Cult of the Sacred Runes

Chapter 211- Stepping Up

“Shameless shenanigans!” Yue Tieniu’s face became pale.

All the other newcomers did not want to take the bull’s side but did so nevertheless as they wished expressed their frustration.

“Are you just making new rules as you go along!?”

“How is this fair?”

They screamed and shouted

Feng Shan took a deep breath and shouted with thundering volume, “fair!? You kids are naive, didn’t you all know fairness is build on a winner’s bloody knuckles? Hahaha!” his laughter drown out the crowd.

“Enough talking! You are talking meaningless gibberish!” Yue Tieniu felt tricked he was tricked into an unfavorables fight, screamed furiously. “I will fight you and make you feel like a newbie!"

“Screw you!” Yue Tieniu cursed loudly as he channeled his Qi. The runes in his muscles flowed quickly, triggering an explosive strength.

He stomped the ground and launched himself into the air and, with his momentum amplified by the body strengthening stance, flew towards Feng Shan like a humongous cannon ball.

“Hm!” Feng Shan coldly glared down at the rampaging bull, calmly opening his hand to condense his fire red Qi onto his fingertips. His energy immediately morphed into flaming runes, dancing in his palm before it shrunk into a globe.

‘Low-level Earth stance, Sun Shock Palm!’

Feng Shan extended both his arms as he glided down towards the young giant.

“Swoosh!”

A harsh red light bloomed on his palms, falling onto Yue Tieniu like a blazing sun. The bull immediately lost balance upon contact, sent hurtling to the ground like a comet.

“Rumble!”

The impact shook not just the entire square but also the initiates into awe as a man-shaped crater appeared in the middle of the ring. Yue Tieniu’s body strengthening stance made him plow through solid ground easily like a piece of hot red metal through a block of lard.

It all happened in a few seconds and not a sound was made by anyone at the square. All the initiates were in shock as they witnessed the best of them being knocked out by Feng Shan with just one blow.

“Well fought. My name is Feng Shan by the way. It’s a bit rude that you didn’t greet me before the duel even though it didn’t last long!” Feng Shan flattened his lips, staring at the small pit that he just made, and chuckled disdainfully.

“If he was a veteran with the same cultivation level and the same strengthening stance, he would have lasted at least three blows. Sloppy and inexperienced! This newbie king did not do his training justice at all!” He continued talking in a disdainful tone, casting his cold gaze upon their shocked faces.

“All of you should learn from this! We do not tolerate newbies with a stinking attitude and arrogance akin to him!”

The initiates’ vengeful looks turned depressed, their furious eyes softening as they lowered their heads. Feng Shan’s stunt stabbed their self-esteem, and they were forced to accept what happened as the strongest of them had already fought and lost in their minds.

The scar-faced youngster grunted then started a little speech. “We don’t care how your hometown once treated you like treasure! The world is bigger than you knew it was, and you are here as a newbie in Helian City now! This means you are going to respect and obey!”

He continued as the initiates’ heads bent lower, wishing to brand the message into their heads while their memory of his powerful strike was still fresh. “When you get told to do something, do it! Or else you are just looking for trouble!”

“Kneel down! And repeat the palace’s rules after me! Don’t even think about standing up before I tell you we are done!” Feng Shan spaced a laugh between his act, assuming a despotic stance while speaking in an excessively harsh tone.

The whole square of initiates froze, none of them were good at taking orders, especially orders coming from a youngster at their age. They were all celebrated talents in their region, and all of them had struggled to became who they were today.

Most of them were here to focus on cultivation and felt the oppressive policies were unnecessary, even excessive. They were itching to stand up and express their resistance and pride within.

A figure furiously shot up from the crowd, his childish face looking not a day older than sixteen. “Who do you think you are? Just because you have been living here a few more years than I have doesn’t mean you own me! My father is the leader of the Hongdo Commandery, he will hear about this! I am walking out, who’s with me!?”

Encouraged by the son of someone influential speaking up, a few more initiates stood up. They glared at Feng Shan and Baili Hengtian as they spoke their minds.

“Don’t overstep the line!”

“We might not be as strong as you, but there are only two of you! You don’t want to corner us, trust me!”

Ye Wei remained quiet, spectating from the sideline. He wondered if the conflict between the new and the old had always caused this much tension; wondered if the induction routine had ever ended in bloodshed.

The veterans knew better. They knew most initiates would stay for a chance to gain great power.

“Hahaha, pathetic! Are you trying to threaten me? Do you think I will beg you to stay?” Feng Shan chuckled disdainfully. In his point of view, fewer initiatives meant less future competition. “Just leave then. Don’t waste space and resources!”

Despite the squabble, none of the initiatives walked away. They were furious, wishing to retaliate from the bottom of their hearts, but they were not going to just give up the chance to be chosen to work for the royal family.

“Why do I care about your father being a commandery leader? It’s all the same for me! If this is your first year, you are going to listen to me!” Feng Shan hummed mockingly and made numerous hand seals as he spoke. “If a damn lesson is what you need, a lesson is what I will give!”

‘Low-level Earth stance, Sky-gulping Stamp!’ The runes floating around his hand flew up to the sky, expanding to compose a giant hand-shape. The stance then fell onto the commandery leader’s young son. “You want to tell your dad about this too!”

“You’ve been caught!”

Just as Feng Shan grunted, the hand shape in the sky darkened and created a force of suction. The teenager from Hongdo was dragged up into the giant hand-shape.

“Click!”

The giant hand clenched as Feng Shan clenched his fist, and a bone-chilling cracking sound silenced the speculators.

“Argh!” The victim’s head was the only body part left outside the clench, and his complexion was purplish pale. Large drops of sweats ran down his scrunched up face as he cried in agony.

“Kid, remember where you are. This is Million Stars Palace. Your identity had become a newbie the moment you stepped through those gates. Your powerful family has no authority in here!” Feng Shan flew next to the giant clenched fist and slapped the exposed head until it became swollen.

“What made you think you could interrupt when I was speaking? You are weak and unworthy!” Feng Shan spat on the teenager’s face before he released the clench. “Let this be a lesson to you all! Whoever resists will get destroyed!”

The young man’s injured body began to fall from fifty feet high, and his arms and legs were dangling, swaying in the wind as most of his bones were broken.

The initiates were as quiet as cicadas during winter. They dared to think but dared not to speak nor move.

It was becoming apparent to them that Feng Shan was going to set an example with whomever stepped up against him; it was crystal clear that he would crush dissenting opinions and actions. And therefore, all of the initiates swallowed their pride in anger, taking their bloodshot eyes off Feng Shan.

Time was the most precious resource. If they had to miss months of cultivation and training due to injuries, they would surely fall behind.

An initiate close to the ring was the first to kneel down, followed by may others. All of their faces were red, and veins protruded on their necks and foreheads. Their bodies trembled with deep resentment.

Feng Shan watched the injured fall and laughed hysterically as he saw the initiates choose to turn their backs to a fellow newcomer.

When the body was ten feet above the ground, a blurred figure took off from the crowd. A mist of Qi appeared beneath the falling body, absorbing the momentum and causing it to gently land.

“Was that really necessary? I think you’ve overstepped the line.” Ye Wei calmly stood in the air, letting his emotionless gaze rest on Feng Shan.

“Yue Tieniu was making a mess on his first day and might have deserved a lesson, but you can’t punish someone for speaking their mind. You can’t treat us like trash and have us kneel down like slaves. Especially not with your preposterous reasoning.” Ye Wei stood in the middle of the ring, looked up, and said. “You may be stronger than the bull, but you’re also dumber.”

Jian Chen chuckled. He was one of the few in the square who had yet to kneel down.

The bold speech drew everyone’s attention; both the initiates and the veterans had their eyes set on Ye Wei, all shocked by what they heard and saw.

“Guys, should we help him?”

“He might actually die!”

“He is too impulsive! He just dug his own grave by trying to be nice.”

“Wasn’t it obvious that Feng Shan hates heroes? Can’t this kid read the situation!?”

The initiates were talking among themselves, looking sad and sympathetic, anticipating another cruel scene.

“Another mouthy newbie?” Feng Shan sneered as he channeled his Qi. With a swipe of his arm, he sent forth an immense shock wave in Ye Wei’s direction. ‘Newbie, you will kneel before me, conscious or not!”

Baili Hengtian could not believe that Ye Wei would stand against Feng Shan despite the warning. ‘This kid did give me a nice bribe—he could be very resourceful!’

“Feng Shan, wait, there must be a misunderstanding.” He shouted and flew between the scar-faced veteran and the young Runemaster.

‘Brother, do you remember anything I told you? This is the palace’s tradition, don't be a fool! Stand back, now!’ Baili Hengtian used a voice transmission technique to warn Ye Wei and darted his eyes to the hills afar, ‘Feng Shan is just a puppet. Two veterans called Zhou Kuang and Bai Qing are behind it. They are not on the black dragon listing, but they do have some influence within these walls. Apologize and stand back. I will deal with the rest!”