Chapter 49: Li Xingyao’s Grim Visage

“Senior Island Master Hong, there’s no need to worry. I’m just here to watch, not to compete.” Qingxi had originally planned to enter the arena and spar with others, but seeing Hong Jiu’s sour expression, he immediately changed his mind.

“Hmph! From the moment you stepped onto the island holding a blue-level token, whether you fight or not is no longer up to you. This time, you must battle!” Hong Jiu pressed a hand firmly on Qingxi’s shoulder, stepped lightly, and whisked him across the ground, bringing him to the grand hall nestled halfway up the mountain.

This scene made Qingxi’s heart tighten. There was too little elemental force left in his system’s space now, utterly incapable of threatening an innate realm expert, and a deep sense of powerlessness welled up inside him.

“Listen well, boy. The Heroes’ Gathering begins tonight. My disciple will soon take the stage. When the time comes, I want you, as Ouyang Changfeng’s disciple, to challenge my disciple.” Hong Jiu’s tone was domineering, not allowing Qingxi any chance to object.

“Senior, your disciple isn’t already in the innate realm, is she? If so, am I not just walking into a beating?” Qingxi’s face was full of worry.

Hong Jiu’s face was full of smugness. “Don’t fret. My disciple is only at the peak of Qi Refining. Though you’re three minor realms below her, as Ouyang Changfeng’s sole disciple, you should at least be able to exchange a few moves, right?”

Seeing Hong Jiu’s mischievous grin, Qingxi suddenly felt the urge to pummel Ouyang Changfeng. Clearly, Ouyang Changfeng had offended Hong Jiu, and this was his way of getting revenge. The more Qingxi thought about it, the more he felt Ouyang Changfeng was the most treacherous master in the world.

He forced a smile uglier than a cry. “Can I say no?”

“Oh, so you say yes. Good. Tonight at the Heroes’ Gathering, remember to challenge my obedient disciple. Don’t worry, she’ll let you have a few moves. Just try not to lose too badly.” Hong Jiu chuckled, as if savoring the prospect of finally getting his way.

He pointed to his own eyes, glared at Qingxi, and said, “Don’t even think about slipping away. This Island Master is watching you!”

In the end, Qingxi descended the mountainside with a look of utter despair.

He found a spot, changed into clean clothes, and then headed toward the Volcano Hall.

On the way, he looked around, but found no trace of Hong Jiu. He muttered to himself, “That old fox is definitely watching me from somewhere. But he doesn’t know my cultivation has already reached the peak of Qi Refining, and my spiritual root has been upgraded to spirit-grade. With the blood energy I’ve absorbed these past days, my raw strength is up to two thousand pounds. So what if his disciple is at the peak of Qi Refining? Am I supposed to be scared?”

Thinking of Hong Jiu’s smug threat, Qingxi rubbed his hands together, his smile growing ever more arrogant.

Soon after, he arrived at the main entrance of Volcano Hall.

It was dusk. The river was dyed crimson by the setting sun, waves rolling endlessly, scarlet rays scattering in all directions—truly a feast for the eyes.

At that moment, people were disembarking from the ships docked at the pier, entering the Volcano Hall.

Among the crowd, he recognized many familiar faces.

Li Xingyao, Li Xingchen, and other disciples of the Scarlet Flame Sect were all present. There were also many unfamiliar faces, so Qingxi quickly activated his data-reading function, discovering that disciples from both the Scarlet Flame Sect and the Bliss Sect had arrived in numbers.

Aside from the group led by Yun Wei, the Bliss Sect had sent a second batch, among whom were Hua Rui and Ru Hong, two of the sect’s top ten inner disciples.

The Water Immortal Sect disciples had arrived early and were already resting inside the Volcano Hall.

Besides these three major sects, there were many renowned families from the Eastern Region, such as the Wang Family to which Wang Miao belonged, as well as other clans and heirs to powerful wandering cultivators.

Yet another large ship docked at the pier, and numerous disciples from the Spirit Yuan Sect came ashore—among them, Qingxi’s “old acquaintance,” Zhou Yuanlong.

Zhou Yuanlong’s eyes were still swollen, his expression as if someone owed him millions, walking shoulder to shoulder with several Spirit Yuan Sect inner disciples at the twenty-something level of Qi Refining.

“The Spirit Yuan Sect, huh? Tonight at the Heroes’ Gathering, I’ll make sure you all get what’s coming to you!” Li Xingchen stood at the entrance to Volcano Hall, glaring at the new arrivals with a face full of anger.

Every time he recalled the events at Tiger Roar Forest, rage and frustration surged within him.

Zhou Yuanlong and the Spirit Yuan Sect disciples didn’t understand why Li Xingchen was so hostile, but since the two sects were semi-hostile by nature, and Zhou Yuanlong had recently been beaten by Qingxi, his mood was sour. He sneered, “You dare to bark with only a dozen levels of Qi Refining? Careful you don’t get beaten till you’re rolling on the ground.”

“Haha, Brother Zhou overestimates Li Xingchen. If it weren’t for Li Xingyao’s protection, his own cultivation wouldn’t even get him through the doors of Volcano Hall,” laughed a Spirit Yuan Sect inner disciple.

Upon hearing this, Li Xingchen was livid, smoke practically pouring from his ears. He quickly turned to Li Xingyao for help. “Brother, look at these Spirit Yuan Sect people—so arrogant!”

Li Xingyao had never recovered from his losses at Tiger Roar Forest. His mood was foul and he snapped, “Shut up! If your cultivation weren’t so weak, would they dare treat you like this? But… they insulted my own brother. During the martial contest, I’ll make the Spirit Yuan Sect taste the dirt.”

He unleashed and withdrew his peak Qi Refining aura in a flash, but the pressure was immense, causing Zhou Yuanlong and his companions to pale.

Li Xingyao was one of the Scarlet Flame Sect’s top ten inner disciples, a famed genius in the Eastern Region, and only the Spirit Yuan Sect’s top ten inner geniuses could match him.

“Don’t get cocky, Li Xingyao. When our top ten seniors arrive, you’ll see what’s coming!” Zhou Yuanlong knew private fights weren’t allowed on Fire Island, so he raised his voice in mockery.

“You’re dead meat!”

Li Xingyao swept a cold, vicious gaze over Zhou Yuanlong, unwilling to waste words, and strode quickly into the hall.

Qingxi, standing in a humble corner, watched the “performance” with great interest, reading everyone’s information as he did.

“So only a few peak Qi Refining cultivators showed up? Is this so-called Eastern Region Heroes’ Gathering really so low-level?” Qingxi shook his head, utterly uninterested in tonight’s sparring.

He didn’t know that the Eastern Region Heroes’ Gathering was held annually, and participants were generally under twenty-two years old.

Anyone who could reach the peak of Qi Refining at that age was, without exception, a spirit-grade genius.

Across the entire Eastern Region, such geniuses only appeared once a year, sometimes not even that often.

And since some talented disciples happened to be unavailable, the number of suitable peak Qi Refining geniuses attending the Heroes’ Gathering seldom exceeded ten.

Seeing most people had entered, Qingxi quietly slipped into a corner spot.

Most there were young members from various family factions. Though not strong, they qualified to attend.

Ten meters away were the seats of the Scarlet Flame Sect.

Sitting at the head, Li Xingyao’s expression suddenly grew grim.

For he noticed the Bliss Sect disciples were casting strange glances his way—like he was some kind of spectacle.

Those Bliss Sect female disciples, who once fawned over him, now hesitated, faces full of regret.

This odd phenomenon made Li Xingyao frown.

On the Bliss Sect side, some pointed at Li Xingyao, whispering cautiously.

“Did Li Xingyao really castrate himself?”

“Absolutely.”

“Who did you hear that from?”

“Li Ba said so.”

Li Xingyao had the highest cultivation, and excellent hearing.

His mood was already foul; hearing these whispers, his rage soared, his face contorting into that of a lion on the verge of berserk fury.