Chapter Four: I Need a Favor

“Did that diviner say how we’re supposed to deal with it? Is it something to do with the ancient martial arts hidden within the stone tablets?”
“The initial assessment suggests that’s the case.”
“But ever since the stone tablets appeared, countless cultivators from all over have studied them with no progress—only that the material is extraordinarily hard. Now, all the tablets have already been taken by the top sects, regional royal courts, and the sovereigns of the Mystic Beasts, yet no further discoveries have been made even after repeated investigation.”
“What about the last two lines of the prophecy? Are they suggesting some kind of Celestial Palace is going to appear and take control over the entire Divine Wind Continent?”
“That’s right. That’s the conclusion all the sects have reached together.”
“So what’s our Upper Peak Asura Palace’s view on this?”
“The leading sects have agreed that, in the next thousand years, we’ll focus on cultivating every talent we can find, entrust them with the stone tablets, and hope they can study or master the ancient martial arts. Even if it comes to nothing, at the very least, the continent will have a great number of talented and powerful cultivators to face the coming challenge together.”
“Yes, that’s a sound plan,” the other peak masters nodded in agreement.
“However, the thousand stone tablets were seized by various factions unevenly. For the sake of their sects’ legacies, which stretch back for tens of thousands of years, none are willing to suffer a loss in silence. This will inevitably spark conflict—fights over the tablets, and the secret assassination of other sects’ prodigies to strengthen themselves.”
“It’s bound to happen.”
“The three Grand Elders also recommend that from now on, we begin to keep an eye on all talented disciples within the sect, cultivating them as seeds in advance. When the time comes for the hundred-sect disciple competition initiated by the Upper Peak sects, if our own disciples perform well and succeed, all three Grand Elders will personally come out of seclusion to serve as their protectors.”
...

Meanwhile, after a blissful, lengthy nap, the chubby Gu Changqing freshened up briefly, then snuck out to a secret rendezvous.
He returned at sunset.
Although his recent trip to the Scripture Pavilion had helped him advance a level, among his peers he was still at the bottom—hardly worth mentioning.
Gu Changqing, who couldn’t even match his own little girlfriend’s cultivation, was deeply stung.
“How can I advance quickly without harming my foundation?...”
He pondered this for a long time, nearly knocking his own head open in frustration, when suddenly he remembered a line from the biography of a hero he’d read in the Scripture Pavilion: “Only real combat between life and death is the swiftest path to advancement.” He found this very reasonable.
Of course, for the life-loving Gu Changqing, combat was fine, but he’d rather leave out the life-or-death part. Besides, they were all fellow disciples—how could he bring himself to seriously harm them?
Having thus convinced himself, Gu Changqing strode out with high spirits.
From that day forward, a wicked wind began to blow through the Outer Sect of the Seven Peaks—a phenomenon that would not subside for a long time.

Within the ethereal sect, disciples below the Foundation Establishment stage all belonged to the Outer Sect;
Upon reaching Foundation Establishment or placing in the top three in the Outer Sect competition, they would be absorbed into the Inner Sect;
Similarly, the top three in the Inner Sect competition, or those who achieved Core Formation, would become highly honored core disciples;
Those who saw no hope of reaching the Nascent Soul stage would generally become sect stewards or elders without real authority;
Those who successfully advanced to Nascent Soul could become true power-holding elders of the various peaks, entitled to open their own schools and accept disciples.
Currently, the seven peak masters were as follows: the chief of the main peak, Nangong Kang, had already reached the mid-stage of Divine Transformation; the masters of the second and third peaks were at the early stage of Divine Transformation; the remaining four peak masters hovered at the great circle of late Nascent Soul, with one foot already in the door of Divine Transformation.
The final guardians of the sect, the three Grand Elders: two were at the great circle of late Divine Transformation, and one had entered the initial stage of the Tribulation Crossing.
Their overall strength was formidable, yet across the continent they were still considered only second-rate.
As for the Asura Palace, the reason it could be called the Upper Peak and command hundreds of lesser sects was that it boasted ten elders at the great circle of late Divine Transformation—known as the Ten Lords of Yama—plus two protectors at the early Tribulation Crossing stage; the palace lord was at the mid-Tribulation Crossing stage, and there were rumors of two Grand Elders at the great circle of late Tribulation Crossing in seclusion year-round.
On the Divine Wind Continent, the two most powerful individuals recognized by all sects were: one, the enigmatic Overlord of the Supreme Hall, who had already reached the late Grand Ascension stage a century ago and was about to step into the Return to the Origin realm; the other, the even more mysterious Lord of the Mystic Beast Forest, also at the late Grand Ascension stage, with only the Overlord having ever fought him.

...

In the Outer Sect of the Seventh Peak, after the steward elders finished their lessons and departed, only the disciples remained—some alone, some in groups.
Ouyang Shuai, the youngest grandson of Peak Master Ouyang Jun, was as handsome as his name suggested. Influenced by his grandfather, he was exceedingly vain, always believing himself to be the most handsome among the younger generation. With the constant flattery of his lackey, A Yu, his sense of aesthetics had been warped to the point where he truly saw himself as unrivaled.
Ouyang Shuai was one of Mu Wan’er’s pursuers, and had even pitched a tent at the foot of Fifth Peak for her. But ever since learning that Mu Wan’er had been lured away by Gu Changqing—by means unknown—his mood had darkened, and his opinion of Gu Changqing had plummeted. Yet whenever he thought of Gu Changqing’s chubby figure, he would feel all the more satisfied with his own looks.
When Gu Changqing approached Ouyang Shuai, the latter was sprawled atop a large cushion, flirting with several rather attractive female disciples.
“Ouyang Shuai, come here, I need a word with you.”
Ouyang Shuai was immediately displeased. Turning around, he saw his rival in love and heard himself being addressed as ‘little brother’...
“Well, well, Chubby, who do you think you’re calling brother? After hiding for so long, you finally dare to show your face?”
Ouyang Shuai stood up, and his two underlings puffed themselves up and surrounded Gu Changqing.
“What do you intend to do? I just need to talk to my little brother Shuai about something… If you dare lay a finger on me, I’ll report you to the disciplinary elders!”
Gu Changqing retreated as he spoke, warning them.

Hearing Gu Changqing’s timid words, Ouyang Shuai burst out laughing, pounding his chest and declaring,
“Report us? I’m not afraid. You two, give him a good lesson. If anything happens, I’ll take responsibility.”
Emboldened by his words, the two henchmen closed in. In their eyes, Gu Changqing was still the same third-level pushover, while both of them were at the fourth level—a sure win.
Just as Ouyang Shuai smugly waited to see Gu Changqing take a beating, Gu Changqing gathered his true energy and struck out with his fists, sending both lackeys stumbling back. In a flash, his fists became palms, chopping sharply; before they could recover, his palms turned into hooks, dragging them back, followed by a succession of knee strikes—his attacks flowing as smoothly as water. Ouyang Shuai’s two followers were soon doubled over on the ground, clutching their stomachs in agony.
Stunned, Ouyang Shuai had no time to react before Gu Changqing was standing before him. Startled, Ouyang Shuai stammered,
“What do you want?”
“I told you, I just need a word with you. It’s nothing serious—just that I want to challenge you to a duel!”
“A duel?”
Ouyang Shuai’s mouth fell open, as though he couldn’t comprehend what was happening...

With all three of Ouyang Shuai’s group lying defeated, the chubby Gu Changqing dusted off his hands and strode away.
On the Outer Sect of the Sixth Peak, Ouyang Luo, grandson of Peak Master Ouyang Guang, was engrossed in a biography.
“Ouyang Luo, come here, I need a word with you.”
“What is it?”
“Nothing much, really—I just want to challenge you to a duel.”
Wrestle, parry, grab, lock, block, spin…

Within a few breaths the fight was over; Ouyang Luo, at the fifth level and about to reach the sixth, had met his downfall.
“Gu Xiaoping, Nangong Fu, Nangong Lang, Nangong Sen, come here, I need a word with you.”
...