NOVEL SIMPLE Chapter 634-639
Chapter 634: Being Eliminated Could Cause An Accident
Fang Zhengzhi thought that it was great idea to eliminate Yan Xiu’s rivals, so as to reduce the competition. At least until Yan Xiu was able to enter the Heaven Dao Pavilion.
Fine…
I should just eliminate all these lads in a breath.
No matter who they are, be it dukes or heirs, or even Princes. Kong Qing had already eliminated the Sixth Highness of the Radiant Moon Empire. Who else would he be afraid of?
The Heaven Dao Pavilion was able to protect him, if there were any trouble.
Hold up!
There was one more person.
Fang Zhengzhi suddenly thought of this person. That person was almost unnoticeable even when he was standing under a tree.
Not to mention, he was standing among the crowd?
But Fang Zhengzhi knew that he was here.
Nangong Mu.
A person with ordinary looks, an ordinary figure, and one with average traits.
He looked just like any ordinary person, but managed to become one of Fang Zhengzhi’s best friends. And he was standing among the crowd.
Fang Zhengzhi would never miss out on Nangong Hao at the thought of Nangong Mu. Nangong Hao was one of the best talents in the Great Xia Dynasty to emerge top two, together with himself, in the Theory examinations two years ago.
And now…
Nangong Hao should be at the Heaven Dao Pavilion?
Fang Zhengzhi looked up and stared at the sharp walls as he reminisced about the fateful night two years ago. They had yet to complete their final competition with one another.
“Brother Kong Qing…” One of the disciples spoke up gently behind him.
“Yes.” Fang Zhengzhi nodded as the voice had seemed to remind him about the time. In fact, “he” had indeed spent a long time in the wooden house.
Let’s start the elimination.
Fang Zhengzhi quietly scanned through the 31 young men standing around. They were basically all dressed in their coats and emitting arrogant vibes, due to the fact that they were all heirs of their families.
Although it seemed normal just thinking about it.
Moreover, being able to emerge from the crowd in such a big country they were not just any ordinary person, since they were given the opportunity to participate in the Heaven Dao Pavilion Selection test.
“You, stand out.” Fang Zhengzhi wasn’t picky as well. He pointed at a young man dressed in an elegant coat.
“I’m Shi Weiyi from the War Pinnacle Empire, envoy please ask your questions!” The young man stood up confidently, and it seemed like he knew that it was the time to answer examination questions.
“I didn’t even mention anything about asking questions, and you asked me to do it? You’re so full of yourself, out!” Fang Zhengzhi waved his head and gave a discerning look.
“Out?!” The young man did not have time to react over the situation.
At least half of the remaining contestants’ eyes were wide open, staring at Fang Zhengzhi in disbelief.
Getting eliminated just like this?
That was just too harsh!
“I’m not happy about this. The first round of Heavenly Dao Selection test was always about asking examination questions. I might be a little off from the criteria but this shouldn’t get me eliminated!” The young man rebuked.
“So you’re saying, that was just a minor mistake?” Fang Zhengzhi flashed a smile.
“Yes!” The young man nodded his head, looking very determined.
The rest of the contestants fixed their eyes at Fang Zhengzhi. “Fang Zhengzhi” did show his power by eliminating the Sixth Highness of the Radiant Moon Empire.
Even so…
It seemed pretty absurd to abuse one’s power like this?
Even if this were the Heaven Dao Pavilion, there had to be some degree of reason and principle. By eliminating someone without reason, what would be the difference between this and the bandits?
“Do you guys think the same as him?” Fang Zhengzhi looked at the remaining candidates.
None of them spoke up. Everyone was standing with their chest out, and heads up, but nobody opened their mouth.
“There is a saying, not sure if anyone of you can remember. When the people do not fear what they ought to fear, that which is their great dread will come on them. Let them not thoughtlessly indulge themselves in their ordinary life; let them not act as if weary of what that life depends on. It is by avoiding such indulgence that such weariness does not arise. Therefore the sage knows these things of himself, but does not parade his knowledge; loves, but does not appear to set a value on, himself. And thus he puts the latter alternative away and makes choice of the former.” Fang Zhengzhi looked up at the crowd after speaking.
There was something different from earlier…..
Upon hearing the sentence, everyone had a change in their expressions.
They were all elites from the Great Xia Dynasty, naturally the understood the saying. It referred to the fact that if the citizens were not afraid of the ruling government, then terrible disasters would follow.
Forcing people to live and work in peace is wrong, and so is preventing the citizens from making a living. Only by not oppressing the people would the citizens not hate their rulers.
Therefore, a sage not only had to have self-knowledge, but also be expressive and self-love. He must not be arrogant, and must abandon his self-confidence, yet stay aware of his surroundings and preserve self-love.
“Who else has any other opinion?” Fang Zhengzhi smiled.
“No!” The silence earlier had disappeared when they all replied. The way they looked at Fang Zhengzhi had all changed too.
That feeling…
Was almost like observing the “High Enlightenment State”.
Explaining such profound principles from such a small incident, if it was not the High Enlightenment State what would it be referred to as?
Indeed, Heaven Dao Pavilion was the Heaven Dao Pavilion.
Nobody dared to talk back to Fang Zhengzhi again. The three men standing behind Fang Zhengzhi also seemed to understand what he was trying to talk about.
In the Heaven Dao Pavilion, everything was about logic.
Fang Zhengzhi was obviously one who would reason with logic.
The young man did not speak any further. His face turned red after Fang Zhengzhi finished his sentence, looking embarrassed and guilty.
A moment later…
He bowed in front of Fang Zhengzhi.
“I have learnt my lesson!” The young man said, then turned and made his leave. Very soon, he had disappeared into the crowd.
“Good, next.” Fang Zhengzhi casually pointed at the second young man.
“I’m Tian Fengyun from the War Pinnacle Empire!” The next young man was smarter this time round. He walked out gingerly, and he made every step carefully. Three steps, no more no less.
“This young man cannot be taught!” Fang Zhengzhi waited till the young man made his three steps, then waved his hand impatiently at the young man.
“Eliminated again?!”
Half of the contestants heard what Fang Zhengzhi had just said and felt baffled. But they merely looked at the young man sympathetically.
Their looks…
Were just like saying to him, ‘brother, go peacefully!’
The young man was stunned motionless for a full minute. He cautiously recalled about his actions earlier.
There was no problems at all?
Three steps were definitely neither too many nor too few.
And all he did was to report his name?
Then he got eliminated?
The young man could not figure out the whole situation, what did he do wrong? Although he knew the meaning of the sentence that Fang Zhengzhi had been talking about.
But when used in this situation…
What would be the meaning for that?
“Envoy, please enlighten me?” The young man still decided to asked the question. Afterall, to even participate in the Heaven Dao Pavilion selection test was not an easy task at all.
He had spent 10 years studying vigorously, and had endured numerous difficulties.
Finally reaching this part of the test…
But was eliminated in just one sentence? And he had only reported his name, he had no idea how to get over such a massive setback.
“Remember about what Shi Weiyi had mentioned earlier before he got eliminated?” Fang Zhengzhi naturally knew that it was a logical society, so he need to provide a reason for the elimination.
“Which part are you talking about?” The young man asked softly.
“Precisely, you have learnt nothing. He only managed to say four lines just now, anyone with a brain can understand what I’m referring to. The first round of the Heaven Dao Pavilion selection test is always the ask and answer segment!” Fang Zhengzhi answered with disdain.
The rest of the participants seemed to have realised his mistake after listening to the explanation. They looked at him and shook their heads in dismay. It was an example of not being observant, strict, hence a sign of not having the potential.
“But, I…”
“Nervous? I know you’re nervous. But just like in a war, you can’t possibly tell the other party that you’re nervous, hoping that they let you go lightly? Moreover, he had already mentioned earlier, that the first round is the ask and answer segment. If you knew about this, why didn’t you ask me to give you the questions?”
“…” The young man remained silent.
“Study is just like sailing against the current; either you keep forging ahead or you keep falling behind. It’s the same as training, just leave!” Fang Zhengzhi couldn’t care much about what the young man just said.
“You’re right, teacher. Father had always been correcting me to be cautious in my training. But I have yet to realise all these, till your words teacher. I will always remember your words and strive to break through my own comfort zone. I will focus more in my training!”
“Bravo!”
“He could look right through the problem in just one glance. Such skills, really impressive!”
“If there’s an opportunity to enter the Heaven Dao Pavilion, I will definitely learn more from Brother Kong Qing!”
Everyone was stunned upon listening to what the young man said before they managed to react over the situation.
That was the first time Fang Zhengzhi made everyone felt impressed with his logic.
And this one time…..
Fang Zhengzhi’s “great foresight” had made them felt so impressed. He was able to differentiate one’s inability, with just one sentence and one glance.
That was so appalling!
Heaven Dao Pavilion was indeed the best holy place for training.
As for the strong elites, such challenges would often push them to greater heights. Therefore, while the two of them were eliminated, they did not choose to retreat.
Faced with difficulties,
Then solve them.
That was how one can become a strong warrior!
Fang Zhengzhi was taken aback by their determination.
Huh?
That was possible?!
If it wasn’t because he knew that he was going to eliminate these guys one by one, he would have almost believed that he was actually helping them.
“Next.”
“Xun Fei from the Radiant Moon Empire, please ask the questions.” A light blue coat young man walked out from the crowd, filled with confidence.
“What’s the meaning of “clear”?” Fang Zhengzhi nodded his head and asked.
The young man, as well as the crowd, heaved a sigh of relief upon hearing that, as he had finally passed through the first round of test.
“To be clear against injustice, to be elegant, upright, honest, uncorrupted, all these are to be considered as clear. To be distinct and sober among the corrupted and drunk…” Xun Fei swiftly answered Fang Zhengzhi’s question.
“Eliminated!” Fang Zhengzhi interrupted Xun Fei’s answer.
“AH?!” Xun Fei stuttered, as his mouth was wide open and he looked extremely dumbfounded.
He was right?
His answer was absolutely right!
Xun Fei did not think that there was any problem with his answer. He elaborated from the word “clear” and those were all the right values.
He sticked to the word “clear” throughout the whole explanation.
That kind of explanation would be one of the most appropriate answers in any situation. But why would he be eliminated in this Heaven Dao Pavilion selection test?
Xun Fei was puzzled.
The rest of the participants were also confused by it, as they did not find any flaws in Xun Fei’s answer.
“Are you unhappy?” Fang Zhengzhi laughed as he looked at Xun Fei.
“Not at all, just that… I really don’t understand where did I say wrong, please enlighten me!” Xun Fei shook his head and bowed at Fang Zhengzhi.
“Firstly, do you really think my question is that easy?”
“This…”
“I wanted to ask if you know the meaning of clear, turbit, shallow and deep. But you went ahead to answer without waiting for me to finish the question. This overconfidence failed you even before you started.”
“…” Xun Fei went silent.
“Furthermore, while you mentioned turbidity, but you did not elaborate on it, and merely discussed about ‘clear’. You may look confident, but actually you had subcounsciously avoided some “mistakes”. You’re afraid of failure, and constantly seek perfection. But in this world, how can there be perfection?” Fang Zhengzhi continued.
“In this world, how can there be perfection?” Xun Fei mumbled softly as his eyes suddenly brightened up.
After awhile, just like a big door opening, Xun Fei began leaping around crazily, as he continued to chant.
“I think I might have achieved the state, the logic……No real perfection, I finally understood, I get it. Ha ha ha…” He burst into laughter, as a ray of light brightened up around Xun Fei’s body.
The ray of light was of a thick green colour.
“Rumble!”
Xun Fei’s hair began flying, as the aura around him started changing.
“No way?!”
“He really broke through?!”
“There were rumours about Xun Fei being stuck in the Supernatural State for 5 years, but he actually broke through when he’s here? That was unbelievable!”
The majority of them was flabbergasted, as they watched the brilliant light burst out around Xun Fei’s body. They would never have believed it, if they hadn’t seen that before their eyes.
Just one sentence…
Could result in his breakthrough?!
Chapter 635: The Sky Fell Down
For the first incident, Fang Zhengzhi managed to convince one using his logic, explaining the importance of “self-knowledge” and “humility”. He also enlightened them as to how a sage should have viewed the two elements.
For the second incident, Fang Zhengzhi was able to identify his “flaw” in just one glance, and fill him with his newfound wisdom. The participant was able to better understand how arduous the path would be, which was just like “sailing against the current; either you keep forging ahead or you keep falling behind.”
All these were already very surprising.
But this time round…
One who was trapped in the bottleneck for 5 years, at just one simple advice from “Fang Zhengzhi”, suddenly broke through to the Rebirth State.
How overwhelming?
It could easily be just coincidence for the first and second incidents.
However…
The third time was definitely not coincidental. Because everyone had seen the truth in front of them, it was something so unbelievable yet real at the same time.
“Thank you so much, teacher. You’re my master. It’s a waste that I can’t enter the Heaven Dao Pavilion, if not I Xun Fei, swear that I will follow you till death master!” Xun Fei finally came his to senses, and he flew in front of Fang Zhengzhi and kneeled on the ground.
All the contestants turned their attention at once towards Fang Zhengzhi.
Senior Kong Qing was indeed impressive!
“…” Fang Zhengzhi’s mouth twitched a little.
He was speechless, breakthrough, just like this? Stepped into the Rebirth State from the Supernatural State? Why was it so difficult when he was trying to breakthrough?
Crap!
Looking at the sincere expression on Xun Fei’s face, Fang Zhengzhi tilted his head and gazed at the piercing sun. As he sighed under his breath, ‘Indeed, it’s different being educated, even through elimination can there be joys of tears?’
Xun Fei could sense that he was behaving inappropriately as Fang Zhengzhi kept quiet. He stood up immediately and bowed politely towards Fang Zhengzhi.
“Gracious teacher, I can’t express how grateful I am now, I will leave now!” Xun Fei finished talking and turned around.
“Can’t express how grateful you are?” Fang Zhengzhi stared at Xun Fei leaving and mumbled to himself, “You can express your gratefulness! Why not just bring a few hundred thousands of silvers?”
If it is not possible, I wouldn’t mind 50 000 pieces of silver too.
Hello…
30 000 would be fine too.
How about just 10 000 of them!
Well, the reality was harsh.
Xun Fei left.
Not even one or two silvers, and not evening leaving a contact. At least to him, expressing through words was never enough to thank one for such a big favour.
Foolish!
Fang Zhengzhi pointed a middle finger at Xun Fei after folding his arms behind his back.
The three disciples standing behind Fang Zhengzhi saw the actions and made eye contact with one another.
Then they suddenly realised what Fang Zhengzhi was trying to hint and flew rapidly behind Fang Zhengzhi.
“Kong Qing Senior!” The three disciples bowed politely and waited for his instructions.
Although they were able to enter the Heaven Dao Pavilion, their presence were almost unknown. To them, while Kong Qing was of a higher status than them, he was only so because of his longer duration in the Heaven Dao Pavilion.
But after witnessing everything earlier…..
The disciples were deeply convinced by “Kong Qing”, therefore the actions and words they said were all from the bottom of their hearts.
They were even thinking about how to forge a closer relationship with their senior when they were back at the Heaven Dao Pavilion.
Of course, these were just the thoughts of three disciples.
Fang Zhengzhi had completely no idea of what they were thinking about.
He was shocked upon hearing the voices of the three disciples. Huh? Why did they walk over?
Had I exposed myself?
That was impossible.
He had put up such a great acting, hence there was no way that he could have exposed himself. Moreover, he had provided appropriate reasoning when eliminating the participants.
Fang Zhengzhi felt complexed but he recovered quickly. As he was already their senior now, why should he be afraid of the young men?
“Umm.” Fang Zhengzhi nodded his head. He paid no attention to the three disciples standing behind him, and only casually made a slight gesture.
As for the meaning of the gesture…..
He thought that the three disciples would not know about it.
Because he also had no idea.
Indeed…
The three disciples looked at each other and felt confused. But they were not in the best position to ask about it.
Fang Zhengzhi could care less about them. He wanted to make use of the opportunity to continue his elimination plan.
Eliminate four of them at once!
“Okay, that’s too harsh!”
“I always knew that the Heaven Dao Pavilion selection test was difficult, but I finally got to understand the real meaning behind it. The ask and answer segment is just the first round right?”
“Yes, and the first round is already so tough, how can we survive the rest of the rounds?”
“Up till now, none of them managed to pass the first round. I have waited and studied for years, but looks like I’m still far from the criteria of the Heaven Dao Pavilion!”
The contestants exclaimed, as they did not think that Fang Zhengzhi was faulting them on purpose. Instead, they had treated this as a new challenge.
Furthermore, they felt even more impressed and respectful towards Fang Zhengzhi as he continued to eliminate more people.
“Useless!” That was the evaluation that Fang Zhengzhi had given them so far. At this moment, he stopped suddenly.
There was a person dressed in a long black coat, with a sharp pair of eyes.
“Huh? Isn’t that Qian Wu?” Fang Zhengzhi’s eyes brightened up instantly. Little did he know that Qian Wu would participate in the Heaven Dao Pavilion selection test.
He almost wanted to call Qian Wu out and embarrass and insult him publicly, before eliminating him.
But just at that moment…
He felt something poking at his back.
As he turned around, he realised it was one of the disciple’s fingers. Their faces were all pale.
“Yes?” Fang Zhengzhi asked casually.
“Senior Kong Qing, that was the eighth one….” The disciples stared at Fang Zhengzhi, looking as though they were about to tear up.
As followers of “Kong Qing”, they were only supposed to assist him in hosting this selection test, and questioning Kong Qing’s actions were not part of their responsibilities.
But it was only the first round.
According to the previous Heaven Dao Pavilion selection tests, eliminating two of them would be sufficient to scare the contestants.
After all, the easy questions were not enough to differentiate the participants.
However….
Fang Zhengzhi had already eliminated eight of them at once.
There were merely 32 contestants in total. And they had already lost one quarter of them before the selection test even started.
Besides, it seemed like Fang Zhengzhi was still planning to eliminate more of them.
This explained why they couldn’t stand it any longer.
Although they were just subordinates, but who stated that subordinates could not hold any responsibilities? Many a times, they were the ones who carried all the burden and took the blames.
“Kong Qing” might have great reasonings and explanations. Even so, “Kong Qing” was just another high ranking senior who had entered the Pavilion.
What would happen to the rest of the seniors who were stationed at the second and third segments, if the contestants were all being eliminated at the first round? The seniors had prepared for two years for this day.
Fang Zhengzhi saw the three disciples’ speechless expressions and understood them immediately. He moved his mouth and mumbled softly just enough to let the three disciples hear him. “Yes, your senior knows his limits, just one more to go.”
“You’re going to continue eliminating?” The three of them had a change in their expressions.
“Relax, I will bear responsbility if anything really happens!” Fang Zhengzhi hit his chest and said generously.
As for who was going to really hold the fort…
Only God will know who.
“We will leave everything to you, senior!” The three disciples agreed in the end. At this point of time, eliminating just one more would not cause much difference.
Fang Zhengzhi stopped paying attention to the disciples and turned his back slowly. He scanned around the crowd and paused at Qian Wu.
“You, what’s your name?” Fang Zhengzhi pointed randomly at Qian Wu.
“Young master!” A youth who was standing beside Qian Wu, upon hearing Fang Zhengzhi’s voice, had a distinct change in his expression.
Qian Wu shook his head gently as he tidied up his black coat and bowed politely to Fang Zhengzhi.
“I, your subordinate, am Qian Wu, from the Holy Barbarian Empire. Please ask me the questions.” Qian Wu sounded very humble yet portrayed a charismatic look at the same time. Most importantly, he stayed calm and peaceful despite all the problems.
“Is he Qian Wu?”
“Rumours said that he is the only contestant who managed to attain the peaks for two Rebirth States in this selection test!”
“The peak of the Rebirth state? At such a young age?”
When everyone had heard of Qian Wu’s attainment of the highest peak of the Rebirth State, there was still a huge chatter coming out from the crowd, despite all being elites themselves.
Even the disciples standing behind Fang Zhengzhi were also nodding their heads gently.
They all had their own understanding about Qian Wu. He was the top elite in the Holy Barbarian Empire and also the default successor of the Holy Barbarian Empire.
Of course…
All these were not important.
Most importantly, Qian Wu was the controller of the Near-Life Dao, one of the Six Rebirth Dao Techniques.
Given his ability in attaining the peak of the Rebirth State, such an elite would always be invited by the major venues, such as the Heaven Dao Pavilion, the Nine Pinnacle Mountain and the Yin Yang Hall.
“Eliminated!”
Just as everyone was fascinated by Qian Wu’s appearance, an inappropriate voice sounded, momentarily hushing the surroundings.
“Eliminated?!”
When the eight candidates were being eliminated previously, everyone was merely shocked. However, to eliminate Qian Wu, especially in only the first round…..
They were all flabbergasted.
“Senior Kong Qing, this Qian Wu cannot be eliminated!”
“Have you forgotten about what master had mentioned earlier about Qian Wu…”
“I beg you to think about it again, Kong Qing Senior!”
The three disciples could no longer tolerate the situation, as they did not think that Fang Zhengzhi would use the last elimination place on Qian Wu.
Qian Wu was also a little taken aback by it. But he seemed a lot more calm and less furious as compared to the previous eight candidates. In fact, he even bowed politely in front of Fang Zhengzhi.
“Pardon me for asking about the reason of my elimination.”
“Faith!” Fang Zhengzhi could care less about the advice from the three disciples. What about the instructions from the master? He was holding the highest rank in this situation now.
“Faith?” Qian Wu squinted his eyes as he began pondering.
“Let me ask this, are you the Prince of the Holy Barbarian Empire?” Fang Zhengzhi asked.
“Yes.” Qian Wu nodded.
“Sincerity first, faith foremost. To treat others with sincerity, to have integrity is a gentleman’s value. When you were introducing yourself just now, you referred to yourself as my subordinate. To conceal your identity, is to betray. Naturally, you should be eliminated!” Fang Zhengzhi said casually.
“Integrity, the way of a gentleman!”
“That does seem very right!”
“But he is Qian Wu…”
The candidates nodded their heads upon listening to Fang Zhengzhi’s explanation. Integrity had always been the basic core value humans must have. And Fang Zhengzhi had made use of that reason to eliminate Qian Wu, surely there was no way to refute him.
Although he still was Qian Wu.
The master of the Near-Life Dao, one of the Six Rebirth Dao Techniques. Furthermore, he was also the first contestant to have attained the peaks of two Rebirth States.
If even he failed to pass the Heaven Dao Pavilion selection test.
Who else could pass this?
And this was just the first stage!
“Master!” A young man wearing a black coat stood forward at the same time, walking slowly towards Qian Wu.
“What’s the matter?” Qian Wu frowned.
The black coat young man did not answer Qian Wu immediately. But he leaned beside Qian Wu and whispered into his ears.
“How confident are you?” Qian Wu gave him a look after listening to the young man’s words.
“Ninety percent!” The young man answered instantly.
“Fine, then let’s give it a try.” Qian Wu nodded as he took a step back.
Everyone standing in the crowd looked at them strangely. Because even if Qian Wu were to feel that his elimination was unjustified, he should at least tried refuting it, and not “retreat” like this.
What was the real reason behind the young man standing up? And what did the black young coat man say to Qian Wu earlier?
The candidates were not the only ones to not understand the situation.
The three disciples also frowned their eyes, as they felt rather strange looking at the suspicious looking young man walking towards Qian Wu.
Chapter 636: A Reputable Detective From A Different World
“You’re fake!” Just as everyone was looking very puzzled, a voice came out from the mouth of the black coat young man. They were all startled.
“Fake?!”
“What is he trying to imply?”
“What’s fake?”
Other than the contestants who were feeling very confused, Fang Zhengzhi and the three Heaven Dao Pavilion disciples were also looking very lost in the situation.
Fake?
Was he trying to imply that “Kong Qing” was fake?
Impossible.
In the Heaven Dao Pavilion, Kong Qing was in charge of the first segment of the Heaven Dao Pavilion selection test, how could a fake one appear in this crucial time?
“Yes, you’re fake, you’re certainly not Kong Qing!” The black coated young man looked at all the puzzled faces around him, and spoke in a calm manner.
“Absurd, I came down here together with Senior Kong Qing. What’s your purpose of talking about this?” One of the disciples standing behind Fang Zhengzhi could not stand it and began talking.
By having the malice to claim that “Kong Qing” was a fake one, it also seemed like one was doubting the responsibility of the criteria of the selection test.
That was intolerable.
“For someone who’s so disrespectful to the Heaven Dao Pavilion and rude to the seniors. We don’t welcome you, please leave now!” The other disciple also spoke out, sounding very unfriendly.
“Hehe, behaving rudely in front of the seniors? I would naturally leave this place if I was really impolite to the seniors, but what will happen if he really is fake?” The young man said confidently, as if he had guessed that response from them.
“Do you have any proof?” The last disciple finally spoke.
The rest of the contestants fixed their eyes on the young man after listening to the disciple. It was indeed very unbelievable to suspect the real identity of Senior Kong Qing.
As a matter of fact, Kong Qing was very strict.
However, he did manage to use his actions to prove his “power”, and was able to help someone overcome the Supernatural State, in just a speech of a sentence. It would be ridiculous to say that he was a fraud.
“I certainly have the evidence!” The young man scanned the unfriendly faces, but his expression remained unchanged.
“Evidence, you have the evidence?” The three disciples were not expecting this.
“Yes!” The young man nodded his head.
“Senior Kong Qing, should we get rid of this person?” The three disciples couldn’t care less about the young man, and they turned and looked at Fang Zhengzhi, waiting for his answer.
“No rush, let’s hear what he has to say.” Fang Zhengzhi remained very calm.
Of course that was just on the outside, Fang Zhengzhi had already been planning for his escape route.
Although…
He had yet to find the safest escape route from here.
Therefore, delaying would naturally be the best method.
“Fine, then you show us your evidence!” The disciples nodded their heads, feeling more impressed with Fang Zhengzhi.
Staying calm and steady, that was just the right way of being a senior.
Dare to suspect the identity of a senior?
It would be a must to make him feel defeated.
The young man seemed to hesitate after listening to Fang Zhengzhi. There was no turning back for him at this point of time.
He coughed lightly as he bowed in front of the three disciples.
“I’m Sima Feng from the Holy Barbarian Empire, I doubt many had heard about my name, but I bet some of you have heard about Sima Ke?” The young man paused as he mentioned the name, and looked at the three disciples.
“Sima Ke?”
“Is he talking about the assassin from the Holy Barbarian Empire?”
“The world’s best assassin in the whole family line, Sima Ke?”
Everyone surrounding them was stunned after listening to Sima Feng”s sentence.
Just like what he had said, it was very rare to hear the name Sima Feng, but Sima Ke was indeed famous around the world.
He was the first assassin in the world, and was famed since 10 years ago.
He looked like a person around the age of mid twenties, how could he possibly be Sima Ke?
Hold on.
Did he just mention that his name was Sima Feng?
“You guessed correctly, Sima Ke is my father, but he had long left us. And I’m the successor of the Sima family!”
Sima Feng looked at the surrounding discussions, and looked more confident than usual. He did not wait till the end of their discussion, “I have learnt all the skills of disguising and camouflaging from my father since I was a child. Although I dare not claim to be the first, it is very rare to see anyone master these skills in the Holy Barbarian Empire.”
Silence.
The contestants remained silent. Because if Sima Feng were really the current heir of the Sima household, his claim wouldn’t be entirely ridiculous.
The three disciples frowned after listening to him. They looked at Fang Zhengzhi but did not stop Sima Feng from continuing.
Sima Feng continued to look very confident as he did not hear any more objections. He continued, “Although disguising and camouflaging were one of the expertise skills, it would be impossible for anyone to do those without any flaws. I believe that all of you can understand this.”
“To be able to reduce the risk of being exposed, the experts would always follow the target and spend a lot of time observing and imitating him. This is allow the mimicked expressions and actions to remain the same.”
“But Senior Kong Qing standing before us seemed to have failed to retain all these skills!”
“This might be my first time meeting the senior, but due to the habit of my work, I have been observing him since Senior Kong Qing had eliminated the Sixth Highness of the Radiant Moon Empire.”
“It was very strange since the moment Senior Kong Qing walked out from the wooden house. He might try very hard to imitate, but judging from his actions and expressions, they were all different from the usual Senior Kong Qing. The most obvious area would be the “eyes”, as that is be the hardest part to hide, even if you are best at imitating someone.”
“Therefore, he’s fake, and if I didn’t guess wrongly, the real Senior Kong Qing would still be in the wooden house!”
The black coat young man finished his sentence and pointed at the wooden house in front of them. There was a faint glow coming out from him, as he fixed his eyes on Fang Zhengzhi.
“Wew!”
Everyone had a drastic change in their expressions upon hearing the explanation. He was really an impersonator of Kong Qing? If these were all true, it would be very terrible.
They were all standing at the bottom of the Heaven Dao Pavilion now.
Impersonating one of the disciples in the Heaven Dao Pavilion, was not be the smartest thing to do now. And most importantly, what would be the reason of imitating Kong Qing?
“Hehe, I thought you had some hard evidence, so it is just by observing?” One of the disciples walked out, “Senior Kong Qing had long reached the peak of the Supernatural State, nobody would have the chance to defeat Kong Qing and impersonate him!”
“That’s right, it’s impossible!”
“We truly believe that this is the real Senior Kong Qing!”
The other two disciples also nodded their heads in agreement.
In reality, the three disciples had been trying their best to be close with “Kong Qing” ever since “Kong Qing”‘ had eliminated some of the contestants earlier, showcasing his power.
Now…
Naturally they would not immediately take the side of Sima Feng.
“You may really be one of the Sima family, but I will not believe your explanation just from one speech!” One of the contestants rebuked at the same moment.
Of course, he was trying to impress Kong Qing.
“Exactly!”
“We don’t believe it!”
The rest of the contestants heard that and began expressing their views.
“Still choose not to believe?” Sima Feng stared at the pairs of angry eyes around him, and looked at Qian Wu standing behind him. With a face of determination, he said, “What if I am able to expose the real identity of this person here?”
“Real identity?”
“Even if he is an impersonator, how is it even possible to recognise the true identity of the person just by one look? That’s totally ridiculous.”
Those who were still doubting the words of Sima Feng, finally couldn’t tolerate any longer. That was totally unbelievable.
“Nothing impossible, right? Fang Zhengzhi!” Sima Feng clenched his fist tightly, as he continued staring at his face.
“Fang Zhengzhi?!”
“The Fang Zhengzhi from the Great Xia Dynasty?”
“I heard that Fang Zhengzhi was the shameless guy who, under coincidental and fortunate circumstances managed to contribute much to the Great Xi Dynasty, and finally crowned as the king!”
The contestants heard the name Fang Zhengzhi and quickly recalled the recent rumours of this person from the Great Xia Dynasty.
Upon hearing what Sima Feng had said, the cold and silent Yan Xiu had a change in his facial expression.
“Fang Zhengzhi?” Yanxiu said silently under his breath, as he clenched his fist tightly, emitting a faint red light.
Nangong Mu also had a change in his expression as he looked directly at Fang Zhengzhi. It was unable to tell if he was pleasantly surprised, or shocked.
“Hahaha……Did you just said that Fang Zhengzhi is the impersonator of Senior Kong Qing? If you had mentioned others, I may have believed what you said. But I have heard of Fang Zhengzhi this name.” One of the disciple in the Heaven Dao Pavilion laughed.
“Yes, senior Nangong has once casually mentioned about Fang Zhengzhi. Although we admit that he’s a smart and intelligent being, but if I didn’t remember wrongly, he’s only in the Supernatural State?”
“That’s so ridiculous, Sima Feng. Are you trying to say that the real Senior Kong Qing was defeated by Fang Zhengzhi, who was only in the Supernatural State? And he was defeated so quietly in front of everyone?”
“Just scram, we the Heaven Dao Pavilion do not welcome you!”
The two disciples sounded very cold, as they were very aware of Kong Qing’s power. The other sages would never defeat Kong Zhi, let alone Fang Zhengzhi.
“Please don’t get angry. I did not mention anything about Kong Qing being defeated by Fang Zhengzhi, similar to you, I believe in the powers of Kong Qing, but there’s no rule about being defeated by purely using their powers.” Sima Feng grinned and continued, “I believe everyone would have heard of the shameless attitude of Fang Zhengzhi. Maybe he had some hidden plot? Or maybe he used poision!”
“Poison?!”
“Yes, he used poison. In fact, you all would have known about how deceitful Fang Zhengzhi is. He is very daring and would dare to do things that others won’t. Therefore, I’m 90% sure that the Senior Kong Qing standing before us is actually Fang Zhengzhi!” Sima Feng finished his sentence, looking very determined.
“Let’s just say that you’re right, but why would he impersonate Senior Kong Qing!”
“Because of Yan Xiu, he wanted to help Yan Xiu pass this Heaven Dao Pavilion selection test. Thus he chose to imitate Senior Kong Qing, and eliminate all of us in the first round!” Sima Feng said as he took one step and looked straight at Fang Zhengzhi.
“Yan Xiu?”
The three disciples and the contestants turned their attention towards Yan Xiu at this moment.
While they were still afraid to confirm….
But what if that was really the case?
If everything was right from the beginning?
Just like what Sima Feng had explained earlier about Kong Qing’s actions, they were indeed not suitable for the selection test. Who would eliminate eight contestants just at the start of the test?
Even though, everything that “Kong Qing” had mentioned earlier were very impressive.
However, all these were just too strange.
The three disciples all frowned as they were not certain about Sima Feng’s words. But looking back at the things “Senior Kong Qing” had said, they were still not sure if all these were not real.
Hesitation.
Silence….
None of them opened their mouth, but they were all staring at Fang Zhengzhi’s body, making a lot of guesses.
“Fang Zhengzhi, what else do you want to say, just hand us the real Senior Kong Qing. Do you know where you are now? To tell you, this is the Heaven Dao Pavilion, not your Great Xia Dynasty. It’s not a place for you to misbehave!” Sima Feng looked at the crowd and was even more determined.
To be exact, he was confident of his guess as Qian Wu had said something really important.
Yan Xiu was here!
Fang Zhengzhi would certainly be present too.
But Fang Zhengzhi was not in the crowd, therefore it could only be that Fang Zhengzhi was impersonating as Kong Qing, since he would never impersonate any one of the contestants.
That was a daring guess…
But Sima Feng decided to gamble on this opportunity. It was worth it.
Because if he had not took the risk, then Qian Wu would be eliminated by “Kong Qing”. In such a situation, he had no choice but to take it.
Comment (1)
Gaptekbet
Gaptekbet
Xp
Rate this chapter
Vote with Power Stone
Send Gifts
Chapter 637: Let’s Fight, What’s There to Fear
“Have you finished saying?” Fang Zhengzhi looked at the silenced crowd as his tone remained calm. However, he hated to admit that he felt impressed by Sima Feng.
Could he be anymore magnificent?
Indeed, the world wasn’t lacking of geniuses, especially the contestants in the Heaven Dao Pavilion selection test. Almost all of them were the top elites of their countries.
Fang Zhengzhi had indeed thought about the fact that he may be exposed.
However, he did not expect that he would be exposed that quickly. He must have been too careless. Even though he had mastered the skill of disguising and camouflaging.
But at last he had yet to reach the highest technical proficiency.
Although Fang Zhengzhi certainly had no idea that Qian Wu would have such a great expert by his side, and he was even the head of the Si Ma family.
That was just awkward…
He would still have a chance to survive if he were to escape now. But that would also mean that he was unable to enter the Heaven Dao Pavilion.
How?
Fang Zhengzhi was pondering hard about his current situation and available escape methods. But the real Kong Qing was still lying in the wooden house. It would be very hard to explain once anyone charged into the wooden house.
“That’s right, I have finished my piece, Fang Zhengzhi. Do you have anything to say now?” Sima Feng nodded his head, sounding very determined.
“Seems like you’re planning to check inside the wooden house?” Fang Zhengzhi grinned slightly.
“Indeed!” Sima Feng answered.
“Outrageous! This is the Heaven Dao Pavilion. No matter the problem, it is not up to you to make any decision. The wooden house is for us disciples to rest and host our guests. Who are you to check inside the house?” While the three disciples were confused with the real identity of “Kong Qing”, but they were not willing to allow Sima Feng enter the house casually.
However, by saying that, it was almost the same as suspecting “Kong Qing”‘s real identity.
They did not have a full grasp of the situation.
Therefore the three disciples would naturally not do it. Even if “Kong Qing” was an impersonator, it would also be upon the responsibilities of the elders in the Heaven Dao Pavilion to settle the matter.
And not deduced by them…
Sima Feng began frowning, as he stared unhappily at the wooden house ahead of him, before finally suppressing the thought of rushing into it.
After all, his strength was to camouflage and disguise…
And not to charge into something.
How?
Sima Feng was also thinking about this problem too. Even if he was 90% sure, in such a situation, it would be very difficult for him to attain hard evidence against Zhengzhi.
Hold on.
If that person was really Fang Zhengzhi…
“That’s it!” Sima Feng’s eyes brightened up immediately as he took up a big step forward. “Fang Zhengzhi, you can choose not to admit, but I will use my power to reveal your true self!”
“Using your power?!”
“What is he trying to say, is he trying to challenge Senior “Kong Qing”?”
“This Sima Feng, did he forget about the incident with the Sixth Highness from the Radiant Moon Empire?”
After hearing Sima Feng’s words, the contestants shook their heads lightly, as they felt that he was overestimating his power.
The three disciples glanced at one another. While Sima Feng’s words were clear, they did not understand the meaning behind his words.
“You’re right, I’m going to challenge you!” Sima Feng pointed at Fang Zhengzhi. “I may not be of the highest state, in fact I’m only in the Rebirth State. But if I’m against Fang Zhengzhi who is in the Supernatural State, I have the ability to defeat him. In other words, if you are really Kong Qing, you will naturally accept my challenge!”
“Accept your challenge?” Fang Zhengzhi was taken aback by the situation.
He couldn’t help but felt surprised by Sima Feng’s suggestion.
“Yes!” Sima Feng was determined.
The surrounding crowd also managed to understand what he was trying to say. Sima Feng was forcing “Kong Qing” to fight with him. Although, this method wasn’t the most brilliant one.
But it was indeed the best method to find out if “Kong Qing” was an impersonator.
After all, they were all aware of Fang Zhengzhi in the Supernatural State. At this point of time, no matter how genius or evil he was, he could never kill someone from the Rebirth State.
Sima Feng was aware of his situation.
He knew that he was not really a great competitor to Fang Zhengzhi, even if he was from the Rebirth State. Hence he used the self-defence tactic to give himself space for retreat.
To be more exact, Sima Feng’s attitude was very clear.
He made use of his power from the Rebirth State to challenge Fang Zhengzhi from the Supernatural State, instead of resorting to attack first. This was to force Fang Zhengzhi to show some of his “special” moves, and reveal his flaws during the process.
That seemed like a brilliant method.
“How? Fang Zhengzhi, are you up for the challenge?” Sima Feng said in a low bassy voice as he looked at “Kong Qing”, who did not seem to have any intention to start the fight immediately.
“Are you sure that you won’t regret this?”
“Of course!”
“Alright then, I will fulfill your will!” Fang Zhengzhi laughed, and he was smiling very happily.
If it were a month ago, he would not have laughed so happily listening to Sima Feng. Because as Sima Feng had mentioned earlier.
With just the power from the Supernatural State, he would not be able to defeat Sima Feng from the Rebirth State if he failed to show any special moves.
Furthermore, Sima Feng would only defend and not attack.
“Senior Kong Qing just agreed to him.”
“I knew that Kong Qing’s real!”
“Let’s just wait and see.”
Some of the contestants weren’t surprised when they heard “Kong Qing” agreeing. After all, “Kong Qing” would have just agreed to the suggestion, be it real or fake.
Yan Xiu, who was standing among the crowd, changed his expression upon hearing Fang Zhengzhi agreeing to Sima Feng’s request. He clenched his fist even more tightly.
Rays of bright red light emerged from his fist, but at this moment, a hand pressed down on his shoulder.
Yan Xiu turned his attention towards the side as he looked at Nangong Mu. Following that, the light on his hand gradually disappeared.
Nangong Mu withdrew his hand quickly.
He seemed to have guessed Yan Xiu’s intention, so he chose not to open his mouth, but used his action to stop it quickly.
This small action did not raise any attention as everyone was focusing on Fang Zhengzhi and Sima Feng.
But there was a pair of eyes staring at Yan Xiu and Nangong Mu.
It was a young man coated in a long emerald green coat. His skin was slightly tanned, and he looked like the age of someone around his twenties. But everyone unintentionally kept a distance from him.
That made the young man looked like he was not suitable for this important occasion.
His eyes were fixed on Yan Xiu and Nangong Mu. But he did not speak up as he stared at them, resembling a ferocious beast.
…
There were two sharp cliffs at the sides of the Heaven Dao Pavilion, and two huge beasts were guarding at the sides. Two old men with white coats were standing there.
“Third elder, fifth elder!” A Heaven Dao Pavilion disciple walked quickly to behind the two old men as he bowed politely and addressed them.
“Yes, is the first segment of the selection test done?”
“Not yet, but there was a news from the bottom of the mountain, that eight of them have been eliminated.
“Eight of them? Hmm, okay I got it.”
“I will make me move now, master!” The disciple disappeared quickly.
The two white coat old men made eye contact with one another, as they felt suspicious of the situation.
“Kong Qing had been in the Heaven Dao Pavilion for six years, his performance had been great. He is a very stable and humble kid.”
“Ummm, this year’s contestants should be of decent quality.”
“Yes, in theory, they should be better than the previous event.”
“Two years ago, the top elite Nangong Hao from the Great Xia Dynasty came. But this year the top elites from the Holy Barbarian Empire and the War Pinnacle Empire came. Also, the new Yan King form the Great Xia Western Liang, Yan Xiu was also here. Oh, in fact Nangong Hao’s brother was here too. What is his name?”
“Let me think…..Hmmm, he’s Nangong Mu.” The white coat old man flipped open his scripture and answered him.
“Nangong Mu, haha. Looks like I’m not the only person who forgot his name.” The other white coat old man laughed gently.
“It’s fine that I forget it, but it’s not right for you to forget it. Nangong Hao can be considered one of your disciple? And you still cannot remember his brother’s name, aren’t you embarrassed?”
“Indeed, I’m embarrassed. Why not we go down together to observe?”
“Yes, we should do it!”
The two white coat old men finished their sentences and looked at each other again. Then they leapt onto the back of a beast each. The two beasts howled loudly as they flew rapidly downwards from the top of the mountain, disappearing into the thick clouds.
…
At the Heaven Dao Pavilion, below the mountain, in front of the five wooden houses.
The three disciples stepped back behind Fang Zhengzhi, while the rest of the contestants took five steps back, leaving a huge space in between Fang Zhengzhi and Sima Feng.
That was a request from Sima Feng.
He was brave enough to initiate the challenge, yet he requested to keep an appropriate distance between each other. Sima Feng was indeed a very precarious man.
Of course, that was his habit due to his career.
As a top elite among the assassins.
He was always alone in many situations. They did not have many friends by their sides, and that made them learnt how to make way in times for emergencies.
To forbear, to be cautious.
Those were the survival skills as an assassin.
Sima Feng was very serious, even though he knew that the opponent in front of him was of a lower state than him, but he was still extra careful.
He was even more cautious than the usual mission he carried.
As he was aware that Fang Zhengzhi, who was in the Supernatural state, did not lose to the sage Canyang from the Southern Region and the Demon race.
More importantly, Fang Zhengzhi from the Supernatural State had once killed a Demon King.
Although it was recorded that the Demon King was “lethargic”, and being attacked by the Prince Li of the First Rank. And it was after the attacks from Yan Qian and Ping Yang, that Fang Zhengzhi managed to kill him.
But…
He was still the Demon King.
A ray of thick black light surrounded Sima Feng, causing his body to turn blurry. It was one of the hunting skills of assassins.
There was a dull looking black dagger on the right hand of Sima Feng. There was a deep line of blood trail on the blade of the dagger, and its tip was sharp and dangerous.
Dagger of an assassin.
It was a famous dagger.
However, it was rarely seen, because an assassin will only reveal the dagger hiding in his coat when dealing the last fatal blow.
As a top elite among the assassins, Sima Feng would clearly understand it.
But he had flashed out the dagger.
The contestants saw it and could naturally understand the determination in Sima Feng. It was obvious that Sima Feng was prepared to defend till the end.
As if Sima Feng had any intention of attacking, he would not have revealed the dagger.
“The sixth highness from the Radiant Moon Empire was also in the Rebirth State and he was very good in defence. But he was also defeated in just three moves by Kong Qing, how many moves can Sima Feng handle?”
“Sima Feng may be of a higher state than the Sixth Highness of the Radiant Moon Empire, but afterall he is an assassin. Under the circumstance of only defending and not attacking, it would not be difficult to survive five strokes!”
“But what if… I said what if, the one standing before Sima Feng is really Fang Zhengzhi?”
“Fang Zhengzhi? A person who had once killed the Demon King, naturally have his own special abilities. Rumours had it that outside the Flame Capital City, there is a sword mark left behind, caused by the “Dragon Slayer Slash”. But I have heard that it required a lifelong of energy to execute the Dragon Slayer Slash, and that is why Fang Zhengzhi ended up having only a few more months to live.”
“I’ve also heard about this story, but he wouldn’t dare to summon the Dragon Slay Slash in this situation right?”
“Indeed! Therefore, no matter how strong Fang Zhengzhi is, Sima Feng from the Rebirth State still ultimately have the upper hand. If he really chose to only defend and not attack, he could at least handle 20 strokes, still leading in the challenge!”
“You guys still think so lowly of Fang Zhengzhi. He may only be in the Supernatural State, but he is still the youngest king in the history of the Great Xia Dynasty. I think Fang Zhengzhi is able to defeat Sima Feng in just 15 strokes if he made use of all his strength!”
“15 strokes?! Is he really that strong?”
The contestants began making their guesses as the fight between Fang Zhengzhi and Sima Feng was about to begin.
The three disciples were all “guarding” behind Fang Zhengzhi as they crowded together with the rest of the contestants around Fang Zhengzhi and Sima Feng.
Chapter 638: Absolute Power
The light breeze blew, and the raging sun was shining.
Fang Zhengzhi glanced at Sima Feng who was standing 20 feet ahead of him. He grinned, and flashed a gentle smile. He was impressed by Sima Feng’s daring guesses and elaborate thoughts.
However, Sima Feng had miscalculated one thing.
And that would be…
That two months that had passed since the battle in the Flame Capital City.
Many things could have happened within that period. He could have simply attained the Rebirth State, or opened the Rebirth Plate.
“Middle term of the Rebirth State?” Fang Zhengzhi asked, not paying attention to the positions of the three disciples. After all, he had not been putting them in his eyes.
“Fang Zhengzhi, show whatever skills you have!” Sima Feng held onto his dagger tightly as he looked at Fang Zhengzhi who was standing at the same spot.
“Are you ready?” Fang Zhengzhi smiled gently.
“Of course!” Sima Feng said confidently.
“Alright, then here I come.” Fang Zhengzhi nodded his head. Then he placed his hands behind his back, as he walked slowly towards Sima Feng.
There weren’t any bright rays of lights, or big earth-shaking movements. He was merely brisk walking, very slowly but casually.
“Eh?”
“What is going on?”
“Is he not going to fight?”
The contestants who were waiting for a big fight to happen, were completely not used to the current situation. Fang Zhengzhi did not seem like he was going to start a big battle.
It almost seemed like he was…
Admiring the scenery.
That’s right, he was gazing at the leisurely view.
Sima Feng tightened his grip again, as it was obvious that he was neglected. Moreover, it was in the situation when he had put in all his effort, yet he was still looked down with disdain.
He was dumbfounded, and naturally anger started to build up inside him.
Dare to look down on an assassin?
That was practically an insult in his face.
Because an assassin’s expertise was his momentarily explosive power. On this aspect, Sima Feng was very confident of his power.
A gush of adrenaline rushed in his heart.
Place both of his hands behind his back?
If he was within 10 steps, was he able to deal one fatal blow?
Or 5 steps!
5 steps was definitely fine!
Sima Feng was filled with such a strong gush of feelings in his head. Subconsciously he had clenched his grip on the dagger a little too tightly, and his hand began turning pale.
At the same time, Fang Zhengzhi paid no attention to his anger. He continued closing up the gap between him and Sima Feng, his hands remained at the back.
15 steps, 10 steps…
Fang Zhengzhi continued to pace his steps as the distance between them became closer.
Sima Feng had a cold look in his eyes.
The thick black rays of light covered the whole atmosphere, engulfing the 5 steps distance between them. He was able to clearly perceive any changes in the area, such as the heartbeat and the murderous opportunity…..
That was the art of hunting!
“Sima Feng!” A voice bellowed, it wasn’t too loud, but it pierced right into his heart and rang beside his ears.
That made his heart tremble and he temporarily desisted his thought of charging forward.
Because, he knew that the sound was coming from Qian Wu, and Qian Wu was reminding him not to act rashly. Beads of sweat broke down from his forehead.
“Did he just purposely reveal his flaw?” Sima Feng stared at Fang Zhengzhi walking towards him, as his feet felt cold.
But he recovered very quickly.
He managed to suppress the thought in his head, and fixed his eyes tightly on the nearing Fang Zhengzhi.
8 steps, 7 steps….. 6 steps…..
He was still walking?!
5 steps!
Finally, Fang Zhengzhi paused, he stopped 5 steps away from Sima Feng. Both his hands were still behind his back, as he scanned around in the black thick rays of light around him.
Silence, dead silence.
Everyone fixed their eyes on Fang Zhengzhi and Sima Feng. None of them opened their mouths, and they even tried to minimise the sound of their breaths.
“If I didn’t guess wrongly, 5 steps distance is the best time for you to attack right?” Fang Zhengzhi stared at Sima Feng, it almost sounded like he was mocking on him.
Sima Feng did not reply, and he continued to hold his dagger very tightly. He was focusing very intently.
“Looks like you are really planning to defend till the end?” Fang Zhengzhi looked at Sima Feng as he smiled brightly.
“Stop saying…” Before he could even finish his sentence, Si Ma Feng’s eyes opened wide in disbelief. Because Fang Zhengzhi had already started moving.
That was so fast!
In just a moment, Sima Feng felt as though he had lost sight of Fang Zhengzhi, even when he had used all his energy to stay focused.
Why was he so fast?
How could that happen so quickly?
Wasn’t he still in the Supernatural State?!
Sima Feng attempted to ask, but it was too late. Because Fang Zhengzhi had already appeared in front of him. It seemed like he had teleported from 5 steps away to right in front of him instantly.
Sima Feng subconsciously made his move, as he struck his dagger towards the middle of Fang Zhengzhi’s heart.
At the same time, a ray of light formed in the dark atmosphere, covering the whole body,
In such a situation where he could no longer monitor Fang Zhengzhi’s actions, his only method would be to strike into his heart, so as to defend himself.
However…
It was all too late.
As Fang Zhengzhi’s fist had already landed on his chest.
“KACHA!”
That was the first cracking sound in the ray of light, then Sima Feng felt a gush of strength rushing into his chest.
“Boom!” A loud voice rang beside his ears.
Sima Feng’s eyes were wide open, as he stared motionlessly at the fist punching into his chest. He couldn’t believe, or rather he refused to believe the whole situation.
The energy emitting from the fist caused him to feel even more flabbergasted.
It was like there was something breaking in his heart.
His energy was losing rapidly, and it seemed like it was disappearing forever. Just like the river, never ending.
How was that even possible?
How could he be so fast?!
Sima Feng still couldn’t figure out the logic behind all these.
Not only were his actions swift, they were heavy too!
If “Kong Qing” or “Fang Zhengzhi” was using special abilities, such as trapping him or wrapping him around.
He was willing to admit defeat.
However the current situation….
Was that there weren’t any special moves at all. They were swift and huge, striking him at his most comfortable distance of 5 feet away.
That was a domination!
A total domination!
He had failed…..
To even defend a single move from him.
This guy, was he really Fang Zhengzhi? Or was it just a mistake since the start? There was no Fang Zhengzhi at all, it was just Kong Qing, the Kong Qing from the Heaven Dao Pavilion.
“Crash!” Sima Feng’s legs gave way, as he came kneeling on the ground. His eyes were filled with resentment, as he still felt that his assumptions were right.
Nonetheless, why would the ending be like this?
“My apologies, I was a bit hard on you, I didn’t expect you to be this weak…” Fang Zhengzhi withdrew his fist after looking at Sima Feng crashing onto the ground.
Silence, dead silence.
The contestants, including Yan Xiu and Nangong Mu, as well as Qian Wu and the young man staring at Yan Xiu, were focusing on Fang Zhengzhi.
That happened too quickly!
It was just in a blink of an eye.
They were expecting the battle to have quite a few movements, since it was a confrontation between the Rebirth State. However, the battle in front of them was just too “calm”.
So calm that it was unable to locate any signs of the battle trails.
Too dominating!
Really too dominating!
It was supposed to be a battle to compete with each other’s strength and speed. Through this whole process, Sima Feng could neither attack nor defend himself.
“That was so strong!”
“Is that the true power coming from a disciple of the Heaven Dao Pavilion?”
“They were from the same state, even if one is at the peak of the Rebirth State, while the other in the middle. But the difference between them was just too huge.”
The contestants all looked at each other as they still had yet to recover from the shock. They were unable to accept the situation before them.
Just merely a strike?!
One strike!
While “Kong Qing” had previously showcased his “state” and impressed them, the strength exerted by the current “Kong Qing” would erase all traces of doubt in their hearts.
Fang Zhengzhi?
How could such a strong person possibly be Fang Zhengzhi!
It was impossible for one from the Supernatural State to defeat someone in just one blow. Moreover it was just using pure pressure skills.
Nobody else would question “Kong Qing’s” identity.
Even Qian Wu opened his eyes wide in disbelief. He was staring at the kneeling Sima Feng, before turning to “Kong Qing” who was standing before Sima Feng. His face looked very dull and worried.
“What’s wrong with Sima Feng? Didn’t he say that he was 90% confident?” Qian Wu’s expression did not seem that great. If it wasn’t for Sima Feng, he could have chosen another better method to solve his problem of being eliminated.
But due to Sima Feng’s “assumptions”, he was now caught in a difficult position.
Moreover this may probably result in creating an “enemy” for him in the Heaven Dao Pavilion in the future. That was just the situation that he refused to witness.
“Senior Kong Qing!” The three disciples flew in front of Fang Zhengzhi and said respectfully.
“Yes.” Fang Zhengzhi nodded his head as he gave Sima Feng a look. “You wouldn’t blame me for defeating you because of my carelessness at that moment?”
“You……waa!” Sima Feng’s face turned pale at once, as his body rocked tremendously. Then he sputtered a pool of blood from his mouth.
“Boom!”
Everything in Sima Feng’s vision turned black as he fell on the ground.
“Serves you right!”
“Senior Kong Qing, don’t you worry. We witnessed everything, you did not use your power to bully the weaker ones. It was purely just because Sima Feng was too weak!”
“That’s right, we can all testify for you, Senior Kong Qing!”
The contestants looked at the situation and they flew to the side of Fang Zhengzhi, as they were willing to testify for Fang Zhengzhi. Some even tried to spit on Sima Feng who had already fainted on the ground.
“I see……Actually, I feel guilty for this. After all, he was from the Rebirth State, and just like this, he turned into a disabled person. Sigh…”Fang Zhengzhi said remorsefully.
“Please don’t say that Senior Kong Qing. Everyone will try their best to fight in a battle. There is no such thing as not getting hurt in a battle. It was Sima Feng who overestimated his strength, he was the one who initiate this challenge with senior Kong Qing!”
“Yes, and he even tried to malign you. He is so detestable!”
“For this kind of person, senior Kong Qing shouldn’t even feel sorry for him. I wouldn’t have spare his life if it was me!”
“Senior Kong Qing still tried to spare his life. You are just too kind, I should learn that from you!”
After seeing Fang Zhengzhi’s remorseful look, a few contestants felt even more respectful towards him.
At this moment, two loud howling sounds reverberated throughout the sky.
Then, two small black dots began appearing from the horizon.
It became bigger slowly.
There were two humongous beasts flying down from the sky. They had a pair of huge wings, covering the piercing sun.
These huge movements had drawn the attention of the contestants, as they raised their heads.
The three disciples also saw the beasts and the two white robe figures on the beasts.
“It’s Third Elder and Fifth Elder!”
“Could it be because of the delay from the first segment?”
“This…”
The three disciples had traces of worry and fear when they had seen who the two figures behind the beasts were.
Fang Zhengzhi was also looking up at the elderly men, both of whom had almost the same dressings and were of similar age.
Fine…
They didn’t look like anyone spectacular.
Seemed like he was going to lose his power of being the senior here.
Third Elder and Fifth Elder?
Both of them….
Which was the Third and Fifth elder respectively?
As Fang Zhengzhi was thinking about it, the two figures leapt from the beasts. The white robes danced lightly in the air, and just like cotton wool, they landed softly on the ground.
Saint State!
Fang Zhengzhi was able to figure out the two elderly’s power and strength in just one glance. The space around them did not move at all when they landed on the ground.
Although their actions were really slow.
But that felt like they had blended everything together.
“Greetings to you, Third Elder, and Fifth Elder!” The three disciples greeted them politely after they have landed.
“Right.” The Third and Fifth Elder nodded their heads gently, as they began looking at Sima Feng lying on the floor in front of Fang Zhengzhi.
Comment (0)
Rate this chapter
Vote with Power Stone
Send Gifts
Chapter 639: Just One Try
“Greetings from Kong Qing to Third Elder and Fifth Elder!” Fang Zhengzhi reacted quickly and bowed together with the other three disciples.
As for which was the Third and Fifth Elder, he would just pretend that he knew them all along.
“Ummm, Kong Qing, what’s going on here?” A slightly thinner looking elder pointed to Sima Feng on the ground and asked.
“This….” Fang Zhengzhi hesitated.
The reason why he paused before replying the elder was because he had to know their individual identity before addressing them.
Was it, “to Third Elder”, or “to Fifth Elder”?
He had no idea.
That was the time to test his acting skills.
Not opening his mouth would definitely result in someone else speaking up for him.
The three disciples made eye contacts with each other when they saw Fang Zhengzhi’s hesitation, before they stepped out.
“To Third Elder, this person was being very disrespectful towards the Heaven Dao Pavilion and rude to our senior Kong Qing. He even tried to purposely stir things up, by accusing senior Kong Qing’s true identity. He even initiated the challenge, Senior Kong Qing had no choice but to fight him!” One of the disciples replied.
“That’s true, the three of us can testify for senior Kong Qing!” The other two disciples began matching up after listening.
“Senior Kong Qing was really forced to make his moves!”
“We can stand up for Kong Qing senior!”
“Senior Kong Qing was very strong and skillful indeed. It was really impressive, and given that Sima Feng was very weak, he couldn’t even handle a single blow from senior. That’s why he had landed into this place!”
Some of the contestants saw the situation and stood out to testify for Fang Zhengzhi.
“Skillful? Defeated in just a blow?” The slim Third Elder finished listening to the rest of the contestants and asked in a suspicious tone, “Sima Feng? If I didn’t remember wrongly, he was from the Holy Barbarian Empire Sima family line right?”
“Yes Third Elder! Sima Feng was still in the mid term of the Rebirth State, but he made many mistakes when defending. Therefore senior Kong Qing managed to defeat him openly in just one move!” The three disciples replied almost immediately.
“I see, is he dead yet?” The Third Elder nodded his head.
“Senior Kong Qing was very kind to let him stay alive.” The three disciples answered again.
“Okay, throw him out.” The Third Elder casually waved his hands.
“Yes!” The three disciples began moving after hearing the command. They immediately lifted Sima Feng up and threw him at a distant place.
The rest of the contestants remained silent.
Initially, upon seeing Third Elder’s queries on the situation, they were guessing if Third Elder would interrogate senior Kong Qing about being too harsh on the contestant.
But now it seemed like…
Nothing was going to happen.
Indeed, in front of the Heaven Dao Pavilion, it was useless mentioning about being the best assassin in the family line.
Qian Wu turned pale, but it wasn’t because of the Heaven Dao Pavilion’s attitude towards Sima Feng. He was worried about the possibility that the Heaven Dao Pavilion may get angry at him due to Sima Feng’ actions.
Nevertheless, Third Elder did not pay attention to him. He turned to Fang Zhengzhi, looking very impressed.
“Wow Kong Qing, the last time we trained with each other was about a year ago? Seems like you haven’t been slacking for this past year!” Third Elder was filled with excitement.
Fang Zhengzhi bowed instantly and was about to thank Third Elder for his compliment.
But he couldn’t help but felt strange after looking at the smile on the Third Elder’s face.
He had noticed the nervousness and panic on the faces of the three disciples when they had seen the elders coming down from the sky.
That just showed…
How strictly distinguished each individual status was in the Heaven Dao Pavilion.
And that would also mean that something was not right, when the Third Elder smiled brightly and amicably at him. After all, he wasn’t the son of the Third Elder.
Furthermore, when the Third Elder and Fifth Elder came down from the Heaven Dao Pavilion, it was obvious that they weren’t just passing by. Hence it could only mean that they had a purpose.
Was that a test?
About a year ago?
That was a fact that most people would neglect on, and easier for one’s true identity to be exposed.
Despite that, Fang Zhengzhi had no idea if the Third Elder was stating the truth.
If it was true, he might accidentally expose himself while explaining. On the other hand, if it was fake, using the same logic, it was also possible to reveal his true self.
How?
He had no other solutions but to gamble.
“Kong Qing is only of a mediocre quality, more importantly it was because of the guidance of Third Elder, just that….. pardon me for asking but have you remembered the wrong date of the spar with me?” Fang Zhengzhi had decided to place his bet on the possibility that the Third Elder was testing him.
After all, the Third and Fifth Elder had came down from the sky for some reason. Moreover, the three disciples had also mentioned about Sima Feng questioning his true identity.
However, Third Elder had not followed up on that matter. Hence Fang Zhengzhi was 70% confident that the Third Elder was indeed suspicious of him.
However…
He had completely no idea as to when the Third Elder had taught Kong Qing. Hence, he had no choice but to throw the question back to Third Elder.
“Remembered wrongly? Oh, right, you’re right. Indeed, I have remembered wrongly, I did soar with you three months ago at the empty land outside my study room.” Third Elder paused for a while before responding.
Fang Zhengzhi subconsciously pointed a middle finger at the Third Elder.
Indeed, there were certainly some old and deceitful old foxes in the Heaven Dao Pavilion, it was very easy to fall into the trap.
Hold on!
It seemed like his reply contained a trap.
The empty space outside his study room?
Third Elder only needed to reply him with the correct date but he purposely mentioned the location.
Suspicious!
“To Third Elder, you’re right that happened 3 months ago. But the location wasn’t exactly outside your study room.” Fang Zhengzhi reminded him softly.
“Oh? I think I’m really getting old, my memory is getting bad.” Third Elder shook his head in confusion as he continued, “Right, have you ended the first round of test?”
“Not yet.” Fang Zhengzhi shook his head.
“Oh, you may continue, I will just go in and sit with Fifth Elder.” Third Elder finished speaking and turned towards the wooden house.
Fifth Elder flashed a smile at Fang Zhengzhi and followed closely behind Third Elder.
Wooden house?!
Crap!
Fang Zhengzhi had a change in his expression as his heart skipped a beat. He stepped aside subconsciously and prayed silently in his heart.
Five wooden houses.
Would he be that unlucky for them to chose that particular wooden house?
Fang Zhengzhi was hoping for a lucky goddess watching over him or maybe, two rays of lightning striking onto the two elders.
But the reality was there weren’t any sort of lightning from the sky, and the elders were nearing that particular small wooden house. Very near, within a few steps of distance.
“Kong Qing has limited skills and decisions and this is my first time assuming such an important responsibility. Can I request for you two elders to stay and give me some guidance!” Fang Zhengzhi shouted.
He even bowed straight after he finished his sentence to show his sincerity.
“Oh?” Third Elder paused and stared at Fang Zhengzhi, while he looked at the slightly plumped Fifth Elder, “What do you think, brother?”
“Since our junior really wanted to ask for help, I will naturally not reject it.” Fifth Elder smiled faintly after looking at Fang Zhengzhi bowing down.
“Alright.” Third Elder nodded his head and looked at the remaining twenty over contestants. “You will still be in charge of testing, while we stand at the side and listen. We will give our suggestions if there were any wrong points given!”
“Thank you Third Elder, thank you Fifth Elder!” Fang Zhengzhi waited till they finally agreed and expressed his gratitude, while standing up at the same time.
Nevertheless, Fang Zhengzhi was still very nervous and scared.
But…
He couldn’t help but admit that the risky feeling was quite exhilarating.
If possible, he would even choose to knock one of the contestants unconscious and impersonate him, so as to enter the Heaven Dao Pavilion easily.
He was thankful for having a strong heart at times like this.
Any other average person would have been tricked by the two “old foxes”.
What should he do now?
Should he just be systematic and ask the questions or continued his elimination plan?
Fang Zhengzhi thought that he should at least try to abide by the rules first. But he was still cautious and felt that he might be exposed anytime.
After all, he was at the bottom of the Heaven Dao Pavilion.
What if he really had to go up?
How many other disciples know Kong Qing in the Heaven Dao Pavilion? Furthermore, Fang Zhengzhi did not even know his own living area.
What would happen if he was lost?
Then he would accidentally enter a female disciple’s room, and thereafter coincidentally see her showering. The steam surrounding her body as a red cloth covered her stomach.
That would be very awkward.
Of course, entering a female disciple’s rooms would be a small matter. The scariest thing would be to accidentally entering a female elder’s room….
“ARGH!” Fang Zhengzhi shivered at the thought of it.
Indeed, he had done something really recklessly.
Of all people, he had impersonated a disciple from the Heaven Dao Pavilion. And ended up being spotted by Third and Fifth Elders. There was really no way for him to escape.
“I can’t do this. I can’t sit here and do nothing, I must strike first and keep the authority to myself.” Fang Zhengzhi had a lot of thoughts in his mind.
Then he made a surprising decision.
To continue his elimination plan!
It had nothing to do about him being stubborn, as he was being forced to make this decision. In fact, if he were to follow the rules closely, it would just be a matter of time before he was exposed.
Troubles would follow once he entered the Heaven Dao Pavilion.
Therefore, he had decided to chose the other path.
Such as eliminating half of the contestants at once and agitate the elders.
Wait till the both of them were angry…
Things would be easier.
As disciples of the Heaven Dao Pavilion, they would be punished for making such grave mistakes.
There were all sorts of punishments.
The first was to be trapped in an enclosed area and being forced to do some self-reflection. Fang Zhengzhi wasn’t afraid of being trapped, in fact he was excited for that as that meant that he would know of his “living area” already.
The second type was the physical punishment, where he would be hit by boards or thick canes. Fang Zhengzhi wasn’t looking forward for this type of punishment, although he still had his way of dealing with it.
And that would be to make a scene of it!
Throwing a tantrum!
Such as shouting his resentments loudly, “I refuse to comply, what is this Heaven Dao Pavilion, I’m not staying here!”
And that would lead to the third punishment.
Being kicked out of the Heaven Dao Pavilion and forced to relinquish his authority.
That would be the last resort for Fang Zhengzhi. No matter what, he had no intention to be a disciple of the Heaven Dao Pavilion, so it would not matter much to him.
At that point of time, Yan Xiu and Nangong Mu would be able to enter the Heaven Dao Pavilion. And he only had to shout loudly at the bottom of the hill, towards the Heaven Dao Pavilion, “Chi Guyan, show yourself!”
He would then wait till Chi Guyan jump out and he would fight her, using his identity and status as the Great Xia Dynasty Cang King.
Of course…
He wasn’t too willing to walk down this last path.
Since that would mean that he wouldn’t have the chance to “observe” the interiors of the Heaven Dao Pavilion, such as the Heaven Academic Altar, the Treasure Pavilion, the Divine Rain Pond and the Heaven Dao Tablet.
And that also meant that he had only completed half of his mission in the Heaven Dao Pavilion.
However, even so, it was better than being beaten to death in the Heaven Dao Pavilion after his identity was exposed.
As long as he stayed alive…
There was no need to stay in the Heaven Dao Pavilion. He could try to visit the Nine Pinnacle Mountain, as well as the Fuxi Valley and the Yin Yang Pavilion. It was just a try anyway, he would not turn pregnant!
“Fine, let’s just begin the rest of the elimination! Oh, wrong….. I mean the test!” Fang Zhengzhi recovered with a smile immediately as he stared at the contestants. They were just like innocent lambs waiting to be sacrificed.
However, little did he know that the two Elders behind were looking at him too, akin to looking at a waiting sheep too.