Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Jiang Chen shook his head, smiling bitterly. Junior Sword Venerable was exactly the way he thought he was going to be. He was really too arrogant.
âI want to give Tian Ling a present because she is my friend. I want to thank her for what she did for me,â Jiang Chen said.
Wang Teng stopped walking. His eyes were blazing like torches. He looked disdainful.
Jiang Zhe said with a sarcastic smile, âItâs fine that a poor guy like you canât give her anything valuable, but the way you justified it is really ridiculous.â
âSave the present. Stay away from Tian Ling from now on,â Wang Teng said.
Tian Ling knew Jiang Chen well. Walking up to him in haste, she said, âJiang Chen, itâs okay. Donât take it to heart.â
âTian Ling!â Wang Teng yelled at her unhappily.
âBrother, these things are not important for friendship!â Tian Ling talked back to him. This time she was not persuaded. Her reaction made Wang Teng unhappier, and he put the blame on Jiang Chen.
âIn fact, the best reward Young Master Jiang Chen can give is another two divine pieces of art,â Ling Yushi said. She said it very seriously, but still made people laugh. By then everyone assumed his divine pieces of art were probably just a joke.
âWhat will you give her? Let us have a look at your eye-opening gift!â said Wu Ziming in a sarcastic tone.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om
âI didnât know it was Miss Tian Lingâs birthday today. Otherwise I absolutely would not have missed the opportunity like some people have.â Han Qianye shook his head with pity. He felt sorry for having missed the chance.
Before they knew it, the place was shrouded in a terrible atmosphere. Everyone was trying to scorn Jiang Chen to show off.
âTian Ling, thank you for helping me in Wing Prefecture. I am not lying. I didnât bring the present with me.â Ignoring all the others, Jiang Chen said calmly.
âWhere was the present? Was it in the air?â Someone shouted right away, trying to bring attention to themselves. It worked. Many people burst out laughing. Even some seniors shook their heads helplessly.
âYou can just tell us directly if you canât afford a nice present. Itâs useless to make excuses like this. It will only turn you into a joke,â Jiang Zhe said disdainfully.
Glancing at him, Jiang Chen said cynically, âYou are so loud. I donât want to talk with you at all. Anyway, Iâve got it here.â
âTake it out then.â Wang Teng stared at him. He did not think Jiang Chen was reliable because of the way the latter behaved. People stopped talking, wondering what Jiang Chenâs present would be.
âHeadmaster Yao, please.â
Jiang Chen did not take anything out. He only shouted toward where the representative of the Mysterious Thunder School was. Only one man from the Mysterious Thunder School had comeâthe headmaster, Yao Tianshi. Another disciple of the school was on the platform. Yao Yuntong had passed the Fourth Palace. Naturally, she was qualified for the Title Battle.
âOkay.â Yao Tianshi got to his feet. Affected by a strong energy, the scornful atmosphere was immediately gone. Yao Tianshi was the headmaster of the Mysterious Thunder School. He was quite average in the first half of his life. No one ever noticed him. Not until his daughter was kidnapped by the Blood Shadow Dynasty did he become famous.He intruded into the dynastyâs forbidden area in a rage. Not only did he take his daughter back, but he was able to survive and return home safe and sound.
His fame was much greater than the Fire Spiritâs mighty members. No one had the nerve to interrupt him.
âJiang Chen, the thing you asked me to bring has brought me quite a bit of trouble.â Yao Tianshi snapped his fingers as he spoke. Then a calligraphy scroll flew toward the platform.
âWhatâs that?!â
Seeing this calligraphy work, none of the mighty people on the scene could sit still anymore. They all sprang to their feet. Some of them even wanted to grab it. They might have really done so if they were not so afraid of Yao Tianshi.
âIs it...?â
Seeing these big shotsâ reactions, others also felt curious. They vaguely realized something.
âIs it the calligraphy work that can bring enlightenment to people?â
âGosh! It canât be Jiang Chenâs work!â
âYou scared me out of my wits. It is said that the author is a friend of Yao Tianshi.â
Everyone was guessing what the calligraphy work was. No one could stay calm. A calligraphy work appearing in the ancient city before the start of the qualification battle. All forces wanted to get it. The Eight Spirit Clans even offered a good price to purchase it.
However, Yao Tianshi declined all of them. He said he did not own the calligraphy work. Jiang Chen caught the scroll. He walked up to Tian Ling and handed it to her.
âIs this...?â
Tian Ling also knew about the calligraphy work Yao Tianshi had, but she could not believe it was the one she held in her hands. She unfolded the scroll with her shaking hands. In an instant, a profound lore as vast as the sea rose up to her. She was too astonished to stay composed. Some people saw what was on the scroll.
It was exactly the word âTaoâ that they knew by hearsay.
âHere it is! Here it is for real!â Some big shots who had seen the calligraphy work said affirmatively. In this way, no one could sit still anymore, since they knew how priceless it was.
âHappy birthday.â Jiang Chen gave it away in such a casual way. He did not seem to think it a big deal.
âItâs too...too precious.â Tian Ling could not speak coherently anymore. Even though she had folded the scroll, her chest was still heaving up and down rapidly.
âIs it? I donât think so. Itâs only a calligraphy work. The Civil and Martial Arts Institute is the only place good enough for it,â Jiang Chen said.
As pale as a ghost, Ling Yushi took a few steps back.
âHeadmaster Yao, what is this? Didnât you say you couldnât make any decision about the calligraphy work until your friend arrived?â Those who had contacted Yao Tianshi flew into a rage. They questioned him why he had given the calligraphy work away, since they had been expecting it to be put up for sale.
âThe friend I mentioned is exactly Jiang Chen. Didnât I tell you he would show up in the Title Battle? Besides, itâs Jiang Chen who gave me the calligraphy work. And itâs his work too.â It was the explanation Yao Tianshi gave.
âSeriously? He created this calligraphy work?â
âNo way. Thatâs absolutely impossible.â
âItâs a calligraphy work that can bring enlightenment to people. He canât be so great.â
âBut...but if he really created it, those two divine pieces of art can be explained too.â
In this way, the whole mountain went crazy. It seemed impossible for those people to calm down again. They were astonished by the fact that Jiang Chen had given such a calligraphy work to Tian Ling. Those who had scorned him felt so ashamed that they wished they could dig a hole and crawl into it. Especially Jiang Zhe, it was the first time he had felt so embarrassed before Jiang Chen.
When they heard Jiang Chen had actually created the work, they were involuntarily shocked by his martial arts attainments.
âNow, does anyone still have doubts about Jiang Chenâs ability to finish two divine pieces of art?â
Li Bai was shocked too, but he was more excited. He said loudly, âYou lost the opportunity to see the two divine pieces of art with your own eyes because of the Jiangs. I feel sorry for you.â
The Jiangsâ representatives received many gazes instantly. The Jiangsâ lord, who had come to watch the Title Battle in person, was untouched, as if he did not know he had been mentioned.
âHow come we knew nothing about such a calligraphy work?â Jiang Chenâs friends felt curious. They had heard nothing about it.
âBecause he finished it in the ancient city,â Yao Yuntong said, as if she knew perfectly well what had happened. It turned out Yao Yuntong and her father went to meet Jiang Chen as soon as they arrived in the ancient city. Coincidentally, it was when Jiang Chen had returned from Tian Lingâs place. He was thinking about creating a divine piece of art to shut people up. However, when he picked up his pen, he found his level was completely different due to the Doctrine Heart.
After a day and a night, Jiang Chen wrote a âTaoâ on the paper. Yao Tianshi happened to arrive just then. He had wanted to appreciate the calligraphy work for a few days. It was absolutely fine by Jiang Chen.
He did not take it too seriously when he heard about the disturbance his calligraphy work had caused in the ancient city, because he only created it to give it away as a present.