Chapter 78 - I, Fang Lang, Am Willing to Help Them Fulfill Their Dreams
After soaring through the drizzle that enveloped the world, the extravagant flight sword landed in front of the demon portal that stood among the clouds.
“Get off.”
Wen Ting instructed after he took a sip of the wolfberry tea in his gourd canteen.
Fang Lang and the others got off the flight sword and gazed at the gates of the demon portal that reached high into the clouds. At the top of the gate, there was a giant sign that said, ‘Quiling Demon Portal’.
Countless stone-faced soldiers dressed in heavy armor stood guard at the bottom of the gate. The atmosphere felt immensely solemn.
Wen Ting approached the guards with his blade slung around his waist. After a short discussion with the guards, he paid an entrance fee according to the rules. Finally, the guards allowed them to pass.
Wen Ting thanked them with a smile then led Fang Lang and the others into the abandoned demon portal that was shrouded in mist and rain.
Just as they were about to begin, a sonic boom tore through the sky.
Amidst the clouds and rain, numerous flight swords soared through the sky, carrying students and mentors. They landed in front of the demon portal gates.
Wen Ting froze for a moment. He glared at the descending crowd with a serious expression.
It could not be a mere coincidence. Someone must have guessed that he would bring Fang Lang to the demon portal’s hunting ground to undergo special training. Moreover, it seemed like a whole crowd had found out about this.
“They’re students from Changan Academy and the Imperial Academy… They’re probably here for you.”
Wen Ting turned slightly to his side and gestured at Fang Lang.
Fang Lang’s green robe fluttered in the rain and mist. He furrowed his brows lightly.
“In Changan City, anyone in the top five hundred has the right to probe, challenge and compete with you, but anyone with a ranking lower than five hundred has no right to take part in this contest.
“Nonetheless, there’s no such rule in the demon portal as it is beyond Changan City. Thus, those who did not make it into the top five hundred want to challenge you here. They wanted to take their chance with you.
“From my guess… some noble from the Imperial City must have promised them something.”
Wen Ting held his blade. His eyes were calm and unwavering. He could already guess the kind of situation they had been caught in. As for the ‘noble’ he mentioned, he had good reason to suspect this was the doing of the arrogant and overbearing third prince.
Situations like this occurred frequently. Wen Ting once ran into a similar situation when he came to cultivate in the demon portal’s hunting ground for his Imperial Examination.
Back then, he did not have as many challengers.
The students who did not make it into the top 500 were hoping by defeating Fang Lang, they would earn the attention of a few distinguished sects.
There would always be people who would abandon everything for a chance to alter their fate.
Ni Wen and Liu Bubai were getting nervous.
Wen Ting turned to Fang Lang and asked, “Fang Lang, what do you say? Do you want to stay on the hunting grounds? Or avoid this battle altogether?”
The autumn rain was beginning to let up. Only a few drops of rain continued to fall.
Fang Lang scanned through the students who broke through the autumn rain to arrive at the hunting grounds. He debated his decision.
Just then, the System’s notification sounded in his mind, breaking the silence.
‘Ding!
‘Proving mission unlocked.
‘Proving mission: Cultivation is all about constantly challenging and proving yourself. Every challenger is a tool for you to cheat the system. Your enemies will arrive on the battleground in thirty seconds. Defeat them all and prove you are worthy of the highest rank! You will gain ten low-grade spirit crystals worth of spiritual energy for every challenger you defeat—Instant Gratification Without Delay.
‘Is this mission for real?’
Fang Lang was rendered speechless.
The System did not see the students who failed to appear in the honor roll as humans at all!
However, Fang Lang felt a sense of gratitude after scanning through the rewards of the mission. He rejoiced and let out an eerie smile…
He gazed at the crowd of challengers as if they were a field of unlimited rewards.
‘Should I keep in mind that they are still people?
‘Maybe not!’
Fang Lang loved this new way of leveling up!
When Wen Ting saw the boy in a daze, he furrowed his brows and sighed. “Why don’t we head straight to Changan City…”
“No!”
Fang Lang snapped out of his daze and rejected Wen Ting’s suggestion. The look in his eyes changed abruptly.
“Sir, these students came all the way here to welcome me! How can I disappoint this hospitable crowd? They might have ranked lower than five hundred, but that doesn’t mean they don’t have hopes and aspirations! They are all teens chasing their own dreams! I, Fang Lang, am willing to help them fulfill their dreams!”
‘Avoid this battle?
‘Never!’
Fang Lang did not care about cheating the system—all he wanted to do was help the fallen students fulfill their dreams!
1
Wen Ting was rendered speechless.
Liu Bubai had a dumbfounded expression on his face. He could not shake the feeling that something was not right.
Ni Wen, on the other hand, gazed at Fang Lang with twinkling eyes. ‘Fang Lang… you’re such a kind person!’
“Enter the demon portal’s hunting grounds then. Take it as your special training…” Wen Ting instructed.
Instead, Fang Lang turned around, holding his sword box behind his back. An elegant yet carefree smile bloomed across his face in the autumn rain.
His smile made the students from Changan Academy and the Imperial Academy stagger.
As he smiled, he slowly lifted his arm and gracefully presented his middle finger to the students with much sincerity.
1
He had the most punchable expression on his face, paired with the exceedingly vulgar action.
His action did not harm anyone, but it was still terribly insulting.
An uproar instantly broke out among the students—many were infuriated.
Fang Lang smirked. That was the reaction he wanted to evoke.
With rage backing them up, the students will not back down easily. Subsequently, Fang Lang would have more rewards to reap.
‘These students are sent by the third prince, right? The third prince… What an amazing provider of experience points!’
Then, Fang Lang turned around and entered the hunting grounds.
…
Quiling Demon Portal. A vast open space laid behind the gates.
That was the world beyond the demon portal—one that was filled with vast, undulating mountains.
It was truly a whole new world.
An invisible pressure pressed down on them. They could feel it in their hearts. The spiritual energy flowing in their bodies had slowed down significantly.
That was the mighty pressure of the demon portal—a force created when two worlds collide.
The demon portal they entered was an abandoned one. One side had been sealed, making the pressure much weaker than before. An unweakened pressure was much more terrifying than what they were experiencing!
Wen Ting led the trio into the demon portal’s hunting grounds. The hunting grounds were vast and boundless. At one glance, all they could see was a lush jungle that stretched out indefinitely.
Beneath all that lushness were countless remains of cultivators from the past.
“Ni Wen, Bubai, you two stay at the outer edges of the hunting grounds and absorb your spirit crystals. Strive to absorb all ten crystals within these three days.”
Wen Ting instructed when he turned to Ni Wen and Liu Bubai.
However, Liu Bubai and Ni Wei exclaimed, “Sir, there’s too many of them! We can fight alongside Fang Lang!”
Fang Lang smiled and waved his hands. “Go ahead and absorb your spirit crystals. This is my fight, so don’t try to snatch them from me, okay?
“I have a lot of spirit crystals and I absorb them by tens each session, so sitting this one out won’t affect me much. You guys, on the other hand, shouldn’t let this opportunity go to waste,” Fang Lang said.
The others did not utter a word.
‘What the hell is he saying!’
Even Wen Ting was at a loss for words. He had to take a sip of his wolfberry tea to alleviate his shock.
‘Does he think he can be so cocky just because he has spirit crystals?’
Liu Bubai and Ni Wen did not insist. They departed into the woods to find a suitable spot to absorb their spirit crystals.
Wen Ting spread out his spiritual senses to get a feel of Liu Bubai and Ni Wen’s position. He had to keep track of them lest they run into any danger.
Meanwhile, Fang Lang was smiling.
He did not find a spot in the woods. Instead, he took out his Obsidian Sword from his sword box and held it by its hilt. He stuck the tip of his blade into the soil and started walking slowly, drawing out a circle in the dirt.
The circle would be his battle ring!
After that, Fang Lang leaned against his Obsidian Sword and gazed into the horizon with keen eyes. He waited for the students from Changan Academy and the Imperial Academy to set foot into the demon portal.
Wen Ting floated to the top of a tree branch a distance away and watched inquisitively.
‘What is Fang Lang trying to do?
‘Is he really trying to fight a whole crowd alone?’
Wen Ting was puzzled but he was not going to stand in Fang Lang’s way.
The autumn rain turned into a drizzle. The ground that was soaked with rainwater was a little sticky. Water ripples appeared like plum blossoms in the mud, formed by rain droplets.
From afar, the students of Changan Academy and the Imperial Academy appeared in a swarm.
They saw the green-robed boy standing in a makeshift battle ring, holding his blades in the autumn rain.
Most students knew Fang Lang had gotten full marks in the practical section of the combat exam. Nonetheless, one only had to reach a certain level of skill to obtain full marks. Among the crowd, quite a number of students had also obtained full marks too!
They had heard Fang Lang became a sword master right before the Imperial Examination with the help of the Spirit Pagoda. They wondered how a boy who had just became a sword master could be so arrogant!
“You’re here to challenge me, right?
“Come.”
Fang Lang put on a gentle smile as he leaned against his Obsidian Sword. His robe fluttered in the wind as the autumn rain continued to fall.
“Let me!”
An attractive young man from the Imperial Academy broke away from the group and made a hot-headed charge toward Fang Lang.
He stepped into the circle Fang Lang had drawn and glared.
“Linglong went to the extremes to protect you! I’d like to know what you’re made of. Why does Linglong want to protect you!
“In order to protect you, she broke my front tooth! Today, I shall get my revenge!”
After the attractive young man was done talking, a strong aura encapsulated his body and a blood armor materialized! He was a second-grade martial arts master!
A few students from Changan Academy gasped.
“That’s Zhou You! The son of Zhou Tao, the Minister of Rites!”
“Isn’t he in the top five hundred? Why is he here?”
“Clearly, this is a fight for love. His resentment for Fang Lang runs deep.”
…
The students from Changan Academy and the Imperial Academy were chattering in the distance.
Fang Lang overheard their conversation. He could not help but raise his brows thinking, ‘Oh, Old Jiang broke this guy’s tooth?
‘Perhaps I should break another in kind.’
As Fang Lang was pondering, Zhou You made his move. He had waited for this day for too long. Initially, he had decided to challenge Fang Lang the moment the boy set foot in Changan.
However, Fang Lang came to Quiling Demon Portal before he entered the city. Seeing that, Zhou You did not wait any longer.
The aura he emitted shifted. His step was powerful like a tiger’s pounce!
With a single step, he sent mud flying everywhere. He lifted his leg and kicked. His kick was so strong the air exploded!
Even so, Fang Lang’s lips curved up into a strange smile.
He let go of his Obsidian Sword. As Zhou You’s kicking leg approached, Fang Lang stacked his palms on top of one another and struck out. He was quick as lightning and viscous as a poisonous snake.
Fang Lang’s attack was like a thunderstrike. Zhou You felt his outstretched calf cramping up.
Fang Lang felt the blood and spiritual energy surge through his body, giving him a burst of strength!
Splitting Punch!
Zhou You felt as if the leg he kicked out was split in half. The pain was agonizing! He fell to the ground but quickly swung his fist again! Nonetheless, Fang Lang’s punch was faster!
Fang Lang’s punch intercepted Zhou You’s attack, causing Zhou You’s spiritual energy to flow backward. Zhou You almost coughed out blood.
Fang Lang found the martial arts technique, Splitting Punch, to be extremely effective in counteracting Zhou You’s physical attack!
Fang Lang performed the punch several times, making Zhou You roar in anger! Fang Lang drew closer to his opponent and used Zhou You’s own technique against him. He landed a series of Splitting Punches. His fists rained down on Zhou You like a storm, breaking his blood armor!
Finally, Fang Lang aimed his fists at Zhou You’s mandible, ready to release the terrifying punch that was as violent as the crashing waves against the shore. His green robe fluttered in the wind.
He was inches away from Zhou You’s jaw!
Splitting Punch!
Zhou You’s head was flung back violently like an intoxicated person dancing in a club.
A muffled noise was heard.
Blood spewed and teeth flew!
Zhou You’s eyes rolled back. He was sent four feet into the air before landing bonelessly onto the ground.
Aside from the drizzle, everything else was silent.
The students stared dumbfoundedly at the defeated Minister of Rites’s son. No one knew what to say.
Fang Lang dragged the unconscious boy to the edge of his makeshift battle ring and tossed him out.
‘Ding! Congratulations on defeating your first challenger. You have been rewarded with the spiritual energy of ten low-grade spirit crystals.’
1
The System’s notification appeared.
Fang Lang felt a sudden swelling within his energy center! Spiritual energy appeared out of thin air!
The amazing feeling nearly made Fang Lang groan.
A warm smile appeared on his face again as he gazed at the silent crowd of students from Changan Academy and the Imperial Academy. All he saw was unlimited rewards.
His green robe fluttered as the autumn rain continued. He was grinning ear to ear.
“Don’t attack one by one.
“Just come at me all at once.”