After being summoned out of his room, Nie Tian felt very confused while looking at s.h.i.+ Hui, s.h.i.+ Nan, and the other few guest elders. “What’s wrong, Uncle s.h.i.+? Is my time up?”
He was certain that he had only used that cultivation room for no more than 20 hours.
During that time, he had been forming spiritual energy b.a.l.l.s and channeling the concentrated, pure spiritual energy within them to gradually expand his spiritual sea.
He was very displeased at being interrupted while he was cultivating wholeheartedly.
s.h.i.+ Qing put on a wry smile and said embarra.s.sedly, “No, your time is far from running out. However, there’s a small problem. The consumption of the spiritual Qi in your cultivation room was so fast that it affected another’s cultivation.”
With these words, s.h.i.+ Qing shot a glance at s.h.i.+ Nan, who was glaring at them from the side.
With his previous experience, Nie Tian immediately understood what had happened. Therefore, he nodded and said, “I see. I’m happy to compensate this brother for his loss. How many spirit stones do you think will be a proper compensation, Uncle s.h.i.+?”
Before s.h.i.+ Qing had a chance to answer, he came to realize that things like this might happen again, and thus added, “How about this: Uncle s.h.i.+, from now on, I’ll rent both rooms at the same time. This way, I won’t affect others. What do you say?”
A bitter smile filled s.h.i.+ Qing face.
“You’ve got spirit stones, so what? Who do you think you are?!” s.h.i.+ Nan shouted angrily.
Unlike Nie Tian, he didn’t have many spirit stones lying around. Therefore, upon seeing the filthy-rich Nie Tian intending to rent both cultivation rooms simultaneously, he flew into a shameful rage.
The establishment was crowded by not only s.h.i.+ Hui and other guest elders, but also by people who had come to enjoy the dramatic scene.
Many onlookers had excited expressions on their faces after seeing Nie Tian walk out of his cultivation room and offer to rent s.h.i.+ Nan’s room, completely unaware of s.h.i.+ Nan’s ident.i.ty.
They were all very eager to see how the Blood Skull would handle this incident.
“Okay, tell me what do you want?” Nie Tian said.
s.h.i.+ Nan let out a snort and said, “I don’t need your spirit stones. I was at a critical phase in breaking through from my current cultivation base. You disturbed me. First of all, you’ll apologize to me. Then, you’ll compensate me for my loss. Furthermore, you won’t be allowed to use that cultivation room until I enter the Greater Heaven stage.”
Nie Tian’s eyebrows furrowed as his face grew cold.
Meanwhile, he secretly formed a Heaven Eye and used it to conduct a thorough examination of s.h.i.+ Nan. Then, he said with a wry smile, “It appears that it will be quite some time before you can enter the Greater Heaven stage. During this time, no one but you is allowed to use the cultivation rooms on this floor?”
“Other people can. You can’t!” Having his situation perceived and brought into the open by Nie Tian, s.h.i.+ Nan grew increasingly enraged. “Other people won’t affect me! Only you will!”
Nie Tian’s expression grew increasingly grim.
He didn’t say another word to s.h.i.+ Nan. Instead, he turned to s.h.i.+ Qing and asked, “How do you propose we settle this, Uncle s.h.i.+?”
“How about this,” s.h.i.+ Qing mediated, “Hua Tian will compensate for your loss and promise that he won’t affect you again during your future cultivation.”
s.h.i.+ Hui, who was standing beside them, shook his head and said with a stern tone, “No. I don’t think this is an accident. Things like this will probably happen again. Little Nan’s breakthrough is a matter of great importance. I won’t allow anything or anyone to jeopardize it. Little Nan is right. Hua Tian should stop using that cultivation room temporarily.
“As for an appropriate compensation. I think we can let this pa.s.s if Hua Tian pays Little Nan 2,000 spirit stones.”
s.h.i.+ Qing’s expression changed dramatically. “2,000 spirit stones?! The charge for using that cultivation room for 20 hours is only 500 spirit stones! Since the influence just occurred, 2,000 spirit stones is a bit too many, don’t you think?”
With a indifferent expression, s.h.i.+ Hui said, “He hampered Little Nan’s breakthrough in his cultivation base. This is not something that can be forgiven by paying a few spirit stones!”
s.h.i.+ Qing looked deeply at s.h.i.+ Hui, and gradually realized that he was merely using this incident as an excuse to give Nie Tian a hard time.
The few guest elders who were standing next to s.h.i.+ Hui looked at Nie Tian, their eyes filled with contempt and malice.
All these signs made it clear that since Nie Tian had become famous in Shatter City and was considered highly by the Blood Skull, these people, who were also guest elders of the Blood Skull, were growing increasingly repulsive in their actions towards him.
They were only using this dispute between s.h.i.+ Nan and Nie Tian as an opportunity to show Nie Tian who was boss.
After hearing these words, s.h.i.+ Qing seemed indecisive.
“What if I don’t agree to that?” Nie Tian asked.
s.h.i.+ Hui grinned and said, “There’s another solution.”
“What is it?” Nie Tian asked coldly.
With a meaningful expression on his face, s.h.i.+ Hui said, “I heard that your real strength goes far beyond your cultivation base, and that you’ve killed more than one late Heaven stage cultivator in the Void Illusion Mountain Range, the hilly area, and the wasteland. Many disputes in Shatter City are settled in the Blood Fighting Pit. Since you’re so amazing, how about you defeat s.h.i.+ Nan in the Blood Fighting Pit?
“If you win, you won’t need to apologize or compensate us for Little Nan’s loss. Not only that, I’ll have him give up using his cultivation room. You’ll be allowed to rent those two cultivation rooms however you like, and I won’t say another word!”
With these words, s.h.i.+ Hui paused for a moment before continuing with a chuckle, “However, if you lose, you’ll pay the 2,000 spirit stones compensation, stop using your cultivation room, and apologize to Little Nan in front of everyone. What do you say?”
“The Blood Fighting Pit!” s.h.i.+ Qing’s expression flickered dramatically. “Are you serious, Brother s.h.i.+?”
“Don’t worry. I won’t have them fight to the death. The fight will stop as soon as a winner emerges.” With an arrogant tone, s.h.i.+ Hui turned to his nephew, s.h.i.+ Nan, and said, “If Hua Tian agrees to fight you in the Blood Fighting Pit, you’ll have to remember: don’t take his life. But of course, it’s impossible to come out of the Blood Fighting Pit without sustaining any injuries, right?”
“Okay, I see.” s.h.i.+ Nan realized what his uncle meant, and raised his voice as he said to Nie Tian, “I’ve heard many stories about your incredible battle prowess, kid.
“They say that not only did you kill dozens of Heaven stage Dark Moon members and Hunters, but you even killed some late Heaven stage cultivators. That being the case, you should have nothing to fear, right? Come on! Let’s take it to the Blood Fighting Pit. If you can beat me there, I’ll give up that cultivation room voluntarily, and I won’t say a word!”
“Alright!” Finally angered by s.h.i.+ Nan, Nie Tian swiftly went downstairs and strode towards the Blood Fighting Pit.
“Straightforward. Good!” s.h.i.+ Hui blurted, his eyes glittering with an icy light.
Upon seeing that Nie Tian had agreed to fight s.h.i.+ Nan in the Blood Fighting Pit, the crowd of onlookers seemed to have had their enthusiasm further sparked.
They rapidly followed Nie Tian downstairs and towards the direction of the Blood Fighting Pit. As they did, they spread the word to others they saw in the street.
s.h.i.+ Qing saw that he couldn’t stop this, so he turned to s.h.i.+ Hui and said, “I need to report to the head and ask for his opinion on this! Hua Tian and s.h.i.+ Nan are both guest elders of the Blood Skull. I’ll have to inform the head about their battle in the Blood Fighting Pit!”
s.h.i.+ Hui waved his hand and said, “Okay, tell him that this was my idea.“
After following the crowd of people to the Blood Fighting Pit, s.h.i.+ Qing said to the Blood Skull official who ran the Blood Fighting Pit, “The battle shall not start before I return!”
The man nodded in a.s.sent.
Then, s.h.i.+ Qing rushed away as if his b.u.t.t was on fire.
On the s.p.a.cious balcony on top of the highest stone pavilion in the Blood Skull’s headquarters, the robust, mountain-like Cai Lan was talking to two high-ranking Blood Skull officials when s.h.i.+ Qing arrived.
The moment s.h.i.+ Qing rushed in, he bowed in respect and relayed word of the incident to Cai Lan.
After listening to the whole story, Cai Lan asked with a calm expression, “s.h.i.+ Qing, are you sure that Hua Tian killed so many opponents with cultivation bases higher than his relying solely on his own power?”
“I believe that’s the truth,” s.h.i.+ Qing anwered.
Cai Lan nodded gently and waved his hand, saying, “Let them fight in the Blood Fighting Pit then.”
“As you wish.” With these words, s.h.i.+ Qing backed out of the balcony.
“s.h.i.+ Hui is getting more and more impudent,” One of the high-ranking officials said with a disgusted expression. “He forms his own cliques amongst the guest elders and even considers those guest elders to be his own subordinates.”
“s.h.i.+ Hui is about to enter the Worldly realm,” The other high official said. “Once he does, his prestige among the guest elders will become even higher.”
“Actually, I’d like to have a look at this battle,” Cai Lan said with a smile.
With a wave of his hand, a giant ice prism suddenly flew over from a corner of the balcony and landed in the middle of the three of them.
Through the ice prism, they could see everything that was going on in the Blood Fighting Pit with great clarity and detail.
“I’m intrigued too.”
“Yeah, rumors are rumors. You’ve got to see it firsthand to know whether that Hua Tian person is indeed as extraordinary as s.h.i.+ Qing, Gu Yu, and others say he is.”
Then, Cai Lan nodded and said, “I’ve met a few talented youngsters who were able to kill a late Heaven stage opponent while only at the early Heaven stage. But I’ve never met someone who could kill multiple opponents with higher cultivation bases, like they say Hua Tian can.”