Chapter 383: Arriving Calmly, Leaving Stylishly
Jiang Chen’s arrival this time was only to demonstrate his power, and not to actually harm anyone. After exchanging blows with Lei Gangyang, he laughed coldly and swept his gaze across the faces of those a.s.sembled, seeming to want to commit these faces to memory.
“Whichever one of you unafraid of death, come challenge me. I’m waiting for you! Although, let me remind you to be thoroughly prepared to die before entering the ring!”
He laughed loudly and flipped over the wall, vanis.h.i.+ng from their line of sight.
His laughter shook the heavens as it transformed into a howl of epic proportions, instantly filling the mountains and plains and carrying throughout the entire sky quadrant.
“What a bunch of tras.h.!.+ I come and go as I will, what can you lot do about it?”
Lei Gangyang was enraged as he dashed out the door. Long Juxue followed in hot pursuit.
However, all was quiet and at peace outside, without the shadow of a single person. As the echoes of his laugh reverberated in the mountain valley, Jiang Chen had vanished without a trace.
Lei Gangyang and Long Juxue looked at each other, reading a stern killing intent in each other’s eyes.
“That dumb swine is indeed c.o.c.ky.” Lei Gangyang grit his teeth. As the first seed of the sky quadrant, his sense of superiority was very strong.
He’d summoned this meeting to also partially consolidate his position as the first seed and awe the other geniuses.
However, he hadn’t thought he’d run into so many obstacles in this meeting.
If Luo Xi and the others had denied him face in not partic.i.p.ating in his plan, then the sudden appearance of this secular candidate was a public challenge to his authority and a patent slap to his face!
To trespa.s.s onto the residence of another without being invited, that was utter disrespect. Jiang Chen directly appearing on his wall was even more of an absolute challenge.
If Lei Gangyang had been able to forcefully make Jiang Chen stay, then his authority would’ve greatly increased.
However, both of his moves had been casually dispelled, and the other had been as nonchalant as if nothing had happened. The exchange had seemingly been a draw.
To Lei Gangyang, fighting someone who’d provoked him on his territory to a draw was without a doubt, the biggest disgrace of all. His opponent had even sent out his voice and openly jeered at him after leaving, sending it throughout the entire sky quadrant. This was rubbing salt in his wounds!
To Lei Gangyang, this was an absolute humiliation that would cause his authority to plummet.
“Senior brother Gangyang, now do you know how impudent this dumb swine is?” Long Juxue fanned the flames and asked faintly.
“Junior sister Long, this person is your fated rival. What do you think?”
Lei Gangyang suddenly changed the topic and smiled superciliously, “Don’t you think that we’ve gravely underestimated his strength before?”
Long Juxue could naturally identify the connotations in Lei Gangyang’s voice. She said lightly, “Even with all the methods and sinister methods he has, he’ll be absolutely crushed when he meets me.”
She knew that Lei Gangyang was purposefully testing her, wanting to use these words to sow seeds of doubt in her dao heart. Even though they appeared to be junior and senior on the surface, they were all compet.i.tion in the end.
Lei Gangyang, in particular, had witnessed Long Juxue’s rise and seen how even Ceng s.h.i.+ in the Shuiyue faction had been replaced by her.
It would be false to say that he didn’t feel threatened.
He didn’t wish for his own position of eldest senior brother in the Purple Sun Sect to be replaced by Long Juxue as well.
Although he knew, deep down within his heart, that his position in the eyes of the sect heavyweights were likely behind Long Juxue’s already, as the current eldest senior brother, his strength at the moment was still ahead.
Even if he was eventually fated to hand over the reins of power as the king of the younger generation, Lei Ganging didn’t wish for it to happen so quickly, and more, didn’t want to be so docile about it either.
Long Juxue wasn’t a fool. Although she was outwardly respectful, she had long since made her mental preparations for a coup.
When she heard the killing intent in Lei Gangyang’s voice, she naturally wouldn’t show weakness.
Her counterblow had the subtle shade of hint of mockery .
Her meaning was, I will crush Jiang Chen without a doubt. However you, as the eldest senior brother of the younger generation of the Purple Sun Sect, still let him leisurely leave after two blows and lost a great deal of face.
The others had walked out by now, whilst Lei Gangyang and Long Juxue were still chatting.
Apart from s.h.i.+ Yunyun with her customary faint smile on her face, the expressions of the others were all incredibly grave.
It was obvious that Jiang Chen’s warning before his departure had taken effect.
Come challenge me if you’re not afraid of dying!
This wasn’t an empty threat. Having seen the secular freak of a genius exchange blows with Lei Gangyang, these geniuses all recognized in that moment that they had severely underestimated the secular genius’ martial dao strength.
If even a genius of the seventh level such as Lei Gangyang had been unable to gain the upper hand over the secular genius, then just how powerful was this person?
A shadow was cast over the hearts of Iron Dazhi and the others. They all asked themselves, if that’d been me, would I have been able to block two of Lei Gangyang’s powerful blows just now?
The answer to this simulation exercise made all of their hearts drop, dejected.
In that moment, they all felt a bit of regret and wanted to retract their previous promise.
“This is a grudge between the Purple Sun Sect and the secular genius. Why do we need to get involved?” There were many thinking the same thoughts as Iron Dazhi.
The two Myriad Spirit Sect disciples looked at each other and cupped their hands in front of Lei Gangyang. “Daoist Gangyang, after due consideration, we feel that our Myriad Spirit Sect should remain neutral in this. Please forget about the earlier matter. We have other things to attend to and will be leaving now.”
They didn’t wait for Lei Gangyang to respond as they turned and left.
Lian Canghai’s pale and remote face also turned to Lei Gangyang. “Daoist Gangyang, I temporarily cannot see through this person’s cultivation. Since I cannot see through him, I do not have full confidence. Without full confidence, I too will have to give up on this matter in case I affect your plans.”
“Canghai, you’re the first genius in the Precious Tree Sect. Can it be that you’re afraid of that secular genius as well?”
Lian Canghai said faintly, “Not that I’m afraid, but that I dislike doing things that I’m not confident in. Daoist Gangyang, I bid you good day.”
When Iron Dazhi saw that even Lian Canghai had taken his leave, he knew that he’d only be embarra.s.sing himself if he stayed here with his little bit of cultivation. He walked up to Lei Gangyang and stammered, trying to think of how to broach the subject.
Lei Gangyang wasn’t interested in Iron Dazhi to begin with, and roared irritably when he saw Iron Dazhi like so, “Get lost!”
Iron Dazhi’s body trembled in anger as his expression changed, but he didn’t dare erupt in rage, simply glowering and stiffly stalking off. It wasn’t that he had no self respect, but he knew that if he dared retort with a single word in front of Lei Gangyang, he’d be beaten half to death.
After all this, apart from the Purple Sun Sect disciples, only s.h.i.+ Yunyun of the Flowing Wind Sect was left.
“Yunyun, are you planning on leaving as well?” Lei Gangyang sighed when he saw s.h.i.+ Yunyun walk over.
s.h.i.+ Yunyun smiled. “Daoist Gangyang, since you want me to stay, then I shall stay. However, I still hold to what I say in that I can’t promise anything.”
Lei Gangyang sighed. “The geniuses of the Precious Tree and Myriad Spirit Sects are all gra.s.s on top of the wall, swaying with the wind. You alone have stayed. A friend in need is a friend indeed, Gangyang owes you a favor.”
When Long Juxue saw that Lei Gangyang was purposefully kissing up to s.h.i.+ Yunyun, her heart filled with disdain. Her eyes flicked over s.h.i.+ Yunyun’s pretty face like a dragonfly skimming the surface of water, and demurely glanced away afterwards.
“Please enjoy your conversation, Juxue will be leaving now.”
Long Juxue paid no mind to Ceng s.h.i.+ behind her, not even bothering to speak to him. It was as if the first disciple beneath Master s.h.i.+uyue was just a disposable character in her eyes.
When Ceng s.h.i.+ witnessed Long Juxue’s arrogance, irritation rooted itself in his heart as well.
Lei Gangyang had obviously seen some hints of what was going on and laughed woodenly. “Ceng s.h.i.+, to think that you’ve lost your position as the boss of the Shuiyue faction so quickly. Sigh.”
Ceng s.h.i.+ was incredibly dejected by the fact he could do nothing. He cupped his hands at Lei Ganyang. “Senior brother Gangyang, I too will be leaving now. Count me in for challenging that kid.”
Lei Gangyang was speechless at seeing how things had turned out. A perfectly fine meeting and strategy had been completely ruined.
The most depressing thing was that he, Lei Gangyang, a born winner in life, had thoroughly lost face in all matters this time.
…...
Indeed, word of the examiners once again blacklisting Jiang Chen spread again. He could only request missions seven times in the strength of heart area each month.
However, this kind of blacklisting seemed obviously weak and feeble.
He could challenge the strength of heart area seven times, and the pills area seven times a month. That made for fourteen times in a month.
If he was this accomplished in the comprehensive area, then there would be no meaning to this blacklisting at all.
He could farm points in all areas, so what use was that ban? If it came down to it, he could just split up his focus.
News of the meeting traveled to the examiners’ area at first light.
“Well?” The examiner with the cold expression laughed frostily. “The secular genius that you all looked down on barged into the meeting by himself, arriving calmly and leaving stylishly in the eyes of all those geniuses. Lei Gangyang, proclaimed as the first genius, struck out twice but couldn’t even make the other leave behind a single strand of hair. Do you think that this kind of genius would be worse than anyone in the sky quadrant?”
This examiner had been against the blacklisting both times, and he’d finally found an opportunity to vent his feelings.
The other examiners were also a bit depressed by his interrogation. They had to admit that they had indeed underestimated the secular genius’ martial dao ability.
It truly was as this examiner had said. The secular genius wasn’t inferior to anyone.
Perhaps he wasn’t the strongest in martial dao potential, but to be able to withstand two of Lei Gangyang’s blows meant that he truly wasn’t weak.
Someone who was almost on par with Lei Gangyang’s martial dao ability, powerful strength of heart, and immense potential in pills—wasn’t this kind of genius the type of origin realm seed they were searching for in this selection?
They’d actually blacklisted such a good talent multiple times!
Traces of regret flashed through the hearts of all the examiners present, apart from Master Shuiyue’s junior brother.