Twenty inner sect disciples. (Lu Qianqian temporarily offline)
Of everyone, Jing Wugou chose none other than Ye Xingchen.
This made our Night Emperor very angry—did he think he was the weakest one among them?
No, quite the opposite.
Jing Wugou, relying on a genius’s intuition, determined that Ye Xingchen’s strength should be the highest cultivation among everyone.
Since he’d come to the Iron Bones Sect, if he was going to challenge someone, he had to challenge the strongest!
What a fine young man—truly ambitious and bold!
“Are you sure?” Ye Xingchen said in a deep voice.
“I’m sure,” Jing Wugou said.
“Good.” Ye Xingchen walked out.
“Junior brother,” Su Xiaomo said in a low voice, “Go easy on him, don’t cripple the guy.”
“Right,” Li Fei said. “He’s a Tianyu Academy student after all—we should at least give him some face.”
Ye Xingchen stood in the center of the martial arts arena, looking at Jing Wugou with an extremely contemptuous gaze.
A guy who just stepped into Wuzong actually came to challenge me? Does he not know how to write the character for ‘abuse’? Fine, this Emperor will teach him stroke by stroke how to write it today!
“We can begin now,” Ye Xingchen said coolly.
That voice was so cold, just like an emotionless killer.
“Please!” Jing Wugou cupped his hands.
The next second, his pupils suddenly contracted, because Ye Xingchen’s large hand was already pressing down on him.
The speed was so fast that he didn’t even have a chance to dodge.
BOOM—
A thunderous sound rang out from the martial arts arena. The ground seemed to shake along with it, stirring up gust after gust of fierce wind.
Chu Xiunan, Huo Ling, and others’ eyes widened.
In their field of vision, Jing Wugou lay on the ground with Ye Xingchen’s hand pressed on his neck, his gaze cold as he said, “Kid, with just this little strength, you dare challenge me. Who gave you the courage?”
So strong!
With just one move, he’d pinned the Elite Rankings’ tenth-place senior to the ground!
Jing Wugou’s face contorted, his heart surging with shock like stormy waves.
In that moment, Ye Xingchen before him seemed like a giant, while he himself was like a weak ant before him.
Whoosh!
Ye Xingchen suddenly lifted his hand, grabbing Jing Wugou like picking up a child, then viciously slammed him into the ground.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The floor shook again and again, the sounds making the newly entered disciples’ hearts race wildly.
This senior brother was a bit ruthless!
Especially Chu Xiunan—he was extremely glad that he’d sought out the personal disciple. If he’d challenged this one instead, he’d definitely have been abused even worse!
…
Night Emperor was truly a man of few words and ruthless action.
After a bout of abuse, Jing Wugou lay on the martial arts arena, foaming at the mouth, his entire body violently convulsing. Even his rather handsome face had swollen into a pig’s head!
Su Xiaomo shook her head.
Little brother, if you’d chosen me, though you couldn’t escape the fate of defeat, you wouldn’t have been abused so miserably. But you just had to choose Junior Brother Ye.
I’ll observe three seconds of silence for you.
“Sect Leader,” Ye Xingchen turned around, rather irritably saying, “If this kind of trash comes to challenge us again in the future, please allow this disciple to continue cultivating to avoid wasting time.”
Huo Ling and the others’ mouths twitched.
The tenth-ranked Jing Wugou, without even the ability to fight back, had been abused into this state. If the Elite Rankings’ first-ranked senior came, he’d definitely be done for too!
They say the Royal City is a place of hidden dragons and crouching tigers.
Now it seems our Iron Bones Sect is also a place of hidden dragons and crouching tigers!
Father, Mother! Your child came to the right place!
…
The abused Jing Wugou lay in the martial arts arena for a long time.
Su Xiaomo and the others all dispersed to cultivate on their own, leaving only him alone, looking so forlorn, so miserable.
“This is my Iron Bones Sect disciple,” Jun Changxiao appeared in his field of vision, blocking out all the sunlight as he looked down and said, “Have you witnessed it?”
“I… I’ve witnessed it!” Jing Wugou said with difficulty. “Very… very strong!”
Although defeated, although abused extremely miserably, his face showed no discouragement but instead revealed excitement.
Could he be a masochist?
No.
Jing Wugou was a true martial cultivator.
Though defeated, he’d also witnessed true power, and his desire to become stronger would only grow more resolute!
Some people become dispirited after setbacks, while others grow braver with each setback. Jing Wugou belonged to the latter, so he… was definitely a masochist!
Jun Changxiao said, “This seat permits you to recuperate in the sect. After your injuries heal, you may continue to challenge.”
“Thank… thank you,” Jing Wugou squeezed out a smile on his face.
Challenging just one person wasn’t his purpose in coming.
He hoped even more to exchange blows with different opponents. Even if he’d still be completely abused, he had to stand up honorably!
A martial cultivator never gives up, never surrenders!
…
Though Ye Xingchen struck ruthlessly, he didn’t injure any vital points.
Two days later, Jing Wugou recovered.
“Please instruct me!” he cupped his hands in the martial arts arena.
“Tsk tsk,” Su Xiaomo sat on the railing and said, “His injury just healed and he’s continuing to challenge. Does this guy have a problem?”
“Please,” Tian Qi cupped his hands.
The battle’s outcome needn’t be described much, because Jing Wugou still wasn’t a match in a single exchange, but at least he wasn’t abused—it was relatively dignified.
However, he then issued a challenge to Long Ziyang!
BANG!
The sparring began. He couldn’t withstand even a single punch and was directly sent flying, falling flat on his back.
“Sorry…” Long Ziyang withdrew his fist and said, “I struck a bit hard.”
BANG! Thud!
BANG! Thud!
Jing Wugou continued to challenge. The result was nineteen battles with nineteen clean and decisive defeats by knockout. It was truly miserable.
Chu Xiunan, Huo Ling, and the others finally realized that the inner sect disciples were all this formidable!
“Will you continue fighting?” Jun Changxiao asked.
Jing Wugou struggled to stand up, holding his head high and chest out as he said, “Fight!”
“Li Shangtian!”
“Present!”
“Accompany him in a match!”
“Yes!”
If the inner sect wasn’t enough, the outer sect would make up for it!
Li Shangtian had also just entered Wuzong. His spiritual root couldn’t compare to Jing Wugou’s, but he could still abuse him without any ability to fight back!
Sima Zhongda, Cui Bujian, and other outer sect disciples also came forward to fight one after another.
Jing Wugou fell again and again, was knocked down again and again, abused extremely, extremely miserably.
Most tragically, even against peak-stage Wushi opponents where there was a gap in realm, he ultimately still lost.
“Thud.” Dragging his battered body, Jing Wugou weakly collapsed on the steps outside the main gate. His originally battle-spirited gaze had also become dim.
There’s a limit to how strong a person’s heart can be.
“Am I…” Jing Wugou clenched his fist and said painfully, “really this weak?”
“It’s not that you’re weak,” Jun Changxiao walked over, sat in front of him, took a puff of his cigar, and exhaled smoke rings as he said, “It’s that they’re too strong.”
Even the Iron Bones Sect disciples with the most mediocre aptitude, with the assistance of various resources and equipment, had practically cultivated into indestructible gourd brothers. How could a Tianyu Academy genius possibly win!
“Yes,” Jing Wugou lowered his head and said, “Teacher Jun’s disciples are too strong, so strong that I’ve completely lost the courage to continue cultivating.”
Jun Changxiao patted his shoulder and said, “You’re weaker than them because you lack a famous teacher’s guidance. Otherwise, with just this never-say-die perseverance alone, you could surpass many others.”
Jing Wugou had an epiphany and said, “Is Teacher Jun telling me not to give up, not to surrender?”