Chapter 284: Chapter 66 League Match
No sooner had they steadied themselves than Wudao Tian swiftly appeared before them.
"How about that, Junior Brother? Exciting, huh?" Wudao Tian said proudly.
"Big Senior Brother, whether it’s exciting or not can wait. This Direct Disciple of the Jiuyou Sect Leader has something she wants to discuss with you. You two talk," Chen Jiuge said, gesturing towards the eager Feng Mengmeng.
Chen Jiuge didn’t eavesdrop, instead approaching Wang Hai and Da Bai nearby.
"What’s going on here?" Chen Jiuge curiously asked, looking at Da Bai’s dazed expression.
Wang Hai glanced at Da Bai, then leaned in and whispered into Chen Jiuge’s ear, "Da Bai’s chariot... it was smashed to pieces."
"Smashed?" Chen Jiuge exclaimed in surprise.
Wang Hai winced. Couldn’t he have been a bit quieter?
At these words, the previously dazed Da Bai burst into tears, wailing, "My Spirit Stones! My chariot! Boo hoo hoo!"
Chen Jiuge admonished him, "What are you crying for? I told you not to be stingy, to buy better materials. And now, you’ve got nothing left."
Perhaps he was speaking too smoothly, as Chen Jiuge didn’t notice the time slipping by, nor did he realize that his Big Senior Brother and Feng Mengmeng had finished their discussion.
"Junior Brother, it’s time to go back."
"Oh, so soon? Okay," Chen Jiuge replied, feeling like it was over too quickly.
"By the way, where are Brother Zhu and Junior Sister Zhu?" Chen Jiuge asked curiously.
Big Senior Brother explained, "They went back home not long ago. Apparently, there’s a happy event in their family they need to celebrate."
「Myriad Beasts Sect」
Chen Jiuge took the sullen Da Bai back to Eden Garden, while Big Senior Brother went straight to his Master’s cave mansion.
"A league match with the Jiuyou Sect?" Jun Linseng said, looking surprised.
The relationship between the Myriad Beasts Sect and the Jiuyou Sect was mediocre at best. After all, he seemed to recall beating up one of their Guest Elders not long ago. This plan doesn’t sound very reliable, does it?
As Wudao Tian continued explaining, Jun Linseng began to understand.
"So this is a Communication Talisman from the Jiuyou Sect Leader, You Ruo?" Jun Linseng’s lips curled up unintentionally.
"Master, why does your smile look so sleazy?" Wudao Tian asked with a strange look in his eyes.
"Scram, kid," Jun Linseng kicked Wudao Tian in the butt. Such a disrespectful brat.
"Master, don’t forget about the league match!" Wudao Tian yelled while flying through the air.
Jun Linseng chuckled, then put on a serious face, murmuring to himself, She’s a beauty as famous as Huang Yi. Of course, I’ll contact her.
He made a video call, feeling a bit nervous. Was his attire alright?
As soon as the call connected, Jun Linseng saw... darkness?
A silhouette darker than the surroundings appeared. "Is this the Sect Leader of Myriad Beasts Sect, Jun Linseng?"
To be honest, if Jun Linseng weren’t a Golden Immortal, and if the figure’s eyes hadn’t glowed brightly, he wouldn’t have even known someone was there.
"Sect Leader Jun?" You Ruo called again.
"Ah, Sect Leader You, my apologies. I was a bit distracted," Jun Linseng said, somewhat disappointed. Why isn’t she showing her face?
"About the marble competition?" You Ruo initiated.
"There’s no problem on our Myriad Beasts Sect’s side. But isn’t this marble competition your Jiuyou Sect’s own event? Are you sure it’s really alright?" Jun Linseng inquired.
"It’s fine. The other Elders in our Sect have actually grown a bit weary of the marble competition. This league match provides a good opportunity to revise some of the rules."
"That’s good. Please send me the rules. We can discuss the competition’s location later."
"Sure."
In the following three months, news that the Myriad Beasts Sect and the Jiuyou Sect would jointly host a competition spread quickly throughout the entire Sect.
「In Eden Garden」
"What? I have to participate too?" Chen Jiuge exclaimed loudly at the visiting Wudao Tian.
"Isn’t that obvious? You made the introduction, Junior Brother," Wudao Tian said, looking with some surprise at his Junior Brother’s extreme reaction.
Chen Jiuge thought about it and realized it was true. The thought of being just another face in the crowd again is exhausting!
"Junior Brother, this time it’s your favorite gun battle game! Anyone below the Golden Immortal realm can participate, and everyone will compete as ordinary people!" Wudao Tian’s excitement grew at the thought of the competition.
Chen Jiuge soon learned that the Jiuyou Sect had made major, even drastic, changes to the marble competition rules. All participants would form four-person squads and enter a small world. During the competition, all Cultivators would be ordinary people, even turned into marble people, unable to use any Body Refining Cultivation. The remaining rules were exactly like a Battle Royale game. Rumor had it that the Jiuyou Sect Leader loved playing Battle Royale games in small worlds, hence the new rules.
"Junior Brother, let’s team up! Let’s, as senior and junior brothers, storm through the entire small world together!" Wudao Tian’s eyes blazed with fiery passion.
Chen Jiuge looked at the enthused Wudao Tian and hesitated. "Actually, Big Senior Brother, I..."
"Junior Brother, no need to explain. I won’t look down on your Cultivation. Besides, this time everyone’s an ordinary person, all on the same level. Later, I’ll team up with my wife, and you team up with Junior Sister Wen. Our two Daoist couple teams will definitely achieve final victory!" Wudao Tian interjected.
CLANG.
They turned at the sound to see Wen Ruo standing dumbfounded at the doorway, with Li He, her face a mask of cold indifference, following behind.
"Junior Sister, how about it? Join us in the competition," Wudao Tian invited.
Wen Ruo’s face turned red, and she stammered anxiously, "I... I can."
Watching Wen Ruo run off, Wudao Tian was puzzled. "Strange. What’s she running for?"
Chen Jiuge watched his Big Senior Brother in silence. His EQ is something else. How on earth did Die Luowu manage to handle him? Truly a master!
Since the competition was decided, Chen Jiuge wasn’t one to dampen spirits. Besides, participating with his Junior Sister is better than being alone!
「Competition Venue」
For this small-world transformation, both sides had dispatched quite a few Golden Immortal Elders, and Jun Linseng even took charge personally. Unfortunately, the representative from the Jiuyou Sect was an old man in his seventies or eighties, much to Jun Linseng’s disappointment.
"Sect Leader Jun, it’s time we placed some weapons," said You Yi, the Jiuyou Sect representative, with an amused smile.
"Oh, right," Jun Linseng replied, somewhat distractedly stuffing some trinkets from the Mortal World into various corners of the small world.
Watching Jun Linseng place a missile into a hole, You Yi opened his mouth. Isn’t this overdoing it? Everyone’s supposed to be an ordinary person this time!
Fortunately, Jun Linseng seemed to realize this too. But as the Sect Leader of the Myriad Beasts Sect, he naturally wouldn’t admit his mistake and casually made up an excuse, saying, "Even without cultivation, they’re still Immortals. If there isn’t some difficulty, they’d be no different from mortals."
"Truly a man of profound wisdom, Myriad Beasts Sect Leader!" You Yi praised, giving a thumbs up.
Excitedly, You Yi began to install a large quantity of C4 under a bridge, saying, "Then we must set up some minor challenges!"
Jun Linseng’s mouth twitched slightly. The Jiuyou Sect seems pretty wild too.
Eventually, Jun Linseng was also influenced by You Yi’s unrestrained style. The teams they led not only placed weapons but also set up numerous traps throughout the area.
Looking at the small world, now condensed into a battlefield, Jun Linseng remarked, "This is going to be one exciting competition."
"Indeed, indeed." You Yi was already eagerly anticipating the start of the competition.
What happens when the staff of a competition are unreliable?
It means there will be a lot of fun during the competition, and the audience will have a blast. As for the participants? Well, tough luck for them.
"Junior Brother, this is truly an exhilarating moment," Wudao Tian said excitedly, looking at the Transmission Array leading into the battlefield not far away.
Chen Jiuge wasn’t particularly excited about the competition. It’s just that the team name seems a bit... off.
"Big Senior Brother, about this team name... should we perhaps change it?" Chen Jiuge suggested.
"What’s wrong with it? The Mandarin Duck Team sounds great!" Wudao Tian replied, surprised. Two Daoist couples—what a fitting name!
Die Luowu, already accustomed to it, showed no change in expression. Wen Ruo, having heard it plenty in the past two days, was the same. One could only imagine how passionate Wudao Tian had been in the lead-up to the competition.
Looking at the two delicate mandarin ducks embroidered on his white vestment robe, and then at the two plump ducks adorning his Big Senior Brother’s, Chen Jiuge suddenly felt he might be too fastidious. If Big Senior Brother isn’t ashamed, what am I worried about? It’s true what they say: if there’s someone worse off than you, you can accept situations you previously couldn’t. Just like now.
With a loud shout from his Big Senior Brother, the Mandarin Duck Team officially entered the battle.
「Into the Arena」
Damn, what is this form?! Chen Jiuge stared at his round body and slender limbs in shock. Have I really turned into a marble person?
"Marble competition, right? Junior Brother, you’re making a mountain out of a molehill," Wudao Tian said, chuckling as he flexed his new limbs.
They appeared as four white marbles. Two were embroidered with mandarin ducks, and two with what were presumably ducks meant to be mandarin ducks. Above each floated a line of text, such as: "Mandarin Duck Team – Wen Ruo."
How thoughtful of them, as if we were afraid people wouldn’t recognize us, Chen Jiuge remarked sarcastically to himself.
"Stop dawdling, Junior Brother! Let’s find some weapons! We’re just ordinary people now!" Wudao Tian declared, hopping two meters before stumbling and falling.
"Alright, Big Senior Brother. But we need to be careful. We’re probably not the only team here," Chen Jiuge cautioned.
"Relax, relax. Don’t you think I, your Big Senior Brother, know that much?" Wudao Tian said nonchalantly.
BANG.
A gunshot suddenly rang out, startling the four of them into diving into a nearby bush.
Four marble figures, heads poking out stealthily, surveyed their surroundings.
Chen Jiuge: "See anything?"
Wen Ruo: "Looks like a team at our nine o’clock."
Wudao Tian: "Then what are we waiting for? Let’s rush them and take them out!"
Die Luowu: "They have guns. Four of them."
Wudao Tian: "Actually, it’s quite comfortable here. Why don’t we stay hidden a bit longer?"
The other three turned to look at Wudao Tian strangely. Were those really his words? Had someone switched places with him?
Annoyed, Wudao Tian retorted, "What are you looking at? I’m not an idiot! Charging out now would just make us targets. I don’t want to be eliminated this early; that would be embarrassing!"
The other three smiled meaningfully. Embarrassing? Didn’t you lose all your face last time?