Chapter 77

Under the scorching sun, the crowd on Jun Mountain was in an uproar, with a dense throng of people gathered together, seemingly endless. At the highest point, the Seven Elders sat facing each other, their gazes fixed on the platform in front of them.

A senior of the Beggar Sect, dressed in an eight-pouch robe, stood on the platform and addressed the crowd, recounting the details of the upcoming contest for the position of the new leader of the Beggar Sect.

"Now, the contest for the position of leader begins!"

"I'll go first!"

As soon as he finished speaking, a man leaped onto the platform. The eight-pouch senior glanced at him and said, "Who will challenge him?"

"I will!" Another man jumped onto the platform. The two men each held a bamboo stick and stood on opposite sides. The eight-pouch senior slowly stepped back, and when he reached the edge of the platform, he looked down at the two disciples. One of them immediately struck a bronze gong, announcing the official start of the contest!

The Beggar Sect had many disciples, and their martial arts were diverse and varied. Take the two men on the platform, for example. In terms of skill, they were not particularly strong, but the martial arts they used were quite refined. One of them even used a boxing technique that mimicked snakes, which reminded Bai Xiaosheng of Ouyang Feng's Snake Fist from "The Legend of the Condor Heroes." Ouyang Feng's Snake Fist was created by imitating snakes, and the boxing technique this man knew had a similar effect.

Watching the contest on the platform, Bai Xiaosheng felt as if his eyes were being opened. Over the years, he had seen many martial arts, but truly speaking, the martial arts of the Beggar Sect were the most diverse. It was no wonder they were the largest sect in terms of numbers. Moreover, those who could stand on the platform were not ordinary people, and the skills they displayed were formidable. He should have walked around the sect more and sparred with these people back then.

"Brother, when are you going up?" Wang Gouzi patted Bai Xiaosheng's shoulder and asked loudly.

Bai Xiaosheng shook his head and said, "No rush! There are many people who want to go up. I'll wait until it's about time, then I'll go up." As he spoke, a cold look flashed in his eyes. To be honest, Wang Gouzi had been quite good to him. He had introduced him to the sect from the beginning and had taken good care of him later on. But now... hey! Do you think I don't know that you are Quan Guanqing's spy placed beside me?

With Wang Gouzi's contributions, he was also eligible to be promoted to a seven-pouch senior this time, but he wasn't. If it weren't for Quan Guanqing's machinations, who would believe it?

"Jiang Yi wins!"

On the platform, Jiang Yi, the branch leader, slowly walked down and stood with the winners, who already numbered about a hundred. The number of challengers on the other side had decreased. Bai Xiaosheng glanced and saw that there were fewer than a hundred left.

After a moment's thought, Bai Xiaosheng leaped onto the platform and slowly bowed to the crowd. Another man followed, looking at Bai Xiaosheng. This was a forty-something eight-pouch senior, older and of higher status than Bai Xiaosheng. Most people who didn't know him well favored him, but those who knew Bai Xiaosheng's martial arts knew that no one in the Beggar Sect could match him.

'The position of leader is very close to me!' Below, Quan Guanqing's stern face showed a hint of a smile.

"Please!"

Bowing, Bai Xiaosheng used the bamboo stick as a sword and thrust it forward. The senior also used a bamboo stick, but he used a staff technique, specifically the Beggar Sect's famous Staff Technique. The highest martial arts of the Beggar Sect were the Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms and the Staff Technique. These two sets of martial arts were passed down orally, without any manuals, and were usually passed from leader to leader. Of course, to prevent the loss of these martial arts if the leader died unexpectedly, many people in the Beggar Sect knew them, but they only knew a few moves or had the techniques without the inner workings.

If you didn't focus on collecting them, you couldn't gather them all.

In "The Legend of the Condor Heroes," the loss of the Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms was like this. But with Hong Qigong's efforts, they were eventually recovered, and that's how it was!

When Bai Xiaosheng saw the senior use the Staff Technique, he immediately gave up the idea of a quick victory. His sword technique changed, switching from offense to defense, and he began to probe the senior's Staff Technique.

Unfortunately, the senior only knew three of the thirty-six moves of the Staff Technique.

After about twenty moves, Bai Xiaosheng's sword technique changed again. The bamboo stick seemed to turn into a sharp sword, piercing through the senior's staff shadow. With a loud crack, he unleashed his strength, deflecting the senior's bamboo stick and placing the stick on his shoulder.

Retrieving the bamboo stick, Bai Xiaosheng bowed and said, "I apologize!"

The senior waved his hand and walked off the platform, somewhat dejected, while Bai Xiaosheng joined the winners.

After Bai Xiaosheng, Quan Guanqing also went up to the platform and naturally won. His plan was well thought out. The person he fought was from his own side, and even if they were not entirely confident, they could not defeat him.

To secure the position of leader, this guy had put in a lot of effort!

As the contests continued, the sky gradually darkened, and Jun Mountain lit up with a long, fiery dragon. One by one, bonfires illuminated the entire mountain, making it bright as day.

On the platform, the two men exchanged blows, their bamboo sticks coming alive in their hands, striking, thrusting, sweeping, and hitting in unpredictable ways, making it impossible to fathom.

"Dragon Tail!" In mid-air, one man suddenly kicked out, striking the other's bamboo stick with great force, breaking it and hitting him in the chest.

With a thud, the man fell to the ground, blood gushing from his mouth. He stood up, staring at Quan Guanqing in surprise and said, "I didn't expect Brother Quan Guanqing to know the Dragon Subduing Palm!"

"Brother Quan Guanqing was favored by the leader and was taught two moves of the Dragon Subduing Palm," Quan Guanqing explained casually, causing a stir among the crowd. They cheered, as being taught the Staff Technique or the Dragon Subduing Palm in the Beggar Sect was a sign of great merit. Quan Guanqing not only knew seven moves of the Staff Technique but also two moves of the Dragon Subduing Palm, showing the old leader's support. This naturally won him the favor of those who supported the old leader.

In the crowd below, Bai Xiaosheng was also surprised. He had never known that Quan Guanqing knew the Staff Technique or the Dragon Subduing Palm. This guy had hidden his skills well! From his moves just now, it was clear he was holding back.

'So, Quan Guanqing's martial arts are much stronger than in "The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber." ' Bai Xiaosheng frowned, then relaxed, a smile appearing on his face. "This makes it more interesting!"

After nearly two hundred people competed, one round after another, only nine people remained: the Seven Elders, Bai Xiaosheng, and Quan Guanqing.

Standing on the platform, the nine of them received the cheers of the crowd below. Bai Xiaosheng, standing at the end, had a slightly odd expression. According to the contest rules, it seemed Quan Guanqing was taking it for granted that he would make him lose. But with nine people... could he get a bye? Or had he already made the worst-case scenario, planning to push him to the position of leader and control him with poison?

The doubts that arose in his mind were quickly dismissed. At this point, he could not allow any unexpected events. The position of leader was his to take.

Of course, if he encountered Quan Guanqing earlier, it would depend on his choice. If he didn't intend to let him go, he would spare his life to use him to control the Six Elders. Otherwise, he couldn't blame Bai Xiaosheng for being ruthless!

"Gentlemen, this is the final challenge. Since there are nine people left, the number of contestants is not even, so the remaining contests will be free challenges. Elder Bai Xiaosheng, as the one with the lowest status in the sect, you will start." The eight-pouch senior stood on the platform again and announced the final rules. Bai Xiaosheng noticed that when the rules were announced, the Seven Elders frowned slightly.

He was startled, his face showing a meaningful expression. It seemed that the final rules were added by Quan Guanqing, and the eight-pouch senior was his man. This guy had even thought of this. He probably did this to make him lose to him. From this, it was clear that the odd number was also planned in advance.

'Impressive strategy, but it's destined to fail!'

Bai Xiaosheng stepped forward and said slowly, "I challenge Elder Xu!" The other seven people heard and slowly stepped off the platform, leaving space for Bai Xiaosheng and Elder Xu.

Elder Xu sized up Bai Xiaosheng and said, "Younger generation, to reach this point is truly remarkable."

"You flatter me!" Bai Xiaosheng bowed politely.

Elder Xu nodded and said, "Please!"

"Please!"

Bai Xiaosheng waved his hand, holding the bamboo stick horizontally in the air, pointing it at Elder Xu. The battle was about to begin!