Chapter 44: Conflict Before the Match
"It's people from Five Elements Peak..."
Seeing the dozen or so disciples who had blocked Lin Feng, Tian Zhongdao, and Yuh Zi'ang, someone immediately cried out in alarm.
Lin Feng just beat Yang Teng from Five Elements Peak so miserably, it was practically a slap in the face of Five Elements Peak.
As expected, people from Five Elements Peak appeared immediately.
These dozen disciples were also Outer Disciples, and although their cultivation was not incredibly powerful, seven or eight of them were at the Martial King Realm.
Those who had not broken through to the Martial King Realm were mostly at the peak of the Martial General Realm, full of vigor, and seemingly on the verge of a breakthrough.
The composition of disciples in the Azure Cloud Sect was extremely complex.
Generally divided into the following categories: First, the offspring, relatives, and households of the sect's strong. It is said that reaching a Deacon Level entitles one to a quota each year to let a relative join the Azure Cloud Sect for cultivation, these people have varying talents and strengths can be strong or weak.
Second, some forces affiliated with the Azure Cloud Sect.
Such as some countries, sects, etc., as they are attached to the Azure Cloud Sect and share its honor and disgrace, they also contribute to the sect every year. Therefore, these forces also have certain quotas to send their children and disciples to Azure Cloud Sect for training.
Third, disciples who join the Azure Cloud Sect through assessments.
This third category is the real way to select talents.
Because the disciples from the first and second categories have entered the Azure Cloud Sect through connections, it is difficult to ensure their talents.
But those who enter through assessments are often exceptionally talented.
However, among the several hundred thousand disciples of the Azure Cloud Sect, those who come through assessments are very few, probably only about ten percent.
But the disciples who join the Azure Cloud Sect through assessments also receive the most attention from the sect.
And the disciples now blocking Lin Feng and his companions were obviously senior disciples, whose cultivation was not very strong, likely belonging to the first or second category of disciples who joined the Azure Cloud Sect.
...
"Is there a problem?" Lin Feng indifferently glanced at these people in front of him.
The strongest among these dozen disciples from Five Elements Peak was at the Martial King Realm Third Level, named Xue Zimo, he coldly looked at Lin Feng and said, "Kid, you think you can just beat up our Yang Teng from Five Elements Peak and walk away like that? Do you think it's going to be that easy?"
"Indeed, these disciples from Five Elements Peak won't give up easily!"
"It's also these few unlucky fellows from Heavenly Repair Peak, Heavenly Repair Peak isn't any powerful peak after all, seen as a target for everyone to step on. Living cautiously might still lead to being stepped on, not to mention now."
Many disciples shook their heads one after another, feeling that Lin Feng and the others were destined to be miserably dealt with by the disciples of Five Elements Peak today.
"Hit, we've already hit, what else can it be?" Before Lin Feng could speak, Tian Zhongdao was already shouting. This guy also had a grievance in his heart. Since joining Heavenly Repair Peak, he was ridiculed every day; were it not for the many rules within the sect, Tian Zhongdao would have long been fighting back.
"Hmph, beating someone from our Five Elements Peak won't be settled so easily. I see you guys are new to the Azure Cloud Sect, so out of respect for Heavenly Repair Peak, kneel on the ground, kowtow in apology, cripple one of your own arms, and we'll call it even for today. Otherwise..."
"Get lost, your, mother, mother's..."
Before Xue Zimo could even finish, Tian Zhongdao's foot had already kicked towards Xue Zimo.
With a thud, a dull loud noise, Xue Zimo was kicked flying by Tian Zhongdao.
Splash!
He landed on the ground in an extremely embarrassing manner.
No one expected Tian Zhongdao to suddenly kick Xue Zimo like that.
Everyone was stunned.
Lin Feng couldn't help but touch his nose, since it had already happened, what was there to wait for?
He stepped forward and kicked the second disciple of Five Elements Peak flying.
Seeing both his senior brothers had made a move, Yuh Zi'ang gritted his teeth, and before the disciples of Five Elements Peak could react, he too rushed forward, kicking another person.
Awesome!
Too awesome!
Yuh Zi'ang had never felt so exhilarated.
The little devil imprisoned within his heart seemed to be released at this moment. Having been suppressed for too many years, Yuh Zi'ang roared and charged at a second person. At this time, the disciples of Five Elements Peak reacted, roaring angrily, "Damn it, those waste from Heavenly Repair Peak actually dare to strike at our Five Elements Peak people, chop up these little brats."
"Who, who, who's afraid of whom?" Tian Zhongdao called out.
Both sides immediately broke into a fight.
"Have the disciples of Heavenly Repair Peak gone mad?" Many onlooking disciples were dumbfounded by the scene.
In the crowd, a disciple from Heavenly Repair Peak named Wang Hu, who had some prestige within Heavenly Repair Peak, shouted loudly, "Brothers, we can't just watch our brothers from Heavenly Repair Peak get bullied. Everyone, together, kill this bunch of bastards from Five Elements Peak."
Wang Hu rushed out of the crowd and joined the battlefield.
The disciples of Heavenly Repair Peak, seeing Lin Feng beating up Yang Teng and then forcing Deacon Zhu Zibo to apologize to them with just a few words, were secretly thrilled. The blood that had gone cold in their hearts seemed to warm up again. In that moment, they roared into action. Dozens of Heavenly Repair Peak disciples all charged out, surrounding the more than a dozen Five Elements Peak disciples, punching and kicking, delivering a fierce beating.
"Spare us, please!" the disciples from Five Elements Peak wailed pitifully.
"My God, is that really the same group of trash from Heavenly Repair Peak?"
All the disciples from the other peaks watched the scene unfold in disbelief.
The Heavenly Repair Peak disciples they remembered were the ones who would submit to humilitation without daring to fight back, only passively enduring.
But now, they saw the disciples of Heavenly Repair Peak, each with eyes blood-red, resembling fierce beasts ready to devour their prey, sending chills down the spines of many.
The Five Elements Peak disciples who were about to join the fray upon seeing these crazed disciples from Heavenly Repair Peak frightened many into hastily retreating back into the crowd.
"Stop it."
A cold shout came through, as dozens of Five Elements Peak disciples rushed out, led by the Favored Son of Heaven, Sikong Mo.
With astonishing talent and taken as a disciple by the Great Elder of Five Elements Peak, countless people had high hopes for his future. Thus, though Sikong Mo had joined Five Elements Peak not long ago, he had already garnered considerable prestige among the disciples.
The Heavenly Repair Peak disciples, including Lin Feng, stopped.
"What? You think you can bully us because you are many and we are few? Don't think we, the disciples of Heavenly Repair Peak, are afraid of you. Although we are few, when we encounter violence, we will defend ourselves and fight back."
Lin Feng shouted.
"Come on, this guy's got some nerve, doesn't he? Just now, it was clearly over thirty Heavenly Repair Peak disciples ganging up on the few from Five Elements Peak, and now this guy makes it sound like legitimate self-defense? Now that a large number of Five Elements Peak disciples have arrived, he paints himself as the victim."
Many people rolled their eyes. If they hadn't seen what just happened with their own eyes, they might have believed Lin Feng.
But now, all they wanted to tell Lin Feng was that one must not be so shameless.
Seeing those Five Elements Peak disciples beaten half to death, and then hearing that statement from Lin Feng, Sikong Mo and others who had arrived later turned black with fury.
"What's going on here?" A cold voice rang out. The conflict had even alarmed Grand Elder Zhaang Quan of the Outer Disciples' peak, who asked with a grim expression.
Lin Feng pointed at Sikong Mo, looking towards Grand Elder Zhaang Quan, and pleaded, "Elder, please stand up for us. These Five Elements Peak disciples led by Sikong Mo wanted to rob us of our Spirit Stones. We refused, and he led a group to attack us."
"Well, Five Elements Peak, even mere Outer Disciples dare to cause trouble here?"
Grand Elder Zhaang Quan's expression instantly darkened upon hearing Lin Feng's words.
Sikong Mo opened his mouth to explain but was interrupted by Grand Elder Zhaang Quan, who coldly said, "Disperse now, or do not blame this Elder for not showing you mercy."
Sikong Mo and the other disciples from Five Elements Peak were so frustrated, they felt like spitting blood. It was their dozen or so disciples who had been beaten half to death, and now they were being slandered.
But thinking about it, it made sense. Without having witnessed what had just happened, who would believe that it was the Heavenly Repair Peak disciples who had pummeled more than a dozen disciples from Five Elements Peak half to death? Anyway, Grand Elder Zhaang Quan did not believe such an incident had occurred.
"Yes," Sikong Mo and the others quickly responded.
Grand Elder Zhaang Quan gave the Five Elements Peak disciples a cold glance and then turned to leave.
"Lin Feng!" Sikong Mo glared at Lin Feng through gritted teeth.
Lin Feng glanced at Sikong Mo indifferently and said, "What do you want, calling out to your grandpa like that?"
Many people twitched at the corners of their mouths. Was that boy looking for death?
The competition for new disciples was about to begin.
Now to provoke Sikong Mo like this, if Lin Feng were to encounter Sikong Mo during the competition, wouldn't he be utterly crushed?
At this thought, many people felt that Lin Feng's provocation of Sikong Mo was utterly irrational.
Sikong Mo's lips curled into a grim smile as he coldly looked at Lin Feng and said, "Kid, I have to admit, you've angered me. But, I won't lay a hand on you now. The competition is upon us. You'd better pray that you don't encounter me. If you do, I'll crush you under my foot like a bug to teach you how stupid your actions today were."
"I'll be waiting…" Lin Feng spoke calmly.
"Let's go."
Sikong Mo, with a dark countenance, turned and left.
The disciples from Heavenly Repair Peak also quickly departed, but many were still talking about today's "abnormal" behavior of the Heavenly Repair Peak disciples.
"Junior Brother Lin really made our Heavenly Repair Peak proud today," Wang Hu said excitedly on the way back.
The rest of the Heavenly Repair Peak disciples also had flushed faces, obviously very excited, having been part of Heavenly Repair Peak for so many years.
For the first time, they had felt what was called dignity.
Lin Feng smiled and said, "It wasn't me who made Heavenly Repair Peak proud, it was all of us claiming back our own dignity. Did you see that? These so-called superior disciples from Five Elements Peak were beaten by us and knelt on the ground begging for mercy like grandsons. There's nothing so special about their status; our Heavenly Repair Peak is no less than any other peak."
"That's right, our Heavenly Repair Peak is no less than any other peak!" Many disciples cheered in unison.
Wang Hu watched these inspired Heavenly Repair Peak disciples and suddenly felt tears welling up. How many years had it been? Wang Hu realized that this was the first time the disciples of Heavenly Repair Peak were so united, the first time they had risen to fight back, the first time they had soundly thrashed the disciples from other peaks, the first time they had felt dignified for being from Heavenly Repair Peak.
How Wang Hu wished this wasn't the last time. But he knew it was wishful thinking — the Heavenly Repair Peak disciples would still be subjected to insults, mockings, and bullying by disciples from other peaks, still living without dignity. This situation was simply impossible to change.