Chapter 25 (Part 2)

He Man expressed sympathy and took the array disks back. He had originally planned to slack off and do less work, but now it seemed that was impossible.

The two of them cooperated, and the other people on the combat platform did the same. Many had formed alliances in groups of three or five. Like this, the twenty people quickly formed seven or eight small camps.

Once the official contest began, the allied groups quickly tangled together. Song Yuanxi did not stay in the fight. Unless someone actively attacked him, he would throw talismans out. The rest of the time, he carefully stayed on guard against sneak attacks.

“Senior Brother He, I’m almost at my limit.” After Song Yuanxi used up one hundred explosive talismans, he began to feel nervous.

Mixed combat was much harder than individual combat. Everyone had made preparations, and each person’s resources were substantial. Moreover, because of the alliance structure, combat power multiplied.

On their side, he had been the only one attacking the whole time. He Man, under the cover of Song Yuanxi’s explosive talismans, was walking and stopping around the combat platform, placing array disks whenever the others were not paying attention.

Song Yuanxi could not understand it. Could these bare array pillars really release great power?

But that did not prevent him from engaging in mutual business flattery. Praise, praise, praise. “Senior Brother He, you’re amazing.”

He Man was a little smug. “I think they’re not bad either. I’ve placed eight array disks of various sizes, and I’ve already memorized the positions of the array eyes. In a bit, we’ll activate the arrays and test the effects.”

He Man pulled Song Yuanxi into a corner like turtles retreating into their shells. Both of them held their hands full of explosive talismans, looking every bit like landlord young masters whose families owned mines.

The others exchanged glances. In the end, wary of the talismans, they did not dare sneak attack and ignored this two-man group.

“Junior Brother Song, now’s the time. The array eye in the northeast corner is under the feet of that junior brother holding a gourd. Embed these spirit stones into the array eye. The first array depends on you to activate it.”

Song Yuanxi was suddenly entrusted with an important task, and a sense of mission rose within him. He solemnly accepted the spirit stones and advanced one step at a time.

He stuck on a Concealment Talisman, carefully approached, and embedded the spirit stones according to the method He Man had told him… Great success!

After completing his task, Song Yuanxi quickly leapt back, running even faster than a rabbit. “Senior Brother He, I did it.”

“Excellent. Let me activate the great array!”

In an instant, a faint light flashed across the combat platform. The disciples on the platform were busy fighting and did not notice at all. Only Song Yuanxi saw it in a daze.

“Why is there light in all four corners?”

Song Yuanxi thought his eyes had blurred, but He Man’s smile rippled with delight. “It is indeed all four corners. You were responsible for one, and I handled the other three.”

“I don’t see any change in them. Senior Brother He, this Return-Shaped Array of yours is…”

Before he could finish, Song Yuanxi could not help widening his eyes. The groups who had originally been fighting fiercely suddenly began walking across the combat platform in strange poses.

Some waved their weapons at empty air. Some launched random attacks and defenses. Some were even stranger, directly walking in circles on the spot… In short, they were all sorts of absurd and bizarre.

“Senior Brother He, they…”

“The Return-Shaped Array uses the circumference of heaven and earth as the array eye, with the four directions as the corners, forming varying degrees of return-shaped terrain. Although it is not an illusory array, it will cause people to misperceive the scene before their eyes.”

He Man gave examples as he explained. “Look at that junior brother. His opponent is clearly behind him, but he’s hacking away wildly at the air in front of him, right? That’s because he’s affected by the Return-Shaped Array and mistakenly thinks his opponent is in front of him. Now look over there. Why is that senior sister spinning in circles nonstop? That’s because the combat platform has undergone a terrain change in her eyes…”

It was Song Yuanxi’s first time hearing someone explain arrays, and he found it quite interesting.

“This is a bit like walking through a maze. If they keep being trapped in the array, then we’ll have nothing to fear.”

“Not so!” He Man shook his head and said, “The Return-Shaped Array is a little toy for messing with people. How can it compare to an illusion array or maze array? Once the spirit stones are used up, the array will lose effect. If their cultivation is sufficient, they can also break the array by force. Senior brothers and senior sisters with higher cultivation than me should see through it very soon.”

Sure enough, moments later, four or five fellow disciples walked out of the Return-Shaped Arrays. They looked at the other disciples who were still circling, then at the two people huddled in the corner eating melon and watching the show. How could they not understand? They had been toyed with.

“You two have gone too far.” Some disciples could not stand it and prepared to teach Song Yuanxi and He Man a lesson.

He Man directly pulled open his storage pouch, revealing bright, sparkling spirit stones inside. “Senior Brother, come if you want. I have plenty of spirit stones anyway and can replenish these arrays at any time. As long as the spirit stones aren’t exhausted, the arrays will keep operating.”

“You…”

“You sneak attacked and plotted against us, and we didn’t call you despicable. Now we are openly using arrays for support, but you refuse to accept it. Senior Brothers, that makes you the ones in the wrong.”

Song Yuanxi had originally felt rather apologetic and guilty, but after hearing He Man’s analysis, he actually felt that it made a lot of sense.

“Right, Senior Brother He is correct. You can’t be so two-faced. The rules are written perfectly clearly. As long as it isn’t a killing move, anything goes! We haven’t broken any rules.”

Those disciples felt aggrieved, but there was nothing they could do. The other party not only had arrays, but also endless explosive talismans.

“Forget it. Just let them coast to victory. Removing those two spots, we still have eight spots left to fight over.”

After a discussion, the remaining people simply gave up completely on Song Yuanxi and He Man. The eighteen of them began fighting among themselves. He Man watched with satisfaction. Whenever one side showed signs of attacking them, he would replenish the spirit stones and activate the arrays.

Meanwhile, he brought Song Yuanxi along to watch the excitement, and he even shamelessly activated another four Return-Shaped Arrays.

“Junior Brother, if you’re tired of standing, sit down. Senior Brother has your back.” He Man watched over eight arrays by himself, the sort of spectator who never feared that things might get too exciting.

Song Yuanxi did not sit. He was also willing to be part of the melon-eating crowd. “Senior Brother He, six disciples have already fallen. Once four more fall, the match will end. Want to guess which four?”

“Is there a wager?”

“How about a bottle of Return Origin Pill?”

“Excellent. I just happen to be short on pills. Since Junior Brother Song is so kind, Senior Brother will accept them.”

“Senior Brother He, don’t speak too soon. You might be the one bleeding.”

The two of them were perfectly leisurely and in fine spirits, beginning their guessing game with the principle that a small gamble pleased the heart.

On this combat platform, the contrast between the two of them and the other eighteen was stark, and it quickly drew the attention of the Golden Core elders seated above.

Once they saw clearly what was going on, each had something to say.

A Tianhong Peak elder said, “Is this proper? A perfectly good competition has turned into a place for fooling around. Which peak’s disciples are these? To think they are so lacking in ambition!”

The Wanhai Peak elder saw clearly and immediately shot back, “As it happens, they are from my Wanhai Peak.”

An elder from another peak looked toward No-Return Mountain. “So this is how your No-Return Mountain arrays are used? It seems I am ignorant and inexperienced.”

The No-Return Mountain elder looked at the eight Return-Shaped Arrays on the combat platform. The more he looked, the more they annoyed him. It was not because he felt that using arrays to toy with people was embarrassing, but because the arrays were rough everywhere, practically like counterfeit and shoddy goods.

He turned to ask the disciple beside him, “Which No-Return Mountain disciple is that? Who taught him arrays?”

That disciple glanced over and replied, “He is not one of our No-Return Mountain disciples. He seems to be… a junior brother from Wanhai Peak?”

The No-Return Mountain elder glanced at the Wanhai Peak elder, who was arguing fiercely with Tianhong Peak, and his expression settled again. As long as he was not from their No-Return Mountain, that was fine. Otherwise, such crude arrays would truly be embarrassing.

The disciple beside him silently wiped away sweat, truly not daring to say that this Junior Brother He Man of Wanhai Peak was learning from one of No-Return Mountain’s most outstanding senior brothers. And that senior brother happened to be the proud disciple of the elder before him.

The tense atmosphere among the elders was something only the people above the platform knew about. Their points of concern were always different from those of Qi Refining disciples. After a few arguments, the matter passed.

In their eyes, although Song Yuanxi and He Man’s behavior was somewhat ridiculous, they had done nothing wrong.

Song Yuanxi followed He Man and won the mixed combat round, successfully entering the third round.

The third round did not involve drawing lots. It adopted an offense-and-defense format. Everyone had to go onstage and defend a ring. If they accepted challenges from five or more people without losing, it counted as a win. Winners automatically entered the ranking matches for the top three thousand.

Song Yuanxi felt that sooner was better than later. If he got onstage to defend a ring earlier, his chances of winning would be greater.

Other disciples might want to appear late in order to show off and draw attention. But the later one appeared, the higher the cultivation and stronger the strength of the challengers might be. By contrast, someone with low cultivation like him was quite advantageous.

Once he went onstage to defend a ring, late-stage Qi Refining disciples probably would not even glance at him. The strength of early- and mid-stage Qi Refining disciples was about the same. With outside items to support him, winning five matches in a row should not be difficult, right?

“Then it’s happily decided. I’ll find an empty ring, go up, finish early, and head back early. Little Yellow is still waiting for me to feed it.”

Song Yuanxi happily threaded his way around and finally saw an empty combat platform. Without thinking, he jumped straight onto it.

“Song Yuanxi, disciple of Wanhai Peak, is defending this ring and accepting challenges.”

As soon as he finished speaking, a fellow disciple jumped onto the ring. “Qiu Ran, disciple of Qingtian Peak, issues a challenge.”

“Senior Brother Qiu?” Song Yuanxi blinked, thinking he had seen wrong. “You’re coming up to challenge me?”

Although challenges could be issued countless times, and victory or defeat had nothing to do with defending one’s own ring, with Senior Brother Qiu’s strength, why did he have to come here to mess around?

Besides, everyone was so familiar with each other. There was no need for their own people to fight their own people!

Qiu Ran said, “Junior Brother Song, there is no need to be modest. You were able to reach the center of the Ice Spring with only first-level Qi Refining cultivation. You must have something extraordinary about you. Although Qiu Ran cannot compare with Martial Uncle Liao, my Dao heart is resolute, and I am delighted to face difficulty head-on.”

Song Yuanxi did not know whether to laugh or cry. “I can’t beat you. Senior Brother Qiu, you’re already at the ninth level of Qi Refining, and I’m only at the third level.”

Qiu Ran fell silent for a moment, then nodded as though this were very serious. “You may use outside items for support however you like. I heard you have endless talismans and pills. I only have one sword. Do as you please.”

Song Yuanxi was completely dumbfounded.

This was different from what he had predicted. In the challenges he had imagined, at most, senior brothers and senior sisters at the fifth level of Qi Refining would come up. He could casually pay-to-win a little and secure victory.

Yet now, the first person to jump up and fight him was actually a ninth-level Qi Refining senior brother, and a sword cultivator, the kind that gave him the biggest headache?

“Senior Brother Qiu Ran has always followed Martial Uncle Liao around. That sword qi is killing-intent sharp enough to take lives. Isn’t this making things difficult for me, Fat Tiger?”

Song Yuanxi wanted to try persuading him again, but unexpectedly, another voice suddenly sounded from below the platform. That disciple stepped out directly and said with a smile, “Senior Brother Qiu, if you take the lead, I’ll be second. I heard that in this Outer Sect Grand Competition of ours, there’s a junior brother whose family owns a mine. I’d like to experience that for myself.”

“And which senior brother are you?” Song Yuanxi’s smile was awkward.

That person took a step forward and introduced himself. “Ji Wuyi, disciple of Tianling Peak. My aptitude is average, and my cultivation is only at the ninth level of Qi Refining.”

Song Yuanxi’s smile looked uglier than crying. Ninth level of Qi Refining, and his cultivation was average?

Also, a Tianling Peak disciple!

Was that not the peak specialized in researching talismans? Those people drew talismans all day long, so many they could eat them as meals. No matter how many talismans Song Yuanxi had, he could not outlast them!

“Senior Brother Ji…”

“Junior Brother Song, I have refined too many talismans recently and was just worried I had nowhere to use them. Help Senior Brother use up a few.”

“Then… how many are there?”

“Not many. Only three thousand talismans, that’s all.”

Song Yuanxi could not smile at all anymore. Had he poked a hornet’s nest?

Sure enough, combat platforms and Song Yuanxi were naturally opposed. This place was deeply unlucky, deeply unlucky indeed!

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