Chapter 345: A Comical First Win in the Earth Quadrant
This little fatty had on a merry expression as he made faces at Jiang Chen, keeping his voice quite low, “Brother, let’s speak candidly. I’m the one being challenged, so it doesn’t affect my score if I lose. Therefore, I don’t want to win in this fight at all. How about we put on an act. Don’t be too serious, and I won’t be too fake. Let’s play fight for a while, then I’ll voluntarily head off the stage. I hate this ring of ice. I don’t want to waste my inner energy here and really go head to head with you.”
The little fatty’s tiny eyes kept rolling around as he spoke with a tone of a businessman wanting to engage in a deal.
Jiang Chen had met all sorts of opponents, but it was a rare sight to meet someone who was openly wanting to chat.
“C’mon brother, let me know your true thoughts.” The fatty asked hastily when he saw that Jiang Chen wasn’t responding.
Jiang Chen nodded faintly, “Then it depends on whether you really want to put on an act, or you’re acting about not wanting to fight for real.”
The little fatty grinned from ear to ear. “You’ll know soon.”
He then roared loudly after speaking and started charging towards Jiang Chen with a roll of his ball-like body. The entire ring began to shake with loud sounds when this enormous meat ball started rolling.
He did appear to be creating a huge uproar, but the little fatty seemed quite sincere in not wanting to use his internal energy in this match. He was purposefully leaving open some flaws as he rolled.
It wasn’t that the little fatty had a low level of cultivation, but that he was doing this on purpose to indicate that he truly didn’t intend on winning.
Jiang Chen could only act accordingly since the fatty was playing the game so well.
When the fatty saw that Jiang Chen was acting with him so diligently, he also privately complimented that Jiang Chen was a good brother alright! The two of them panted and huffed on the ring, flaring our dominating auras and going ahead at full speed.
Someone who wasn’t involved in the match really wouldn’t be able to tell that they weren’t fighting for real, or that they were just yelling ferociously, but hadn’t expended any internal energy at all.
The fatty’s shoulder suddenly dropped after fifteen minutes as he cried out ghastly, as if he’d been struck by lightning as his rotund body dropped straight off the elevated ring.
Jiang Chen really wanted to laugh when he saw this exaggerated act.
That comical fatty didn’t forget to throw Jiang Chen a look of “heh, my sly plan worked!” as he fell off the stage.
Thus, Jiang Chen secured his first win in such a comical manner.
“The candidates of the earth quadrant are different to the mystic quadrant alright. If this fatty candidate had truly fought me, he likely would’ve been able to exchange a few moves with me. Even though his cultivation level is only at the fourth level spirit realm, he’s different from the mystic realm candidates whether in terms of actual battle strength or aura.”
Jiang Chen had actually paid quite a bit of attention and noticed that the sect disciples of the mystic quadrant were mostly of the third and fourth level spirit realm. The earth quadrant were mostly fourth level spirit realm, with a few fifth level—but those were much fewer.
However, despite also being of the fourth level spirit realm, the fourth level candidates of the earth quadrant was far superior to those of the mystic quadrant, no matter how one looked at things.
“I’m also of the fourth level spirit realm, but my actual fighting ability is absolutely something that no ordinary fourth level cultivator can measure up to. The candidates in the earth quadrant are basically all second tier geniuses, some even preliminary first tier geniuses. All of them must have areas in which they excel in and are quite different from the mediocrity in the mystic quadrant. I was able to sweep the mystic quadrant, but thanks to various restraining factors here, I probably won’t be able to do what I did in the mystic quadrant.”
Jiang Chen had formed the bones of a plan in his heart after thinking of Master Fang’s reminders.
“The keeper of this quadrant is that Shuiyue woman. She will set her sights on me if too much light is shone on my talents, and may even suppress me. In addition, the rings here aren’t the ordinary ones. I’ll have to use some of my trump cards if I try to win furiously like that. This would be most inappropriate.”
The five rings were of the five great elements of metal, wood, water, fire, and earth. If Jiang Chen swept all his matches again, then some of his aces would definitely be revealed.
After all, most cultivators weren’t able to cultivate in all five elements. Being able to do so was the unique advantage of one with an innate constitution.
Those who weren’t born with a constitution and could still cultivate in all five elements were those with astounding fortuitous occurrences and had rewritten their destinies.
Take Jiang Chen for instance, he was able to do so because of the changes wrought by the Five Dragons Opening Heavens Pill, and the reflections of his numerous fortuitous occurrences.
If he could sweep all the rings, what would that mean then? That would mean that he could adapt to all of the rings and had extraordinary potential in all five elements.
“Forget it, although it’s nice to sweep all my matches, there’s no need to continue playing like this. Since these five rings aren’t as ordinary matches, it wouldn’t be realistic to have results like I had in the mystic quadrant. The matches of the earth quadrant are not just of those between candidates, but also a battle with the ring itself as well. The ring will drain the candidate equally as well. Therefore, it’s rather unrealistic to go at it the way I did in the mystic quadrant.”
Jiang Chen decided to use a more conservative rhythm to proceed after running through various considerations.
He had plenty of time to complete a hundred challenges over the next three months anyhow. He’d won so crazily in the mystic quadrant because he’d been provoked by others and had been dismissed by the entire quadrant, provoking his anger as a result.
But now that he’d gotten here and was facing a main examiner, Master Shuiyue, who was eying him up like a tiger looking at prey, Jiang Chen felt that this woman could make trouble for him at any time, so it was better to keep a lower profile…
Of course, a low profile was one thing, but there was no reason to immediately give up his turn after obtaining one victory.
Jiang Chen decisively chose to continue when the examiner queried him.
He seemed rather unlucky this time as he selected a first level candidate, and one that was ranked quite ahead at that, number 23 out of 60 first level candidates in the earth quadrant.
“The Purple Sun Sect again.” Jiang Chen also felt odd when he looked at the name in his hand. Was he fated to be rivals with the Purple Sun Sect?
However, he didn’t really mind. Whether it was the Purple Sun Sect or the other sects, he had no other thoughts when he set foot into the ring, and that was to defeat his opponent.
The ring he selected this time was a ring of fire.
“Purple Sun Sect, the ring of fire…” A thought flashed through Jiang Chen’s mind as he looked at the examiner overseeing the selection. What a coincidence, I don’t suppose any cheating is happening?
“Humph. Whether he’s cheating or that it’s a coincidence, the Purple Sun Sect disciples are unlucky to bump into me.” Jiang Chen laughed coldly in his heart and walked towards the ring with large steps.
He could deal with the other three sects like the little fatty from the Myriad Spirit Sect. If everyone was quite polite and friendly, then all could be discussed. However, there was no room for discussion with the Purple Sun Sect.
When Jiang Chen set foot into the ring, his opponent was already standing there with crossed arms.
He was dressed in a fiery robe and was as if a ball of flame burning fiercely as he stood on his side. His entire demeanor seemed to have melded into this ring of fire.
This person’s thin face appeared quite sinister, as the violent light in his eyes made one feel that he wasn’t a kind sort.
“Secular kid, I’ve heard of you.”
The person spoke coldly as frightening flames shot out from his eyes, seeming to want to shoot into Jiang Chen’s eyes. The two balls of flames churned continuously in his eyes, as creepy as ghostly fire.
“Parlor tricks!”
Jiang Chen snorted lightly and shot out a soft hum like lightning, forming an invisible air current and piercing towards this person’s hotly burning eyes.
“Hmm?” The person’s expression changed as his eyes hastily shut, evading this strong air current blow.
“Don’t embarrass yourself in bringing out this level of glamour.” Jiang Chen smiled faintly. This kind of glamour was a way of attacking an opponent’s consciousness. To put it bluntly, the art of glamour was a way of attacking the heart.
Although Jiang Chen wasn’t afraid, he had to admit that if this had been used on a mentally weak practitioner, the victim likely would’ve become a puppet after the two balls of fire shot into their consciousness before battle even began!
However, for Jiang Chen’s level of mental strength, this was just a small trick.
As strong as the Golden Eye of Evil had been on the magnetic golden mountain, Jiang Chen had still evaded it. In contrast, this glamour hadn’t had even one tenth of the Eye’s strength. Jiang Chen’s slight snort had been enough to shatter it to pieces.
That person had also been startled that his art had been defused. He’d also lost some face thanks to Jiang Chen’s mockery.
However, he was quite shrewd as he opened his eyes again and stared at Jiang Chen, saying coldly, “Kid, that was just a warm up. Don’t get cocky too early.”
“I’ve heard that you were quite arrogant in the mystic spirit quadrant, particularly against my Purple Sun Sect. You said that you would destroy each Purple Sun Sect disciple that you meant. Was this the case?”
The rumors had exaggerated things a bit, but Jiang Chen had indeed done so. All the Purple Sun Sect disciples who’d met him in the ring had ended up with horrific downfalls.
Jiang Chen patently didn’t want to waste time talking as he arched an eyebrow, “Are all Purple Sun Sect disciples as long winded as you?”
The person laughed coldly, “Don’t try to provoke me. There’s no use in that! I’m not Guo Ren or the trash in the mystic quadrant. Remember, I’m called Ouyang Jian. Cheng Zhen and Cheng Lan are my younger cousins, and my juniors in the same faction. I will return to you tenfold what you’d done to them.”
Jiang Chen couldn’t help but jeer, “Should I take a nap first? Wake me up when you’re done running your mouth!”
Ouyang Jian wasn’t actually one who liked to talk, he was actually crafting an atmosphere.
He was similar to many Purple Sun Sect disciples, born with extraordinary affinity for the fire attribute. He enjoyed a tremendous advantage in the ring of fire.
Add to that the glamour that he practiced, he was adept at creating an atmosphere than melded his influence into the surroundings with every word and gesture, forming a controlling force that made his opponent unwittingly follow his rhythm.
However, Jiang Chen paid him no heed at all.
If Jiang Chen had bickered with him and had his emotions aroused, then he would’ve unwittingly fallen into Ouyang Jian’s rhythm.
But, such tricks were quite pointless in Jiang Chen’s eyes.
Ouyang Jian’s painstakingly crafted atmosphere may be useful on others, but it was a completely futile exercise to Jiang Chen.
On the other hand, Ouyang Jian was naturally inclined to the fire element, and so this ring wasn’t a restraint for him at all, but fertile ground that would double the effectiveness of his strength and arts.
However, how would he know that this ring of fire was a similar walk in the park for Jiang Chen.
His so-called advantage was meaningless in front of Jiang Chen!