60 Three Challengers

Elder Xu went back to the Cyan-Feather, with a gloomy face on the way.

WEI Gaoyuan's defeat was not a surprise to him, but that boy just did it in only one pattern…

As a master in the Nature, he'd realized at first glance that the boy was much stronger than WEI Gaoyuan. He had nothing to complain; what upset him now most was that who would be the boy's next target. Dong Feiye, or Qu Heyue?

In the year-end evaluation, Dong Feiye got the sixth of Xin, Qu Heyue the eighth, that meant, either of them was most likely to be targeted.

From the final competition of the Gui, Wei Gaoyuan's technique of movement and speed demonstrated that he should have reached the seventh-level of the Mystery. Neither Dong Feiye nor Qu Heyue would have much confidence to win him, or, go to the Dark-Feather to talk to that old dark face... No! No! That was declaring our failure in advance!

While Elder Xu suffering a headache, a lively noise came outside. Dozens of disciples were walking over here. At the center of them was one of his disciples, Lan Qishan.

Seeing Elder Xu, all the disciples came forward to greet with a bow, and then reported happily, "Master, Brother Lan won the first of Geng~ He earned our Cyan-Feather great fame!"

Well, the Good news visited after the bad. Elder Xu raised his head, looked at Lan Qishan, nodded and said with relief, "That's good! The road of martial arts never ends, though. It's just your new outset."

"Follow your instruction, I'll always strive for the Cyan-Feather!" Lan Qishan responded, respectfully.

In Elder Xu's eyes was Lan Qishan while in his heart flashed the name of Dong Feiye. He just thought if Lan Qishan were the top of the Xin grade, he would have got little concerns.

Sigh! Qu Heyue…just hope that boy shouldn't pick a girl to challenge.

The atmosphere in the Dark-Feather was much more relaxed. Elder Wu had announced to all his disciples there would be a big party tonight in Dark-Feather Peak.

Before the party, Elder Wu called Wei Gaoyuan into the backyard room. They needed a talk about the next move.

According to the regulation of the outer section, if Wei Gaoyuan wanted to issue a challenge, it must be someone of the top ten of Xin in this year-end evaluation.

Elder Wu did not see Wei Gaoyuan's final combat. Based on the descriptions of other disciples, he estimated that if Wei Gaoyuan challenged the seventh to the tenth of Xin, there was a chance of winning; and it should not be impossible to try to fight against the fourth to the sixth; as for the first three… just forget about it.

In fact, Wei Gaoyuan personally didn't want to challenge anyone of Xin. If he had to, he planned to pick Dong Feiye as his opponent.

After Hu Xiaoshu was beaten by WEI Gaoyuan, there accordingly generated something subtle, kind of unfriendly, between the Cyan-Feather and the Dark-Feather. He seemed to have no reason to challenge other Peaks instead of the Cyan-Feather Peak.

Elder Wu considered much more than Wei Gaoyuan. In his eyes, the recent tiny conflict among disciples of the Peaks was just the kids' game, not a big deal; furthermore, he and Elder Xu virtually had a not-bad relationship.

The most important thing was that to challenge a Xin, as one of Gui, meant to challenge across two grades span. If Wei Gao Yuan was lucky to win finally, it must push the entire Peak of the Cyan-Feather swinging at the edge of the cliff for a long time in the future. Besides, it would certainly not be conducive to the following growth of the disciples of the Cyan-Feather. Especially for the defeated disciple in the challenge, it might breed an Internal Demon during his cultivation.

What Elder Xu concerned seemed to had nothing to do with Wei Gaoyuan himself, but he admitted that Elder Wu's analysis was indeed reasonable. In spite of everything, he and his next opponent were all disciples cultivating in the same outer section. In some cases, trying to reduce slapping faces of others was to reduce the risk of being slapped.

However, he could never accept to pretend to lose, which was really against his faith of martial arts.

Eventually, Elder Wu suggested that he choose Qu Heyue, in spite of a girl, and managed to end it in a tie. What he would have done couldn't escape Elder Xu's eyes, and that old fox, he must know what he should do after that…

Neither won, both won. My master was a master!

...

The Challenge Day came the next day. All the relevant disciples had been gathered in the same field.

Actually, there were only three challenges among six disciples: WEI Gaoyuan of the Cyan-Feather challenged Song Mingyu of the Scarlet-Feather; Wei Gaoyuan of the Dark-Feather picked Qu Heyue of the Cyan-Feather; Xiao Jianping of the White-Feather issued a challenge to Tang Zhongqin of the Golden-Feather.

The first was WEI Gaoyuan and Song Mingyu. WEI Gaoyuan was defeated in one pattern by Wei Gaoyuan, and he should be most craving for an immediate blowing off, a quick win-back. Song Mingyu, the ninth of Ren this year, was just at the top of the ninth-level of the Mystery, undoubtedly, he was not a match for WEI Gaoyuan at all.

Yet WEI Gaoyuan seemed to get the similar instruction from Elder Xu, so he didn't let out all the strength to end the challenge until they fought more than ten rounds. It seemed like that the challenger was just stronger a little than his opponent.

Although it was not a splendid victory, he did win, showing that he was absolutely not such a powerless fresh loser as the crowd thought.

When he stepped down the platform, he took a look at Wei Gaoyuan, and then glanced at Qu Heyue.

No one in the Cyan-Feather expected that Wei Gaoyuan would choose Qu Heyue. As a result, Dong Feiye kept his eyes open all night, pondering over how to handle Wei Gaoyuan, which turned out to be all in vain while he learned Wei Gaoyuan's decision at dawn. Fortunately or unfortunately?

Qu Heyue's stage was the same as that of Dong Feiye, the top of the eighth-level, close to the seventh. Her virtual combating power was not far behind those of Dong Feiye and Liu Xingfei, in spite of that, she would hardly stand on the platform after 10 patterns by Wei Gaoyuan if he did as best as he could.

All went as the script after it began. The No.1 of Gui seemed to be a match for his opponent. It looked like a long and hard competition, which showed no sign of end even after one hundred rounds passed.

Qu Heyue didn't know the real strength of Wei Gaoyuan, nor had she seen the final competition of Gui. The current situation made her naturally suspect that something might not be the truth in the resent rumor about this boy, and that she might have a chance to win, so her patterns turned fiercer and faster.

Liu Xingfei and a few disciples under the platform frowned, deep in thought.

With the time passing by, the battle had reached its 200th rounds. Wei Gaoyuan was seen retreating close to the edge of the platform when Qu Heyue's kicking was shot over his leg. Wei Gaoyuan raised his leg, kicked and hit her waist; when he withdrew his leg to regain his body, he was tripped up by her leg, "accidentally." Then the two were falling down off the platform almost at the same time.

It just ended in a draw.

The Best Actor on the platform this year.

Obviously, the Elders, including Elder Xu, had seen through what had happened. But no one around stopped or exposed his performance.

To some disciples of high grades under the platform, Wei Gaoyuan seemed to be a cute boy who knew how to avoid embarrassing his sister.

Of course, there must be some disciples who had snorted and complained such a boring time-wasting challenge.

The final challenge was between two brothers of high grade. Xiao Jianping of the White-Feather was the No.1 of Wu this year, Tang Zhongqin the fourth of Ding. Both were at the fourth-level of the Mystery.

This battle was not a kid's game to scratch each other's surface. The two didn't seem to meet on the platform for the first time. Since they drew out of their swords, the shadows of swords and the beams of Sword Qi had never stopped flying and flashing over the platform.

Xiao Jianping's swordsmanship tended to be more fierce and devastating, while Tang Zhongqin's was more stable and sophisticated. The impasse didn't break until they fight over two hundred rounds: Xiao Jianping's movement and patterns showed increasingly disordered yet Tang Zhongqin still acted steadily.

By the time they got into the 300th round, everyone felt that it was just a matter of time for Tang Zhongqin to win when Xiao Jianping suddenly threw out his sword, the sword shooting at Tang Zhongqin like an arrow.

Tang Zhongqin did not expect it, unconsciously moving aside to dodge it, which seemed to follow what Xiao Jianping had expected. He lowered his body and darted close to Tang Zhongqin, launching a rain of punches over his legs!

Tang Zhongqin was not that good at movement techniques and wanted to jump back high to escape from the circle of close-body combat. At that time, something flashed within the sleeve of Xiao Jianping! And meanwhile, Tang Zhongqin fell down from the air just as he jumped!

Xiao Jianping used a Concealed Weapon!