CH 242

Basically, every single genius of the five institutions who had come to the Tongyou City was gathered in the training plaza by the time Shang Xia arrived.  

If anyone else were to take Shang Xia’s place, they would probably be paralyzed with fear. Unfortunately, that was Shang Xia they were talking about! He managed to keep his calm in front of so many geniuses.

When he returned with the convoy of the Shang Clan more than a month ago, he defeated the star sword cultivators of the other four institutions in one go. The most terrifying part was that even the most talented inner disciple of the Jianmen Institution, Hou Yuchun, was defeated in a single blow!

The battle might have ended, but the effects it brought about still lingered in the minds of those present.

In the time that passed, many of the disciples of the other institutions who challenged the disciples of the Tongyou Institution did so because they felt that Shang Xia was too arrogant the other day. Due to his actions, he humiliated the other institutions. Conveniently forgetting that they were the ones who threatened the safety of the Shang Clan’s convoy in the first place, they decided to take their anger out on the members of the Tongyou Institution. Naturally, none of them had the guts to go knocking at the Shang Clan Manor to challenge Shang Xia personally.

With the news of Shang Xia preparing to attack the bottleneck of the Martial Intent Realm spreading like wildfire. No one would dare to challenge the bottom line of the Shang Clan and the Tongyou Institution by interrupting his training at the crucial moment. 

Of course, even if they did try to mess with his cultivation, none of them had the confidence to defeat him!

Under the gazes of those present, Shang Xia casually walked into the heart of the training plaza.

The path would get wider everywhere he passed, and other than the shuffling of feet, nothing else could be heard in the plaza.

At that moment, it was as though an invisible spotlight was directed straight on Shang Xia!

The aura around him, along with the dignified air that surrounded his entire being, seemed to create a formless pressure that descended on those present. The weaker ones even felt a sense of inferiority filling their heart.

Dou Zhong, who had just won his battle realized that he had subconsciously retreated to the corner to join the crowd.

The central region of the training plaza had been given entirely to Shang Xia, the glory that was supposed to belong to him was gone!

Even though Dou Zhong’s expression was considerably calm, reluctance filled his heart. He clenched his fists so hard that his nails dug into his skin.

Arriving at the center of the training plaza, Shang Xia snapped his fan shut. He swept his gaze across those present and saw a multitude of gazes staring right back at him.

His voice transmitted perfectly through the air. 

“Come.” 

Other than the sounds of breathing, nothing else could be heard.

…

“If this keeps us, there’s no need to battle! They’re going to lose before it even starts…” Wei Zhongwen muttered. 

The training plaza was built in the middle of various structures to begin with. In the higher floors of a building beside the plaza, several elders watched the scene of Shang Xia’s entry.

After Wei Zhongwen spoke, he sighed deeply. A trace of worry could be heard in his voice.

“Suppressing the entire field… The divine sense of this newly advanced leader of his division can actually be so strong! He already surpassed whatever we were capable of when we were young.” Yu Chengjin added. The praise was truly genuine.

Wei Zhongwen raised an eyebrow in surprise, “Elder Yu and the rest of you, aren’t you afraid that their dao heart will be affected if no one dares to step out against him?” 

Yu Chengjin glanced at him from the corner of his eye and the smirk on his face told everyone that he wasn’t afraid about the progression of the disciples of the Jianmen Institution at all.

Only a white-browed, black-bearded old man clad in feathered robes beside Wei Zhongwen chuckled at the side in explanation, “Mister Wei, you can rest assured. Many of our disciples went through life-or-death training. Even though he’s able to suppress them right now, I believe none of our disciples will suffer a roadblock in their path of cultivation. They might be waiting for someone to take the lead before they try anything.” 

Search tinyurl.com/2p9emv8w for the original.

The elder who just spoke was called An Baimei. He was also a Martial Extermination Realm cultivator and he rushed over to take You Haibiao’s place from the Beihai Institution.

Wei Zhongwen frowned in response as he didn’t really believe what he said. He couldn’t help but speak up again when he saw the calm look on their faces. “Even if they’ve been through some tough training, they have never been into the battlefield between the two worlds. Their mentality hasn’t transformed under desperate circumstances against enemies of the other world. Now, their cultivation can’t even match up to the kid! Look, Brother Ji, aren’t you afraid that the other disciples of the institution will be affected?” 

Without even looking at him, Ji Wenlong muttered, “If they can’t even endure something like this, they should just back down now. They’ll only be cannon fodder if they fight against the outsiders with their weak mental strength.” 

“This…” Wei Zhongwen was still hesitant, but he couldn't say anymore after seeing everyone else’s attitude.

He cursed at all of them in his heart. The way the institutions trained their disciples was cruel indeed. The number of casualties reported by the Tongyou Institution in the battlefield between the two worlds was no secret. Compared to that hellhole, the various continents in the Azure Origin World seemed like paradise.

The White Deer Paradise he came from was truly considered a holy land of cultivation. After all, the conditions where they trained were much better than the five institutions who guarded the border regions. The experts who came from the White Deer Paradise were spread all over the world to extend their influence.

…

The disciples in the plaza naturally had no idea that they were being watched by several Martial Extermination Realm experts. 

As Shang Xia stood in the middle of the plaza, he was completely unperturbed by the various gazes thrown his way.

Finally, someone in the crowd lost their patience. Naturally, they couldn’t stand Shang Xia’s high and mighty stance.

“I’ll go first!” A roar came from the back and shattered the silence.

When everyone turned to look at the source of the voice, they saw a tall and sturdy figure clad in a sheepskin coat striding out. He had a straightforward appearance, and he looked rather weathered. Holding a broadsword in his hand, he went straight for Shang Xia.

Before he could reach the center, his information had already spread through the audience. 

“That’s the Far Reaching Sword, Huang Xing. He’s an inner disciple of the Weiwu Institution. When Ma Qi’s sword was grabbed by Shang Xia during the battle, he suffered endless humiliation. Now, Huang Xing is going to take revenge for him!”

As he dragged his broadsword across the plaza, a deep trail could be seen behind him.

“I am Huang Xing of the Weiwu Institution. Please advise me.” 

Seeing the fellow who was half a head taller than him, Shang Xia muttered with an expressionless face. “Do you know that I have already entered the Martial Intent Realm?” 

“Of course. Even though I’m only at the Martial Extremity Realm, I had to get a taste of your sword.” Huang Xing replied.

Seeing his forthright attitude, Shang Xia nodded seriously in response, “Alright. I have heard of your sword skills too. I’ll seal my cultivation to the large completion stage of the Martial Extremity Realm. I hope Brother Huang will give it his all.” 

Staring at Shang Xia in shock, Huang Xing gasped, “How… How can you tell that my cultivation is at the large completion stage?” 

With a smile finding its way onto Shang Xia’s face, he casually stuck a talisman onto his body and his aura started to fade. “That’s not all I can tell. I also know that you’re a mere step away from entering the grand completion stage! I’m afraid your true motive is to use me as a grindstone for you to comprehend your martial extremity intent, right?”