Chapter 316: Other Families' Children
Translator: Sparrow Translations Editor: Sparrow Translations
At this point in time, it wasn't just Gu Lei who was not optimistic about Xiao Budian's plight. Everyone watching formed the same conclusion, regardless whether they were worried about him or were gloating about his imminent downfall.
Xiao Budian was in danger.
Mu Jihai's conversion of ice to fire, and his spell combination of two drastically opposing forces possessed overpowering strength. Even the members of his Heaven Lake Sect were astonished, and many glanced in the direction of Song Qingyuan discreetly.
This was because the aptitude that Mu Jihai demonstrated was already adequate to challenge Song Qingyuan, with no trace of inferiority at all.
Song Qingyuan's expression did not change, and gazed at Mu Jihai in awe, nodding slightly. "I see, this is your real strength, Junior Mu."
Meanwhile, back in the Hidden Dragon Gorge, Mu Jihai's performance was not over yet. He eyed Xiao Budian closely, who was engulfed in roaring flames, and he suddenly joined his hands together.
Massive amounts of spiritual energy inside the Gorge gathered around Mu Jihai, then plunged into the scorching lava under Mu Jihai's manipulation, as if supplying charcoal to the fire. The intensity of the flames instantly grew stronger, and the effervescing lava became more violent and explosive.
Outside the Gorge, all the cultivators from the Royal House of the Northern Tribes grew sombre after witnessing this sight. Strong warriors from their sworn enemy's youngest generation were emerging in an endless stream, which brought immense pressure for everyone in the Northern Tribes.
There was Dao Yuting from the Foundation Establishment stage and Song Qingyuan from the Aurous Core stage, both of whom already vexed the Northern Tribes heavily. And now, Mu Jihai's outstanding strength added another heavy burden to weigh down the hearts of every Northern Tribes cultivator.
Both Dou Kun and Sang Luohe looked incredibly serious.
Even the Northern Tribes' Prince Xian of the Left was staring at the Hidden Dragon Gorge and frowning. He certainly wasn’t afraid, he wasn't even scared of Cao Wei, let alone Song Qingyuan and Mu Jihai. He just felt a little worried.
Because with Song Qingyuan, Mu Jihai, Dao Yuting and other outstanding individuals emerging, he could vaguely notice the Heaven Lake Sect's burgeoning fortune. They were ushering in a golden era of home-grown talent and strength, which was what Prince Xian of the Left was truly concerned about.
If this trend is not broken, the Heaven Lake Sect's power would definitely experience a great jump in the near future, and even reach a new peak if Cao Wei and the rest handle it well.
The rise of one power means the fall of another, the Royal House of the Northern Tribes would thus be in deep trouble. In the next thousand years, even if they are not oppressed, they would inevitably suffer from many sanctions and restrictions.
The eyes of all the Immortal Soul cultivators were flickering, their minds evidently convoluted with countless thoughts, analysing them non-stop.
The lower-level cultivators had much simpler concerns. Most of them gazed at the Hidden Dragon Gorge anxiously, feeling excited with a tinge of anticipation.
They only had one thought in mind - that devilish demonic freak that had given them boundless stress, and the Celestial Sect of Wonders that had snatched all the glory so far, was finally about to experience their first defeat.
These people did not necessarily have a feud with the Celestial Sect of Wonders, but since the Celestial Sect of Wonders' performance was too outstanding an
d outshone all others that they could not even lift their heads up, almost everyone had to endure the disappointed gazes of their respective sect elders.
Although none of the sect elders said it out loud, all their gazes conveyed the same message.
Look at them, then take a good look at yourselves, you bunch of worthless trash!
To be continuously showered by such piercing gazes was certainly something that drove them insane, so more than half of all the disciples from the respective sects present there were desperately hoping for Xiao Budian to lose.
They didn't need much either, they just needed that sect to lose one match to disprove that damned rumour, to dispel the myth that the Celestial Sect of Wonders' disciples are unbeatable by peers in the same stage. They didn't mind if the Celestial Sect of Wonders clinched the top spot of the Aurous Core stage, as long as it wasn't a sweep of all the categories. Just losing one match would make it bearable!
These were the heartfelt voices of countless people.
Lin Feng may not know what exactly these spectators were thinking about, but he could vaguely guess just by observing their expressions.
"A tall tree catches more wind, is this what the saying was referring to?" Lin Feng shook his head and laughed, then glanced back at his own disciples and smiled to himself. "Haha, to others, are my disciples as detestable as 'other families’ children'?"
Lin Feng chuckled, "My disciples are your nightmares, they are the Joes from your next-door neighbour that always score 20 points higher in tests than your children. What about it?"
No matter how much wind a tall tree catches, as long as the tree is sturdy enough, no wind will blow it down!
Inside the Hidden Dragon Gorge, Mu Jihai was probably unaware that he was carrying the hopeful expectations of hundreds of people on his shoulders, but he certainly still wanted to defeat Xiao Budian himself. Many of them, including Mu Jihai, didn't realize that they already regarded defeating a Celestial Sect disciple as an honour.
The Hidden Dragon Gorge was glowing and flickering, and the audience was on edge. After numerous past matches, people already realized that every time a competitor inside the Gorge was about to, or had a very high chance of, activating the Gorge's protective barrier, the Gorge's exterior would emit a glow in advance.
And at that moment, Xiao Budian was struggling to withstand Mu Jihai's assault, like a tiny raft in the middle of an ocean where disaster can strike anytime, and may very well be capsized by the next wave.
The Hidden Dragon Gorge had evidently sensed something, and was preparing to activate its barrier anytime to protect Xiao Budian.
"Tian Hao!" Yue Hongyan and Yang Qing both shrieked in horror. Even the usually heartless Tun Tun was looking on nervously.
Zhu Yi looked puzzled, and he quickly turned to look at Lin Feng. "Master ..."
Then, the mana pulses coming from Xiao Budian, who was surrounded by flames and lava, abruptly weakened.
"He won! He won!" Even if so many formidable Immortal Soul cultivators and elders onsite, many lower-level cultivators couldn't suppress their excitement and gazed eagerly at the Hidden Dragon Gorge, with some even beginning to cheer softly.
But the Gorge's protective barrier did not activate.
As many watched in confusion and doubt, a long howl suddenly resounded from within the flames, crisp and pleasant like a phoenix's cry, yet also magnificent and commanding like a dragon's roar.
Immediately following the cracking of wind and thunder, raging thunderbolts and cyclones instantly broke through the circle of blazing fire.
It was a powerful force that already surpassed the limit that Aurous Core cultivators can control. It was the Infinite Thunderstorm on an uncontrollable rampage. The power of the coalescing gales and lightning have reached an unprecedented level.
It was an immense power that Xiao Budian has never used before, so immense that even he couldn't control it!
Amidst the merging wind and thunder, Xiao Budian's howl clearly conveyed his pain. Powers that exceeded his capacity for control would hurt himself before even hurting the enemy, so the first person that took damage was Xiao Budian himself.
But this formidable power, which would force even cultivators in the beginner Nascent Soul stage to retreat in fear, instantly swamped the Hidden Dragon Gorge and engulfed the petrified Mu Jihai.
Even the coldest ice or the hottest flames were useless before the cataclysmic thunderstorm, and were instantly obliterated.
The Hidden Dragon Gorge's protective barrier had been activated, not to shield Xiao Budian, but to shield Mu Jihai, who was still pompous and seemingly triumphant just a moment ago.
The victory of this match belonged to Xiao Budian. The winner was still the Celestial Sect of Wonders.
But this was, without a doubt, a Pyrrhic victory. Xiao Budian, who had used powers that exceeded his own limits, was in no better shape compared to his opponent. After the wind and thunder dissipated, he was in a mass of bruises, like a broken porcelain doll.
When Xiao Budian emerged from the Hidden Dragon Gorge and landed on the ground, he couldn't even stand upright, and was tottering about.
He gritted his teeth and forcefully straightened his body upright. This strenuous action strained his wounds again, and his face crumpled in pain with his large eyes wincing in agony.
Upon seeing this, the spectators who were originally disappointed at the result became silent again.
The cost of Xiao Budian's method to obtain victory was just too great.
The injuries he sustained and the pain he experienced were even more severe than Mu Jihai whom he defeated, because the Hidden Dragon Gorge actually cushioned the greatest amount of damage for Mu Jihai.
In this brutal brawl, Xiao Budian finally defeated Mu Jihai while suffering grievous injuries in the process, but although he won this match, when the dust settled, his injuries were worse than Mu Jihai's.
He was actually willing to go this far to attain victory?
At this point in time, a lot of people suddenly recalled that, no matter how talented or formidable Xiao Budian was, he was still just a child over ten years of age. This made many of those who had wished for Xiao Budian to lose speechless.
Yue Hongyan could not hold it in anymore, and leapt to the Hidden Dragon Gorge straightaway, wanting to support Xiao Budian. Then, a tall figure speedier than her helped up Xiao Budian first, who was about to collapse onto the ground. It was Li Kuiyin from the Purple Clouds Sect.
Xiao Budian struggled to open his eyes. He was no longer in high spirits like before, now weak and in pain. He muttered softly, "Fourth Senior, Sister Kuiyin."
He smiled feebly, "Fourth Senior, I won."
"Yes, Tian Hao won." Yue Hongyan nodded and held onto Xiao Budian's hand firmly.
Li Kuiyin hugged him tightly. "Don't say anything."
Xiao Budian looked at them, as if he was back in his family's embrace, and exposed his vulnerable side. He twitched his nose, "My body hurts, every part of it hurts so bad."
Li Kuiyin's heart was aching terribly for him. She took out a bunch of dark green fruits and swayed them before his eyes. "It doesn't hurt, it doesn't hurt. Look, it's your favourite Spiritual Lightning Fruits. Eat one and it won't hurt anymore.'
Then, two figures, one yellow and one white, flashed before their eyes. They were Tao Yaoyao and Shi Xingyun. Tao Yaoyao gazed at the frail Xiao Budian and gave him a thumbs-up. "Good lad, let's not talk about your mastery level. You possess such grit at such a young age. Not bad, really not bad!"
Shi Xingyun looked at him with a troubled expression. She said softly, "Tian Hao, your parents would be proud of you."
Upon hearing this, Xiao Budian cracked a weak smile, yet his eyes could not conceal his excruciating pain, which made all the girls' hearts ache for him.
After a brief moment, when Xiao Budian finally made his way back to Lin Feng and the rest with the help of Yue Hongyan, Lin Feng could clearly see that little rascal wink his left eye lightly at him, while the corners of his mouth raised to form a faint sly grin which faded quickly afterwards.
Zhu Yi also witnessed this sight, and turned to look at Lin Feng wearing a stiff expression. He was usually proper and calm, dignified and relaxed, but he would only break his character in front of this living treasure that was his junior.
"Mas ... Master ..."
Lin Feng twitched his mouth a few times then let out a dry cough. "Zhu Yi, I'll teach you two terms today. One of them is called ‘acting cute’, the other is called ‘spitefully acting cute’!"