Chapter 124: The Shock of the Gods

As I watched the attendant quickly turn and leave, the petite girl with black hair sitting across from the middle-aged man couldn’t help but chuckle.

“What’s going on? Are you lost too?”

The white-clad middle-aged man shook his head.

“Miss Wei, don’t be anxious. The Endless Ruins Sea isn’t a place you can just visit anytime. The situation inside is a bit complex. Although the attendant may know little about it, there are always some who possess related information in this mixed crowd of people. As long as they know our objective is also there…”

He shifted his gaze elsewhere.

“There’s an eighty to ninety percent chance they will take action.”

Sure enough, at a table about ten meters away from them, seven to eight figures that had originally been seated had suddenly stood up and were striding toward their direction.

Just by observing the predominantly bluish hair of the other party, it was easy to determine that they were clearly locals from Qiguo, a uniformed group of men and women wearing matching outfits that appeared particularly unified.

Moreover, the distinct embroidered patterns on their shoulders and collars proved that this young assembly of mixed genders belonged to a local sect’s small group.

Murong Yun smiled.

“See? I wasn’t wrong, was I?”

“You made them overhear on purpose. Who are these people?”

The voice expressing this second doubt wasn’t the earlier holy girl, but a girl sitting beside her with shoulder-length black hair and two fluffy silver cat ears atop her head.

Her physique was well-proportioned, almost outlining a perfect golden ratio, clad only in a tube top and hot pants to cover the key areas. The ends of her limbs were decorated with what looked like cosplay accessories, which seemed precise enough to gently lift even a teacup lid.

The white cat previously cradled in her arms was now sitting on the table, nibbling at a plate of salted beans. Its measured actions indicated an intensity of spirit far different from an ordinary cat.

As for the cat-daughter girl, despite the imposing demeanor of the approaching group, her attitude seemed more befuddled than worried or scared, contrasting distinctly with the disinterest of the silver-haired girl and the charming curiosity of the white-robed girl.

The young man smiled and explained.

“I don’t know them, but I can make a rough guess.”

“Miss Xiao Kong has spent too long in the mountains, so it’s normal not to know some current affairs. The Dongyuanzhi Kingdom is unlike the Xiyuan Spirit Kingdom; here, sects abound, and it’s a flourishing place, being the source of over eighty percent of sects in the world.”

“Even the national power represented by the Dongyuanzhi Sacred Sect is the largest dominant sect alliance. Sect culture here is almost rooted deep; it’s a country that venerates strength, talent, and cultivation, and sects constantly fight over interests, mostly contending for…”

“You all want to seek opportunities in the Endless Ruins Sea too?”

Before Murong Yun could finish, the group of eight reached close, and the leader, a tall, solemn-looking young man who appeared to be under twenty, initiated the conversation.

Strangely, not only was this young man handsome and imposing, but his left eye was also a rare dual pupil, making his presence quite intimidating, unavoidable as one looked into his eyes.

He turned his gaze toward the only older-looking man among the four.

“Are you the leading teacher?”

“?”

The black-haired girl quietly shifted her gaze to the table where the other party had been seated, spotting a blue-haired middle-aged man around forty, dressed in similar but more refined sect clothing, calmly sitting there sipping tea.

Noticing the curious gaze from the black-haired girl, he even smiled and nodded in their direction, seemingly quite friendly.

Seeing that the three girls showed no intent to engage with the group of young men, the white-clad middle-aged man could only shake his head helplessly, placing his hands flat on the table to maintain a posture of neither humility nor arrogance to respond.

“What do you have to say?”

The dual-pupiled young man scrutinized the four, his gaze lingering particularly on the silver cat ears of the girl called Xiao Kong and the white cat, which had halted its eating and was curiously watching them.

“Since you want to go to the Endless Ruins Sea, I assume you’ve heard of the rules there. I saw you were just inquiring about the news, so you probably aren’t clear on the specific opening time of this Ruins Sea…”

“How about this? Let’s have a friendly spar. Regardless of the outcome, we are willing to share all kinds of information related to the Endless Ruins Sea. However, if you lose, you must enter afterward as a form of contract. How does that sound?”

Though it was his intention to lure them over, the white-clad middle-aged man’s eyes twitched slightly when he heard these conditions, leading him to smile bitterly.

“Are you serious? Our situation seems rather unequal.”

“Hahahahahaha!!”

Misinterpreting Murong Yun’s meaning, the dual-pupiled young man threw back his head and laughed, then turned toward the now silent patrons who seemed ready to enjoy the unfolding drama.

“Everyone! I am Shangguan Hong, the chief disciple of the third generation of the Shock of the Gods Sect. Today, I represent a total of eight disciples from our sect in issuing a sparring challenge to these few! All rules will follow Qiguo’s official sparring standards, and all of you here bear witness—stop at just the right moment, with friendship above all else, and absolutely no harm to life or limb!”

“Yeah!!!”

“Oh, hit them! Hit them hard!”

“Shock of the Gods Sect? Have you heard of that sect?”

“Who cares! That kid is brave; it should be like this!”

As soon as these words were said, the many tea patrons responded loudly, seeming to resonate strongly with the confidence and combativeness of the young man, Shangguan Hong.

Amidst the chorus, Shangguan Hong turned back and revealed a slightly fierce smile toward the four.

“So… can you all rest easy now? We aren’t planning on overwhelming you with numbers. Since there are only three of you, and judging by the level of Miss Cat Daughter’s transformation, she probably hasn’t practiced for too long, we will also send three of our own to make it one-on-one, taking turns until the last one standing. How about that?”

“……”

The white-clad middle-aged man was momentarily at a loss for words, not knowing what to say to these young men who felt they had victory in the bag. However, the black-haired girl, who looked to be no more than sixteen or seventeen, smiled and said,

“Sure, I’m just bored. Let’s play a little. It’d be best to bring that teacher along too; let’s all fight together, if it’s just you guys, it feels like it would wrap up pretty quickly ~”

While the black-haired girl merely thought she was reminding them kindly, to the disciples of the Shock of the Gods Sect led by the dual-pupiled young man, it undoubtedly sounded like a great insult, and he burst into unexpected laughter.

“Hahaha! Interesting! I’ve never met someone my age who dared to look down on me, Shangguan Hong! Do you know why our sect is called the Shock of the Gods?”

“Mm-hmm ~”

Shangguan Hong spoke gravely.

“That’s because every disciple in our sect possesses talents that will astound even the gods, and this isn’t bragging, but the essence distilled from thousands of hard trials and tests.”

“Don’t even mention peers; even in the whole Ancient Spirit Realm, few can claim to stand against us. What confidence do you have?”

“Oh dear… It looks like we are all quite confident, huh? Alright, let’s go along with your arrangements.”

Laughing, the black-haired girl gave a nonchalant nod, stood up, and cracked her seemingly harmless little pink fist, producing a slight ‘ka-ba’ sound before turning her gaze elsewhere.

In the short time they had been conversing, or rather after Shangguan Hong’s loud announcement of the challenge, the patrons of the tea house had already cleared a path to the first floor, with even the shopkeeper seemingly having sent people to quickly prepare a fighting space in the outdoor area near the official road.

Clearly, they weren’t novices to this situation.

“Let’s stick with what was originally said: both sides will select three to take turns fighting until no one can continue. How does that sound?”

The black-haired girl simply made an ‘OK’ gesture and took the lead.

“Let’s go, or the tea will get cold.”

   

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