18. A First Glimpse of Brilliance (Part 2)
The strategy against Ruohuai Daoist Mountain was to strike while they were down.
Regardless of the reasons, the fact remained that their Sect Master had suffered a major defeat, losing to a Third Elder.
For the diligent students of Qian Yue Academy, this was incomprehensible.
Besides the confusion, the biggest blow came from the ridicule of others.
And so, in the days leading up to the evaluation, rumors spread about Ruohuai Daoist Mountain being demoted to a ninth-tier sect, and their students were constantly harassed.
Initially, they endured it, knowing the rumors would die down after the evaluation.
But their tormentors were relentless.
Not only did they mock the students of Ruohuai Daoist Mountain, but they also claimed that Lan Suqin had used her wealth and beauty to form her alliance, just to cover up their sect’s insignificance.
This was a personal attack, and no one could tolerate it.
A few students, unable to bear it any longer, confronted them, and inevitably, it led to a duel.
The result was…
“What happened?” When Lan Suqin arrived, she found a group of wounded and defeated Ruohuai Daoist Mountain members.
The most seriously injured had a caved-in chest, a broken arm, or was unconscious from a head injury.
Although they had fought fiercely, and their opponents were also injured…
“We fell for their trap.” The man Gong Yiling had met earlier clutched his arm, his face filled with resentment. “They all hid their true strength and provoked us into a duel.”
“Didn’t I tell you not to—”
“Suqin, they called you impure… We couldn’t stand it!” The man coughed up blood, clearly seriously injured.
“Rest now.” Lan Suqin’s face turned livid, her anger boiling. “I’ll handle the rest.”
“No, Suqin, they must have anticipated your arrival. You can’t—”
“If I don’t respond, will Ruohuai Daoist Mountain be forever ridiculed?”
Lan Suqin was determined not to back down. But just as she was about to step forward, a fan blocked her path.
“Miss Gong?”
“Such a small matter doesn’t require the general’s presence.” Gong Yiling fanned herself gracefully. “Your junior sister is willing to go in your stead.”
“You?” Lan Suqin looked at her, puzzled.
This girl’s cultivation was only at Core Transformation, even weaker than the girl behind her, placing her at the bottom tier of Qian Yue Academy.
But she didn’t seem to be underestimating herself. Beneath her veil, a confident smile played on her lips.
Could she… be a hidden expert?
Thinking of this, Lan Suqin finally nodded. “Be careful.”
“Of course.”
Miss Gong gave her disciples a reassuring look, then leaped onto the arena.
She had been playing the role of a reclusive expert, watching from the sidelines, and hadn’t fought herself in a while, except for that brief scuffle in the forest.
—After all, with her disciples to handle everything, she just needed to watch.
But if she didn’t fight soon, her true essence would probably grow moldy.
“Who are you?”
The man on the arena was still shouting.
He had expected Lan Suqin and was prepared to mock her for sending a senior disciple to bully them, then call his own leader to humiliate her.
But the person who appeared was a complete stranger, which was confusing.
“Gong Youyuan, a new disciple of Ruohuai Daoist Mountain,” Gong Yiling said calmly. “Would you like to have a duel with this young lady, Young Master?”
“Why not?” Sensing that she was just a weakling, he sneered and agreed. “Don’t cry when you get your limbs broken.”
He was about to attack, but Miss Gong waved her hand. “Just fighting is boring. Why don’t we add a little something to it, like… a bet?”
A bet?
Was this girl stupid?
Not only was she asking for a beating, but she was also offering him money and treasures? What a great deal!
“Then tell me,” the man said, his interest piqued. “What do you want to bet? Money or spirit crystals?”
“Those are too vulgar.”
Gong Yiling took out a seemingly ordinary scroll from her Universe Bag, and from it, she pulled out a spear, pulsating with powerful spiritual energy.
The spear shone like golden lightning, its brilliance revealing it was no ordinary weapon.
At least a high-grade or even a top-grade spiritual artifact.
“This is… uh, what’s it called again?” Gong Yiling, about to show off, realized she had forgotten the spear’s name. She read it from the scroll, “Thunderstrike Spear, a top-grade spiritual artifact. Let’s bet on this.”
She was proposing a wager of artifacts.
Similar to betting money, both sides would present a spiritual artifact of similar grade. The winner would take all, and all ownership marks or bloodline seals would be removed.
The method was nothing special, but the item she presented made him gasp.
A top-grade spiritual artifact?
This could be a family heirloom in an ordinary noble family. And this girl was casually betting it? Was she crazy?
The man, previously so confident, now hesitated.
He wasn’t a complete idiot. He knew this girl must have a trick up her sleeve, hence her act as a philanthropist.
But what was her purpose?
Just then, he noticed Gong Yiling’s hands trembling slightly. He suddenly understood.
So that was it!
She was bluffing, trying to scare him into refusing the bet, into not fighting a Core Transformation weakling, to save face for Ruohuai Daoist Mountain.
Heh! A good plan, but this spear…
He would take it!
