CHAPTER 79: THE BATTLE BEGINS!

Cheers erupted from the crowd gathered around the area.

Jun Wudi circulated his spirit qi and hurled the Earth-Shattering Spear toward the arena.

The spear struck dead center, embedding itself in the target with a thunderous thud.

Immediately after, he channeled spirit qi into his legs and appeared at the center of the arena with the Radiant Armor and the bottle of Spirit Gathering Pills. He raised one arm to silence the crowd before beginning his speech.

Lu Chen stood up and asked softly as he listened to Jun Wudi's impassioned address. "Is it starting?"

"Yes. Once Second Uncle finishes speaking, we'll begin," Jun Laoye replied.

He pointed toward the text panel beside the arena. "This arena is called the Martial Merit Platform. It's the main event of the banquet."

Lu Chen followed the direction of Jun Laoye's finger. The moment his eyes fell on the panel, all the information flooded into his mind.

The Martial Merit Platform was an exclusive form of entertainment in the Heavenly Mandate Hall, typically held during major festivals or after important missions as part of a celebratory feast.

The so-called "Martial Merit" referred to the leader offering three treasures as rewards for the top three participants. Extra items acquired during the mission would be divided evenly among all participants as spoils of war.

During the climax of the banquet, the leader would prepare an arena for the challenge. Anyone confident in their strength could step up to fight.

Challengers had to offer part of their spoils as a wager, and the defender would match the value with their own.

If the challenger lost, all their staked items would go to the opponent. If they won, they would not only take the opponent's wager, but those who lasted until the final three would also receive the leader's special prizes.

Lu Chen took in the rules and frowned slightly. "Doesn't having only one arena make it a gauntlet-style battle?"

Jun Laoye chuckled. "What are you thinking? Second Uncle would never allow that to happen. Everyone's cultivation will be suppressed to the same level on the platform, and no lethal techniques are allowed."

He raised his fist and playfully punched Lu Chen in the chest. "Second Uncle came up with this at the last minute, so it's not guaranteed to be entirely fair."

"Then why not set up multiple platforms? That would make things fairer," Lu Chen asked.

Jun Laoye glanced at him and explained, "The celebration was originally supposed to happen after we return to the hall. There, the platforms and rules are all properly prepared. But..."

Lu Chen turned his head to look at Jun Laoye. "Then why move it up? Did something happen?"

"Well..." Jun Laoye gave a wry smile, "It's because Second Uncle took you in as his personal disciple."

Lu Chen was taken aback. "What does that have to do with anything?"

Jun Laoye explained, "I only heard bits and pieces of it. Second Uncle has been gravely ill for years, causing his cultivation to lag significantly behind the other elders. Because of some past incidents, he refuses to show his true strength, choosing instead to endure in silence.

"Over the years, his condition worsened, and his combat ability declined. As a result, the Serene Void Academy has been under increasing pressure from other factions. Now, it's been reduced to a few of us who were raised there from childhood."[1]

Jun Laoye took a swig of wine as he thought about everything that had happened within the Heavenly Mandate Hall. Frustration welled up in his heart. "A cultivator has to be at least at the Qi Condensation Realm to be the personal disciple of an elder from the Heavenly Mandate Hall.

"Second Uncle came out this time to search for medicine to treat his illness, but he ended up taking in a disciple who's only at the Qi Absorption Realm. When word got back, the people in the sect started thinking of ways to make a fool of him. They also intend to seize this chance to shut down the Serene Void Academy."

Jun Laoye glanced toward the arena where Jun Wudi was standing. "I also heard that several other academies have already planted people waiting for your return."

Lu Chen had suspected that becoming Jun Wudi's personal disciple with his low cultivation might stir trouble once he got back, but he hadn't expected it to happen this soon.

Jun Laoye continued, "Second Uncle's plan is for you to win first place. That way, when you return to the sect, you'll be able to avoid a lot of trouble."

Lu Chen looked at the cheering cultivators below the arena. Thinking of his sealed strength, he smiled bitterly. "Looks like I've really got to fight this one out."

"Don't worry. It's not just you. Everyone down there's in for a fight," Jun Laoye said with a grin as he turned back toward Lu Chen.

Lu Chen blinked. "Hm? What do you mean?"

"Second Uncle had personally trained all these people. Back at the sect, they were never allowed to compete openly, which means they've been holding back for far too long."

Jun Laoye looked up at Jun Wudi standing tall and confident in the arena and cheered loudly along with the crowd. He raised his fist, his voice brimming with emotion. "Did you know? Second Uncle has been here for over a hundred years. Once his injuries heal, the strongest expert of the Core Breakthrough Realm from back then will rise again."

"This time, he'll reclaim his place at the center of the world and make all those who wronged him bow their heads. And when that time comes..."

He turned and lifted a chicken drumstick, pointing it dramatically at Lu Chen, Nantian Wan'er, and Nantian Yijian. "You three will represent Serene Void Academy in battle."

Then he jabbed the drumstick toward Lu Chen. "And you, Little Lu. The moment you chose to enter Heavenly Mandate Hall, you became the spark. So you must win this arena battle."

After finishing his speech, Jun Laoye slammed the chicken drumstick down onto the table with force.

Lu Chen now fully understood the stakes. He nodded firmly at Jun Laoye and reached out his hand. "I understand. I'll give it everything I've got."

Lu Chen, Jun Laoye, Nantian Wan'er, and Nantian Yijian bumped fists together with strength and resolve.

Jun Laoye burst into hearty laughter. "Hahaha! Sooner or later, our Horse-Hunting Squad will be standing at the center of the world!"

Lu Chen listened to Jun Laoye's words, then clenched his fist tightly, recalling Nantian Xiu's parting words. Am I going to be the one who shakes the heavens?But it seemed he had already become a key piece in all this.

Seeing Lu Chen lost in thought, Nantian Yijian waved a hand in front of his face. "Boss, what are you spacing out for? The fight's about to start!"

Lu Chen quickly snapped out of his thoughts and looked toward the arena. "Ah, nothing. Is the match about to start?"

"Second Uncle just finished his speech."

Jun Laoye handed out four tokens, passing them around. "The number on each token shows the order you'll go up."

"If no one challenges the person in the arena voluntarily, you'll have to go up in numerical order, either to challenge or defend. The Martial Merit Platform event ends only when everyone's had their turn."

Lu Chen looked at the token in his hand and muttered, "One-two-five. Looks like it'll be a while before it's my turn."

Jun Laoye waved his token in the air. "I got one-two-zero. Lucky me. Maybe I can even hold out till the end and win that Earth-Shattering Spear."

He turned to Nantian Wan'er. "Right, what number did you get, Wan'er?"

Nantian Wan'er glanced at Lu Chen and said softly, "Two-zero-one. I think I'm last."

"Two-zero-one? No way. That's the exact number of people here."

Nantian Yijian looked at the three of them, each holding a later number than the last, then glanced down at his token. It showed the number two. His face instantly fell, and he quietly hid it away.

He stood up, his beady eyes flickering nervously as he fixed his gaze on the token in Nantian Wan'er's hand.

Noticing his stare, Nantian Wan'er felt a little shy. She quickly lowered her head and started fiddling with the hem of her clothes.

Seeing her bashful expression, Nantian Yijian found it hard to go through with what he was about to do. Instead, he turned to Lu Chen and Jun Laoye. "Little Lu, Little Jun, we're brothers, right?"

He slowly moved closer to the two, clearly hoping to swap one of the tokens on the table secretly.

"Don't even think about it."

The group had spent enough time together to know exactly what was on Nantian Yijian's mind. Each of them quickly grabbed their token and walked off.

Jun Laoye glanced back just in time to see the number on Nantian Yijian's token and burst out laughing. "Hahaha! Number two! I can't believe you got such an early draw. This is killing me!"

"No, no, wait, that's not what I meant! Come back!" Nantian Yijian chased after them, looking miserable. "You can't do this! You said you'd protect me!"

Lu Chen left Nantian Yijian far behind and said, "Give it up. You're on your own this time."

"Don't! Boss, have you forgotten? You promised you'd always look out for me!"

Nantian Yijian couldn't catch up to Lu Chen, no matter how hard he tried. Defeated, he trudged back to his seat, slumped down, and turned to Nantian Wan'er.

Just as he was about to speak, Jun Laoye stepped in front of him and smiled. "Little Jian, have you no shame? Trying to make a girl fight in your place?"

"But Wan'er's already at the Qi Regulation Realm. She's definitely stronger than me."

Nantian Yijian went around Jun Laoye and tried to persuade Nantian Wan'er. "Wan'er, what do you think?"

Jun Laoye immediately set up a barrier in front of her. "She's the youngest among us. Don't even think about it."

The golden, transparent barrier shut Nantian Yijian out completely. He wilted instantly.

Back in his seat, he muttered pitifully to himself, dabbing some spit on his face for dramatic effect. "I'm the only one still in the Qi Absorption Realm. Looks like I'll be losing all my spoils."

Seeing him whining, Lu Chen chuckled. "Stop complaining. If I win, I'll give you all of my rewards."

The moment Lu Chen said that, Nantian Yijian's face lit up. He grabbed Lu Chen in a big hug and laughed loudly. "Seriously? I knew it! Boss, you're the best!"

Back in the arena, Jun Wudi raised his voice and officially announced the start of the event.

Most cultivators gathered around, cheering and shouting as the atmosphere soared.

A burly man scanned the crowd, circulated his spirit qi, and leapt onto the stage. He was a squad leader, wielding two massive hammers. His strength ranked slightly above average among those present.

The man clasped his hands toward the crowd and spoke without a trace of humility, "I'll go first. Anyone want to come up and challenge me?"

Faced with his imposing presence, those with lower cultivation dared not step forward, while the stronger ones hesitated to reveal their strength so early. For a while, the crowd only shouted from the sidelines, trying to push someone else up instead.

Jun Laoye glanced at Nantian Yijian and called out, "Haha, looks like no one's stepping up. Little Jian, that means it's your turn."

Nantian Yijian sighed and slowly stood up, dragging his feet toward the arena. "I'll be off now. Boss, don't forget what you just said."

Lu Chen laughed. "Got it. Now hurry up."

Halfway there, Nantian Yijian suddenly turned around and looked at Lu Chen. "Boss, don't think you're the only one who has gained something from this trip. I've gained a lot too. At the very least, I won't be dragging you down anymore."

His gaze sharpened as he spoke. Spirit qi surged from his hands as he pulled out the guqin case from his storage pouch and leapt onto the stage.

1. Serene Void Academy is the translated name of Chongxu (冲虚). It is a Daoist term that conveys detachment from the material world, inner stillness, and spiritual purity, often associated with cultivation and transcendence. ☜