SQLJBFDTW Chapter 4

Chapter 4: The Grand Competition (Part 3): Foundation Establishment Smashes Core Formation

A disciple from the Wuwu Sect shouted, “A victory achieved through dishonorable means!”

“Not the conduct of a gentleman!”

Amidst the chorus of agreement, voices from the Tianyao Sect retorted, “The Wuwu Sect can’t afford to lose!” The two factions refused to yield, nearly erupting into another brawl.

The masters on the platform conferred briefly and dispatched Lord Shen Du to announce the results.

She descended gracefully onto the arena, separating the two combatants.

Yu Wei, with his hand behind his back holding Only One Sword, lowered his eyes and retreated. Shen Du noticed the thin, blood-red mark on his neck and felt a pang of heartache. She glared daggers at Mo Zezhi.

Amplifying her voice with spiritual energy, she spoke clearly enough for everyone present to hear.

“As there were no explicit rules beforehand, the Tianyao Sect indeed won this match.”

Upon hearing this, those below who were dissatisfied could only grumble quietly. Mo Zezhi triumphantly bowed to the platform in thanks.

Shen Du thought, “You’re celebrating too soon.” She continued, “After deliberation by the Sect Leader and the various Lords, it has been decided that the morning’s competition ends here. This match’s outcome will not be counted. This afternoon, the remaining disciples, including Yu Wei and Mo Zezhi, will redraw lots. The detailed rules of the competition will be posted clearly. Please read them carefully.”

Mo Zezhi protested, “Why must we compete again?”

Shen Du ceased her amplification and scolded him, “With such a twisted mind, allowing you to continue competing is already giving the Tianyao Sect more than enough face!”

Mo Zezhi’s expression darkened, but facing a Core Formation stage Lord, he suppressed his urge to retort and unwillingly began to leave the stage.

Yu Wei bowed to Shen Du and also turned to go.

“Wait!” A clear voice rang out from below the stage.

The speaker wore a jasper and ruby pendant at his waist, with tassels of gold beads and pearls hanging down. His dark, wavy hair was half-tied up, and his face, while somewhat delicate, didn’t appear overly flamboyant.

It was none other than Chao Jianxue, the universally acknowledged good-for-nothing.

Somehow, he had left the spectator stands, pushed through the crowd, and now stood at the center of attention.

Shen Du stared at him, wide-eyed: What are you doing, you troublemaker!

Chao Jianxue stood below the stage, tilting his head back to shout at Yu Wei, “Why are we competing again? Little junior brother, that guy won by using dirty tricks. Are you really okay with that?”

Yu Wei looked at him, stunned.

His fellow disciples were also stunned.

Chao Jianxue was speechless.

Did Yu Wei not have a temper of his own? He accepted the unfair treatment with such indifference, like a machine. Did he not have emotions? Did he not have the spirit of a young man?

He couldn’t stand it!

However, he stood up not entirely for Yu Wei.

Chao Jianxue turned to Mo Zezhi. “Mo Zezhi, I want to compete with you.”

The stunned senior disciples nearly fell over.

What competition? Was Chao Jianxue crazy?

A weakling barely at the Foundation Establishment stage against a Core Formation scumbag—how could they compare? Was Chao Jianxue so enraged that his brain was even more damaged? Wasn’t this just making a fool of himself?

But Chao Jianxue spoke slowly, his expression very serious, “I want to fight you! Regardless of life or death. Do you dare?”

Shen Du urgently pinched a sound transmission talisman and sent it to Mu Yuan: “Come quick, your eldest disciple has gone mad!”

“Chao Jianxue, go back immediately!” she snapped, but Chao Jianxue was not one to obediently listen.

He said, “Lord, you need not interfere. The Immortal Sect Grand Competition is meant for sparring. I said regardless of life or death.”

Mo Zezhi looked at him and suddenly laughed. “Alright! Come on up.”

He wanted to see just how he was going to disregard life and death.

The arena stage was quite high; Chao Jianxue figured he couldn’t jump up, so he walked towards Yu Wei’s side of the stage.

As he passed Yu Wei, Yu Wei grabbed his hand. “Senior brother, you…”

Chao Jianxue impatiently shook him off. “Stop talking nonsense. I’m determined to fight today.”

Yu Wei still tried to dissuade him with a solemn expression. “Senior brother, you mustn’t.”

“Regardless of life or death”—these four words carried great weight. Mo Zezhi was not a gentleman who knew when to stop.

Mo Zezhi, having already lost face, now had Chao Jianxue walking right into his trap. He couldn’t wait to make Chao Jianxue personally admit defeat and immediately drew his natal sword.

“I accept your challenge, regardless of life or death. Of course, as long as you admit defeat, I can stop at any time.”

Chao Jianxue ignored Yu Wei, cracked his knuckles, and rolled up his sleeves. “Alright!”

The scene made Shen Du roll her eyes.

Why wasn’t Mu Yuan here yet? Had he blocked her message?

Seeing that the old-timers on the platform had no intention of stopping them, she could only intervene and save him at the critical moment, seeing that the boy was courting death himself.

With a sword’s cry, Mo Zezhi moved at the sound, the phantom of his sword becoming afterimages as he dashed forward. However, Chao Jianxue, seized by some unknown madness, didn’t dodge or evade. Instead, he embraced his own arm.

Those below gasped and recoiled, thinking blood would surely splatter three feet.

Yu Wei frowned deeply, Only One Sword almost flying out, but Shen Du suddenly stopped him.

At this critical moment, he looked at Shen Du, whose eyes were fixed on Chao Jianxue’s movements, as if she had discovered something, anticipating something.

Yu Wei followed her gaze.

The sword shadow bore down on Chao Jianxue’s face.

Suddenly, a clear buzz echoed from who knows where.

Mo Zezhi instinctively withdrew his hand as a golden light flew out from Chao Jianxue’s sleeve, congealing into a golden ring. Like a fish in water, it swiftly pierced through Mo Zezhi’s spiritual sword and constricted his wrist like a clamp, precisely on his wrist’s pressure point. The spiritual power in his hand instantly dissipated.

He hissed and pressed his hand to his wrist, gritting his teeth. “Chao Jianxue! What kind of unorthodox tricks are these!”

The golden ring buzzed, the spiritual power clashing and emitting a unique metallic vibration, tightening more and more. Mo Zezhi felt his wrist would break, and cold sweat dripped down. “Release me! You accuse me of using dirty tricks, but what are you doing! There are regulations now! Release me now!”

Chao Jianxue kicked away his spiritual sword that had fallen onto the stage.

“Using your methods against you.” He continued to chant incantations. “The regulations will only be released this afternoon. What’s wrong? Are you admitting defeat?”

He had no shortage of small spiritual items of various “unorthodox methods”. Lord Qishan brought many back for him each time, to protect his life, but he was reluctant to use them, hiding them in his golden arm bracelet.

Did they really think he was easy to bully?

Mo Zezhi did not expect that he would actually be suppressed by Chao Jianxue, a Foundation Establishment cultivator known to everyone, he swept a glance below the stage, and simply became ruthless and cut off the spiritual power flowing through his right hand, summoned his sword with his left hand, and waved it towards Chao Jianxue again.

Ding ding clang clang, crackle crackle—

Various colorful spiritual items emerged from the golden light, all hitting him in one go.

Everyone was stunned. Were these spiritual items being thrown? It was clearly money!

Each spiritual item, when taken out individually, was priceless. How many cultivators wouldn’t dare dream of this scene? Some were even one-time use items. A Foundation Establishment cultivator could only unleash a fraction of their power, so extravagant! So inhumanely rich, it was simply sensational to talk about!

With these spiritual items, a Foundation Establishment defeating a Core Formation was not a dream.

On stage, Mo Zezhi was being beaten down, unable to exert even a fraction of his spiritual power, only able to scramble around while holding his head.

The disciples who had been indignant for Yu Wei were all satisfied.

Mo Zezhi angrily shouted at Shen Du, “Lord!”

Shen Du coughed softly, twirling the ends of her hair with her fingers, and averted her eyes. “Regardless of life or death, ha.”

Was he just going to be beaten to death without any ability to fight back?

The more Mo Zezhi looked at Chao Jianxue, the more he hated him. He was clearly a piece of trash…

Chao Jianxue was also gradually exhausted from urging the spiritual items, and his dantian was becoming increasingly empty, but he was very calm, and it wasn’t visible on the surface. He only calmly asked Mo Zezhi, “Are you admitting defeat?”

Mo Zezhi felt that all the spiritual power in his body had been cut off by the unknown spiritual items, and it was difficult to continue. If things continued like this, he would surely die.

“I… admit defeat…”

Chao Jianxue’s lips curved slightly. “Admit it again, that you broke into Fuxian Mountain at night, that you have a thing for men, and that you fabricated rumors to slander me!”

Mo Zezhi wanted to raise his head, but couldn’t, he knew that if he said this, even the Tianyao Sect would be criticized, and he would be even more tortured when he returned.

“I… I don’t admit it…”

“Hmph.”

Chao Jianxue had long known that he wouldn’t admit it so easily, and another golden ring came off and directly circled his neck, he quickly chanted an incantation.

Seeing that things were not good, that someone was really going to die, Shen Du stepped forward quickly and pressed his shoulder: “Chao Jianxue! Stop there!”

Chao Jianxue couldn’t hear anything, and didn’t stop even under the pressure of the Nascent Soul stage, and continued to chant the incantation, gradually having a salty taste of blood in his throat.

Some Tianyao Sect disciples had already come on stage to rescue him, but it was difficult to get close in the glare of the spiritual items.

The golden ring was tightening more and more, Mo Zezhi’s blood surged, and his entire face was red, and he finally felt fear.

In the face of life and death, who cares about face?

“…I admit it! I admit it!” he shouted hoarsely.

Chao Jianxue nodded appreciatively, “Very good.”

The golden ring flew back, and all the spiritual items also stopped attacking.

Shen Du also breathed a sigh of relief, and the pressure she had released relaxed a bit.

Unexpectedly, Chao Jianxue’s eyes sank, and the coldness in his phoenix eyes was like a cat waiting for an opportunity to move, revealing seven points of certainty and arrogance.

A ray of light flew out from his palm, and before everyone could see what it was, they heard Mo Zezhi, who was already seriously injured, let out a scream.

The light flew back, and everyone could see that it was a golden arm bracelet, wrapped around Chao Jianxue’s arm like a snake.

As for Mo Zezhi, blood had already seeped out from his waist. He covered his wound with a pale face, and passed out in a cold sweat.

The Tianyao Sect disciples below were frightened and cast spells to stop the bleeding and heal his wounds.

Everyone was shocked and awakened, and couldn’t believe what they had just seen.

Mu Yuan came late, along with several teachers. Shen Du and Yu Wei looked at Chao Jianxue, and didn’t say a word for a long time.

–

“You rebellious disciple! You injured the Tianyao Sect’s Young Sect Master in front of everyone. Where do you place the Wuwu Sect! Where do you place your master!”

Chao Jianxue had long known that this would happen, and these scoldings didn’t hurt or itch, but his knees kneeling on the cold stone floor were very uncomfortable.

He had lost too much spiritual power just now, and his dantian was also faintly aching.

He didn’t say a word, completely like a stubborn bone, which made the Sect Leader even more angry.

“Mu Yuan! He is your disciple! How do you want to punish him!”

Mu Yuan also didn’t expect that he thought Chao Jianxue didn’t have the guts to retaliate against Mo Zezhi, who knew that he would really seriously injure Mo Zezhi in public, and even directly destroy the other party’s self-esteem.

Thousands of sorrows and fears turned into a sigh, he said: “Chao Jianxue, have you ever thought about the consequences of doing this?”

Chao Jianxue looked up and faced him squarely and said, “He bullied me, since I can take revenge, why not do it?”

A tooth for a tooth, an eye for an eye. That’s the principle.

The Sect Leader said: “The Tianyao Sect will naturally give you an explanation for this matter, you shouldn’t have done it yourself!”

“If I don’t do it,” Chao Jianxue calmly argued, “will the Tianyao Sect do it? Today I didn’t die, what about tomorrow? Surely someone will be harmed by him, I might as well directly destroy his possibility.”

The Sect Leader was an old man with a white beard, and he was furious at this time. When did Chao Jianxue become so eloquent? And when did he become so bold and reckless?

“You! Your heart was never so perverse before. I have always felt that although you have no talent, you are a good child, you must be punished today! Mu Yuan!”

Chao Jianxue suddenly felt a surge of resentment.

The original owner was not good at words, and always kept it to himself.

These masters and elders never understood the grievances he suffered in the private discussions of the disciples, the original owner had a perverse personality, and was even more unwilling to tell his master and foster father these things.

“I have no talent, but that is not the reason why everyone can bully me! Mo Zezhi and I said ‘Regardless of life or death’, since he agreed, he should bear the consequences, and similarly, if I die today, I will not regret it!”

His words were sonorous, and Shen Du on the side couldn’t bear it, and spoke for him: “Sect Leader, if you compare this matter, I don’t think Chao Jianxue did anything wrong.”

The Sect Leader slammed the table and said angrily: “This matter has nothing to do with right or wrong! Chao Jianxue, have you ever thought about how you will gain a foothold in this world in the future? If you have formed a feud with the Tianyao Sect, unless you have the opportunity to reach the Transformation God stage or above, the Tianyao Sect has plenty of ways to kill you, you have no ability to protect yourself, even if your master has times of negligence, what should you do!”

These words made sense, and Chao Jianxue shrank his head and didn’t speak.

He only wanted to be happy in his actions, and he really didn’t think about the future, but he thought that he would die if he wanted to, and it would be better to die than to live aggrieved and be pointed at.

If he doesn’t clarify the rumors, will the sect clarify them? Not necessarily.

Thinking of this, he straightened his waist again, unafraid of death.

“Confine him to the water dungeon.” Mu Yuan supported his forehead and said, “The Tianyao Sect may not easily spare you…”

“What water dungeon!”

The person hadn’t arrived yet, but the voice had already arrived.

The person walked into the hall in great strides, and when Chao Jianxue looked back, he was dressed in black clothes, and there was a sense of unruly arrogance between his eyebrows, the Mahayana cultivation was fully open, and the whole person was shining with golden light, sprinkled on Chao Jianxue’s head.

“My child, see who dares to move!”

Qishan was so bold.

Chao Jianxue was deeply moved, and hugged Qishan’s thigh.

It’s Dad!