The challenge (3)

This little thing was pissing him off.

"You could not even climb those steps yet you wish to meet him? You are unworthy!" he said and many paused.

"Forgetting that you all did not have the same ability as he did, I set a challenge lower than his level, yet you could not even handle it," Tie Nse said. Many knew that the patriarch's disciple was a no-go topic. The patriarch never spoke about him. Still, many frowned at this, especially Elder Di.

"Patriarch need not exaggerate," he said. Di Wong did not like the patriarch's reply either.

"You think I am a monster? You have never seen a monster before," Tie Nse answered and Di Wong paled. Even though he had heard that this boy had entered the Baju Valley for ten years and come out completely fine, he felt it was just because of his special constitution and nothing else. He did not for one moment believe that this boy was better than he was.

Seeing as the topic had moved to Tie Nse's disciple, the other powers were quick to jump in.

"You speak so oddly about this boy, are you sure you are raising a cultivator or a demon?" Lady Mi asked. Many were thinking this in the back of their minds, but her saying this out loud caused many to frown. The thought was now deep-seated in them.

Tie Nse may look calm at this moment, but he was actually sighing within. Ignoring Lady Mi, he looked at the contestants.

"Will you climb or step down?" he asked. Many of them looked at each other and nodded to the patriarch. They understood that even though they climbed those steps, the patriarch having made the steps lower than the ability of his disciple, they would be mocking themselves to climb it. Even if they got to the top, there would be no glory. At this moment, they had completely forgotten about the prizes and wanted to step down.

Di Wong was more unwilling. He wanted to walk those steps and see how hard it would be, but he had already felt the first step and knew he would die up there. But stepping down right now, wasn't he saying that he was inferior to the patriarch's disciple?

Seeing them all agree, Tie Nse returned them to the ground and the sky cleared.

The silence in the arena was deafening. What was going to happen now? The participants had decided to not take part in a challenge.

"The meet ends here. Try harder next time," Tie Nse said, getting up. The elders could not utter a word, nor could they form an argument. The patriarch had spoken. There was no changing his mind. He gave out a challenge for the first time in the history of the meet and the participants decided not to take it.

It was as though it had dawned on the participants that the prize will not be handed out if the top ten have not been decided.

The crowd were confused. Is that all?

Seeing Tie Nse get up to leave, Lady Mi got up.

"You are yet to answer our question, Patriarch Tie. How can you leave?" As she said those words, many geared up for another stage of the meet. Who did not know that all nine powers gathered here for the purpose of getting information on the patriarch's disciple?

"I never ask you how your disciples are trained Lady Mi. have some shame," Tie Nse said ruthlessly. He did not bother saving her some face.

True. Who amongst them reveals things about their disciple? Was she expecting that the Heaven alliance will surrender to their Jade Phoenix alliance? Was this not being shameless?

To this, Lady Mi did not care. She knew she was not the only one who wished to know. As such, the other powers would speak up.

"Why are you skating past the question, Tie Nse?" the sword sect leader asked. To this, Tie Nse frowned.

"One thought you all came here to grace our Heaven alliance meet with your presence. One accepts he is wrong," many thought that Tie Nse's words were shameless. How could he say he thought the leaders of all nine powers gathered here to honour the Heaven alliance meet? How could he say such words without blinking?

"It matters not what you thought we came to do? Tie Nse, a lot of things have happened around your disciple that involve the entire cultivation world. Until you answer our questions, you cannot leave!" the Ke clan chief, Ke Nti, declared as the jade Alliance locked down the entire arena.