Chapter 182 - 103: I’ll Count Down 3, 2, 1; You Get Knocked Out (Part 2)

Chapter 182: Chapter 103: I’ll Count Down 3, 2, 1; You Get Knocked Out (Part 2)

...

Outside the gate.

Zhu Li glanced at the massive, dark crowd behind them. "Boss, do we really need to bring this many people?"

"We do!"

Zhao Ci curled his lip. "Of course we do. Goddammit, every last one of these bastards is plotting something nasty. They took advantage of my absence to bully you, so why can’t we make a grand entrance?"

Feng Kucha chimed in indignantly, "Exactly! They forced me to use my ultimate move, the mop dipped in feces! Don’t I, Feng Kucha, deserve some face?!"

Zhao Ci: "..."

’The thing is, you’re the only one who cares about that kind of face.’

He glanced at Feng Kucha, then at Yang Mo. ’These two are polar opposites.’

’Compared to Yang Mo’s crushing psychological burden...’

’...Feng Kucha’s mentality is just too good. And...’

’The kid recovers remarkably fast. After all, he fought many matches yesterday and sustained quite a few minor injuries. A normal person would definitely not be fully rested after just one night, but this kid is full of vigor.’

’No wonder the Demoness prisoners in the Demon-Slaying Bureau consider his staff punishment to be the cruelest penalty in all of the Great Yu.’

"CREAK..."

The main gate opened.

Zhao Ci took one look and couldn’t help but be surprised. "Huh? Brother Huang, it’s only been a day. How did your skin get so pale?"

Zhao Yong: "..."

[Zhao Yong’s Current Wish]: For my deal with the Demon Sect to remain undiscovered. Wish Fulfillment Reward: +100 Insight, Heavenly Concealment Talisman x1.

’Whoa!’

’So he’s been up to no good.’

’A ghost was knocking on his door all night.’

’Dammit, you’re such a coward, so why are you trying to copy others and do bad things?’

Zhao Ci really wanted to beat him up. It was impossible not to want to pummel someone who wanted to kill him. The only problem was, he didn’t know what kind of dirty trick the guy had pulled. Since he dared to do it, the evidence would probably be hard to find.

Zhao Yong cleared his throat twice, then clasped his hands in a salute to the Martial Scholars behind Zhao Ci. "I am honored by your presence. You have all arrived in a hurry today, so if there is any lack of hospitality from the Ninth Prince’s Mansion, I pray you will not take offense! Lai Fu, please show everyone into the mansion!"

After speaking, he gave Zhao Ci a faint smile and made an inviting gesture.

’His composure is pretty good.’

Zhao Ci didn’t bother with any trash talk. He led his people straight into the Ninth Prince’s Mansion. He didn’t ask Zhao Yong for the seat of honor, instead sitting in the front row closest to the Martial Arts Arena and quietly waiting for everyone to enter.

Soon, a large crowd had gathered around the Martial Arts Arena.

The Mansion Officials of the Ninth Prince’s Mansion also entered one by one, each saluting Zhao Ci.

Even though they were rivals, Zhao Ci was a Prince. In a public setting like this, etiquette could not be ignored.

Zhao Ci returned their salutes one by one. He was quite familiar with their faces.

Zhu Yan, a top-tier genius of the Zhu Family’s younger generation. His physical body and martial techniques were only considered upper-tier at best, but his Fire Control Ability was extremely strong. While the temperature wasn’t as explosive as the Yu Xin Flame, it was by no means an ordinary fire. He was one of the rare members of the Zhu Family who was a dual-specialist in both combat and Alchemy fire arts.

The man leading a Wolf King as tall as a person was Feng Tianxi. He had specially traveled to the Northern Grasslands to hunt this Wolf King. Man and wolf cultivated together using a Feng Family Secret Technique. The Wolf King was now just a hair’s breadth away from the Physical Body Realm. Crucially, Feng Tianxi’s own strength was not to be underestimated. The man and beast worked together in perfect sync, and many outsiders considered him the strongest Mansion Official in the Ninth Prince’s Mansion.

There was also a man with a dull expression and a mature face named Tan Kuang. He, like Tan Yu, was from the Xiangxi Tan Clan. He could control two Corpse Puppets simultaneously and was considered a genius in the Tan Family, but he was less conspicuous in the Ninth Prince’s Mansion.

As for the last one...

Zhuge Xiao pushed his wheelchair over slowly and greeted with a smile, "Tenth Prince, it has been a while! I heard that Your Highness performed a masterstroke this time, precisely delivering the medicinal pills into the hands of the common people in the Northern Three Prefectures. I am truly impressed!"

Zhao Ci raised an eyebrow. ’This young man doesn’t sound like he’s just being polite like the others. It seems like genuine praise.’

’Either he has an extraordinary bearing.’

’Or he’s a really good actor.’

’But either way, he’s quite impressive for a Mansion Official.’

He chuckled. "Since you’re so impressed, why not show your sincerity? When I challenge you later, how about you just surrender directly?"

To be honest, he was still quite wary of Zhuge Xiao.

According to Zhu Li, this guy was rather low-key and always took the stance of being the one challenged. Mansion Officials from other mansions saw him as the Ninth Prince’s Mansion’s soft target, but they ended up getting served one after another, trapped by his Qimen Array to the point of utter misery.

He had accepted ten challenges and won every single one.

Zhuge Xiao smiled. "Surrendering isn’t out of the question. I’ll first have a look at the Tenth Prince’s strength. If I can’t win, I will naturally concede."

’Isn’t that the same as saying nothing at all?’

Zhao Ci exchanged a few more pleasantries, then began to wait quietly.

The scene today was incredibly lively. Besides the crowd of Scholars participating in the Prefecture Examination, there were also Mansion Officials sent from other mansions to gather firsthand battle reports.

After all, Zhao Ci’s fighting style yesterday had been too extreme and violent. From yesterday’s battle reports alone, they only knew how they would lose to Zhao Ci, but they couldn’t possibly know how to win.

This time, however, Zhao Ci was facing the experts of the Ninth Prince’s Mansion. Regardless of the outcome, he would inevitably expose all his strengths and weaknesses.

This information was very valuable.

「About a quarter of an hour later.」

Everyone had arrived, and the area around the Martial Arts Arena gradually quieted down.

Zhao Yong took out five sheets of paper with his own name and the names of his Mansion Officials written on them. He posted them on the notice board and announced in a loud voice, "Everyone! Those who intend to compete may now sign their names."

The crowd remained quiet. After all, today was mainly a showdown between the two Prince’s Mansions. They were just here for the show.

Zhao Ci didn’t waste any time, leading his three Mansion Officials directly onto the stage.

With a few swift strokes, they added their names one by one to each challenge notice.

The order of challengers on every sheet was the same: Zhao Ci, Zhu Li, Yang Mo, and Feng Kucha.