Chapter 85: The First Victory

Under the intervention of several parties, Cloud-Top Crane finally restrained his gaze and no longer sized up the young girls of the Mount Heng sect with such reckless abandon.

The contest was able to proceed smoothly.

Zuo Lengchan, seated in the chief place, looked at the farce that had just unfolded, then turned his eyes to Yue Buqun of Mount Hua, a triumphant smile curling at the corners of his mouth.

As time passed, the duels between disciples of the various sects gradually grew fiercer.

Elite disciples from each faction began to take the stage one after another.

Cloud-Top Crane, who had been indifferent until now, also grew attentive at this moment. The final outcome of this contest was crucial not only to Yue Buqun, but to him as well.

It concerned the success or failure of his system mission.

Especially since he still did not know what punishment would follow if the mission failed.

Although, with his present martial arts, sweeping the field would be no problem, he still wanted absolute certainty.

As the thought settled, a disciple of Mount Song serving as referee announced the next bout with a blank expression.

"The next match: Linghu Chong of Mount Hua versus the Four Elites of Qingcheng!"

At the words, Linghu Chong rose from his seat and bowed toward Yue Buqun.

Amid the cheers and encouragement of the many disciples, he leaped to the center of the plaza and saluted the various sects in turn.

Such a humble demeanor caused several sect leaders to nod inwardly, admiration flickering in their eyes.

Little Sister Yilin of the Mount Heng sect, upon seeing Linghu Chong appear, had a touch of shyness blossom across her tender face.

It had been Linghu Chong who had once risked his life to rescue her from Tian Boguang, and ever since she had never found the right chance to repay that kindness.

Soon after Linghu Chong took the stage, the Four Elites of Qingcheng also appeared on the plaza.

The Four Elites of Qingcheng were four, yet seemed like one.

Linghu Chong observed the etiquette of the martial contest with proper courtesy, but the Four Elites of Qingcheng merely returned half a salute. Looking down from above, they cast disdainful eyes toward Cloud-Top Crane.

In their view, since Mount Hua had joined hands with a base villain like Cloud-Top Crane, it could no longer be counted as an orthodox sect.

Linghu Chong, though inwardly burning with fury, could only swallow it in silence.

Lifting his head, he asked coldly, "Will the four of you come at once, or one by one?"

The Four Elites of Qingcheng turned playful, and a mocking smile appeared at the corners of their mouths. "There is no need to stand on ceremony when dealing with such crooked and evil folk. Of course we'll go together!"

At these words, the expressions of the sect leaders present changed in varying ways, and their gazes focused on Mount Hua, waiting to see Yue Buqun make a fool of himself.

Under so many eyes, even the deeply calculating Yue Buqun could not help clenching his fists in secret.

He had long anticipated all of this, but when it truly arrived, it was still difficult to bear.

He could only tell himself again and again that this was all temporary.

So long as he could obtain the position of chief盟 leader of the seven sects, he would be able to wash away the humiliation upon him and bring Mount Hua to even greater heights.

Thinking thus, he finally felt somewhat better.

But the disciples of Mount Hua, seeing the odd looks from the other sects, felt so wronged that they could scarcely bear it, and all blamed their master for why he had joined forces with such a treacherous man as Cloud-Top Crane.

Cloud-Top Crane took in every expression on the disciples' faces and, without the slightest courtesy, drove a knife straight into Yue Buqun's heart.

"It seems that allying with me has not only ruined Mount Hua's reputation, but also badly damaged your standing in the eyes of your disciples."

By the end of his words, he made no attempt to hide the smile on his face.

Facing Cloud-Top Crane's sarcasm and mockery, Yue Buqun shot him a fierce glare, but did not tear the mask between them.

It was not yet time to break with Cloud-Top Crane.

He would remember every one of these humiliations, and when the opportunity came, Yue Buqun would return them to Cloud-Top Crane tenfold, a hundredfold, and even ten thousandfold.

On the stage, Linghu Chong could also no longer suppress the raging anger within his chest.

Clang!

A three-foot green blade was drawn.

With a stamp of his foot on the ground, Linghu Chong's figure rose skyward like a great wild goose. He raised the sword high above his head with both hands, then brought it crashing down in a fierce stroke!

The Four Elites of Qingcheng looked up, Linghu Chong's figure reflected in their pupils, their expressions grave and not daring the slightest negligence.

The four quickly flashed aside.

The instant they evaded, Linghu Chong came down with his sword in a furious slash.

The four formed a ring of encirclement, watching him warily, the longswords in their hands radiating a chilling glint under the sunlight.

At a certain moment, the four nodded almost in unison and rushed to attack Linghu Chong.

Four longswords struck from different directions at different parts of his body.

Facing the combined assault of the four, Linghu Chong showed no fear. With a light tap of his toes, his body shot up into the sky.

His sword swept out horizontally, and a band of sword energy rolled outward in all directions.

It struck the chests of the four men in turn, sending them crashing heavily to the ground.

At Linghu Chong's overwhelming victory, the disciples of Mount Hua all cheered and rejoiced, shouting their support for him.

Linghu Chong landed gracefully, cupped his fists toward the men sprawled on the ground, then turned his gaze to his master and mistress, his face brimming with happy smiles.

Cloud-Top Crane, seeing this scene from below, was secretly astonished. Since when had Linghu Chong's inner strength become so profound?

Linghu Chong's martial arts were indeed far above the Four Elites of Qingcheng, but if the four attacked together, they should still have been able to entangle him.

And yet now, he had been defeated in a single move.

Then the only explanation was that the Qingcheng sect had hidden its true strength and deliberately thrown the match.

Having figured out the key point, Cloud-Top Crane gave a wicked smile. Was it because they did not want to reveal their martial arts techniques during the contest, lest some interested party memorize them and then break them?

A good idea, certainly, but far too naive.

Before absolute strength, all schemes and tricks would be laid bare.

The disciples of Mount Hua did not care about any of this. A crowd gathered around Linghu Chong, their faces lit with joyous smiles.

Their senior brother had brought honor to Mount Hua.

Yue Lingshan also wanted to step forward, but her mother, Ning Zhongze, held her back and softly admonished her, "You're a young lady; don't go up there and mix with the brothers."

Her face immediately fell, displeasure written all over it.

That night, her mother had subtly told her that before Cloud-Top Crane left Mount Hua, she must not grow too close to the brothers and fellow disciples, especially Chong'er, or else it would bring calamity upon him.

As the thought settled, Yue Lingshan looked toward Cloud-Top Crane, the disgust in her eyes thick to the extreme.

If she had a sword in her hand, she would surely have stabbed Cloud-Top Crane through and through without the slightest hesitation.

Noticing Yue Lingshan's gaze, Cloud-Top Crane responded with his most charming smile, but she turned her head away in distaste.

Cloud-Top Crane was left baffled.

What a little lady she was. What had he done to provoke her?

The thought had barely fallen when the exchanges between disciples of the various sects also came to an end.

"Today's martial contests end here. Please return and rest well. Tomorrow will be the day to elect the chief leader of the seven sects."

Zuo Lengchan's voice, carried by inner force, rang in the ears of the sect leaders.

All of them turned solemn. They knew that tomorrow's contest would be the true main event, and no carelessness would be permitted.

Yue Buqun slowly rose. As he passed by Cloud-Top Crane, he lowered his voice and said only a single sentence, audible to no one else.

Cloud-Top Crane's eyes flashed with brilliance, and a trace of anticipation appeared.