Chapter 211 | One Slap

Chapter 211: 211 | One Slap

Long before the junior alchemists at the gate changed their morning shift, Lin Tian had returned to his secluded side chamber from the Eastern Private Pavilion.

By early afternoon, the five tournament representatives gathered near the main courtyard gate.

Along with Gao Chen and Zhou Kai, the other two senior representatives—Fang Yu and Chen Hao—stood ready in their sect robes. With the tournament opening ceremony scheduled for tomorrow morning, Gao Chen had suggested walking out to the Heavenly Colosseum plaza to inspect the public notice boards and familiarize themselves with the arena layout.

Before they stepped through the compound gate, Instructor Qing walked down the stone path from the western wing to check their tokens.

"Do not linger past sunset," Instructor Qing ordered, her gaze sweeping over the five men—and pausing on Lin Tian for only a fraction of a second before shifting away. "The official first-round announce at midnight. Return before dusk and rest."

"Yes, Instructor Qing," Gao Chen and the others answered respectfully.

Outside the Myriad Clouds Estate, the main avenue leading toward the Heavenly Colosseum was packed with cultivators from across the northern region.

Wide flags of major sects snapped in the mountain wind above the grey slate street. Along both sides of the avenue, weapon pavilions, talisman houses, and multi-story teahouses overflowed with disciples sizing up their future opponents.

"The crowd is twice of the last tournament," Zhou Kai muttered, his hand resting near his sword hilt as they approached the wide stone plaza in front of the outer gates. "Half the people here are staring at our sect badges."

"Let them stare," Gao Chen said evenly. "Word of our ship arriving with a patched and attacked already spread from the docking spire yesterday. Until we step into the ring tomorrow, the other sects will assume Crimson Nimbus Sect was weakened on the route."

Lin Tian walked quietly half a pace behind them, His eyes scanned the passing cultivators with calm indifference.

Just ahead, where the avenue widened into the Colosseum square, a group of female disciples in pale-blue silk robes stepped out of a quiet jade pavilion on the right side of the street.

The air around them carried a crisp, natural chill.

Walking at their center was Su Ling, the leading Core Disciple of Frost-Moon Valley. With her frost-wrapped longsword at her waist and her expression as cold and clear as mountain ice, surrounding disciples instinctively gave her space.

Before Lin Tian and the others could pass the intersection, however, heavy footsteps echoed from the opposite side of the square.

At their head stood Mo Yan, first-ranked Core Disciple of the Black-Sun Sect, his arms crossed over his broad chest and his heavy crimson saber hanging at his hip.

The surrounding chatter on the street quieted instantly. Everyone in Sky-Pillar City knew the bitter blood feud between the Black-Sun Sect and the Crimson Nimbus Sect over the southern border veins.

Gao Chen’s expression cooled as the five of them came to a halt.

"Mo Yan," Gao Chen said flatly. "The avenue is big. Blocking the center is hardly how a top sect conducts itself."

Mo Yan let out a slow, mocking laugh, his eyes sweeping past Gao Chen to land deliberately on Zhou Kai and other representatives.

"I was wondering why the wind smelled like burnt timber," Mo Yan sneered, loud enough for half the square to hear. "So the Crimson Nimbus representatives actually dared to crawl out of their compound today? Here I thought you five were still hiding under Elder Liu and Elder Bai’s shadow after having your ship torn open in the clouds."

The four Black-Sun disciples behind him burst into harsh laughter.

"Senior Brother Mo, go easy on them," one of the Black-Sun disciples jeered. "Their ship barely made it to the pier yesterday. If you scare them too badly today, they might forfeit before the brackets are even drawn!"

Zhou Kai’s face flushed dark red with fury. He took half a step forward, his fingers clamping tightly around his hilt.

"Watch your foul mouth, Mo Yan!" Zhou Kai snapped. "Who told you we hid behind anyone? If your Black-Sun Sect wants to find out whether our blades are still sharp, wait for the match tomorrow!"

Mo Yan’s grin vanished, replaced by a vicious, condescending glint.

"A mere dog dares raise his voice at me?" Mo Yan said coldly. "You think you’re worthy of waiting until tomorrow?"

Without warning, Mo Yan stomped the slate stone beneath his boot.

BOOM!

The heavy, scorching aura of Peak Level 9 Foundation Establishment erupted from his body, Before Zhou Kai could even draw his blade, Mo Yan lunged forward, his right hand wreathed in condensed Black-Sun Flame Qi as he reached straight for Zhou Kai’s throat and collar!

He was not trying to kill him in front of the city patrol—he intended to lift a Crimson Nimbus representative by the neck and slam him face-first into the street in front of the everyone.

"Zhou Kai, back!" Gao Chen shouted, reaching for his sword, but he was half a pace too far to intercept the sudden strike.

Zhou Kai’s pupils shrank as the scorching crimson palm filled his vision.

Before the heat could touch a single thread of Zhou Kai’s collar, a calm dark-robed figure stepped smoothly into the gap between them.

Seeing the someone step into his path, Mo Yan’s lips twisted into a cruel sneer. Yesterday at the harbor, this brat had stood behind the three women without even looking at him.

"You want to take his place on the ground?" Mo Yan barked, increasing the surge of Black-Sun Flame Qi in his palm by another thirty percent and driving his strike straight toward Lin Tian’s chest! "Then get down!"

To the watching crowd, Mo Yan’s palm strike looked fast and ferocious, trailing wisps of dark-red fire that could crack iron.

To Lin Tian’s golden eyes, it was clumsy, loud, and full of wasted motion.

Lin Tian did not dodge, nor did he circulate Qi.

As Mo Yan’s flaming palm came within half a foot of his chest, Lin Tian simply raised his right arm and swung the back of his bare hand horizontally across the inside of Mo Yan’s wrist and cheek in a crisp, casual backhand slap.

PAAAK—CRACK!

The sound echoed across the stone plaza like a whip snapping through dry wood.

Backed by the sheer, monstrous physical strength of the Primordial Yang-Tyrant Body, Lin Tian’s backhand tore straight through the layer of Black-Sun Flame Qi as if it were thin paper.

The condensed fire shattered into harmless sparks in mid-air.

Before Mo Yan’s brain could even register how his Peak Foundation Qi had collapsed on contact, the terrifying brute force of Lin Tian’s hand struck his wrist guard and the side of his jaw at the same time.

"Ugh—!"

A muffled grunt tore from Mo Yan’s throat. His entire right arm went instantly numb from wrist to shoulder, and the violent physical impact lifted him off his front foot.

In front of dozens of stunned onlookers, the Core Disciple of the Black-Sun Sect was sent sliding backward five full paces across the street!

Screeech—crack!

His heavy boots carved two deep grooves into the mountain slate, cracking three stone tiles in a row before two of his startled junior brothers caught him by the shoulders to keep him from falling flat on his back.

Dead silence dropped over the intersection.

Every cultivator watching from the sides of the avenue stared in disbelief.

Mo Yan was famous across the northern sects for his overbearing offensive power at Peak Level 9 Foundation Establishment. Yet this dark-robed youth from Crimson Nimbus Sect hadn’t drawn his weapon, he had simply slapped Mo Yan five steps backward with the back of his hand!

Across the square, Mo Yan shook off his junior brothers’ hands, his face turning a dark, ugly purple as a red mark swelled visibly along his left cheekbone and his right arm hung trembling at his side.

"You... you are courting death!" Mo Yan roared in humiliation, his left hand grabbing the hilt of his crimson saber as his aura boiled wildly.

"Hold it right there!"

The heavy clatter of armored steps rang out from the Colosseum archway as a squad of eight Sky-Pillar City Iron-Guards marched swiftly into the square, their suppression spears gleaming with law-enforcement runes.

"Street combat is strictly prohibited within three li of the Heavenly Colosseum!" the guard captain barked coldly, his gaze locking onto Mo Yan’s half-drawn saber. "Anyone who draws steel outside the ring will have their tournament qualification revoked on the spot!"

Mo Yan’s chest heaved violently, his bloodshot eyes glaring daggers at Lin Tian as he slowly forced his saber back into its sheath.

"Barking on the street gets you nothing," Lin Tian said, his calm, deep voice carrying clearly across the silent square into Mo Yan’s ears. "Save whatever breath you have left. Tomorrow in the tournament ring, a slap won’t be the only thing you take."

Mo Yan’s teeth ground together so hard his face burning red, yet with his right arm still throbbing with numbness and the city patrol watching, he could not utter a single retort.

Lin Tian turned away as if Mo Yan were no longer worth looking at.

"Let’s go," he said calmly to Gao Chen and Zhou Kai.

Swallowing his shock and a sudden surge of fierce pride, Zhou Kai straightened his back and grinned sharply at the pale-faced Black-Sun disciples before following Lin Tian and Gao Chen toward the Colosseum notice boards.

Ten paces away, on the stone steps of the jade pavilion, the disciples of Frost-Moon Valley watched the Crimson Nimbus group walk past.

"Senior Sister Su," a younger Frost-Moon disciple whispered in surprise. "Wasn’t that Mo Yan of the Black-Sun Sect? That Crimson Nimbus disciple didn’t even use spiritual Qi just now... how could his physical body be that terrifying?"

Su Ling did not answer immediately.

Her hand rested lightly on the hilt of her frost-wrapped sword, her cold, clear eyes fixed on the tall, dark-robed back of the youth carrying the cloth-wrapped broadsword.

"Check tonight," Su Ling said quietly, her cool voice carrying a rare note of focus. "Find out which peak of the Crimson Nimbus Sect that disciple comes from."