Chapter 35

Shentu's lips curled into a cold smile, "There's no need to waste spirit stones on the trash from Thunderlight Hall. Senior Brother is wise. Once this mission is completed, we will all be rewarded. However, Suo Ming, you didn't have to act so hard; you even lost a tooth."

Everyone burst into laughter. Suo Ming was still a bit dazed. He was truly suffering in silence. That damned hoe had hit his vital point just right. The force wasn't great, but it was enough to sap his strength. This was like a mute eating a bitter herb; who could he complain to? He couldn't go around shouting that his neck was his vital point, could he?

Suo Ming could only laugh along with the others.

This incident naturally reached Xu Huang, and the four of them were indeed angry.

"Damn it, the little bastards from Cross Mountain Hall are bullying us because they think Thunderlight Hall has no one. If I ever meet them, I'll give them a good lesson!" Wang Bao was furious, and at the same time, he was angry at his own disciples for being so useless.

"Junior Brother Wang, don't be angry. I still see a bit of backbone. If they were stepped on and remained silent, that would be truly hopeless," Xu Huang said.

"That's true, but what do we have to fight Cross Mountain Hall with? You all know the results of their last major competition. Zhao Guang isn't here, and we're not even in the same league."

Wang Bao was at a loss. Cross Mountain Hall had many physical cultivators, and in theory, this was Thunderlight Hall's forte. However, Thunderlight Hall really had no one. There were many disciples, but when it came to actual combat, Wang Bao couldn't find a single suitable person.

"If failure can awaken the disciples, it will be worth it. No destruction, no creation. And this battle can also train Hu Jing and Zhang Xiaojiang. These two have great potential!" Xu Huang said.

Zhao Ya and Wan Jing agreed. In a formal competition, even if they were injured, it wouldn't be too severe. It was better than private duels. Letting the two experience the strength of experts early on would benefit their growth, and they might even turn a disaster into a blessing.

Just like the reason Zhao Guang left, the average level of Thunderlight Hall was too weak, which would make Hu Jing and Zhang Xiaojiang lack a sense of comparison. They would subconsciously relax their standards and lack opponents to verify their skills against.

"I'm not afraid of losing, but the reward is too high. Thunderlight Hall can't afford it!" Wang Bao grumbled. When you're poor, you have short aspirations, and when a horse is thin, its hair grows long. Thunderlight Hall had been at the bottom for years, and this would mean handing over all the remaining inventory of the past years. Where would they get the capital to turn things around?

Wang Bao was speaking from the heart.

"I heard Zhang Xiaojiang say they would handle it themselves," Wan Jing said.

The four clearly didn't believe it. "Let's see how it goes. If it doesn't work, we'll deal with it as we see fit!"

The four were very troubled. Although the Holy Hall wasn't as cruel as demon cultivators or evil cultivators, it still had its own competitive system. Otherwise, they couldn't survive in the Small Thousand World. This also affected the situation of the four elders, which was why they were so conflicted.

Although Zhao Ya was a newcomer with the backing of the Zhao family, she was still a part of Thunderlight Hall. The Zhao family had sent her to demonstrate their strength. If things turned out this way, it wouldn't be a good thing. Zhao Ya was now focusing all her energy on Hu Jing. As long as she could cultivate this child, it would be a significant achievement.

The news of the hall battle quickly spread throughout Thunderlight Hall and became a laughing matter. Thunderlight Hall was not only weak in strength but also lacked brains. They had fallen into such an obvious trap, and they could only be described as pigs.

However, there was also a bit of envy for Cross Mountain Hall. Twenty medium-grade spirit stones and two hundred low-grade spirit stones were practically a robbery. ... Sigh, why didn't I act sooner!

"La la la, la la la, left, right, up, down."

Zhou Qian was quite relaxed at this moment. Without Zhao Guang, the dark cloud over his head, his life was much easier. He could finally do what he wanted. He was drawing and painting, and as for the hall battle... sigh, if the sky falls, the tall ones will hold it up. What is the essence of life?

One word—muddle through!

Back in the day, he and Feng Jin were hailed as the hope of Thunderlight Hall, full of spirit. But what happened? Feng Jin was expelled from the Holy Hall within a year. Thinking about it made him sigh at the unpredictability of life. His cultivation was entirely accidental, accompanying Feng Jin. When Feng Jin was gone, he was still here, muddling through.

Dozens of fire talismans floated around Zhou Qian. He held his Heavenly Slaughter Pen, humming a tune while drawing. Low-key and peaceful was beautiful.

With nothing to do, he made some talismans, earned some extra money, drank a little wine, and in the future, found a suitable female cultivator to live a double life. This was also a way of life. Why compete so fiercely?

Bang bang bang...

Ah, the sudden knocking on the door startled Zhou Qian. From being a lackey to a hero, Zhou Qian was not used to it. He also lamented how fickle human nature was. He didn't really want to do anything.

With a wave of his hand, all the talismans instantly dimmed and quickly folded into a stack, returning to Zhou Qian's spatial bag.

"Ah, isn't this Junior Brother Wang? What brings you here? It's a great honor. Please come in, please come in."

Zhou Qian opened the door and saw Wang Meng, who was as polite as ever.

Wang Meng smiled, "Senior Brother Zhou, you're too kind. I won't come in. I just wanted to inform you that you have been selected by the elder for the hall battle. Congratulations, Senior Brother Zhou."

Zhou Qian's face fell. What was there to congratulate? And he didn't know if Wang Meng was lying. He couldn't go to the elder to verify it. This move was really ruthless.

"Haha, I know. Junior Brother, you're joking. Thunderlight Hall is full of experts. How could it be my turn? I won't embarrass myself. I'll step aside, step aside."

Wang Meng laughed even more exaggeratedly, "Senior Brother Zhou, don't be modest. The decision is final. If you have any objections, you can raise them with Elder Zhao."

Different people require different methods. For someone like Zhou Qian, the more polite you are, the more polite he becomes. So, you have to be straightforward.

Zhou Qian's bitter face looked a bit cute. Staring at Wang Meng's back, Zhou Qian sat dazed in the courtyard. Where did this guy come from, always picking on him?

Others might not know, but Zhou Qian could see that Wang Meng had some skills. Suo Ming was a well-known tough guy in Cross Mountain Hall. It wasn't easy for a physical cultivator to be hit in a vital point. Luck?

At his level, there was no such thing as luck. This was why Shentu had to adopt a strategy of retreat to advance. He really couldn't see Wang Meng's strength. Experts can disguise themselves, but Zhou Qian knew that Wang Meng wasn't faking it. Shentu was overthinking it. Wang Meng might have some strange talent, but his strength was real. Once discovered, he couldn't avoid it.

What about himself?

Feng Jin was the most talented physical cultivator in Thunderlight Hall in recent years. Unfortunately, his temper was too hot, and he didn't get along with Zhao Guang. Zhao Guang set a trap and provoked him to leave. Zhou Qian had been enduring and waiting for the chance to take revenge. But before he could surpass Zhao Guang, Zhao Guang left first, leaving Zhou Qian very frustrated.

After so many years of pretending, damn it, he almost forgot who he was.

That night, Zhou Qian drank a lot of wine and got drunk. In his dream, tears blurred his vision, "Brother, if you had just held on a bit longer, we could have fought side by side..."