Chapter 34: The Actor
"Trash. I can't believe I'm actually going to lose to someone like this. Damn it, that's humiliating." After watching Lu You's fight from beneath the arena, Hu Da spat viciously.
In the stands, Wu Tong thought for a moment, then lowered his voice. "Master, that treasured artifact belongs to Bai Zihua of the Law Enforcement Hall. I heard he gave it to a female sword cultivator. Looks like this kid has some kind of connection with that female sword cultivator. But his own abilities don't match that group's level. This strike was clearly powered by the treasured artifact, and his control is lacking. He even injured someone while wielding a treasured artifact. If it were them, they wouldn't be this high-profile."
Behind Wu Tong stood an ordinary-looking old man, dressed like a servant. Yet Wu Tong addressed him as Master.
The old man's lips didn't move, but his voice appeared in Wu Tong's ear. "Keep watching. Everyone is worth suspecting. Dongfang Bubai hid her identities to sabotage the blood sacrifice, they must know the legend of the Eye of Hell and the Jade Toad Swallows the Moon Technique."
"You have to learn to see past appearances and analyze the essence. That group came and went freely from the Myriad Talismans Pavilion and the ancient tomb. Even if they showed their faces, so what? They could've fled at any time. The fact that they insisted on hiding their identities means they're after the part of the map and the cultivation technique we hold. So their purpose in hiding their identities must be to enter the Verdant Cloud Sect and get close to us."
"On top of that, cultivating the Jade Toad Swallows the Moon Technique requires massive resources. There's no place with more resources than the Verdant Cloud Sect. They must be hiding among these menial disciples, waiting to slip in through this recruitment drive."
The old man's gaze lightly swept over Lu You. "Don't be fooled by appearances. No matter how they put on an act, they'll win in the end. When that happens, I'll make my move."
Wu Tong nodded. "Thank you for the guidance, Master. To see through appearances straight to the essence—I'll keep that in mind at all times."
"I was as close as brothers with your grandfather. Naturally, I treat you like family and guide you as such." The old man slowly closed his eyes, his presence becoming eerily concealed. Even those standing right beside him watching the match subconsciously ignored his existence.
"Tch, what trash—winning just by relying on a treasured artifact." Beneath the arena, large numbers of menial disciples glared angrily at Lu You.
"That's Senior Brother Bai Zihua's treasured artifact. This guy is already cheating in the open, huh." Some menial disciples who had taken part in the ancient tomb expedition recognized Lu You's longsword.
"How shameless. Not only does he have a treasured artifact, he even injured someone. Damn it, just thinking that someone like this will make it into the outer sect pisses me off." If Lu You had won by his own ability, that would've been one thing. But he won by relying on the treasured artifact. He could've simply cut the iron staff, yet he deliberately injured his opponent. The other cultivators in the competition instantly grew furious.
"For the sake of winning, he's got no shame at all. With a treasured artifact in hand, every strike of his is aimed to kill. How the hell are we supposed to fight that?!"
Lu You's performance in his first match was extremely obvious—he practically had "I want to enter the outer sect" written all over his face, and he showed no concern whatsoever for his opponent's life or death.
In everyone's eyes, Lu You was clearly too desperate to win. Even with a treasured artifact, he still attacked with full force, nearly killing his opponent. Anyone with a shred of conscience would hold back a little when they already had a treasured artifact in hand. This Lu You, on the other hand, was obviously willing to use any means necessary just to win.
In the second match, Lu You again faced an ordinary menial disciple. With a single slash, the blade swept past the opponent's scalp, tearing open the skin and drawing blood everywhere—he nearly shaved the man's head clean off.
In the third match, Lu You ran into an eight level Qi Refining cultivator who had entered the sect with prior martial training among the menial disciples. Lu You immediately poured spiritual energy into the treasured artifact and relied on its automatic protective function to block the opponent's attacks. The fight dragged on for a full half-incense stick of time. Even though the eight level Qi Refining cultivator's technique was superior to Lu You's, constantly dodging and clashing head-on with the treasured artifact, he was ultimately overwhelmed by brute force. Lu You's sword chopped apart the eight level Qi Refining cultivator's weapon. If Zhang Xiansheng hadn't intervened, Lu You would've even severed one of the opponent's arms.
In the stands, Wu Tong suddenly came to a realization. "Master, I get it now. Although this Lu You looks clumsy and awkward on the surface, he's actually winning the whole time. If nothing unexpected happens, this is all an act he's putting on deliberately, using the sharp edge of the treasured artifact to hide his real strength, winning in the end, and sneaking into our Verdant Cloud Sect's outer sect!"
While Wu Tong was analyzing things, Lu You, thanks to his winning streak, had already made it into the top twenty among the menial disciples. His next opponent was Hu Da, also on a winning streak and a ninth level Qi Refining cultivator.
As soon as Hu Da stepped onto the stage, his face was dark with anger. He felt like all the fancy moves he had practiced beforehand were for nothing. Lu You's swordsmanship was so shitty it was laughable—if they fought back and forth like in rehearsal, Hu Da felt he'd lose face so badly he wouldn't be able to show himself to anyone.
"Ninth level of Qi Refining, huh." Wu Tong snorted coldly, convinced he had seen through all of Lu You's disguises. "Master, we can be almost certain now, this Lu You must be connected to Dongfang Bubai's group. In this fight against a ninth level Qi Refining cultivator, Lu You will definitely pretend to struggle bitterly, then turn the tables at the last moment and make it into the top ten of the competition. Hmph, he has no idea that, to guard against Dongfang Bubai making a move, you personally came here today. Before he can even finish his little performance, you've already seen through his intentions."
The old man smiled in relief. His good friend's grandson was finally starting to grow up. It seemed that suffering a setback at the Myriad Talismans Pavilion had actually been a good thing. But the very next second, the smile froze on his face—something unexpected happened on the arena.
Hu Da steeled himself and, according to the rehearsal, slashed at Lu You with his sword. Lu You tried the same old trick again, intending to use the advantage of his weapon to destroy Hu Da's.
This was all part of the plan. With Hu Da at the ninth level of Qi Refining, how could he let his weapon be so easily destroyed? It turned out Hu Da's earlier strike was just a feint. He immediately followed up by leaping into the air and kicking toward Lu You's chest.
According to the plan, Lu You should have infused the treasured artifact with spiritual energy at this moment, using its automatic protection to force Hu Da back, then tangled with him in a drawn-out, evenly matched fight. But it seemed that Lu You had expended too much spiritual energy in the previous matches. Unlike in the rehearsal, in his rush to chop apart Hu Da's weapon, Lu You used too much force. His spiritual energy stalled for an instant, and he was kicked clean off the arena by Hu Da.
"Nice! That was satisfying—Senior Brother Hu did great! He deserved that kick!"
"Hahaha~ what good is pulling strings? What good is having a treasured artifact? Bad luck running into Senior Brother Hu, huh? The heavens have opened their eyes! This bastard lost right here—he didn't make the top ten!"
Damn it! My three hundred spirit stones!
Hu Da was seething inside, but he didn't dare show it on his face. After falling from the high arena, Lu You was badly injured and clearly no longer able to fight. Even though he had only lost a single match, Lu You was now completely cut off from any chance of entering the outer sect.
"Trash is trash. Even a rehearsed plan can go wrong," Hu Da cursed inwardly. On the surface, however, he put on a righteous look and went along with the crowd, currying favor as he shouted, "If trash like this were allowed into the outer sect, wouldn't that chill the hearts of all our junior brothers? I may be lacking in talent, but I'll stand in for all of you and vent this anger!"
In the stands, Wu Tong's mouth twitched, and the old man's face darkened as well.
"Master, Dongfang Bubai's people... they wouldn't need to lose, right? This loss has no meaning at all..." Wu Tong knew in his heart that if they couldn't enter the Verdant Cloud Sect proper, what was the point of Dongfang Bubai's people staying on as menial disciples? Did they just enjoy farming?
"I just taught you to look at the essence, not the surface. Dongfang Bubai's people will definitely win. This Hu Da won—and not only did he win, he gained quite a bit of prestige. Even if he enters the outer sect, he'll likely earn others' goodwill, making it easier for him to climb upward. What a clever scheme. I didn't expect them to arrange for a dignified ninth-level Qi Refining cultivator to enter openly with prior training. I almost fell for it. If Hu Da hadn't taken the chance to grab this wave of reputation, he might've really slipped in unnoticed."
"Master's insight is truly sharp."
Wu Tong couldn't help but feel some admiration for Dongfang Bubai as well. Everyone had assumed Dongfang Bubai's people would hide in the shadows, but instead Dongfang Bubai had gone against the grain. As a result, they overlooked Hu Da—the strongest among the menial disciples, a ninth-level Qi Refining cultivator who had entered with prior training.
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