But conspiracy is conspiracy. In the end, it all boils down to strength.
If one party is strong enough to force the other to surrender, then all is easy to talk about.
If not… how the battle ends was no longer a single person's choice.
As long as one side doesn't relent, the other can only fight until time runs out or… be forced to give in to the opposing party's conditions!
So long as the conditions aren't too outrageous such as swearing a heavenly oath to become an eternal slave or something along those lines, the sect won't intervene.
Then it was all just a matter of reshuffling interests and exchanging benefits.
Of course, there are always those tough bones who are unwilling to give in. These are where most of the deaths happen, and even those above will not seek justice for these.
The weak should know their place.
Fortunately, his own starting line wasn't at the bottom of this class. That allowed him to be the reaper harvesting others.
But not everybody is so lucky.
Just look at the battle below.
Fist met fist. Legs crossed legs. Heads butted. Pure close combat relying on muscles against muscles.
No flashy spells. Just martial arts and martial skills.
A rather manly combat style indeed, but...
If there's no wide gap in physical power and their offensive methods lack any powerful ultimate finisher, it became a war of attrition to wear down the opponent.
This was the sort of fight that typically ends up with a lose-lose outcome.
To make matters worse, that grimy Khan Tu was literally smeared in heavens knows what. Every physical contact was enough to disgust others!
How much power can a body cultivator that relies on physical contact, like Qian Zhongta, bring out while fighting somebody like this?
Besides, even if he wins, he already suffered a big stinking loss!
Bloody Merlin… how can fighters like this be allowed on stage?
Bubai didn't know, but he sure as hell felt lucky that all his opponent had at least been… presentable, on stage so far.
Of course, whether there is a presentable skin or not didn't actually affect the champion's skills and stats.
Qian Zhongta – according to intel: a mid-stage foundation realm body cultivator.
Even if his physical prowess wasn't as exaggerated as his own, Bubai was sure he has no problem outlasting the average body builder in the early-stages.
Like he expected, this fight was a no-brainer. Not even an hour passed and it was over.
"Khan Tu versus Qian Zhongta, Qian Zhongta wins!"
In the private box, the Qian brothers relaxed.
"Tsk, tsk, as expected, Lao Si didn't even have to go all out to put that mangy hyena in its place."
"Normal. Sidi is two small realms above the other. And it looks like that surnamed Khan is still held back by his prior injuries."
"Oi, Lao Er, there's no need to downplay Lao Si's strength. He played it beautifully!"
Qian Feifu grinned and elbowed his quiet neighbor to pull him into the conversation.
"Brother, what do you think about our fourth brother, eh? Not bad, right?"
Bubai didn't bother holding back on his praise.
"Truly impressive! I thought your Qian Clan only relied on Gu, but now it seems you even raised such an outstanding body cultivator. Bubai admires! Truly admires!"
"Pfft—" Qian Feifu snickered and wagged a finger. "Brother, you're only half right. Lao Si is indeed a body cultivator, but... who says he isn't relying on Gu?"
"Huh? Really?"
Bubai acted like a curious baby that got completely hooked by the storyteller, and seeing this, Qian Feifu happily played along.
"Let me tell you, Lao Si refined a special physique-tempering Gu called the Iron Vigor Spider. That basically blesses him with a body-tempering talent equal to any other body cultivator, if not better!"
"Oh? There's actually such a mysterious Gu?" Bubai really had some interest this time. "Is it something available in this sect? How come I've never heard of it?"
"That…" Qian Feifu coughed sheepishly. "The conditions for raising such a Gu are… let's just say, a bit… harsh. Not everybody can withstand it."
"Lao Si only succeeded in achieving a symbolic relationship due to our clan's special Gu arts and the affinity he happened to have with that little furry thing."
"If it was anybody else… well, let's just say letting that Gu into their own body is the same as giving themselves a death sentence."
"Some foolish ones didn't believe in evil and tried it, but even if they survived the initialization, it didn't take three days and nights for all their vitality to end up devoured clean."
"So the little bugger isn't that popular except to serve as a one-time killer against careless enemies."
Bubai got the point. Essentially: the usual mysterious cultivation BS—buggy stuff that only works for the unique chosen few. Figures.
As for that Iron Vigor Spider… he did read some basic info about it in a Gu codex in the Book Pavilion.
There wasn't too much about it, but one point did stand out to him: those dangerous spiders love making their home inside the reproduction organs of other creatures.
Yes, that's right. It's that place.
Wonder how insects tie in with dual cultivation? Well, there's the reason.
Gotta admit: each of these Qian brothers were bolder than the last!
And his particularly bold centipede-using neighbor even boldly sent him a bold offer.
"Hehe, brother, you interested in trying it out yourself? I can get you one to play with."
Bubai's lips twitched. Try it? No way!
He has his own cheat, others has theirs.
Even if others handed him their cultivation art for free, he still had to think it over, especially with how quirky and downright perverse some of the cultivation arts of this demonic sect tend to be!
As for raising this vigorous spider? Even if he was quite confident regarding his own "vitality", his answer was still the same.
"Bubai appreciates the offer, but there's no need. I have my… own ways."
"Right, right! Brother has your own path to walk!" Qian Feifu burst out laughing and slung an arm around Bubai's shoulder.
"Honestly though, even after so many decades of tempering, I still doubt the physique of Lao Si can compare to yours, brother."
Another probe out from nowhere? Bubai chuckled lightly and politely answered back.
"Brother Feifu, you overpraise me. I think everything has their own advantages and everyone shines in their own way. Besides, there's no need to differentiate between high and low between brothers."
"Haha! Brother, you're too humble! Still, well said!"
Everybody started getting chummy again, but this didn't even last a few breaths before any good mood got shattered by the next challenge.
"Next match, we have Liu Jin challenging Qian Feifu!"
The private box went dead silent and the mood can't get any gloomier.
After a few consecutive challenges like these, even Dora the Explorer can see something's off by now.
"What we've been dreading still came." Qian Feifu sighed and stood up. "Lao Er, I'm off."
"Quick fight, quick return."
"Ao. I know."
The door thunked shut, and soon it swung open again.
Qian Fusha glanced over his shoulder and saw his battle-scarred brother. "Sidi is back? How? Alright?"
Qian Zhongta thumped his chest. "Just some cuts and light injuries. Not a big deal."
Except some scratches, the man did look completely fine, but Qian Fusha still sternly warned. "Better to check it over. Be careful of hidden hands."
"Yeah, yeah, already did. There's no need to nag, Lao Er. You know my Gu. It makes my body pretty resistance against all sorts of poison."
Qian Zhongta shrugged dismissively and plopped down in his seat, wincing a little.
"Hey... Lao Er, mind helping me apply some medicine?"
"Good."
A petri-dish-like container got uncapped and a dark green ointment brimming with vitality attracted Bubai's attention.
Qian Zhongta flashed a grin at Bubai and gave him a thumbs-up, "Our clan's secret formula. Good stuff!"
Oh. Secret formula. No need to pry.
"Sss-" Somebody hissed from how strong the formula was, but he quickly covered it up by starting some small talk.
"Yo, Brother Bai, how was it? Did I, Qian Zhongta, fight brilliantly or not?"
Bubai smiled and nodded along. "Very amazing. Like a true man!"
"Ahahaha!" Qian Zhongta laughed heartily. For a brief moment, the gloom seemed to have lifted.
But that happy mood soon died out when he saw his brother appearing down on stage.
"These maggots… they really have nothing to give except their lives. But since when do they dare to target us clans so unscrupulously? If you say there's no one behind them, I don't believe it!"
The blunt one finally pointed out the obvious.
Bubai had long suspected this wasn't just about petty profits or personal ambitions.
There was probably a deeper hand pulling the strings behind the scene. The real question was who.
Bubai didn't know. Not yet.
But judging by how these Qian brothers had reacted thus far, they certainly seem like they do.
Yet, they said nothing.
Even the loudmouths did well in guarding the truth like it was some big secret.
Still… secrets never stay buried forever.
Sooner or later, everything will come to light.
And when that moment came, Bubai knew it'd be time to make his choice—most likely a life-changing one.