I Pick up a Lost Godhood

Chapter 168 - 166: Heart of the Final Battle

"Senior Brother Lei, if you insist, I can certainly play along. But it’s too boring with just the two of us. If we’re going to play, let’s all play together."

Zhao Tianlong immediately pulled the others in. He wasn’t about to let them have the pleasure of watching the fun from the sidelines.

"A little interesting. It hasn’t been this lively in a long time. Count me in," Kuchan said. "I’ll prepare a small gift for the victor."

"In that case, let’s all join the fun. I’m betting on Fire Cloud Hall to win," Ma Hezi said with a smile.

"Fire Cloud Hall," Li Xiuwen stated flatly.

"Fire Cloud Hall, of course! Old Lei, you’re really overestimating yourself. How can a half-crippled Thunderlight Hall possibly fight Fire Cloud Hall to the death? You’re underestimating Song Zhong and the others."

Wu Fatian bluntly supported Fire Cloud Hall. He supported Wang Meng, but that was just on a personal level. He had no faith in Thunderlight Hall whatsoever.

"Hmph, you’d all better bet on Fire Cloud Hall. That way, I’ll make a huge profit all at once!"

Thunderbolt’s words were full of bluster, but he didn’t sound very confident. Still, you can’t take back what you’ve said.

He had only suggested it on a whim, not expecting it to actually happen.

"I’ll bet on Thunderlight Hall, then," Zhou Luodan said with a smile.

"Junior Sister Zhou, why bother with Old Lei? Let him lose his shirt; maybe then he’ll learn his lesson," Wu Fatian said.

Zhou Luodan smiled faintly. "It’s just a little game. Ultimately, it comes down to the disciples. Regardless of the outcome, the spirit Thunderlight Hall has shown is excellent. For years, everyone has been too conservative, weighing this and that at the slightest hint of risk. Sometimes, cultivation really requires a burst of ferocity."

"Junior Sister Zhou is absolutely right. This is also very apparent in the Great Yuan Realm. The Elders who have gone over recently aren’t any less skilled than others, but they do lack courage. Fortune favors the bold. Our disciples think too much. Oh, there’s one named Xu Huang who’s not bad. I remember he came from Thunderlight Hall, right?"

"Haha, Old Ku, you’ve got a good eye! That kid Xu Huang was my handpicked Chief Elder for Thunderlight Hall. Although he wasn’t great at being an Elder, I know his personality. He truly dares to fight and risk it all. A true general!"

Thunderbolt was happy again.

In truth, Thunderbolt was well-liked by a number of Elders. There were many like Xu Huang who were unwilling to join places like the four great families. But without backing, their cultivation progress was not ideal. It wasn’t that they didn’t want to get close to Thunderbolt; it was that Thunderbolt had no interest in such matters. He believed cultivation was a personal affair. Things like families were pointless. In the Holy Hall, fighting for the Holy Hall was enough.

But Thunderbolt did indeed recommend some Elders. It might have seemed like Xu Huang was being demoted, but going to the Great Yuan Realm was a kind of liberation for him—a place where he could truly display his abilities.

The others just smiled without a word. The issue was too large and broad; everyone had their own opinion. Too much hesitation?

’With less hesitation, they’d have been dead as doornails long ago.’

The Great Yuan Realm had its considerations, and the Holy Hall had its own. There was a balance to be maintained.

Zhang Xiaojiang locked himself in his room. He kept wondering if he really wasn’t cut out to be a Cultivator.

’The more I think, the more ashamed I feel. Thinking back, ever since I entered the Small Thousand World, I’ve just been losing. When have I ever won?’

’What talent do I even have?’

’Is being fat considered a talent?’

Zhang Xiaojiang pinched his face. ’So much flesh.’ For the first time, he hated his own body. He wished he could be as nimble as Xu Song. He wished he could contribute to Thunderlight Hall. He wished he could fight side-by-side with everyone.

But in the end, he just made a fool of himself.

’What in the world is wrong with me!’

Zhang Xiaojiang savagely twisted the flesh on his body. He tried to stop thinking, but the moment he did, his mind filled with those voices... ’Idiot...’ ’Useless...’

’What do I do? What do I do?’

Zhang Xiaojiang couldn’t find a solution. When practicing the Ten Thousand Arrows Kill Stream, he hadn’t slacked off. He seemed cheerful and silly on the surface, but he was actually very serious about it. ’But is that still not enough?’

Zhang Xiaojiang suddenly felt he needed to work even harder. Maybe then he wouldn’t drag everyone down.

The Earth Kun Technique. Because Wang Meng had told him to, Zhang Xiaojiang had been practicing it diligently and patiently without stopping. But he really didn’t feel it having any effect; his Elemental Power hadn’t increased at all.

’Not enough talent?’

’Not enough effort?’

Zhang Xiaojiang was tormented. A knock sounded at the door, and then it opened on its own. It had to be Liuu Mei.

Liuu Mei said nothing. She simply pulled Zhang Xiaojiang into her arms. She had prepared a whole speech, but at this moment, nothing needed to be said.

The room returned to darkness...

「Three days passed quickly.」

The day of Thunderlight Hall’s challenge against Fire Cloud Hall arrived. The sun had just risen. When the Fire Cloud Hall disciples opened the mountain gate, the still-groggy disciples were startled by the crowd before them.

’...What are all these people doing here? Are they planning to attack Fire Cloud Hall?’

"Damn, you’re just getting up now? The sun’s been up for ages!"

"Yeah, you kept us waiting out here for so long."

The Fire Cloud Hall disciples rubbed their eyes. ’...Damn, Thunderlight Hall is already at our doorstep?’

’No, wait, those are from Hundred Herbs Hall... and Beast Hall... ah, Lingyin Hall is here too, and beauties, beauties from Flying Phoenix Hall...’

’Don’t tell me they’re all here to watch the battle?’

Song Zhong was already up. He was taking today’s battle very seriously. Even though Thunderlight Hall was half-crippled, he couldn’t afford to be careless, especially not to repeat the mistakes of Qiao Qian and Jia Shidao.

’To be swept aside by Wang Meng like that... I really don’t know what those two were thinking. Trying to curry favor with Wang Meng?’

’There’s no need. The only other explanation is that they were just too careless.’

But here at Fire Cloud Hall, it didn’t matter if he was a superhuman prodigy or just pretending to be weak to fool his opponents; he would be forced to show his true form. That was because Ancestral Master Zhao Tianlong detested nothing more than underestimating an enemy.

"Senior, Senior..."

"What’s with all the panic?" Song Zhong shot the gatekeeping disciple a cold glare.

"There are a lot of disciples from other halls outside..."

Song Zhong paused for a moment, then nodded. "Receive them with proper etiquette. Don’t disgrace our Fire Cloud Hall."

"Yes, Senior."

Song Zhong stood up. ’It seems Thunderlight Hall’s two consecutive wins have piqued many people’s curiosity. But these people are too naive. Surely they don’t actually think Thunderlight Hall can win?’

Meanwhile, the disciples of Thunderlight Hall were marching in a great procession toward Fire Cloud Hall. Their numbers had grown; there were many unfamiliar faces, quite a few of whom looked older and had rushed back from outside the sect.

’Thunderlight Hall with two straight wins? Who would’ve believed it?’

Chen Haiguan, Hex Ziyuan, and the others walked with their heads held high and chests puffed out. They were the ones who had spread the news. This was the glory of Thunderlight Hall’s disciples. To be precise, this was everyone’s battle. Every single person had to contribute, even if they couldn’t fight on stage. They had to let their fighting brothers know: we are all here!

This was the first time in years that Fire Cloud Hall had been this lively. For a normal grand competition, at most a fifth of this number would show up. This time, there were a lot of spectators.

"Damn, look at all these spectators!" Fang Lufei shrugged.

"The more people watching the show, the better for us. It’s the perfect chance to let them witness our power!"

Yu Jia clenched his fists, looking thrilled. A bigger stage definitely meant more excitement.

Yao Yuan seemed slightly worried. "Be careful of Wang Meng. That man is unfathomable."

Song Zhong smiled. "No matter how strong he is, he’s still just one person. Besides, so-called ’strength’ is all relative."

Song Zhong’s face was filled with confidence. Among the top experts of the Holy Hall’s younger generation, aside from Ning Zhiquan, who was publicly acknowledged as the strongest, who would truly submit to anyone else?

Especially not to a Wang Meng who had only joined the sect a few years ago.

The more he said this, the more Song Zhong’s desire to fight him grew.

The youngest Elder, recipient of the Ancestral Masters’ attention, and rumored to be highly talented in Pill Cultivation... None of this was necessarily a good thing for Wang Meng. It would only ignite the fighting spirit of experts like Song Zhong.

Rumors couldn’t be trusted. Only what you see with your own eyes is real.

Although the grand competition hadn’t started, the lines had already been clearly drawn in the Fire Cloud Hall plaza.

The disciples of Thunderlight Hall and Fire Cloud Hall faced each other from a distance. This was Fire Cloud Hall’s home ground. Anyone who came here could feel a faint, peculiar sensation. It wasn’t hot, but it was a bit stifling.

This was a characteristic of Fire Cloud Peak. The Earth Flame was abundant here, making it suitable for Artifact Refining, especially for Fire Attribute Magical Artifacts.

In the crowd, Jia Shidao also appeared. Ordinarily, the Senior of Beast Hall should have been hiding somewhere no one could find him, licking his wounds. And yet, here he was, smiling.

This was a rare sight. Usually, apart from major battles between Lingyin Hall and Dao Guang Hall, or perhaps a match involving Flying Phoenix Hall, the other halls would only attract a few nosy onlookers.

But this time was clearly different. Jia Shidao had actually shown up. Or perhaps he wanted to watch Fire Cloud Hall avenge him with his own eyes?

It seemed a bit...

Song Zhong and the others hadn’t come out yet. It wasn’t time, so there was no need.

"Senior, Qiao Qian has also arrived," a disciple reported not long after.

"Haha, it looks like Qiao Qian and Jia Shidao both want you to avenge them, Senior."

"How can Qiao Qian and Jia Shidao even be compared to our Senior? They’re worlds apart."

The "old rivals" Qiao Qian and Jia Shidao met but only shared a smile of mutual understanding, saying nothing. There was no resentment between them.

It took Qiao Qian a week to understand this point. It only took Jia Shidao a day.

That’s why they had to come today.

Not for anyone else, but for Wang Meng!

’Perhaps Fire Cloud Hall can stop Thunderlight Hall, but they can’t stop Wang Meng. It’s just a shame. If Thunderlight Hall were a little stronger, they could definitely go much further under Wang Meng’s leadership.’

Wang Meng and his group had already arrived. They weren’t in a hurry; it was still early. They had departed ahead of schedule, but everyone was so excited they had walked a little too quickly.

The Thunderlight Hall disciples were also murmuring amongst themselves. "Elder, Jia Shidao and Qiao Qian are here too. What are they doing here?"

"Brother Chen, you should just call me junior brother, or Wang Meng is fine too. ’Elder’ is just too awkward."

Chen Haiguan waved his hand. "We can’t abandon etiquette. Besides, I’m not trying to suck up to you at all. Even if I were, it would be sincere!"

Hex Ziyuan smiled from the side. "Jia Shidao and Qiao Qian are probably here hoping to see us make a fool of ourselves. Hmph, our Thunderlight Hall came with the will to fight to the end. We won’t cower, win or lose!"

"Now that’s the honest truth."

Song Zhong smiled faintly, quite pleased by Qiao Qian’s arrival. With Jia Shidao having lost, Qiao Qian was probably in a much better mood; having a companion in disgrace made his own defeat seem less humiliating.