Chapter 191
Chapter 191
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 191
Chapter Title: The Sparring Challenge
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Ten days later.
The rumor that the Shenshu Four Powers had challenged Mount Hua and Zhongnan Sect to a sparring match for dominance over Shaanxi spread rapidly throughout the entire province.
Especially since Saya Valley had already crumbled, the Shenshu Four Powers making the first move was bound to cause a massive stir.
Some busybodies claimed that the Shenshu Four Powers had finally drawn their swords, while others predicted it was the desperate last gasp of a group backed into a corner after Saya Valley's fall.
This sparked heated debates everywhere.
Some predicted victory for the Shenshu Four Powers, who had previously repelled the joint operation of Mount Hua and Zhongnan Sects, but that was a minority view.
Most placed their faith in the newfound might of Mount Hua Sect's fresh martial force, which had recently crushed Saya Valley, and bet on victory for Mount Hua and Zhongnan.
Nine Great Sects versus emerging factions.
The difference was clear-cut.
The prevailing forecast was that Zhongnan Sect and Mount Hua Sect would triumph over the Shenshu Four Powers.
And as if confirming public expectations, Mount Hua Sect and Zhongnan Sect gladly accepted the Shenshu Four Powers' challenge.
Meanwhile, at that very moment.
The elders had gathered in the Cloud Amidst Pavilion.
"Sect Leader."
The Bi Pavilion Lord spat out his words in agitation.
"This is a scheme they've cooked up."
He couldn't hide his excitement.
No, it wasn't just him.
The expressions of most elders assembled in the Cloud Amidst Pavilion were no different.
The Bi Pavilion Lord glared with wide eyes as he spoke.
"With their Valley Lord fallen, they're backed against the wall. Doesn't it strike you as odd that they'd suddenly request a sparring match?"
He forcibly suppressed his rising fervor, his voice stiff.
"They know they'd lose a full-scale war outright, so they've chosen a path that at least looks like it offers a sliver of hope, haven't they?"
He poured out his words like an interrogation, glaring at the Sect Leader.
With that, the elders' gazes shifted to the Sect Leader as well, thickening the air.
Tension filled the Cloud Amidst Pavilion.
But unlike them, the Sect Leader seated at the head remained calm and composed.
He even leisurely sipped his tea.
"Hmm, this tea has a fine aroma."
After taking a sip, the Sect Leader wore a gentle smile.
Irked by his demeanor, the Bi Pavilion Lord furrowed his brow and opened his mouth.
"Sect Leader..."
"Haha, I know full well."
The Sect Leader cut him off and set down his teacup.
"How could I not see that the sparring proposal they sent is itself a ploy?"
The Bi Pavilion Lord's eyebrow twitched.
"Then you accepted it knowing that?"
"Indeed."
With those words, the Sect Leader scanned the elders, their faces full of displeasure.
"You all look quite disgruntled."
His words hit the mark, causing some elders to flinch.
"I figured you wouldn't take kindly to me accepting the challenge unilaterally without convening a conference..."
The Sect Leader added softly.
"But my decision stands firm."
"Sect Leader!"
"How can you be so arbitrary..."
As most elders struggled to hide their dismay at his resolute tone.
"Is there a particular reason for this?"
Hyeonheo asked cautiously.
"Because rumors of the Shenshu Four Powers sending their challenge have spread far and wide."
The Sect Leader replied as if he'd been waiting for the question.
"In this situation, if we refuse the sparring match, how do you think the world will see us?"
His eyes grew serious as he spoke.
"They'll think Mount Hua Sect is too afraid of the Shenshu Four Powers to face them."
"If we win a full-scale war later, such rumors will vanish."
Hyeonheo emphasized firmly.
His eyes burned fiercely.
He had longed to crush the Shenshu Four Powers ever since their joint operation's defeat.
But.
"A full-scale war... Of course, as you say, we could refuse and still win outright. But that would injure our sect's disciples in the process. Do you want to see that again?"
The Sect Leader countered.
"That's..."
Hyeonheo's mouth shut automatically.
He was right; victory was assured.
But the blood that would be spilled wouldn't be just a drop or two.
The Sect Leader continued.
"And that's not all. Those unconnected to the jianghu want this war over as soon as possible. If we reject the sparring and opt for all-out war instead, what will they think?"
Hyeonheo's brow creased.
No more words were needed.
Mount Hua Sect, one of the Nine Great Sects, would swiftly gain a reputation for ignoring the common folk.
"So they spread the rumors on purpose..."
"How cunning."
Grunts of dismay arose here and there.
Only then did the elders seem to understand why the Sect Leader had accepted.
As shadows fell over their faces upon realizing the enemy had played their cards smarter than expected, the Sect Leader spoke again.
"But it might also be an opportunity."
"An opportunity...?"
"What do you mean...?"
As the elders asked with puzzled looks, the Sect Leader half-closed his eyes and answered.
"If we accept their requested sparring and crush them overwhelmingly... Won't we gain a prestige in Shaanxi that no other sect can touch?"
The elders' eyes changed.
The anger and fury toward the Shenshu Four Powers etched on their faces slowly faded, replaced by swelling anticipation.
Then the Bi Pavilion Lord spoke up again.
"Then, who will represent us in the sparring?"
Silence fell instantly.
The Sect Leader's words rang true on the surface, but one thing was essential for it to work.
Victory.
Only an unconditional win would make it all come true.
"Hyeondo is at the Alliance, isn't he?"
The Bi Pavilion Lord said with concern.
And the one who could provide that certainty was currently none other than Hyeondo in Mount Hua Sect.
"Surely not the Sect Leader himself..."
"Not me."
The Sect Leader stated flatly.
At the same time, the corners of his mouth lifted.
It was a bright, radiant smile like the sun shining over the Cloud Amidst Pavilion.
"The one for the sparring is Cheonhwi."
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ After the conference ended.
Returning to the Purple霞 Pavilion, the Sect Leader gazed intently at Cheonhwi, who awaited him.
'Haha, just as Cheonhwi said.'
Laughter bubbled up just from looking at him, and he parted his lips.
"It turned out just as you predicted."
"It was the expected sequence."
Cheonhwi spoke calmly, though inwardly he sneered.
'To think they'd actually make such a blunder.'
Cornered as they were, their options were limited.
Cut off the tail and flee.
Or gamble everything like this.
But they seemed reluctant to discard boldly, so they played a self-destructive hand.
'Not entirely, of course...'
Cheonhwi's eyes narrowed.
He could clearly read the intentions of those hiding behind the Shenshu Four Powers.
Cheonhwi moved his lips.
"When is the sparring?"
"Four days from now."
"Quick."
"It's deliberate, no doubt."
The Sect Leader half-closed his eyes.
The sharp glint between his long eyebrows seemed to pierce beyond Cheonhwi.
"They timed it when Hyeondo is away."
"Yet we accepted."
"Because we have you."
"Huh? Me?"
"Don't want to?"
"Not that I don't want to, just bothersome."
Cheonhwi, wearing an annoyed expression, suddenly recalled something and spoke.
"Kinda strange, though. I remember you telling me before not to stand out like this..."
"Honestly, I still don't want to put you in the spotlight..."
The Sect Leader smiled wryly.
"But they say a needle in a bag will poke through eventually. A genius like you can't stay hidden forever."
The more time he spent with Cheonhwi, the more he realized.
'He's not a child I need to worry about.'
At first, he saw Cheonhwi as the last gift from his youngest martial brother, someone Mount Hua and he needed to protect.
But that was wrong.
Cheonhwi was protecting Mount Hua and him.
'We've been the ones caging him.'
Upon that realization, the Sect Leader resolved himself.
To release Cheonhwi from his embrace.
So that Cheonhwi, trapped in this Mount Hua cage, could soar freely in the skies.
"And if you're to be revealed to the world, better it be spectacular, right?"
The Sect Leader said, looking at Cheonhwi.
"Shine in this sparring match."
"Tch, such a hassle."
Cheonhwi scratched his head.
It was quite the nuisance.
But he didn't refuse.
In a situation where he couldn't predict their schemes, stepping up himself was the surest way.
"What's the sparring format?"
"Each side fields three in total from their ranks, and they duel."
"Ambiguous."
Cheonhwi frowned.
"What do you mean?"
"Even if I win, if the other two lose, we're done for."
"Haha, no need to worry."
The Sect Leader continued explaining.
"This sparring lets the victor keep fighting until the end."
"What does that mean?"
"For example, the first one out could defeat all three and win, or conversely, the third could take them all down."
"Oh ho. So the side whose three all fall first loses."
'Whoever set this up is helping me out?'
Cheonhwi's lip twisted.
Sect-against-sect spars usually pitted one representative each and judged accordingly.
But this was different.
Like a life-or-death duel, where the winner stayed in.
It screamed confidence in beating them without Hyeondo or the Sword Saint.
'What a foolish choice.'
Cheonhwi inwardly scoffed.
Their overconfidence in winning without those two was aiding him.
How could he not laugh?
Grinning, Cheonhwi stood.
"Sparring's in four days, right?"
"Where are you off to?"
When the Sect Leader asked curiously, Cheonhwi's smile deepened.
"Just preparing for any loose ends, you never know."
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Four days flew by like an arrow, and the day of the sparring arrived swiftly.
True to the hype heating up all of Shaanxi Province lately, Qingya Plain—the site of the duel between the two forces—teemed with massive crowds.
The gathered throng was diverse.
Martial artists, escorts, beggars, commoners, merchants, and more.
Not just jianghu warriors, but even folk who'd never touched martial arts.
All curious about where Shaanxi's hegemony would land were there without exception.
"What do you think?"
Amid the buzzing crowd, one man addressed the fellow beside him.
"What kind of question is that? Obviously Mount Hua and Zhongnan will win."
The questioner scowled in rebuttal.
"But the Shenshu Four Powers recently routed Zhongnan and Mount Hua's joint force. And sending a challenge like this—doesn't it show confidence?"
"That was in the past. Saya Valley poked at Huayu Escort Agency and got wiped out by Mount Hua instead. Think the other three can beat Mount Hua and Zhongnan?"
"But this is a sparring match."
"That's why it's Mount Hua and Zhongnan!"
"You don't know! Even Great Hero Wandering Cloud Swordsman got crushed badly!"
Their argument grew louder.
"Pah! Underestimating the Nine Great Sects?"
"But with the Shenshu Four Powers' current strength!"
It wasn't just them.
Debates over the winner raged everywhere when, in one spot, a middle-aged man set up a betting ring.
"Come on, folks! This isn't an everyday opportunity! Bet on the sparring outcome and make some money!"
"Hm, an opportunity?"
"Hmm. Shall we give it a go?"
At the middle-aged bookmaker's call, hesitant onlookers gathered cautiously.
And placed small bets.
One, two...
As numbers grew and stakes piled up, the eyes of those just watching changed.
"M-Me too, ten taels on Mount Hua and Zhongnan."
"Argh! Five more on Shenshu Four Powers!"
As competition heated up.
"Gasp!"
A gulp echoed, and the crowd split wide before the middle-aged man.
"Huh? What hap—"
The sudden shift froze him mid-sentence as he looked up.
Step— step—
Through the parted masses strode a young man in Mount Hua Sect robes.
'M-Mount Hua?'
The bookmaker swallowed dryly, staring at the young Daoist.
'Damn! Business was booming!'
Thinking he'd come angered by bets against his sect, he shrank back and said,
"H-Ha... S-Sorry. I'll shut it down and return the money right aw—"
As he hurriedly tried to close up.
Shunk—
The young Daoist extended his hand.
A gleaming golden item rested on his palm.
'Huh? Th-That's a gold leaf...?'
As he stared blankly at the gold leaf, a nonchalant voice came from above.
"One gold leaf on Mount Hua and Zhongnan."