The Jin Clan – a mid-rank clan backed by core disciple!
Though not as prestigious as a golden core, that's still a big shot!
To think the Qian Clan has bad blood with such a clan…
Merlin above, what a mess! Worse yet, it didn't seem to be a simple family feud either…
Thunk! Qian Zhongta angrily punched the glass wall.
"Blasted moon! Can those bloodsuckers be any more annoying?! They just have to buzz around us every other years like flies! And that sissy lecher, can't he just give up already?!"
"They…" Qian Fusha sighed wearily. "Like Lao Da said... we enjoyed the honey, so this is the evil fate we must bear."
Wow! Bubai sat up straight and his heart of gossip almost did flips in excitement.
Merlin's beard! He smells a big scoop here!
Better sit tight because there should be a good drama to watch soon!
But too bad for Bubai. This time, the exposition guy firmly cut down on the info dump.
"Forget it. Instead of clamoring over what's set in stone, let's discuss how to handle the present."
"Hah!" Qian Zhongta crossed his arms like a stubborn bull. "Isn't it just a best-of-three? It's not like we haven't done it before."
"Sidi, this year is not like the past."
That stern reminder made Qian Zhongta's face go stiff, but he quickly shrugged it off with a snort.
"Don't we still have the four of us? Two wins—that's all we need. It should be no problem!"
"If only it were that easy…" Qian Fusha shook his head. "I'm afraid things won't be that simple this time."
Qian Zhongta groaned and rubbed his temples like he got a headache.
"What simple, not simple—bah! Lao Er, you're making this too complicated! All I know is we just go down there, we fight, we win. Simple as that!"
"…" Qian Fusha stared at his simple-minded brother and relaxed a bit. "Hmm. You're right. We just need to win. As for this round…"
"Ah! Leave it to me!" Qian Zhongta thumped his chest confidently.
"It's just an early-stage lapdog from the branch lineage! I can pound him six feet under even in my sleep! Let me go test out what dirty tricks these bloodsuckers are playing!"
"Beware of traps."
"I know, I know!"
Qian Zhongta waved off the warning and stormed out.
By now, it was quite obvious these Qian brothers planned to swap in the fourth for the second.
Bubai wasn't too surprised by their strat.
After all, before arriving on stage, the defending side can sub out their fighter with a representative!
That had always been a privilege ever since the start of this Inner Sect Exchange.
This rule will let hired mercenaries step in and double to prevent cheap tricks like the targeted arrangements that the Qian brothers suffered through.
In the case of clan competitions, this substitution will prevent challengers from using a single disposable pawn to drag a stronger defender off the board.
Soldier versus soldier, general versus general! That's the general consensus!
Of course, in either case, the defending party must really know the opposing party well enough to swap wisely.
If intel was lacking and they misread their opponents, it's easy to suffer a dumb loss.
That's what happened earlier.
They got caught off guard by nameless common inner disciples that suddenly got a strength buff.
Can't blame them for falling for such a trap though.
That's almost a copy of protagonists rising through the dark horse trope! Minus the victory part.
Anyways, that was then. Now was different.
Since there's an age-old feud, the Qian brothers weren't swinging in the dark anymore and at least knew who they were matched against.
That's good news, and Bubai hopes it stays that way.
Kacha. A door opened, a door closed. Somebody returned limping.
Qian Fusha briskly went over to support his brother and solemnly inspected the blackened foot. "Wudi, can you manage?"
Qian Feifu nodded and forced a smile. "I know a thing or two about poison myself. I should have no trouble suppressing it until we find a way."
Qian Fusha gave him a sharp look. "Suppressing and healing are two different things."
"I'll live." Qian Feifu said dryly, waving him off. Then, his voice lowered. "Lao Er, how's the situation?"
"Sidi's injuries are light and he went down to test the waters first."
"Lao Er, I have a bad feeling about this…"
"I know. I'll handle it. Go. I'll help you set up a tranquility formation."
The duo moved quickly to an empty corner. The injured Qian Feifu sat cross-legged and soon entered meditation state.
Another formation barrier divided the meditation space inside from the rest of the room.
By the time Qian Fusha returned to his seat, the battle below was starting.
The muscles versus a frail, sickly-looking man decked out in that demonic, bloody-red style.
Comparing appearances, it looked like one punch was all it'll take to end this.
Alas, cultivator battles obviously weren't that simple.
"Begin!"
As soon as the battle began, Jin Shamo flipped out a knife and actually... slit his own wrist!
Shlick! Blood splattered and sprayed out!
But instead of falling to stain the arena floor, the blood actually defied physics—clotting together mid-air and snaking around the man's fingers as if the blood was alive!
Then before the charging body builder could get any closer, the writhing blood formed bullets that fired out at the living target!
The silent killers whistled over, but instead of taking them head-on, Qian Zhongta actually chose to dart left and right to evade!
His decision proved wise because the instant those bloody orbs pelted the ground, they sizzled like some corrosive acid!
Though the black jade surface refused to get melted through, the acrid smoke spoke volumes of how dangerous that blood is!
And exposition guy didn't give up this chance to do some info dumping.
"That's the Blood Arts practiced by their lineage…"
"Every drop of blood is refined from countless sacrifices and just a drop can turn more corrosive than Corpse Dissolving Liquid, enough to even burn a hole through stoneskin."
Oh really? Then... how's that bloody mage still alive with that blood running in his veins?!
There's so many plot holes here, but that stern warning certainly did its job at arousing Bubai's desire to dig for more intel. "Um… Blood Arts? Is that the secret cultivation art of their clan?"
"No. They're just riding on the coattail of others." Qian Fusha shot Bubai a meaningful look. "Perhaps Xiao Bai has heard of its more... official name—Water of Desires."
Water of Desires...? Sounds so familiar?
Bubai's mind whirred, quickly searching through his memory until it clicked.
Merlin's bloody socks! Isn't that the lower-end foundation-realm version of the Golden Core old geezer's path?!
Could it be… this Jin Clan is actually a descendant of that old geezer Ma?!
No, no, not right!
That old geezer said himself he had no descendants.
Besides, none of his intel sources ever chirped about ties between the Jin and Mo clans.
So… this Jin Clan was probably cultivating the watered-down versions available in the Book Pavilion?
Well, it shouldn't come as surprising at all that somebody actually practices this cultivation path, especially since there's a lighthouse for this road.
A lighthouse with no descendants to boot!
Maybe some ambitious bloodsuckers even dreamed of climbing up the noble branch?
Haha. But that's got nothing to do with him. That's the old geezer's business.
His own business? It's here. In this arena… Oh right, maybe it's still too early to say that.
If these Qian brothers have no trouble clinching two victories, then there would be no business for him here.
And by the looks of it, that Qian Zhongta should have no issue winning this round.
Though his opponent was flying him like a kite and the attack power was indeed quite high, but the ammo used was… his own blood.
Even if a foundation realm master's body has ascended beyond mortal standards, the blood it can carry is ultimately limited.
Poor bloodsucker, his lethargic face was clearly getting paler every second...
How long can he last? Or rather: how long till the cat catches the rat?
If nothing goes wrong, this fight was already in the bag.
Qian Zhongta seemed to think the same. He pressed forward like a bull injected with chicken blood, getting closer and closer...
"Ahahaha! Bloodsucking twerp, face death!"
Just when it looked like he'll catch the fleeing skeleton in the next heartbeat and victory felt all but certain…
Qian Zhongta suddenly choked and stiffly lurched to a stop like a puppet that had its strings yanked back!
The next second, blood spikes pierced out from all over his skin, turning him into a human hedgehog that roared to the heavens in agony!