Thunderblade Xiao Fengyunâs retort offended all the cultivators from the holy ground. Nonetheless, the unpleasant content carried a hint of truth and struck where it hurts.
The members of the holy ground did show hesitation when dealing with the scion until Dugu Lan stepped up.
The holy ground would have been humiliated if it wasnât for her. Others would have mocked it for years.
âMy words are nothing but the truth. If you think otherwise, come forward.â Xiao Fengyun said.
âFengyun, enough.â Xu Cuimei smiled and shook her head to stop the provocation.
âGot it.â Fengyun slightly bowed but still smiled at the experts in front of him, clearly taunting them. His smile could only be construed as disdain and contempt.
âRighteous Sect is strong but so is our holy ground.â Hu Ben uttered coldly: âThough the scion isnât here, if other members of Righteous wish to test us, weâre more than ready.â
âWhy not?â Fengyun said: âIf you all want to, weâre ready as well.â He took one step forward while holding his saber, looking relaxed despite facing thousands of people.
The holy ground must do something to answer this provocation.
âLetâs see the great arts of Righteous Sect.â Hu Ben stepped forward, looking fierce.
âHu Ben, teach him a lesson!â One prodigy loudly supported.
âA spar is fine.â Cuimei didnât stop them this time.
âWhat do you think, Fairy?â Hu Ben stared at Dugu Lan.
She was in charge of the competition so they were ready to listen to her.
âOur opponent is Righteous Scion.â Dugu had a calm yet focused expression as she answered: âWe need to do everything we can then.â
âI understand.â Hu Ben pondered for a second before nodding.
The true combatants against the scion were their group. This final battle was extremely important.
They needed more information on the scionâs true power and resources while hiding their own. Dugu Lan wanted the top geniuses to avoid minor skirmishes - if you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles.
The problem was, very few in the holy ground could actually force the scion to use his real abilities. Outside of the four geniuses, the scion probably didnât need more than half a move to defeat his foe.
Since their holy ground had this idea, Righteous Sect probably thought the same way. Thunderblade might be using this opportunity to gather information on the top geniuses of the holy ground.
âIt would be unwise to fight you right now, Daoist Xiao. Seems like a battle between us wonât happen.â Hu Ben paused for a bit then added: âBut there are other geniuses here who might be interested.â
âWhat? Heâs spared just like that?â One youth didnât grasp the finer details. In his opinion, Hu Ben was dodging a direct confrontation at the expense of the holy groundâs reputation.
âItâs just a strategy.â A smarter youth responded: âThe four of them need to think about the scion and conserve strength, hiding their real abilities.â
The others immediately understood why Hu Ben backed off and stopped blaming him.
âUnderstandable.â Xiao Fengyun didnât mock Hu Ben for doing so.
He turned towards the crowd and said: âExcuse me for overestimating myself but I wish to spar against any willing challenger.â
The ones present must accept the fight against Thunderblade. The previous hesitation with the scion was shameful enough. This would be utterly unacceptable.
âShould I go?â A junior sought counsel from his senior.
âWhat is his cultivation realm?â Another quietly analyzed Xiao Fengfun.
âMyriad-form Sanctity, unclear whether it is the intermediate or grand level.â Dugu Lan revealed.
âFairy Dugu, your vision is impressive.â Xiao Fengyun wasnât startled after the revelation of his cultivation.
âHmm, grand-level Myriad-form Sanctity.â The geniuses who wanted to fight earlier hesitated.
There were powerful ones present - young lords of sects and saint childs. Some of them were at the Myriad-form realm, albeit only at the intermediate level. Facing one level higher meant uncertainties.
âBe mindful of our Thunderbladeâs saber when fighting him. Itâs a good weapon made from the bones of an auspicious lighting beast.â Xu Cuimei smiled and warned the other geniuses.
Unfortunately, her goodwill was taken as naivety or foolishness.
âThat saber is powerful indeed but Daoist Xiaoâs bloodline is more dangerous.â Dugu Lan concluded after taking a closer look.
The crowd pondered while staring at the hybrid body. His actual bloodline remained unknown.
âYou already know the ins and outs before seeing me in battle, it seems like you can kill me in one move.â Fengyun smiled wryly.
âNo, thatâs unlikely.â Dugu Lan shook her head.
Fengyun was certainly impressive as one of the five prodigies in Righteous. Even if he was weaker than the four great geniuses in Buddha Holy Ground, he was still among the top.
The members of the holy ground exchanged glances. None had absolute confidence in beating him.
Normally, losing wasnât a big deal. After all, all cultivators must lose eventually. However, this was a competition between Righteous and Buddha - a historical event. To lose now would brand them as a loser forever. It was better to be passive in this case.