Ning Zhiyuan was trying to suppress Wang ng with his considerable influence, using his authority to force him to submit. He was relying on the prestige he had built over many years, leveraging his off-stage status to apply pressure on the stage. Aside from a few outliers like Zhang Xiaopang, everyone was expected to fall in line.
However, he was up against Wang ng.
Wang ng’s smile was lofty and superior, holding the sort of fond appreciation an elder might have for a junior.
He was an Elder.
If soone wanted to show off, to put on airs, then he’d be happy to indulge them.
Wang ng suddenly spun around without even glancing at Ning Zhiyuan and thrust his arm into the air. The suppressed disciples of the Lower Three Halls instantly found an outlet for their emotions, erupting in a thunderous cheer even more ferocious than the last.
Ning Zhiyuan froze, his expression turning ugly. He never expected this upstart Wang ng, for all his shallow roots, would dare to challenge him in this way.
The old Wang ng might not have bothered with such things, but the Wang ng of today had recovered his street-fighting spirit. If Ning Zhiyuan wanted to play petty gas, he was happy to teach him a lesson.
It didn’t take a genius to figure out how Ning Zhiyuan, the Senior of the Nine Halls, treated the disciples beneath him. He was surely used to his lofty position, expecting every disciple to bow respectfully and hang on his every word of instruction.
Let alone the fact that Wang ng was an Elder—even if he weren’t, he still wouldn’t have stood for it.
Just like his and Zhang Xiaojiang’s old slogan, the two of them had co to the Small Thousand World to stir things up.
Wang ng kept his back to Ning Zhiyuan, turning in different directions and pumping his fist at his supporters.
’If people supported him, he had to give them sothing in return!’
Wang ng’s simple gesture was t with the disciples’ most frenzied response. As for Ning Zhiyuan, he was utterly forgotten.
This was a first. Never before had soone of Wang ng’s standing deigned to acknowledge the disciples of the Lower Three Halls, who were usually treated like ants. Wang ng didn’t just acknowledge them; he gave them hope and respect.
And Ning Zhiyuan?
The cheers grew louder and louder. Song Zhong couldn’t help but sigh. "Junior Sister, you should watch and learn. Senior Brother Ning might just capsize in the gutter."
Win or lose, this was a major blow to Ning Zhiyuan’s authority. He was, after all, a key protégé of the Holy Hall, grood by those at the Ancestral Master Level and higher. The Ancestral Masters had deliberately cultivated his status, creating the untouchable figure he was today.
And now, Wang ng was threatening to topple him with a single stroke.
Ning Zhiyuan was facing an unprecedented challenge. His steely gaze swept over the sections where the cheers were loudest. The disciples who t his eyes faltered for an instant, only to erupt with even louder roars a mont later.
Even a cornered dog will lash out. Did he really think he could treat these disciples like his personal servants!
Staring at that "arrogant" face, Ning Zhiyuan found it unimaginable that the Holy Hall, a place of order, was actually in revolt.
After a long mont, Wang ng finally turned back to the ashen-faced Ning Zhiyuan, a perfectly harmless smile on his face. "Ever since I joined the Holy Hall, I’ve heard the other Elders speak of Zhiyuan. It’s a pleasure to finally et you. In the coming battle, please give it your all. Don’t hold anything back."
The words nearly made Ning Zhiyuan choke. Zhang Xiaopang slapped his thigh in delight. ’Now *that’s* Brother ng!’
’Damn,’ he thought. ’That joker Ning Zhiyuan actually dares to put on airs here? Isn’t he afraid of getting struck by lightning for it?’
Ning Zhiyuan, however, was a master of composure. He took a deep breath. ’Nominally, Wang ng is an Elder, after all.’ "Brother Wang," he said, "the tournant makes no distinction of age or status. That is a tradition of the Holy Hall. I will naturally give it my all. I only hope that Brother Wang can set a good example for all the disciples."
Ning Zhiyuan had no intention of bickering with Wang ng any further. Watching the frenzied, defiant roars from the disciples below, he knew he had already lost this round. Dragging it out would only bring more humiliation.
And throughout it all, not a single one of the Ancestral Masters on the platform had intervened. Clearly, so of them were also on Wang ng’s side.
"This Wang ng really is a character. He was so low-key and humble before, even when provoked. But the mont he faces Brother Ning, he becos this brazen. It’s surprisingly effective."
Zhuang Xuan whispered in Zhao Guang’s ear.
Zhao Guang snorted. "He’s finally showing his true colors, that’s all. Only those ignorant disciples from the Lower Three Halls would be fooled by him!"
Zhuang Xuan smiled and nodded, but inwardly he was cursing. ’You hypocrite. You were originally from Thunderlight Hall, a classic mber of the Lower Three Halls.’
’The Ma Family are scoundrels, true, but you Zhao Family are hypocrites. You’re even more shaless.’
Zhao Guang was consud by a deep jealousy. How could Wang ng be so popular? Thunderlight Hall was one thing, but the other Sub-Halls... what on earth had guys like Qiao Qian, Jia Shidao, and Song Zhong gotten from him? And Yang Ying... had she gone crazy or was she just hopelessly infatuated? How could she have fallen for soone like Wang ng?
He looked at the already gorgeous Yang Ying, whose face now held an extra, captivating glow. It was clearly the radiance of a woman who had been well-loved by a man.
The thought alone drove Zhao Guang mad with jealousy. Yang Ying’s gaze was fixed so intently on Wang ng, as if nothing else in the world existed for her.
What was most infuriating was that everyone around them seed to accept it, acting as if Wang ng and Yang Ying were actually a good match.
’How could a low-born nobody like him possibly be worthy!’
Under normal circumstances, the six Ancestral Masters would certainly have intervened in a showdown like this between Wang ng and Ning Zhiyuan.
The Holy Hall was a system with a strict hierarchy. Even though Wang ng was an Elder, everyone knew the story behind that title. In the tournant, setting aside his status as an Elder, Wang ng was expected to defer to Ning Zhiyuan. This confrontation wasn’t just a provocation against Ning Zhiyuan; to a certain extent, it also undermined the rules of the Holy Hall.
However, Zhao Tianlong glanced at Ma Hezi, who remained perfectly at ease, showing no sign of acting. Li Xiuwen, being one of Wang ng’s supporters, certainly wasn’t going to be biased against him, and besides, he had always been reluctant to ddle in such affairs. The remaining three—Zhou Luodan, Wu Fatian, and Thunderbolt—were a lost cause; they were actually smiling. On any other day, Zhou Luodan would have already issued a sharp rebuke.
Of course, Zhao Tianlong wasn’t foolish enough to intervene personally. After all, a blow to Ning Zhiyuan’s prestige would help Zhao Guang assert more control over Dao Guang Hall. This was one move in a much larger ga.
Zhao Guang had limited ability, but he was a fighter. Zhao Tianlong didn’t expect him to control Dao Guang Hall, but as long as he could secure a foothold—even one in na only—then when the ti was right for Ling Xuan, they could seize complete control of the situation.
Zhao Guang was just a stepping stone. Of course, Zhao Tianlong would never say so. One had to give those working for them a glimr of hope to make them fight with all their might.
"Let the match begin!" Li Xiuwen announced, his voice clear and simple, kicking off the most sensational duel of the tournant.
No matter how adored a person was, once they stepped onto the Dueling Platform, the only thing that determined their honor was the sword in their hand.
"My sword is nad Sacrifice. To sacrifice oneself is to beco the sword, a sword that can touch the heavens!" The mont the battle began, all off-stage factors seed to vanish from Ning Zhiyuan. He gazed at his Sacrificial Sword, his aura as unshakable as a mountain.
Wang ng drew Broken Heaven Edge. "This is Broken Heaven Edge. Just a naless little thing. ’Edge of heaven,’ ’touch the heavens’... it can cut all that stuff down just fine."
Ning Zhiyuan’s eyes narrowed. ’This flippant attitude... and this person is supposed to be my opponent? It’s laughable.’
"One must respect the sword. Only then is one worthy of being a Sword Cultivator!"
"Whether or not I’m a Sword Cultivator isn’t sothing you prove with your mouth."
But as for dedication and desire for cultivation, the Wang ng who had once locked himself in a cave, hamring his fists against the wall again and again, understood it on a much deeper, more profound level. (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welco to co to Qidian to vote for it. Your support is my greatest motivation.)
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