Chapter 382 - 382: Clash of Clans

Sharing is caring Jia Shizi vs. furniture delivery-boy He Guofu?!

That announcement struck Bubai like a gong, jolting him upright with rapt attention.

Even the laid-back Qian brothers threw aside their idle chatter and showed clear interest about this battle.

"There he is—the one they called the Golden Lion! Tsk, tsk. We've only heard about how rampant he was in the secret realm, but now we finally get a chance to see him in action."

"Yeah! I just didn't expect him to make a move so early though. In past years, he mostly showed up once or twice near the end—just to sweep the floor."

"Hmm. But this year is different." Qian Fusha solemnly clenched his fists. "Big changes is normal when the balance has been broken."

Qian Feifu sighed. "Aish. A tall tree falls and all living beneath its glory must bear the wrath. This He Clan just so happens to be unlucky enough to be the first."

"It's not luck, but inevitable. Fifty years ago, their family only ran a humble business outside…"

"But ever since they pledged their allegiance to the Wu banner, they've expanded their clan greatly and swelled like summer fruit—fat, ripe, and recently, even bold enough to start taking root in the sect."

"Well, that's the normal path of ascension for... most of us. Nothing to be picky about."

"If they consolidate their foundation for a few more decades, the He lineage would've been here to stay. Alas... man proposes, god disposes."

"Right when they got stuck in a hard place, they lost the protection from above. Now, they are just a juicy piece of fat for those other factions."

"But they've got nobody to blame but themselves. In times like these... weakness is the original sin."

Bubai totally agreed. That was just how the world works.

But there's something interesting here. Those sighs and brooding faces. Were these Qian brothers talking about others, or... themselves?

"But that's got nothing to do with us, right? Ahahaha..."

The honest-faced Qian Zhongta scratched the back of his head and laughed the brooding mood off.

That brought smiles back to the rest of the brother's faces.

"Yes, it got nothing to do with us. Not everybody is qualified to eat this meat."

"Ou! Ou!" Qian Bage then clapped the distracted Bubai's shoulder.

"Brother Bai, why are you spacing out? We're starting to transitioning from solo-hunting to clan-on-clan confrontations. Things will get interesting from here on out…"

"Interesting?" Bubai didn't bother with guesswork and asked directly, "Is there anything special about this clash of clans?"

"Ou! Indeed!" Qian Bage puffed his chest proudly like a know-it-all. "This is where things get real, ou!"

"Unlike normal challenges where individuals chased after glory, wealth, or personal grudges, the bets on the table between clans tend to be bigger—territories, heritages..."

"Sometimes, the interests are great enough to put an entire clan on the line!"

"Of course, there are lines drawn to prevent the big from bullying the small and full-blown clan wars from happening on stage. Most of the time, it's just a representative who fights on the clan's behalf."

"Depending on various factors, this can be one or two rounds, and might even go up to best-of-five. Ou, but by the looks of it…"

"This time, it should be one clean cut since the qualified fighters on the He Clan side are still rather lacking."

"Ahh… I see." Bubai understood. Well, he expected as much before...

Now, all the pieces of unspoken rules were falling into place.

The Inner Sect Exchange was a legal plundering day, but the real game was never between the solo hunters.

That was a flash in the pan at most.

The real players at the table were obviously the powerful clans!

It goes without saying that not everybody is qualified to participate in this game.

Since there will be multi-round back-to-back matches, how is it possible for a lone cultivator to stand against an entire clan that could just keep substituting players?

In battles where everybody's at pretty much the same cultivation realm, injuries were common and consumption should typically be heavy as well!

It's rare to see anybody who can walk out unscathed and fight round after round!

That goes to say how abnormal the recovery talent he showed was. Enough to intimidate all those greedy hyenas lurking on the sidelines.

He was like a one-man-army who can do sit-ups and step into each new round at full health! That's almost protagonist-level cheating! Who can compete?!

Alas, he wasn't a real overpowered protagonist and going solo only goes so far.

Even ants can mob an elephant to death. Besides, there are mountains beyond mountains.

Once there's enough interests involved, the stronger players will swoop in for the kill!

He expected all this from the very start. That's why he forged connections and made "friends".

Now one of those "friends" was taking the stage below.

"Ou, speak of the devil—Look! Here they come!"

Down below in the arena.

Walking out from the gates with confidence thrown over his shoulders like a cape, Jia Shizi cracked his neck left and right. "Ah… I can finally stretch my muscles."

Across from him, He Guofu stood still as a stone with a Bagua plate in hand, staring at the beast with a lion's mane.

"As far as I know, we have no bad blood. Why us?"

Jia Shizi crossed his thick arms and shrugged. "Oh, no real reason. Those bunch were just getting a little too boring to watch. So I figured I'd kick things up a notch."

He Guofu clearly didn't believe that excuse. "Spare me the nonsense. Tell me what you want."

"Oh? So serious. Haha..."

A wolfish, wicked grin spread across the devil's face.

"Very well. Then I'll get straight to the point. Word is, your He Clan's secret glass refinement art can fire up some serious heat…"

"I think it'll make a pretty good match for our Jia Clan's cauldron refinement art. Don't you agree?"

He Guofu's face fell. "I see."

Then both sides didn't bother wasting words any further.

If those above didn't stop this bet, then this fight was inevitable.

"Begin."

At once, He Guofu took a few measured steps back and his Bagua plate flared to life!

Oom! A projection of the plate's triagram formation bloomed at his feet and expanded out, covering almost half the field like a great celestial compass!

Then, the area within the compass quickly started fogging up!

"Eight Triagrams: Mist Field!"

Watching He Guofu get swallowed up by the sea of white, Jia Shizi still laughed confidently. "Haha! What childish tricks! Only the weak like hiding their head and tail!"

"Childish or not, won't you know once you come in? Or does Fellow Daoist Shizi not dare?"

"Hahaha! What childish provocation! But I, Jia Shizi, am never afraid of a challenge!"

With that, Jia Shizi rushed straight over and boldly crashed into the wall of fog!

The churning mist swallowed him whole, leaving the audience staring at nothing but ever-shifting fog.

Back in the viewing box.

The Qian brothers clicked their tongues and lost all interest.

"Che, another one of these. I hate these kinds. Can't see a damn thing!"

"Right? There's nothing good to watch. Boring~"

"Ou! Can't agree more! Still, who do you guys think is gonna win?"

Qian Feifu propped a chin on his palm and analyzed.

"Mm… both sides are mid-stage, realm-wise. Cultivation arts-wise, it's obvious who has the better bet."

"But that surnamed He's no pushover. That's an old ghost with over a century of experience, and it's hard to tell how deep his foundation is! As for this Golden Lion…"

"From what I've heard, he's a beast of a different breed. He's born with a golden spoon, but when he came of age, he didn't lean on his clan, but actually set out on his own!"

"Then? From the mud, he clawed his way all the way up to his current status relying on nothing but his fists and fire!"

"That's a true genius forged through blood and sweat, a real monster like no other, a strong man with a bright future!"

"If the heavens doesn't cut him down early, all of us believes he has the highest chance of becoming the next core disciple!"

Naniii?! Bubai felt shocked inside. This casual "friend" he made was that powerful?!

Gotta understand: core disciple wasn't just a simple title.

All core disciples are late-stage, but not all late-stage can be core disciples!

Only the young possessing great potential can gain the sect's focused cultivation and stay as core disciples!

The rest of the older generation, no matter how solid their cultivation, aren't worthy enough to enjoy such a status!

Instead, most of them get sent off to serve as deacons or managers at branches outside the sect!

So to be evaluated so highly, this Jia Shizi's strength and potential must really exceed his imagination!

Not only that, even his disposition matched that of a strong man!

How many of those powerful clans heirs would give up a comfortable life to strike out on their own?

And those who did, how many could survive?

Thus, it goes without saying: any who could do this and rise up was a champion destined for greatness!

Of course, Bubai knew the world didn't work that simply.

Though unknown how much, that Shizi's impressive rise certainly should still have some ties to his influential backing.

Somewhere in the background, there must've been at least a little secret help here and there from a certain grandpa (not in a ring).

That didn't count as cheating. It was just the truth of the world.

Some people are just born with a better start. There are always those luckier than others.

And maybe… just maybe… others saw him in that light too.

The ever-sharp Qian Bage rolled his eyes slyly and elbowed Bubai in the ribs.

"Ouu, Brother Bai, looks like Lady Luck's been smiling your way! If I'm not wrong, didn't that Golden Lion invite you to his box just yesterday? Brother, awesome!"

The other Qian brothers similarly eyed Bubai with funny looks.

"Ah? Truly unexpected! Brother Bai actually has ties with such a powerful friend!"

"For real! What a blessing! Fortune really does favor the brave!"

The oldest Qian Fusha didn't join in, but regarded him with a more grounded look.

"Xiao Bai, it's not in my place to tell you what friends you should make. But this Jia Shizi…"

"He's indeed a man with a lion's heart—independent, proud, unrestrained. Honestly, quite admirable. He would've been a hero worth befriending, but…"

"Word is, he picked up some... queer habits during his rough journey outside. It's unknown how much truth there is in those rumors, but…"

"In recent decades, there has been many confirmed cases about missing geniuses appearing in his tower's prison. Xiao Bai, getting along with him... it's best to be more careful."