134 Chapter 133: Xianxia Villain Logic (1/2)

”WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU?!” I exploded, unable to endure the absurdity of the situation any longer.

Everyone turned to stare at me. Jiang Jun Hao's face darkened as he glared at me. Pointing his spear at me, he snarled, ”brat, stay out of this. This doesn't concern you.”

”You're threatening my friend, of course it concerns me!”

”Your friend, eh?” Jiang Jun Hao's lip curled into a sneer. ”Then you shouldn't mind dying together with him.”

”See, that's the problem! What the fuck is wrong with you?!” I snapped, annoyed at his callous disregard for life. ”Killing and dying, or whatever! What, you think this is ancient China or something!? Or some sort of ridiculous 'kill or be killed' xianxia setting?! That you can go around casually murdering people? What do you think the law is for?”

”Watch your tone,” Jiang Jun Hao warned, his expression growing graver. I snorted and showed him my middle finger.

”Why should I? You're not somebody worth my respect. I mean, just listen to yourself.” I gestured at his spear. ”You're basically saying, 'you dared to snatch the weapon I was trying to kill you with, you have to give me your weapon in compensation.' What kind of fucked-up logic is this? So you can go around killing anybody as you please, and we're not allowed to fight back?”

”Of course! Do you know who I am? I'm from the Heavenly Way Sect!” Jiang Jun Hao didn't seem to notice the utter lack of logic in his statement. I couldn't help but bury my face in my palm before I rolled my eyes and turned to Zhu Jiao.

”Yeah, give him the gauntlets…smash them right into his chest.”

”I intend to do so,” Zhu Jiao replied as he cracked his knuckles. ”This bastard has been getting on my nerves for a while now.”

”Same here.”

Zhu Jiao turned to confront the bristling Jiang Jun Hao with a steely expression and cold, hard eyes.

”You know the rules for martial artists trying to obtain treasures. If you fight and compete for it, it's only natural that someone gets injured.”

”Brat, you still dare to argue!”

Jiang Jun Hao flared up furiously. My jaw dropped at his complete lack of logic.

”Then what is he supposed to do?” I demanded, clutching my head at the utter bullshit the bastard was spouting. ”Accept your unfair terms? Are you even listening to the nonsense you're spewing? That you can attack people, but they can't attack back? That we should hand over the treasures we fought so hard to obtain to you, just because you're from the Heavenly Way Sect? And we're not allowed to argue against such a tyrannical and clearly criminal intimidation?”

”Of course.” Jiang Jun Hao was so shameless that his skin must be meters…no, kilometers thick. ”I'm from the Heavenly Way Sect. That's how the world of martial arts works. The strongest rule over the weak. The Heavenly Way Sect is the strongest, therefore we dictate the rules, and everyone has to accept our decision.”

”And you call yourself an Orthodox Sect?” I spluttered in disbelief. ”What happened to values of justice and compassion?”

”Strength is justice!”

The fucker continued to insist on his incredibly flawed logic. My vein twitching in my temple (and I wondered why I even bothered to debate with this idiot – more likely this whole scene was just a chance for me to rant about the complete lack of logic and practicality in every wuxia and xianxia novel that existed on the Internet, rather than being meant for realism), I raised a finger.

”Firstly, if you're talking about the strongest, the Heavenly Way Sect isn't the strongest. You can't even beat any of the other seven major sects.”

”Hah!” Jiang Jun Hao snorted. ”It's not as if either of you are from a major sect! Losers like you definitely belong to some minor sect on the verge of being disbanded. It's your duty to listen to us direct disciples from the major sects!”

”HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!”

Jiang Jun Hao seemed to inflate with rage, his complexion turning red as he glared at me, his grip on his spear tightening.

”What's so funny, you fucking weakling?”

”You,” Zhu Jiao replied in my place because I was too busily laughing. Not that he wasn't amused. He had to fight to control his laughter as well. Jabbing a trembling thumb at me as he sort to suppress a chuckle, he continued, ”My friend is from the Nine-Tailed Fox Sect. So your assumption about either of us not being from a major sect is completely off the mark.”

”T…that's impossible! Judging from your amount of qi, you're too weak to be from the Nine-Tailed Fox Sect!” Jiang Jun Hao refused to believe Zhu Jiao's words. ”Ah! I get it! You're just trying to bluff, to prevent me from attacking, aren't you?!”

”This guy is deluded,” I told Zhu Jiao. He nodded in agreement.

”Yeah…he can't accept the truth even if it's staring right at him in the face.”

”Furthermore…” I turned back to Jiang Jun Hao. ”The whole 'survival of the fittest' and 'strong eat the weak' rhetoric has been outdated for centuries now. The real world doesn't work like that. The world operates on principles of democracy, such as the rule by the majority, and it is the duty of the nation-state to look after its citizens. All humans are entitled rights – the right to live, the right to be protection, the right to freedom. Why do you think the military exists and is subordinate to the government? Because it is the military's job to protect the citizens, not to rule over them tyrannically. The nation-state relies on every citizen, or it cannot survive. What use is a king without subjects? What use is a soldier without civilians to protect? If you bully the weak and kill all the farmers, who's going to grow crops and produce food for you? If you slaughter merchants, who's going to sell stuff to you? If you torture the laborers and enslave them, won't they rebel? Then you'll be wasting money, time and resources trying to put down rebellions instead of having a working economy and efficient industry, and if you kill all of them in the end, who's going to run the factories and manufacture goods for you? Your clothing? Your weapons? Your equipment? Who do you think made those? Fellow warriors? You think you can bully everyone just because you're strong? No. You're just as reliant on the different classes and vocations to maintain your current lifestyle and survive as the people depending on you to protect them.”

”Fucking bullshit!” Jiang Jun Hao roared. ”If they don't obey, then I'll kill one of them to set an example! I'll force them with strength!”

”Again, violence isn't the answer. Like I said, if you kill all the proletariats, then who is going to work in the factories? If you kill all the farmers, or abused them to the point where they end up starving to death because you extorted all their food, then who is going to grow crops for you the next year round? You're just as dependent on them as they are on you!”

”Oh, shut up!”

Unable to rebut my argument and sound logic, Jiang Jun Hao resorted to trying to silence the truth. His eyes swept toward Zhu Jiao's spatial pouch, where the gauntlet-type Spirit Treasure Weapon was stored.

It was clear what he was thinking. To Jiang Jun Hao even a low-grade Spirit Treasure was an extremely precious item. Despite the power and influence of the eight major sects, they couldn't possibly afford to equip every single genius within their sects with such valuable Spirit Armaments. Jiang Jun Hao had invested a lot of resources and efforts into acquiring his Heavenly Spear. That was why he was on the verge of panic when Zhu Jiao almost stole it.

Admittedly, Jiang Jun Hao had keen foresight and was able to tell that the gauntlet-type Spirit Treasure Armament inside Zhu Jiao's spatial pouch was definitely an extremely amazing treasure. That was why, unlike the others, he refrained from aiming for the seemingly most powerful sword-type Spirit Treasure Armament and instead chose to compete for the gauntlet-type Spirit Treasure Armament instead.

Initially he had gotten complacent and believed that with the support of his own Spirit Treasure Armament and his own skills, he would be able to effortlessly acquire the treasure gauntlets. Who would expect that he would be denied by a ”nobody” like Zhu Jiao? If he had lost his Heavenly Spear, he would have ended up suffering a major blow instead!

The fucker obviously thought it was unfair. And I couldn't believe just how self-entitled that bastard was. Did he think every treasure he set his eyes on had his name on it or something? Just how self-centered could he get?

Zhu Jiao calmly watched Jiang Jun Hao for his reaction, then he suddenly brightened up when he had an idea. Circulating his qi, he then retrieved the gauntlets from his bag. He raised a finger to his mouth and bit it, drawing blood. Then in a single, fluid motion, he swiped the gauntlets with his blood, leaving a mystical, red mark that pulsated with qi.

Whoosh!

As the symbol drawn with Zhu Jiao's blood pulsed and seeped into the gauntlets, the treasure armament began to glow. The silver sheen vanished, replaced by blinding rays of gold light, and the mark of a Golden Kirin was suddenly carved into the surface of the gauntlets.

”Isn't that…the mark of the Golden Kirin Sect?”

It seemed that one of the people in the crowd nearby possessed quite a bit of knowledge regarding the sects, and voiced it out. Unfortunately, with the Golden Kirin Sect destroyed for a couple of centuries, the name did not register in the arrogant and utterly ignorant Jiang Jun Hao, who was clearly a frog in the well.

Golden scales covered the gauntlets in a dragon-like pattern, imbued with the power of a celestial dragon. Serrated spikes or horns usually featured on that mythical creature grew along the sides of the gauntlets, gleaming ferociously. A menacing aura was emanated from both gauntlets, which seemed to have taken a fearsome life of its own.

Zhu Jiao stared at the transformed Spirit Treasure Armament, his eyes wide in awe. He put them on and swung his arms. Waves of golden qi rippled outward, causing violent tremors in the earth that surged throughout the entire cavern. Even the spectators clustered within the main hall to watch the inevitable fight were thrown off balance, staggering around as they tried not to get swept off their feet by the unexpected quake.

”Heavenly Golden Draconic Gauntlets!”

Zhu Jiao read the four Chinese characters that were etched alongside the blood mark shaped like a Golden Kirin that he placed on his Spirit Armament earlier. He nodded in satisfaction as he sensed the flow of qi flooding across his new weapon.

”What a formidable pair of gauntlets!”

”Can you stop copying Lin Dong?” I complained, glancing nervously at the existences gathering behind the fourth wall and hoping they wouldn't accuse us of plagiarism.

”You bastard! How dare you leave a Blood Essence Imprint?!”

Ignoring me as always, Jiang Jun Hao bellowed in fury. Zhu Jiao had moved quickly before the Heavenly Way Sect disciple realized what he was doing, and by the time the latter comprehended his intent, it was way too late. The color drained from his face as he digested the events unfolding before his eyes.

Earlier, the Heavenly Golden Draconic Gauntlets did not have any owner. But by being the first to leave his Blood Essence Imprint, Zhu Jiao had officially attained ownership over it, becoming the rightful wielder of the precious Spirit Treasure Armament.

Even though it was still possible for Jiang Jun Hao to erase the Blood Essence Imprint if he was able to rob Zhu Jiao of the weapon, it would require the expenditure of a lot of time, resources and effort. In other words, it would be extremely troublesome.

”Why would he not dare to?” I snapped, getting tired of the bastard's self-entitled attitude. ”The weapon is his to begin with. He claimed it fair and square after beating the rest of you to it. Or are you going to steal all the other Spirit Treasure Armaments too?”

At my words, the other winners who had succeeded in acquiring the Spirit Treasure Armaments hastily became on guard, watching Jiang Jun Hao warily and preparing for battle. It was clear that they would all ally with each other and crush the idiot if he admitted that he had such an intention. But they wouldn't bother to intervene if Jiang Jun Hao didn't attack them.

By the way, not all of the Spirit Treasure Armaments were claimed just yet. The spear and gauntlets clearly had been taken, but at least four of the remaining six were still up for grabs. Unfortunately, the competition for them remained fierce, particularly the vicious combat that surrounded the still unclaimed sword-type Spirit Treasure Armament.

Not that Jiang Jun Hao was interested in any of them. Nor did he switch his attention to the remaining unclaimed ones now that his original target had been taken. No, instead he insisted on snatching the gauntlets from its current owner.

Why Jiang Jun Hao only attacked Zhu Jiao and selectively targeted him, I had no idea. Even though the logical move would be to switch his attention to some other unclaimed Spirit Treasure Armament. Probably for plot purposes, for the protagonist to fight against an antagonist for no reason other than to show off the protagonist's skills and luck, make the antagonist jealous of him, to set up future conflicts or to justify the protagonist kicking his ass. I couldn't help but sigh at the ridiculous, yet utterly predictable development.

Overwhelmed by fury, Jiang Jun Hao finally launched his attack. Arching his back backward, he gathered as much destructive qi into his Heavenly Spear as possible, curling his arm as far back as he could in a throwing motion. Blazing crimon qi swirled around it, creating a visible halo similar to that of the sun.

”Gae Bolg!”

Jiang Jun Hao then hurled his crimson spear at the awaiting Zhu Jiao. Just like the Servant from whom he ripped the attack from, the Heavenly Spear streaked across the cavern with terrifying power and speed.

”Hmph!”

Zhu Jiao snorted when he saw that Jiang Jun Hao finally attacked him. He gathered as much qi as he could, and I recognized his Golden Kirin Sacred Beast technique, which he applied to his gauntlets to boost its power tremendously. He raised a brightly glowing golden gauntlet, and then spun around to punch the incoming Heavenly Spear.

Bang!

There was a brief explosion, and then the Heavenly Spear was sent hurtling backward. Even as Jiang Jun Hao caught the weapon, astonished, incredibly powerful shockwaves were buffeting the vast main hall, knocking over stunned spectators and eliciting shocked cries. Zhu Jiao, however, remained standing firmly on earth, completely unscathed. Despite being hit by the shockwaves, his glowing gauntlets seemed to absorb them, dispelling the kinetic energy and rendering it harmless before it could reach their wielder.

”How…?!” Jiang Jun Hao gasped. Even I couldn't help but marvel at the incredible sight.

A Spirit Treasure Armament was really awesome. Man, I wanted one of my own, but because I wasn't a protagonist, I wouldn't get it. Such was life, and the mediocre fate that we commoners and mob characters were doomed to.

Zhu Jiao was already stronger than Jiang Jun Hao to begin with, so having a Spirit Treasure Weapon wasn't going to make much of a difference. Only the foolish would overly rely on their Spirit Armaments for victory.

Weapons didn't determine the outcome. The skill of the wielder did. You could have a god-tier Treasure Weapon, but if you don't know how to wield it, it would be useless in your hands and even someone with a low-quality sword could defeat you if he possessed the skills. Conversely, in the hands of a master, anything could be a weapon. Even a blade of grass.

The quality of weapons only mattered if the skill of the users were too close. Admittedly, the more skilled you were, the better quality your weapon had to be, because most low quality weapons wouldn't be able to handle the amount of qi you infuse it with, or the techniques you used. But if you were weak to begin with, then it didn't matter how powerful or godlike or high-quality your Spirit Armament was. It would just be little more than dead weight.