Chapter 289 - Mystic Domains (1/2)

The furor simmered down, albeit with great difficulty. Everyone, especially the Elders of the League, was still very much anxious at the trio’s safe return and they needed to hear from them what had actually happened that day.

But it was an interrogation that needed to be done in private. The Elders mentioned nothing about the anomaly that caused their disappearance, speaking to them only about the next stage of the tournament. The anomaly had unsettled the public and it was imperative to avoid an all-out panic.

To compensate Xiao Chen and the other two their lost time, the Elders agreed to allow them to enter any level of the Violet Illusory Land of their choosing.

This was done with the acquiescence of contestants from other schools and sects, for they too acknowledged that Xiao Chen, Xiaoyue, and Huangfu Xin’er had been the top leaders in the race of the Forest of Illusory Moon and they were hence qualified to enter the highest strata of the Illusory Land.

It was a piece of news that Xiao Chen welcomed greatly. The offer of training for a month in the highest strata of the Illusory Land would see him catching up to Zuoqiu Yang and the rest. In fact, this offer opened another option for him; one so bold and daring, at such later stages of the Core Forming Realm: the Wisdom-forsaking Technique taught to him by Bai Ying.

A boyish youngster came to him suddenly. “Greetings, Senior Brother Xiao. My name is He Feng, a student of the Taiji Seminary at the Northern Continent.”

Xiao Chen looked at him. The benign smile He Feng was wearing indicated no hostilities, Xiao Chen observed and smiled in return. “How can I help you, brother?”

“Well, I’d hardly dare to address myself as a senior to you, Master Xiao. But I have long admired your skills and I thank the stars for being able to meet you today. I would like a duel with you. Just a little contest to test my skills and perhaps learn something from you.”

Xiao Chen’s eyes narrowed as he studied the young man. He could sense that the young man possessed powers on par, or even slightly higher than that of his, nearing the Ninth Tier of the Core Forming Realm. He had never once seen him before, even during the test of the Forest of Illusory Moon, but he was willing to agree to the duel, deeming him different from Zuoqiu Yang and others who harbored only ill will towards him.

“A duel it is then, although I’d doubt I have anything that you should admire me about,” he replied, grinning as he nodded.

“So, I’ll take that as a yes, no?”

He Feng was trembling with excitement. He had been a common cultivator of humble beginnings, growing up with tales of Xiao Chen’s heroics until he finally witnessed with his own eyes Xiao Chen’s greatness in battle in the Forest of Illusory Moon. Since then, he had but only one wish: to duel against Xiao Chen to see how far had he came.

He never had the courage before, due to his lacking of power which was miles behind Xiao Chen. But this time, it was different: he was sure his powers had not only caught up to his idol, and he was also confident he now possessed powers greater than him.

“Indeed,” Xiao Chen smiled, nodding his head again.

The mob of onlookers and students from other schools and sects of magic immediately retreated to give them a wide berth, anxious to see the fight themselves.

“Here I come, Senior Brother Xiao!” He Feng exclaimed, exuberant with enthusiasm. He leaped thirty feet backward and channeled his powers. He felt his magic force churning in his Dantian point and released them like a burst of fire that immediately materialized into seven spirit swords, gleaming brilliantly in gold.

He Feng muttered a quick spell and the seven swords shot into the air, blazing like fiery comets as they raced for Xiao Chen. Everyone in the square held their breaths as they watched the scene unfolding. No one had expected a simple and quiet youngster like him could wield his spirit swords which he had shaped with his own True Energy with such skill and fluidity as if they were limbs of his own!

But just before the tips of the golden blades could graze Xiao Chen, he vanished! Instead, he retook form just in front of He Feng in the blink of a second and delivered a powerful blow into the latter’s chest.

There was huge bang that sounded like cannonfire and He Feng, still barely comprehending what had happened, was sent careening backward for forty to fifty feet before he crashed to the ground in a plume of dust. The crowd erupted. With just one stroke, Xiao Chen had ended the duel and more than half of them actually understood what had happened.

Up upon the dais at the center of the square, the Elders gulped in silence. “Despite being missing for two months, the boy still never ceases to amaze. Would that he had not been missing for the past two months, he could have easily vied for the title of the Strongest Youth in all of the Five Continents!” They looked at each other, exchanging weak, wordless smiles. “If only their own grandchildren were as talented as him…”

He Feng got to his feet and dusted himself. “It seems that I’m still nowhere nearer to your great strength, Master Xiao,” he breathed with a weak grin and said.

“You’re being modest, Brother He,” Xiao Chen remarked politely. From the corners of his eyes, he saw a seething Zuoqiu Yang, who was the reason he accepted the duel, retreating away from the crowd.

“A true contender to the title of the Strongest,” animated talks and whispers began stirring from the crowd, “Even with the loss of time, he remains the unconquered and undefeated champion.”

But there were many who had yet to hear Xiao Chen’s name. They looked aghast and shocked. “How is this outcome even possible? When the powers these two youngsters wield were almost on par?”

With more business to attend to, Xiao Chen withdrew quickly away from the busy square to return to his lodgings. He found Zhiluan enjoying a great time with Xian’er and watched them with apparent amusement. “What odd companions, a girl and a cat, yet what good friends they have become.”

Murong Xian’er sprang to her feet and scampered to him when she saw him. She tugged at his sleeve, saying, “The greedy cat is too naughty! He slipped into the kitchens just now and stole some food before he came back.”

That made Xiao Chen surprised. “This is not the Burg of the Feral Phoenix, you d*mn cat,” he thought at first. He looked at Zhiluan solemnly. “You’d better watch yourself, you scaredy-cat, lest someone should catch you and chop you up for medicine.”

Zhiluan gave him a harsh snort and turned its head away indignantly. “You’d best worry about yourself! Voices are whispering about your ruin in the streets! And before I forget, where are the tonic and elixirs you’ve promised me?”

Xiao Chen shook his head and buried his face in his hand, exasperated. Zhiluan had never stopped buggering him about this and he would never let him go, he realized. Later that afternoon, he went out to make purchases of herbs and spices. Fortunately, Tianyuan City was a larger and busier city than the Burg of the Feral Phoenix and he was able to procure everything he needed to brew more Lark’s Serum.