The young man from England stood in front of Gu Xiqiao, knowing that this was the person who had obtained the first place in the selections. He also knew that Gu Xiqiao had broken through the 80th floor. The 80th floor! That meant that her power level was on par with those on Houtian level.
He had never met someone on this power level before, but the formations that he studied were ones that had been passed down from a formation master. His master had always told him that this formation could even trap gods in it.
“You have to watch out.” The young man said, his fingers moving.
The surrounding area was plunged into a white void, and the young man’s voice echoed around in the air, “There isn’t any way to escape the formations of trapping gods. Although I can’t beat you in terms of strength, when it comes to formations and arrays, no one can beat me.”
Jiang Shuxuan narrowed his eyes when he saw the two disappeared into thin air from the place he was sitting in.
Yi Tong clicked his tongue. “That kid is actually using formations against Miss Gu.” Gu Xiqiao was someone who could even patch up a formation that had been left behind by the ancient powers back in Baixing Village, and that was a testament of how far her talents in formations stretched, and now this kid wanted to use that against her?
Seriously? Yi Tong shook his head.
***
Inside the formation, the young man had closed his eyes, beginning to estimate where Gu Xiqiao’s position was.
“A formation to trap gods, that’s exquisite.” A clear voice came from behind him suddenly. “But this formation serves only to trap a person, and there’s no lethality in it at all. Here, try it like this.”
The young man turned around, with a shocked look on his face. Gu Xiqiao had appeared behind him, and flashed him a smile before raising her hand as five jade stones emerged from her, disappearing into the void. At the same time, the array that was meant to trap people was rewritten to kill instead. Space cracks appeared out of nowhere, it had changed into a killer technique now!
He stared at Gu Xiqiao, the astonishment still present in his eyes. She had managed to rewrite his formation? Changing his trapping formation into a killing one instead? Even the current masters of formations were unable to do this!
During his state of shock, Gu Xiqiao had collected back the pieces of jades and the part of the formation that aimed to kill disappeared.
They reappeared on the ring with disbelief on the young man’s face. She easily dissolved the formation that he had always been so proud of?
He looked at her, slumping down. “How… how did you do that?”
Gu Xiqiao had been prepared to get off the ring, but seeing his state, she couldn’t help but turn around, halting in her steps. “You are actually very talented.” Apart from Baili Bin, he was the only other person she had come across with exceptional talent for formations.
Talented? The young man laughed bitterly at Gu Xiqiao’s words. He opened his mouth to say something else, but then his eyes widened.
The girl in front of him dressed in a light green dress, her hair was fluttering lightly though there wasn’t any wind. A few dozen pieces of jade were floating in front of her, forming a strange pattern at a slow speed.
The young man watched the scene in front of him, a gleam of light appearing in his dejected eyes.
After a long while, he clenched his fist tightly, and gave a solemn, deep bow to Gu Xiqiao.
Though there were words of appreciation that he wanted to say, saying it out loud would just feel insincere, so he resolved to just remember this matter firmly in his heart.
“Good luck, I’ll be watching.” Gu Xiqiao nodded her head, then turned to get off the ring slowly. As she walked, she pulled out her phone to continue playing games.
The young man took a deep breath before returning to the circle of people from England’s supernatural world. He lowered his head apologetically. “Leader, I’ve lost.”
“I thank the gods above that you weren’t flattened by her instead,” Wanqi Jue said, his lips curling upwards. “Your courage is commendable, daring to go against her in the match, and your luck isn’t bad either.”
The young man: “…” Was there such a leader like this? Was there?! To tear apart their subordinates like that?!
“I also feel that my luck isn’t bad.” The young man thought deeply after hearing Wanqi Jue’s words. Gu Xiqiao had been earnestly teaching him just now, and in just one moment, he felt his whole life of learning the previous formations had been a waste. “Leader, I feel that Master’s formation skills can’t even begin to compare with hers.”
“She seemed to have taken a liking to you.” Wanqi Jue considered the young man for a moment, before saying suddenly, “Follow me to China the next time I go. Who knows, you might be a formation master in the future.”
The young man naturally thought of Gu Xiqiao the moment Wanqi Jue said that, and his eyes lit up. “Yes! Leader!”
“Is she really that powerful?” A woman walked out from behind, her brown hair tied into a ponytail. Her eyebrows were thick, and she had a high nose. Her skin was smooth, and she had curves in all the right places. Her appearance caused a stir when she stepped out.
“Miss Yan Qi, Gu Xiqiao is far more terrifying than you can imagine.” The young man looked at Yan Qi, sighing. “I’ve always thought that my skills in formation is on par to even Baili Bin from China, but it was nothing in her hands.”
“Even a formation genius like you is afraid to this extent?” Yan Qi raised an eyebrow, turning to him.
“Do you know why so many people yielded without a fight when they were pitted against her?” Wanqi Jue looked at Yan Qi and the young man. “Because if you go against her, if you’re not beaten to death, you’ll probably get a psychological shock and die. That’s why I said that your luck wasn’t bad.”
If you weren’t beaten to death physically or mentally, and instead received her teachings instead, this kind of luck, even the Baili family had yet to enjoy this privilege.
When he thought about it, Wanqi Jue pulled out his phone and shot off a text to Baili Bin—[My subordinate just got guidance from your little sister heh~]
***
Baili Bin, who was far away in the ancient martial arts world, saw the text, and his mouth twitched.
Heh what heh?! Heh your sh*tty head!
***
“Boss, even you’re saying that about her?” Yan Qi’s eyes flashed with some interest, and she turned her gaze towards the group of people who were standing beside the first ring.
It was easy to locate Gu Xiqiao and her group of people. Other than their reputation for being strong, there was also a different kind of atmosphere that they exuded in the air. They were playing and chatting with each other, and were quite lively. They had even moved three benches to sit at the side of the ring, which once again attracted everyone’s attention.
Yan Qi’s eyes finally landed on a thin, slender figure, just in time for the person to turn her head to look at her. A pair of deep, dark eyes that reflected under the sun, with elegant features on a flawless face. Her skin was pale to the point it looked transparent under the sunlight.
Gu Xiqiao locked eyes with her for a while, before looking down to play with her phone.
Her expression had been indifferent and calm the entire time.
“And very pretty. It’s no wonder you always run off to China.” Yan Qi sighed, as a woman herself, she had also been shocked by her beauty. “The captain of the team that’s nicknamed mythical beasts reaper, I’m really looking forward to knowing the extent of her strength.”
Rumors about Bahuang Forest had already piqued her interest in this mythical beasts reaper team, but she didn’t have the chance to see them until now.
With so many people yielding the match, and Wanqi Jue’s admiration of her, Yan Qi’s curiosity was at an extreme level.
“I advise you not to test it.” Wanqi Jue looked at her coldly. “You’ll regret it.”
Yan Qi looked at Wanqi Jue, furrowing her eyebrows. “I, Yan Qi, have never done anything that I regret in my life.”
During the seventh match on the ninth day, Yan Qi finally knew how painful it was when something comes to bite you back in your a*s.
She lay on the ground, looking like she had given up on life as she looked towards Gu Xiqiao. She had known that the other was strong, so she had been vigilant and kept her guard up. But she didn’t expect Gu Xiqiao’s attitude to change the moment she pulled out her sword. A powerful source and overwhelming spiritual energy shot out the moment she did.
Yan Qi walked back to her place, slumped down in dejection. When she returned to her seat, she had still yet to recover.
“How did it feel?” Wanqi Jue smiled, turning his head to look at her.
Hearing his words, Yan Qi froze. “I feel like my entire body is empty now.”
“Weren’t you looking forward so much to this fight a few days ago?” Wanqi Jue repeated those words that she had said previously.
“What kind of fight was that, I wasn’t even able to get a chance to make any moves!” Yan Qi shuddered, experiencing this kind of feeling once in her life was more than enough. She didn’t want to feel it the second time… it was incredibly terrible!
Wanqi Jue continued to smile, before turning his gaze to Gu Xiqiao and muttering under his breath, “Is she in a bad mood?”
***
“Er Qiao, did that Yan Qi do something that irritated you?” Wu Hongwen couldn’t help but laugh when Gu Xiqiao walked back towards them.
Gu Xiqiao sighed. “It was a slip of hand just now.”
On the tenth day, Gu Xiqiao’s opponent in her final match was Nozawa. She was expecting a good fight, and had even prepared her weapon, but she didn’t expect Nozawa to take one look at her, and yield immediately.
Nozawa’s action made everyone look at each other. He… he yielded, just like that?!
“I can’t beat you,” Nozawa said, looking at Gu Xiqiao with a deep look in his eyes.
Gu Xiqiao: “… oh.”
Ten days of qualifying matches ended like that.
Gu Xiqiao obtained first place, and nobody doubted the legitimacy of her ranking.
After the matches, Wanqi Jue brought Yan Qi and the others to look for Gu Xiqiao, only to find that Jiang Shuxuan had already taken their group and had left the area earlier.
China’s ancient martial arts world had obtained an impossible feat in this time’s qualifying tournament. In the top hundred selections, they had obtained eight placements which was about one-tenth of the entire placements, and they had also produced a terrifying character that was Gu Xiqiao.
***
The top people from the power worlds gathered together after the qualifying tournament and said, “The ancient martial arts world is incredible.”
“One-tenth of the placements in the top hundred selections, and all of them were among the top twenty. They’ve obtained almost half of the resources given out, if this goes on, how will we be able to continue existing?” One of the leaders sighed.
“Are you trying to suggest joining hands to suppress the ancient martial arts world?” Wanqi Jue spoke up, tired of these people beating around the bushes. “The ancient martial arts world has Jiang Shuxuan and Gu Xiqiao sitting at the top. If you intend to suppress them both, you’re welcome to try. I wouldn’t dare.”
Wanqi Jue sneered at them, leaving after saying his piece.
“This Wanqi Jue!” Japan’s leader slammed the table with his fist, a dark look on his face.
Was it possible for it not to be? They had thought that Nozawa from their country would obtain first place in this time’s qualifying tournament undisputed, but Gu Xiqiao suddenly made an appearance, and Nozawa even gave up in the end without a fight. Forget about the others who had given up, but Nozawa who was close in terms of power to Gu Xiqiao had also given up like them!
How could the leader of Japan not be angry? Especially after Wanqi Jue’s words, the people from the other counties also left one after another, signifying that they too didn’t dare to make any moves towards China.
Even in the past when it was just Jiang Shuxuan in China, they were already hesitant to make any big moves. Now that the ancient martial arts world had an extra Gu Xiqiao, who would dare to even think of it?
***
In the ten days that Gu Xiqiao had left, changes had begun to happen in the ancient martial arts world.
First was the rise of Peace Manor, which seemed to be a family business that came from nowhere. In the beginning, no one paid much attention to them. Though they’ve become quite a well-known force in the ancient martial arts world now, the people paid attention to them for a while before returning to their disinterested state.
The second was that a mysterious godly master had suddenly appeared in the ancient martial arts world.
Jiang Tong had been accepted as an apprentice by the mysterious master, and there were a few extra masters beside her to guard her, and rumors surrounding her began to flow once again.
The spotlight she found herself in was comparable to the waves that Gu Xiqiao was making, and even slightly more exaggerated. She was associated with the mysterious master that was a ‘god’ after all, and everyone didn’t even dare to mention that word.
In the ancient martial arts world, Jiang Tong turned to the man in black next to her. “You’re certain that Gu Xiqiao has returned?”
“Yes, Miss Jiang. She’s in the Elders Association right now.” The man replied respectfully to her.
“It’s fine that she’s back.” Jiang Tong smiled mockingly with a venomous look in her eyes. She didn’t expect to have had another chance to be in power, to be on par in the limelight as her. The people now looked at her with respect and admiration in their eyes once again. “This time, I’ll make sure she never turns her luck around.”
She had been eavesdropping on several elders for the past few days, and she heard that Gu Xiqiao was the ‘calamity’ of the entire ancient martial arts world!
How could such an existence be worshipped by countless people?
When the truth comes out, Gu Xiqiao would definitely be the target of hatred and accusations!
Jiang Tong couldn’t help the smile that spread wider on her face when she thought about it. The grievances she had with Gu Xiqiao wasn’t something that could be settled by just talking. From the first day that she had known about Gu Xiqiao’s existence, she had hated her being like no other on this earth. Up till the end, she had been mocked over and over because of this one person.
Now, the hatred she had for her no longer had any reason for it. She just wanted to have this person down at her feet. When she thought about how soon it would be before she could see the desolate and ashen look on her, the joy in her heart surged!
“Let’s go to the Elders Association.” Jiang Tong couldn’t wait to walk into the place.
Jiang Lian followed behind the girl, her tone frustrated as she said, “Tong Tong, are you sure you didn’t hear wrongly? If there’s any mistake, the Jiang family will definitely not let us off.”
“Don’t worry, it’s something that Master Dubhe said personally, how can it be wrong?” Jiang Tong smiled confidently. “It’s a calamity’s existence, I don’t need to say anything more. The people will come to thank me and appreciate the fact that I found this disaster before anything happened.”
This was a fact that Jiang Tong was well aware of. Humans are selfish beings.
If the people in the ancient martial arts world came to find out that there was a calamity walking among them, then they wouldn’t need any proof to be convinced. There was a saying that better safe than sorry, killing ten thousand people was better than making one mistake!
Jiang Tong could already imagine how Jiang Shuxuan and Shu Chen, as well as the entire ancient martial arts world would treat Gu Xiqiao once they knew this!
She quickened her steps. She couldn’t wait another second to reach the Elders Association to see Gu Xiqiao’s crying face when news broke.
People who saw Jiang Tong along the way greeted her respectfully.
That’s right, her position was different than that girl. Gu Xiqiao was a calamity, while she was the ‘god’s’ successor, the turning point of the ancient martial arts world!
Inside the Elders Association, Jiang Shuxuan still had some matters to handle, so Gu Xiqiao had returned to the Jiang family house after meeting with a few elders.
When she was walking out, she bumped into Jiang Tong.
When Jiang Tong saw her, she gave her a very strange smile.
Gu Xiqiao: “…” Was there something on her face?
She watched as Jiang Tong eagerly brushed past her and into the building, and she touched her chin thoughtfully.
“Beauty Qiao, you’re back!” Jiji ran on its short legs towards her, Shu Chen following behind.
Gu Xiqiao turned around to walk towards their direction, then paused, a stunned look on her face. “Jiji?”
Jiji came to a stop in front of her, twirling around. “Aunt Shu made some clothes for me, does it look good?”
Gu Xiqiao looked at the flowered coat on it, and shook her head. “It’s blinding.”
Jiji: “… Break up!”
Shu Chen laughed as she reached the two. “I originally prepared some light blue color clothes for it, but it didn’t want it.”
Jiji pouted. “This one looks nicer.”
Gu Xiqiao: “…” That’s not it, it’s fine with people dressing their dogs and cats up in clothes, but what’s the point of a robot doing the same? Wouldn’t it hinder your movements?
“Let’s go home and talk about it over our meal. Ah Bin and the others are also here.” Shu Chen led Gu Xiqiao away, laughing and chatting on the way.
***
On one side, they were having fun. On the other side, the atmosphere was as cold as a harsh winter.
“You said that Gu Xiqiao’s existence is a calamity, do you have any evidence to that?” The atmosphere was freezing cold in the Elders Association. Jiang Shuxuan was looking at Jiang Tong, his onyx black eyes seemingly like a deep abyss. His voice was calm, and every word he said resembled a sharp blade.
A few elders had their heads hung low, sweating profusely, feeling the heavy pressure that pressed down on them.
Not to mention Jiang Tong and Jiang Lian, who were in a similar state. They didn’t dare to look up at Jiang Shuxuan, his gaze was too piercing, and you would get a headache if you looked at him for more than a second.
Jiang Tong thought that he was being like this because he had just found out that Gu Xiqiao was a calamity, so she continued to add fuel to the fire. “Although I don’t have proof, some of the elders also know about it. Gu Xiqiao is not only a calamity to the ancient martial arts world, but the entire world. As long as she is around, the world will never be at peace. Our ancient martial arts world will also be destroyed by her hands sooner or later! Elders, you know about it too, don’t you?”
Several of the Jiang family elders frowned, giving Jiang Tong a glance while they sat beside Jiang Shuxuan, not saying a word.
Some of the other elders had already blindly believed in Jiang Tong’s words beforehand, with her being the successor of the ‘god’, they wanted to cultivate a good relationship with her. They looked at Jiang Shuxuan, nodding their heads.
“So, what do you want to do to her?” Jiang Shuxuan asked, looking at them, nothing on his face betraying how he was feeling at the moment.
Hearing Jiang Shuxuan’s words, Jiang Tong’s eyes lit up. She thought that Jiang Shuxuan was finally listening to her, and she continued, “I think, it’s best to let the ancient martial arts world know about this first. Let them know that she is the calamity that harmed us, then burn her at stake and use her as an example. This way, no evil things would dare to come to our world ever again!”
Every consecutive word that came out of her mouth made Jiang Shuxuan’s gaze grow colder and colder. By the time she was done, Jiang Shuxuan’s eyes were practically ice.
“Burn her to death?” Jiang Shuxuan repeated, looking at Jiang Tong. He then looked to the elders standing at her side. “Do you think so too?”
Hesitating for a while, the elders eventually nodded hurriedly, standing closer to Jiang Tong to express their feelings on the matter. “Since she’s the calamity of the ancient martial arts world, she cannot be allowed to stay in this world. We concur with Miss Jiang Tong’s view on this.”
Jiang Shuxuan stood up slowly.
Crash!
Crash!
Crash!
As he stood, all the cups in the room floated in the air, falling to the ground with a clear, crisp sound, shattering into pieces!
The air seems to freeze at the same moment!
Jiang Shuxuan walked up to Jiang Tong, looking down at her. “Firstly, you said that she’s a calamity, but have no proof. Slandering a person whether or not you have proof, is such an execrable attitude. Secondly, ‘god’ has always been the salvation of the ancient martial arts world, yet your mind and heart are vicious. Burn her to death? Those crude thoughts are unlike the successor of ‘god’. Thirdly, even if you are not the successor of ‘god’, your mind is cruel and vile. It looks like you harbor a lot of sinister intentions towards the ancient martial arts world. Fourthly, she is currently ranked number one in the Youth Ranking List, and has brought in one-third of the current resources in the ancient martial arts world. You want to kill such a talent? The one who should d*mn well die—is you!
“As for you, as elders of the ancient martial arts world, you are unable to distinguish between right and wrong, and follow the herd instead. You’re better off relinquishing your positions as elders!”
As soon as he said that, the smug look on Jiang Tong’s face disappeared. Her face paled as all blood drained from it, and the chill crept up her spine, sweat sliding down her face. Her mind was in a jumbled mess.
She didn’t expect Jiang Shuxuan to react this way, wasn’t she the successor of the ‘god’?! Why was he still so indifferent towards her?!
Jiang Lian, who had accompanied her, fell to the ground immediately, his legs unable to support him. Jiang Shuxuan’s exclamation echoed over and over in his spirit, especially the words ‘die’.
The elders who were on the same boat as Jiang Tong had also been shocked. One by one, they knelt down to the ground, their faces white as a sheet. They were more aware than Jiang Lian, and they carefully considered Jiang Shuxuan’s words again. The message behind his words was probably this: First, Jiang Shuxuan was really doubtful of Jiang Tong’s position as the successor of the ‘god’. Second, Jiang Tong’s position was way inferior compared to Gu Xiqiao. If you piss Jiang Shuxuan off, he would even dare to kill the person that was the successor to ‘god’!
The elders who sided with Jiang Tong couldn’t help but regret their decision after they thought it over properly, and seem to wake up from their stupidity immediately.
In the past few days, apart from the qualifying tournament, the ancient martial arts world had been paying attention to Jiang Tong. Now that they had been stunned by Jiang Shuxuan, they sobered up quite a bit, and it made the terror they felt in their heart even worse.
Jiang Shuxuan glanced at the direction of the door, and then left the Elders Association. He didn’t even bother with the matters that he had stayed back to settle after delaying it for a few days due to the qualifying tournament.
Dubhe was standing at the door. Jiang Shuxuan knew that he wouldn’t be able to kill Jiang Tong with Dubhe present, so he didn’t make any move. Not that he had intended to anyway. Want to burn Gu Xiqiao to death? How could he let her die so easily?
Thinking of this, Jiang Shuxuan clenched his fist, his expression darkening. His strength was still not enough.
“Miss Jiang Tong, successor of the ‘god’ indeed!” The few elders had huddled together once Jiang Shuxuan had left, glaring at Jiang Tong and Jiang Lian. “Consider the lesson learnt! What disciple of ‘god’, it’s possible that she’s the calamity instead!”
The few of them who had just lost their position as elders naturally turned their hatred towards Jiang Lian and his daughter.
Not to mention, Jiang Tong’s position as the successor of ‘god’ was in doubt. Even if there was no doubt about her position, these former elders would still not have any more good feelings towards her.
Jiang Tong stood rooted to the spot, her body shaking and unstable, almost falling to the ground. She bit her lips, unable to comprehend what had just happened. Why was this happening? Shouldn’t Jiang Shuxuan be afraid and hate Gu Xiqiao now? Why was the suspicion thrown upon her instead?
“Miss Jiang Tong, I think it’s better if you head on back,” The Jiang family’s great elder said, a calm expression on his face as he looked at her. He had already figured out what Jiang Shuxuan meant, and that explained his indifferent attitude towards Jiang Tong. “You should also be clearly aware that no one in the ancient martial arts world can control Shuxuan’s attitude. Even if he were to kill you when the time comes, everyone would dare to complain about it. You had better think twice before doing anything.”
Of all the people for you to go after, you had to go after the one that Jiang Shuxuan treasured the most? Wasn’t this just digging your own grave?
Great Elder Jiang continued to look at Jiang Tong, shaking his head. It was fine now, her position as the successor of ‘god’ was in doubt. Thinking about how Jiang Shuxuan and Gu Xiqiao were, the great elder didn’t think that Jiang Tong would be able to escape their grasp.
Another layer of cold sweat broke out on Jiang Tong’s head when she heard those words, and she muttered, “Thank you, elder.”
She supported Jiang Lian to leave the place, and the two walked out of the door slowly. The feeling of narrowly escaping death pounded fiercely within them, and the paleness on their faces had yet to fade. They had been so smug, coming here just now, and not even ten minutes later, they were leaving the place with a haunted look.
The guards who were standing outside the Elders Association watched as the two passed them, a strange expression on their faces.
Jiang Tong had her head lowered in shame. She had made a terrible move this time. She hadn’t expected Jiang Shuxuan to go that far for Gu Xiqiao!
She clenched her fist tightly, the hatred for Gu Xiqiao growing bigger as she thought about it. She vowed in her heart that Gu Xiqiao wouldn’t be so lucky the next time.
Little did she know that everything she was thinking now and her every movement was already known to Gu Xiqiao.
The young man from England stood in front of Gu Xiqiao, knowing that this was the person who had obtained the first place in the selections. He also knew that Gu Xiqiao had broken through the 80th floor. The 80th floor! That meant that her power level was on par with those on Houtian level.
He had never met someone on this power level before, but the formations that he studied were ones that had been passed down from a formation master. His master had always told him that this formation could even trap gods in it.
“You have to watch out.” The young man said, his fingers moving.
The surrounding area was plunged into a white void, and the young man’s voice echoed around in the air, “There isn’t any way to escape the formations of trapping gods. Although I can’t beat you in terms of strength, when it comes to formations and arrays, no one can beat me.”
Jiang Shuxuan narrowed his eyes when he saw the two disappeared into thin air from the place he was sitting in.
Yi Tong clicked his tongue. “That kid is actually using formations against Miss Gu.” Gu Xiqiao was someone who could even patch up a formation that had been left behind by the ancient powers back in Baixing Village, and that was a testament of how far her talents in formations stretched, and now this kid wanted to use that against her?
Seriously? Yi Tong shook his head.
***
Inside the formation, the young man had closed his eyes, beginning to estimate where Gu Xiqiao’s position was.
“A formation to trap gods, that’s exquisite.” A clear voice came from behind him suddenly. “But this formation serves only to trap a person, and there’s no lethality in it at all. Here, try it like this.”
The young man turned around, with a shocked look on his face. Gu Xiqiao had appeared behind him, and flashed him a smile before raising her hand as five jade stones emerged from her, disappearing into the void. At the same time, the array that was meant to trap people was rewritten to kill instead. Space cracks appeared out of nowhere, it had changed into a killer technique now!
He stared at Gu Xiqiao, the astonishment still present in his eyes. She had managed to rewrite his formation? Changing his trapping formation into a killing one instead? Even the current masters of formations were unable to do this!
During his state of shock, Gu Xiqiao had collected back the pieces of jades and the part of the formation that aimed to kill disappeared.
They reappeared on the ring with disbelief on the young man’s face. She easily dissolved the formation that he had always been so proud of?
He looked at her, slumping down. “How… how did you do that?”
Gu Xiqiao had been prepared to get off the ring, but seeing his state, she couldn’t help but turn around, halting in her steps. “You are actually very talented.” Apart from Baili Bin, he was the only other person she had come across with exceptional talent for formations.
Talented? The young man laughed bitterly at Gu Xiqiao’s words. He opened his mouth to say something else, but then his eyes widened.
The girl in front of him dressed in a light green dress, her hair was fluttering lightly though there wasn’t any wind. A few dozen pieces of jade were floating in front of her, forming a strange pattern at a slow speed.
The young man watched the scene in front of him, a gleam of light appearing in his dejected eyes.
After a long while, he clenched his fist tightly, and gave a solemn, deep bow to Gu Xiqiao.
Though there were words of appreciation that he wanted to say, saying it out loud would just feel insincere, so he resolved to just remember this matter firmly in his heart.
“Good luck, I’ll be watching.” Gu Xiqiao nodded her head, then turned to get off the ring slowly. As she walked, she pulled out her phone to continue playing games.
The young man took a deep breath before returning to the circle of people from England’s supernatural world. He lowered his head apologetically. “Leader, I’ve lost.”
“I thank the gods above that you weren’t flattened by her instead,” Wanqi Jue said, his lips curling upwards. “Your courage is commendable, daring to go against her in the match, and your luck isn’t bad either.”
The young man: “…” Was there such a leader like this? Was there?! To tear apart their subordinates like that?!
“I also feel that my luck isn’t bad.” The young man thought deeply after hearing Wanqi Jue’s words. Gu Xiqiao had been earnestly teaching him just now, and in just one moment, he felt his whole life of learning the previous formations had been a waste. “Leader, I feel that Master’s formation skills can’t even begin to compare with hers.”
“She seemed to have taken a liking to you.” Wanqi Jue considered the young man for a moment, before saying suddenly, “Follow me to China the next time I go. Who knows, you might be a formation master in the future.”
The young man naturally thought of Gu Xiqiao the moment Wanqi Jue said that, and his eyes lit up. “Yes! Leader!”
“Is she really that powerful?” A woman walked out from behind, her brown hair tied into a ponytail. Her eyebrows were thick, and she had a high nose. Her skin was smooth, and she had curves in all the right places. Her appearance caused a stir when she stepped out.
“Miss Yan Qi, Gu Xiqiao is far more terrifying than you can imagine.” The young man looked at Yan Qi, sighing. “I’ve always thought that my skills in formation is on par to even Baili Bin from China, but it was nothing in her hands.”
“Even a formation genius like you is afraid to this extent?” Yan Qi raised an eyebrow, turning to him.
“Do you know why so many people yielded without a fight when they were pitted against her?” Wanqi Jue looked at Yan Qi and the young man. “Because if you go against her, if you’re not beaten to death, you’ll probably get a psychological shock and die. That’s why I said that your luck wasn’t bad.”
If you weren’t beaten to death physically or mentally, and instead received her teachings instead, this kind of luck, even the Baili family had yet to enjoy this privilege.
When he thought about it, Wanqi Jue pulled out his phone and shot off a text to Baili Bin—[My subordinate just got guidance from your little sister heh~]
***
Baili Bin, who was far away in the ancient martial arts world, saw the text, and his mouth twitched.
Heh what heh?! Heh your sh*tty head!
***
“Boss, even you’re saying that about her?” Yan Qi’s eyes flashed with some interest, and she turned her gaze towards the group of people who were standing beside the first ring.
It was easy to locate Gu Xiqiao and her group of people. Other than their reputation for being strong, there was also a different kind of atmosphere that they exuded in the air. They were playing and chatting with each other, and were quite lively. They had even moved three benches to sit at the side of the ring, which once again attracted everyone’s attention.
Yan Qi’s eyes finally landed on a thin, slender figure, just in time for the person to turn her head to look at her. A pair of deep, dark eyes that reflected under the sun, with elegant features on a flawless face. Her skin was pale to the point it looked transparent under the sunlight.
Gu Xiqiao locked eyes with her for a while, before looking down to play with her phone.
Her expression had been indifferent and calm the entire time.
“And very pretty. It’s no wonder you always run off to China.” Yan Qi sighed, as a woman herself, she had also been shocked by her beauty. “The captain of the team that’s nicknamed mythical beasts reaper, I’m really looking forward to knowing the extent of her strength.”
Rumors about Bahuang Forest had already piqued her interest in this mythical beasts reaper team, but she didn’t have the chance to see them until now.
With so many people yielding the match, and Wanqi Jue’s admiration of her, Yan Qi’s curiosity was at an extreme level.
“I advise you not to test it.” Wanqi Jue looked at her coldly. “You’ll regret it.”
Yan Qi looked at Wanqi Jue, furrowing her eyebrows. “I, Yan Qi, have never done anything that I regret in my life.”
During the seventh match on the ninth day, Yan Qi finally knew how painful it was when something comes to bite you back in your a*s.
She lay on the ground, looking like she had given up on life as she looked towards Gu Xiqiao. She had known that the other was strong, so she had been vigilant and kept her guard up. But she didn’t expect Gu Xiqiao’s attitude to change the moment she pulled out her sword. A powerful source and overwhelming spiritual energy shot out the moment she did.
Yan Qi walked back to her place, slumped down in dejection. When she returned to her seat, she had still yet to recover.
“How did it feel?” Wanqi Jue smiled, turning his head to look at her.
Hearing his words, Yan Qi froze. “I feel like my entire body is empty now.”
“Weren’t you looking forward so much to this fight a few days ago?” Wanqi Jue repeated those words that she had said previously.
“What kind of fight was that, I wasn’t even able to get a chance to make any moves!” Yan Qi shuddered, experiencing this kind of feeling once in her life was more than enough. She didn’t want to feel it the second time… it was incredibly terrible!
Wanqi Jue continued to smile, before turning his gaze to Gu Xiqiao and muttering under his breath, “Is she in a bad mood?”
***
“Er Qiao, did that Yan Qi do something that irritated you?” Wu Hongwen couldn’t help but laugh when Gu Xiqiao walked back towards them.
Gu Xiqiao sighed. “It was a slip of hand just now.”
On the tenth day, Gu Xiqiao’s opponent in her final match was Nozawa. She was expecting a good fight, and had even prepared her weapon, but she didn’t expect Nozawa to take one look at her, and yield immediately.
Nozawa’s action made everyone look at each other. He… he yielded, just like that?!
“I can’t beat you,” Nozawa said, looking at Gu Xiqiao with a deep look in his eyes.
Gu Xiqiao: “… oh.”
Ten days of qualifying matches ended like that.
Gu Xiqiao obtained first place, and nobody doubted the legitimacy of her ranking.
After the matches, Wanqi Jue brought Yan Qi and the others to look for Gu Xiqiao, only to find that Jiang Shuxuan had already taken their group and had left the area earlier.
China’s ancient martial arts world had obtained an impossible feat in this time’s qualifying tournament. In the top hundred selections, they had obtained eight placements which was about one-tenth of the entire placements, and they had also produced a terrifying character that was Gu Xiqiao.
***
The top people from the power worlds gathered together after the qualifying tournament and said, “The ancient martial arts world is incredible.”
“One-tenth of the placements in the top hundred selections, and all of them were among the top twenty. They’ve obtained almost half of the resources given out, if this goes on, how will we be able to continue existing?” One of the leaders sighed.
“Are you trying to suggest joining hands to suppress the ancient martial arts world?” Wanqi Jue spoke up, tired of these people beating around the bushes. “The ancient martial arts world has Jiang Shuxuan and Gu Xiqiao sitting at the top. If you intend to suppress them both, you’re welcome to try. I wouldn’t dare.”
Wanqi Jue sneered at them, leaving after saying his piece.
“This Wanqi Jue!” Japan’s leader slammed the table with his fist, a dark look on his face.
Was it possible for it not to be? They had thought that Nozawa from their country would obtain first place in this time’s qualifying tournament undisputed, but Gu Xiqiao suddenly made an appearance, and Nozawa even gave up in the end without a fight. Forget about the others who had given up, but Nozawa who was close in terms of power to Gu Xiqiao had also given up like them!
How could the leader of Japan not be angry? Especially after Wanqi Jue’s words, the people from the other counties also left one after another, signifying that they too didn’t dare to make any moves towards China.
Even in the past when it was just Jiang Shuxuan in China, they were already hesitant to make any big moves. Now that the ancient martial arts world had an extra Gu Xiqiao, who would dare to even think of it?
***
In the ten days that Gu Xiqiao had left, changes had begun to happen in the ancient martial arts world.
First was the rise of Peace Manor, which seemed to be a family business that came from nowhere. In the beginning, no one paid much attention to them. Though they’ve become quite a well-known force in the ancient martial arts world now, the people paid attention to them for a while before returning to their disinterested state.
The second was that a mysterious godly master had suddenly appeared in the ancient martial arts world.
Jiang Tong had been accepted as an apprentice by the mysterious master, and there were a few extra masters beside her to guard her, and rumors surrounding her began to flow once again.
The spotlight she found herself in was comparable to the waves that Gu Xiqiao was making, and even slightly more exaggerated. She was associated with the mysterious master that was a ‘god’ after all, and everyone didn’t even dare to mention that word.
In the ancient martial arts world, Jiang Tong turned to the man in black next to her. “You’re certain that Gu Xiqiao has returned?”
“Yes, Miss Jiang. She’s in the Elders Association right now.” The man replied respectfully to her.
“It’s fine that she’s back.” Jiang Tong smiled mockingly with a venomous look in her eyes. She didn’t expect to have had another chance to be in power, to be on par in the limelight as her. The people now looked at her with respect and admiration in their eyes once again. “This time, I’ll make sure she never turns her luck around.”
She had been eavesdropping on several elders for the past few days, and she heard that Gu Xiqiao was the ‘calamity’ of the entire ancient martial arts world!
How could such an existence be worshipped by countless people?
When the truth comes out, Gu Xiqiao would definitely be the target of hatred and accusations!
Jiang Tong couldn’t help the smile that spread wider on her face when she thought about it. The grievances she had with Gu Xiqiao wasn’t something that could be settled by just talking. From the first day that she had known about Gu Xiqiao’s existence, she had hated her being like no other on this earth. Up till the end, she had been mocked over and over because of this one person.
Now, the hatred she had for her no longer had any reason for it. She just wanted to have this person down at her feet. When she thought about how soon it would be before she could see the desolate and ashen look on her, the joy in her heart surged!
“Let’s go to the Elders Association.” Jiang Tong couldn’t wait to walk into the place.
Jiang Lian followed behind the girl, her tone frustrated as she said, “Tong Tong, are you sure you didn’t hear wrongly? If there’s any mistake, the Jiang family will definitely not let us off.”
“Don’t worry, it’s something that Master Dubhe said personally, how can it be wrong?” Jiang Tong smiled confidently. “It’s a calamity’s existence, I don’t need to say anything more. The people will come to thank me and appreciate the fact that I found this disaster before anything happened.”
This was a fact that Jiang Tong was well aware of. Humans are selfish beings.
If the people in the ancient martial arts world came to find out that there was a calamity walking among them, then they wouldn’t need any proof to be convinced. There was a saying that better safe than sorry, killing ten thousand people was better than making one mistake!
Jiang Tong could already imagine how Jiang Shuxuan and Shu Chen, as well as the entire ancient martial arts world would treat Gu Xiqiao once they knew this!
She quickened her steps. She couldn’t wait another second to reach the Elders Association to see Gu Xiqiao’s crying face when news broke.
People who saw Jiang Tong along the way greeted her respectfully.
That’s right, her position was different than that girl. Gu Xiqiao was a calamity, while she was the ‘god’s’ successor, the turning point of the ancient martial arts world!
Inside the Elders Association, Jiang Shuxuan still had some matters to handle, so Gu Xiqiao had returned to the Jiang family house after meeting with a few elders.
When she was walking out, she bumped into Jiang Tong.
When Jiang Tong saw her, she gave her a very strange smile.
Gu Xiqiao: “…” Was there something on her face?
She watched as Jiang Tong eagerly brushed past her and into the building, and she touched her chin thoughtfully.
“Beauty Qiao, you’re back!” Jiji ran on its short legs towards her, Shu Chen following behind.
Gu Xiqiao turned around to walk towards their direction, then paused, a stunned look on her face. “Jiji?”
Jiji came to a stop in front of her, twirling around. “Aunt Shu made some clothes for me, does it look good?”
Gu Xiqiao looked at the flowered coat on it, and shook her head. “It’s blinding.”
Jiji: “… Break up!”
Shu Chen laughed as she reached the two. “I originally prepared some light blue color clothes for it, but it didn’t want it.”
Jiji pouted. “This one looks nicer.”
Gu Xiqiao: “…” That’s not it, it’s fine with people dressing their dogs and cats up in clothes, but what’s the point of a robot doing the same? Wouldn’t it hinder your movements?
“Let’s go home and talk about it over our meal. Ah Bin and the others are also here.” Shu Chen led Gu Xiqiao away, laughing and chatting on the way.
***
On one side, they were having fun. On the other side, the atmosphere was as cold as a harsh winter.
“You said that Gu Xiqiao’s existence is a calamity, do you have any evidence to that?” The atmosphere was freezing cold in the Elders Association. Jiang Shuxuan was looking at Jiang Tong, his onyx black eyes seemingly like a deep abyss. His voice was calm, and every word he said resembled a sharp blade.
A few elders had their heads hung low, sweating profusely, feeling the heavy pressure that pressed down on them.
Not to mention Jiang Tong and Jiang Lian, who were in a similar state. They didn’t dare to look up at Jiang Shuxuan, his gaze was too piercing, and you would get a headache if you looked at him for more than a second.
Jiang Tong thought that he was being like this because he had just found out that Gu Xiqiao was a calamity, so she continued to add fuel to the fire. “Although I don’t have proof, some of the elders also know about it. Gu Xiqiao is not only a calamity to the ancient martial arts world, but the entire world. As long as she is around, the world will never be at peace. Our ancient martial arts world will also be destroyed by her hands sooner or later! Elders, you know about it too, don’t you?”
Several of the Jiang family elders frowned, giving Jiang Tong a glance while they sat beside Jiang Shuxuan, not saying a word.
Some of the other elders had already blindly believed in Jiang Tong’s words beforehand, with her being the successor of the ‘god’, they wanted to cultivate a good relationship with her. They looked at Jiang Shuxuan, nodding their heads.
“So, what do you want to do to her?” Jiang Shuxuan asked, looking at them, nothing on his face betraying how he was feeling at the moment.
Hearing Jiang Shuxuan’s words, Jiang Tong’s eyes lit up. She thought that Jiang Shuxuan was finally listening to her, and she continued, “I think, it’s best to let the ancient martial arts world know about this first. Let them know that she is the calamity that harmed us, then burn her at stake and use her as an example. This way, no evil things would dare to come to our world ever again!”
Every consecutive word that came out of her mouth made Jiang Shuxuan’s gaze grow colder and colder. By the time she was done, Jiang Shuxuan’s eyes were practically ice.
“Burn her to death?” Jiang Shuxuan repeated, looking at Jiang Tong. He then looked to the elders standing at her side. “Do you think so too?”
Hesitating for a while, the elders eventually nodded hurriedly, standing closer to Jiang Tong to express their feelings on the matter. “Since she’s the calamity of the ancient martial arts world, she cannot be allowed to stay in this world. We concur with Miss Jiang Tong’s view on this.”
Jiang Shuxuan stood up slowly.
Crash!
Crash!
Crash!
As he stood, all the cups in the room floated in the air, falling to the ground with a clear, crisp sound, shattering into pieces!
The air seems to freeze at the same moment!
Jiang Shuxuan walked up to Jiang Tong, looking down at her. “Firstly, you said that she’s a calamity, but have no proof. Slandering a person whether or not you have proof, is such an execrable attitude. Secondly, ‘god’ has always been the salvation of the ancient martial arts world, yet your mind and heart are vicious. Burn her to death? Those crude thoughts are unlike the successor of ‘god’. Thirdly, even if you are not the successor of ‘god’, your mind is cruel and vile. It looks like you harbor a lot of sinister intentions towards the ancient martial arts world. Fourthly, she is currently ranked number one in the Youth Ranking List, and has brought in one-third of the current resources in the ancient martial arts world. You want to kill such a talent? The one who should d*mn well die—is you!
“As for you, as elders of the ancient martial arts world, you are unable to distinguish between right and wrong, and follow the herd instead. You’re better off relinquishing your positions as elders!”
As soon as he said that, the smug look on Jiang Tong’s face disappeared. Her face paled as all blood drained from it, and the chill crept up her spine, sweat sliding down her face. Her mind was in a jumbled mess.
She didn’t expect Jiang Shuxuan to react this way, wasn’t she the successor of the ‘god’?! Why was he still so indifferent towards her?!
Jiang Lian, who had accompanied her, fell to the ground immediately, his legs unable to support him. Jiang Shuxuan’s exclamation echoed over and over in his spirit, especially the words ‘die’.
The elders who were on the same boat as Jiang Tong had also been shocked. One by one, they knelt down to the ground, their faces white as a sheet. They were more aware than Jiang Lian, and they carefully considered Jiang Shuxuan’s words again. The message behind his words was probably this: First, Jiang Shuxuan was really doubtful of Jiang Tong’s position as the successor of the ‘god’. Second, Jiang Tong’s position was way inferior compared to Gu Xiqiao. If you piss Jiang Shuxuan off, he would even dare to kill the person that was the successor to ‘god’!
The elders who sided with Jiang Tong couldn’t help but regret their decision after they thought it over properly, and seem to wake up from their stupidity immediately.
In the past few days, apart from the qualifying tournament, the ancient martial arts world had been paying attention to Jiang Tong. Now that they had been stunned by Jiang Shuxuan, they sobered up quite a bit, and it made the terror they felt in their heart even worse.
Jiang Shuxuan glanced at the direction of the door, and then left the Elders Association. He didn’t even bother with the matters that he had stayed back to settle after delaying it for a few days due to the qualifying tournament.
Dubhe was standing at the door. Jiang Shuxuan knew that he wouldn’t be able to kill Jiang Tong with Dubhe present, so he didn’t make any move. Not that he had intended to anyway. Want to burn Gu Xiqiao to death? How could he let her die so easily?
Thinking of this, Jiang Shuxuan clenched his fist, his expression darkening. His strength was still not enough.
“Miss Jiang Tong, successor of the ‘god’ indeed!” The few elders had huddled together once Jiang Shuxuan had left, glaring at Jiang Tong and Jiang Lian. “Consider the lesson learnt! What disciple of ‘god’, it’s possible that she’s the calamity instead!”
The few of them who had just lost their position as elders naturally turned their hatred towards Jiang Lian and his daughter.
Not to mention, Jiang Tong’s position as the successor of ‘god’ was in doubt. Even if there was no doubt about her position, these former elders would still not have any more good feelings towards her.
Jiang Tong stood rooted to the spot, her body shaking and unstable, almost falling to the ground. She bit her lips, unable to comprehend what had just happened. Why was this happening? Shouldn’t Jiang Shuxuan be afraid and hate Gu Xiqiao now? Why was the suspicion thrown upon her instead?
“Miss Jiang Tong, I think it’s better if you head on back,” The Jiang family’s great elder said, a calm expression on his face as he looked at her. He had already figured out what Jiang Shuxuan meant, and that explained his indifferent attitude towards Jiang Tong. “You should also be clearly aware that no one in the ancient martial arts world can control Shuxuan’s attitude. Even if he were to kill you when the time comes, everyone would dare to complain about it. You had better think twice before doing anything.”
Of all the people for you to go after, you had to go after the one that Jiang Shuxuan treasured the most? Wasn’t this just digging your own grave?
Great Elder Jiang continued to look at Jiang Tong, shaking his head. It was fine now, her position as the successor of ‘god’ was in doubt. Thinking about how Jiang Shuxuan and Gu Xiqiao were, the great elder didn’t think that Jiang Tong would be able to escape their grasp.
Another layer of cold sweat broke out on Jiang Tong’s head when she heard those words, and she muttered, “Thank you, elder.”
She supported Jiang Lian to leave the place, and the two walked out of the door slowly. The feeling of narrowly escaping death pounded fiercely within them, and the paleness on their faces had yet to fade. They had been so smug, coming here just now, and not even ten minutes later, they were leaving the place with a haunted look.
The guards who were standing outside the Elders Association watched as the two passed them, a strange expression on their faces.
Jiang Tong had her head lowered in shame. She had made a terrible move this time. She hadn’t expected Jiang Shuxuan to go that far for Gu Xiqiao!
She clenched her fist tightly, the hatred for Gu Xiqiao growing bigger as she thought about it. She vowed in her heart that Gu Xiqiao wouldn’t be so lucky the next time.
Little did she know that everything she was thinking now and her every movement was already known to Gu Xiqiao.
