Chapter 507: Suppression and Counterattack
Mu Gaoqi broke Jiang Chen’s silent resting with a mental message, “Brother Chen, there’s always been talk of four kings in the Sovereign Area. Those would be Shen Qinghong, Jun Mobai, Ling Bi’er, and Nie Chong. Shen Qinghong and Jun Mobai have reached the peak of the origin realm and are called half step sage realm. Ling Bi’er and Nie Chong are ninth level origin realm. Ling Bi’er in particular is Ling Hui’er’s older sister and known for her sexy style. She also happens to have the strongest pill dao potential. The other Sovereign Area disciples are well behind the four kings.”
Jiang Chen’s expression suddenly grew a bit odd, and Mu Gaoqi also seemed to sense something off as everyone’s eyes suddenly snapped open, shooting stern looks over to Mu Gaoqi in unplanned unison. The looks felt like like the spontaneous eruption of sword aura, sending chills raking over Mu Gaoqi.
Shen Qinghong smiled slightly. “Junior brother Gaoqi. I forgot to tell you that my palace is called the Noble Palace. There’s a particular restriction here that prevents silent messages. When you use your consciousness to send a message, it will travel through various paths into everyone’s ears, making it no different from speaking conversationally.”
Mu Gaoqi was immensely embarrassed. This was the first time he’d come to Shen Qinghong’s residence, how would he know of that restriction? He immediately understood why everyone had snapped their eyes to him. Did everyone hear what I said just now?
Ling Bi’er in particular looked like she wanted to kill Mu Gaoqi with just her eyes. An coldly arrogant look drilled into Mu Gaoqi as a frosty expression covered her face. Mu Gaoqi smiled awkwardly back at her.
It was rather Jiang Chen who smiled with ease. “Noble Palace, hmm? Noble Palace. What a nice name. If those of honor and virtue truly resided within the Noble Palace, it would actually be a beautiful tale for the ages.”
“Mm? Jiang Chen, what do you mean by that? Are you insinuating that someone here has no honor?” An eighth level origin realm genius looked at Jiang Chen with hints of provocation.
Jiang Chen didn’t care in the slightest, smiling faintly. “Whether one has honor or not will not change due to a mere word from me.”
The man slammed his hand down on his chair, his tone growing hard. “What a cocky kid! It’s your honor to be able to sit here today, and to have senior brother Qinghong give you face! Don’t you actually think you have the right to be on the same level as us! Remember, those who are here to just make up the numbers will reveal their true form one day and be thrown out of the Sovereign Area sooner or later.”
These words were obviously aimed at Jiang Chen and Mu Gaoqi. Mu Gaoqi felt a bit like he was sitting on needles, but Jiang Chen was still as coolly composed as ever. “Indeed, so you must take care.”
The person started and only understood after a beat that Jiang Chen had just mocked him as the useless one to make up the numbers instead. He immediately grew enraged. “Jiang Chen, what do you mean by this?!”
Although this person wasn’t one of the four kings, he was still a part of the original eight members who had entered the Sovereign Area so many years ago. He had a natural sense of superiority over Jiang Chen and Mu Gaoqi and rejected them from the depths of his heart. He felt that the Sovereign Area shouldn’t have expanded. The eight slots should’ve remained as that forever. Only then would his nobility and uniqueness be emphasized. The sudden addition of four people made him feel that the value of a Sovereign Area residence had been greatly reduced all of a sudden, making him feel like he’d suffered quite a loss. He grew even more irritated when he saw Jiang Chen and Mu Gaoqi. These two were merely minor origin realm but now had the same status and benefits as him, one of the sky origin realm! How could he ever accept this?!
The others smirked to see him jump out. They didn’t try to hold him back, delighting in this newfound misfortune as a rapt gleam appeared in their eyes. How would Jiang Chen not see through this?
“So it seems that this so-called monthly meeting is just an opportunity to take us newcomers down a peg? Senior brother Qinghong, is this how you treat guests?” Jiang Chen’s words took everyone greatly aback.
Jiang Chen had dared to rebut the words Rong Zifeng at eight level origin realm, and was openly questioning Shen Qingrong’s hospitality! This greatly astonished all the others. A few of them started to take a closer look at Jiang Chen.
Shen Qinghong’s brow creased faintly. It was apparent that with his level and his usually domineering style, even the other three kings wouldn’t dare have the guts to question him like this. What gave Jiang Chen, a foreigner, the kind of guts to be so impolite even if he had a backer?
Suddenly, a young scholar wearing black and white Taoist robes smiled slightly. “Everyone, please take a breath. We are all disciples of the Sovereign Area and thus represent the face of the Regal Pill Palace. If we yell at each other until we’re red in the face for small matters like these, it will be the height of vulgarity. I, Jun Mobai, propose that we discuss the way of pills and converse vigorously about the greater picture of the state of affairs in the Myriad Domain. How about that?”
Jun Mobai looked rather like a scholar who normally consumed a steady diet of books and poetry in his black and white Taoist robe. He appeared quite genteel, giving him a wise and refined feeling. He was the only one among the four kings who gave other an amiable and approachable feeling. The other three were either aloof and domineering, such as Shen Qinghong, or frigidly beautiful as Ling Bi’er, or shone with a fierce light like Nie Chong.
When Mu Gaoqi heard Jun Mobai express his views, he hastily concurred, “Senior brother Mobai makes sense. Since we are all of one sect, we should coexist harmoniously and in unity.”
“Mu Gaoqi, who the hell are you? Is there a place for you to speak here?” Rong Zifeng, the one who’d provoked Jiang Chen before, laughed coldly as he looked at Mu Gaoqi. “A pill dao genius is indeed something, but nothing if he is killed. Not to mention that you have yet to even develop to that step, but even if you did, you can shove off to the side in front of a true martial dao genius. There’s no place for you here.”
These words were a direct slap across the face. As even tempered as Mu Gaoqi was, it didn’t mean he would accept this kind of humiliation. His face darkened, “Senior brother Rong Zifeng, your words make some sense, but you don’t seem to be a true martial dao genius either. If I recall correctly, you’re already 35. I’m only 19 this year. You’re a full sixteen years older than me. How do you know that I won’t reach your level of martial dao cultivation in sixteen years?”
Not only did Jiang Chen not stop Mu Gaoqi from losing his temper, he was actually inwardly gleeful to see this. He wanted Mu Gaoqi to lose his temper more often, as sometimes authority and status were built up in this method. If you always presented a smiling face and was always even tempered, others would feel that you had no temper and was an easy target. Not much respect would be forthcoming. On the contrary, the more of a temper you had, the more others might fear you.
Jiang Chen applauded lightly and started laughing. “Junior brother Gaoqi’s words speak to my heart. As the saying goes, don’t bully a youth for being poor. With senior brother Rong’s age, you shouldn’t be acting tough with younger men. There’s no glory in defeat, and nothing more than additional loss of face if you lose.”
Jiang Chen really wasn’t kindly disposed towards someone like Rong Zifeng. There was no grudge between them, yet he just had to jump out to try and step on them. But was Jiang Chen someone so easily stepped on?
Rong Zifeng’s face darkened. His age was one of the greatest blots on his record in the Sovereign Area. All the other geniuses were below thirty, but he was already at thirty five.
The sexily dressed Ling Bi’er suddenly frowned and spoke in an icy tone. “Rong Zifeng, cut the blather. First of all, you’re not much of a martial dao genius, and second, who says pill dao geniuses need to stand to the side in front of martial dao geniuses? Who says they have no right to speak?”
Of the four kings, Ling Bi’er’s potential in pill dao was the highest, so Rong Zifeng’s words were also an enormous affront to her.
Rong Zifeng broke out in a cold sweat after hearing Ling Bi’er’s words. “Junior sister Bi’er, I… I didn’t mean to impugn you.”
Ling Bi’er was in an ill temper. “Back off, I don’t want to hear your nonsense.”
Rong Zifeng was inwardly incensed to have been lectured by a woman, but he didn’t dare do anything. He could only back away with a lowered head. His greatest backer in the Sovereign Area was Shen Qinghong, and when the latter saw this sight, he said, “Junior sister Ling, I think that although Zifeng’s words were somewhat extreme, they still made sense. Martial dao is the establishment of the world in the Profound Continent. Those who can create clouds with one palm and summon rain with another are almost all martial dao geniuses.”
Ling Bi’er responded coolly. “Then I’ll congratulate senior brother Shen in advance for when you can walk out of the Regal Pill Palace and summon the wind and rain to bring glory to our sect.”
It was patently obvious that the four kings weren’t the picture of harmony. Ling Bi’er was even prouder than Shin Qinghong, and left him no face at all.
The latter smiled modestly. “That day will come.”
Ling Bi’er’s lips curved remotely, a look of contempt flashing through her stunning face, but she didn’t continue arguing with Shen Qinghong.
“Alright, back to the topic at hand.” Shen Qinghong spread out his hands, the very picture of overwhelming might. “Now that we’re all here, the old rules apply. Trying pills and discussing martial dao, these are the traditions of our monthly meetings.”
Rong Zifeng leapt to his feet. “I’ll serve as a modest spur to inspire others to come forth with valuable contributions. I’d like to try our newly promoted junior brothers. Frankly, it would be bullying if I challenged you one on one. Why don’t all four of you come at me!”
This Rong Zifeng really didn’t know how to interact with others. Not only had he offended Jiang Chen and Mu Gaoqi with his words, but now he’d gone and insulted the other two newly ascended disciples in martial dao as well. The latter two hadn’t said anything up until now because they were newly arrived, and because they knew they didn’t have the right to speak. But Rong Zifeng wanted to force them to submit, it would be impossible for them to continue with a low profile.
“What kind of words are these, senior brother Rong? You against four of us?”
Rong Zifeng smirked arrogantly. “You’re not my opponent in single combat, and the four of you together may not even be able to take ten of my moves.”
Jiang Chen and Mu Gaoqi had both won their residences through pill dao. Their loss of face from Rong Zifeng’s challenge weren’t as great as the two who’d won through martial dao. The latter two felt immensely humiliated. They placed their hands on their sword hilts, with expressions that looked like they were fully ready to fight Rong Zifeng to the death at a single wrong word.
All eyes shot to Jiang Chen and Mu Gaoqi. Everyone wanted to see if they had the courage to take up the challenge. Although they had won their residences through the pill competition, if one didn’t even have the courage to take up a challenge in the world of martial dao, one would simply be too spineless for much use.