Chapter Ten: The Second Divine Martial Arena Section Ten: A Misstep

Fortunately, Qiu Ye never cared about such things.

“The master once said that if July progresses swiftly, all matters of the Autumn Hall will be entrusted entirely to me. This decision was kept secret beforehand to avoid burdening July with too much pressure. But if the sect leader believes July is incapable, then that is a grave mistake!”

King Zheng also thought Qiu Ye’s actions were rash. July was still young, and even if a prodigy, it would be difficult to shoulder such a heavy responsibility. Yet, this was not a matter for him to question now; pursuing it after the fact was pointless. “Since the Martial Venerable is so confident, then the reputation of the Zheng Kingdom rests entirely on July.”

July hurriedly replied, “I will definitely do my utmost...”

“Not just your utmost, but you must win!” Qiu Ye said sternly, and July nodded in agreement.

Zheng Linran and the other elders of the Feixian Sect listened with mixed feelings. They all knew Zheng Feixian held great affection for July—the junior sister often stayed up late sharing drinks and heartfelt conversations with her. They also knew July was a ‘Jing’ gifted body, exceptionally talented.

Yet, to suddenly place such hopes on a mere junior sister to become the Martial Venerable was a distinction that none found easy to accept.

When Bu Jingxian saw July again, he noticed the wounds on her face had completely healed without a trace. The more he looked, the more relieved he felt, surprised at how beautiful she had become. She had also gained Qiu Ye’s favor within the Feixian Sect and was now entrusted with the hope of becoming the Martial Venerable. Bu Jingxian suddenly noticed the precious ‘Jade’ hanging at July’s waist, belonging to Ling Luo. He shifted his gaze to find Ling Luo watching July.

At that moment, Qiu Ye signaled with his eyes, and July suddenly remembered to return the jade to Ling Luo. She hurriedly took it off and offered it with both hands, saying, “Thank you, Marquess Xin, for lending the jade to assist with my training.”

Ling Luo accepted it with a smile, replying modestly, “It was nothing. Congratulations on mastering your divine skill.”

After July sat down again, she noticed Bu Jingxian’s gaze and turned sideways, glaring at him.

“What are you looking at, Northern Lord?”

“Am I not allowed to look at you?” Bu Jingxian said, amused. He wondered when July had developed such a ‘temper’, so different from her childhood.

“July, do not be insolent,” Zheng Linran frowned. In such a public setting, given their vast difference in status, how could a mere ordinary disciple of the Feixian Sect speak to the Northern Lord like that? Others might laugh at her poor upbringing under Zheng Linran’s care.

“If Northern Lord loves to look, I just fear the day you see me and run away,” July said coldly. “When I see someone from the Black Wolf Clan, I kill them one by one, ten by ten. I hate the Black Wolf Clan above all else! After today, Northern Lord better not let me see you again.”

“July!” Zheng Linran suddenly exploded with anger.

“After today, we will meet again, and more than once,” Bu Jingxian said calmly, a smile playing on his lips and shining in his eyes.

“July! How dare you be so reckless?” Zheng Linran was about to lose her temper, but July ignored her completely, showing no respect whatsoever.

July rose to her feet and said, “Great King, July does not wish to associate with the Black Wolf Clan. I bid you farewell.” She then walked straight down to watch the battle before the Divine Martial Arena. General Han Feng invited her to sit beside him, but she refused without a word, leaving the general feeling quite bored. He had met the Martial Venerable a few times and July several times, but every time he spoke to her, she refused to acknowledge him. He could not fathom when he had offended her and had asked others in the Feixian Sect, but no one knew either.

“Northern Lord, please do not mind. This junior sister has always been greatly favored by the master. Since childhood, she has been unruly within the sect, barging in wherever she pleased, smashing locks, kicking doors—it was all very common. The master never punished her but said she was dignified and full of domineering spirit. So she’s always been used to behaving as she pleases. If she has been rude, I hope the Northern Lord can forgive her,” Bu Jingxian explained, finally understanding how much Zheng Feixian had doted on July in the past.

“In that case, I now understand why the Divine Skill of the Supreme Sovereign is so overwhelmingly powerful,” Bu Jingxian remarked.

Others found the comment amusing and laughed along, deciding no more mention of July’s rudeness.

Seeing the names of those stepping onto the arena, no one recognized them. Ling Luo explained that the early challengers were not masters. But if any expert thought they were wasting time, they could easily step up and simultaneously challenge the two fighters on stage to dispatch them.

As they spoke, a Feixian Sect disciple leapt onto the arena.

“To dare delay the heroes of the world with such skills is laughable. I am a disciple of the Feixian Sect’s January Hall. No need to give my name; I am the most unpromising disciple in the Feixian Sect. I only wish to send these two off the stage to save the heroes their time!”

The two on stage were furious. “How dare the Feixian Sect be so arrogant! Then let us see your skill!”

Unexpectedly, with one palm strike, the Feixian disciple sent both crashing to the ground, unable to rise.

Several Zheng soldiers immediately carried the two off for treatment.

Someone leapt onto the arena and cupped his fist. “Such arrogance from the Feixian Sect. I am Guo Gang, a ranger of Northern Wei. I seek your skill!”

This challenger was also defeated within three moves, unable to get up.

Five challengers in a row were all defeated by the Feixian disciple’s palm strikes.

King Zheng laughed joyfully. “The Feixian Sect truly produces many talents. Even a disciple who doesn’t give his name has such skill.”

Zheng Linran smiled. “To boost the morale of our disciples, this time our sect has specially set a reward: the more people you defeat on the arena, the richer the prize. Already, these unknown challengers have cost our sect eight hundred taels.”

King Zheng grunted in approval, smiling. “Linran Sect Leader is truly ingenious. One opponent, one hundred taels. No wonder my sister always praised Linran Sect Leader, saying she would surely govern the Feixian Sect well.”

Though King Zheng praised, many, including Bu Jingxian and Ling Luo, privately disapproved. They felt Zheng Linran’s approach was too absurd—using monetary rewards to ‘motivate’ disciples might seem to encourage enthusiasm, but it was akin to corrupting their loyalty and courage with gold. Over time, it would cause great harm. Everyone would calculate how much they could earn, and without money, no one would act wholeheartedly.

Setting aside future consequences, even today on the arena, embarrassing incidents were bound to unfold.

Sure enough, Ling Luo soon grew bored of watching the matches.

With their divine vision, they saw that the three challengers who stepped onto the stage consecutively were all in cahoots, deliberately losing. The disciple on stage wielded a powerless palm, and the three challengers pretended to be knocked down but were never truly hurt. Clearly, these were friends arranged by the disciple to stage a farce to earn more rewards.

Zheng Linran also realized something was wrong, her expression very awkward.

King Zheng, unaware of the scheme, continued to praise the Feixian disciple’s prowess, making her blush with embarrassment. She wished she could rush down and strike the detestable disciple on stage dead.

The disguised fights continued for a few more challengers until suddenly another person from the Feixian Sect jumped onto the stage.

This surprised everyone greatly. It was well known that the Feixian Sect did not allow internal fights on the Divine Martial Arena unless the fighters on stage were battling for the right to challenge the Martial Venerable at the end.