Immortal Jiuhua suddenly spoke up, asking Ju Hua to come down and give it a try. It truly caught him off guard, but Ju Hua didn't hesitate. He nodded and walked forward.
From the very beginning, Ju Hua had wanted to compete for the position of commander.
First, according to the agreement they had just reached in the central tent, each army would only need to arrange its troops and nothing else. It was a relatively easy post that wouldn't take up too much of his time.
Second, having a commander for each army would benefit the Zhuanshui Clan's forces. After all, the dangerous terrain in the Autumn Mountain Great Marsh came in different degrees of peril. Which troops would go to the most dangerous places and which would go somewhere safer—all of that was up to the commander.
If he won this position, no one could say a thing if he showed the Zhuanshui Clan's army some favor in the battles to come.
When something would benefit his army and was within his power to do, Ju Hua was willing to do it.
Since he was to become a commander, he ought to take responsibility for his army!
The reason Ju Hua hadn't stepped forward earlier was simply that too many people had already tried. He had planned to wait until there were fewer people before making his move!
But since Immortal Jiuhua had taken the initiative to mention his name, Ju Hua had no choice but to oblige!
Immortal Jiuhua had personally called him out, naturally making the Loose Immortals present curious.
The "Zhuanshui" emblem on Ju Hua's clothes was unmistakable. The Loose Immortals could tell at a glance that he came from the Zhuanshui Clan.
As one of the top clans in the Great Xia World, the Zhuanshui Clan was certainly not to be underestimated. But as for Ju Hua, to be honest, even the least successful among the Loose Immortals present knew at least a few people. There were even more who knew powerful Void-Return Fiendgods like God Mountain!
Yet among all these people, not a single one recognized Ju Hua. The reason wasn't complicated: Ju Hua was too young!
Ju Hua had been a Loose Immortal for less than four years, and he had only cultivated for three hundred years in total. His talent had been decent, but not so outstanding that every major clan had heard of him. Given all these reasons, it would have been stranger if they had recognized him!
Ignoring the curious, scrutinizing gazes around him, Ju Hua slowly walked to a spot not far from the hundred-zhang-tall log. He rose gradually into the air, and three Immortal swords appeared a short distance in front of him.
Ju Hua's magic power surged within him. Vast quantities of Heaven and Earth's natural energy rushed toward him, and the three Immortal swords instantly formed the Three Talents Sword Formation.
"Intercepting Kill Style!"
Ju Hua gave a soft shout. In an instant, a dazzling sword beam appeared and hacked viciously into the enormous log.
As the sword beam faded, a sword mark appeared on the log's surface, visibly deeper than any of the marks left by the Loose Immortals before him.
"Gasp, this—"
In an instant, quite a few Loose Immortals who had been watching for fun were left dumbfounded.
"That sword mark is probably about as deep as the axe mark Fellow Daoist God Mountain left, isn't it?"
"About as deep? I remember it very clearly. This sword mark is exactly as deep as Fellow Daoist God Mountain's axe mark!"
"Exactly the same! How is that possible?"
"Could Fellow Daoist Ju Hua have done that on purpose?"
"Doesn't that mean he was holding back, and that his attack is even stronger than Fellow Daoist God Mountain's?"
"Fellow Daoist Ju Hua is clearly a Sword Immortal. It's no surprise that his attacks are stronger. But one thing is certain: Fellow Daoist Ju Hua is at least on the same level as Fellow Daoist God Mountain!"
"I've never even heard of such a powerful Loose Immortal before..."
"Neither have I, but today I've certainly seen one!"
"Judging by Immortal Jiuhua's expression, he probably knew about Fellow Daoist Ju Hua's strength from the start! I suspect he had already chosen the commanders for the other two armies. Perhaps he only had Fellow Daoist God Mountain and Fellow Daoist Ju Hua demonstrate their strength to everyone!"
"Mm, that makes sense! Besides, Fellow Daoist Ju Hua comes from the Zhuanshui Clan. I'd have no objection to him leading us!"
"..."
The Loose Immortals continued to exchange messages. By then, Ju Hua had recalled his three Immortal swords and calmly walked back.
"Fellow Daoist Ju Hua certainly lives up to his reputation!" Immortal Jiuhua said with a smile.
"Your praise is too generous, Fellow Daoist Jiuhua. My meager skills are nothing compared to yours!" Ju Hua said, cupping his hands.
"Haha, Fellow Daoist Ju Hua is too modest. It seems the commander of the second army can be none other than you!" Immortal Jiuhua said with a laugh.
"Ju Hua will certainly not fail in his mission!" Ju Hua said solemnly.
"Good. Hearing you say that puts my mind at ease." Immortal Jiuhua smiled and nodded. Then he looked at the group of Loose Immortals behind him.
"Fellow Daoists, does anyone else want to give it a try?" Immortal Jiuhua asked.
"..."
The Loose Immortals all fell silent. One army had God Mountain, and another had Ju Hua. Both were clearly a cut above the rest of them. There was no point in stepping forward!
"Since no one else wants to try, the commanders of the two armies will be Fellow Daoist God Mountain and Fellow Daoist Ju Hua. What do you think?" Immortal Jiuhua asked.
"The Baiji Clan has no objections!"
A Loose Immortal who looked like a young man in white nodded at once.
He was Immortal Baiyun of the Baiji Clan. Though Ju Hua's sudden appearance had taken the position of commander away from him, he didn't mind. If he wasn't strong enough, he could simply work hard at cultivating and catch up.
Since Baiyun was the first to speak, the others didn't hesitate either. They nodded their agreement. With such a vast gap in strength, they naturally accepted the outcome.
Ju Hua, however, glanced at the young-looking Immortal Baiyun and felt a strange sensation in his heart.
In Desolate Era, the Baiji Clan had quite a few scenes, but like the Shaoyan Clan, they appeared as villains.
The Baiji Clan's ancestor, Baiji True Immortal, bore a deep grudge against Emperor Xia, but he had always kept it hidden and stayed very low-key. According to Desolate Era, the Baiji Clan would later raise the banner of rebellion, with Baiji True Immortal as one of its chief leaders.
Although it hadn't happened yet and Ju Hua didn't know whether it was true, recent events had greatly increased his faith in Desolate Era. He felt there was a very good chance it was true.
With this on his mind, he naturally felt strange when facing the Baiji Clan.
Of course, though Ju Hua felt strange inside, he didn't show it. He wasn't a fool. He couldn't very well jump out right now and point at Immortal Baiyun's nose, accusing the Baiji Clan of being traitors!
If he did that, the Baiji Clan definitely wouldn't let him off. It was hard to say whether the Zhuanshui Clan would protect him, either. After all, Ju Hua was already a Loose Immortal, and he would have brought it on himself.
Most importantly, there was not the slightest benefit to Ju Hua in doing such a thing. He held Emperor Xia in considerable respect, but as for loyalty, he was still a long way off!