Chapter 23

The black-robed priest stood beside Bai Xu, neither confirming nor denying the result of the lottery. His cold demeanor seemed as if it had never changed. Sometimes, Bai Xu truly envied this priest who had lived in the clan for countless years, having reached a state of mind where nothing could stir his emotions, no matter what the future held.

"Let's go," Bai Xu said, feeling disheartened, as if he were a lazy man waiting for a pie to fall from the sky, thinking about things that were far out of reach and impossible to achieve. And the reality was that this was exactly the case.

"Sure," the black-robed priest nodded, seemingly just there to join in the fun. The real excitement would come tomorrow during the one-on-one battles.

Bai Xu left the crowd with a sense of loss, his head lowered, not knowing what he was thinking. The hemp clothes he wore were tightly wrapped around him, making him feel the cold like a bone-chilling autumn wind. Although hemp was not as warm as animal skins, it was said that people outside the mountains all wore cloth clothes, so wearing cloth in the clan was a symbol of status. However, the merchants who came to the clan each year were too few and too cunning, requiring ten animal skins to trade for one piece of cloth. This kind of unprofitable deal made Bai Xu feel a bit heartache. To avoid being too embarrassed before the great trial of the clan, he gritted his teeth and traded for one, which made him feel heartache for a long time.

He didn't know why people outside the mountains liked to wear such clothes. Bai Xu crossed his arms, trying to warm himself a bit.

As he passed through the crowd, a figure suddenly appeared in front of him like a small hill. Not wanting to cause trouble, Bai Xu moved to the side to let it pass, but the figure also moved to the side, still blocking his way.

Bai Xu was taken aback and looked up to see a burly man standing firmly in front of him, with a black bear tattoo on his face that looked particularly fierce.

"Are you the useless chief of the Bai Ling clan?" The man clearly suppressed his voice, but the unrestrained mockery in his tone was not at all concealed.

Bai Xu was slightly angry and said in a low voice, "Move aside."

"I'm here to tell you that your clan's useless one is definitely going to die!" The man's tattoo seemed to come alive as he spoke, trembling and emitting a fierce aura.

The black-robed elder gently placed his hand on Bai Xu's shoulder and said coldly, "Who knows until it's been fought?"

The burly man grinned silently, mocking the black-robed elder. His white teeth reflected a cold light, like a hungry black bear that had been through the winter, eyeing two fresh pieces of meat, ready to pounce and tear the black-robed elder and Bai Xu to pieces.

"Causing trouble at the entrance of the Henshan Sect, you have quite the nerve," the black-robed elder said calmly, as if the burly man didn't exist, and he walked forward with a slow, unsteady gait. The burly man made no move to dodge, looking at the black-robed elder with a sidelong glance. His lean, almost emaciated body, compared to the burly man's robust frame, was like a rabbit standing next to a snow wolf.

But... this black rabbit seemed a bit different.

Three steps away, a faint light flickered under the black-robed elder's clothing, subtle and not showy. As the light brightened, the entire person seemed to transform into a coiled python, his thin body appearing elastic and full of tension, wild and fierce. In an instant, the black-robed elder, who had seemed frail and weak, became sinister and powerful.

The change was instantaneous. The burly man, taken aback, watched as the black-robed elder slowly took another step forward.

The burly man laughed angrily, a black light flashing as he moved to meet the black-robed elder.

"Our Bai Ling clan is weak and has no ambitions for this great trial of the clan. I wonder if your Dishi clan is the same?" The black-robed elder walked very slowly and carefully, speaking in a soft, cold, and damp voice, like a venomous python staring at the burly man from the Dishi clan.

"Yang Kai, step back," a voice came from behind the burly man. The bear tattoo on his face was about to come alive, but he was ordered to step back, feeling resentful but unable to do otherwise. He said fiercely, "Old man, don't let me catch you."

"Ha ha, if threats were useful, there would be no need for fists. What can you do if you catch me? Do you dare to make a move now?"

Clearly, the Dishi clan was not willing to risk angering the Henshan Sect to teach a small clan like the Bai Ling clan a lesson. After being rebuked, the burly man named Yang Kai, though furious, had nothing to say and stepped back reluctantly. A man in his forties, in the prime of his life, bowed to Bai Xu and the black-robed elder and said, "I am Yang Ye, the chief of the Dishi clan."

Yang Ye had a dark complexion, with thick eyebrows that lay like silkworms, giving him a naturally imposing presence. Beside him stood a girl around seventeen or eighteen years old, wearing animal skins, with her exposed skin a bronze color, gleaming slightly. She had a tattoo on her left arm, but only a corner was visible, making it impossible to tell what the tattoo was.

The black-robed elder and Bai Xu also returned the bow according to the Bai Ling clan's etiquette. Although the two sides were on edge, they did not want to be too presumptuous in front of the Henshan Sect. Especially the Dishi clan, after being spoken to by the black-robed elder, their arrogance subsided, and their presence seemed somewhat strange.

Yang Ye's attitude was not particularly arrogant, but he treated the black-robed elder and Bai Xu as if they were nothing. After a polite exchange, he did not continue with empty pleasantries but turned to the girl beside him and said, "Do you know why I asked Yang Kai to test the Bai Ling clan?"

"It's to tell me that the Bai Ling clan is not as weak as the legends say," the girl's voice was cold, looking at the faint light on the black-robed elder's body, her expression unchanged, and she said calmly.

"Right," Yang Ye nodded in satisfaction and continued, "According to the legends, the Bai Ling clan has not had a true tattooed warrior for many years, and the tattoo techniques they pass down are mixed and weak. I was afraid you would underestimate them and stop before the Bai Ling clan."

"Father, don't worry, I will be cautious with every opponent," the girl nodded seriously, as if confirming this matter.

"Just now, the high priest of the Bai Ling clan used the purest soul technique. Although no tattooed beast appeared, the attributes of the tattooed beast were already silently enhanced, making him a soul-bound warrior. The Bai Ling clan indeed cannot be underestimated. But I wonder why no strong warriors have appeared in the Bai Ling clan for so many years, it's really..." Yang Ye frowned, carefully thinking about the strange relationship between the black-robed elder and the Bai Ling clan.

Then he smiled and said, "It doesn't matter, as long as you fight seriously, these are not problems."

After saying that, he turned and walked away, as if Bai Xu and the black-robed elder were not even there.