Chapter 819: Zi Shang Admitting Defeat
Translator: KurazyTolanzuraytor Editor: JayC
The memories in Duan Ling Tian's mind that were related to Zhang Yan were still remaining at that time a few years ago.
At that time, Zhang Yan had once fought him in the Imperial City of the Azure Forest Imperial City because of Zi Shang's younger sister, Zi Yan, and Zhang Yan had even felt hate towards him because of Zi Yan, causing them to have some conflict between each other.
Of course, all of these was a small conflict that wasn't worth mentioning.
At that time, Zhang Yan's strength was far inferior to him, and it was even to the extent that Zhang Yan didn't even seize one of the five positions in the Azure Forest Imperial Kingdom's Genius Competition that led to the Martial Competition of the Ten Dynasties.
Never had he imagined that it was precisely a person like this, a person that had been eliminated in the Genius Competition of the Azure Forest Imperial Kingdom all those years ago, that carried such a terrifying cultivation when appearing before him once more.
Zhang Yan's strength had already surpassed him in all aspects, and even if he utilized all his ability and utilized his soul skill, Thousand Illusions, he wouldn't be a match for Zhang Yan.
"What exactly did Zhang Yan encounter to actually become so strong?" Zi Shang stared fixedly at Zhang Yan in the distance, and his face was similarly filled with bewilderment.
With the strength that Zhang Yan had revealed now, even if he allowed Elder Ghost's incomplete soul to possess his body, he would probably only be able to fight on equal terms with Zhang Yan.
Unless he broke through to the third level of the Void Interpretation Stage, and at that time, he would be able to defeat Zhang Yan easily.
Because at that time, he would possess a strength at the seventh level of the Void Interpretation Stage when Elder Ghost possessed his body.
As far as he was concerned, he would be equivalent to a martial artist at the seventh level of the Void Interpretation Stage at that time, and it wouldn't be difficult to defeat Zhang Yan.
"Zhang Yan seemed as if he's a completely different person than when I saw him for the first time." Su Li took a deep breath and felt exceedingly shocked by Zhang Yan's current strength.
"I won't kill you because we're both from the Azure Forest Imperial Kingdom." Zhang Yan's fingers shook and easily shook away the grade three spirit saber in Long Yun's hand, and then his figure flashed and had already returned to stand quietly behind the middle aged man in simple clothes.
"Pei An, this is your disciple? What good upbringing he has!" Saber 5's face sank. How could he not be angry when his own disciple was taught a lesson in front of him?
"Saber 5, let the young settle the matters between themselves… Or perhaps, you want to stand up for you disciple and make a move against my disciple?" Pei An said indifferently, "You, Saber 5, ought to not sink so low, right?"
Saber 5 was instantly speechless and at a loss for words when he heard this, and he could only glare at Long Yun with disappointment, causing the bitterness on Long Yun's face to grow deeper.
"Hui Ming, you win!" Ning Can glared hatefully at Hui Ming. No matter what, he'd never imagined that Hui Ming seemed to have known since long ago that the Blade Sect stood on their side and had found another assistant.
At this time, even if the Skywolf Fort joined forces with the Blade Sect, they would be unable to drive them away.
"Now another Emotion Severing Sect has come to take a share." Sword 13 shook his head, and then he seemed to have thought of something and muttered to himself. "But it doesn't matter… It's alright with the three of them." As he finished muttering to himself, Sword 13 glanced at Duan Ling Tian, Feng Tian Wu, and Zhang Shou Yong, and he felt more satisfied the more he looked at them.
Duan Ling Tian, who stood at the side, had a heart filled with bewilderment.
First three monks had arrived, and then another middle aged man in simple clothes had brought Zhang Yan over.
Moreover, this middle aged man in simple clothes seemed to be the Master of a Sect, and he was even the Master of Zhang Yan.
What exactly is going on? Duan Ling Tian was unable to wrap his head around this.
"Buddha be praised. Vice Fort Master Ning, you don't have to care about us monks and feel free to go about your business… As for Sect Master Pei, us monks will entertain him in your stead." Hui Ming smiled as he spoke to Ning Can, and his appearance was as annoying as annoying could be.
Ning Can was angered to the point his face was livid, yet since the matter had developed to this extent, it wasn't good for him to say anything further, and then swept his gaze at the surroundings before saying in a low voice. "The fourth round of the selections in the Martial Competition of the Ten Dynasty, begins!"
Duan Ling Tian was just about to ask Sword 13 about the three monks and the middle aged man in simple clothes when he heard Ning Can's voice, and he temporarily suppressed the bewilderment in his heart as he flew out.
When Duan Ling Tian arrived in the central area of the sky above the combat arena, the representatives and young geniuses of the ten Dynasties had successively returned to their senses.
The appearance of the three monks and the young and middle aged man in simply clothes similarly caused them to be puzzled in their hearts.
They were able to discern that no matter if it was the three monks or the young and middle aged man in simple clothes, their background was obviously extremely extraordinary. Otherwise, it wouldn't come to the extent of caused the two Vice Fort Masters of Skywolf Fort to lose their composure like that.
Now, since Ning Can had announced that the fourth round of the selections had begun, they'd suppressed the bewilderment in their hearts and looked at Duan Ling Tian in unison.
"I wonder who'll Duan Ling Tian challenge first." Someone was filled with curiosity towards this.
"That possessor of the number 10 token is Duan Ling Tian's friend, so he probably won't challenge him first… I feel that he'll probably challenge the possessor of the number 9 token." Many people looked at the group from the Darqing Dynasty, and their gazes descended onto Ye Ling.
Ye Ling was slightly eager to do battle when being paid attention to by so many gazes, and she eagerly looked forward to Duan Ling Tian challenging her as perhaps she would be able to obtain the number 1 token because of this.
But unfortunately, Duan Ling Tian didn't even spare her a glance.
"I challenge…" Duan Ling Tian spoke slowly and paused for a moment before continuing. "The possessor of the number 2 token, Zi Shang!"
Zi Shang!
The scene was in an uproar as soon as Duan Ling Tian said this.
Most people have never expected that Duan Ling Tian would challenge Zi Shang, and only the people who knew of the conflict between Duan Ling Tian and Zi Shang knew why Duan Ling Tian chose like this.
For a time, the gazes of many people descended onto Zi Shang as they were extremely curious about the true strength of Zi Shang, who the Skywolf Fort's Vice Fort Master had taken as a personal disciple.
Based on the strength Zi Shang revealed earlier, it ought to be insufficient to obtain the number 2 token.
But since he was able to obtain it and make Vice Fort Master Ning take him as his personal disciple, it was sufficient to indicate that Zi Shang wasn't simple. Perhaps he'd concealed his true strength since the beginning.
"Zi Shang, the personal disciple of Vice Fort Master Ning… Duan Ling Tian, the person that refused to be the personal disciple of Vice Fort Master Ning. The battle between the two of them will surely be extremely brilliant."
"I think that Duan Ling Tian has probably concealed his strength… He seemed to only reveal the tip of the iceberg every time he makes a move."
"I have this feeling as well… Since he was able to obtain the number 1 token, I presume he possesses true ability."
…
Unknowingly, many people had a change of impression towards Duan Ling Tian, and they didn't unanimously think that Duan Ling Tian had utilized irregular means to obtain the number 1 token.
Ning Can's personal disciple?
The discussion in the surroundings caused the two middle aged monks, Hui Ming and Hui Jing to simultaneously follow along the gazes of everyone to look at Zi Shang.
Even the middle aged man, Pei An, the master of Zhang Yan had shot his gaze onto Zi Shang at this moment.
"Zi Shang!" Zhang Yan still had an expressionless face, yet the depths of his gaze was obviously filled with slight surprise.
Obviously, he'd never imagined that he's be able to see Zi Shang here.
As for Duan Ling Tian, he'd noticed Duan Ling Tian since the moment he'd just arrived, and even though he was slightly surprised that Duan Ling Tian was able to be here, he wasn't too shocked.
After all, in the Azure Forest Imperial Kingdom all those years ago, Duan Ling Tian had already revealed a terrifying natural talent, and it wasn't surprising that Duan Ling Tian possessed his current achievements.
When he met Duan Ling Tian once more, he'd already not regarded Duan Ling Tian as an enemy like before, and perhaps it was because he'd already severed his emotions.
In the past, he'd dug his heart out for Zi Shang's younger sister, Zi Yan, but in the end, all of it came to nothing.
At the instant when Zi Yan vowed under the Nine-Nine Heavenly Tribulation that she would never have feelings for him in her lifetime, all his hopes were torn to pieces, and he even wanted to end his life.
But unfortunately, he didn't succeed.
Later on, in a stroke of luck, he encountered an Emotion Severing Sect disciple that had come out to relieve his boredom, and because they'd suffered from the same troubles, it caused them to appreciate each other, causing him to follow the disciple and join the Emotion Severing Sect.
At that place, he found his final home.
His state at the time just happened to conform with the primary objective of the Emotion Severing Sect, so he advanced by leaps and bounds when cultivating in the sect, causing him to be valued by the Vice Sect Master of the Emotion Severing Sect, Pei An, and became Pei An's personal disciple.
After a few years of cultivation and the inexhaustible supply of resources Pei An gave him, his cultivation advanced by leaps and bounds, and his comprehension of Concept became even deeper.
Presently, even if it was in the entire Emotion Severing Set, there wasn't a second disciple of the younger generation that could defeat him.
Not long ago, his Master had broken through in his cultivation and smoothly succeeded the position of Sect Master of the Emotion Severing Sect, causing his status in the sect to rise along with this, and he'd even been publicly acknowledged as the next inheritor of the position of Sect Master of the Emotion Severing Sect.
…
It was precisely because of this that Zhang Yan entirely didn't have any hostility from all those years ago when he saw Duan Ling Tian once more.
This was something that Duan Ling Tian had noticed earlier as well.
But he didn't know the reason.
"I admit defeat!" Under the gazes of everyone present, Zi Shang who'd been challenged by Duan Ling Tian spoke out with an admission of defeat, and he didn't hesitate in the slightest when making this decision.
Admitting defeat?
For a time, the scene was in an uproar.
Besides a few people that knew Duan Ling Tian was capable of countering Zi Shang, all the other people had people had puzzled expressions as they didn't know why Zi Shang didn't even have the courage to fight Duan Ling Tian.
"Could it be that Duan Ling Tian is really so strong, to the point that even Zi Shang doesn't dare fight him?"
"I think Zi Shang is giving way to him… But he and Duan Ling Tian seem to not like each other, and he's the personal disciple of Vice Fort Master Ning. So logically speaking, it's impossible for him to give way to Duan Ling Tian."
"No matter what it is, he doesn't even have the courage to enter the arena. This Zi Shang is too much of a coward indeed!"
…
Waves of merciless ridicule entered into Zi Shang's ears, causing his expression to go completely ominous.
There was naturally a reason why he didn't dare accept Duan Ling Tian's challenge.
He knew clearly in his heart that with Duan Ling Tian's hatred towards him, once he dared enter the arena, Duan Ling Tian would absolutely not hold back in the slightest and kill him.
Even though he had Elder Ghost as a trump card, but this trump card just happened to be countered by Duan Ling Tian, and it was utterly useless.
Moreover, once he faced Duan Ling Tian with his own strength, the illusory realm soul skill Duan Ling Tian executed was completely capable of killing him before he admitted defeat.
So admitting defeat was his only choice, and his best choice.
Only in this way would he be able to survive.