Chapter 1644: Wailing of the Cold Cicadas

Wan Guiyi couldn't help but laugh. What could his father even do to him to let him down? His attention quickly returned to the stage.

Mount Luofu’s Luo Dongjiang looked toward the honest and simple-looking man across from him, saying, “Brother Wu, everyone believes that you are number one among the younger generation. This humble one will have to experience it for myself.”

Wu Xiaofan shook his head and said, “How can I dare to claim to be number one among the younger generation? Sir Zu showed that he was already stronger than me a few days ago.”

Luo Dongjiang choked. Aren’t you stating the obvious? He even defeated our Elder Xu, so we can only compare him to the older generation. Why would he fight juniors like us?

He just assumed Wu Xiaofan was messing with him, making him angry. He didn’t say anything else and drew his sword. A powerful wave of earth energy spread out from beneath his feet, and a dragon made of earth quickly swam around him, faint dragon cries following in its wake.

Mount Luofu excelled with the earth element. This was none other than Mount Luofu’s extreme art, Earth Dragon’s Cry.

The dragon created a chaotic whirlwind of earth as it moved. It released a ferocious pressure so strong that even the surrounding disciples seemed to be able to feel the weight of the earth bearing down upon them. Many of the disciples sighed in amazement; they had been looking down on this Mount Luofu disciple a bit because of how helpless he was against Zu An, but now things were different.

Wan Guiyi, Lou Wucheng, and the other candidates stared at Wu Xiaofan to see how he would deal with the situation. However, even though Luo Dongjiang’s aura grew stronger and stronger, Wu Xiaofan remained completely calm, as if he didn’t have any intention of interrupting his opponent.

Many of the disciples felt that Wu Xiaofan was underestimating his opponent too much. After all, Luo Dongjiang was also a representative disciple. Even if there was a difference between them, how great could it be? If he just kept letting his opponent gather strength, he would definitely pay the price for it when they fought later.

“Earth Dragon’s Cry!” Luo Dongjiang cried as he finished charging his power. His entire body spun rapidly, becoming one with the earth dragon around him, and he charged at Wu Xiaofan surrounded by an overwhelming aura of destruction. The barrier around the stage began flickering continuously; the technique’s berserk power was clearly activating the defenses around the arena perimeter.

“The earth element usually excels at defense rather than offense. I didn’t expect its offensive power to actually be so powerful!”

“As expected of Mount Luofu’s extreme art!”

The disciples cried out in alarm. However, Wan Guiyi and the other representative disciples were more concerned about something else. They wondered how they would deal with this attack if they were in Wu Xiaofan’s place.

“These representative disciples do seem to have some skills…” Zhang Zijiang couldn't help but say with a sigh. However, when he saw that Zu An’s expression was completely calm, he quickly changed the topic, adding, “But of course, they are still far too lacking when compared to Sir Zu.” Not letting go of any chance to deliver flattery was a crucial skill for any court official.

On the stage, Wu Xiaofan still didn’t move an inch. Even as the berserk earth energy arrived right in front of him, he only raised his hand, causing a faint layer of purple energy to appear around it. Then, with a seemingly nonchalant push, a powerful burst of ki suddenly erupted outward from his hand with an ear-splitting noise.

The frighteningly powerful earth dragon suddenly stopped, a visible force rapidly coursing through its body. It quickly began to break apart inch by inch until it completely turned to dust.

Luo Dongjiang had been preparing to unleash his sword skills from within the earthen whirlwind, but he suddenly stopped. The earth dragon had been intended to conceal his real attack, but now that it had collapsed, he felt the ki and blood within him stir. The hardest thing for him to accept was that Wu Xiaofan’s counterattack felt as if it had stripped him of his clothes, practically leaving him completely naked in front of the crowd.

How is this possible?!

Luo Dongjiang was shocked. He had known that there was a difference between him and Wu Xiaofan, but he hadn’t expected it to be so great! Earth Dragon’s Cry was already his most powerful attack; he had initially thought that his opponent would either dodge or use a lot of energy to stop the earth tornado. Subsequently, he would deliver a decisive blow, catching Wu Xiaofan off guard while his energy was spent. And yet, he had never expected that he would be the one caught off guard!

However, he had already gathered his strength and had to use it. Even though he didn’t have the earth dragon to conceal his move, he still used his most powerful sword skill. Dazzling sword radiance erupted from the stage, engulfing Wu Xiaofan within.

A moment later, though, that radiance dimmed. Wu Xiaofan struck the sword with his palm, directly neutralizing the attack before going on the offensive.

Luo Dongjiang was alarmed. He wanted to back up and evade, but his internal ki was a complete mess after his opponent’s strike. In that moment of stagnation, Wu Xiaofan’s palm instantly struck his chest.

Pfft!

Blood gushed out of Luo Dongjiang’s mouth as his body was flung backward like a sandbag. Wu Xiaofan didn’t continue to chase after him; instead, he cupped his hands modestly and said, “You went easy on me!”

Luo Dongjiang slowly got back on his feet and wiped blood from the corner of his mouth. He was completely dejected as he replied, “Thank you for being lenient, senior brother.”

Even though he had vomited blood and been left in a sorry state, he could sense that Wu Xiaofan hadn’t gone all out. Otherwise, he wouldn’t even be able to stand up right now. He normally thought so highly of himself, and yet it turned out that he hadn’t even been able to bring out his opponent’s full power. When he thought of how sorry a state he’d be left in if he went against Zu An, he felt extremely discouraged.

All the disciples from Mount Luofu were left downcast. Earlier, their elder had lost to a youngster, and now, their representative disciple had also lost bitterly to another representative disciple. It seemed Mount Luofu wouldn’t be able to raise their heads proudly for at least ten years.

Wan Guiyi cursed inwardly, That trash, Luo Dongjiang! He had wanted to see whether some of Wu Xiaofan’s trump cards could be forced out, and yet Luo Dongjiang had been defeated by just two smacks.

The other representative disciples’ expressions weren’t that much better. They had all been hoping for Luo Dongjiang to exhaust most of Wu Xiaofan’s strength, as he was their greatest opponent, but who would have thought that he would win that easily?

…

“Master, this Wu Xiaofan is pretty strong,” Qiu Honglei secretly said to Yun Jianyue.

“You’re not weak either. You’ll have a higher chance of winning against him than that Chu girl,” Yun Jianyue replied.

Qiu Honglei rolled her eyes and replied, “That’s only because of the charm skill’s advantage on men. But judging from how inflexible and square he looks, it’s probably not going to be that effective.”

“You can know someone for a long time without understanding their true nature. The more inflexible and square one looks, the more desires they may be bottling up,” Yun Jianyue said in a carefree manner. She believed that, no matter how formidable these youngsters were, she could still crush them with a single hand. Except for that brat, of course.

She reflexively glanced at Zu An in the distance. She saw him look toward Jadefall Palace from time to time, and couldn't help but sneer. He really is a womanizer after all.

…

Wu Xiaofan cupped his hands and said, “Brother Luo, don’t feel discouraged. It’s mainly because you lost your drive because of Sir Zu a few days ago, which is why you weren’t able to reveal all of your strength today. I was able to win thanks to that unfair advantage.”

The audience immediately looked toward Zu An, but he just waved toward them with a smile as if he were in a parade. The crowd was completely thrown off. There was no trace of this guy’s previous domineering and tyrannical air!

Luo Dongjiang knew that Wu Xiaofan was giving him face. A hint of gratitude flashed through his eyes. He cupped his hands and backed off.

Wang Wuxie nodded, admiring his disciple’s humility. The height of one’s achievements could be completely determined from their temperament. That was sometimes even more important than talent.

However, he quickly remembered the exception that was Zu An and his expression stiffened. He quickly said, “The first fight’s victory goes to the Righteous Sun Sect’s Wu Xiaofan. Next, Jadefall Palace’s Wan Guiyi will fight against Purity Temple’s Qiu Chanzi.”

Wan Guiyi got up and walked toward the elevated stage. Pei Mianman smiled toward him and said, “Good luck, senior brother!” They were from the same sect, after all, so she naturally hoped for him to win.

To her surprise, however, Wan Guiyi simply gave her an unhappy look and started to mutter to himself, “No woman in one’s heart, sword will strike like the divine…”

Pei Mianman was speechless.

Elder Huo Ling immediately erupted with fury. She glared hatefully at Wan Tongtian and spat, “As expected, like son, like father!”

Jadefall Palace’s disciples were already used to seeing the two of them fight. However, weren’t those words backward?

Only Wan Tongtian knew what she was really saying. His expression changed several times. In the end, he swung his sleeves and harrumphed, grumbling, “A real man doesn’t fight with women!”

The exchange didn’t escape Zu An’s ears. He couldn't help but give Wan Tongtian a look. This kid really is something! If this continues, they really might end their lineage.

…

Meanwhile, the two contestants got onto the stage. Wan Guiyi maintained his usual over-the-top behavior. His opponent was a delicate-looking boy, Qiu Chanzi.

“Oh my, how cute!”

Many female cultivators cried out in alarm. Previously, when the nine groups were fighting against each other, the disciples had all been more concerned with their own opponents. They had only watched some of their fellow sect members’ fights at most, as they hadn’t had much time to pay attention to other things.

For many of them, this was their first opportunity to find out that Purity Temple’s Qiu Chanzi was such an adorable young man.

Tranquility Temple’s little monk Jie Se harrumphed and said, “That kid’s cuteness level is actually close to rivaling mine.”

Master Jian Huang struggled to stop himself from hitting Jie Se with the wooden fish.

“Senior brother, please go easy on me,” Qiu Chanzi said with the manners of a good student. Anyone who saw him would want to give him a big hug.

Wan Guiyi waved his hand impatiently and replied, “Don’t give me that nonsense. Just start the fight.” Wu Xiaofan had won so straightforwardly that he was feeling quite a lot of pressure. He also wanted a clean victory.

Qiu Chanzi lowered his head as if he felt wronged

All the female disciples were filled with righteous indignation. They all denounced Wan Guiyi’s attitude as evil.

“Hmph, women,” Wan Guiyi said, simply ignoring them. With his pride, he naturally felt it beneath him to attack first. At the same time, however, he was a bit impatient and snapped, “Are you going to make your move or not?” The fangirls were starting to make him feel more and more irritated.

Qiu Chanzi suddenly looked up. A strange smile appeared on his face as he replied, “Senior brother, I have already made my move!”

Now the spectators were shocked. After all, this Qiu Chanzi had clearly appeared to be a cute and kind little boy. Everyone who saw him would want to pinch his cheeks and hug him. However, his face was now warped in an eerie way, and his temperament now seemed strange and scary. Furthermore, his entire body emanated an aura of inexplicable madness.