Chapter 216: Chapter 151: Contention (3)

“Hardly. I just managed to fuse the power of the Unity of Man and Spear with my Dragon Elephant Power. I never expected that combining different types of power would be so potent.”

Chu Lingguang explained.

“Everyone said you had a dull aptitude, but you mastered the Formed Spear Technique before I did. You grasped Skillful Force before I did. You even reached the breakthrough for the Unity of Man and Spear before I did. And you’re the champion of South City. I just can’t seem to figure you out anymore.”

Hei Hu said gloomily.

’It just felt like Chu Lingguang was miles ahead in every category.’

’Aside from developing Fist Force before him, it seemed he’d never surpassed Chu Lingguang in anything else.’

“Our Master has said for a long time that the most difficult part of cultivation is Guarding the Heart. Your talent surpasses mine, Hei Hu. As long as you can watch over your heart, you will eventually shock everyone.”

Chu Lingguang comforted him.

“You’ve said that at least a dozen times. Fine, I’ll believe you one more time.”

Hei Hu was skeptical.

He walked to one side and resumed his training.

The duel with Samba was only a month away. Guo Wei, having gone to invite Feng Zhiwen to activate Chu Lingguang’s Bloodline Dragon Elephant, couldn’t afford to waste any time on his journey. He finally returned to the Martial Arts Hall tonight, with people in tow.

But unexpectedly…

…Feng Zhiwen was not the only one who had returned with Guo Wei.

There were six other young people, two of whom were women.

They looked around the Martial Arts Hall upon arrival.

Chu Lingguang and Hei Hu were helping Guo Fang in the kitchen, preparing a feast of food and wine for the guests.

After a hearty meal, it was getting late, so Guo Wei told Chu Lingguang and Hei Hu to go and rest. He offered no explanation about Feng Zhiwen or the six people with him, presumably planning to make introductions the next day.

Chu Lingguang and Hei Hu were curious, but they didn’t press the matter.

As for the Skin Shaft, Chu Lingguang knew he would have to wait a few more days before he could ask Guo Wei to examine it.

「In Liu Family Gully.」

The new Village Chief had gotten into a conflict with a villager named Liu Dachun. The two came to blows over access to water for the rice paddies. Liu Dachun’s family was large and numerous. Although the new Village Chief held an official post, it was a low-level, non-tenured position, and he failed to gain any advantage in the confrontation. Upon seeing Chu Lingguang return, the chief asked him to mediate and ensure justice was done.

Chu Lingguang now held an official rank.

He had also helped the villagers with several matters recently, so his words carried weight and everyone respected him. After hearing both sides, Chu Lingguang gathered that Liu Dachun had likely been trying to intimidate the new Village Chief.

Furthermore, control over the paddy water had been in Liu Dachun’s hands ever since the previous Village Chief, Liu Lishi, and his family had moved away. Many villagers had privately grumbled about this, but since everyone was from Liu Family Gully, no one had dared to speak up.

The new Village Chief had only clashed with Liu Dachun’s family because he wanted to ensure fair distribution for all the villagers.

Once Chu Lingguang understood the situation, he decisively sided with the new Village Chief. He made Liu Dachun admit his fault and return control of the water supply to the chief’s office.

Liu Dachun’s family was unhappy but didn’t dare say anything in Chu Lingguang’s presence, so they obediently complied. To prevent any lingering resentment, Chu Lingguang punched straight through an earthen wall in front of them. He then praised Liu Dachun’s son, saying he had an aptitude for martial arts, and told the boy to come to the Guo Wei Martial Arts Hall when he was older, promising to introduce him to Guo Wei.

Liu Dachun’s resentment vanished completely. Overwhelmed with gratitude, he tried to give Chu Lingguang several pounds of rice. However, Chu Lingguang noticed that since he hadn’t provided any tangible help—only a verbal promise—accepting the rice wouldn’t grant any Favor Points. He told Liu Dachun there was no need for such formality and refused to take the rice.

Seeing Chu Lingguang refuse the gift, the new Village Chief assumed he was simply being impartial and selfless. The chief put away the dozen or so eggs he had prepared and instead praised Chu Lingguang profusely with words.

The other villagers saw this and praised him as well.

Chu Lingguang was gloomy about the whole affair all evening.

「Early the next morning.」

He arrived at the Martial Arts Hall again.

He found that Guo Wei was up even earlier than usual. A notice was posted outside the Martial Arts Hall announcing that all training would be suspended for one month. Any dissatisfied students would receive a full refund, regardless of how long they had been studying.

’Guo Wei must have temporarily closed the Martial Arts Hall for me.’

When he went inside, he saw not only Guo Wei, but also the seven people who had arrived with him the previous night. They were all awake and waiting for him and Hei Hu in the backyard.

“Master, your disciples pay their respects.”

Chu Lingguang and Hei Hu hurried over.

“Let’s eat first.”

They had expected a lecture or at least some introductions. Instead, Guo Wei just nodded and led everyone to the dining hall, where Guo Fang and Mrs. Chu of the Zhang Family already had a meal prepared.

Only after everyone had finished eating did they return to the backyard.

Guo Wei finally began to introduce the people he had brought back to Chu Lingguang and Hei Hu.

“Lingguang, Hei Hu, this is the friend I mentioned previously, the one who can help you activate your Bloodline Dragon Elephant. This is Feng Zhiwen. You’ll call him Mr. Feng.”

“Greetings, Mr. Feng.”

Chu Lingguang and Hei Hu dared not be disrespectful. Realizing this was the man who could help them activate their Bloodline Dragon Elephant, they both immediately performed a deep, formal bow.

“Guo has already told me about your situation—especially yours, Chu Lingguang. You may be the champion of South City and the top student at the academy, but from what I know, Samba is another matter. He is hailed as the number one warrior of the Aika Tribe, part of the visiting Turkic Mission. Before he even set foot in the Great Yuan, he had already awakened thirteen streams of Dragon Elephant Power. Even if I can help you awaken three, or perhaps even five, streams of power before your duel, you will be highly unlikely to gain any advantage over him.”

Feng Zhiwen’s first words were like a bucket of cold water.

’I knew Samba was strong—he wouldn’t be called the number one warrior of the Aika Tribe otherwise—but I never imagined he’d already awakened thirteen streams of Dragon Elephant Power. And that was before he even entered the Great Yuan… I wonder how many he’s awakened by now.’

He suddenly felt the weight of a mountain settle on his shoulders.

But his Heart Guarding Skill was formidable. How could he let mere words intimidate him? He quickly declared, “The stronger my opponent, the stronger I become. Even if Samba is the incarnation of a War God, I still want to test my skills against him.”

A proud smile spread across Guo Wei’s face as he glanced at Feng Zhiwen.

Feng Zhiwen stroked his beard and chuckled. “Very good. The fact that you aren’t scared means there’s still hope.”

“Were you just trying to scare me, Mr. Feng?” Chu Lingguang asked hopefully. ’Does that mean Samba isn’t so strong after all?’

“Not exactly. Samba is every bit as strong as I said. But to help you, I specially sought out these six.”

Feng Zhiwen gestured toward the six youths.

Chu Lingguang’s smile froze. He looked at the six youths. They had all been sizing each other up since the beginning, and now their gazes met. One of the two young women among them immediately spoke to Chu Lingguang. “If you lose to Samba, I will avenge you.”

Chu Lingguang and Hei Hu were both stunned. ’Who is this girl?’ they thought. ’She sounds so arrogant. Is she really that confident she can defeat Samba?’

“Your Mr. Feng travels far and wide, activating the bloodlines of young talents,” Guo Wei explained. “These six, just like you, are all regional champions from this year’s Martial Arts Examination. The Turkic Mission has been deliberately publicizing your duel with Samba, and the whole affair is getting out of hand. These young people are here to support you, but they’re also here to ensure that if you lose, the Turkic Corps doesn’t get the impression that the Great Yuan has no talented youths.”

“This…”

Chu Lingguang was astonished. ’No wonder they all looked at me with such intense fighting spirit,’ he thought. ’They wish they could be the one to fight Samba.’

Fame was a powerful lure.

This group shared a sense of collective honor, but they also wanted to make a name for themselves.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep