Chapter 183: Mortal vs
Chapter 183 – Mortal vs
Before the cultivator presiding over the Sword Discussion Assembly could finish his speech, Chen Shisan silently stepped into the center of the arena.
The presiding cultivator faltered, momentarily stunned.
“Little friend, I have not yet announced the rules.”
“Perhaps you should step back down and wait?”
Chen Shisan glanced at the man and spoke with blunt sincerity. “Someone told me to come and take the Xuan Bird, so I came.”
“Continue with your rules. Once you finish, I will take the Xuan Bird away.”
The surrounding sword cultivators stared in disbelief before erupting into roaring laughter.
The youth standing before them possessed absolutely no cultivation base.
Judging by his demeanor, he was likely some sheltered mortal tricked into entering the assembly by a mischievous elder, simply to broaden his horizons.
Amused, a man chuckled. “Young man, this Reward is reserved for the strongest among us.”
“Do you truly believe you are the most powerful person here?”
Facing the man’s mocking question, Chen Shisan did not hesitate in the slightest.
“It is highly probable that I am not the strongest person here. But I must still take the Xuan Bird.”
“And if I refuse to let you take it? Do you think you can defeat me?”
The cultivator’s smile grew radiant with amusement, but Chen Shisan remained deadly serious.
“I only care about drawing my sword, and then taking the Xuan Bird.”
“Whether or not I succeed is outside the scope of my consideration.”
“Hahaha!”
The man threw his head back and guffawed. It had been a long time since he encountered such a fascinating mortal.
“What a splendid ‘I only care about drawing my sword!’ We cultivators should strive for such a fearless Dao heart.”
“Today, I shall offer you some guidance and help elevate your sword path.”
With a confident stride, the man emerged from the crowd.
The surrounding cultivators straightened up, eagerly preparing to watch this highly ‘entertaining’ duel.
The boy before them was impossibly frail; he was nothing more than an ant-like mortal.
Yet, it was precisely this mortal who commanded genuine admiration in the hearts of these haughty cultivators.
For a flesh-and-blood mortal to stand unflinching before an Immortal required heaven-shaking courage.
Even rarer was his absolute conviction in declaring, “I only care about drawing my sword.”
When he spoke those words, his eyes were crystal clear; his soul was completely undisturbed by external worldly desires.
How could anyone disdain a youth possessing such an iron-willed temperament?
Chen Shisan slowly raised his fractured True Martial Sword, his gaze locking onto the man before him like a predator, meticulously searching for a fatal flaw.
Amused by the boy’s lethal intensity, the cultivator offered a faint smile.
“Brat, I am going to strike.”
The moment the words left his lips, the man casually flicked his wrist, sending a crescent of Sword Qi hurtling toward Chen Shisan.
Simultaneously, Chen Shisan lunged.
Yet, astonishingly, the timing of Chen Shisan’s draw was actually a fraction of a heartbeat faster than the cultivator’s.
Bang!
The sheer force of the Sword Qi blasted Chen Shisan right off his feet.
His frail body slammed viciously into a massive boulder before crumpling heavily to the earth.
Seeing this brutal impact, a voice in the crowd rang out in displeasure.
“Old Li, why use such a heavy hand?”
“This child is a mere mortal. What if you crippled his foundation?”
Waving off the complaint from his Fellow Daoist, the sword cultivator scoffed. “Relax. I used barely half a percent of my power. At worst, he’ll suffer some bruised ribs.”
“The boy has a solid Dao heart, but it is a pity he is far too rigid.”
“As the ancient proverb goes, ‘That which is too rigid easily snaps.’ Grinding down his arrogant edge will only benefit him.”
“You think you have what it takes to make this stubborn mule bow his head? Crawl back into seclusion and cultivate for a few thousand more years first.”
A lazy, drawling voice suddenly drifted into the cultivator’s ears.
His head snapped up, only to find Chen Changsheng standing casually right next to the iron cage.
The cultivator’s casual demeanor vanished, instantly replaced by lethal vigilance.
The cage holding the Xuan Bird was a mere thirty paces away.
For this stranger to bypass his senses and appear like a ghost… his cultivation base was absolutely monstrous.
At that moment, Chen Shisan staggered over. His robes were coated in thick dust, and a vivid trail of crimson leaked from the corner of his mouth.
“Sir. I won.”
Chen Changsheng barked a laugh. “Beaten half to death like a stray dog, and you dare claim victory? On what grounds?”
“Because my sword left its sheath first.”
“Drawing first guarantees victory?”
“Yes. I drew before him, which means my blade would have pierced his throat first.”
“But there were twenty paces between us. Lacking cultivation, my flesh could not outrun his Sword Qi.”
“However, if the distance had been within five paces, his Sword Qi would not have been faster than my blade.”
Chen Changsheng clicked his tongue, digesting the boy’s cold logic.
“Sound reasoning. But the fact remains, you have not defeated him!”
“Get back in there. I fully support you.”
Chen Shisan shot Chen Changsheng a deadpan glare, then wordlessly turned and grabbed the heavy iron bars of the cage, attempting to drag it away.
“Wait. I told you to get back in the fight. Why are you dragging the cage?”
“You commanded me to take the Xuan Bird. You never commanded me to fight them. They are no longer obstructing me, so why should I attack?”
“But they are obstructing me!”
Looking up at Chen Changsheng’s feigned anxiety, Chen Shisan spoke with maddening calm.
“Them obstructing you is your own karma. I am strictly responsible for acquiring the Xuan Bird.”
“Furthermore, I may be a man of few words, but I am not an idiot.”
“You deliberately marched me into a trap to watch me make a fool of myself. Therefore, I will not help you deal with them.”
The boy’s absolute deadpan delivery successfully coaxed a genuine chuckle from Chen Changsheng.
“You little brat. You speak like molasses, but every word is a lethal strike.”
“If you knew I was throwing you into the fire, why did you still step forward?”
Straining every muscle in his frail body to push the iron cage, Chen Shisan grunted his reply.
“A trap is a trap. But the task you assigned still must be completed. After all, a transaction was made.”
With that, Chen Shisan leaned his entire meager weight against the cage.
Yet, against the sheer tonnage of the massive iron bars, even with his face flushed a dark crimson from exertion, he only managed to budge it roughly an inch.
Glancing at the pathetically struggling youth, Chen Changsheng turned to the surrounding cultivators with an easy smile. “Gentlemen, I apologize for the comedic display.”
“The child is ignorant of the world’s ways. Please, pay him no mind. I will be taking the Xuan Bird now. Everyone is free to disperse.”
“Fellow Daoist, I fear the Xuan Bird is not so easily claimed.”
“Which sect do you hail from? I distinctly recall the guest list lacking a character such as yourself!”
The sword cultivator barred Chen Changsheng’s path just as he prepared to leave.
Without missing a beat, Chen Changsheng reached into his robes, producing a gilded invitation.
“This humble one is Wang Er Mazi of Mount Cangyun. And this here is my Junior Brother, Li Dazui.”
“My name is indeed recorded on this invitation. Fellow Daoist, perhaps you ought to sweep it with your Divine Sense once more.”
The crowd: “…”
The sheer audacity of the lie was insulting. Even if he was here to smash the venue, he didn’t need to treat them like utter imbeciles!
Did this man even consider why ‘Wang Er Mazi’ possessed that specific moniker?
His skin was smooth as jade, utterly devoid of a single pockmark. What gave him the right to claim the name Wang Er Mazi?
“Is that so!”
“What a tragic coincidence. I happen to be old acquaintances with Fellow Daoist Wang from Mount Cangyun.”
“Fellow Daoist Wang’s birth name is simply Wang Er. It is solely because his face is riddled with hideous scars that the world gifted him the title ‘Wang Er Mazi’.”
“Dare I ask, Fellow Daoist… where exactly are the ‘pockmarks’ on your face?”