Chapter 363: Chapter 278: The Grand Event Begins—Dazzling Attire, Heroes of the Rankings, Li Xian Takes the Stage (Part 3)

Seeing this scene, Nangong Liuli finally felt a bit of solace. As she moved slightly, her delicate brows furrowed with discomfort. Hidden hair-thin needles within her clothes pierced into her skin. Her slightest movement tugged at the fabric, thus pulling the needles.

It had a peculiar effect, like ants biting at her ribs, the Yongquan point on her feet, and various points on her back. Her entire body felt as if caressed by a gentle breeze repeatedly.

Nangong Liuli stood frozen in the distance, even breathing cautiously. Four women teased her, saying, “Good girl, come with us.” Nangong Liuli attempted to take half a step.

She couldn’t help but let out a small cry, not daring to move. Her beautiful eyes pleaded for help as she looked towards the four women.

They said, “Ah, yes, we forgot to teach you the walking technique. You need this technique to walk in these clothes.”

The four women then taught her the technique. Nangong Liuli dared not disobey and learned the skill. As she gingerly took a step forward, it indeed worked. Yet, her posture was somewhat showy, forcing herself to suppress the embarrassment.

She practiced for half an hour.

Nangong Liuli could now walk without hindrance, but her speed was incredibly slow. The four women nodded discreetly, indicating their task was done. They then led Nangong Liuli slowly out of the pavilion.

Nangong Liuli cried out repeatedly. She had no choice but to follow. Though the sun shone brightly, she had no heart to enjoy it. She thought to herself, “The Flower Cage Sect has a long history. Still, being trapped like this by that woman is hopeless. Their power is stronger, I must endure for now to make it bearable.”

After accompanying them for half an hour, Nangong Liuli was drenched in sweat. Although her dress was exquisite, it didn’t breathe or absorb sweat, seemingly intent on making her suffer. Furthermore, the walking technique was mentally and physically exhausting, and her pace remained slow.

Nangong Liuli asked, “Where are we going, are we there yet?”

The four women replied, “In such a hurry?” Nangong Liuli blushed with shame, biting her silvery teeth. She hated the Flower Cage Sect deeply, yet felt restless and strange.

They continued for another half an hour. Nangong Liuli was so exhausted she wanted to lie down and rest. However, her dress wouldn’t allow any other action, forcing her to maintain her posture, straightening her back and chest, walking slowly and gracefully.

She felt dizzy and disoriented, unsure how long they had walked. They entered a separate room containing a redwood chair. The four women said, “Go sit down.”

Nangong Liuli, utterly exhausted and drenched in sweat, immediately moved to sit. As she did, the hair-thin needles triggered her acupoints, leaving her powerless.

She thought, “These wicked women are toying with me. Wearing this outfit means I have to be meticulous with every move, without the specific skill. Sitting down tugs at the needles.”

She weakly cursed, “Bastards…” The four women said, “Humph, foolish girl, did you have to offend us?”

The four women laughed, “This dress has its method of sitting and walking. We four sisters disdain your arrogance. If you behave and call us ’good sister’, we’ll teach you these tricks. Although you can’t use martial arts, at least you can move freely. Troublesome as it may be, it’s quite good overall.”

Nangong Liuli responded, “Dream on.”

The women said, “In that case, endure it yourself.” The four turned to leave, closing the door behind them.

Nangong Liuli inwardly lamented, hearing the door close, she deeply regretted. She wanted to turn back but dared not move.

“I acted rashly again, how terrible. My state makes even standing and sitting difficult.” She sat still in the chair, not daring to move. Suddenly, a light shone… before her was a large transparent glass.

Below were eight martial arts arenas. Surrounding spectators in the thousands, full of energy, all were Flower Cage Sect’s rascals.

Nangong Liuli took several deep breaths, barely suppressing her agitation, and focused on the arenas. It had been a long time since she saw others.

The event was fervently organized, at its peak intensity. Sounds of fists, shouts, insults, and cheers… reached Nangong Liuli’s ears. Her gaze wandered, searching for a certain figure.

“Where!”

Nangong Liuli gradually saw.

She noticed, several dozen feet away on a tree branch, a figure lying leisurely, chewing on a stalk of grass. Though inexplicably furious at her own predicament, she could only glance away in anger and despair.

The Flower Cage Sect excelled in other arts, but was slightly weaker in martial arts. Nangong Liuli was overwhelmed with emotions, knowing her fate was to be at one of their mercy today.

Seeing that although the martial arts of the participants were not weak. But Nangong Liuli, brought up in an aristocratic family, always sparred with peers during family feasts and grand gatherings… witnessed many talents, any of whom could crush ninety percent of the masses.

“Could I still hope for a True Dragon from the Flower Cage Sect? These vermin rolling in mud, no matter how strong, have nothing to do with me. Hmph. That coward Hua Weicuo, clearly capable. If he… fought for me truly. Even if he lost, I would still appreciate it. This heart that has nowhere to go, would eventually rest on him. Yet, he won’t…”

Thinking of this, tears fell silently. She felt inexplicably wronged.

The gaze was suddenly drawn to a certain arena. Wang Changjiang of the Flower Cage Sect made one move, and surprisingly, three ’Ethereal Immortal Sounds’ resounded simultaneously. His opponent was instantly defeated, rolling out of the arena and fainting, unconscious.

Nangong Liuli’s beautiful eyes slightly narrowed, and she said, “This person is quite formidable.”

This Wang Changjiang is already thirty-five years old. Nangong Liuli is just twenty. In the Martial Arts path, the older one is, the more experienced one becomes. Eating Essence Food for more years, practicing martial arts for more years, and accumulating experience over more years is a tremendous advantage.

There is a saying in Jianghu: “Better provoke a young hero than an old expert,” meaning some martial artists, despite having ordinary Martial Arts Realms, are exceptionally skilled due to their age and experience.

In the Nangong Clan’s banquets, among peers, the age difference was limited to ’three years.’ If the age difference is three years, one must carefully consider sparring. “Bullying the young” is not commendable, and “bullying the old” is even more of a disgrace.

Nangong Liuli once sparred with her cousin who was four years older at a clan banquet, competing in musical skills. The music was interwoven with martial arts insights, and after surpassing her cousin, she dared not be overly aggressive.

Unconsciously, she recalled the glory of the past. In the Jianghu, there is only the distinction of strength and weakness, seldom the differentiation of age. Her praise was indeed heartfelt.

In a distant terrace.

The Water Altar Grand Envoy of the Flower Cage Sect, Shi Yufei, Water Altar Deputy Envoy Yan Hao, Water Altar Guide Jin Shichang, Flower Cage Sect elders Ye Cheng, Liu Yu, and Meng Han all observed the scenes at the arena.

Seeing Wang Changjiang defeat his opponent with one move, they all nodded frequently, showing quite a bit of appreciation. Shi Yufei said, “This young one, Wang Changjiang, is also a remarkable talent in our Flower Cage Sect.”

Water Altar Deputy Envoy Yan Hao said, “In one move, he played the ’Heart-bewitching Immortal Sound,’ ’Strong Qi Immortal Sound,’ and ’War Drum Immortal Sound,’ showing that his martial arts are well-planned, having devised his own path.”

Jin Shichang said, “In this grand event, this kid could strive for the top prize.”

Shi Yufei sighed, “Alas…”

Flower Cage Sect elder Liu Yu asked, “Why does the Grand Envoy sigh?” Shi Yufei said, “Though Wang Changjiang is quite good, something still seems lacking, and I don’t find him entirely satisfying.”

Meng Han said, “Our Flower Cage Sect also has talents like Wolf Saber, Bao Zhixian, and Ding Zelin, all of whom are impressive candidates.”

Shi Yufei said, “The current situation is different. With the Dynasty declining, chaos arises everywhere. Heroes emerge, and noble families focus heavily on cultivating exceptional talents to get them into the rankings, thereby enhancing the family’s prestige.”

“These extraordinary talents you mentioned, can they enter the rankings?”

There are four major rankings in the world: Heroes, Flowers, Divine Weapon, and Red List. Each ranking has ’Heaven,’ ’Earth,’ ’Human’ levels. The Heroes ranking is closely watched by all heroes, and those who enter are regarded as extraordinary figures among people.

The rankings do not consider age, focusing purely on charisma, martial arts, and influence. The Earth List corresponds to the ’Dao’ of heroes, while the Human List corresponds to the lower-level heroes within prefectures and continents.

To make it to the Human List at a young age of around twenty shows very high prestige and immense influence. Li Xian was once selected for the ’Prefecture City Talents List,’ a derivative of the Heroes List, and such lists do have a certain degree of prestige.

But among the four main lists of Heaven and Earth… there are only the Heroes List, Flowers List, Red List, and Divine Weapon List. The so-called ’Prefecture City Talents List’ is essentially a special setup by Prefecture City for the Golden Scale.

All the envoys and elders were silent. Water Altar Deputy Envoy Yan Hao said, “Grand Envoy, even if it’s the Human List of the Heroes ranking, it’s not easy. It not only considers individual strength but also the backing influence.”

“There are only 108 spots, and they’re still young, so it’s a bit demanding to expect them to make it in.”

Shi Yufei said, “The Water Altar is located in Huaiyin Prefecture. As I know, the 106th position on the local Human List is… a fourteen-year-old from the Li Mountain Sword Sect.”

The Heroes List has no age restrictions. Therefore, those who make it to the list at a young age can be considered extraordinary!

Shi Yufei said, “Huaiyin Prefecture already has quite a few young talents who have made it to the human list of the Heroes ranking. We should encourage ourselves… although what we do differs from them, let us not forget, we were once… ”

At this point, he showed a look of reminiscence. The expressions of the others varied, with Yan Hao being indifferent, Jin Shichang and Ye Cheng showing some enthusiasm, and Meng Han and Liu Yu gazing into the distance.

The event was quite lively.

There were several more matches in succession. Ding Zelin and Wolf Saber took the stage one after another, performing splendidly, inciting cheer from the whole venue, making it extremely lively.

Shi Yufei nodded slightly but still felt a bit of a regret, not seeing the charisma he longed to see.

Suddenly, he looked at an arena.

Li Xian cupped his hands forward.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep