Chapter 182: Entering the Field

Chapter 182: Entry

In this instant, Zhang Yuanqing felt he had truly become the most dazzling cub in the entire venue.

The official Walkers around him, like sharks scenting blood, whipped their heads around with astonishing speed, eager beyond measure to see what the Primordial Heavenly Venerable looked like.

The Queen glanced left and right, then looked back behind her. What she saw were faces of shock, excitement, and elation, and gazes converging upon them from all directions.

Nearly all the official Walkers in this section had heard Jiang Jingwei's booming voice.

"Primordial Heavenly Venerable, ah! Alive, ah! Finally saw him. Just like that 'Call Me Queen' on the forums said, he's really handsome, and young too."

"Yeah, yeah, I like this little milk-pup type. The real deal didn't disappoint. Just why are there so many women around him? Could he be like Young Master Hua, a playboy radish?"

"A little milk-pup with looks, strength, and youth—being popular is only natural. Another little brother to stan. He'll definitely become a Saint in the future."

"Want to go ask for an autograph. Looking forward to his performance."

Truly the focus of ten thousand eyes. This is what a celebrity-tier contestant looks like... The Queen felt both envious and moved.

She was the type who liked standing at center stage, so she often surfed the net, maintaining a presence everywhere. Her ID name was a reflection of her inner self.

So alongside envy, there was a pride of "sharing in the glory." She quite enjoyed sitting beside the Primordial Heavenly Venerable, basking in the attention.

Primordial Heavenly Venerable, right behind me... Annie, footsteps frozen, snapped her head around. Her gaze first swept rapidly through the crowd behind her, finally locking onto Zhang Yuanqing.

In this moment, information on the "Primordial Heavenly Venerable" surfaced in Annie's mind. A rising genius of the Five Elements Alliance's Songhai branch, early twenties... both details matched.

No way? He is the Primordial Heavenly Venerable?

And at this time, Jiang Jingwei had already come running cheerfully to Zhang Yuanqing and Guan Ya's side, excitement brimming:

"I've been looking for you guys for ages. Finally found you."

It really is him... Annie's expression turned complex in an instant.

She had always thought he was just an ordinary youth, an ordinary official Walker. Turns out he was the famous young genius of the Songhai branch.

Cleared two S-rank Secret Realms consecutively, advanced to Rank 3 in under three months. A figure like this, his dossier was enough to sit on the desks of leaders of major overseas Secret Realm organizations.

Listed as a key observation target.

The Demon Lord, back in the day, was only noticed by the Goddess Association at Rank 4 Saint stage. But that was because the Demon Lord was a loose cultivator, lacking a channel to make a name.

Overseas organizations naturally prioritize figures from official organizations. By the time they notice independent cultivators, said cultivators are usually already quite famous.

Annie gave the Primordial Heavenly Venerable a deep look, then quickly returned to Bill Talentino's side.

"You came, fine, but why shout so loud?" Zhang Yuanqing said in a low voice.

"What's wrong with me shouting for you?" Jiang Jingwei declared righteously. She didn't feel there was anything wrong with her volume at all. Besides, if she wasn't loud, he wouldn't have heard her.

What else can I say... Zhang Yuanqing forced out a smile.

Though the Primordial Heavenly Venerable was a newcomer, he had offended too many powers. Keeping a low profile on grand occasions was an instinct of "self-preservation."

But since his identity was exposed, so be it. He had to take the stage eventually anyway.

"Move over, I want to sit next to the Primordial Heavenly Venerable." Jiang Jingwei squeezed her little butt between Zhang Yuanqing and Xie Lingxi.

Xie Lingxi's stamina, how could it possibly withstand Jingwei, a Fire Master? She toppled over onto the Queen in an instant.

"Hey! How can you be like this!" Xie Lingxi said angrily.

"How am I?" Jiang Jingwei wore a look of utter bewilderment.

"This is my spot." Xie Lingxi glared, declaring her sovereignty.

"Oh, well, now it's mine." Jiang Jingwei said.

Seeing this was a domineering, unreasonable girl, the little green tea's eyes rolled, and she changed tactics, speaking weakly:

"Didn't they say Fire Masters are all heroes who uphold justice? Jingwei-jie, a powerful Fire Master like you, how can you steal someone else's seat? Let's swap back, Yuan Shi-gege wouldn't like a girl who steals seats either."

Jiang Jingwei frowned in confusion: "Whether he likes it or not is none of my business. You're really annoying. Keep making a fuss and I'll beat you."

"..." Xie Lingxi was so angry her little face flushed red, but she had no way to deal with this rude, domineering girl.

This Jiang Jingwei, her mind ran on a single track; she ate neither soft nor hard tactics.

Annie had just sat down when she heard Bill Talentino beside her exhale a sigh.

"We all underestimated him."

Chen Shu's son, he was actually the legendary figure of the Songhai Branch, a genius who rose like a comet.

Seeing that red-haired girl greet Chen Shu's son, calling out "Yuan Shi Tian Zun," even the well-traveled Mr. Bill was shocked.

But at the same time, he was delighted, because unwittingly, he had forged a fine friendship with Yuan Shi Tian Zun, and with this connection to Chen Shu, that friendship grew ever more solid.

The Merchant Guild valued connections greatly.

He would have to interact more with Chen Shu in the future, increase commercial dealings, offer preferential terms.

Getting close to Yuan Shi Tian Zun's mother was more cost-effective than trying to rope him in directly.

"Indeed..." Annie murmured: "If I'd known he was Yuan Shi Tian Zun that first day we met, I should have taken him to a hotel and conquered him in bed."

Annie regretted it more the more she thought, "Of course, it's not too late now."

Bill Talentino smiled:

"You plan to invest in him, just like Betty did back then?"

Because of the Light Compass's prophecy, major organizations worldwide paid extreme attention to Night Wanderers. Alas, Night Wanderer output was too low, and most newly awakened ones were absorbed by the Taiyi Sect.

Consequently, organizations both domestic and foreign, including the Five Elements Alliance, found it difficult to cultivate their own Night Wanderers.

Therefore, Night Wanderers not belonging to the Taiyi Sect were exceptionally precious.

Of course, one could invest in the Taiyi Sect's Night Wanderers too, but the cost-effectiveness didn't compare to rogue Night Wanderers.

Betty was one of the Demon Lord's lovers. Precisely because she hooked up with the Demon Lord and rendered great merit, she was now a powerful steward of the Beauty God Association, highly valued by the upper echelons.

Annie scoffed coldly:

"That woman clung to the Demon Lord, got a ton of benefits from him, and reaped the Association's rewards and nurturing to boot—she had the best of both worlds. Back then, her strength was far inferior to mine..."

"Yuan Shi Tian Zun is too high-profile. You might not be able to conquer him. I mean the Five Elements Alliance won't agree." Mr. Bill smiled.

“I wish you success; I have every confidence in the allure of your profession of love and lust.”

…

The commotion on this side quickly drew the attention of the audience opposite.

In the gaze of the opposite audience, the colleagues over there suddenly turned their eyes in unison toward a certain direction, the movement neat and uniform, strikingly conspicuous.

It seemed they were watching some “VIP.”

Zhu Rong looked to her male companion and ordered:

“A big shot over there? Go ask what's happening.”

The fair-faced, handsome young man rose respectfully, strode off, and returned before long in haste, his complexion poor:

“Rong Rong, it's the Primeval Heavenly Venerable.”

Primeval Heavenly Venerable… hearing this name, Zhu Rong's beautiful eyes narrowed, shooting forth a cold killing intent.

She reached out and grasped the air, pulling forth a monocular telescope, and said:

“What position is he in?”

As she spoke, Zhu Rong raised the telescope, looking across; her lips pressed into a cold line.

The young paramour lowered his voice:

“He's sitting right beside the red-haired girl, easy to recognize.”

At this, Zhu Rong slowly swept the monocular, then froze, locking onto the target.

Then, the young paramour saw Zhu Rong's lips, pressed into a cold line, suddenly curl upward, revealing a smile both delighted and dangerous.

…

In the area where the Taiyi Sect gathered, Sun Miaomiao saw from afar the red-haired Jiang Jingwei, and beside her a young man of blurred outline.

“That man is the Primeval Heavenly Venerable?”

She tilted her head, gaze fixed: “Who has an artifact to enhance eyesight? Lend it to me.”

Sun Miaomiao possessed a pair of large, glossy-black eyes, the sort usually described of children—bright, pure, like gemstones—hence the term “glossy-black” to depict such eyes.

Such eyes appearing on a young woman of marriageable age made one unable to forget her at first sight.

Coupled with a round face, ruddy little mouth, and straight nose, they composed a sweet and lovely visage.

And with the “noble” temperament of a Night-Wandering Deity added, she transformed from a sweet, lovely girl-next-door into a sweet, lovely little princess.

“What's there to look at?” Zhao Cheng Huang beside her said indifferently.

Sun Miaomiao glanced at the cold, proud Zhao Cheng Huang, puffed her cheeks, and said:

“None of your business!”

A pale, frail youth behind her handed over a golden-gleaming heart-protecting mirror, saying:

“Here.”

"Mao Mountain is still the best." Sun Miaomiao accepted the Heart-Protecting Mirror, scanned its properties, and instantly grasped its use.

She clutched the Heart-Protecting Mirror, her gaze piercing toward the distant Yuanshi Tianzun; moments later, the mirror's surface bloomed with a high-definition image, reflecting the very scene her eyes beheld.

Sun Miaomiao withdrew her gaze and lowered her head to the Heart-Protecting Mirror.

"Huh, he's actually quite handsome." She offered a compliment, then smiled radiantly: "I hope I draw him. When the time comes, I'll defeat Yuanshi Tianzun before everyone's eyes and clear Grandpa's name."

At this moment, Yin Ji in the front row turned her head back, her voice cool and clear:

"According to the data, Yuanshi Tianzun has no Yin Corpse. Miaomiao, beating him won't be hard. Your real opponent is Zhao Chenghuang."

"Yin Ji is right. The Transcendent-stage matches are an internal showdown within our Taiyi Sect."

The several Sages nearby laughed in agreement.

Sun Miaomiao smiled faintly.

She and Grandpa had agreed: if she could openly and honorably defeat Yuanshi Tianzun in the arena tournament, Grandpa would give her one of the children from the pagoda tree.

Sun Miaomiao had coveted those children for a long time; she harbored an extraordinary obsession with little spirit servants, much like how many girls' hearts bloom and maternal instincts flood forth at the sight of adorable cute things.

Sun Miaomiao didn't like pets; she liked little spirit servants—the smaller, the more obsessed she became.

Only the requirements for refining spirit servants were extremely harsh: on one hand, suitable aptitude was hard to find; on the other, the authorities forbade private refining of spirit servants, unless one was an evil profession or some law-abiding profession that did evil deeds.

But what crime could children possibly have committed?

The few children Grandpa kept in the tree were also there because of an accident—not because he forced children into servitude. They had originally been orphans he adopted, but due to an accident, those children perished in a sea of fire. Grandpa, grief-stricken beyond measure, violated organizational regulations and refined those children into spirit servants so they could remain by his side.

And even as an esteemed Elder, he received a major demerit for it.

Back to the point: because of Yuanshi Tianzun, Grandpa had been turned into a meme by the Night Wandering Deities in the sect. At first, he could still suppress those petty people with Yuan Ting's training videos, but as time went on, Yuan Ting and Grandpa became memes together.

The face-saving Grandpa grew anxious; it just so happened this arena tournament came along, so he spoke earnestly:

"Miaomiao, you must defeat Yuanshi Tianzun, so that bunch of rabbit cubs knows Grandpa isn't senile—rather, my Taiyi Sect brims with talent. Losing one Yuanshi Tianzun is nothing. Grandpa will let Little Red keep you company."

Little Red, aged seven at death, the youngest child in the pagoda tree.

…

In the front-row seats, Elder Hongying caught all the disciples' chatter behind her, and spoke with a smile:

"Old Sun, did you egg Miaomiao on to fight Yuanshi Tianzun?"

She cut the figure of a mature woman, brows kind, fine crow's feet at the corners of her eyes, yet her skin was fair and tender, showing no sign of age, possessing the charm of an older woman.

Elder Sun, wearing a white undershirt and dark boxer shorts, gently waved a palm-leaf fan and hmphed:

"Am I that kind of petty person?"

"Aren't you?" The curly-haired Teddy squatting on the seat retorted.

… Elder Sun couldn't be bothered to deal with this damn dog.

Elder Hongying then looked at the curly-haired Teddy and said with a smile:

"That child is not bad. Clean temperament. Pleasant to look at."

Elder Dog gave a grunt of assent. Compared to the other elders of the Hundred Flowers Assembly, his ties to the Primeval Heavenly Venerate ran a touch deeper. Though the boy was a member of the White Tiger Troops, he was, ultimately, his subordinate.

Come his future promotion to Steward, the lad would be a soldier under his own banner.

This eclectic system of the Five Elements Alliance, in some measure, shattered the barriers of sectarian prejudice, forging stronger bonds between the five great gangs.

...

"Primeval Heavenly Venerate, my big brother wants to see you. You'll come with me to meet him later, won't you?" Jiang Jingwei said.

"Your brother?" Zhang Yuanqing glanced around. "Where is he?"

Jiang Jingwei pointed into the distance. "That red-haired idiot over there is my brother. His name is Jiang Ju. He's Fu Qingyang's arch-rival."

Jiang Ju? The Fire Prince among the Four Young Masters? Zhang Yuanqing exclaimed in shock, "He's your brother?"

Jiang Jingwei wore an expression of 'making a mountain out of a molehill'. "Didn't you see we both have red hair? If we weren't born of the same father, how could we both be redheads?"

Your logic is flawed. Does that mean all those red-haired Lords were sired by your father too? Zhang Yuanqing asked curiously,

"Your father is an elder of the Crimson Fire Gang, then."

"My father is the *Gang Leader* of the Crimson Fire Gang!" Mentioning her old man, Jiang Jingwei's little face turned solemn. She struck an 'Aoli Gei' pose and declared, "Long live the Cuckold!"

No sooner had the words left her mouth than she saw the Primeval Heavenly Venerate to her right, and the two sisters to her left, all rise in unison and shuffle away, their faces uniformly etched with the look of having seen a ghost.

"You... you... your father is one of the Five Alliance Lords. Why didn't you ever say so before?" Zhang Yuanqing lowered his voice to a harsh whisper, terrified someone might overhear.

He had always assumed Jiang Jingwei was merely the offspring of some elder. Never in his wildest dreams had he imagined she was the little princess of the Crimson Fire Gang.

"You never asked." Jiang Jingwei stuck out her tiny waist with pride, and announced once more: "Long live the Cuckold!"

"So it's Her Highness the Princess!" Zhang Yuanqing beamed, obsequiously kneading her shoulders. "From now on, if the Princess has any orders, just summon me. I'm your lackey. Does the Princess's household have any... materials or props the old father doesn't want? Be sure to pass them to this lowly one for disposal."

Jiang Jingwei ate up the flattery, a little dizzy with delight. "Alright, next time I'll steal a few props for you!"

"Long live the Princess! Ah, no—Long live the Cuckold!"

At that moment, the Armored Sword-Keeler sitting in the front row rose and stepped into the center of the arena, his voice ringing out clear:

"The match pairings for today have been finalized."

Almost simultaneously, before every Spirit Realm Walker present, a dedicated Spirit Realm dialogue box materialized:

"Three Yangs Bring Prosperity VS Tokyo Is Kinda Hot."

"I'm Your Daddy VS A Night of Spring Breeze."

"Little Student Detective VS Toyotomi Hideyoshi."

"Rong Xiaolong VS Tang Ning."

"Yuan Ting VS Construction Site Foreman."

"..."

"Primeval Heavenly Venerate VS Maoshan Sorcerer."

……

Forty groups in total, eighty participants altogether.

The Armored Swordsman announced in a ringing voice:

"Next, the competition rules. Combatants may not voluntarily exit the Spirit Realm; those who do shall be deemed to have forfeited. The use of artifacts exceeding one's own rank by two levels is prohibited; violators will be treated as cheaters and disqualified. The use of artifacts with excessive lethality is forbidden; contestants must exercise their own judgment, though the final adjudication rests with the Elders…"

"Spectators needing the lavatory, please leave your seats and find a suitable place on your own."

"In ten minutes, the combatants of the first group are requested to enter the arena."

The venue erupted into a clamor instantly, discussions rising and falling in waves.

"Yuanshi Tianzun versus the Maoshan Warlock? A headline match on day one? Guess I'm staying."

"This exciting? The Maoshan Warlock ranks ninth on the Transcendent List, Yuanshi Tianzun eleventh. One of them gets eliminated today."

As per convention, many had planned to decide whether to stay or go only after the match list was released.

If the first day's roster lacked star-caliber contestants, the exodus would be significant—especially among Spirit Realm Walkers of the Sage stage, most of whom would choose to leave.

In their eyes, Transcendent-stage battles were mere child's play, devoid of appeal.

"The Maoshan Warlock…" Guan Ya frowned. "He's second-tier among the Transcendents of the Taichi Sect. The first tier belongs to Sun Miaomiao and Zhao Chenghuang; the second, to him and Yuan Ting. I don't know much about the Maoshan Warlock, but I know Yuan Ting's strength. Yuanshi, be careful."

Zhang Yuanqing gave a soft "Mm."

Ten minutes later, the first group entered. Sanyang Kaitai was a strikingly beautiful woman, a Wood Demon; Tokyo Is A Bit Hot, a Fire Master.

Wood feeds Fire in the Five Elements.

The Wood Demon was at a severe disadvantage against the Fire Master. After persisting for a dozen minutes or so, Sanyang Kaitai lost, unsurprisingly.

"Huh? Why do I feel both their martial physiques are weak? They're both Rank 3 Walkers, should be Captain-level figures. But I recall the Captains of Kangyang District having formidable combat arts…"

Zhang Yuanqing frowned inwardly as he watched. Then, he suddenly realized it wasn't that they were weak—it was that his own combat arts had improved too fast.

He used to think the Kangyang Captains were strong because he hadn't yet apprenticed under Old Si Ji.

Unbeknownst to him, through Old Si Ji's repeated hammering and tempering, his combat arts had already entered the hall of mastery.

This woman… truly worthy of being the trash hand-picked by Fu Qingyang… Zhang Yuanqing couldn't help but steal a glance at Old Si Ji's profile.

Time flew swiftly.

By noon, Jiang Zhenwei was clutching her stomach, wailing: "So hungry, so hungry, so hungry…"

Then she slumped against Zhang Yuanqing, listless, looking like she couldn't go on.

In the afternoon, starved past the breaking point, she revived—because she could no longer feel the hunger.

Right up until dusk, the arena matches finally neared their end.

The Armored Swordsman appeared in the arena, calling out in a loud voice:

"Maoshan Warlock! Yuanshi Tianzun! Enter!"

At this moment, the gazes of the audience inside the arena split into two factions without prior agreement.

One group looked toward the Taiyi Sect's direction, the other toward Zhang Yuanqing.

Cheers and shouts erupted at once; the duel had yet to begin, but the spectators were already in a frenzy.

The stewards and elders present remained as detached as ever, yet their refusal to leave betrayed an anticipation for the clash between the two star contestants.

Zhang Yuanqing rose, nodding to the four female companions at his side:

"I'm off!"

Striding purposefully down the steps, he made his way into the arena.

At the same instant, he saw a pale, slender youth rise from the Taiyi Sect's section; instead of taking the stairs, the boy leapt straight down from the stands ten-odd meters above.

Thud. Thud. Thud...

Another "spectator" rose and vaulted from the high platform, crashing to the ground in a half-kneel behind the youth.

A tumultuous roar surged up, cheering their entrance.

...