บท 42: Sparked Rivalry (3)
Chapter 42 – Sparked Rivalry (3)
"It's your turn, young master Qing."
"Show them what you've made of, young master Qing!"
The Qing clansmen cheered for their young master, who was queuing to take the exam. This young master would be up next.
Several burly men in brown robes gazed at their young master with a proud look. Their young liege, Qing Zhong, was a talented cultivator whose strength had already reached 2nd stage level 10. They were confident that he wouldn't lose to the top outer disciples.
One of the clansmen were Qing Yong, the guy that had tried to bully Miaomiao but got knocked out in the process. He cheered for his boss, "Those trashes are nothing to you, boss! Show them your true potential!"
The young master glanced back at his supporters in embarrassment, but he still kept his aloof demeanor, resting his arms on his round belly, using it as his armrest. He puffed his chest, keeping his image as a proud son of the Qing Clan.
Qing Zhong was a tall and fat man with tanned skin. His stout physique stood out from the rest of the test takers as he was almost 2 meters tall and weighed over 200kg. Although Qing Zhong looked like a giant sumo wrestler, his steel-like muscle hid beneath the thick layer of fat under his skin.
The fat face of Qing Zhong made his eyes look small compared to other cultivators. Like others, he tied his long black hair in topknot style and covered it with a gold headwear.
Qing Zhong had a domineering presence among the examinees as well as his thick body odor. His sweat kept dripping from his face, hair, armpits, back, and butt. Without realizing it, his robes were already drenched and smelly. Many examinees didn't dare to get close to him because of the sour odor.
"Next!"
Jian Meng finally called for the next batch of examinees. 20 young candidates ascended the stage stairs and walked toward the arrays.
As Qing Zhong was approaching one of the arrays, he spotted an attractive girl in front of him.
"Ah, Fairy Wei, we meet again."
The girl was Wei Yuan, the proud granddaughter of the prominent Wei Huang, the first elder of Mountain Goose Sect. She was someone above Qing Zhong's league, but he tried to court her anyway.
"I bet your score will be over 90 if it's you. Say, after this test, would you like to join me for dinner after the examination? I have reserved the best hotel suite in the western district, so I would like to invite you to discuss our swordsmanship and Qi techniques."
Wei Yuan glanced at the giant for a moment. Seeing that the smelly young master trying to woo her, she looked away and declined his invitation, "My schedule for this month has already been booked, young master Qing. I can't join you."
"Ah, so cold! Say, how about we discuss the next trials? If the exams are the same as last year, there will be a free-for-all combat test in the latter round. Say, would you consider forming an alliance with me in advance?"
Wei Yuan closed her eyes and walked on the array in front of her, "Before we can get to that matter, you should concentrate on passing all tests."
*WHOOM*
As soon as the blond-haired girl stepped on the array, her spirit root evaluation was shown.
.
*********************************************
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[Evaluation – Wei Yuan]
Muscle: 92
Bone Marrows: 90
Meridian: 73
Dantian: 93
Qi and Essence: 93
Overall: 88
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*********************************************
.
Wei Yuan glanced at her result. When she found out that her score didn't reach 90, she looked disappointed.
'I thought my foundation was already solid, but it seems like my meridian foundation is too weak compared to Xu Miao. Oh well, my score is still better than most outer disciples, so that should be enough.'
Although Wei Yuan wasn't satisfied, onlookers and spectators cheered and gossiped as her score was higher than many of the outer disciples.
"That's the Wei Clan's princess for you!"
"If we don't count that bastard Xu Miao, the Wei Clan dominates the first test."
"Right, the Wei Clan has always been consistent. Wei Feng won the last year's grand prize, and he's now the top outer disciple of the Mountain Goose Sect. Wei Yuan definitely follows her brother's footsteps for sure if it's not because of that monster."
"Ah, I think she's unlucky. If we exclude Xu Miao, she has already won this round."
Wei Yuan frowned when the crowd didn't stop comparing her result with Xu Miao's result. Losing to him was fine, but getting compared repeatedly was annoying.
'A pity. My luck is really bad this time. I should concede the first prize and aim for the second prize. Eh, no. I should at least spar against Xu Miao in the last round. It's not like I'll lose in terms of combat experience!'
Wei Yuan hadn't given up trying to compete with Miaomiao. She was determined to defeat him in the latter rounds, which was more important than the basic evaluation.
Meanwhile, Qing Zhong smiled as he admired Wei Yuan's talent. He, too, stepped onto the array in front of him, believing that his score would be no less than Wei Yuan.
*WHOOM*
The result was shown.
.
*********************************************
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[Evaluation – Qing Zhong]
Muscle: 55
Bone Marrows: 79
Meridian: 65
Dantian: 80
Qi and Essence: 75
Overall: 71
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*********************************************
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The result was above average, but his muscle evaluation was meagerly low for a 2nd stage cultivator.
"WHAT!? THAT'S IMPOSSIBLE! I'M SURE MY MUSCLE VALUE SHOULD HAVE BEEN OVER 80!"
Jian Meng turned to Qing Zhong and looked at him from head to toes. He snorted, "Lose some weight, fatass! You have too many impurities in your bloodstream! If you want to do well in muscle category, at least, lose those jelly belly of yours! How are you considering yourself a cultivator if you don't cleanse your own impurity?"
Qing Zhong was enraged, but he didn't dare to offend the exam elder. He only bowed and accepted his result.
17 Other examinees took the test, but their result was so-so. Wei Yuan and Qing Zhong returned to their family tents to rest.
But when the last examinee of this batch finally stepped on the last array, the crowd erupted in shock, awe, and astonishment.
*WHOOM*
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*********************************************
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[Evaluation – Xie Tian]
Muscle: 100
Bone Marrows: 100
Meridian: 100
Dantian: 100
Qi and Essence: 100
Overall: 100
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*********************************************
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"WHAT!?"
"PERFECT SCORE!?"
"HOLY #$@%!!"
"THIS IS INSANE!!"
The commotion made Wei Yuan and Qing Zhong turn around. They gazed at the result and read them a few times to make sure that they were not hallucinating.
The owner of this result was a young man in a ragged cloth. His messy burned hair, rough skin, scarred hands, and traces of charcoal were similar to beggars, but many craftsmen could immediately identify him as one of theirs.
It was a young blacksmith. However, he had the cultivation strength of 2nd stage level 5.
The protagonist made his appearance when Miaomiao wasn't paying attention!
…
Xie Tian didn't look at his result. Instead, he kept glancing at the Silver Phoenix Sect's spectator stand, looking for Jiang Lan and her husband, Xu Miao.
Upon noticing that they weren't there, Xie Tian looked down and sighed. He turned toward his blacksmith mentor, Luo Cheng, who was blending among the elders.
Luo Cheng gave Xie Tian a thumb up. Xie Tian tilted his head in confusion, but he returned the gesture.
When Xie Tian descended the stage, many cultivators from various noble clans approached him right away.
"Young Sir, which clan do you belong to?"
"Young man, do you have an affiliation?"
"Young man, Are you interested in working for my clan? We can give you 50 raw spirit stones if you join our clan!"
"Hey, you. I saw him first! Say, young man, would you like to work for our Qing Clan? We can even teach you our clan's secret technique. Do you know Qing Swordsmanship? Our clan has many saber masters that you can take tutelage under them. None of your enemies can harm you if you're a part of our clan!"
"No, no, no, no. Qing bastards! Don't you dare touch him! This is our turf! Say, young master. Do you know Wei Clan? We're the rulers of this city. If you work for us, we can guarantee you wealth and prestige. See that elder on the stage? That's our patriarch, the first elder of Mountain Goose Sect! If you join us, the sect will prioritize nurturing you as if you're their core disciple!"
"No, all of you, stop! Handsome Sir, join us today, and we'll give you a permanent club card that you can use Poseidon Spa House's service for free permanently! I repeat, you can get a free massage as many times as you want if you join the Xu Clan! If you want money, we have it for you. If you want beautiful women, we have them! If you want fame, prestige, position, or anything you desire, we have them all!"
Many clans were fighting to win Xie Tian's favor, including the Wei Clan and the Xu Clan. These clans had already dispatched their scouts to recruit promising examinees, so they did their best to get Xie Tian's attention.
However, Xie Tian didn't want to be tied by an organization. He just wanted to meet his ex-girlfriend one last time.
"You, there."
Xie Tian called for the Xu Clan's scout.
When Xie Tian asked for the Xu Clan's goon, everybody else was disappointed. They tried to get Xie Tian's attention by offering beautiful women as one of their offers, but this protagonist wasn't interested.
The Xu Clan's scout was delighted. He rubbed his hands in eager, "Yes, yes. You've made the right choice. Come with me, so we can discuss our terms."
Xie Tian shook his head as this scout misunderstood his intention. Still, he probed, "If I join you, can you really give me any woman?"
"Yes, of course! Just name it, and I'll definitely get her for you today!"
"Any woman? Really?"
"Definitely!"
"Then, can you give me a girl named Jiang Lan?"
"Of cour-Err, pardon? Who is it that you wish to have?"
"Jiang Lan. She was once a slave working for the Poseidon Spa House that you've mentioned. Can you really give her to me?"
"…"
The scout broke a cold sweat. He knew of this girl's name as she was famous among outer disciples.
Jiang Lan was their young master Xu Miao's chambermaid. It was well-known that she was his favorite concubine since he never let her go anywhere.
"Umm, could it be other girls? This girl is a bit…"
"What's the problem? You said that you can give me any woman, yes?"
"Err… Give me a moment."
The scout took out his J-Phone and called Xu Xiuying right away.
บท 43: Sparked Rivalry (4)
Chapter 43 – Sparked Rivalry (4)
*PA* *PA* *PA*
In the Xu Clan's private restroom, Miaomiao was busy pumping baby seeds into Jiang Lan's belly.
During sex was the only time that Jiang Lan acted like a human. She panted and moved her hips according to Miaomiao's pace while she wrapped her arms behind his neck.
*Bzz* *Bzz*
While Miaomiao was about to finish his second session, his J-Phone vibrated.
Although getting interrupted was annoying, Miaomiao picked the phone. The caller was Xu Xiuying.
"Yes?"
"Where are you right now?"
"Toilet…"
*PA* *PA* *PA*
As Miaomiao was answering the phone, his hips didn't stop moving. Jiang Lan also moaned and panted along with the rhythm.
"Xu Miao, are you having sex in the toilet?"
"Ah, yes. Is there anything urgent? Oh, does someone have diarrhea?"
"No. Stop fucking for a second. It's loud!"
Miaomiao stopped moving his hips, but Jiang Lan didn't. The sultry sound continued, but it wasn't as loud as before.
"Okay, is it better?"
"I'll get to the point. Can you give Jiang Lan to someone else?"
"Pardon?"
"A talented cultivator is demanding Jiang Lan as compensation for joining our clan. I need that man to join us."
Miaomiao got more annoyed after Xu Xiuying demanded Jiang Lan. She might no longer be his favorite girl, but she was still his personal Yang Essence factory. He didn't want to cast away his sex slave.
"Can I refuse?"
"Remember the score you have?"
"Yeah, What about it? I should have gotten the top score, right?"
"You could have."
"Could have?"
"That man has gotten the perfect score. His foundation is stronger than you."
"…"
Miaomiao's face turned solemn. He had a bad feeling about this.
Xu Xiuying continued yelling, "I'm thinking of giving Jiang Lan to that man. You already have like 300 wives back home. Why don't you give that mindless doll of yours to the other, so you can spend more time with sane women?"
"That depends. What's that man's name?"
"Xie Tian. Oh, by the way, he's also a disciple of my spy."
"…"
"If you're worried about your position in the sect, you don't need to be afraid that you'll lose anything. I won't accept that man into the Silver Phoenix Sect, but I'll use him as another spy in the Mountain Goose Sect. He won't steal your other wives."
"Let me finish this session first, and we'll talk."
"Listen here, you little shit. Get your ass over here in 10 minutes, or I'll castrate you! Bring Jiang Lan with you. I'm giving her to that man!"
Xu Xiuying hung up the phone.
Miaomiao's boner was killed. He didn't like it when someone wanted to steal his belonging, especially the toy that he had trained so hard. However, it was a direct order from his boss, so he had to comply.
What ruined his mood wasn't Xu Xiuying's order, but it was the existence of something that could be stronger than his cheat and his hard work.
'The only one that can outperform me is a protagonist. Does he really appear?'
Miaomiao stared at Jiang Lan, who still had a look of ecstasy on her face.
This was a normal reaction. A Yin Cauldron's greatest happiness was when she had sex with her master.
Staring at Jiang Lan's lewd expression for a while, Miaomiao had a bad feeling about the entire situation. His instinct was tingling that he had seen something similar, but he couldn't recall it or pinpoint it.
'I have a déjà vu. I know something about Xie Tian, but at the same time, I have no idea about him. Say, system, can you tell me if Xie Tian really is a protagonist?'
<<Insufficient information. Please locate this person.>>
The system wasn't cooperative. Miaomiao had no choice but to return to Xu Xiuying with this sex doll.
.
.
.
= Meanwhile =
"Well? Why are you taking so long?"
Xie Tian was annoyed that the Xu Clan's scout couldn't guarantee that they would give him Jiang Lan.
The scout tried his best to delay his answer, but Xie Tian wasn't a patient man. He wanted to see Jiang Lan as soon as possible.
"Please give me a moment. I'm contacting my boss to bring the girl to you. Would you like to visit our spectator stand and wait for your girl over there first?"
Xie Tian glanced at the VIP stand where Miaomiao's seat was. When he recalled that Jiang Lan had married to power, Xie Tian changed his mind, "You know what. I've changed my mind. I'm sorry, but I won't be joining your clan."
"But why!? You'll get so much more support from the Xu Clan! You're here to join a sect to get stronger, right? We're here to sponsor you, but all you need to do is to join our clan."
"No. I don't like being tied with a clan or what-so-ever. I like being free."
"Umm, then why are you participating in this event, then? Aren't you trying to join a sect?"
"I'm only here to meet Jiang Lan and her husband. If they're not available, I'll just meet them by going through these stupid exams."
"…"
Xie Tian had learned the identity of Jiang Lan's husband through Luo Cheng. When he heard that his crush had become Xu Miao's wife, Xie Tian couldn't sleep soundly. He wanted to know what kind of person Xu Miao was, and he wanted to talk to Jiang Lan, asking for a second chance.
If Xu Miao was a good man, then Xie Tian might congratulate Jiang Lan and bless her. Better, if Xie Tian could persuade Jiang Lan to return with him, he would gladly forgive her and return home together.
Unfortunately, Xu Miao's fame wasn't favorable. He was known to be a wastrel that had sex all day, and he already had over 300 wives. He didn't like it that Jiang Lan married to this young master.
Still, when Xie Tian's witnessed Miaomiao's test result, he couldn't help but respect the latter's talent. Xie Tian couldn't figure Miaomiao's character anymore. Therefore, the only way to understand Miaomiao was to confront him and talk to him.
Xie Tian turned around and returned to his reserved seat at the back, waiting for the next examination round.
Just like other MCs in many novels, Xie Tian offended Xu Xiuying by declining her invitation. When she heard that Xie Tian changed his mind, Xu Xiuying sent an order to Luo Cheng right away to give this young man the last chance.
If Luo Cheng failed to persuade Xie Tian to join their clan, Xu Xiuying would send someone to kill him. After all, if he could not be her ally, he could only be her enemy.
.
.
.
Five minutes later, Miaomiao and Jiang Lan returned to their VIP stand. However, Xu Xiuying wasn't in a good mood. Even Qi Hong and Qi Ning weren't happy.
"You're late, young master Xu," Qi Hong sighed.
"What did I do this time?"
"That Xie Tian has declined our offers. We told him that we would give him Jiang Lan, but he got angry and chased our scouts away."
"The hell? And here I am resolving myself to sacrifice my precious concubine for the clan, why did he do that?"
"We have no idea either. Well, it's not like he has joined any family or clan. We can coax him through Luo Cheng later."
Miaomiao exhaled, relieved by the news. Fortunately, this man seemed to be the aloof type that refused to be bound with any organization for a long time.
"Where is he right now?"
Qi Hong shook her head, "No idea. Probably somewhere among the crowd."
"Can you locate him?"
"I can, but I won't."
"Why?"
"That isn't necessary. Do you remember what I've told you? That man's mentor is a spy from our clan. Leave the matter to Luo Cheng. You should focus on resting. The next exam will start at night."
Without a choice, Miaomiao gave up trying to find the protagonist. He stayed with everybody else and watched the boring examination until nightfall.
Unbeknownst to Miaomiao, Xu Xiuying and other elders plotted to kill Xie Tian. If Luo Cheng couldn't convince the young man, they would send assassins to kill him right away to take out a potential rival.
…
= Night Time =
At 9PM, the last examinee took the test. No more cultivator tried their luck.
Jia Shan, Jian Meng, and Xu Xiuying announced that the first exam was over. The next trial would begin at midnight as the sects required time for the preparation.
Yet, prominent families didn't leave the exam ground. They camped there to reserve their spots as they wanted the best location to watch the show.
Many failed candidates returned home or got back to their hotels. However, some of them stayed behind, occupying their previous camping spots, and waiting to observe the next event.
On the stage, Mountain Goose's disciples carried several magic tools down the mountain. They placed it on the stage before they excused themselves. The preparation for the next tests was underway.
As for Miaomiao, he also stayed behind. Xu Xiuying forced him and every participating disciple to remain on the site, so nobody could return home to get a good sleep. Miaomiao, Kang Yan, and other disciples had to sit cross-legged and meditate or rest while they were waiting.
Having nothing to do, Miaomiao decided to take a short nap instead of sitting and meditating like the other disciples.
As soon as Qi Hong and everybody else noticed how lazy Miaomiao was, they had a complicated expression on their faces. None of them could understand how Miaomiao got stronger despite being this lazy.
Nobody knew. Every hour that Miaomiao rested translated into 5 hours of training or additional sleeping time.
…
= Midnight =
Mountain Goose disciples hit their drums, signaling the start of the next trial. All resting candidates stopped meditating and gazed at the square stage, looking forward to the next exam.
Jian Meng announced, "The next trial will test the candidates' character. All candidates must sit on the stage and meditate. Then, we will transfer their consciences into illusion realms. They shall face their heart devils reveal their hidden desire. Only morally upright and strong-willed candidates can pass this exam! The passing score for this test is 100! The longer the candidates survive against their heart devil, the higher the score. If they can defeat their heart devils, bonus points will be added to their scores!"
In other words, all candidates' souls would be transported to a strange dimension, and they would be forced to challenge the illusion of their heart devils. Should they have evil intent or motive, these candidates wouldn't be able to return to their bodies, which usually resulted in death.
The second trial was a dangerous test with a 20% mortality rate, which was used to filter out evil cultivators. It also weeded out weak-willed candidates who were not ready to join their sects.
"All top outer disciples, step on the stage and show everyone how you pass the test!"
Again, Mountain Goose and Silver Phoenix Sect had a customary to show off the abilities of their disciples and competed against each other.
Miaomiao slowly opened his eyes after he had been nudged a dozen times by other outer disciples. After sleeping for 3 hours, he had rested over 12 hours in Isolation Space. As for the remaining 3 hours, Miaomiao spent the time ravishing weak female cultivators with 1% difficulty, relaxing his psyche.
When Miaomiao heard that this exam would test his character and his desire, he sweated bullets.
'Oh, shit. Do I really have to face my heart devils? Will they broadcast what I see in that realm? Wait, what's my heart devil? What will show up?'
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