Chapter 57: The Good Show Is About to Begin

Early the next morning, just as the sky was beginning to brighten, Wan Yi was yanked out of bed by Zhou Zihao.

"Old Sixth, hurry up! The Dan Peak is already buzzing with activity, and you're still here hiding in peace!"

Seeing Zhou Zihao's worried expression, Wan Yi couldn't help teasing, "It's barely dawn. Is it really that busy?"

Zhou Zihao let out a soft sigh and said helplessly, "Who knows what's gotten into those fellows? The moment the mountain gates opened, they swarmed in like a hive of bees. They're all here to offer birthday wishes to the Master, and it wouldn't be polite for us to chase them away. Look, the Eldest Senior Brother is already dealing with them alongside the third, fourth, and fifth."

Dragged and pulled all the way to the main hall of Dan Peak by Zhou Zihao, Wan Yi found the area outside the hall exceptionally bustling. Disciples from various sects had gathered in numbers and momentum that rivaled the formation of the righteous alliance previously.

Before they knew it, amidst all the commotion, the hour of Mao had arrived. The sect representatives who had come to offer birthday wishes yesterday arrived at the grand council hall one after another, exchanging greetings with the heavyweights who had arrived today.

Within the crowd, three gazes swept toward Wan Yi from time to time, though Wan Yi didn't even need to look to guess who they belonged to.

At that moment, Feng Qiang suddenly cupped his fists toward Leng Yanbing and said, "I have long heard of Senior Brother Leng's exceptional swordsmanship. I wonder if you might bestow a few pointers upon this junior?"

Upon hearing this, the surrounding crowd immediately grew interested. Wan Yi sneered inwardly: "Here it comes, here it comes. The bait has been cast. With this opening act, the next one to come and spar with me will be He Liang!"

Everyone knew that Leng Yanbing was a battle fanatic; as long as you dared to challenge him, he would fight you to the bitter end.

Li Xun had seized upon precisely this trait, which was why he had Feng Qiang step forward first to challenge Leng Yanbing. Once Leng Yanbing took the bait and accepted, the other disciples would find it difficult to decline the challenges that followed.

True to form, Leng Yanbing accepted the challenge without the slightest hesitation.

As the two of them moved toward the arena, another elder of the Celestial Masters Mansion cast a gloomy look at Li Xun and said, "What is the meaning of your disciple's actions? Coming to offer birthday greetings is a joyous occasion; how can they resort to weapons and force? What if an accident happens and it damages the goodwill between our two sects?"

Li Xun smiled faintly upon hearing this and replied, "Elder Zhao need not worry. It is merely a friendly exchange among juniors; how could it damage our goodwill? Besides, this tradition has a long history. Surely you aren't unaware of it?"

Seeing his nonchalant attitude, Zhao Changhe could not help warning him, "Do you think I need you to tell me that? But let me remind you, you had better warn your disciple not to lose his sense of proportion. The Dan Peak of the Vast Ocean Sect is no longer what it used to be. Our purpose in coming here this time is to foster friendly relations, not to make enemies.

This concerns the future supply of pills for our Celestial Masters Mansion. Don't let trivial matters ruin important business!"

Amidst their conversation, Lin Qiasheng arrived at the council hall, accompanied by the various hall masters and peak masters.

Seeing this, the crowd immediately stepped forward with enthusiastic greetings, and Zhou Shuo was surrounded at the center like the moon among stars.

Zhou Tong, standing beside Zhou Shuo, seized the right moment to slip out of the crowd. With a smile at the corners of her lips, she approached Wan Yi and coaxed gently, "Little Yi-yi, I heard from Second Senior Brother that you've been here for a long time?"

Wan Yi nodded with a bitter smile. "Such is my bitter fate, press-ganged by that fat tub of lard!"

Hearing this, Zhou Tong let out a crisp laugh, then seemed to notice something and asked, "Where are the Second Senior Brother and the others?"

Wan Yi pointed toward the martial arts arena outside the hall. "There. They're all over there. Someone from the Celestial Masters Mansion just challenged the Eldest Senior Brother, so the rest of the senior brothers and sisters went to lend support."

Without another word, Zhou Tong grabbed Wan Yi's arm and pulled him along. "Come on, let's go join the fun too."

When the two of them reached the martial arts arena, the sparring match between Leng Yanbing and Feng Qiang had already concluded. Unsurprisingly, Leng Yanbing had won a complete victory.

Throughout the entire process, the two of them had been exceedingly polite, especially Feng Qiang, whose attitude was so humble that it lacked any of the imposing aura a duel required.

This left Leng Yanbing deeply dissatisfied, feeling that the fight had been entirely unsatisfying.

Just as he was about to invite Feng Qiang for another round, Zhou Zihao chimed in from the side, "Alright, Madman Leng, pick a better time if you're going to be so competitive."

Reminded thus, Leng Yanbing came back to his senses, smacked his lips, and muttered, "Boring! Not enough fun!"

Watching the two step down from the arena, Wan Yi thought to himself, "The next match should be my turn."

Sure enough, the moment the thought crossed his mind, He Liang—who was standing beside Feng Qiang—spoke up.

The young man smiled warmly and addressed Wan Yi in a gentle tone, "Junior Brother Wan, I heard that you previously defeated seven experts of the Dan Ding Sect single-handedly. Unfortunately, I had matters to attend to and was not present at the time, a fact I deeply regret whenever I think of it. I wonder if you would grace us with your presence today and exchange pointers with this senior brother, so we might learn from each other?"

Regardless of his expression, attitude, or tone, this fellow showed absolutely no hostility. Instead, he projected the image of a senior brother who fond of his junior, wishing to use the opportunity of a friendly spar to offer guidance.

The onlookers from the various sects could not help developing a favorable impression of He Liang upon seeing this. Even the various bigwigs who had arrived upon hearing the news nodded repeatedly.

Wan Yi sneered inwardly: "Damn it, keep putting on your act. You'll be crying soon enough!"

With this thought, a naive, honest smile appeared on Wan Yi's face.

No matter how one looked at it, the smile was innocent and harmless, making those unfamiliar with Wan Yi believe he was nothing more than an awkward, foolishly adorable little junior brother.

However, Zhou Tong and Zhou Zihao, who knew his temper and character all too well, thought to themselves: "Uh-oh, this guy is about to stir up trouble!"

True to form, Wan Yi did not disappoint them. With a single bound, he leaped onto the arena stage. Then, with a *swish*, he hurled a life-and-death waiver straight at He Liang's face.

At the same time, he declared aloud, "Senior Brother, I don't know what your purpose is in challenging me. But I have a rule: if you want to fight, fine, but you have to sign a life-and-death waiver! What I practice are techniques for killing, not fancy flower-fists meant to show off and amuse people for entertainment! And I am certainly no soft persimmon to be used as a stepping stone for someone else to build a good reputation!"

His initial actions and words caused the crowd to frown deeply, and many silently cursed him internally: "Ungrateful and arrogant!"

However, once the final sentence left his lips, their expressions shifted. When they looked at He Liang once again, their eyes were filled with playful amusement.

Upon careful reflection, the crowd realized that Wan Yi had a point.

You, He Liang, are at the early Golden Core stage, yet you jump out to challenge someone at the early Foundation Establishment stage, all the while putting on an air of a master bestowing wisdom. It truly reeked of hypocrisy. If Wan Yi needed guidance, he would receive it from his own master and senior brothers; when was it ever the turn of an outsider?

At that moment, Zhou Zihao let out a mocking wolf-whistle from within the crowd, then turned to Pei Qingyuan beside him with a mischievous grin and said, "Third, I used to hear people talk about green tea bitches. Today, your Second Brother will let you witness what a green tea prick looks like!"

As soon as those words left his mouth, a burst of uproarious laughter erupted from the surroundings.

He Liang's complexion changed drastically with anger. Standing on the arena stage clutching the life-and-death waiver, he was caught in a dilemma—signing it felt wrong, but refusing to sign it was equally impossible.

Meanwhile, a voice transmission from Li Xun rang in He Liang's ears: "Sign it! Since he wants to die, grant his wish!"

To be continued...