Chapter 453 - 452: Challenging Qin Ya
Ou Tianlin’s eyes were bloodshot, his body trembling. The image of Qin Ya haunted his mind, impossible to exorcise. His obsession had clearly grown so intense that he was on the verge of madness.
After a while, he collected his thoughts, knowing that continuing his secluded cultivation was useless. He composed himself, his expression grim and cold, and walked out of the hall.
"Hey, did you hear? Elder Muo Xiu refined a Spirit Pill not long ago."
"I know. Even for a Pill King, a Spirit Pill isn’t something you can just casually refine. I heard Elder Muo Xiu spent a full year preparing for it."
"That’s not all. I heard she also invited Elder Qin to assist her."
"Elder Qin? Which Elder Qin?"
"Are you an idiot? Elder Qin Ya, of course! He, Muo Xiu, and Ou Tianlin are the only Alchemy Elders in all of Kunyun Palace."
"Moreover, I heard he also secured one of the spots for the Void Mausoleum. To be so outstanding in both the Alchemy Dao and Martial Arts... he’s truly a prodigious talent."
"Heh, the challenge day is in a few days. Who knows if he can even hold on to his spot. It’d be hilarious if someone took it from him, ha."
The constant chatter of the disciples reached Ou Tianlin’s ears, and his heart sank to the abyss. His face was as dark as storm clouds, and he radiated an aura that warned everyone to stay away. Any disciple who saw him and thought of greeting him was scared off.
"Tsk, what’s wrong with Elder Ou?"
"Who knows? Maybe someone pissed him off."
’Muo Xiu refined a Spirit Pill, and she asked Qin Ya for help!’
’Why didn’t she ask me? Does she think I’m inferior to that brat Qin Ya?’
’And the spot for the Void Mausoleum... That brat actually has such high Martial Arts Cultivation!’
A thousand thoughts churned in Ou Tianlin’s mind. He let out a cold snort, no longer in the mood to wander. He went straight back to the hall. Not long after, furious roars echoed from within.
"Qin Ya, just you wait." Ou Tianlin sat on the main throne in the hall, the fire of hatred in his eyes burning as intensely as the roaring furnace nearby.
「Two days later.」
A piece of news began to circulate throughout Kunyun Palace: anyone who could defeat Qin Ya and take his spot would receive three Spirit Pills and ten Pseudo-Spiritual Pills. Furthermore, just by challenging Qin Ya, regardless of victory or defeat, one would receive a bottle of Ninth-Grade Elixirs. For a time, all of Kunyun Palace was in an uproar.
"Heavens, who would target Qin Ya like this?"
"I’m not sure, but the person who posted the news is supposedly Feng Ba."
"Feng Ba? The guy Qin Ya defeated with a single move in the tournament?"
"Yup, that’s him. To think he’d still dare to target Qin Ya like this—he really doesn’t know what’s good for him. But I’m curious, where did he get all those elixirs?"
"No idea."
On one of the Thirty-Six Peaks, Qin Ya had naturally heard the news as well.
He sat beneath a large tree while Jing’er practiced her Swordsmanship nearby. Linx Xiaoyun said, "You’re being specifically targeted now. What are you going to do?"
"Heh, I’ll definitely be the one targeted the most in the upcoming challenge matches. After all, they just have to show up—they don’t even have to care about winning or losing—to get a bottle of Ninth-Grade Elixirs. What a great deal for them."
"So what’s your plan?"
"What else can I do? I’ll eat when it’s time to eat and sleep when it’s time to sleep. Even if they all come at me at once, they’re just a disorganized mob. Nothing to worry about."
"But can you really just swallow this?"
"Heh, as for the person pulling the strings, I certainly won’t let them have an easy time."
"It seems you have quite a few enemies."
"Heh, can’t be helped."
「Time passed, and the day of the challenges soon arrived.」
A young man arrived before the Golden Summit Hall.
"I, Likong, challenge Qin Ya!" the young man announced, his voice full of pride.
"Granted!" Immediately, a streak of light shot out from the Golden Summit Hall.
Another dozen or so young men arrived to issue their challenges at the Golden Summit Hall.
"I, Li Qin, challenge Luox Xinyu."
"I, Zhao Fei, challenge Qin Ya."
"I am Li Yunkong, and I challenge Gu Lin."
"I, Zhao Daniu, challenge Qin Ya."
"I, Lin Yufeng, challenge Qin Ya."
"I, Lu Ren, challenge Qin Ya."
...
Aside from a sparse few, the rest, without exception, were all challenging Qin Ya. Streaks of golden light, like challenge letters, shot out from the Golden Summit Hall and flew in all directions.
And elsewhere in Kunyun Palace...
Gu Lin slowly awoke from his Cultivation. A dark, sinister, and bizarre aura emanated from him, as if it could devour everything. At that moment, a streak of golden light flew toward him!
The golden light flew before Gu Lin and transformed into a thin sheet of gold paper.
Written upon it were... Challenger: Li Yunkong.
A hint of ice appeared on Gu Lin’s indifferent face. In the next instant, his longsword sang, and his figure shot into the sky like a black meteor, streaking across the void!
It wasn’t just Gu Lin.
Luox Xinyu, Qin Ya, and the others also received their challenge letters. This was especially true for Qin Ya; he had received at least a hundred golden sheets. Anyone who saw it would surely be astonished.
On one of the Thirty-Six Peaks.
Streams of brilliant golden Flowing Light flew before Qin Ya, transforming into sheet after sheet of gold paper, each bearing the name of a challenger.
"Ha, Young Friend Qin, you’re going to be busy."
Gazing at the thick stack of gold paper in his hand, Qin Ya’s eyes were cold. The corner of his mouth curled up slightly as he replied with an indifferent tone, "Heh, you’re right, Elder Linx. Busy indeed."
As soon as the words left his mouth, his figure flickered and he shot directly toward the Golden Summit Hall.
Even as he flew, more and more gold sheets kept appearing before him.
His expression grew colder, and he increased his speed, arriving at the Golden Summit Hall.
Outside the hall, Gu Lin, Luox Xinyu, and the others were already waiting. As Qin Ya arrived, their gazes converged on him, and expressions of shock immediately appeared on their faces.
Streaks of golden light danced around Qin Ya, transforming into gold sheets that landed in his hand. From the looks of it, there were no fewer than several hundred.
"I, Luoh Se, challenge Qin Ya!"
As the voice faded, another streak of golden light shot out from the Golden Summit Hall, landing in Qin Ya’s hand and turning into a gold sheet. He raised an eyebrow, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.
"Brother Qin, you’re really something else."
"To be challenged by so many people... it’s completely unprecedented."
Leng Qiushan walked up to Qin Ya and glanced at the thick stack of gold sheets in his hand. "Looks like someone hates you to the bone," he said. "To spend so much just to mess with you."
They had heard bits and pieces about Qin Ya’s situation, but seeing it for themselves was still shocking. The other candidates for the spots only had a few challengers each, but Qin Ya had, at the very least, one or two hundred.
"Heh, I’m also very curious about who this person is."
Qin Ya smiled indifferently. Honestly, the number of people in Kunyun Palace who could afford to use so many elixirs just to plot against him was very small. There were only a few possibilities.
And in his heart, he already had a good guess.
"Tsk tsk, now this is going to be a good show."
"So many people are challenging Qin Ya. The lure of those elixirs must be strong."
"But who could be the one scheming against him?"
"I heard it’s Feng Ba."
"Hmph, even a fool can see that Feng Ba is just a scapegoat. Where would he get so many elixirs? It’s obvious someone else is behind him."