Chapter 565 - 239: Competition
True Martial Peak, Qu He’s residence.
Outside the window, a sea of clouds rolled and unfurled, reflecting the warm afternoon sun.
Qu He was sitting cross-legged in his Quiet Chamber, regulating his breathing as True Essence flowed through his body.
Suddenly, a gentle knock came from the door of the Quiet Chamber.
"Enter."
Qu He slowly finished his practice, his eyes clear and bright as he opened them.
An Inner Sect Disciple dressed in the attire of the True Martial Lineage pushed the door open and entered. A hint of urgency was on his face as he bowed respectfully and reported, "Brother Qu, we’ve just received news. Brother Chen Qing has agreed to a duel with Han Xiong of Profound Sun Peak. They will fight on the Seven-Star Platform in three days. The wager... the wager is a Pure Yang Yuan Astral Pill and thirty thousand Contribution Points."
Hearing this, Qu He frowned slightly, but his expression quickly returned to its usual calm.
He waved his hand, and the disciple, understanding the gesture, immediately bowed and retreated, carefully closing the door to the Quiet Chamber behind him.
Silence returned to the room, with only the faint scent of sandalwood smoke lingering in the air.
"Han Xiong... Luo Chengxuan..." Qu He muttered to himself.
The cause and effect of the matter flashed through his mind like lightning.
On Danxia Peak, he had personally resisted Luo Chengxuan’s pressure, securing a Pure Yang Yuan Astral Pill for the True Martial Lineage—and for Chen Qing.
’How long has it been since then?’
And now Han Xiong had gone directly after Chen Qing, his target clearly being that very elixir.
The timing was too coincidental, the objective too precise. He refused to believe Luo Chengxuan hadn’t instigated or fanned the flames from behind the scenes.
’So you lost face on Danxia Peak and now you want to get it back through a disciple my True Martial Lineage values, using it to suppress our reputation... Luo Chengxuan, you’ve really made a shrewd calculation.’
A cold smile touched the corners of Qu He’s mouth.
He had long grown accustomed to the factional strife within the Sect.
The key was that Chen Qing had already accepted.
The stakes involved a rare resource like the Pure Yang Yuan Astral Pill, as well as thirty thousand Contribution Points.
By now, the news must have spread like wildfire through the Inner Sect. Under the watchful eyes of all, if Chen Qing were to back out now, he would become a laughingstock, making it impossible for him to move freely within the Sect in the future.
And the reputation of the True Martial Lineage would be damaged as well.
’Chen Qing...’
Qu He took a deep breath and began to ponder.
’Why did he agree?’
’Was it youthful pride, unable to resist being goaded?’
’And he didn’t come to me for help either.’
’Or... does he have something up his sleeve?’
’Mid-stage Astral Force versus Astral Force Perfection. The gap is like a chasm. Han Xiong has been immersed in the Realm of Perfection for three years; he’s by no means an easy opponent...’
Qu He mused, ’If Chen Qing loses, the loss of the elixir is a small matter. The damage to the True Martial Lineage’s prestige is the greater concern. I’m afraid Luo Chengxuan is waiting for this exact outcome.’
’But on the other hand, if Chen Qing only suffers a narrow defeat... as long as he displays enough strength to threaten Han Xiong, it will be enough to prove his potential is far beyond ordinary. Then my persistence on Danxia Peak today will have been more than worth it.’
’The True Martial Lineage would also be able to hold its head high.’
Qu He slowly stood up and walked to the window, looking down at the endless palace halls in the distance and the figures of disciples scurrying about like ants.
He couldn’t intervene directly. That would only give others a reason to talk and make the True Martial Lineage look like they lacked confidence.
’This is a good opportunity. Let me see if you, Chen Qing, are true gold, or just common iron that needs to be tempered again in the forge.’
Since Chen Qing showed no intention of asking for help, he decided to hold back and see how things developed.
This duel, which seemed to have backed Chen Qing into a corner, could also be the very touchstone to test his true quality.
......
As if it had grown wings, the news spread to every corner of the Celestial Treasure Upper Sect overnight.
From the main peak to the Outer Sect, from Xu Wang Mountain to the residences of every lineage, almost every disciple was fervently discussing the duel on the Seven-Star Platform set to take place in three days.
"Have you heard? Brother Chen Qing of the True Martial Lineage is going to fight Brother Han Xiong of the Mystic Sun Lineage on the Seven-Star Platform!"
"Who hasn’t heard? It’s spreading like crazy! They say it’s over a Pure Yang Yuan Astral Pill, and the bet is as high as thirty thousand Contribution Points!"
"Thirty thousand?! My god, I’ve never even seen that many Contribution Points in my life!"
"Hmph, if you ask me, Brother Chen is just too young and hot-headed. He agreed to a guaranteed loss because he couldn’t take being provoked. And Brother Han is really something else... an Astral Force Perfection expert fighting someone at Mid-stage Astral Force. Isn’t that just blatant bullying?"
In the dining halls, at Wanxiang Hall, and even on the mountain paths between the peaks, similar discussions were endless.
"Who could stand for this? If it were me, being targeted by Han Xiong like this—first he interferes with the Shen Family marriage alliance, and now he shows up demanding an elixir—I would have flipped out on him ages ago!"
A young Outer Disciple complained indignantly.
Someone beside him immediately chimed in, "Exactly! What Brother Han is doing is just too much! First, he snatched away Chen Qing’s potential status as a son-in-law to the Shen Family, and now he turns around to steal his elixir? If that’s not bullying an honest man, what is?"
"He’s gone too far! Even if the Sect encourages competition and vying for resources, this kind of despicable behavior is still shameful!"
Another, slightly older Inner Sect Disciple shook his head and sighed. Although his Cultivation wasn’t high, he was worldly-wise and looked down on Han Xiong’s rapacious methods.
Public opinion was almost entirely one-sided.
Although no one believed Chen Qing could win, the vast majority of disciples, especially the ordinary ones without powerful backgrounds, secretly sided with him in their hearts.
Chen Qing came from the Hundred Sects and had earned the title of True Successor Candidate through his own talent. He usually kept to himself, doing little other than Cultivation and fishing, giving people the impression that he was an extremely honest and reliable person.
Han Xiong, on the other hand, was backed by the Mystic Sun Lineage and the Shen Family. He acted with a high profile and was now using his strength to bully the weak, which naturally aroused both sympathy and disgust among many of the lower-ranking disciples.
Some even began to point their fingers at the Mystic Sun Lineage.
"The Mystic Sun Lineage is powerful, and its disciples are acting more and more domineering."