King Qin’s Mansion had set a rule where all counties were given a choice and could select one participant to fight for the top three places. In other words, this meant the selected participant was given a free pass and would automatically qualify for the finals. This was so the strongest powerhouses from every county would be in the best condition to fight in the finals. However, if the selected participant could not qualify in the top ten, the county the participant was from would have to pay three times more prominent Celestial Stones for ten consecutive years when they paid their tithe to King Qin’s Mansion. For this reason, unless they were absolutely certain, the counties would not simply select any participant to participate in the final round.
For this reason, three out of 16 counties did not select any participants for the final round. The other 13 counties, including Nine Specters County, had already decided on their participants. Naturally, Duan Ling Tian had been selected to represent Nine Specter County. However, if he did not show up, he would be considered absent and would be disqualified. As a consequence, Nine Specters County would be punished accordingly. For this reason, the people from Nine Specters County grew more and more anxious as the final battle drew near.
‘It’s the final day today… Why isn’t Duan Ling Tian here yet? Did something really happen to him?’ Qin Yu thought to himself. He was the only person from Nine Specters County who qualified, through normal means, in the top ten.
However, the people from Nine Specters County were not assured since the top ten positions had not been confirmed. The other 12 participants were no weaker than Qin Yu after all. Only ten out of the 13 participants would be rewarded by King Qin’s Mansion.
Although Qin Yu’s position was not secure, and he still had to face 12 strong competitors, he was calm. The only thing that worried him was Duan Ling Tian’s safety.
At some point, Wang Qi Ling, the County Governor of Fair Mountain County, approached Tian Ji Yu. He smiled as he said, “County Governor Tian, your last participant should be Duan Ling Tian, right? However, I heard that he hasn’t shown up yet. I heard he left Nine Specters County a year ago… Could something have happened to him out there?” His smile grew wider and wider as he spoke.
Tian Ji Yu narrowed his eyes, but his voice remained indifferent as he said, “The Martial Competition of the 16 Counties hasn’t ended yet, right? County Governor Wang, it seems like you’re hoping Duan Ling Tian won’t show up because you have no confidence in Yang Jin…” A hint of ridicule could be heard in his voice as he approached the end of the sentence.
Yang Jin was the participant from Fair Mountain County who had yet to fight in the competition. He was widely acknowledged as strongest among the younger generation in the entire Fair Mountain County. He might not be stronger than Duan Ling Tian, but he was as famous as Duan Ling Tian in their respective counties.
Wang Qi Ling was, surprisingly, unaffected by Tian Ji Yu’s words. “I have confidence in Yang Jin if his opponent isn’t Duan Ling Tian. I’m certain the other 11 counties feel the same way as I do if their participants have to face Duan Ling Tian. After all, Duan Ling Tian is as strong as a Great Overarching Golden Celestial. Even Pang Bing, the strongest powerhouse below Great Overarching Golden Celestials, isn’t a match for him. With someone like that as an opponent, how can I have confidence in Yang Jin who’s far weaker than Pang Bing?” He had spoken so candidly that it seemed as though he admired and acknowledged Duan Ling Tian’s strength. If one did not know better, they would think Duan Ling Tian, the strongest person below Great Overarching Golden Celestials in Nine Specters County who had disappeared a year ago, was from his county.
Tian Ji Yu could not come up with a retort when faced with Wang Qi Ling’s seemingly earnest words. He only looked at him meaningfully and said, “County Governor Wang, it seems like you’re well aware of your strength.”
Wang Qi Ling returned Tian Ji Yu’s gaze and said knowingly, “County Governor Tian, I think Duan Ling Tian has arrived, right? Are you hiding him?”
“County Governor Wang, you seem very interested in Duan Ling Tian,” Tian Ji Yu said.
“Of course, and I don’t think I’m the only one. I’m sure the other 14 County Governors are as interested in him as I am. In fact, rumor has it that even Lord King Qin has been talking about him, both in private and in public,” Wang Qi Ling answered frankly. A hint of jealousy could be seen in the depths of his eyes as he asked curiously, “County Governor Tian, I’m really curious if Duan Ling Tian has arrived…” It seemed like he was not aware of how eager he was to find out if Duan Ling Tian was present or not.
Tian Ji Yu said apathetically, “County Governor Wang, didn’t you say that it’s very likely that Duan Ling Tian had died somewhere out there?”
Wang Qi Ling was taken aback by Tian Ji Yu’s words. He smiled awkwardly as he said, “I… I was just joking.”
Tian Ji Yu continued to speak indifferently, “County Governor Wang, if you want to know if Duan Ling Tian is here, you’ll find out come evening. Today, we’ll find out who would be the ten finalists and who would rank in the top three of the Martial Competition of the 16 Counties. If Duan Ling Tian is present, he’ll show up in the evening. However, I’m sure you’re hoping he won’t show up.” A hint of ridicule flashed in his eyes as he looked at Wang Qi Ling.
Wang Qi Ling shook his head as he laughed. “Now, why would I hope for something like that? I look forward to his appearance even though it means that he’ll rank first. After all, I’m really curious and am looking forward to seeing the young man who’s less than 100 years old but has strength comparable to Great Overarching Golden Celestials.” He sounded sincere when he spoke, but was this really his true thoughts? After a brief pause, he said before he excused himself and left, “County Governor Tian, the battle for the top three places is about to start. All the participants from the counties are about to fight so I’ll take my leave now.”
Tian Ji Yu expressionlessly looked at Wang Qi Ling’s retreating back and said, “Farewell…” However, a hint of worry could be seen in his eyes. Today was the final day of the Martial Competition of the 16 Counties, however, he had yet to see hide nor hair of Duan Ling Tian in the King City of King Qin’s Mansion.
…
Meanwhile, Wang Qi Ling, who had returned to the audience seats of Fair Mountain County, approached a figure covered in grey robes whose face was hidden. He spoke respectfully through Voice Transmission, “Senior, I tried to question Tian Ji Yu, but I didn’t glean any information from him. He’s very cunning and replied to me with a bunch of nonsense.”
A calm and ancient voice entered Wang Qi Ling’s ears. “It doesn’t matter. Today’s the last day of the competition. If Duan Ling Tian is going to show up, he would show up by this evening latest. If he doesn’t, then, it just means he doesn’t intend on participating in this competition.”
Meanwhile, the elders and Revered Elders of Fair Mountain County who had come with Wang Qi Ling were shocked when they saw how respectful their County Governor was behaving toward the mysterious person in grey.
“Who’s that person?”
An elder muttered under his breath, “Is this the person Lord County Governor hired to kill Duan Ling Tian?”
“How’s that possible? If Lord County Governor does something like that here, do you think King Qin will spare Lord County Governor?” another elder said.
“In any case, we’ve not seen Duan Ling Tian up until now so there’s a chance he might not show up. If that’s the case, Yang Jin will probably be able to rank first in the Martial Competition of the 16 Counties,” a Revered Elder of the County Governor’s estate in Fair Mountain County said.
