Chapter 109: The Killing Intent, Part One
“This young man has a brilliant future ahead of him.”
“Prefect Lord, this is Gu Changqing, grandson of Gu Zaizuo, one of the five peak masters of the Misty Sect.”
“I hear he has only just turned sixteen. It has been merely a few months since he completed his coming-of-age ceremony and left the sect to gain experience, yet he has already made quite a name for himself throughout the Southern Domain.”
“Prefect Lord, do you think we should...?”
“Let us wait until after the Grand Tournament and decide according to the circumstances.”
The hawk-faced old man who had been communicating telepathically with Xiu Bingan, lord of the Shura Prefecture, suddenly drew a finger across his throat. The prefect lord suppressed the matter for the time being.
......
Hearing the endless discussion beneath the platform and sensing countless eyes fixed upon him, Gu Little Fatty suddenly thought, This is bad.
It seemed he had acted far too calm.
Suddenly, everyone saw him turn his head and glance at the last two Shura Prefecture disciples, who were still struggling desperately to hold on. He immediately began imitating them.
Water spiritual energy circulated through his body. Droplets began streaming continuously from his forehead. What he failed to notice was that they appeared and slid down far too quickly.
Deciding that this ought to be about right, Gu Little Fatty somehow produced a spotless white handkerchief and dabbed at his forehead from time to time.
He deliberately made his body tremble or sway slightly every now and then.
“Fake!”
“Far too fake!”
“What is this boy doing? Pretending he cannot hold on? But his act is ridiculously obvious.”
“I have suddenly discovered that this boy is a walking comedy act. Hahaha!”
“Senior Brother, why are they saying that?”
“Because of Gu Changqing, of course. Look at him. Do you call that sweating? It is more like he found the weather too hot, conjured up a lump of rain, and poured it over himself to cool down.”
“And those tremors are far too unnatural.”
“Everyone else looks as though they are suffering in agony. He looks as if he is enjoying a luxurious massage.”
......
Amid the countless discussions, the faces of everyone from the Misty Sect darkened like storm clouds.
The Fifth Elder raised a hand to cover his face. The sect master simply closed his eyes, choosing not to look. The remaining peak masters and elders were all holding back laughter until they were nearly in pain.
Every disciple sighed inwardly.
This shameless scoundrel had once again revealed his true nature.
Bai Linger’s exquisitely beautiful face had also flushed crimson beneath the platform.
Beside her, An Ran, sect master of the Crouching Tiger Sect, laughed uproariously without the slightest concern for his dignity.
......
The last two Shura Prefecture disciples had already been clinging to the edge of their endurance. When they saw Gu Little Fatty inexplicably glance at them, then perform one ridiculous movement after another in a smooth, flowing sequence, both of them suddenly spat out great mouthfuls of blood.
Just before they fainted, their bloodshot eyes seemed to blaze with flames capable of burning Gu Little Fatty to ash.
And so, the fifth round of the trial came to an end.
Only Gu Little Fatty remained standing upon the platform, still swaying his body and muttering under his breath, “What was so shameless about that?”
Outside the platform, the laughter and denunciations of shamelessness from countless spectators surged into the heavens.
......
The vice-prefect, Xiu Xuantian, a seasoned judge who had remained unruffled through every change of circumstance, was also thoroughly amused by Gu Little Fatty’s performance.
The incense had already burned out, yet he seemed to have forgotten the four disciples from his own prefecture who had fainted. He remained silent for quite some time.
Only when Gu Little Fatty was the sole person left upon the platform did the vice-prefect finally speak again.
“Sixth round.”
“Senior, I surrender—”
“Mid-stage Nascent Soul pressure. Begin! Light the incense!”
Before Gu Little Fatty could finish saying the word “surrender,” the oppressive force of the mid-stage Nascent Soul realm instantly surged across the platform and enveloped him.
After cursing the old bastard inwardly, Gu Little Fatty raised his head and glanced at the floating vice-prefect and the countless spectators beyond the platform. He then looked toward the elders of his own sect, whose faces were covered by black clouds of gloom.
His eyes shifted once more.
Suddenly, he closed them, tilted his face toward the sky, and collapsed flat on his back.
Ten breaths. Twenty breaths...
Just as everyone watched this bizarre spectacle in astonishment, torn between laughter and exasperation, Gu Little Fatty suddenly puckered his lips and sprayed out a massive mouthful of blood.
It surged upward like a fountain before scattering into countless fine crimson droplets, falling like flowers strewn by heavenly maidens, like a drizzle of blood.
Thirty breaths. Forty breaths...
When the judge still did not announce the result, Gu Little Fatty steeled himself and suddenly began convulsing violently. Every part of his body spasmed without pause.
To make the performance even more convincing, he circulated his water spiritual energy once again. Great beads of sweat immediately streamed from every inch of his body, and before long, a large patch of the platform beneath him had been soaked through.
......
Every spectator, including the last four Shura Prefecture disciples who had already regained consciousness, stared at Gu Little Fatty as he performed his one-man show.
The scene was so comical, and so transparently fake, that everyone remained speechless for a long while.
“That is enough, you little rascal!”
“Get up.”
Before the incense had finished burning, the vice-prefect waved his hand. The remaining length of incense shattered into powder, and the pressure on the platform vanished. Shaking his head, he scolded with a laugh.
“Boy, th-thank you, Senior... for your mercy... and for holding back...”
Gu Little Fatty pretended to struggle. Trembling, he pushed himself up from the ground, then clasped his hands with equal difficulty and addressed the floating judge respectfully through quivering lips.
“You little rascal, get down there and wait.”
The vice-prefect was so exasperated by Gu Little Fatty’s insistence on acting out every detail that he could only laugh and curse. With a wave of his hand, he sent Gu Little Fatty flying off the battle platform.
Just before he struck the ground, Gu Little Fatty twisted in midair and landed firmly on both feet. He then sprinted toward the Misty Sect’s viewing stand at full speed, showing not the slightest sign of internal injury.
Yet the succession of scenes had left countless spectators suppressing their laughter so fiercely that they seemed to have suffered internal injuries themselves. Coughing and wheezing echoed throughout the city.
......
The people of the Misty Sect were utterly speechless as Gu Little Fatty returned victorious, having claimed first place.
If he wanted to win, could he not simply win properly? Why did he have to win so shamelessly every single time?
Every member of the Misty Sect lowered his head and pretended not to know him. Even the neighboring members of the Crouching Tiger Sect turned away one after another, as though declaring, Do not look at us. We are not from the same sect as that shameless rascal.
......
This was the Grand Tournament of the Hundred Sects of the entire Southern Domain—a solemn and momentous occasion.
So how had it somehow become so strange?
All those who had watched or participated stared at the shameless fellow for a long time, as though they had witnessed something beyond the heavens.
At the same time, every spectator reached the same tacit conclusion:
A man capable of fooling around so effortlessly beneath the pressure of the mid-stage Nascent Soul realm had undoubtedly concealed a considerable portion of his true strength.
......
“Ahem.”
“Ahem, ahem.”
“The first stage of the Grand Tournament is concluded! We shall now begin the second stage: determining the rankings of the disciples within each pressure tier.”
“The second tier contains a total of eight hundred people; the third tier, six hundred; the fourth tier, eighty-five; the fifth tier, fourteen; and the sixth tier... er, one person!”
......
Once every disciple had received a ranking within his or her tier, the tiers would be arranged from highest to lowest, and the overall rankings of the Grand Tournament would thereby be established.
“Next, the eight hundred disciples of the second tier are to ascend the platform.”
“The rules are simple. Draw lots and face your assigned opponent. Rankings will be determined by your number of victories and defeats.”
The eight hundred disciples gathered their wits and filed onto the platform to draw their numbered lots.
The battle platform then rose automatically, walls of light dividing the arena into four hundred smaller platforms.
According to their lot numbers, the eight hundred disciples were transferred in pairs to their respective battle platforms.
The contest for the lowest rankings—from seven hundred and first through one thousand five hundred—officially began.
......
The ranking battles lasted the entire afternoon before finally coming to an end.
The whole Spirit-Artifact City shone as brightly as day.
The contests for the third, fourth, and fifth tiers were all held during the night.
By the following morning, the complete rankings of the Grand Tournament had been finalized.
......
Above Spirit-Artifact City, a gigantic talismanic ranking list suddenly materialized from thin air.
This was the Southern Domain Earthly Ranking of the Celestial Pivot Pavilion.
First place: Gu Changqing of the Misty Sect.
Second through seventh places: Xiu Qingcang, Li Chenyi, Chen Zhiyuan, Fang Wenbo, Song Yingjie, and Xiu Weiqi of the Shura Prefecture.
Eighth place: Zhao Xianyun of the Misty Sect.
Ninth and tenth places: Xiu Ye and Xiu Jie of the Shura Prefecture.
Eleventh place: Lin Shiyin of the Misty Sect.
Twelfth place: Wen Yanbin of the Azure Cloud Sect.
Thirteenth place: Cheng Yuanhang of the Crouching Tiger Sect.
Fourteenth place: Wei Fenghua of the Scarlet Flame Royal Court.
Fifteenth place: Sun Ziqian of the String Moon Sect.
One hundred and fiftieth place: Li Haisong of the Crouching Tiger Sect.
......
Looking at the fifteen hundred names shining brilliantly upon the Earthly Ranking, especially those in the top hundred, everyone engraved them deeply into their minds.
All of these people were still under twenty years of age. Once they truly matured, the entire structure of the Southern Domain might be transformed by their presence.
These elite disciples represented the future hopes of their respective sects. In the years to come, they would undoubtedly have supreme experts guarding their paths.
Thus, more than ninety percent of those present calculated that if they could befriend such people, they absolutely should not become their enemies.
Yet where there were ten thousand hearts, there were ten thousand different thoughts. At that very moment, quite a few people had already coldly placed these elite disciples on their hunting lists.
......
“Next is the final segment of this Grand Tournament!”
“I have already stated that the first-place disciple of each tier will have one opportunity to challenge the last-place disciple of the tier above.”
“You first-place disciples of each tier—does anyone wish to issue a challenge?”
“Reporting to Vice-Prefect Lord, I, Xiu Qingcang, wish to challenge Gu Changqing, the first-ranked disciple.”
“Very well. Anyone else?”
“Since there are no other challengers, then so be it. Xiu Qingcang, Gu Changqing, ascend the platform.”
......
The countless spectators beneath the platform all wore expressions that said, Of course.
How could the Shura Prefecture, as the sect at the top of the hierarchy, be willing to surrender first place in the Grand Tournament to someone else?
How could an elite disciple of the Shura Prefecture be willing to let a disciple from a subordinate sect stand above him?
Besides, everyone was eagerly anticipating this battle. They all wanted to know exactly how powerful Gu Changqing—the shameless rascal—truly was.
“Junior Brother Gu, please.”
“Senior Brother Xiu, you first.”
“Heh, Junior Brother Gu, do not think you can win me over with empty courtesies. Once I make my move, you will lose terribly—very, very terribly.”
“So you should go first, Junior Brother Gu.”
“Er... all right, then. In that case, I thank you in advance, Senior Brother Xiu.”
After exchanging these courtesies, Gu Little Fatty once again transformed his invisible spiritual force into a needle and swiftly gave Xiu Qingcang, who had already assumed his stance, a light prick.
In the eyes of the spectators, Gu Little Fatty merely strolled leisurely toward Xiu Qingcang, who had suddenly fallen into a daze for no apparent reason. He then moved behind him and lightly chopped the back of his neck with one hand.
The second-ranked contestant, who had been unbearably arrogant only moments earlier, went limp in an instant and collapsed unconscious onto the ground.
......
The spectators had yet to recover their senses. The battle they had anticipated so eagerly had ended in such a childish fashion?
For the people of the Misty Sect, however, the scene was all too familiar.