C15 Chapter 15
Hua Hsing's defeat of Men Feng was something no one had expected. On the platform, the Ninth Elder narrowed his eyes at Hua Hsing as though trying to see through him. "How is it possible that Men Feng lost?" "My gosh, how is Hua Hsing so strong?" "Has Hua Hsing been hiding his strength all along? He defeated Men Feng without breaking a sweat." "Hua Hsing might have a shot at challenging Brother Re Yunzheng for the top spot," many disciples exclaimed in disbelief.
Men Feng lay on the ground, coughing up blood, his face pale. He looked at Hua Hsing with a complicated mix of fear and caution in his eyes. As Hua Hsing prepared to leave the platform, a voice suddenly rang out and reached everyone's ears. "Hua Hsing, would you be willing to become my disciple?" At those words, not only the Outer Sect disciples but even the elders on the platform were stunned. The speaker was none other than the Ninth Elder.
"The Ninth Elder wants to take Hua Hsing as a disciple? Hua Hsing is incredibly lucky," many Outer Sect disciples thought. After all, in the Azure Edge Sword Sect, it was rare for an Outer Sect disciple to catch the attention of one of the nine elders. The Ninth Elder had presided over Outer Sect competitions before, but he had never once taken the initiative to accept a disciple. Yet this time, he had spoken first. Just what secret was Hua Hsing hiding? Why did even the Ninth Elder want to take him as a disciple?
Hua Hsing was briefly stunned, then turned to look at the Ninth Elder. "Ninth Elder, his nature is malicious. Why would you want him as your disciple?" Elder Ma said. "Exactly, Ninth Elder, you are one of the nine great elders. You should be cautious when choosing a disciple." "Ninth Elder, he does not deserve to be your disciple," several elders said one after another.
The Ninth Elder frowned slightly and said, "Choosing a disciple is my own affair. It is not your place to interfere. Besides, I believe Hua Hsing's talent is no worse than that of any other disciple in the Outer Sect."
"Enough, there's no need for further discussion," Elder Nine said impatiently. He then turned to Hua Hsing and asked, "Hua Hsing, are you willing to become my disciple?"
When Elder Nine asked the question, all the disciples turned their eyes toward Hua Hsing. After a brief moment of thought, Hua Hsing nodded and said, "Master, I will rely on your guidance from now on."
"Hahaha, excellent. From this day forward, you are my disciple," Elder Nine said with great delight, laughing loudly.
The others immediately began whispering among themselves, while Re Yunzheng's face darkened. He had never expected Elder Nine to accept Hua Hsing as a disciple. With things turning out this way, it would be far more difficult for him to make a move against Hua Hsing.
Re Yunzheng glanced at Jiaang Xue on the podium and quickly made up his mind. "For Jiaang Xue, I must kill you," he swore silently.
Hua Hsing's acceptance as Elder Nine's disciple caused a stir throughout the Outer Sect, and the disciples' eyes were filled with envy and admiration. Becoming Elder Nine's disciple meant that the sect would certainly provide him with abundant resources, so at the very least, he would not need to worry about cultivation materials in the future.
"He's truly a lucky fellow," many disciples thought.
After Hua Hsing stepped down from the Martial Arena, the competition continued. Hsu Feng and Men Feng were overjoyed to see him return, and both were genuinely happy for him.
"With Ninth Elder's protection, Re Yunzheng surely won't dare to make a blatant move against you," Jiang He said. "That's right. From now on, Ninth Elder is your backer," Hsu Feng added. Hua Hsing glanced at Re Yunzheng in the distance, then looked toward Jiaang Xue and Elder Ma on the main platform. Strength was what mattered most. He did not believe that, with Ninth Elder's protection, Jiaang Xue and the others would truly stop targeting him. They might not dare act openly, but they would still move against him in secret. Ninth Elder could protect him for a time, but not for a lifetime. For that reason, he would never slack off in his cultivation and would continue to work hard.
Another hour passed before this round of competition finally came to an end. Three disciples were eliminated, leaving three remaining disciples. Including Re Yunzheng, there were four finalists in total: Hua Hsing, Re Yunzheng, Ouyang Haofeng, and Shentu Chang. The fact that they had reached the finals proved that all four were exceptionally powerful. Among them, Re Yunzheng was the most dazzling. Although Hua Hsing was a dark horse, most people still believed that Re Yunzheng would sweep aside all opponents in the finals.
"In the final match, each participant will face the other three competitors. The rankings will be determined by the number of victories," the referee announced slowly.
As soon as the referee finished speaking, Shentu Chang stepped onto the Martial Arena. Hua Hsing glanced at him and noted that Shentu Chang was in the late third level of the Qi Refining Stage, but had not yet reached the peak. Since Shentu Chang's opponent was Hua Hsing, Hua Hsing also stepped onto the Martial Arena.
"Hua Hsing, you've been strong all the way here, but I'm going to end your streak," Shentu Chang declared. Normally, Shentu Chang was considered a top disciple in the Outer Sect, and now, facing Hua Hsing, he released his full presence.
"You're not my match," Hua Hsing replied.
"You can say that after the match is over."
Hearing this, Shentu Chang gave a low shout and unleashed his swordsmanship. Sword light filled the air, and the two instantly engaged in battle. After fighting for a while, a thunderous crash rang out. Then a figure was forced to retreat at high speed. When the crowd looked closely, they saw that it was Shentu Chang.
"I am not your opponent."
Shentu Chang was a man of character who could accept both victory and defeat. After an intense battle, he realized he was no match for Hua Hsing and simply conceded. After defeating Shentu Chang, Hua Hsing recorded one more win. His second opponent was Ouyang Haofeng.
"Begin."
As the referee's voice fell, Ouyang Haofeng unleashed the Heavenly Wind Sword Technique. It was the strongest sword art he had cultivated. Although it was only an ordinary technique, it was already infinitely close to a low-grade sword art. Seeing Ouyang Haofeng use the Heavenly Wind Sword Technique, Hua Hsing did not hesitate to respond with the Golden Light Sword Arts.
The third level of the Golden Light Sword Arts erupted from Hua Hsing. A flash of golden light passed over his body, and in the next moment, the sky was filled with radiant golden brilliance. Carrying fierce sword energy, it slammed directly into the Heavenly Wind Sword Technique.
A series of collisions rang out as Ouyang Haofeng was forced backward. A trace of shock appeared on his face. "The Golden Light Sword Arts are actually this powerful?" Ouyang Haofeng tried hard to calm the turmoil in his heart. Then, gripping his long sword, he charged at Hua Hsing once more. "I refuse to believe you can maintain this kind of attack for long." Ouyang Haofeng wanted to use his own strength to wear down Hua Hsing's stamina, but his plan was doomed to fail. With the stream of energy provided by the Golden Heart, Hua Hsing could continue sustaining the third level of the Golden Light Sword Arts. Instead, it was Ouyang Haofeng who, after fighting for a while, began to run out of breath and was ultimately defeated by Hua Hsing.
Just like that, Hua Hsing won two matches and stepped down to rest. The next to take the stage was Re Yunzheng. He regarded Hua Hsing as his final opponent, so he first fought Shentu Chang and Ouyang Haofeng. Half an hour later, Re Yunzheng had finished both of his matches.
