Chapter 27: Little Fatty |
The disciples of the Divine Sword Sect stood tall and proud, each one brimming with vigor. Their gazes toward the Zhenwu Sect were filled with hostility, as if something that belonged to them had been taken away and they were determined to reclaim it.
Faced with this.
The Zhenwu Sect disciples weren’t backing down either.
Led by the Nine True Disciples, every one of them stared back with icy eyes.
The atmosphere instantly grew tense.
Daoist Longshan sighed helplessly.
He said:
“The ten-year agreement—of course I haven’t forgotten.”
“As Brother Divine Sword says, the old rules still apply?”
Ten years ago, when he had fought Daoist Longshan, he’d already had the feeling that his opponent was holding back. Now that Daoist Longshan had half a foot in the Heaven-Man Realm, if they fought again, there was no doubt he would lose.
Just thinking about being humiliated in front of all these disciples again made his teeth ache.
Still, he had already spoken.
There was no way he’d slap himself in the face in public.
He coughed twice and snorted:
“Longshan, you old ox-nose, is this how you treat your guests?”
Daoist Longshan was briefly stunned, then burst into laughter:
“Brother Divine Sword brought all these outstanding disciples of the Divine Sword Sect—of course our Zhenwu Sect has already prepared a welcoming feast!”
“Wentian, take the disciples of Divine Sword Sect over.”
“Brother Divine Sword, please!”
With that.
Daoist Longshan and the Divine Sword Elder headed toward Mingwu Pavilion. Clearly, the two had something to discuss.
Seeing this.
The disciples from both sects looked a little confused, glancing at one another.
It had felt like a fight was about to break out—tensions high, swords about to be drawn—and then suddenly... it was dinner time?
Only a few understood what was going on.
They knew these two elders only seemed to be at odds. Deep down, they likely considered each other friends—it was just that their pride got in the way.
Ning Qi couldn't help but smile slightly.
Luo Wentian also shook his head.
He understood the situation more clearly than most.
“Everyone, this way, please.”
He smiled at Dong He, the Senior Brother of Divine Sword Sect. Dong He smiled helplessly in return.
Qin Yun followed behind Luo Wentian, the sharp gleam in his eyes slowly fading, though his demeanor was still a little cold.
Ning Qi walked in the rear with the White Ape.
At that moment, a sneaky voice chimed in:
“Is that your pet?”
Ning Qi turned his head and saw a chubby little kid with pale, tender skin staring at the White Ape with sparkling eyes. He sniffled, clearly envious of Ning Qi for having such a mystical creature. In fact, many of the Divine Sword Sect disciples had their eyes fixed on the White Ape.
Upon hearing that.
Before Ning Qi could say anything, the White Ape was already furious.
He now saw himself as human. Hearing the kid say that, he immediately bared his teeth and snarled, scaring the chubby kid half to death. If Ning Qi hadn’t been nearby, the White Ape might’ve messed with the kid a bit.
Ning Qi said seriously:
“He’s not my pet. He’s a third-generation disciple of the Zhenwu Sect. His name is Yuan Tiansheng.”
The chubby kid froze for a moment, then heard the White Ape snort coldly.
“Ah!” he cried, suddenly realizing:
“Sorry! Sorry!”
He couldn’t help but add:
“Yuan Tiansheng, you’re so smart—you even understand what I’m saying!”
But the White Ape just crossed his arms and snorted again, ignoring him.
The chubby kid wiped his nose awkwardly and looked at Ning Qi:
“My name’s Zhuang Chen.”
Ning Qi nodded and smiled:
“Ning Qi.”
He could sense strong vitality within Zhuang Chen. Clearly, he had already stepped onto the Martial Path. Judging by his age, he was definitely one of those peerless prodigies.
The disciples from both sects took their seats.
With Luo Wentian and others keeping company, Ning Qi didn’t need to do anything. He just needed to take care of himself.
However.
He’d picked up a tagalong.
Maybe it was because he saw someone his own age among the Zhenwu Sect’s True Disciples, but Zhuang Chen sat right down next to Ning Qi.
Dong He, the Senior Brother of Divine Sword Sect, initially wanted to stop him, but Luo Wentian smiled and persuaded him, saying it was fine for their Little Junior Brother to sit with Zhuang Chen.
This made Dong He glance at Ning Qi in surprise.
Still.
It was a bit of a headache for Ning Qi.
Zhuang Chen, the chubby kid, was a total chatterbox.
“Ning Qi, have you started cultivating yet?”
“I’ve been training for a while.”
“Ning Qi, do you know any sword techniques?”
“A little.”
“Ning Qi, how did you and Yuan Tiansheng meet?”
“Ning Qi, I’ll tell you a secret—I’m really strong.”
“Ning Qi…”
At first.
Ning Qi gave him a few casual replies.
But as the kid kept rambling more and more, Ning Qi wisely shut his mouth.
He let his mind wander. After listening to the disciples of both sects chat for a bit, he completely immersed himself in his own world—comprehending the Dao and reflecting on techniques—anywhere could be a place for insight.
“Ning Qi, Ning Qi…”
Zhuang Chen stared at Ning Qi, whose eyes were unfocused and unresponsive, and felt a bit sympathetic:
“Ning Qi doesn’t seem too bright. I asked him a bunch of questions, and he only answered one.”
Zhuang Chen turned to the White Ape, trying to chat.
But the White Ape just made a face and ignored him. The Little White Ape was also quite vengeful.
Zhuang Chen pouted slightly, then turned his full attention to the food in front of him.
Eating was his second greatest passion.
The welcoming feast passed without incident.
Although the disciples of both sects were young and hot-blooded, and not too fond of one another, they knew how to behave and kept themselves in check.
Not until the feast was nearly over did the Divine Sword Elder and Daoist Longshan appear again.
Ning Qi snapped out of his meditative state.
The two sat at the head of the table.
Daoist Longshan smiled and said:
“Just now, Brother Divine Sword and I discussed a few things. From now on, the ten-year agreement between our sects will need a bit of tweaking.”
Everyone watched intently.
The Divine Sword Elder cleared his throat and said flatly:
“We two old geezers aren’t fit for fighting anymore. As the saying goes, when the master has duties, the disciples serve. From now on, the ten-year agreement will be settled through sparring between you disciples. This time is just for practice. The next will be the real deal.”
“At that time, whoever wins will earn the right to use Zhenwu Mountain for ten years.”
The disciples all felt a jolt inside.
Fighting spirit flared in their eyes.
What had originally been just a match to watch and witness was now something they had to participate in.
Ning Qi felt a bit amused.
Probably the Divine Sword Elder realized he couldn’t beat Ning Qi’s master, so he deliberately changed the rules.
But seeing Daoist Longshan’s cheerful expression, it looked like he didn’t mind.
The two of them changing the bet’s format probably had another intention too—to put some pressure on their disciples. Pressure breeds motivation. With the ten-year agreement hanging over them, they’d improve faster.
Ning Qi chuckled inwardly.
It clearly worked—even the White Ape and the little fatty beside him were getting hyped.
Some younger disciples’ faces were even turning red with excitement.
For the Divine Sword Sect disciples, it was the perfect chance to fulfill their elder’s long-standing wish. For the Zhenwu Sect disciples, it was about defending their sect’s honor.
Ning Qi felt like there was a bit of mischief in both his master’s and the Divine Sword Elder’s smiles.
Who knew what those two had really talked about in Mingwu Pavilion?
Now that the mood had been properly set.
Daoist Longshan stood up and said:
“Even though this round is just to help you all get used to it, that doesn’t mean you can slack off. You must give it your all. Brother Divine Sword and I have prepared some rewards—those who perform well will earn them.”
The disciples grew even more excited.
But Ning Qi felt nothing in particular.
He already had access to the entire Scripture Pavilion of the Zhenwu Sect—he doubted the Divine Sword Elder had any world-shattering techniques to offer anyway.
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