Chapter 65 - StigmaThe Pingyang City, the central plaza, and the stage!
Ignoring the disappointed faces of the sect experts who had failed to pick a disciple, the blue-clothed expert who had been standing on the tall platform coughed softly.
When everyone"s gaze returned to him, the blue-robed expert spoke.
"The following compet.i.tion rules of Ranking Compet.i.tion are the same as those of the Challenger League, you can freely choose your opponent."
"The victor will be the next Ranking Compet.i.tion!"
"The loser will either leave the plaza or choose to join the sect that just extended an invitation to you!"
"To be able to persevere to this point, you are not only the most outstanding geniuses of the Profound Sky Continent, but also the elites of the powers behind you. Everyone"s lives are extremely precious."
"Therefore, I hope that everyone in the Ranking Compet.i.tion will follow the rules set at the end of the line, and try their best to avoid as many casualties as possible."
"Alright, next, the Ranking Compet.i.tion will officially begin!"
When the blue robed warrior announced that the Ranking Compet.i.tion had officially begun, the remaining eighty-seven partic.i.p.ants did not immediately take action.
Instead, he carefully chose his opponents and waited for an opportunity.
Of the eighty-seven contestants, one of them would definitely be left empty-handed if they were to take part in a one on one battle. Since their strength didn"t differ by much, everyone hoped that they would be the one to get the empty spot so that they could advance to the next round without any consumption.
Regarding this, Yu Haoran secretly shook his head.
The so-called Ranking Compet.i.tion is actually the same as the Challenge Compet.i.tion just now. They are hoping to display the strength you possess in a one on one fight, to show off your strengths so that you can be chosen by the elites of the higher level sects.
If he wanted to make use of opportunistic methods to advance to the next round, it was definitely a loss that he would not be able to make up for.
Unless the empty slots allow you to last until the final round and guarantee you will be able to enter the top ten.
At that time, you will have the power to choose on your own!
However, the power to choose one"s own will was only limited to the sect selection. Once you enter the sect and partic.i.p.ate in the tests held within the sect, especially the tests by the first-rate and top-level sects, that would be the key to truly test whether you have the qualifications to become a sect disciple or not.
Therefore, Yu Haoran did not wait like the other partic.i.p.ants, and went straight to his chosen opponent, Yu Hai who also came from the Yu Family!
Yu Hai was nineteen years old, an early Grade Nine Martial Disciple. He was the son of the Yu Family"s Third Clan Elder with the highest potential and cultivation base, the most highly regarded direct descendant.
To be honest, he didn"t have many grudges with Yu Hai, nor had he had many interactions with Yu Hai in his past life.
The reason why the Third Elder set him as his target, other than wanting to take revenge for his provocations in the meeting hall earlier, was because he hoped to challenge Yu Hai and tell the world that he, Yu Haoran, was not a righteous man, but a vindictive villain.
"d.a.m.n it!"
Seeing that the opponent Yu Haoran was challenging was actually the direct descendant of the one he valued the most and had the most hope of entering a first-rate and top-notch sect, the Third Elder"s expression changed, and he couldn"t help but curse.
After Yu Haocheng was killed, Yu Hai, one of the young direct descendants of the Yu Family, revered him!
If Yu Hai could successfully join a sect and become a disciple of a sect, even if it was just an ordinary disciple of the second-rate sect, then after twenty years, the new patriarch of Yu Family would most likely be Yu Hai, and it might not even take that long.
Thus, after Yu Haoran killed Yu Haocheng, not only did the Third Elder not take revenge on behalf of the Great Clan Elder, but he was actually secretly happy in his heart.
However, when he saw that Yu Haoran"s target was actually chosen at sea, the secret joy that had just risen in his heart instantly turned into endless rage.
"What is he doing!?"
Actually, it was not only the Third Elder who felt anger, even the Ninth Elder, who had been protecting Yu Haoran, had a similar unsightly expression.
The sect selection compet.i.tion was not only an opportunity for the younger generation of the sect, a carp leaping over the dragon gate, but also an opportunity for the contestants to shine behind their families and bring glory to their ancestors and increase their influence.
The more disciples that were chosen by the sect, the more prosperous the clan"s potential would be. This also meant that the clan"s background was much deeper.
Relying on the influence formed during the sect selection compet.i.tion, the Yu Family would definitely be able to sweep away the dejection of Yu Hongzhi"s body and then reclaim control over the head of the three great families.
At this time, Yu Haoran did not rely on his strong strength to challenge the opponents in the Yu Family s, but had instead targeted his clan members to annihilate his enemies in the Yu Family s, which made Ninth Elder, who was wholeheartedly thinking for the benefit of his clan, feel at ease!
Fortunately, it didn"t matter if he was uncomfortable or not. He knew how owed Yu Family was to Yu Haoran, and he would definitely not show Yu Haoran any expression afterwards.
"Yu Haoran, could it be that you do not care about your brotherly feelings? Seeing that Yu Haoran"s target was himself, Yu Hai asked with a gloomy face.
Forget about the Third and Ninth Elder, Yu Hai had also not expected that Yu Haoran would choose him as an opponent in the most critical of times when he decided to join a sect. This made him angry, and he couldn"t help but resent his grandfather.
If not for her grandfather closely following the Great Clan Elder and making things difficult for Yu Haoran, she believed that Yu Haoran would not make things difficult for her today.
"Yu Hai, first of all, I will not exterminate you."
"Secondly, I"ve chosen you as my target for this round of challenges. I"m here to take revenge for your grandfather"s provocation of me!"
"In the end, after Yu Haocheng and Yu Qing died, you became the strongest person among the young generation of Yu Family with the greatest cultivation, potential, and strength. I hope that you can use your own strength to unite the younger generation"s children, and then use your grandfather"s prestige to compete for the position of Patriarch."
As Yu Haoran voiced out his thoughts, Yu Hai"s expression slowly turned from gloomy at the beginning to excited, and eventually to doubts.
"Yu Hai, speak the truth. Just based on your performance in the potential test, as well as your own cultivation and strength, even if you could become a sect disciple, you would at most be selected by the second-rate sect."
"Furthermore, even in the second-rate sect, I"m afraid that he is only a service disciple who clears firewood and carries water. I wonder when he will be able to be promoted to a higher level disciple, or even die in a sect if he is not careful."
"If you stay in the Yu Family, not only will you continue to enjoy the superior life of a direct descendant of your family, you might even become the patriarch of the Yu Family and hold the lives of thousands of your clansmen in your hands. This kind of life is better than suffering in a sect!"
"Yu Haoran, our department has always been loyal to the Great Clan Elder, how could you sow discord with just a few words?" Yu Hai righteously retorted.
It was not that Yu Hai was not moved by Yu Haoran"s temptations just now, but he was well aware of the Great Clan Elder"s methods. He knew that competing for the position of Patriarch with Hong Yang was simply courting death, so he did not dare to offend the Great Clan Elder at all.
Regarding this, Yu Haoran basically did not care about it.
What he had said just now had merely ignited the desire in Yu Hai"s heart. As for whether or not he dared to challenge the Great Clan Elder, and Yu Qing"s death would definitely provoke the Third Elder, who was similarly ambitious.
Furthermore, among the few old people at the peak of the Martial Master realm in Yu Family, one of them was the blood brother of the Third Elder.
As long as Yu Hai remained within the family, as long as there was even a sliver of hope that he would be able to run after Hong Yang and run for the family head position, they would definitely pay a price.
"I"ve already gotten my way. As for what you"re thinking, that"s not something I can do anything about." After saying that, Yu Haoran"s face darkened, and threatened with overflowing killing intent.
"Now, I will give you two choices. The first choice is to obediently admit defeat and leave the plaza."
"The second choice, is the same as Yu Haocheng and Yu Qing, die!"
"You …!" In the blink of an eye, he had threatened Yu Haoran with a murderous aura. The speed at which Yu Haoran turned his face around made Yu Hai feel extremely uncomfortable.
However, considering the importance of his own life, Yu Hai still chose to obediently admit defeat. After that, he turned around and left the plaza with an unwilling expression.