Moments later, miserable shrieks began to ring out.
As he ran on up ahead, Bai Xiaochun was a bit surprised to hear the bloodcurdling screams behind him. However, there was no time for him to look back. Elder Zhou seemed to be right behind him, bellowing in rage, leaving Bai Xiaochun with no choice but to charge onward, jaw clenched, expression pained.
Thankfully, Elder Zhou was able to rescue Lu Tianlei from the countless swirling wind blades. If he had come a moment later, Lu Tianlei, whose clothing was now ripped to shreds, would most likely have been left with no other choice than to forfeit.
Eyes bloodshot, Lu Tianlei finally realized who Bai Xiaochun was. Voice filled with rage, he bellowed, “Bai Xiaochun!!”
Unaware that he had unwittingly caused yet another person to hate him, Bai Xiaochun moved on at top speed, passing through numerous empty areas. After enough time passed for half an incense stick to burn, he caught sight of the end of the bridge up ahead.
“I'm finally near the end!” he thought excitedly. What he didn’t notice was that there was someone else near the end, trodding forward one step at a time.
Shangguan Tianyou was panting. Most of the path had been very easy for him, with the difficulty rising only at the very end.
“I can’t believe this place suppresses spiritual power and also has such crushing pressure!” A brutal gleam appeared in his eyes as he proceeded forward. The spiritual power in the area was locked down tight, and there was also huge pressure. He felt like there was a mountain resting on his shoulders, and even more shocking was that with every step he took, it felt like an entire additional mountain was added. Although there were only a total of a hundred steps to take, the difficulty was intense, and he was left trembling physically. He was already quickly approaching his limit.
The closer he got to the end, the greater the pressure grew, and the more mountains he felt building up on him. Eventually, he reached the point where he had only ten more steps to take. However, those ten steps seemed almost insurmountable.
Shangguan Tianyou took a deep breath, and determination flickered in his eyes.
“The first place spot in the qualifying round belongs to me. I'm going to get into the Chosen battles, and I'm going to take first place there, too! After I get into the Inner Sect, then my future will be in the Spirit Stream Sect’s Legacy Echelon!” Gritting his teeth, he was just about to take another step when he sensed something behind him, and turned to see Bai Xiaochun.
“It’s him....” There were few people on the south bank who didn’t know Bai Xiaochun. Although Shangguan Tianyou had never met him personally, he had attended his funeral and seen his portrait. The fact that Bai Xiaochun was directly behind him was somewhat of a surprise; he had assumed it would be Lu Tianlei.
“It seems I thought a bit too much of Lu Tianlei. What a useless fool.” Looking away, Shangguan Tianyou completely ignored Bai Xiaochun. As far as he was concerned, he was on a completely different level than Bai Xiaochun. Lifting his foot and stepping forward, he heard creaking sounds emanating from his bones.
However, even as he took that single step. Bai Xiaochun also took a step forward. When he felt nothing, he took a second step, and then a third and a fourth....
Soon he had taken fifty steps, whereupon he stopped and looked up into the air.
“What’s going on? Why do I feel heavier?”
It was at this point that Shangguan Tianyou trembled and put his foot down, having completed one single step. Having taken over ninety steps, he felt like he was on the verge of collapse. He was out of breath, but his expression was one of satisfaction. Then he looked back and saw Bai Xiaochun standing there, having taken fifty steps.
His eyes went wide.
“How... how is he moving so fast!?” Looking shocked, he quickly gritted his teeth. “He must be a body refinement cultivator. That will help him move more quickly at the beginning. But toward the end, things will get more difficult for him. He--” Before Shangguan Tianyou could finish his train of thought, a tremor ran through him, and he looked on in shock as Bai Xiaochun suddenly began to run.
“Run... he’s... he’s running?” Shangguan Tianyou watched wide-eyed as Bai Xiaochun trotted up to him.
“Hey, why are you going so slow?” Bai Xiaochun asked. Looking over his shoulder, he saw no sign of Elder Zhou, and finally breathed a sigh of relief.
“You... don’t feel like there are mountains on your back?” Shangguan Tianyou asked without even thinking about it, his eyelids twitching.
“Mountains?” Bai Xiaochun jumped up and down a few times. “Eee? Hm, yeah a few, but I can hardly feel them.” Shangguan Tianyou gasped in disbelief.
Bai Xiaochun continued to jump up and down a few times, but then suddenly, he saw Elder Zhou off in the distance. With a shriek, he suddenly shot forward through the final nine steps, taking him off of the bridge…. Then his speed increased dramatically, and he was gone from sight.
When that happened, Elder Zhou finally slowed down and then began to chuckle wryly.
“Bai Xiaochun... actually took first place?”
Simultaneously, back on the balcony, Zheng Yuandong, Li Qinghou, and everyone else shot to their feet, strange expressions on their faces. The elders almost couldn’t believe their eyes. Although they had been prepared for a surprising outcome when they saw Bai Xiaochun overtake Zhou Xinqi and Lu Tianlei, the ease with which Bai Xiaochun passed the final section was flabbergasting.
“He... took first?” Li Qinghou murmured.
A moment later, a huge uproar could be heard coming from the disciples who had gathered to watch the qualifying round.
“Bai Xiaochun... passed up Zhou Xinqi, Lu Tianlei and Shangguan Tianyou! He took first!”
“Heavens! Bai Xiaochun actually took first!”
“The only reason he took first was because of Elder Zhou. Anyone would have fled for their life with him chasing them!”
Shangguan Tianyou’s face was pale white, and his mind was spinning. His vision began to go dark, as though lightning were crashing in his mind.
He could only watch as Bai Xiaochun simply walked off of the bridge ahead of him. He began to tremble violently.
“Bai Xiaochun!!” Shangguan Tianyou’s eyes were completely bloodshot. His pride, his self-respect, everything about him had just been trampled by Bai Xiaochun. Worst of all was how Bai Xiaochun had actually asked him why he was going so slow.
All of the blood in his body began to rush toward his head, and the sword qi inside of him boiled on the verge of exploding. Eyes crimson, he threw caution to the wind and lurched forward nine steps, after which he coughed up a mouthful of blood.
“Bai Xiaochun, I, Shangguan Tianyou, did not lose this day. I... refuse to admit defeat. In the Chosen battles, I’ll make sure you realize well and good that among the Outer Sect disciples... nobody can beat me!” Grinding his teeth, he looked off in the direction Bai Xiaochun had disappeared in, eyes bursting with the desire to do battle. Previous Chapter Next Chapter
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Chapter
86: That Again....
Chapter 86: That Again….
Terrified out of his mind, Bai Xiaochun flew off of the mountain and out of the sect. It wasn’t until he reached the market that he actually stopped and looked behind him.
“What do I do now?” Scowling miserably, heart aching from how much he was being wronged, he couldn’t stop thinking about the fact that the bird really had stolen the medicinal pill from him. How was he supposed to explain it? Elder Zhou was so unreasonable….