Chapter 484 Win? Lose? Or Draw?
When Cinian, Shinsyu, and Tachibana Wakako decided to go to the Taoist a.s.sembly, Li Yundong had already become the target of everyone"s attention on the ship.
Although there were only two rounds of fighting, the strength that Li Yundong had shown was enough to make the cultivators of all sects deeply afraid.
Since ancient times, there had been "no first place in literature and no second place in martial arts". Everyone envied and hated the person who occupied first place, and they all want to beat the champion and climb to first place by themselves.
Dang Qiang of Penglai Sect shook his head and shouted loudly, "Zhenren Li, Zhenren Sun, it"s really been a good fight! I"ve lived for so many years, and this is the first time I"ve seen such a unique battle. It"s wonderful, really wonderful! However, although it is wonderful, there must always be a winner and loser, so now, who has won?"
These words immediately touched everyone"s hearts. Regardless of how wonderful the fight had been just now, everyone was now hesitating again. They thought to themselves, "Li Yundong was proficient in Thunder Magic and the Five Elements Magic as well, so he was basically a real great Cultivator!
“Moreover, the most terrifying thing is that he is still so young!”
“If I let him arrogantly go on like this, there will be no chance for me to stand out.”
Ding Nan looked at Li Yundong in shock. She couldn"t help but mumble, "He"s too strong... How can he be so strong?"
Zheng Yuan"s face was gloomy, and his vigilance toward Li Yundong had reached its peak. It was the first time he had felt that a person"s threat could be so great and terrible to him!
This kind of vigilance and tension made him not even realize that Ding Nan"s tone was filled with a strong sense of admiration. He even thought that his disciple, Lyu Fengping, had let out a moan of despair because she could not get revenge.
There was a chill in Zheng Yuan"s eyes. He thought to himself, ""No, I can"t let this man get the immortal pen. Otherwise, although the world is vast, there will be no place for our sect to stand!""
He glanced around and saw that the cultivators of all sects were looking at Li Yundong with complicated expressions. Their eyes were full of jealousy. His heart thumped and a smile appeared on his face. He said to a cultivator of Shenxiao Sect in a tone of appreciation, "Zhenren Zhang was the best five hundred years ago, but Zhenren Li is the best now! Good! I really hadn"t expected that we would have such an amazing cultivator in our cultivation world. He"s so young. He"s amazing. He"s really amazing!"
The cultivator next to him couldn"t help glancing at Zheng Yuan, as if to distinguish whether he was praising sincerely or just reluctantly flattering him. An older cultivator of Shenxiao Sect snorted after hearing that. He said with some dissatisfaction, "Zhang Sanfeng is indeed a great Zhenren, but I don"t know whether Li Yundong is a real great Zhenren or not. I think he can"t be considered as a great Zhenren now as he"s just too young!"
Zheng Yuan saw that there were indeed people among the surrounding cultivators who were unconvinced. He felt a sense of joy in his heart and continued to stir up trouble by saying, "There. As the saying goes, young heroes have emerged from ancient times. With such a young man, we old men can rest a.s.sured!"
The elder cultivator was Liu Yuqing, an older member of the Shenxiao Sect. He and Sun Baitian were of the same generation, both of them reclusive great cultivators. He had wanted to show off at the Taoist a.s.sembly with his disciples, but he hadn"t expected that he would be shocked by Li Yundong before he could even show up. His disciples all looked frightened and none dared to come on stage.
Hearing this, Liu Yuqing immediately frowned and gave Zheng Yuan a very unkind look. He said in a sinister voice, "Head Zheng, what do you mean by this?"
Zheng Yuan stroked his beard and chuckled. "Zhenren Liu, don"t you think so? Cultivators" speeds of cultivation are too fast these days. We"re too old to catch up with them! In a few years, the whole world will be under their control!"
Zheng Yuan"s voice was not loud, but almost everyone on the ship heard what he said. Su Chan, Ruan Hongling, and Zheng Yuan had once confronted each other face to face. They knew that this kind-hearted old man was a villain with a vicious heart and evil intentions hidden behind his smile. When they saw Zheng Yuan actually praising Li Yundong in such a manner, they looked at one another immediately.
Ruan Hongling asked curiously, "What horrible motivation in this old guy"s stomach is making him flatter Li Yundong so much?"
Su Chan also blinked her eyes and looked at Zheng Yuan with a puzzled face. "Could it be that he sees Yundong as too powerful and wants to reconcile with us?"
Ruan Hongling sneered. "Hum, this man"s heart is full of evil schemes! In my opinion, he must be planning something. Could he really be kind? I don"t believe it!"
Ruan Hongling"s unbridled words were said in a voice so loud that she attracted the attention of cultivators from the other sects nearby. Zi Yuan frowned secretly and gently stepped on Ruan Hongling"s foot under the table.
Ruan Hongling felt a pain in her toes and quickly shrank back. She looked at Zi Yuan with dissatisfaction and grunted twice, but in the end, she didn"t say anything worse.
Zi Yuan"s temperament was calm and low-key. She did not want to cause any trouble, but Zhou Qin had just reached the Zhuji phase. At this moment, when her aura was overflowing with vigor, she heard Ruan Hongling and Su Chan"s words. After thinking for a while, she sneered and said, "This is a strategy for b.u.t.tering Li Yundong up in public and framing him secretly! Zheng Yuan wants to incite other sects to have the same hatred against Li Yundong and then attack him together."
When Su Chan and the others heard this, they couldn"t help but look at the cultivators of the other sects. They really saw many hidden and profound gazes in the eyes of everyone, many of whom were jealous and resentful. They were shocked and said angrily, "It must be so. D*mn it! He is really shameful!"
Su Chan said anxiously, "Sister Zi Yuan, what should we do now?"
After thinking for a while, Zi Yuan said in a low voice, "It"s better to let Li Yundong admit defeat or settle it as a draw. It"s really not worth offending all the sects in the cultivation world for an Immortal Pen!"
But as soon as she finished speaking, Ruan Hongling and Zhou Qin blurted out at the same time, "No!"
Ruan Hongling said anxiously, "Shijie Zi Yuan, what nonsense are you spouting now! This is the Taoist a.s.sembly, it"s held once every four years! You think he should give up and listen to you?"
Zhou Qin also raised her eyebrows and said, "Zi Yuan, I don"t agree with your words! Does a person who is too powerful need to work hard to hide his or her own strength? How could there be such truth in this world?"
Zi Yuan shook her head slightly and smiled bitterly, "You don"t know... My master, w.a.n.g Yuanshan... He was also like Li Yundong when he was young. His strength was too outstanding, and he didn"t know how to restrain himself. As a result, he was despised wherever he went, so he became a lonely person, to whom no one willing to get close, and everyone spoke ill of him."
Su Chan was slightly surprised. She quickly thought to herself, "Ah, so w.a.n.g Yuanshan is that kind of person. Isn"t my master the same? He"s arrogant and aloof. No wonder the two of them felt like old friends upon first meeting. This was the reason! Yundong can"t be like that. I don"t want him to be!"
The girl thought of this and suddenly whispered tentatively, "How about letting Yundong admit that this is a tie? Anyway, it seems like one!"
Although Zhou Qin valued winning or losing, she was also a very sensible person. She hesitated for a moment and said, "I don’t know what Master would think..."
While they were talking in private, Wan Zhenyuan smiled and cupped his hands at Li Yundong and Sun Baitian. "Zhenren Sun, Zhenren Li, in my opinion, this battle should be a draw. How about that?" he said.
When Sun Baitian heard this, he darted a quick glance at Wan Zhenyuan and blushed. He knew in his heart that the leader was defending his reputation and wanted to draw a tie for himself. Otherwise, when the news got out, he, an old cultivator who had been cultivating five elements" magic for decades, would not be able to deal with a young man who had only been cultivating for half a year. How could he bear it? How could he face others?
The cultivators from the other sects were also well aware of the situation. Many cultivators were unwilling to see Li Yundong winning two rounds in a row. Therefore, most of them remained silent.
Du Fei and the rest, who had wanted to say a few words of justice, swallowed their words. They were afraid that they would offend more of their comrades by speaking further.
Only Dang Qiang jumped up, shook his head, and said loudly, "No, no!"
Wan Zhenyuan frowned when Dang Qiang was talking, but then he stretched out quickly and smiled. "Dang Qiang, what‘s your opinion?"
Dang Qiang said in a powerful tone, "In my opinion, it"s Sun Baitian who won in this battle. Zhenren Sun is the victor!"
When the crowd heard this, they were suddenly very surprised and al looked atl Dang Qiang.
Wan Zhen Yuan was also stunned. He hadn"t expected that Dang Qiang would speak for him. He was overjoyed and said with a fake smile, "Zhenren Dang, what do you mean by that?"
Although Sun Baitian"s expression was a little unnatural, he still looked at Dang Qiang curiously and wanted to see what kind of wise idea this guy, who liked to jest, would come up with.
Dang Qiang proudly pointed at Sun Baitian and said, "Everyone, Zhenren Sun is sweating all over, but Zhenren Li didn"t break a sweat at all. Just now, Zhenren Sun had been regulating his breathing for a long time and didn"t dare to say a word, but Li"s breath was calm. In comparison, didn"t Zhenren Sun Baitian win?"
When everyone heard this, they thought to themselves, "Well, this guy has a point!"
Sun Baitian"s face turned green as he heard this. He was so angry that his entire body convulsed. Wan Zhenyuan"s face turned purple as well. He yelled indignantly, "Dang Qiang, you"ve gone too far! You have no respect for your elders!"
Dang Qiang opened his mouth wide and said with a look of ignorance, "What"s wrong? Did I say something wrong?"
Wan Zhenyuan was furious. He could not point out Dang Qiang"s words clearly. If he did, he would be directly admitting that Sun Baitian had lost. He was so angry that he shouted, "What, what did you mean by that?"
Dang Qiang said with grievance and innocence, "Didn’t you just decide the winner based on whoever worked the hardest? I see that Zhenren Sun"s forehead is full of sweat. Obviously, he is the most hardworking!"
Everyone burst out laughing. Wei Qing, who was the kind of person who desired to see the world plunged into chaos, also added in a low voice, "Then wouldn"t the brick breaker be the best fighter in the world?"
Du Fei suppressed his laughter and glared at her, saying in a low voice, "Shut up, don"t talk nonsense!"
Ruan Hongling, who was sitting not far from them, heard this and said in a strange tone, "Nonsense.The coal miner is the best!"
After that, there was a peal of laughter in the hall.
In fights between cultivators, the most important thing was being unrestrained, calm, and free. The more powerful a cultivator was, the more ethereal and immortal-like he would be when he used magic. In their view, only low-level people would find themselves extremely embarra.s.sed.
Dang Qiang"s words were like a slap in Sun Baitian"s face. Sun Baitian snorted angrily and stomped his foot, causing the ship to tremble. Then, he turned around and rushed out.
Wan Zhenyuan was in a hurry. He took two steps forward and shouted after him, "Shibo, Shibo!"
But no matter how hard he shouted, Sun Baitian covered his face with his sleeves and quickly hurried away, refusing to look back.
Wan Zhenyuan was so angry that he gnashed his teeth. His eyes flashed with killing intent, and his face suddenly turned extremely sinister, but when he turned around again, his expression was calm. He laughed and said, "Shibo left first. For the previous battle, I let Zhenren Li win!"
Zhou Qin and the others sneered in their hearts after hearing that. "Li Yundong really won. What does it mean that you "let" him win?"
Wan Zhenyuan smiled and made an obeisance by cupping his hands to Li Yundong. "Zhenren Li, congratulations on winning another round. Are you ready for the next one?"
Li Yundong had been standing in the same spot with a smile. In the face of all kinds of eyes and private discussions, he was like a gentle breeze blowing over a hill, lacking any emotional fluctuations. He saluted Wan Zhenyuan and said with a smile, "I"m ready, Master Wan! But who"s next?"
The crowd looked around at each other for a while and thought to themselves, "Since Sun Baitian has lost, if I go up by myself, will I be guaranteed to win?"
For the moment, the ship was in dead silence. Only Zheng Yuan shook his head and said with a sigh, "Zhenren Li is really young and vigorous. After two consecutive fights, he will consume a lot of Zhenqi. Unexpectedly, he doesn"t know to recuperate well and then go on stage. Alas..."
Although his words seemed to be a kind reminder, everyone was shocked. "Right, Li Yundong has fought twice in a row. No matter how powerful he is, he must have consumed a lot of Zhenqi. If I challenge him now, won"t I have the advantage?"
Su Chan, Zi Yuan, Zhou Qin, and the others couldn"t help but fly into a rage. They cursed in unison, "D*mn that Zheng Yuan!"
Su Chan said anxiously, "Zheng Yuan is up to no good. He"s trying to encourage everyone to exhaust Yundong to death through attrition warfare!"
The brows of Zi Yuan were tightly furrowed. She said, "That"s right. I just don’t know if anyone will come out to be the cannon fodder!"
As soon as she finished speaking, an elder of Shenxiao Sect stood up and said loudly, "I"m Liu Yuqing from Shenxiao Sect. Zhenren Li, shall we have a duel?"
Su Chan was shocked. "Someone"s really volunteering to be cannon fodder?"
Ruan Hongling sneered and said, "You think that he is cannon fodder, but he thinks that it"s possible for him to take advantage of the situation! It doesn"t matter if he loses. Anyway, Chen Yunyan and Sun Baitian have lost before, so he won"t be embarra.s.sed if he loses now. However, if he wins, he will win back everything!"
Hearing that, all the girls gritted their teeth and muttered curses.
Zhou Qin saw Li Yundong smiling and that he was about to make obeisance to receive Liu Yuqing when she suddenly felt an impulse in her heart. She stood up and shouted, "This one, let me fight it!"
Her voice was loud and sudden, it attracted everyone"s attention.
Liu Yuqing looked her up and down and asked with a frown, "Who are you? Why are you fighting me?"
Zhou Qin took a deep breath and calmed herself down. She cupped her hands and said, "It is said that when the master has something to do, his disciples will take his pains!"
Liu Yuqing was slightly shocked and said, "You are Li Yundong"s disciple?"
Zhou Qin said loudly, "Yes, I"m Li Yundong"s chief disciple, Zhou Qin!"