Chapter 55 Are You Not Ready?

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Despite understanding why Zhao Bufan held a grudge against him, Wu Shu was deeply displeased by his mockery. Unexpectedly, Zhao Renheng spoke coldly, “Bufan, do you even have the right to speak here? If this happens again, don’t blame your father for dealing with you harshly.”

This was the second time Zhao Renheng had defended Wu Shu in front of Zhao Bufan. Though Zhao Bufan dared not openly defy his father, he cast Wu Shu a chilling glance that seemed to say, “Just wait, I, Zhao Bufan, have not forgotten this grudge.”

Wu Shu, however, remained calm and indifferent toward Zhao Bufan’s hostility. Having experienced such childish spite before, he knew the best way to handle it was to avoid unnecessary words and be ready to act when necessary.

At this moment, Li Shangwen, seated behind the Li family elder Li Zhaoyun, could no longer restrain himself. Not only did he have a close relationship with Zhao Bufan, but Wu Shu’s blatant disregard for the sentiments of the heirs of the Eight Great Families warranted a proper lesson.

“A bumpkin is a bumpkin; I don’t think Bufan said anything wrong,” Li Shangwen remarked.

With Zhao Bufan and Li Shangwen leading the charge, the direct descendants of the other six great families attending the grand contest between the Human and Demon clans all wore amused smiles, looking down on Wu Shu while sneaking glances at Li Zhaoyun, eager to see his reaction. This only fueled Wu Shu’s anger.

In the recent clash between the Giant Elephant Mountain Range and the Demon clan, the Qian, Li, Zhou, and Wang families of Emperor Kun City had all dispatched their elders to battle. For this grand contest in Dongsu City, the Li family had left elder Li Zhaoyun to oversee affairs.

Though he knew Li Shangwen and Zhao Bufan were close, Li Zhaoyun did not expect Li Shangwen—usually even-tempered—to so readily take the blame cast at Wu Shu.

Recalling Wu Shu’s performance in the Giant Elephant Mountain Range and knowing a powerful master must stand behind him, Li Zhaoyun calmly said, “Shangwen, do not be rude.”

Amidst the eager gazes of the other family elders, Li Zhaoyun continued, “Young Wu Shu may hail from Dongsu City, where cultivation conditions are indeed poor and resources scarce, but his talent must be exceptional. Otherwise, he would not have achieved such strength in such a harsh environment. Surely, the sect behind Wu Shu is no ordinary one.”

Li Zhaoyun’s diplomatic words drew silent curses from the other elders, calling him a “cunning old fox.”

Wu Shu cupped his hands respectfully. “You flatter me, elder. My current strength is still lacking. I must continue to cultivate earnestly under my master’s guidance.”

Before the assembled family elites, Wu Shu’s composed and humble reply earned Li Zhaoyun’s slight nod and inward smile. “You crafty old foxes still want to use me to see Wu Shu humiliated. Hah! Little do you know, Master Jianfeng shares a special bond with Wu Shu.”

Though Li Zhaoyun was one of the Li family elders, he was not Li Shangwen’s father. At this moment, Li Shangwen simply disliked Wu Shu and wished to see him make a fool of himself.

Unyielding, Li Shangwen retorted, “Exceptional talent? More like exceptional uselessness! What kind of talent could possibly come from a small place like Dongsu City?”

With the grand contest between the Human and Demon clans imminent—bringing together heirs of the Eight Great Families in Dongsu City—Li Shangwen’s disregard for Li Zhaoyun’s reprimand was reckless. Despite his own cultivation talent, Li Zhaoyun’s voice turned cold. “Shangwen, do not blame me for warning you: if you continue this nonsense, even if I can forgive your youthful arrogance, Jianfeng will certainly punish you severely.”

Jianfeng was Zhao Zhenfeng—royalty of the empire and bearer of the Li family’s awakened Blood Sword lineage. In the eyes of the Li family, Jianfeng’s potential was unrivaled within the clan.

Mentioning Jianfeng was enough to silence Li Shangwen.

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At this moment, Zhao Zhenlu, seated in the main seat, heard Li Zhaoyun’s words and thought to himself, “So Li Zhaoyun supports my brother. I once considered recruiting you to serve under me as a powerful ally within the Li family. Looks like if the opportunity arises, I’ll have to take your life instead.”

Clearing his throat, Zhao Zhenlu, having had his fill of the farce, spoke calmly, “Everyone, the reason we have gathered today is to cheer on the geniuses from Kun Nation participating in the grand contest between the Human and Demon clans. I hope all of you can set aside your grudges during the contest and give your utmost effort to win, thus elevating Kun Nation’s prestige.”

As the appointed hour of the contest approached, Zhao Zhenlu continued, “I won’t say more.”

“The agreed order of battle with the Demon clan is as follows: Wu Shu of the Wu family from Dongsu City will be the first to compete!”

Hearing that Wu Shu would open the contest, the five prodigies from the Qian, Sun, Zhou, Wu, and Wang families of Emperor Kun City could not help but feel a mix of emotions.

Since the contest would be fought through beast combat, the beasts sent by the Human and Demon clans would naturally grow stronger with each round.

By placing Wu Shu first, Zhao Zhenlu was clearly showing favoritism.

“Second to compete: Qian Duoduo of the Qian family from Emperor Kun City.”

“Third: Sun Taixiao of the Sun family.”

“Fourth: Zhou Yiyang of the Zhou family.”

“Fifth: Wu Jingtian of the Wu family.”

“Wang Pingshan of the Wang family will serve as a substitute.”

“That concludes today’s order. I hope everyone fights with all their might and lets the Demon clan remember the might of Kun Nation’s prodigies.”

Finally, to avoid any awkwardness from Wu Shu staying behind, Zhao Zhenlu reminded, “If you have other matters to attend to, you may leave temporarily. When the contest starts, the overseer of the Beast Arena will notify you.”

Sitting alone in the Battle Pavilion, Wu Shu indeed felt out of place. Upon hearing Zhao Zhenlu’s words, he stood and respectfully cupped his hands to the crowd. “Everyone, Wu Shu will take his leave first.”

As Wu Shu was about to exit, Wang Pingshan from the Wang family coldly remarked, “Boy, you’ve got a lot of composure. I hope you won’t disappoint Kun Nation.”

At this point, Wang Pingshan’s sour warning was clearly motivated. The direct heirs of the Eight Great Families had earned their spots after many trials, yet Wang Pingshan, ranked fifth, could only watch from the sidelines as a substitute.

After leaving the Battle Pavilion, a maid respectfully addressed Wu Shu, “Lord Wu Shu, do you have any instructions?”

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Wu Shu replied calmly, “The VIP lounge.”

The maid hastened respectfully, “Lord Wu Shu, I will lead the way.”

The Beast Arena was indeed vast—a cylindrical structure with three lower floors dedicated to competitions, private duels, and beast training or betting. The first floor housed the spectator seats, the second floor the VIP viewing rooms, and the third floor the exclusive VIP spectator suites.

As for the fourth floor above, Wu Shu could not discern its purpose due to the rooftop blocking his view.

Soon, Wu Shu arrived at the VIP lounge. Upon his return, Zhao Fenxing inquired, “What’s wrong? Not ready yet?”

Shaking his head, Wu Shu did not wish to recount the humiliations of the Battle Pavilion. Even though he had lost face there, he intended to reclaim it through his own efforts in the near future.

Calmly, Wu Shu explained, “Fenxing, you still don’t understand me. Though my physical training and earth element power have improved significantly, I have not prepared any combat techniques.”

Hearing this, Zhao Fenxing mistakenly thought Wu Shu was uneasy because he had not cultivated any secret combat skills and teased, “That doesn’t sound like the Wu Shu I know.”

Speaking of the contest, Zhao Fenxing’s last remark struck a chord with Wu Shu.

Nodding, Wu Shu replied calmly, “Fenxing, you know me well. Though I lack combat techniques now, I intend to use this contest to test the fruits of my recent cultivation—especially since the Fire Cat Beast King has not yet handed me the silver hammer.”

Thinking of the silver hammer, Wu Shu added, “Now that I have the hammer, I plan to use this contest to practice Wu family’s Great Hammer Technique. Upon seeing the technique, I found the Five-Form Great Hammer Technique truly resonates with me.”

Curious, Zhao Fenxing asked, “Oh? Tell me the names of the five forms.”

Without hesitation, Wu Shu recited, “First Form: Mighty Power Brings Miracles! Second Form: Power to the Depths Moves the Soul! Third Form: Power at Its Peak Forms the Tool! Fourth Form: The Spirit of the Tool Revealed to the World! Fifth Form: Man and Tool United, Who Can Match?”

Recalling the first form, Wu Shu mused, “The First Form, Mighty Power Brings Miracles, suits me perfectly now. My physical cultivation has reached the level of a wild ox, and my earth elemental power is at the true essence stage. Paired with the First Form and wielding the small hammer, I can surely unleash my full strength.”

At this moment, Zhao Fenxing, upon hearing the names of the Wu family’s Great Hammer Technique, felt something peculiar. Though he couldn’t pinpoint what was off, a strange unease lingered in his mind.