As I walked toward the square with my head held high, every gaze around me locked onto me.
Most of the people here were disciples of Bixia Temple, along with fellow Daoists from local temples in the Qilu region and a handful from other regions.
Forget recognizing me-they might not even recognize Mao Jing and Pan Ling, disciples of the Qingcheng Sect, at first glance.
Now that I had stepped forward, the chatter was relentless.
"Where's this kid from? He's actually got the guts to go up?"
"No idea. Never seen him before."
"He's kind of handsome, but he looks so damn cocky!"
"He showed up in casual clothes. No respect for the rules at all. No wonder our senior sister picked him."
"Kid, I'd advise you to surrender now. Our senior sister hits hard."
"Whatever. We're not the ones getting beaten up."
"..."
The comments kept coming, covering just about everything.
I didn't care. Empty-handed, I walked straight onto the arena platform.
Facing the cold-faced beauty Liu Yumeng, I was just about to cup my hands and introduce myself.
But she suddenly spoke first.
"Fellow Daoist, since I picked you, you may attack first! I'll take three moves from you before I strike back!"
I froze for a moment. Was she really that cocky?
She was even giving me three free moves?
In any other setting, I would have opened with the Thunder Method and shown her what arrogance cost.
But this was her home ground. I had come with Mao Jing to pay a visit, not as an invited guest.
If I blasted Liu Yumeng straight to the ground, everyone at Bixia Temple would lose face.
Besides, Mao Jing had warned me. After thinking it over, I decided to let Liu Yumeng lose with some dignity.
I smiled.