Chapter Eighty-Four: Conflict

As Kebei was drawing his reward, on the second floor of the Tower of Genesis, a group of youths dressed in black battle uniforms, each with an air of arrogance about their brows, swept a cold gaze over the members of the Azure Dragon List who were deep in thought before a pitch-black stone pillar.

“Boss, those are the losers from the Jiujiang Base,” one youth, his face marked with disdain, glanced at the crowd from the Azure Dragon List of Jiujiang Base and spoke with a sneer.

“Yu Wu! Watch your mouth. They’re still supposed to be top elites from the Azure Dragon List in Jiujiang’s genius training camp,” the leader of the group gave the Jiujiang Base crowd a detached look, flicking his sleeve with a curious tone. Anyone could tell that, though he seemed to be chastising Yu Wu, he was in fact mocking the Azure Dragon List representatives from Jiujiang.

“Heh, the boss is right—they are the Azure Dragon List’s so-called elites. How could we possibly afford to provoke them? But if I remember correctly, Jiujiang Base had thirty spots, didn’t they? Out of thirty, only six passed the recognition. Tsk tsk, truly ‘geniuses’ indeed.” Yu Wu grinned maliciously, heavily emphasizing the word “geniuses.” He rubbed his nose, glanced at his twenty-one companions, and the twisted smile on his lips grew even more pronounced.

These black-clad youths deliberately raised their voices, so their words rang clearly in the ears of the Jiujiang Base group.

“Damn it, those bastards are from the Gu Tang Base!” snapped a young man in a silver battle uniform standing before the black pillar. His brows knitted in anger, his fist clenched, and he made as if to charge forward.

“Don’t be rash. They have the numbers. If a fight breaks out, we won’t gain anything,” murmured another man at his side, placing a steadying hand on his shoulder.

Gu Tang Base was the foremost of humanity’s three great bases, its founder the undisputed number one master of mankind. Naturally, the prodigies from Gu Tang Base were proud and looked down on the talents from Jiujiang. The arrogance was not without cause: Gu Tang Base governed the most cities, and so attracted the greatest number of gifted individuals. In terms of overall strength, even discounting the very top geniuses, the Jiujiang training camp’s students were indeed weaker than those of Gu Tang.

Yet that was only in terms of averages. When it came to the top three of the Azure Dragon List—Li Qingfeng, Mu Duanhun, and Han Lingyue—among all of humanity, who below the level of Warlord could confidently claim to defeat them?

“The trash from Jiujiang Base needs to step aside. There are indeed seven sets of secret arts on that black stone pillar, but with your level of talent, I’d say you’d best not delude yourselves.” The leading youth in black stepped forward, staring coldly at the Jiujiang crowd before the pillar, his tone full of contempt.

“Whether we can obtain the secret arts or not is our own business. You needn’t concern yourselves. But as far as I know, last time, the only one to obtain a secret art was from Jiujiang, wasn’t it?” Bai Yong, ranked thirty-second on the Azure Dragon List and dressed in silver armor, slowly turned around to glare coldly at the leader of the black-clad youths, his voice low and steady.

“Enough chatter. I told you to get lost, so get lost. Why so much nonsense?” The leader’s face darkened at Bai Yong’s words, a cold glint flashing in his eyes as he barked out the order.

Bai Yong’s remark had hit a sore spot. The prodigies of Gu Tang Base always looked down on those from Jiujiang, but last time, despite sending fifty geniuses, not one managed to comprehend the secret art from the black pillar. Instead, someone from Jiujiang succeeded. For the proud prodigies of Gu Tang, it was a humiliation!

With a sharp command, the leader’s followers—more than twenty black-clad youths—surged forward, surrounding the Jiujiang group.

“Fuck! You arrogant bastard!” The leader’s shout was like a spark to dry tinder, igniting the fury of the Jiujiang geniuses. The earlier ridicule had already set their blood boiling. These silver-armored youths were the cream of Jiujiang’s genius training camp, the best of the best, and how could they, at the height of youthful pride, endure repeated mockery and insults?

“What do you want? Just say it—I’ll take whatever you dish out!” Bai Yong strode forward, fixing the black-clad leader with a cold, battle-thirsty gaze.

The other four from Jiujiang instantly leapt to Bai Yong’s side, fists clenched tight, ready to strike at any moment.

“What, you want to fight?” The black-clad leader swept a careless glance over the indignant Jiujiang group, a faint smirk curling his lips.

“Brothers, the Jiujiang ‘geniuses’ want to go a round with us. Shall we play with them for a bit?” he said with a shrug to his twenty-one black-clad companions, utterly unconcerned.

Amid the rising commotion, Luo Ling, who had been quietly waiting by the golden pillar for Kebei, furrowed her brows. She glanced at the two tense factions, her crystal-clear eyes flickering. After a moment, she silently looked toward the staircase within the golden pillar, then slowly began walking in the direction of the black stone pillar.

She, too, was from Jiujiang Base. In the face of Gu Tang’s provocation, Luo Ling felt she had to step forward.

“So, ganging up on the few—this is the style of Gu Tang Base?” Her long violet hair swayed as the tight black battle suit accentuated her graceful, alluring figure. Her airy voice, tinged with disdain, drifted through the crowd.

Earlier, Luo Ling had stood behind the golden pillar. Though the Gu Tang group had noticed someone there, the distance and the pillar’s glow had kept her features hidden. Now, as she strode forward on her long, shapely legs, all eyes brightened at the sight.

“Well, well, hiding a stunning beauty, are we? Hahaha! You want to reach the third floor, sweetheart? Big brother here suggests you give up. Last time, even with all three bases combined, not a single person managed it. You certainly won’t succeed.” The leader eyed Luo Ling’s graceful figure, licking his lips with a leering smile. “Call me big brother, and if I’m in a good mood, I might let you keep watching the pillar for a while.”

“Go to hell!” snapped the young man beside Bai Yong, infuriated by the black-clad youth’s leering taunt. His fist clenched, blue flames bursting to life, and with a curse he stomped forward, hurling his blazing fist straight at the offender.

ps: Sincere thanks to 13061737474, Reader 121014222333212, Shui Shui, Reader 121018105907842, Dreams and Reality, Liaoyuan111, and the generous support of Fengliu Xiaopiao. Special thanks to Supreme Final Strike for your repeated rewards—I’ve lost track of the exact amount, but your support means a lot. I’m doing my best to update diligently; first, I’ll adjust the release schedule, and then, an explosion of chapters will follow. Progress comes one step at a time, and I’ll keep working hard. I won’t let down my brothers who support me—never!

Today’s update came early. If you’ve enjoyed it, please consider voting! I may not know exactly what votes do, but everyone asks for them, so I can’t be left out…

Lastly, let me recommend a friend’s novel—it's quite good. If you’re interested, give it a try and add it to your collection.

[bookid=2492960, bookname="Undying Soul of Dust"]