I Am Overlord c1-962

by Translator: Pokka; Author: 我本纯洁 (I Am Pure); Licensed From: Migu

  "Cough, cough, Xiang Shaoyun, take a seat there," Yang Gaochuan said, pulling everyone's mind back from their thoughts.

  "Oh, sure," Xiang Shaoyun answered, recovering from his thoughts. He then headed over to the empty seat.

  As soon as he sat down, one of the youngsters said unhappily, "Palace master, I can't accept this. Why is he given a seat while we are left standing?"

  Xiang Shaoyun blanked out when he heard that.

  "Xiang Shaoyun has made a unique contribution to the Martial Hall Palace. That is why he can have a seat here," Yang Gaochuan replied. He had already found out from Elder Zhen Peng that Xiang Shaoyun was the reason he had been able to enter the King Realm. That feat was considered a unique contribution.

  "What is the unique contribution? Palace master, please clear our doubts. Perhaps we can do the same as well," the youngster pushed on. This youngster was Ye Tianlong, the personal disciple of the first elder, a seventh-stage Astral Realm expert.

  On the day this Ye Tianlong returned to the Martial Hall Palace, he had personally witnessed Xiang Shaoyun defeating Li Tianba and the others in the arena. He had been filled with resentment over Xiang Shaoyun ever since then, as he felt threatened by Xiang Shaoyun. To be frank, he was merely envious of Xiang Shaoyun.

  "That is not something you need to know," Yang Gaochuan rebuked unhappily. A disciple dared to challenge a palace master like him? That disciple was thinking too highly of himself.

  But Ye Tianlong was not willing to let it go. "Palace master, we are all loyal disciples of the Martial Hall Palace. I am confident we can all do what he did as well. Please tell us, palace master."

  He then bowed deeply at Yang Gaochuan, and from how he was behaving, it was as if he would stay bowed until he was told the answer.

  "Impudent!" the first elder berated.

  The first elder, Jie Shi, was as influential in the Martial Hall Palace as the palace master. He looked like a middle-aged man, but in truth, he was over 80 years old. He was at the peak of the Transformation Realm and was one of the few people in the Martial Hall Palace with a chance to step into the King Realm.

  Yang Gaochuan waved his hand and said, "First elder, since he wants to know, I'll just tell him." He then looked straight at Ye Tianlong and said, "As a first-stage Astral Realm cultivator, Xiang Shaoyun had broken through four limit rooms consecutively from the third to the sixth room. Were you capable of that when you were at the same cultivation level?"

  At those words, shock appeared on the faces of everyone there.

  Ye Tianlong also stood straight with a look of utter shock as he shouted, "No, that's not possible!"

  "What, are you accusing me of lying to you?" Yang Gaochuan frowned.

  "No, this disciple dares not," Ye Tianlong quickly corrected himself.

  "That’s not all. When Xiang Shaoyun was still in the Basic Realm, he had broken through the first and second limit rooms. Just three days ago, he had broken through the seventh, eighth, and ninth limit rooms. He is still only a fourth-stage Astral Realm cultivator. So which of you here can do the same?" Yang Gaochuan questioned.

  Chapter 87: Battle of Towns

  The heavyweight news hit Ye Tianlong's brain one after another, making him feel like his mind was going to stop working from sheer shock.

  How is that possible? How is that possible? Ye Tianlong howled inwardly. He had personally experienced how difficult it was to challenge the limit rooms. Not one of his challenge attempts in the past had been a success. He found it hard to accept the fact that Xiang Shaoyun had done all that. He was not alone as many people found what the palace master said hard to believe.

  "Palace master, i-is that t-true?" Qing Xiuhe, the vice palace master, asked.

  "Why would I joke about something like that? The Hall of Limits' overseer can be the witness," Yang Gaochuan said.

  "That is certainly an excellent accomplishment. He deserves a seat," said Tan Guanghua, the other vice palace master who rarely showed himself among the disciples.

  Tan Guanghua was mainly in charge of the Martial Hall Palace's external affairs. Thus, he wasn't as well known as Qing Xiuhe in the palace. In truth, his status was higher than Qing Xiuhe.

  "That's right. That is an outstanding achievement that will go down in the history of our Martial Hall Palace."

  "If the palace master had not revealed it, we would still be in the dark about this. What a fine Xiang Shaoyun. Looks like he will be an excellent secret weapon of the Martial Hall Palace during the coming Battle of Towns."

  "If he can increase his cultivation level by one more stage in the coming few months, he can very well get an even better result for us in the Battle of Towns."

  "Yes, if he manages to get a spot in the top 10 for the Martial Hall Palace, we will be able to obtain the rewards offered by the Cloud Margin City. With the rewards, we might be able to nurture yet another King Realm cultivator in addition to a large number of Transformation Realm cultivators."

  ...

  The elders were all looking at Xiang Shaoyun with bright eyes. As of this moment, they had all acknowledged his status in the Martial Hall Palace. As for the youngsters, they were all staring at Xiang Shaoyun in disbelief.

  Bah, so what? A day will come when you kneel before me, begging for mercy, thought the graceful girl amid the crowd.

  This graceful girl was none other than Gong Qinyin, the person Xiang Shaoyun had accidentally offended previously. After returning to the Martial Hall Palace, she hadn't gone looking for Xiang Shaoyun for revenge. It wasn't that she had forgiven him, but that she had simply witnessed Xiang Shaoyun's fight with Li Tianba. From the duel, she concluded that Xiang Shaoyun was stronger than her. Because of that, she didn’t brashly go looking for Xiang Shaoyun. Instead, she focused her efforts cultivating more.

  It had been two months since they last met, and right now, Gong Qinyin was already at the fifth stage of the Astral Realm. Her speed of growth was truly astonishingly fast.

  A few other people arrived as well, including Lu Xiaoqing's senior sister, Chen Xin. The mischievous Chen Xin did not forget to stick her tongue out at Xiang Shaoyun when he looked at her.

  "Alright, everyone is here, so I will get started," Yang Gaochuan said. "In a few months, the once-every-three-years Battle of Towns will be held. Every Battle of Towns is a grand occasion for the Cloud Margin City, and 130 towns around the Cloud Margin City would be participating in it. There, geniuses will gather to compete for the glory of their towns..."

  It did not take everyone long to know what their next task was. The so-called Battle of Towns was a competition between the young cultivators of the various towns. The result of the competition would also determine each town’s placing. The Cloud Margin City would also give rewards to the participants based on the result of the competition.

  Apart from the participants of the competition, the organizations whose disciples were in the top 10 would also be greatly rewarded. One could say that this competition was extremely important for the young cultivators and the various towns.

  It was worth noting that the type of rewards the Cloud Margin City would give was something the resources available to these towns couldn't compare with. The rewards given would be useful even to those at the King Realm and above.

  But it was not easy to get in the top 10 with over a hundred towns participating. The Martial Hall Palace had participated in tens of Battle of Towns, yet their best result was when they had managed to get ninth place that one time.

  And that was the only time they had ever gotten into the top 10. Despite their less than ideal results, they would still not miss a single Battle of Towns. That was because participating in the Battle of Towns was in itself a great training process for the disciples. It would help the disciples grow stronger, which was beneficial for the Martial Hall Palace.

  But of course, as with everything in life, there were pros and cons to participating in the Battle of Towns. The Battle of Towns was filled with uncertainties, and it had an e
xtremely high mortality rate. Each time it was held, at least 70 percent of the participants would die.

  The 10 disciples here wouldn't be the only participants of the town. Each town had 50 slots, and with a mortality rate of 70 percent, the number of deaths was extremely high.

  The 10 disciples here were also the most remarkable disciples of the Martial Hall Palace in the recent three years. High hopes were placed on them to bring glory to the Martial Hall Palace.

  "You are not only gathered here so we can tell you about the competition. We also wish to remind you all to make use of the final three months you have to advance your cultivation. During this period, all the resources of the Martial Hall Palace will be made available for all of you. Try to improve as much as you can. Do know that there will be many geniuses from other towns participating in the competition, and some of them will be even more talented than you. I even heard that some of them are already in the Transformation Realm," Yang Gaochuan said.

  When the disciples heard that there were already Transformation Realm cultivators among the disciples of other towns, their expressions turned solemn.

  The 10 people here were the disciples of Martial Hall Palace who were either the strongest or the most talented of their peers. All of them were prideful youths, thinking that they were already the best in their age group. Upon figuring out that some of their peers were already in the Transformation Realm, they started to feel the pressure.

  The difference between them and a Transformation Realm cultivator was still too big. Not even 10 peak Astral Realm cultivators could defeat 1 Transformation Realm cultivator. Thus, it wasn't hard to imagine how terrifying their opponents in the competition would be.

  "Mo Zhu, you are the eldest senior brother, so the burden on you will be the heaviest. Be sure to look after your juniors. Got it?" Tan Guanghua said.

  Mo Zhu was the pride of Tan Guanghua, and he was already a ninth-stage Astral Realm cultivator. He was only 18 years old this year, and he looked very heroic and handsome in his training outfit, with his tall and straight posture and the sword hanging on his back.

  Even when speaking, he carried himself in a refined manner. "I, Mo Zhu, will do my best to look after the juniors."

  "But if he has to take care of his juniors, wouldn't it rob him of his chance to fight for a better placing? Will it be proper to expect him to babysit his juniors?" Qing Xiuhe asked.

  "Not really. I believe Mo Zhu will be able to find a perfect balance between taking care of his juniors and fighting for a good result." Tan Guanghua was filled with confidence toward his disciple.

  "Alright. We're done here. Feel free to request anything you need. The Martial Hall Palace will support all of you to the best of our ability," Yang Gaochuan said. He paused slightly and looked at Xiang Shaoyun before saying, "Everyone may leave now. Xiang Shaoyun, you stay."

  Chapter 88: This Young Master Is Very Busy

  When the disciples heard Yang Gaochuan tell Xiang Shaoyun to stay, they all looked at him with an odd gaze. Of the 10, Xiang Shaoyun had the lowest cultivation level yet he was the one who received the best treatment from the Martial Hall Palace. Thus, it was understandable that he would be a target of resentment.

  "I wonder what the palace master needs from me?" Xiang Shaoyun asked.

  Yang Gaochuan stared at Xiang Shaoyun for a bit before a kindly expression surfaced on his face as he said, "Shaoyun, isn't Qinyin pretty?"

  That question completely confused Xiang Shaoyun. "Where do those words stem from, palace master? Well, she looks decent, I suppose."

  "Kid, you are not being honest. I saw you staring at her just now," Yang Gaochuan teased, speaking unlike how a person of his stature would usually speak.

  "Oh, I was only randomly looking around. Is that a problem?" Xiang Shaoyun countered in a self-righteous manner.

  "Haha, you're right. Young people like you should not be afraid to show your love. There is nothing bad about that," Yang Gaochuan said, laughing heartily.

  That confused Xiang Shaoyun even more.

  Yang Gaochuan continued speaking matter-of-factly, "To speak the truth, Qinyin is the disciple I am proudest of, and she is no less talented than you. Both of you are the perfect match for each other. I do sincerely hope that the two of you can—"

  But before he could finish his words, Xiang Shaoyun interrupted him. "Hold on. Palace master, you are overthinking it. I have never thought of that at all."

  What a joke. As far as he was concerned, Gong Qinyun was like a fierce tigress. He loved himself too much to consider taking someone like her as his wife.

  "Why? Do you think she is not worthy of you?" Yang Gaochuan asked, his voice turning cold.

  Xiang Shaoyun replied, "This is not the question of who is worthy of who. We are both still too young. It is still not the time for us to talk about love and marriage."

  "You are clearly lying. Let me tell you something. You might be talented and have Elder Zhen Peng as your follower, but if you manage to obtain the affection of Qinyin as well, you will be guaranteed to reach at least the King Realm in your cultivation," Yang Gaochuan enticed Xiang Shaoyun.

  The more Xiang Shaoyun listened to the palace master, the more confused he became. He had a feeling this palace master was trying to matchmake him with that tigress.

  "Palace master, that is only a one-sided wish of yours. You should ask for Miss Qinyin's opinion before making up your mind. If she is really willing, I won't mind accepting her either," Xiang Shaoyun said. He could no longer be bothered to keep explaining himself. Inwardly, he added an additional sentence, I won't mind accepting her as a maid to warm my bed.

  If Yang Gaochuan heard that inner monologue of his, he would probably be coughing blood in fury. Gong Qinyin was his pride, and the number of talented young men pursuing her was so high it was uncountable. And yet this kid here was thinking of letting her be his bed-warming maid?

  "Sigh, you really don't understand what's good for you. Fine, just don't regret this in the future," Yang Gaochuan said with a regretful tone. He then continued, "There are four more months before the Battle of Towns. Do you have the confidence to increase your cultivation by three stages before then?"

  "Two stages," Xiang Shaoyun said. He added, "It won't be easy at all."

  In truth, he was confident he could do it, but he was trying to be humble. After all, his actual plan was to reach the Transformation Realm in a year. If he wanted to meet his goal, he naturally had to be able to do something like increase three stages of cultivation in a few months.

  "I know it's difficult, but I hope you can do it. I believe you can create a miracle," Yang Gaochuan said. He was placing his hopes on Xiang Shaoyun.

  With his cultivation of fourth-stage Astral Realm, Xiang Shaoyun had defeated Li Tianba who was an eighth-stage Astral Realm cultivator. After increasing his cultivation by four stages, he would be able to face even those at the peak of the Astral Realm. That would greatly increase the hope of the Martial Hall Palace entering the top 10.

  "Palace master, you are stressing me out." Xiang Shaoyun shrugged. "Why not give me a few stalks of mid-grade or high-grade spirit medicines? With that, it will be much easier for me to advance my cultivation by three stages."

  "Kid, do you think spirit medicines are some common vegetables? Not long ago, the Medicine Hall's overseer told me that you have already withdrawn a large number of low-grade spirit medicines. Are those not enough? Furthermore, using spirit medicines will only give you a shaky foundation. If you really can't increase your cultivation in time, you can just wait and join the next Battle of Towns three years later. At that time, you’ll probably be in the Transformation Realm already. Entering the top 10 won't be a problem then," Yang Gaochuan said.

  At this point, Yang Gaochuan seemed to have suddenly realized something as he said, "Yes, I was in too much of a rush. You should be joining the next Battle of Towns instead. Yes, you should sit this one out. Three years later, our Martial Hall Palace will amaze the world with a
single brilliant feat! Yes! Why didn't I think of this earlier? Three years is nothing for us!"

  "Huh? No, I don't think that's proper." Xiang Shaoyun blanked out. Although he had no idea what the Battle of Towns looked like, he still knew that it would be a good opportunity to temper himself. In fact, joining it might help him grow even faster. More importantly, he couldn't afford to sit around waiting for three whole years.

  "What's not proper about that? I have only been focusing on your victory over Li Tianba. That was why I had placed all my hope on you. But now that I think about it, it's better if we wait," Yang Gaochuan said.

  "No way. Three years is too long," Xiang Shaoyun said gloomily.

  "No, it's not long at all. Alright, you will be sitting this one out. You may leave now," Yang Gaochuan waved his hand.

  Xiang Shaoyun grew anxious as he said, "There are still four more months. I am confident I can increase my cultivation by about two or three stages!"

  "Even so, that is still somewhat risky. It is best to wait for the next Battle of Towns. By then, you will have entered the Transformation Realm but still meet the age requirement to participate. Child, you have to be patient," Yang Gaochuan advised.

  "I would rather not join at all if I have to wait." Xiang Shaoyun grew angry. If he had to wait three years, there was no point in participating. After all, by that time, the competition might no longer be the perfect venue for him to temper himself. He had many other places he could be at.

  "Why are you so impatient, child? Being impatient is not good for your cultivation," Yang Gaochuan continued advising.

  Xiang Shaoyun did not feel like talking to this person anymore as he directly turned and waved his hand. He walked away, saying, "Don't look for me if there is nothing important. Even if there is something important, don't look for me either. This young master is very busy."