Fortunately, Jiang Kai moved fast enough and got onto the stage before anyone else.
The man opposite him looked to be in his early thirties, with a well-proportioned figure, about one meter seventy-five tall, wearing a dark blue robe.
His features were proper enough, but there was a trace of arrogance between his brows. When he looked at Jiang Kai, he slightly raised his chin, with a faint hint of disdain in his eyes.
The man gave a cold snort, walked up to Jiang Kai, and gave a careless cupped-fist salute. "Another one from Qingyun Mountain. Your Qingyun Mountain has really been running out of talent lately—losing match after match, and you still think you haven't embarrassed yourselves enough?"
"Oh, no wonder you're wearing a mask. Afraid that if you lose later, you won't have the face to meet Junior Sister Siyáo?"
Immediately, the disciples dressed similarly to him below the stage cheered loudly, shouting encouragement for their sectmate.
Jiang Kai frowned. What kind of sect did Brother Zhu sign him up for? The moment he went up, he was ridiculed.
Then again, maybe it was just tradition to talk big before a fight—boxing matches did the same thing.
Thinking that, Jiang Kai gave a short snort, glanced at the characters on the man's chest, and said in a convincing tone, "Oh, so it's you—a clown from Tianchi dares to come out and bark?!"
However, after he said that, Jiang Kai realized that the white-clad Qingyun disciples below the stage didn't cheer for him at all.
"Damn, who is that guy? He actually dared to insult Tianchi! Right now, the Tianchi Sect is at its peak—among China's hidden experts, even Du Yuquan from Tianchi is one of them!"
"Hey, who is he? Why's he wearing a mask?"
"Uh… I don't know either, not too familiar with him."
In the northern stands, Tianchi's elder smiled faintly.
These youngsters were hot-blooded, so even if they said harsh words on stage, most elders didn't take it to heart.
Still, even when boasting, one should at least consider who the opponent is, or else one might just become a laughingstock.
At the moment, Tianchi was at its height—its strength ranked among the top three ancient martial sects—yet that Qingyun disciple had the nerve to speak so arrogantly. Truly the first of his kind!
Dongfang Xiong couldn't help but chuckle. "Old Wan, which disciple of yours is this from Qingyun Sect?"
The few Qingyun elders looked rather displeased. Elder Wan braced himself and said, "Uh, this child's wearing a mask, I can't quite tell who he is. Let's wait for him to introduce himself."
Onstage, the Tianchi contestant's expression darkened. "Truly, ignorance is fearlessness. I won't waste words with you. After this, I'll be delivering the special gift I've prepared for Junior Sister Siyáo."
"I am Wu Sheng, disciple of Tianchi's White Pool, member of the White Elephant Squad under the Twelve Sacred Beasts of the Chinese War God Hall! Someone like you—I'll have you dead within five minutes!"
As soon as he announced his name, a wave of gasps erupted from the audience.
"He's from the White Pool? That's the strongest of Tianchi's seven pools, right?"
"Of course! Only the top geniuses make it into White Pool!"
"The Twelve Sacred Beasts Squad, huh? I've always wanted to join that. This guy's not only a prodigy in real life, even on Ghost Star he's top-tier."
"Even Junior Sister Siyáo will look at him differently! Looks like Qingyun's in for another loss."
Elder Liu of Tianchi looked at Wu Sheng with satisfaction. "That boy rarely participates in inter-sect sparring. This time, he made an exception for the sake of the Junior Sister he admires. It's good, though—let everyone see how much he's grown."
In contrast, Elder Wan and the others of Qingyun were already sweating for their disciple.
Which unlucky kid had to go up against someone like Wu Sheng?
Just then, Jiang Kai let out a startled cry, face full of shock.
"What? Tianchi still has idiot disciples?"
At first, everyone below the stage didn't react, not understanding why Jiang Kai was so surprised.
Anyone in the martial circle knew of Tianchi's Seven Pools—who wouldn't know White Pool?
After a while, people pieced together Jiang Kai's tone and gestures and finally realized what he meant.
The ever-expressionless Chang Siyáo couldn't help but burst into laughter.
The dignified "White Pool disciple" had been turned into an "idiot disciple" by him...
Wu Sheng's face turned dark green with fury. "You—you dare insult my Tianchi Sect?!"
Jiang Kai seemed to realize something and quickly said, "No, no, misunderstanding, I misheard just now."
"Enough nonsense! I, Wu Sheng, don't kill nameless nobodies. State your name!"
Jiang Kai sighed. "Disciple of Qingyun Sect…"
"Which peak? Speak clearly!" Wu Sheng barked. "You dare insult Tianchi but not even report your own sect?!"
Jiang Kai's head throbbed. Brother Zhu only told him he was from Qingyun Sect—never mentioned which peak.
Qingyun Sect has multiple peaks?
"The… the frontmost one!" Jiang Kai blurted after a long pause, then hurriedly added, "...Han Yi, not yet a member of the War God Hall."
At once, laughter exploded from the crowd.
"No way! He hasn't even entered the War God Hall and still dares to compete?"
"Is Qingyun out of people? They're sending someone like this? Looks like he's lost his mind over Junior Sister Siyáo."
"The name Han Yi sounds familiar, though. Can't recall where I've heard it."
Elder Liu of Tianchi turned to Elder Wan of Qingyun. "Old Wan, Han Yi… isn't that the boy who was seriously ill?"
Elder Wan was equally shocked. "Yes! But he's been receiving treatment all this time, hasn't even returned to the sect. How could he be here now…"
He was still puzzled as to why Han Yi had suddenly appeared!
Elder Liu snorted coldly. "Old Wan, it's been years, but the boy's arrogance has only grown stronger."
"Normally, we wouldn't mind the kids provoking each other. But he insulted our sect name itself. The names of the Seven Pools were set by the Tianchi Founder. Such disrespect is indeed excessive."
Faced with Liu's rebuke, Elder Wan didn't dare respond. After all, Qingyun and Tianchi—two ancient lineages—now stood worlds apart in status within the martial world.
As host, a Kunlun elder smiled and tried to ease the tension. "Children don't know better; let's not take it seriously."
"By the way, Elder Wan, it's a pity your Qingyun disciples didn't display the Nine Heavens Immortal-Slaying Sword Technique."
Elder Wan sighed helplessly. "That sword art depends on comprehension—it takes years of cultivation to grasp. These days, all the youngsters care about is Ghost Star. It's been generations since anyone could use it."
"A pity," said the Kunlun elder with a sigh. In truth, every sect faced the same problem now.
Han Yi had been somewhat famous years ago, but times had changed. Now, his name was barely known even within Qingyun Sect itself.
Wu Sheng looked at Han Yi and snorted coldly. "A nameless brat daring to act arrogant before me—today, I'll show you Tianchi's power!"
With that, Wu Sheng drew his sword.
The moment it left the scabbard, a faint blue light shimmered along the blade.
That weapon—at the very least—was a class-exclusive grade sword!
Jiang Kai had originally wanted to draw the Purple Lightning Illusion Sword, but thought better of it—someone might recognize the weapon. Helplessly, he pulled out another sword instead.
It was a broken, incomplete blade. Even what remained of the sword was mottled with rust. To call it a longsword was generous—it looked more like a broken dagger.
Jiang Kai stared at the little broken sword in his hand, feeling a bit regretful.
He hadn't found Ruan Yu yet, nor had time to repair the sword. For now, he could only use this little broken thing to fight.
As soon as Wu Sheng saw the sword, he burst out laughing. "So your Qingyun Sect has fallen this far—you can't even afford a proper sword?"
Jiang Kai snorted coldly. "Enough talk. The fact that you'll lose to this sword is already me giving you face."
"Still mouthing off? Courting death!" Wu Sheng shouted coldly, his eyes flashing sharply as his figure shot forward like lightning.
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