Chapter 210 - There Are Rules
While Ye Wei and Jian Chen were chattering and catching up, twenty veterans were lounging on a hilltop just outside the palace, looking down onto the palace to inspect this year’s newcomers.
“We ought to have a few troublemakers, but it could be worse. We only really have one reckless brat this year. Yue Tieniu even looks like a rabid dog. I didn’t expect much from him the moment I saw him entering the premises.” A youth dressed in a golden robe said, his cold gaze aimed at the young giant and a hood cast his face into shadow, through which his eyes shone.
“He is new, what do you expect? And why do you think we make the newcomers fight every year? All of them will learn to respect this palace.” A light laughter sounded as a faint silvery figure walked forth.
The youngster in the golden robe was Zhou Kuang, and Bai Qing in silver. Both three-star returned prime Warriors were renowned presences in the Million Star Palace.
Although neither of them were on the black dragon listing, they were at the pinnacle of their cultivation level.
The twenty strong behind him were last year’s newcomers. They rejoiced shaking up the first year recruits but were still slightly traumatized by how the palace had treated them.
“No matter what you say, I am going to fight the strongest among them in a bit!”
“Why you?! I want to give him or her a beating!”
“Enough nonsense! There are a few dangerous newbies this year. All of you who are returned prime Warriors step forward, we are drawing lots.” Zhou Kuang’s gaze landed on the newcomers as he spoke to his followers. “We have to step on them, break them!”
“Boss, you are overreacting. We have been training in the secret realm. Do you really think these newbies can beat us?”
They bickered and argued,as all of them thought they had been through enough for the right to give the newcomers a tough time. Recruited by Zhou Kuang and Bai Qing, they were eager to improve and prove themselves to the Helians in the future.
Baili Hengtian briefly explained the rules of the single-elimination newcomer’s fight series and hinted the winner of the series might have a chance to be relocated to a better villa. All hundred and thirty-six youngsters at the square suddenly became more enthusiastic. They all stretched and warmed up as they waited for the first person to step into the temporary ring.
“I am sick of the pigsty already. I am going to kick all your heads in to get myself promoted! Come on then, who wants to get knocked out first?” With ground shaking steps, Yue Tieniu walked into the square’s center.
“I am pretty sure that I am the strongest man here! Any of you pieces of trash care to prove me wrong!?” His walnut, sh.e.l.l-shaped eyes bulged up, and his rumbling voice startled the gatherers like dry thunder. His Qi swept the square like a ruthless storm.
“I, Li Wu, will prove you wrong!” A figure took off from the crowd and rushed towards the center of the square.
All one hundred and thirty-seven newcomers had their own pride. They were all used to being the best, and although some of them were quieter than others, none of them were going to believe the other was superior without a fight.
“Bang!”
Their Qi collided together, filling the square with ripples of recoiling force waves. The whole square felt a shock.
“Cute!” Yue Tieniu took the initiative and leaped into the air. His fists were fast and rained down at him like a swarm of arrows, filling the square with a shrill exploding sound.
With an advanced speed-boosting technique, Li Wu’s figure turned into a flash. He avoided waves of Yue’s punches for a minute before he was caught up to by the endless strikes.
Li Wu was just grazed and slowed to a crawl. Yue Tieniu seized the opportunity and lunged forth to deliver the knockout punch.
“Who else wants to taste my fist?” The bull glared around and shouted with his foot on his defeated opponent.
“That strength is rather impressive…” Ye Wei murmured as the crowd went wild.
“Yea, Baili Hengtian was punched by a fist with similar force. He was knocked back three feet even though he managed to divert the momentum.” Jian Chen added, then thought to himself. ‘His cultivation is still unstable. I don’t think he has been a returned prime Warrior for long. He is only physically strong because of the body strengthening stance…’
Jian Chen then closed his eyes and replayed the brief fight in his head, calculating the best way to handle opponents with a physically aggressive fighting style like Yue Tieniu’s.
A few more contestants ran into the ring, but all of them, including a one-star returned prime Warrior, fell to the punches. The newcomers became cautious after the returned prime Warrior fell, as none of them wished to risk embarra.s.sing themselves in front of everyone else.
“Hahaha, is that it? How about if all of you come at me at once? It will save us some time!” Yue Tieniu’s arrogance grew with every victory. He stared down at the crowd with a disdainful gaze and shouted.
None of the newcomers were happy that Yue Tieniu’s ego grew, but there was n.o.body to stop him. They were indeed elites, but the truth was that a vast majority of them had yet to become returned prime Warriors.
“Don’t you want to shut him down? There is no way you could lose.” Jien Chen turned to Ye Wei and smiled.
“I’m not interested in fighting someone who doesn’t have much to offer.” Ye Wei chuckled and shook his head.
Jian Chen nodded agreeingly, peeping towards the hills where the veterans stood.
“Anymore challengers?” Baili Hengtian scanned across the square and waited. “Are you sure you don’t want to fight him? You will be stuck at the trashy villas for at least another year!”
Most of the newcomers were brought up by powerful martial families. They never had to fight or confront anyone in their lives.They all felt ashamed and mistreated but were too shocked and scared to react.
‘Ha, I am pretty certain the Helians would endorse the bullying. These people are soft and clueless! Real talents can swim up against the current, fight against the odds!’ Baili Hengtian chuckled, then announced in a slightly wicked tone, “Yue Tieniu will be the series’ winner in three... Two... One!”
“Show time!” Zhou Kuang, Bai Qing and their followers clenched their fists and cracked their knuckles.
“Boss, let me deal with him!” A scar-faced youngster stepped forward and shouted confidently, licking his lips at the thought of humiliating Yue Tieniu, “He will be on the ground begging for mercy in three blows!”
“Don’t let me down Feng Shan, Go!” Zhou Kuang nodded.
Upon approval, the scar-faced cultivator jumped off the hill, turned into a flash, and rushed towards the square.
“What do they call him again? The bull?” Bai Qing couldn’t keep his eyes off the eight feet tall teenager.
“Don"t worry, Feng Shan is as strong as a one-star returned prime Warrior can get. I am pretty sure he can even take down ordinary two-star returned prime Warriors on a good day. Nicknames and gimmicks are irrelevant.” Zhou Kuang replied, clearly not concerned about the matchup.
“Hahaha, screw you all! Have fun living like pigs for a year!” Yue Tieniu’s laughter echoed, his smile growing as the other newcomers looked more upset and irritated.
“Idiot! Do you really think it will be that easy?” A sneer came from the sky and everyone looked up with wary eyes.
“You will be staying exactly where you’ve been a.s.signed.” Feng Shan, who was levitating thirty feet above ground while looking down at Yue Tieniu, said in a cold voice.
“What do you mean!?” Yue Tieniu’s hysterical smile vanished. He narrowed his eyes and scream at the unexpected visitor.
Not only Yue Tieniu, all the other newcomers were also confused.
“I fought with my own fist and earned my place with my strength!” The bull shouted at the mysterious scar-faced cultivator in the sky and then set his furious eyes onto Baili Hengtian. “Is this some kind of stupid joke? Are you serious!?”
‘Has any of you ever been to school before? You can’t really avoid being messed with…’ Ye Wei was the only newcomer with a clear head as he rolled his eyes and thought.
“There is another condition! You may get relocated if you beat me! If you don’t want to live like a newbie, you will have prove to us that you are not as weak as a newbie!” Feng Shan pointed at the bull and stated fiercely. “This is a part of the tradition here; if you don’t like it, then leave!”
“Shameless shenanigans!” Yue Tieniu’s face became pale.
All the other newcomers did not want to take the bull’s side but did so nevertheless as they wished expressed their frustration.
“Are you just making new rules as you go along!?”
“How is this fair?”
They screamed and shouted.
Feng Shan took a deep breath and shouted with thundering volume, “fair!? You kids are naive. Didn’t you all know fairness is built on a winner’s b.l.o.o.d.y knuckles? Hahaha!” his laughter drowned out the crowd.
“Enough talking! You were once a newbie here!” Yue Tieniu felt as though he had been cornered into an unfavorable fight, screaming furiously. “I will fight you and make you feel like a newbie!"