Chapter 35 - 33: Today is the Day to Wash Away the Shame

Chapter 35: Chapter 33: Today is the Day to Wash Away the Shame

Time ticked away by the second.

The sun slowly rose.

As the morning light bathed the earth, the entirety of Xingyue City began to seethe with excitement.

"Why hasn’t he shown up yet?"

"Don’t tell me that piece of trash is too scared to come?"

"He was so confident that day, wasn’t he? The sun is already high in the sky, so why isn’t he here?"

Many Cultivators of Xingyue City voiced their thoughts, chattering incessantly.

Within the countless Tea Pavilions.

Terrifying young figures had long since taken their seats. They refilled their cups of tea time and time again, all of them slowly shaking their heads.

"He’s not coming." A peerless prodigy could not help but chuckle, his eyes full of contempt.

To everyone present, the so-called number one piece of trash in Xingyue City was most likely not going to show up.

"It’s a pity. Since we won’t get to see Qi Tianyang make a move, we won’t be able to figure out his true depths. What a shame."

For a time, waves of ridicule and mockery echoed throughout Xingyue City, rising and falling without end.

"I thought that even though that trash is useless, he was at least a man. I never expected him to hide in his shell like a coward in the end."

"It’s understandable. After all, the person standing against him is the Qilin Child. Even if it were me, I wouldn’t dare accept the challenge. I’d run as far away as possible."

"At least he has some self-awareness. Does he even deserve to duel the Qilin Child?"

"If the Divine Pill Pavilion and the Tang Family had not stepped in, that trash wouldn’t even be fit to lick the Qilin Child’s boots, let alone fight him in a life-and-death duel."

"Exactly. Without that opportunity, a piece of garbage that even I could slap to death wouldn’t even have the right to make the Qilin Child look him in the eye."

"It’s a shame. If that trash actually came, even if he died, it would have been a glorious tale. After all, dying at the hands of the Qilin Child is a blessing he must have cultivated in his past life, enough to go down in history."

"Forget it. Let’s just disperse. We really overestimated that piece of trash."

As time passed, many Cultivators of Xingyue City sneered and mocked even more, their eyes filled with disdain and contempt.

However, amidst the endless crowd, there was a group of people breathing heavily in total silence. This group was none other than the members of the Li Family, including Li Fengchun and Li Qingyi. All the experts of the Li Family stood tall in the crowd, their expressions completely out of place compared to the surrounding Cultivators.

"Father?" Li Qingyi looked at Li Fengchun, hesitating to speak.

The latter simply raised his hand slightly. His gaze slowly turned toward the direction of the Ye Family, as if he had already guessed something in his heart.

As expected.

In a remote corner, several figures had appeared early on, but they had hesitated to move forward. It was not until Gu Qingyan’s figure appeared not far away and gave a slight nod to Jiang Hao from a distance that the latter finally took his first step.

It was obvious that Jiang Hao had arrived at the duel site long ago, but he hadn’t immediately taken the stage. He was waiting. He was waiting for Gu Qingyan’s contingency arrangements. The moment he took this step, the curtains on everything were truly drawn open.

"Little fool...?" Behind Jiang Hao, Ye Qingxian looked at this scene and murmured subconsciously, her beautiful eyes filled with worry.

Hearing this, Jiang Hao turned his head and smiled softly, his gaze sweeping over the three of them one by one. He wanted to remember every single face, because after this battle, he did not know when they would meet again. If he lost, it would be a final farewell. If he won, he would be a fugitive wandering the world.

Bowing deeply to Ye Tiannan and Ye Canghai, the young man, holding his three-foot Qingfeng Longsword, slowly turned around and walked step by step toward the crowd. The morning sun shone on his body, and the expression on his face grew increasingly resolute.

Today was the day he would wash away his humiliation.

In the endless, empty expanse.

He walked alone, either heading to his own death, or to invite his opponent to die.

Meanwhile, as Jiang Hao approached the crowd, many Cultivators of Xingyue City had already begun to disperse. The moment the first batch of impatient Cultivators turned around, they froze slightly, looking toward the Earth Realm ahead with eyes full of surprise.

"He’s coming, he’s coming!"

"It’s him! It’s really that piece of trash!"

"That trash actually came!"

The Cultivators who spotted his figure first yelled out subconsciously. It was as if the outcome they had waited so long for finally had an answer, leaving them endlessly thrilled.

Following these consecutive shouts, endless gazes instantly followed the sound, everyone feeling extremely surprised. Even those peerless figures inside the Tea Pavilions could not help but look over upon hearing the commotion.

At the edge of the horizon, a young man walked against the rising sun. Bathed in the morning light, he slowly advanced toward this part of the world. At this moment, the newly risen morning light seemed to become the backdrop for his figure. Dressed entirely in white and wielding his Qingfeng Longsword, his eyes held neither joy nor sorrow as he stepped toward the hundreds of thousands of Cultivators.

On the Battle Platform, Qi Tianyang continued to rest with his eyes closed. He did not even open his eyes to take a look, as if it did not matter whether the other party came or not. However, the various prodigies inside the endless Tea Pavilions focused their attention slightly.

"Is he the piece of trash who dared to challenge the Qilin?"

"What a casually strolling young man. If I hadn’t already heard about this person’s background, I might actually think he’s a prodigy of this generation too."

Many terrifying young figures could not help but fall into a daze. That all-white attire, his calm demeanor, arriving all alone to face his enemies single-handedly—it truly possessed a bit of magnificent, unparalleled flair.

What a pity, he was just seeking his own demise. Ultimately, he was still just a piece of trash.

Although the countless Cultivators looked down on that white-clad figure from the bottom of their hearts, his courage to actually come wielding a sword instantly made many look at him in a new light.

Not long after.

When the young man approached the crowd, the countless Cultivators subconsciously made way, opening a path that led straight to the Battle Platform. Jiang Hao did not stop; instead, he slowly passed through the crowd. With throngs of people packed tightly on both sides, the endless Cultivators quietly watched his figure, sighing with deep emotion.

"From today onward, even if you are a piece of trash, you are worthy of a fraction of my respect, though it is only a fraction."

"Jiang Hao, you’re at least a man. Not bad, not bad at all."

Some Cultivators, deeply won over by this courage in their hearts, spoke faintly.

However, even more people had eyes full of cold sneers, as if the arrival of the person before them was merely an act of supreme stupidity.

"I can’t believe this guy actually dared to come!"

"He’s just reckless. Does he really think he can compare to the Qilin Child?"

"You, with the surname Jiang, if you know what’s good for you, you won’t take the stage. Just slit your throat right here and apologize with your death."

"Kid, I advise you to commit suicide. Your death is just the loss of a worthless life, but fighting you would truly insult the Qilin Child’s status."

"A piece of garbage who couldn’t even awaken a Martial Soul three years ago actually picked up a sword one day. What a massive joke."

"Jiang Hao, do you even deserve to step onto the stage to fight Qi Tianyang?"

"I think this guy is just here to disgust the Qilin Child. To think the grand Qilin Child has to use his first sword strike to slay a piece of trash. It really pisses me off."

In the crowd, many who knew Jiang Hao shook their heads and sneered, while the countless young men and women who worshipped Qi Tianyang hurled vicious insults.

The current Qilin Child of the Qi Family was no longer just the chosen one of the Qi Family; he had become the Qilin Child of Xingyue City. This was fundamentally a world that worshipped the strong. Even though Qi Tianyang had yet to make a public display of his power, he had already garnered an unknown amount of adoration and admiration.

Within the crowd.

Wang Jiang looked at the young man who had shone so brightly at the Pill Master Competition three months ago, a cold smile forming at the corner of his mouth.

He thought, "Trash can never turn into a true dragon. Jiang, I really don’t know whether to call you stupid or ignorant.

"But this is fine too. The Qi Family’s Qilin Child is destined to not want Qingxian anymore. After you die, Qingxian will still be mine."

Thinking of this, Wang Jiang smiled even more radiantly.

Faced with the endless condemnation and mockery, Jiang Hao ignored it all, walking through the boundless crowd as if no one was there, heading step by step toward the Battle Platform. When the young man began to ascend the stage, the sounds of ridicule grew even more intense.

"Useless fool, get down from there! Fighting you is truly an insult to the Qilin Child."

"Does a mere ant deserve to have the number one Qilin of my Xingyue City lift a finger?"

"Exactly, take a good look in the mirror. What gives you the right?"

"A piece of trash should recognize his status as trash. Do you really think everyone will be moved by your courage to face death? At the end of the day, it’s just a joke."

Endless sneers and ridicule blotted out the sky, until the white-clad figure planted his feet firmly on the Battle Platform, causing the entire venue to suddenly fall silent.

Even the prodigies from all sides could not help but converge their gazes upon him.

Amidst the crowd.

Ye Xiaotian and a group of Ye Clan Members looked at that figure and couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief.

"Thank goodness this piece of trash didn’t run away by himself. He actually came."

"It’s better that he came. As long as he dies, the Ye Family will have survived this disaster."

Whether it was Liu Ruyue and her son, or everyone else in the Ye Family, they all felt a heavy weight lift from their shoulders. Their greatest fear was that Jiang Hao would flee on his own, forcing the entire Ye Family to be buried along with him.

At this moment.

The entire Battle Platform seemed to plunge into absolute silence.