CHAPTER 87: CHAPTER 86: WHERE IS HONG YUAN? (SEEKING INVESTMENT, URGING CONTINUED READING)

The Sect tournament arrived as scheduled.

On this day, the wild snowstorm that had raged just yesterday suddenly ceased.

Sunlight pierced through the snowy clouds, melting the ice and snow, bringing with it a vigorous vitality, like life reawakening after a long dormancy.

With such fine weather, it would be a waste not to go out.

Thus, more and more disciples who had not originally planned to go to Yenwu Hall began heading to the Martial Arts Field to watch the final battle of the Sect tournament. This created a huge workload for Li Jianxiang’s senior brothers.

In the morning, at the center of the Martial Arts Field, Li Jianxiang’s senior brothers whispered amongst themselves, allocating manpower.

"Senior Brother, there are far more disciples here than we anticipated last night. If this continues, we won’t have enough people."

"Indeed, Senior Brother. The southern area I’m responsible for is almost overwhelmed. If Hong Yuan darts into the crowd later, won’t we be completely lost?"

Observing his junior brothers’ anxious expressions and listening to their urgent tones, Senior Brother Chen, their number one strategist, smiled faintly, an inscrutable look on his face.

His demeanor instantly calmed his junior brothers. They all fell silent, watching eagerly to see what trick Senior Brother Chen had up his sleeve.

At this moment, Senior Brother Chen felt as if he could laugh at Zhou Yu for his lack of strategy and Zhuge for his limited intellect; it seemed everything was under his control, and nothing could stump him.

"It’s good that there are so many people. It just proves that today is an especially suitable day to go out. Look, even the heavens are helping us."

"Hong Yuan? He’s just a greenhorn!"

"Destiny is on our side! Everyone, keep up the effort!"

After hearing Senior Brother Chen’s words, the other disciples showed expressions of conviction and calmly went to carry out their pre-assigned tasks.

They didn’t worry in the slightest that Senior Brother Chen’s predictions might be wrong; his intelligence and cunning rivaled even those fellows in Tianji Pavilion.

Under Senior Brother Chen’s wise guidance, the disciples of the Talisman Array Hall were truly in the limelight, a dominant force among the various disciple factions within Phoenix Creek Sect!

However, right up until the arena matches were about to begin, they still hadn’t found any sign of Hong Yuan.

They were shocked.

Could it be that Hong Yuan’s Luck Tao is so potent that he managed to evade our pursuit?

"Senior Brother, Hong Yuan wasn’t spotted in the south."

"Senior Brother Chen, we also haven’t found Hong Yuan in the north."

"..."

Listening to his junior brothers’ dejected reports, Senior Brother Chen suddenly burst into hearty laughter, drawing everyone’s attention.

They all looked at Senior Brother Chen with anticipation, hoping he would once again point the way forward and successfully locate their target, just as he had done in the past.

True to form, Senior Brother Chen did not disappoint them.

"HEH HEH, I must admit, Hong Yuan does possess a bit of luck and wisdom."

"But compared to me, an incarnation of the Wisest Sage, he’s still too inexperienced."

"Huan, let me ask you, where are Lin Yiru and Zhu Wushang at this moment?"

Everyone’s gaze turned towards Huan, a small and unremarkable disciple, who immediately replied, "Reporting to Senior Brother, they are both at Platform A02 on the east side."

"HEH HEH." Senior Brother Chen smirked with satisfaction.

From who knows where, Senior Brother Chen produced a Red Feather Fan. He waved it lightly, exuding the air of a grand master and capturing the attention of most disciples.

Thus, under Senior Brother Chen’s lead, the disciples of the Talisman Array Hall marched forward in a great procession, their sights set on Platform A02, where Lin Yiru and Zhu Wushang were located.

「Platform A02.」

Zhu Wushang pushed Lin Yiru’s wheelchair, brazenly occupying the best viewing spot on Platform A02 with his broad, sturdy frame.

Seeing the imposing and fierce-looking Zhu Wushang, other disciples felt their courage falter by a good measure; none dared to even think of contesting the spot with him.

And so, Lin Yiru and Zhu Wushang settled in comfortably, peacefully awaiting the start of the matches.

"Wushang, isn’t Yuan coming?" Lin Yiru asked curiously.

"Yuan dislikes fighting and prefers cultivation. He’s probably preparing for his external assignment right now~" Zhu Wushang replied gently, his voice full of patience.

Dislikes fighting and prefers cultivation, dislikes fighting and prefers cultivation... Lin Yiru muttered this to herself several times, trying to discern the reason for Hong Yuan’s formidable strength.

She believed she wasn’t much weaker than Hong Yuan. In fact, having grown up in the Phoenix Creek Sect, she felt she understood martial arts principles better than him, and her martial arts cultivation was also higher. Yet, in terms of actual Martial Arts prowess, she truly wasn’t his equal, which left her feeling somewhat defeated.

Just then, Zhu Wushang suddenly spun around, shielding Lin Yiru behind him.

With a stern expression, Zhu Wushang stared at the aggressively approaching disciples from the Talisman Array Hall and demanded, "What do you think you’re doing? Where is Ji Chen?!"

"Stop trying to use Senior Brother Ji Chen to pressure us," Senior Brother Chen stepped forward, his presence countering Zhu Wushang’s imposing aura.

True Disciples could only be confronted by other True Disciples.

Because True Disciples were generally fourth-stage Martial Artists. These individuals had tempered their bodies to an elemental physique and possessed enough True Essence to unleash diverse killing moves, making them formidable presences.

Against them, for anyone below the fourth stage, to confront them meant death!

The other Talisman Array Hall disciples quickly skirted around this invisible battlefield, fanning out to search for any trace of Hong Yuan. Their search area grew larger and larger.

Not here? Not here. Still not here!

There wasn’t a hint of Hong Yuan here either; he had vanished without a trace!

A single thought surfaced almost simultaneously in the minds of these Talisman Array Hall disciples:

That scoundrel Hong Yuan didn’t come to the Martial Arts Field to watch the Sect competition; he’s still at Phoenix Fire Peak!

Once this idea took root, many of the Talisman Array Hall disciples began to harbor doubts about Senior Brother Chen’s renowned intelligence. They also started to feel frustrated with their own excessive, blind faith in authority.

"Senior Brother..." Huan struggled to approach the silent battlefield between Zhu Wushang and Senior Brother Chen to relay the information to Senior Brother Chen.

When Senior Brother Chen learned that Hong Yuan was not there, his expression changed drastically; he could barely keep a steady grip on the Red Feather Fan in his hand.

"Impossible! Absolutely impossible!" Senior Brother Chen gripped the Red Feather Fan tightly, shouting.

Hong Yuan was able to defeat Li Jianxiang, which means he’s also a genius Martial Artist. He might not have a strong competitive drive, but he definitely wouldn’t miss the battle between the two strongest cultivators of his generation.

But, but—

The cold, hard fact forced Senior Brother Chen to believe that Hong Yuan truly hadn’t come to the Martial Arts Field to watch the competition.

Senior Brother Chen was furious. He couldn’t understand how Hong Yuan could just stay cooped up on Phoenix Fire Peak, rarely venturing out.

Are you even a Martial Artist? Not coming to watch the most important match among your peers?

Senior Brother Chen shot Zhu Wushang a venomous glare, then hastily led the Talisman Array Hall disciples away in a dejected retreat.

They had wasted an entire evening and morning for absolutely nothing.

The most infuriating part was that they had, at one point, believed Hong Yuan was very close.

「On the other side,」

Hong Yuan, the subject of the Talisman Array Hall disciples’ thoughts, was leisurely enjoying a hot pot in his small courtyard, happily swishing thin slices of tender white yak beef.

Hong Yuan had now mastered the "Cloud Ladder Step" to the Minor Accomplishment Stage. In another three or four days, he could painstakingly cultivate it to the Great Achievement Realm.

According to his projections, he would be able to cultivate the "Cloud Ladder Step" to the pinnacle of perfection and refine his second Cultivation Worm three days before departing for Nanyang Government.

The future was incredibly bright!

Therefore, Hong Yuan wasn’t keeping himself constantly on edge. He ate and drank as he pleased, thoroughly enjoying himself.

"HEH HEH." Hong Yuan chuckled contentedly.

He lifted a perfectly cooked slice of beef, then decisively popped the fragrant morsel into his mouth, his taste buds erupting in satisfaction.

MAN, this beef is really delicious!