"Hahaha! Good, well done, A-Ming! You truly are a prodigy of the Lu Clan!"
Over at the middle-flag platform, Lu Jinglei, who had expended too much Primordial Qi, could not help bursting into laughter. He had even prepared to burn his Divine Ability Dharma Mark to buy time, but who could have expected that, before they had even clashed, the lower-flag platform would produce a result capable of turning the tables?
Lu Ming's victory had made up for the disadvantage caused by the Golden Gang Sword Hall's earlier intervention.
Lu Qingyan was also beaming. Looking at Zhu Lian, whose expression across from him was frighteningly grim, he said, "All right, you win here. We're giving up the middle flag."
Zhu Lian exchanged a glance with the other Great Divine Ability Practitioner from the Red Sand Hall beside him. Although they had taken the middle flag, their eyes were full of frustration and anger.
They could only raise their heads and look toward the upper-flag platform.
There, Shi Tong, the master of the Red Sand Hall, met their gazes and froze.
His face, beaming only moments ago, had now gone stiff.
How had a sure victory suddenly come to depend on his decisive battle with Lu Jin?
"Hall Master Lu, your Thunderfire Hall has produced quite a promising talent!" Shi Tong's face was ashen as he glared fiercely at Lu Ming's figure and ground his teeth.
How did this Lu Ming look even more formidable than Zhang Yue?
Lu Jin's gaze also rested on Lu Ming. A faint smile appeared on his aged face, which had been filled with grim killing intent, and there was a hint of pride and gratification in it.
This was the Lu Clan's Divine Ability Child!
In desperate straits, he could turn the raging tide.
Lu Jin slowly withdrew his gaze, and the warmth in his eyes gradually faded. Astonishingly powerful thunderfire Primordial Qi slowly rose from within him, while Heaven and Earth Yuan Qi came howling toward him, condensing over his body into a violent, dazzling Thunderfire Feather Robe.
The Thunderfire Whip took shape in his hand once more.
Lu Jin slowly raised the Thunderfire Whip and pointed it at Shi Tong, a chilling killing intent emerging on his aged face.
"Shi Tong, the people below have all done their part. So next... it's time for the two of us to step in and play."
Lu Jin was furious too.
Under Lu Jin's fixed gaze, radiating chilling killing intent, Shi Tong's expression grew increasingly uncertain. Was he really going to fight this old fellow Lu Jin in earnest?
If he won, the Red Sand Hall would claim the second hall's seat.
But what if he lost?
How could Shi Tong fail to sense the violent fury surging beneath Lu Jin's expressionless, aged face?
The Golden Gang Sword Hall's intervention had aroused the anger of the entire Thunderfire Hall.
Shi Tong felt that if he fought Lu Jin now, the old bastard would show no mercy and fight to kill. They might both end up grievously injured, and if someone jumped out at that point...
Damn it, I forgot about the Mountain Moving Hall!
A chill suddenly struck Shi Tong's heart, and his gaze snapped toward the Mountain Moving Hall. Of Qingyuan Market's four third-rank Divine Ability Halls, the Mountain Moving Hall had always ranked last as the fourth hall, a step below even his Red Sand Hall.
And among the Red Sand Hall's current flag defenders, Lü Xiao and Gong Hu had temporarily lost the ability to fight at the lower flag. If Lu Jin forced Shi Tong into a fight that left them both grievously injured, there was no guarantee the Mountain Moving Hall would not set its sights on them.
As Shi Tong turned his gaze toward the Mountain Moving Hall, he happened to see its hall master, Shen Tai.
And at that moment, the fellow's face was full of anticipation.
The fuck are you looking forward to?
Shi Tong's mouth twitched. The fucking Mountain Moving Hall was waiting to gut him.
Shi Tong took a deep breath, his gaze shifting uncertainly. At last, he gritted his teeth and cursed, "Retreat!"
He immediately turned and led the way back to the Red Sand Hall's combat platform, looking thoroughly disgraced.
Zhu Lian, Feng Baichuan and the others from the Red Sand Hall looked at one another. In the end, they understood Shi Tong's thinking, and could only stamp their feet in resentment and give up their chance to claim the Thunderfire Hall's seat as the second hall.
The Red Sand Hall's retreat, which had begun like a tiger and ended like a snake, immediately drew countless boos from within and around the lake.
"Ohhhhh!"
On the Thunderfire Hall's tower ship, the many disciples, who had been so tense they could barely breathe, erupted into earth-shaking cheers like survivors of a calamity.
No one had expected that a situation on the verge of collapse moments ago would suddenly be reversed.
Countless spectators also sent the Thunderfire Hall admiring cheers and encouragement. A reversal from such desperate straits was enough to set their blood boiling.
Yet amid the cheers filling the air, some strange looks were directed at the very top of the combat platforms, where the Golden Gang Sword Hall stood.
With the Red Sand Hall abandoning its bid, the measures the Golden Gang Sword Hall had taken to wear down the Thunderfire Hall now seemed rather ridiculous.
Under those countless gazes, Lin Changkong's expression was indeed ugly. He glared hatefully at Shi Tong. How could the Red Sand Hall be so useless?
His Golden Gang Sword Hall had personally stepped in and paved the way so thoroughly.
And they could still let a sure victory be overturned?
What pig teammates!
But no matter how furiously he cursed them in his heart, it was no use now. The Golden Gang Sword Hall had already used one of its challenges, and could not step in again.
He could only take a deep breath and force down the anger in his heart, closing his eyes to ignore the countless strange looks.
"We've secured our seat as the second hall!" Gao Yu said joyfully, relieved of a great burden.
With the Red Sand Hall retreating and the Golden Gang Sword Hall lowering its flags and stilling its drums, the Thunderfire Hall had undoubtedly borne all the pressure and held on to its place as the second hall.
Yuan Da was also full of joy, and a measure of admiration appeared in his gaze as he looked at Lu Ming. Everyone understood that this reversal had depended entirely on Lu Ming turning the raging tide.
Lu Ming, however, did not feel particularly joyful. Although they had driven back the Red Sand Hall this time, it was the Golden Gang Sword Hall, which had thrown stones at them while they were down in the well, that was truly the most disgusting and infuriating.
They had caused the Thunderfire Hall so much trouble, and now they wanted to dust off their backsides and act as if nothing had happened?
Wouldn't that be letting them off too easily?
Lu Ming's eyes flickered with a fierce light. At the same time, he sensed an unusual fluctuation coming from the Divine Ability Bone within him, and his expression subtly changed.
Perhaps I really can give it a try?
If he swallowed this grievance, his thoughts would truly remain obstructed, and even his usual cultivation would be affected.
Lu Ming fell silent for several breaths, then suddenly turned his gaze to Lu Jin on the upper-flag platform and asked, "Grandfather, haven't we already had one draw with the Golden Gang Sword Hall?"
Earlier, Lin Changkong had sent Xu Xiong and Zhao Yu to challenge them. To wear down Lu Qingyan and Lu Jinglei, the two had chosen to drag out the fight despite their clear advantage.
Although this had allowed them to drag the fight out until the hour ended and exhaust more than half of Lu Qingyan and Lu Jinglei's Primordial Qi, it had also turned the challenge into a draw.
Hearing Lu Ming's question, Lu Jin's eyes flickered. He nodded slowly and said, "What do you want to do?"
Lu Ming grinned, his smile revealing a hint of youthful unruliness. "Hiding our abilities too much doesn't seem to do much good. Rather than that, why not soar into the sky in a single flight and astonish everyone with one cry?"
"Grandfather, tell me, can our Thunderfire Hall take the first hall's seat?"