. Only then could he complete his revenge.
The brooding avenger sat down on the nearest seat, not bothering to sit back with Hou Yawen or Xingyi. The people who originally sat around him also distanced themselves from him. Although he had just reason to use lethal force, Jun Qiangwu had done it twice. They couldn’t settle down with a dangerous person like him around, although the stronger ones remained still. Though they raised their guard in case Jun Qiangwu went crazy and attacked them.
While he wanted to be alone, two people didn’t want to leave him alone.
“Senior Brother, what’s wrong? You weren’t like this,” Xingyi said as she stood in front of Jun Qiangwu. “You’re gentle, not cruel or bloodthirsty.”
Beside her stood Hou Yawen. She said nothing. Although she knew Jun Qiangwu as long as Xingyi, the time spent together could not be compared. In addition, although she felt that Jun Qiangwu was as Xingyi described, that didn’t mean she knew him. For all she knew, it could just be an act perpetuated by him.
Jun Qiangwu stared at Xingyi. The image of his litter sister overlapped with the young lass. However, his gaze hardened as the phantom of his little sister vanished. His tone turned cold. “There’s nothing wrong. And don’t bother me. I don’t feel like entertaining you any longer.”
“What?” Xingyi flinched back, as if she had been physically struck.
“Leave, before I make you,” Jun Qiangwu finally turned his eyes to her.
All Xingyi could see was darkness. No, it wasn’t darkness, but flames darker than the abyss. It was as if the senior brother she knew had changed into a completely different person.
Xingyi wanted to argue, to bring Jun Qiangwu back to his old self, but Hou Yawen grabbed her shoulder. When she turned, she saw her senior sister shaking her head. Unwillingly, she allowed Hou Yawen to pull her away. Still, her eyes did not leave Jun Qiangwu’s figure.
Finally alone, Jun Qiangwu looked down. His hair covered his eyes, preventing anyone from seeing his emotions.
The inter-disciple tournament continued. The third round ended, and the fourth round began. When Jun Qiangwu stepped onto the stage, his opponent, a disciple at the Fourth Stage of the Qi Gathering, immediately forfeited. Thus, Jun Qiangwu won his third match without lifting a finger.
On the other hand, Mu Long’s opponent didn’t forfeit. It was his bad luck to become the former’s punching bag. Mu Long didn’t maim his foe, but he would definitely be feeling it in the next few weeks.
The rest of the fourth round’s matches didn’t stand out, and the fifth round began. Now, there were only eight disciples left, but everyone already knew who the two finalists were. Perhaps due to luck, Jun Qiangwu and Mu Long would not meet until the finals.
For Jun Qiangwu’s fifth match, he duked it out with a disciple in the Fifth Stage of the Qi Gathering Realm before knocking him out of the ring. This was the first time Jun Qiangwu’s opponent wasn’t maimed or lethally injured. His opponent in the semi-final met the same fate.
And finally, the finals came up, Mu Long vs Wuqiang.
Unlike his previous matches, Wuqiang actually walked onto the stage with a spear in hand. This was the first time Jun Qiangwu had brought out his preferred weapon. He hadn’t even revealed his expertise to Xingyi during their five months of hunting together.
He originally thought that Qian Jiafeng already a member of the Xi Immortal Dynasty, so he hid it in order to conceal his identity. Because of this, he never show his ice abilities. Jun Qiangwu never thought that Qian Jiafeng would actually be his junior in terms of seniority. However, even after discovering this fact, he didn’t reveal his abilities either.
Because Mu Long was here. As long as Mu Long connected the dots, his plan would become ten times harder. Still, since he already formed a grudge, there was no longer any point in concealing his abilities.
Mu Long stared at Jun Qiangwu as he walked onto the stage. Specifically, his eyes couldn’t help but narrow on the spear.
“Your true name isn’t Wuqiang, but Jun Qiangwu, isn’t it?” Mu Long asked.
Jun Qiangwu’s footsteps paused. He used similar sounding characters for his alternate identity and the meaning behind them was different from his actual name. He expected Qian Jiafeng to recognize him soon, but not Mu Long. His answer to Mu Long’s statement was to brandish his spear at the latter.
“I’m right, aren’t I?” Mu Long said. In order to help him recognize Jun Qiangwu, Qian Jiafeng had described Jun Qiangwu in detail and everything she could think of. “Hmpf, not only did you betray Jia’er, but you want to take her life too? Are you a man or not?”
Jun Qiangwu paused, his eyes sharpened. The icy blue color became whiter as a flower-like pattern appeared. “Betray? Her?”
He raised his head and laughed as if it was the funniest joke in the world. “She’s got you wrapped around her fingers, too, huh? I wonder what your face will look like when she betrays you.”
A sinister idea appeared in Jun Qiangwu’s mind. He knew he should ignore it but it was like a devil’s whisper. Once it took root, it wouldn’t disappear, no matter what.
Mu Long’s response was to unsheathe his sword. Obviously, he didn’t believe the implication of Jun Qiangwu’s words. Whether it was from his own judgement or Qian Jiafeng’s influence, Jun Qiangwu didn’t know. But it didn’t stop Jun Qiangwu from preparing to take him down.
In the audience, the disciples couldn’t help but discuss the finals, each giving their own thoughts.
“Who do you think will win?” a disciple asked. He was one of the lucky ones to join with Qian Jiafeng.
“Hmm, although that Wuqiang is showing amazing progress, I still think Senior Brother Mu will win,” a longtime disciple said. “However, it’s not like that Wuqiang has no chance. As long as he is ruthless enough, he has a chance of winning.”
“Hmpf, I don’t want him to win. He gives us cultivators a bad name. Immortal cultivators should be transcendent and not act so ugly,” the new disciple said. He was already inclined toward Mu Long since he joined at the same time as Qian Jiafeng, Mu Long’s fiancee.
“His chances are actually lower than you think,” someone interjected.
The two disciples looked up. The newcomer didn’t recognize him, but the longtime disciple did. “Senior Brother Xiong!”
The third disciple, Xiong, shrugged and squeezed himself between the two. He was Mu Long’s opponent in the semifinals, and the match took over ten minutes before Mu Long squeezed out a victory. Furthermore, he was also in the Sixth Stage of the Qi Gathering Realm.
“Do you know some inside information?” the longtime disciple asked. Before Jun Qiangwu came along, Xiong was recognized as Mu Long’s only rival and the disciple with the greatest chance of becoming an inner disciple.
Xiong shook his head. “Not exactly, but when we fought, I felt like Mu Long was hiding strength. Although it seemed like we were evenly matched, I can’t help but feel that Mu Long could have won much sooner.”
“Really?” the newcomer disciple asked.
“Just watch. Mu Long should reveal it in the last match,” Xiong said as he stared at the arena.
The moment the referee declared the start of the match, Jun Qiangwu and Mu Long charged at each other without another word. Spear and sword clashed.
Mu Long frowned as he stepped back. “Your strength? It’s beyond the Fifth Stage. You’ve entered the Sixth Stage of the Qi Gathering Realm?”
Before the crowd had time for that information to sink in, Mu Long dropped another bomb. “No, this strength isn’t something that can be reached by someone who just reached the Sixth Stage. Have you entered the late Sixth Stage of the Qi Gathering Realm?”
Jun Qiangwu didn’t answer and simply twirled his spear. In truth, he only just entered the Sixth Stage of the Qi Gathering Realm. The reason Mu Long mistaken him for someone in the late stage of the Sixth Stage was because of the Nine-Five Scripture. The power and energy of those that practiced the Nine-Five Scripture will only become more ridiculous as they reach higher realms.
Ice coated the spearhead, causing the blade to resemble a two-sided halberd. He charged.
Mu Long snorted. He waved his sword, and a green glow encased it. As it sliced through the air, wooden spikes shot out.
Jun Qiangwu struck them in their trajectory. However, when the wooden spikes touched the halberd, they expanded like puffer fish, resembling spiked balls. Then, they exploded, sending more wooden spikes. Jun Qiangwu frowned and the air around him chilled. Ice appeared on Jun Qiangwu’s body and encased him in armor.
The wooden spikes splattered harmlessly off of the ice armor and fell to the ground. Jun Qiangwu continued his charge, and Mu Long did not shrink back. He stepped forward and locked his sword against his foe’s spear. The blade of the sword took on a blue sheen as a layer of frost covered it.
Mu Long tightened the grip on his sword. Tree branches grew out of his sword’s hilt and wrapped around the spear. The speed of the encroachment slowed down as the barked turned white from the frost. Still, that only served to slow down its movements, not stop it.
“Hmpf, my ability is stronger than yours.”
Jun Qiangwu said nothing. Instead, he stared Mu Long in the eye. The moment their gazes connected, Mu Long couldn’t help but notice the flower-like design on the iris. He felt something was wrong, but it was too late now.
“Ah!” Mu Long screamed as cracks appeared in his eyes. He closed his eyes, but blood flowed from beneath his eyelids. He stumbled, losing his stability.
Jun Qiangwu winced as he felt the strain in his eyes, but he wouldn’t give up this hard-earned chance. He increased the intensity of his ability, causing the branches to freeze faster, and pushed forward. The frozen branches shattered and he swung his spear.
Just as the ice-covered spear neared Mu Long’s body, the latter stamped his foot down. With his center of gravity stabilized, Mu Long’s hand shot out and grabbed the spear’s shaft. Ice immediately covered his hand, but Mu Long didn’t care as he slashed his sword toward Jun Qiangwu.
Jun Qiangwu tried to raise the spear, but Mu Long’s grip was too strong. Now, he was at an impasse. Either he continued to grab and take the sword strike, or let go. He chose the former.
Mu Long’s sword struck his shoulder, cracking the ice armor and drawing blood.
Jun Qiangwu gritted his teeth and yanked the spear free of Mu Long's grasp and stepped back. Luckily, the ice armor had softened the blow, so it did not cause lethal harm. Still, he no longer had much strength in his left arm. Ice covered the wound, stopping the bleeding.
It was a worthy tradeoff. If he let go, Mu Long would have thrown his spear out of the arena, making his chances of winning diminish. Although he lost some strength in his left arm, Mu Long had become blind, dropping his combat prowess significantly. Maybe even ninety percent.
“I admit,” Jun Qiangwu said. “I didn’t expect you to enter the Seventh Stage of the Qi Gathering Realm. But you are doomed to lose to me.”
“And I didn’t expect your ability to work inside my body,” Mu Long said. Somehow, Jun Qiangwu had managed to freeze the outer surface of his eyes, causing them to become useless. Abilities only affected the immediate surrounding of the user, but they couldn’t directly affect another superhuman. Jun Qiangwu had broken that rule, which was what caught him off guard. This concept was also why Mu Long couldn’t use his ability to heal his eyes, as Jun Qiangwu’s lingering spiritual qi in his eyes interfered. “But victory will still be mine.”
Jun Qiangwu sneered. He tapped his spear on the ground and five ice puppets wielding ice spears appeared. It was a tasteless technique that used too much concentration, and each puppet barely had ten percent of his combat prowess. However, it was perfect for this situation.
The five ice puppets and Jun Qiangwu circled Mu Long. In unison, they tapped their spears on the ground to create a beat, while simultaneously stepping forward. Now, Mu Long couldn’t use his hearing to determine Jun Qiangwu’s location.
Mu Long kept turning, trying to pinpoint Jun Qiangwu’s location. He raised his sword and shot numerous spikes at the sounds. The ice puppets and Jun Qiangwu ignored the spikes and allowed them to dent the ice armor or bodies.
As the encirclement closed in, it seemed more and more impossible for Mu Long to win.
‘Victory is mine!’ Jun Qiangwu thought when he reached a meter of Mu Long. He raised his spear and prepared to bring it down.
Mu Long moved. He charged toward Jun Qiangwu without an ounce of hesitation, and before the latter could react, he stabbed his sword. The sword pierced Jun Qiangwu’s ice armor and into his chest, but it stopped before entering too deeply. That didn’t matter, as the force behind Mu Long’s strike shot Jun Qiangwu off the arena.
Upon landing, Jun Qiangwu forced himself to stand up and stared at Mu Long. “How?”
Mu Long smiled, even as blood continued to leak from his eyes. “My ability doesn’t just allow me to control plants, but I can sense vitality. Even without sight, you can’t hide from my senses.”
The crowd roared in excitement as Mu Long became the champion.
