by Translator: BornToBe; Author: Ordinary Magician (平凡魔术师); Licensed From: 17k
Those people were a dozen senior apprentice-brothers. Amongst them was also senior apprentice-brother Wan. It seemed senior apprentice-brother Wan’s position amongst his fellows here was actually quite high. He even nodded slightly to Long Chen.
Long Chen was about to thank him when his pupils contracted on the person at the front of this group.
“Elder Sun!” Long Chen had never thought that the one in charge of the Faction Competition would be Elder Sun.
Wasn’t that old bastard supposed to be punished by Tu Fang? How has he come here? Long Chen had a bad feeling.
He could sense that this old fellow didn’t like him. But in front of this many people, he shouldn’t dare to make things difficult for him.
Elder Sun indifferently swept his gaze over everyone. “Today is the Faction Competition. I don’t need to tell you how important it is. We’re about to open the fighting field.”
After he finished speaking, everyone felt their badges become hot for a moment, teleporting them to a new location.
This was an open mountainside. The mountainside wasn’t too large, perhaps just stretching a mile or two. There were some small flags scattered along the hillside.
At the peak were Elder Sun and the others. There, they could watch over everyone.
Behind them was a pavilion where a huge, ancient bell was suspended in the air.
At this time, senior apprentice-brother Wan walked up and said to everyone, “I will explain the rules. Listen carefully.
“When the bell rings, that is the start of the competition. The competition will only last for the time it takes for one incense stick to burn.”
Someone else carried a huge censer over. Atop the censer was a stick of incense as thick as an arm.
“When the incense has been burned away, the bell will once more ring to terminate the competition.
“You guys can all see the small flags along the mountainside. There are a total of one hundred and seventy flags.
“Gather as many flags as you can. It doesn’t matter whether you steal them or fight for them. All that matters is how many flags you have gathered before the final bell.
“Each faction will be given a flag case. Each of you select someone to carry the flag case. Remember, when the final bell rings, only flags within your flag case count. The ones in your hands will not count. Furthermore, a flag which is held in a person’s hand for more than three breaths will be annulled.”
Once he finished speaking, people immediately walked out to hand over long tubes as thick as a thigh. There was a strap attached to them that allowed someone to carry one on their back.
“Long Chen, who should we choose to be in charge of the flag case?” asked Tang Wan-er.
Long Chen thought for a moment. The flagbearer didn’t necessarily have to be strong, but they had to be observant and know how to protect themselves. The goal was for that person to not even be touched by enemies, and they had to be absolutely loyal.
“Guo Ran, we’ll give this job to you.”
Guo Ran solemnly nodded, “Don’t worry boss. Even if I die, I will protect the flag case. I’ll protect it like I would protect my woman.”
After he finished speaking, he rubbed the flag case lovingly as if it was a beautiful woman’s leg, causing people to feel nauseous.
“This might seem like a game, but let me remind you all, this is something that will affect your futures, your fates. Whether you will be stepped on by others or step above others will depend on this.
“When the competition finishes, the number of flags in your possession will determine your ranking.
“And your ranking will decide what priority you will have for missions. I trust the senior apprentice-sisters at the Mission Distribution building have already explained that to you.
“So in this competition, you must do your best to fight over the flags. Good luck to you all.”
After senior apprentice-brother Wan finished speaking, a disciple brought over a torch while another person also walked up to the bell, preparing to ring it.
“Wan-er, your speed is the fastest. When the bell rings, you rush to the left and grab as many flags as possible. I’ll take the right.
“As for the others, form a triangle formation to protect Guo Ran in the middle. We’ll hand over all the flags we snatch to Guo Ran.
“Remember not to keep the flags in your hand for too long or they’ll be annulled.” Long Chen quickly gave everyone another reminder. He had remembered every single word of that explanation and had thought of a quick strategy.
Tang Wan-er and the others all nodded. At this exact time, the huge incense stick was lit and the bell rang.
“The competition has begun!”
Chapter 194 Contest
When the bell rang, Long Chen and Tang Wan-er were like two released arrows that shot out. At the same time, the other core disciples did not react any slower than them.
Everyone had all realized that this was a merciless struggle. They all knew how important it was to get a good ranking this time.
But although they all set out at almost the exact same time, Tang Wan-er was the absolute fastest. She had awakened her ancestral mark, causing her control over her wind energy to become even smoother. In terms of speed, she was definitely number one.
Once the other core disciples and Long Chen charged out, the others also quickly followed up. But Long Chen’s side wasn’t the same as others. That was because Long Chen’s side was slower in order to prioritize safety.
As for the other factions, they clearly didn’t have such misgivings and all rushed out, not giving a thought to protection.
Tang Wan-er was the first to grab a flag. She threw the flag to Guo Ran.
As soon as he caught the flag, he placed it into the flag case on his back. When the flag entered the case, a number lit up on the case: 1.
At this time, the other core disciples had also arrived at the flags that they had targeted.
But at that moment, Tang Wan-er had already thrown over a second flag. Her speed was essentially double the others.
Other people were shaken when they saw such speed. If that continued, her advantage would become all too obvious.
But now wasn’t the time to fight with others. The first thing to do was to grab all the flags that were on the ground. Only then would they go fight over the flags in other people’s possession.
Qi Xin’s faction was to the right of Long Chen’s. He had rushed to his first flag, but when he went to grab it, his hands went through thin air.
He was shocked to see that the flag had floated up on its own and was flying back.
He then saw Long Chen and cursed, “Long Chen, you’re asking for it!”
That flag was pulled over by his Spiritual Strength.
Grabbing it, Long Chen threw it back to his faction and rushed straight to another flag.
He didn’t even glance at that idiot Qi Xin. It was already such a time, but he still didn’t focus on grabbing flags and wasted his time cursing others. Long Chen really admired that kind of intelligence.
“Don’t just stand there! Get the flags!” In the distance, Gu Yang gave him a reminder, while he himself resumed rushing for the flags, deciding to rush in front of Long Chen.
If Long Chen dared follow his original route, they would definitely meet at the end. A sneer appeared on Gu Yang’s mouth.
That was because he saw that there were seven flags on Long Chen’s path, and they were extremely convenient to grab. He knew Long Chen wouldn’t change his course.
Flags filled the air. Guo Ran and the others all focused completely on grabbing those flags and putting them into their flag case. In just a couple of breaths, they already had eight flags.
Other than Guo Ran, the rest of the faction was focused completely on protecting Guo Ran. They formed a triangle around him as they advanced forward.
Long Chen had already told those people that their task was to protect Guo Ran and not let anyone approach him.
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“Careful! Crap, someone stole our flags!” Suddenly, one person let out a roar. Since their entire faction had rushed out to get the flags, their faction hadn’t been careful and another faction had charged over, snatching the three flags in their case, stealing their hard work.
By the time that faction’s people reacted, all the flags had already landed in their enemy’s flag case.
That faction furiously charged at the person who had snatched their flags, beating him badly and causing him to faint. But to exchange his injuries for three flags had definitely been worth it.
That faction then began to charge at that other faction, but those people had already been prepared and they were unable to do anything to them.
The entire field was completely chaotic. But Long Chen’s side wasn’t at all messy. All they needed to focus on was catching flags.
As for Ye Zhiqiu’s side, they had also been attacked, but they were much smarter. Seeing that Long Chen had formed such a protective formation, they had also formed one as well, not letting their attackers gain anything.
The core disciples were extremely fast. Tang Wan-er threw her last flag over to Guo Ran and saw there were already none left around.
Looking further away, she saw that while there were a few flags left, she wouldn’t be able to rush there fast enough. Other people were already too close to them.
“Return to defend!” Long Chen shouted to Tang Wan-er. He was rushing over to his last flag at this time. Once he got it, he would also run back.
The entire battlefield’s flags had all been snatched. Long Chen saw that Guo Ran actually had thirty-six flags on him. They were currently number one.
Number two was Gu Yang’s faction. He had a total of twenty-seven, while Ye Zhiqiu’s faction had nineteen. Although he didn’t know what ranking that was, it was definitely not low.
That was because many factions only had three to five flags. One reason was because they weren’t that good at observing the situation and hadn’t chosen good paths, ending up running into others.
The other reason was because they hadn’t seized the initiative and others had taken the flags on their paths before they could get to them.
Just as Long Chen was about to touch that flag, he suddenly felt a sense of danger. A terrifying gale was charging at him from behind.
Before the attack had even arrived, a powerful pressure already caused his bones to shiver.
Without even thinking about it, he immediately dodged to the side. Twisting his head, he saw that Gu Yang had already arrived where he had been, currently just missing his punch.
“Your reactions aren’t bad, but that won’t stop me from crushing you.” Gu Yang was a bit surprised that Long Chen had managed to dodge his sneak attack. He reached out his hand to grab that flag.
Long Chen snorted. Using Spiritual Strength to move things at a distance was extremely costly, and they already had enough flags that he didn’t need this one. Pointing a finger, a blue spark shot out.
Just as Gu Yang was about to touch that flag, that spark immediately ignited the flag, turning it to ash. A flag had been trashed just like that.
Gu Yang angrily smashed Long Chen with a fist.
“Die!”
Long Chen circulated his FengFu Star and also punched out.
BOOM!
Long Chen felt an unstoppable force send him flying. His arm was in great pain, almost feeling as if it was broken.
“What powerful strength!” Long Chen was greatly shaken. Gu Yang really was inconceivably powerful. He was worthy of being an expert who had long since awakened his ancestral mark.
That fist had only relied on his physical strength, but it had still sent him flying. That was the first time Long Chen had encountered someone whose physical body was more powerful than his own.
“Eat another one of my fists!” After sending Long Chen flying, Gu Yang had quickly chased after him, smashing another fist down.
This time the sleeve over his arm completely exploded and the tattoo-like runes over his arm lit up.
Long Chen immediately felt an immense pressure. He knew Gu Yang’s power had far surpassed his expectations. He no longer held anything back.
Heaven and earth shook as the divine ring appeared behind his back. A terrifying aura surged out of him, making him seem like a god of war.
At the same time, he extended his hand and a huge flame weapon appeared. That was a three meter long blue-colored broadsword.
The flames in that broadsword surged over and over. Runes covered it as it roasted the air. As soon as that flame blade appeared, it slashed down on Gu Yang.
BOOM!!!
When that huge flame blade collided with Gu Yang’s rune-covered fist, a terrifying wave of qi forced back both Long Chen and Gu Yang.
Gu Yang was shocked. Although he had heard that Long Chen had powerful techniques, as someone who had awakened his ancestral mark, he had never placed a brat who was only in the late Blood Condensation realm in his eyes.
He had thought that one blow would have been enough to crush Long Chen. He really had never imagined Long Chen would be able to receive it head-on.
That huge explosion shook everyone into a brief pause. But then they quickly began to wildly fight again. That was because they saw that over half the incense stick had burned away now. They had to fight with all their strength. The entire battlefield was now extremely chaotic.
None of them had any experience when it came to battling in groups, so they all fought on their own. The entire battlefield looked like a bunch of hoodlums duking it out with each other.
As for Elder Sun, a fiery light appeared in his eyes when he saw that divine ring behind Long Chen’s back.
He could sense that the ring of light was constantly absorbing energy from heaven and earth, replenishing his spiritual qi.
Such a Battle Skill was definitely able to be called a divine technique. With such a Battle Skill, he would have no fear of multiple people. His greed for it increased even more.
Senior apprentice-brother Wan praised Long Chen inside when he saw that he was able to block a rune-powered attack by Gu Yang while still being in the Blood Condensation realm.
None of these people knew that at the mouth of an immortal cave on Skywood Mountain, two people were lightly drinking tea and watching this entire scene.
“Sect leader, do you know what Battle Skill that is?” asked Tu Fang.
Ling Yunzi shook his head. “I’ve never heard of it. Although there are similar Battle Skills, those are all supplementary parts of cultivation techniques that don’t help in battle.
“That ring of light is not just absorbing energy from the world to replenish his own, but it is also increasing his strength by several times. It doesn’t look like any cultivation technique or Battle Skill. Hehe, how interesting.”
Ling Yunzi and Tu Fang were hundreds of miles away watching this competition. Ling Yunzi also wanted to see just how powerful a legendary Divergent was.
After their exchange, Gu Yang sneered, “So you have one or two tricks. Then I don’t have to worry about killing you.”
His aura began to rise even further. The runes on his body began to quiver, appearing like countless caterpillars were twisting over his body, both extremely strange and terrifying.
As his aura continued to climb, the ground beneath him began to crack. The space around him twisted, making him appear like a human-shaped monster.
“I’ve already said that I’ll crush you to pulp.”
Gu Yang roared. The ground beneath him exploded as he charged at Long Chen.
Chapter 195 Fierce Fight
Runes covered all of Gu Yang’s body, light flowing through them. His aura had exploded, and Long Chen felt as if he were being stared at by a wild beast.
There was no need to doubt Gu Yang’s strength. But that arrogant will that came from the depths of his soul would not permit him to retreat even half a step. It wouldn’t let him even think about retreating.
&
nbsp; Despite knowing that he wasn’t a match for him, even if he were to die under his hands, he wouldn’t be permitted to retreat. That caused Long Chen to grumble inside.
He knew he couldn’t beat him, and yet he wasn’t permitted to run. Just how silly was that kind of behavior? But he knew that if he were to force himself to retreat, his Dao-heart would suffer a setback. Perhaps, that single setback would lead to ruin, forming a heart-devil.
Since he knew he couldn’t retreat, then he would risk it all. Taking a deep breath, his FengFu Star suddenly became still. He was about to summon the FengFu Battle Armor.
“Galewind Slash!” Suddenly, a huge wind blade slammed down at Gu Yang.
Gu Yang let out a smothered shout and was directly sent flying by that terrifying wind blade. That wind blade overflowed with power and cut a huge scar into the land.
A graceful figure appeared in front of Long Chen. With her hair and clothes fluttering in the breeze, the current Tang Wan-er really did look like a goddess.
“Give Gu Yang to me. You go protect everyone else. As long as we endure for a bit longer, we’ll win.”
Focusing on Gu Yang, she clapped her hands together and a wave of spiritual qi surged out of her. Wind blades filled the air around Tang Wan-er.
Those quickly revolving wind blades were like hundreds of flying flowers cutting apart space. At the same time, a longsword appeared in her hands.
That was a longsword formed from her wind blades. That terrifying wind energy caused the space around the longsword to constantly warp.
The runes atop the longsword shone brightly as if they had been bestowed with life. A continuous roar came from it, overflowing with battle intent.
That was the current Tang Wan-er’s peak state. She was truly like a beautiful battle goddess as she stood there.
Long Chen nodded; handing Gu Yang to her was the best option. Of everyone present, only Tang Wan-er had the qualifications to fight against Gu Yang on an even level. He rushed back towards their faction.
Gu Yang looked at Tang Wan-er. “You really refuse to join hands with me?”
Tang Wan-er didn’t reply, merely staring at him icily. The wind blades around her body spun quicker, ready to attack at any moment.