The Heavenly Pride Grand Competition Begins, Chu He: Just a Bunch of Children Fighting
Time was like taking a piss-it passed with a shudder of the body!
At the center of Nine Nether Town!
An enormous arena stood, with seven seats above it prepared for the big shots from the various factions!
At that moment!
Countless spectators had already gathered around the arena, with no fewer than a hundred heavenly prides at the front, all there to compete.
Their expressions varied: anticipation, apprehension, nervousness, determination, indifference, and more-a panorama of human faces.
Tap!
A white-robed figure appeared in the arena and declared:
"I am Tian Yun, the overseer of this competition. Now, may our honored guests take their seats to watch."
His words had barely fallen!
Whoosh!
Whoosh!
Whoosh...
Five figures swept out of a distant tall building and reached the seats above the arena in an instant, settling into them!
Judging by their imposing presence, even the weakest possessed the might of the third rank. They were all renowned figures in Yun Province!
"Hiss... isn't that the Small Saber Sect's sect master? His flying saber technique is nothing short of divine, comparable to a fifth-rank martial skill."
"And the Great Earth Gang's leader..."
"And the Heavenly Baleful Intent Sect's sect master. They say he broke through to the third rank fifty years ago. A pity the fourth rank was beyond his reach."
An old man said regretfully, "Still, that's normal. The fourth rank is a vast chasm, not an easy one to cross."
The others nodded at his words.
Throughout the ages, how many monstrous talents and heavenly prides had been trapped at the third rank, unable to break through, eventually dying in despair!
"There are still two empty seats. One must be Tian Yun's, but whose is the other? Why aren't they here yet?"
Someone else voiced their confusion.
However!
Before anyone could answer, a loud shout came from behind!
"Make way!"
Everyone turned to look!
They saw!
In the distance!
Fifty Demon Suppression Guards cleared a path through the crowd as Chu He strode forward among them, his face cold and his manner utterly overbearing!
"It's Chu He!"
"Get out of the way! Whatever you do, don't provoke him. He's a fucking unreasonable lunatic, a complete freak."
At the sight of Chu He, chills ran down quite a few backs.
The truth was!
Chu He had done far too much in Nine Nether Town over the past two days. He had bullied men and lorded it over men, running rampant without restraint!
For example, he had gambled in a gambling house with his saber pressed against someone's neck. It would have been a fucking miracle if he could lose. Worse still, he had rolled three points, forcing the other party to shake their dice to pieces rather than dare win!
For another example, he had challenged someone to single combat, only to make them fight one versus fifty, beating them until they questioned their life on the spot.
And!
The Heavenly Origin Sect had turned a blind eye to all of it, leading everyone to speculate that his background was extraordinary. The other third-rank experts had not dared stop him either.
This made Chu He even more brazen!
"So, it's Chief Banner Chu. Welcome!" Tian Yun said calmly when he saw Chu He walk up above the arena.
Yet!
Chu He did not even glance at him, heading straight for the empty seat in the center!
Thump!
He sat down on the spot and declared imperiously:
"The Battalion Commander has matters to attend to. Today, I will watch in his place."
As he spoke!
Chu He turned his gaze toward Tian Yuan and said:
"You may announce the start now!"
(Tian Yuan: You fucking sat in my seat, and now you're ordering me around like a lackey! ╰(‵□′)╯)
Whew...
Tian Yuan's expression shifted several times before settling!
Normally!
Although the Demon Suppression Bureau would send a battalion to watch, they mostly stayed in a distant tower on a peak and rarely came to the venue!
Let alone sat in the host's seat. This was nothing short of a public slap in the face. Even if an uncle could stomach it, an aunt could not!
"What, are you unhappy with me sitting here?"
Chu He patted the seat and said wickedly, "Or do you believe the Demon Suppression Bureau is inferior to the Heavenly Origin Sect and should give you its seat?"
"No. Need!"
Tian Yuan flicked his sleeve and said, "Since Chief Banner Chu represents the Demon Suppression Bureau, you naturally deserve the seat of honor."
"Now, as the young sect master, I announce the official start of the Heavenly Pride Grand Competition. Anyone who places in the top ten will receive ten Tian Yuan Pills,
"those in the top three may enter the Heavenly Origin Sect to cultivate a fourth-rank secret art, and the champion may ask my father three questions."
With that!
He turned directly toward the remaining empty seat!
At the same time!
He glanced at Chu He from the corner of his eye, revealing killing intent, and thought:
Enjoy your swagger a little longer. This day next year will mark your death. What do the Demon Suppression Guards amount to, anyway?
At that moment!
A gleam flashed through Chu He's eyes as he sat in the seat of honor.
Just now!
He had slapped Tian Yuan in the face in public, yet Tian Yuan still had not attacked, forcibly suppressing his emotions instead.
This was clearly abnormal. The Demon Suppression Bureau's current prestige should not have been enough to make the Heavenly Origin Sect so afraid.
It seems whatever the Heavenly Origin Sect is plotting should be starting soon, perhaps during today's arena matches.
That's why they don't dare act rashly, afraid of beating the grass and startling the snake. But could they truly have noticed nothing at all?
A trace of doubt arose in Chu He's mind.
Five battalions of Demon Suppression Guards!
That meant five hundred men. No matter how careful they were, they could not possibly leave no traces, especially in a town the Heavenly Origin Sect had managed for centuries, where even a fly would struggle to hide.
Or was the Heavenly Origin Sect deliberately feigning ignorance, luring the snake into a jar while secretly spreading a net across heaven and earth!
No!
Qian Hao should not have been that foolish. Could they be playing:
A spy within a spy within a spy!
In an instant!
Chu He seemed to have guessed the heart of the matter, but he did not continue thinking about it. Whatever the plan was, all he needed to do was profit from it, slay as many demons as possible, and break through!
Below!
The heavenly prides gazed at the cold-faced Chu He above the arena, quite a few grinding their teeth with hatred!
Why!
Their cultivation and ages were clearly much the same, yet Chu He got to sit in the spectator seats and pass judgment on them.
Yet few had the courage to rush up and question him. They either did not dare or did not care!
Mainly!
Everyone feared an unreasonable lunatic!
They even!
Suspected that, if they dared do so!
Chu He would immediately brand them remnants of the White Lotus Cult, then have fifty Demon Suppression Guards swarm them and beat them to death on the spot without a shred of martial honor.
Although!
Yun Province was now swept by rising winds and surging clouds, and the Demon Suppression Guards were far less formidable than before!
Still!
They were certainly not a tiger whose whiskers anyone below the fourth rank dared touch!
Then!
A heavenly pride leaped toward the arena and shouted:
"I'll cast out a brick to draw forth jade! Bai Hao of the Bronze Sect, at peak first grade. Who will come instruct me?"
"Gou Dongxi of the Black Dog Gang accepts your challenge!"
Another heavenly pride immediately jumped into the arena.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The two fought for dozens of exchanges. In the end, Gou Dongxi finished the fight with a Black Dog Kicks the Balls!
Afterward!
More heavenly prides took to the arena to fight!
Off to one side, Heavenly Origin Sect disciples scored each heavenly pride. Their final rankings would be determined by their scores.
Clang, clink, bang, boom...
The sounds of clashing weapons rang out around the arena.
Below!
The spectators burst into cheers from time to time, as though the fights were spectacular beyond compare!
But!
Chu He, seated in the place of honor above, was growing drowsy!
"Chief Banner Chu, do you find the fights insufficiently exciting? These are Yun Province's elites, the future pillars of Great Qian."
Beside him!
Dao Buer, the Small Saber Sect's sect master, asked when he noticed Chu He's lack of interest.
Exciting!
Disdain appeared on Chu He's face as he said:
"Just a bunch of children fighting!"