Chapter 1215

It was five o’clock in the afternoon.

In many places, the setting sun would be close to the horizon at this time, but the sun was still shining high in the sky in the uninhabited area of Kekaxili.

Due to Kekaxili’s unique geographical position, dusk here usually fell between seven to nine in the evening.

As time passed, more people gathered around the sandy area.

Crowds of densely packed people surrounded the empty desert from a distance and formed an area that looked like the arena where gladiators fought against wild animals in ancient times.

In the field…

Qingshan was still waiting with his eyes closed.

The discussions around him grew louder and louder.

“Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh…”

Suddenly, several figures flashed over from a distance.

The sounds of something penetrating through the air attracted the attention of all the people. They looked over and saw the leaders of the sixteen sects coming.

Compared with the superior four clans and eight factions, the sixteen sects were more closely connected with other Wulin people, so the crowd was particularly familiar with the heads of the sixteen sects.

When they arrived, everyone there gave a hold fist salute to greet them.

Sure enough, the sixteen sects were divided into a few small groups. They didn’t stay together but scattered and blended into the vast crowd of spectators.

The heads of the sixteen sects settled themselves after they exchanged their hold fist salutes.

“Whizz, whizz…”

There came another wave of gusty wind.

Everyone turned to look.

The leaders of the eight factions had arrived.

Clustered around Lin Qingyi, these faction leaders didn’t pay much attention to the dense mass of Wulin people. Instead, the eight leaders targeted an open space and landed there, standing together with their eyes on the battlefield.

“That’s Lin Qingyi, head of the Peace Faction!”

“Heads of the Tianshan Faction, the Heavenly-dragon Faction, the Unfettered Faction…”

“All leaders of the eight factions are here?”

Sounds of discussion were heard from all around.

With the arrival of the eight leaders, all onlookers began an animated discussion as they talked about their dealings and connections with the eight factions, the incredible achievements of the eight leaders, and so on.

“It seems that John Doe hasn’t arrived yet.”

Lin Qingyi looked at Qingshan, who was sitting in the middle of the arena. With a slightly grim look on his face, he asked, “Is he Qingshan?”

“He is indeed very young.”

“Today, let’s see how capable this young guru is!”

“This young man named Qingshan became a guru at such a young age. I have to say he is indeed extremely talented. But is he evil or good? We can’t tell if his appearance is good or bad for Wulin.”

“Compared to this young guru, we old fellows feel ashamed.”

“After we watch this battle, we’ll all have the chance to gain insights. Perhaps we can conquer the last obstacle.”

While they chatted, the eight leaders started a discussion about their cultivation.

Among them…

The strongest one was Lin Qingyi.

But even Lin Qingyi was only a Half-step Guru, and except for a few other Half-step Gurus, the rest merely reached the ninth-class and had two opened meridians, still one step away from becoming Half-step Gurus. In contrast to Qingshan, these elders who were not gurus indeed felt a little embarrassed.

Then…

He Gaoming and the other brothers came.

Everyone cast their eyes on them.

He Gaoming was John Doe’s disciple, and all the men he managed were under John Doe’s command. This group hadn’t yet accomplished much. But if John Doe taught them some methods to quickly improve their strength, this force would develop by leaps and bounds. Therefore, it was inevitable for them to get instant attention.

“The oldest hasn’t arrived yet?”

Upon arrival, they searched the field but only found the young guru there.

“He’ll be here anytime.”

He Gaoming said, “According to reliable sources, the oldest has entered the uninhabited area. He should be here soon. Let’s wait quietly.”

Over at the site…

When these people around saw that He Gaoming and the others remained silent, their faces grim, they couldn’t help talking about them.

“John Doe’s subordinates, why do they look so gloomy?”

“How can they be happy? John Doe can’t win the challenge against a guru!”

“Right, Qingshan is a real guru. With his remarkable combat capability, John Doe has killed several Half-step Gurus. Nevertheless, he is not a guru. For gurus, everyone who hasn’t become a guru is mere trash. Haven’t you heard that saying? John Doe can’t make up the enormous gap between him and a guru simply by his combat capability.”

“Yes, gurus have reached a completely different state. It seems that all of John Doe’s men know that he will lose this battle!”

Here…

Even though He Gaoming heard their comments, he restrained his brothers from joining the gossip and starting any conflicts with others. They should do nothing but wait patiently for John Doe to turn up.

A while later…

“Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh…”

Again, people caught some sounds from these fast-moving masters.

Everyone turned to look.

The people who came were the nine young Wulin geniuses led by Yun Yangzi!

Qingshan had defeated them some time ago, so everyone was not surprised by their arrival. Instead, they would feel strange if they didn’t come.

The nine geniuses chose a mushroom-shaped pile of weathered rocks and stopped at its top.

“So many people?”

As soon as they were on the rock heap, Mu Rufeng, who was ranked fourth, exclaimed.

“Do you think so?”

Feng Yiming shook his head with a smile and said, “For a battle of a guru, there could be more viewers.”

The others nodded in agreement.

“That’s true.”

Mu Rufeng nodded after thinking for a moment and said, “It’s a pity that John Doe isn’t here yet. Otherwise, we can watch this great battle now. I’ve been looking forward to it for a few days!”

“Since John Doe hasn’t come yet, how about we make a guess as to who will be the winner of this battle?”

Yun Yangzi said, cracking a smile. Then he turned to look at Diwu Qian and asked, “Who do you think will win?”

“I think it’ll be Qingshan.”

Diwu Qian answered without thinking much about it and asked, “What’s your opinion?”

“Perhaps not.”

Yun Yangzi shook his head thoughtfully.

“Hmm?”

Everyone was taken aback.

“Did he imply that Qingshan might not win?

“Can John Doe defeat him?”

Everyone looked at Yun Yangzi in shock and confusion.

“But Qingshan is a guru!”

Diwu Qian said, “You are not far from being a guru, so you should know the huge difference between a guru and a non-guru. No matter how strong John Doe is, he can’t triumph over a guru, can he?”

“I’m not sure about that.”

Yun Yangzi said, arching his eyebrows, “We all know Qingshan is a guru. I have fought with him under unrelenting pressure from beginning to end. But somehow, I feel John Doe has unlimited power. I’m not sure if he will win, but I don’t think he’ll lose, either. So I can’t give you a definitive answer now!”

Hearing his words, all fell silent.

Yun Yangzi was most qualified to say this. Although many had fought with John Doe and Qingshan, he was the only one who had battled it out with them and knew them best.

Therefore, his conclusion was of great value.

…

The nine of them chatted together.

Everyone heard another batch of people moving toward them with astonishing speed.

Five figures appeared on the distant horizon.

What was shocking was that they were flying in the sky.

All the people on the ground took a closer look.

Shockingly, the four patriarchs and Master Numinous approached the site.

“What the hell! Even the patriarchs of the four great families and Master Numinous are here?”

“They are the top five Wulin experts.”

“And they are actually flying?”

“See what gurus are capable of!”

Everyone cried out in amazement.

After all, flying was a miraculous skill for ordinary people!

Like everyone else, the patriarchs of the four great families and Master Numinous found a place to settle down in the distance.

The five masters stopped and waited for the battle to start.

“Whistle!”

A sharp sound pierced the air.

Everyone immediately turned to see who it was.

The man was empty-handed and dressed in black. At first glance, people felt he looked very familiar.

“He’s coming!”

A shout suddenly came from the crowd.

“John Doe.”

“He is here finally.”

“The battle is about to start.”

For a moment, everyone turned to see the person.

Instantly, they confirmed that the man was indeed John Doe.

John Doe did not cover his face.

He showed his face which was known to all Wulin people openly and aboveboard. At this moment, he looked cool and emotionless.

“Swoosh!”

As swift as a bolt of lightning, Fang Qiu zipped to the arena in no time.

With incredible speed, he flashed across the yellow sand, which brought up clouds of dust that blocked everyone’s view. Soon, a gust of wind blew all the dust away.

“Patter!”

He was in position.

With an air of easy assurance and calm, Fang Qiu looked at Qingshan sitting cross-legged on the ground opposite

At this moment in time…

Qingshan, who had been sitting in repose with his eyes closed, finally opened his eyes.

…

In the distance…

The four patriarchs cast their eyes at John Doe, who had just arrived at the battleground.

“The battle is about to begin.”

Elder Zhan chuckled.

“This battle is going to be really interesting.”

Patriarch Qian also laughed and said, “John Doe, daring fellow. He had the guts to accept the challenge of a guru.”

“I don’t think he fears gurus.”

Xi Fengling immediately shook her head and added, “Don’t you remember? John Doe’s combat capability is unknown!”

“Agreed.”

Diwu Mingchuan echoed, “This kid is excessively tricky. He has hidden his real strength since he showed up in Wulin. For example, he defeated a Martial Superior as a martial arts practitioner, which earned him instant fame in Wulin. Was he just a modest martial arts practitioner at that time? Of course not. Otherwise, how could he have improved to such a high level in just two years?”

“That’s true.”

Master Numinous chimed in with them. “He dared to go to the Peace Faction and defeated Lin Qingyi there. This showed his combat capability is not bad. If he could defeat a Half-step Guru, doesn’t it mean he is as capable as a guru? Although John Doe hasn’t yet achieved the Guru Realm, his combat capability is not necessarily inferior to a guru’s.”

“The more I look into this matter, the more curious I feel about him. Is it possible that this boy is keeping his strength under wraps?” Diwu Mingchuan asked with a smile.

Just then…

On the battlefield, Qingshan had already stood up, holding the wooden stick that had once been inserted into the ground beside him. He was about to say something.

There was a sudden commotion in the crowd.

Fang Qiu and Qingshan turned to look in unison.

A familiar figure came into Fang Qiu’s sight.

It turned out to be the man from the Sword Sect. Moreover, he brought two young men with him!

People of the Sword Sect also appeared.

This scene surprised the four patriarchs and Master Numinous.

None of them had expected this.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om