You Want Me to Act Just Because You Say So? Don't I Deserve Some Respect?
In a fight, his opponent was a Level 99 Limit Douluo, far beyond anyone he could hope to challenge.
In an argument, his opponent's sharp tongue pinned him to the ground and ground him into the dirt.
He couldn't beat him in a fight or an argument.
Qian Xunji desperately wished someone could understand how stifled he felt. His fists were clenched so tightly they were almost bursting. Don't get angry, don't get angry, he reassured himself. Remembering that he still had something important to ask the brat's help with, he suppressed the anger and frustration in his heart.
"I'll deal with this brat later," he murmured to himself.
"Hurry up and tell me what you want my help with," Xu Feng said, glancing at Qian Xunji in mild annoyance. "Why are you acting like an old woman, hemming and hawing over a simple matter?"
Those words nearly made Qian Xunji explode again.
What?
I act like an old woman?
He was close to losing control, ready to throw caution to the wind, charge at Xu Feng, and slap him to pieces.
Who was he? He was the Pope of Spirit Hall. Who usually dared act so insolently in front of him?
But the thought of the brat's level made his gaze much clearer.
Forget it. I'd better hurry up and tell the brat what this is about. The longer I stay with him, the harder it'll be to control myself, he thought, then continued, "Here's the situation. Three elders of Spirit Hall are stuck at bottlenecks in their cultivation. If they advance one more step, they can enter the Worship Hall. Then Spirit Hall will have ten enshrined."
"So I'd like you to lend them a hand and give them some pointers on their cultivation."
Hearing this, Xu Feng raised an eyebrow. "Lend them a hand?"
He smiled faintly, understanding the deeper meaning.
Lending them a hand was probably just a pretext. What they really wanted was to size him up again.
Without a doubt, this was probably another scheme by that old fox Qian Daoliu.
He wanted to use the three elders as touchstones to test just how much Xu Feng's actual combat ability was worth.
That old fox is far too suspicious. He personally checked the vitality of my flesh and blood, and he's still not satisfied. Now he wants to weigh up my combat experience too, he grumbled inwardly. If not for the rewards he could obtain from critical hits on Bibi Dong, he would have turned around and walked away.
An amused, meaningful expression appeared on his face. "In that case, don't blame me if I don't know my own strength."
Back on Sea God Island, aside from raising his level every day, he had occasionally gone out to sea to seek out old, exceptionally powerful Sea Soul Beasts that committed evil and hone his combat experience against them. As a result, some evil Sea Soul Beasts in the distant seas called him the human race's god of slaughter.
Whenever he went out to sea, the evil Sea Soul Beasts nearby would sense his presence as soon as he appeared and flee at the mere hint of danger, terrified of being chosen as the "lucky one" by this human god of slaughter.
To the ordinary islanders of Sea God Island and the weak Soul Beasts of the distant seas, Xu Feng was like the Sea God's Descent, sheltering weak beings like them from the oppression of the evil Sea Soul Beasts.
Besides honing himself against powerful Sea Soul Beasts, he had also used the Seven Sacred Pillars as whetstones!
At first, the Seven Sacred Pillars could still suppress him by joining forces. Later, all they could do was take a beating from him.
His blade had grown sharper and sharper.
"Actual combat is my strong suit." Xu Feng found it rather amusing. That old fox Qian Daoliu had miscalculated again.
He looked at Qian Xunji and said calmly, "I'm not going."
Qian Xunji was stunned. He had thought the brat would agree, only for the brat to pull a feint and catch him off guard. "These three elders are respected veterans of the Elder Hall, and their strength is formidable. If you spar with them, you might benefit a great deal yourself," he urged, then gave Bibi Dong a look, signaling her to help persuade him.
Seeing her teacher's look, Bibi Dong hesitated, a trace of uncertainty appearing on her beautiful face. How was she to choose between her teacher and Xu Feng?
In the end, though, she said nothing.
If she spoke up and left Xu Feng with a poor impression of her, what would she do if he got angry and refused to marry her?
Yes, I'm doing this for Spirit Hall's future, not for myself, Bibi Dong thought, feeling a little guilty. A union between two great powers, Spirit Hall and Sea God Island, was important, so nothing could go wrong with her marriage to Xu Feng. She scarcely dared meet her teacher's gaze.
Seeing that Bibi Dong had said nothing after all this time and had even avoided his pointed look, Qian Xunji felt both angry and rueful. Sigh, a grown daughter can't be kept at home. They aren't even married yet, and Dong'er is already siding with an outsider.
As a teacher, he had been a miserable failure.
Just as Xu Feng had expected, he was asking Xu Feng to act so he could test his mettle again. This was his father's clever plan.
His father had checked the vitality of Xu Feng's flesh and blood, but still felt uneasy. He feared Xu Feng was a "pseudo-Limit" built up with all kinds of heavenly treasures, a showpiece who had never been through the crucible of battle and had little practical experience.
If he faced a major trial in the future, he would shatter as easily as a vase.
When it came to raw strength, he wouldn't be able to pass the test.
That was why his father had devised this clever plan to put Xu Feng to the test.
On one hand, after the sparring, the three elders' Soul Power might reach the next level, allowing them to formally enter the Worship Hall. On the other, they could size Xu Feng up. It was like shooting two birds with one arrow.
"If I act just because you tell me to, where would that leave my dignity?" Xu Feng refused. Then he changed tack and continued, "Unless..."
"Unless what?" Qian Xunji asked hurriedly.
"Unless the price is three Ten Thousand Year Soul Bones," Xu Feng said directly.
He was a Level 99 Limit Douluo, one of the tiny handful of people standing at the very peak in the world today.
If he acted whenever someone asked, where would his prestige be?
He still had to maintain the stature of a Limit Douluo. Otherwise, it would be too low-class.
"Three Ten Thousand Year Soul Bones?" Qian Xunji drew a sharp breath. He hadn't expected Xu Feng's appetite to be so great that he would name such an exorbitant price.
Soul Bones were extremely scarce. The chance of one dropping after a Soul Beast was killed was extremely low; only a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast was guaranteed to drop one.
In the original Douluo story, even Chrysanthemum Ghost Douluo, two people of extremely high standing in Spirit Hall, had no Soul Bones. That showed just how precious Soul Bones were, to say nothing of Ten Thousand Year Soul Bones.
"You're opening your mouth like a lion," Qian Xunji said furiously. The brat was trying to empty Spirit Hall's coffers! He said angrily, "Even with Spirit Hall's deep reserves, we can't produce three Ten Thousand Year Soul Bones at once."
"One Ten Thousand Year Soul Bone is the most I can offer," Qian Xunji said through gritted teeth, his heart aching at the expense.
"Fine, then one Ten Thousand Year Soul Bone, plus ten thousand Gold Soul Coins," Xu Feng countered.
Xu Feng knew that Spirit Hall had at least three Ten Thousand Year Soul Bones. In the original story, after Bibi Dong became Pope, she had offered three Soul Bones at once as an incentive and reward for the champions of the Soul Master Tournament. They were the Spirit Condensation Wisdom Skull, the Explosive Burning Flame Right Arm, and the Rapid Advance Wind Chasing Left Leg.
Bibi Dong had been very confident and overbearing. She had offered the three Ten Thousand Year Soul Bones as the champions' reward precisely because she was confident that Hu Liena, Xie Yue, and Yan of Spirit Hall Academy's Golden Generation would win.
With the champions "chosen in advance," it would have been like passing the prize from one hand to the other, giving Spirit Hall both prestige and profit.
Unexpectedly, the dark horse Tang San had appeared halfway through and snatched the championship, and the Shrek Seven Devils had ultimately received the rewards.