Translator: TheBrokenPen Editor : Dhael Ligerkeys “I am Lu Ye of the Crimson Blood Sect and I hereby issue this challenge to all those of similar rank to me: come fight me!” The deep and loud voice swept further from the crest of Goldentip with every pair of eyes fraught with disbelief, puzzlement, and most especially with amazement. Challenging the entire mob sounded mighty and impressive enough, but arguably foolish too. Almost a thousand Thousand Demon Ridge Cultivators had amassed here in Goldentip and Fifth-Orders among them numbered somewhere around a hundred—enough men to easily overrun Lu Ye with. Although no one could deny that Lu Ye demonstrated courage and valor that even his enemies had to acknowledge. “Are you saying this on behalf of the Crimson Blood Sect and all of the Grand Sky Coalition?” the enemy champion piqued a brow with interest. “We’re not going to take seriously the nonsense babbled by a boy!” Li Baxian interjected coldly. Lu Ye swiveled around and gave him an assuring grin. He looked at the enemy champion again. “That’s true. I cannot speak for anyone else, but I daresay I can speak for myself. Are you all not here because of me? Then heed this! There’s no possible way to solve this quandary through ordinary means; not unless you wish to see more casualties! What I’m offering is a way to solve this problem while minimizing the losses on both sides! But if the Thousand Demon Ridge folks find my offer unacceptable, then by all means, continue! Let the war go on and I’ll just be here, watching with my arms folded!” “Go on then,” the enemy champion growled. “I will accept one challenger from every militant sect and order of the Thousand Demon Ridge. If I lose, you’ll hear no objections from me. But if I were to be lucky enough to survive, then the sects and orders whose challenges I have endured must agree to leave this war! You’ll swear this upon the Heavens!” Li Baxian couldn’t help tilting his brow wryly. It appeared that his newest fellow student was more level-headed than he initially gave him credit for. He had been worried that Lu Ye might be acting rashly earlier. But what bothered him now was whether Lu Ye had what it took to survive the crucible of challenges. If Lu Ye could triumph, then this would really be the best way to end this war. Otherwise, Lu Ye could be killed and his meager existence would be nothing but someone else’s stepping stone for greater advancement. The victor would reap huge rewards for being able to kill the newest member of the Crimson Blood Sect and effectively ensuring its impending dissolution. He turned around to glance at Wei Yang, tacitly conveying his doubt. But all he got in return were dubious shakes of her head. She too did not know how Lu Ye would fare. Wei Yang knew about Lu Ye, but she had zero knowledge about his abilities. Having just met him, all she knew about him was that he had reached the Fifth-Grade and nothing more. “What is this? For all the Thousand Demon Ridge’s might and power, is there no one who would step forward and challenge me?” No one uttered a syllable. Only Lu Ye’s voice pervaded the air above the barren and desolate crest of Goldentip. “Easy for you to talk, Lu Ye, when you can defeat and kill enemies beyond your rank! Hardly anyone in your rank is your match!” cried a shrill female voice. A woman sauntered forward, extricating herself from the mob while staring coldly at Lu Ye. He knew who it was: Han Zhe Yue of the Tai Luo Clan! She had just not long ago tried to kill him for his exploits during the Dragon Spring Conference although Tang Wu’s timely intervention had thwarted her. But Tang Wu was nowhere to be seen now and here she was. “What do you mean he could kill enemies beyond his rank?” The Thousand Demon Ridge champion could not believe his ears. He had been frowning over how Lu Ye could have the audacity to issue such a challenge and Han Zhe Yue’s revelation was exactly the answer he needed. The female Ninth-Order Cultivator bowed to the champion to show respect. She gave Lu Ye a hard look and said, “It’s true. I have seen how this brat could kill Fifth-Orders from my Clan with ease back when he was still a Four-Order. Since he’s a Fifth-Order now, that would mean that only Sixth-Orders and above stand a chance at defeating him.” “Oh? Remarkable. I guess that’s why he’s accepted as an acolyte of the Crimson Blood Sect.” “That’s not all,” added Han Zhe Yue who looked only too happy to reveal more of Lu Ye’s secrets. “As most of you might not still know, he is skilled in employing a form of defensive Glyphs that activate during battle. So it won’t be easy trying to land a hit on him.” When she finished, she looked absolutely gleeful to have contributed to Lu Ye’s downfall. Peals of exclamation clamored from everywhere around. But at the same time, Lu Ye finally knew what those strange Spiritual Patterns that he had been relying on really were—Glyphs. Most Cultivators knew all about Glyphs. They were an integral part of a Cultivator’s journey of ascension to true power or even immortality. There existed in the real world of Jiu Zhou a role specialized in the study and use of Glyphs known as Glyphweavers. With most of their time spent poring over tomes and scripts in their indefatigable research of the arcane and eldritch symbols and runes, they could hardly devote any excess effort to training how to fight. But within the entire species of Glyphweavers, a certain breed commanded both the fear and respect of others: Glyph Warlocks. Known sometimes simply as “Warlocks”, this special brand of Glyphweavers were just as feared as Swordsmen Combat Cultivators, if not more. Skilled in various kinds of methods, enemies could crumble to their knees and die a painful death without even knowing how they were killed. The study of Glyphs is a most complex craft that most Cultivators needed to undergo a period of learning the elementary knowledge of the eldritch craft before they could begin proper research of Glyphs. The researching part itself would take up years before Cultivators could truly employ Glyphs in actual combat. Even for a continent as vast as Jiu Zhou where more than thousands of Cultivators thrived and flourished, Glyph Warlocks worthy of the name numbered barely a hundred, and each of them was highly sought-after talent coveted by great sects and orders as well as noble families. That said, no one has ever heard about a Fifth-Order Cultivator being able to use Glyphs in actual combat, let alone seen one up close. That would easily make Lu Ye a rare wunderkind with the talents to become a Glyph Warlock. If any of the existing Glyph Warlocks knew about this, they would undoubtedly be on their way here by now. “Therefore, beware any challenger of the same rank who wishes to take on Lu Ye. What you’re doing is suicide,” jeered Han Zhe Yue with undisguised derision; she had guessed Lu Ye’s idea the moment he enunciated it. “Is Sang He a senior in your order?” the owner of a cold voice breathed ominously down her neck. The smug grin on Han Zhe Yue’s face froze. Her head swiveled at once to come face to face with a glowering Li Baxian. “No, I don’t know that name!” “Start preparing a funeral for him then,” Li Baxian hissed with venom. [What the hell is wrong with these Crimson Blood Sect lunatics?!] cursed Han Zhe Yue. [I get that you’re trying to protect one of your own, but that’s over the line!] All she did was just reveal some truths and the last thing she felt that she deserved was a threat issued by the deadly Li Baxian himself! [Brother Sang He, if you ever hear my voice, beware! Li Baxian is coming for you!]] [I did not mean this to happen!] Meanwhile, the Thousand Demon Ridge champion smiled at Lu Ye. “The premise of your idea is a good one. But I’d suggest some adjustments: that your challengers can be no greater than the Seventh Order. What do you think?” Lu Ye looked absolutely glum and silent with every bit the semblance of someone whose ploy had just been discovered. “You were so loud about wanting to be in control and take charge just now? Is this the sum of your ‘in-charge’ and ‘control’? Is this what all Crimson Blood Sect members are? A bunch of wimps and cowards?” prodded the enemy champion. “All right, you have a deal!” Lu Ye muttered with apparent frustration. One could almost make out the veins bulging at his temples. “Lu Ye, no!” Li Baxian and Wei Yang gasped in unison. “The boy himself has agreed to the terms. Who are you to object? Or does the Crimson Blood Sect expect all of the Grand Sky Coalition to lay down their lives for your sake?” the enemy champion pressed what seemed like his advantage. “You’re nothing but an order on the brink of dissolution, so you might as well submit to your fate!” Li Baxian could barely say anything at those remarks, especially the part about the rest of the Grand Sky Coalition sacrificing themselves for Lu Ye’s sake. All he could do was return a scathing glare, although he quickly looked at Lu Ye. “That was reckless, Brother. You know he’s clearly riling you up. You shouldn’t have said yes!” Fighting enemies of his same rank was risky enough; single combat or not, he would be fighting a long battle of attrition against a group of enemies, not one. The exertion could easily tire him out. Yet if he was going to face enemies higher than his rank, this could very well be suicide. Lu Ye peered at him and insisted, “I can do this, Brother!” Li Baxian really wished to chastise Lu Ye for behaving so brashly. Though not uncommon for youths to succumb to their hot-blooded temperament, Li Baxian knew firsthand how this was most likely going to become a very painful if not fatal lesson. But he would not have accepted such terms even if he were a Fifth-Order. But as much as he was angry at Lu Ye, he was more worried about his safety. That was when he saw the look on Lu Ye’s face. There was no frustration and no apprehension. In fact, he looked rather excited… Lu Ye allowed his eyelids to droop and closed his eyes. Then he turned around to see Li Baxian showing him the back of his hand. When Lu Ye indicated that he understood the gist, Li Baxian tapped on his Battlefield Imprint and a tiny blue glow sprang from his forearm and landed on Lu Ye’s. “All right, Brother. Time for some truth now. How confident are you about this?” “I’ve killed my fair share of Sixth-Orders before. As for Seventh-Orders, I have not had the chance yet, but I daresay that it’ll be quite risky, but I’ll give him a run for his money.” “Gosh!” Li Baxian could hardly believe his own ears. [That’s killing enemies waaayy beyond your rank, Brother!] [Of all things, I didn’t expect Lu Ye to be so deadly! You might be a stubborn old goat, Old Man, but you do have a great flair for recognizing talent!] Careful to not let his amazement show, Li Baxian put up a worried façade. “So, all that playacting was just for the benefit of our enemies just now?” He really had to give it to Lu Ye. The frustrated look really was so real that he thought it was an actual manifestation of his true feelings. “Just playing along with the situation,” replied Lu Ye. He did not expect Han Zhe Yue to be here. If only he had noticed her earlier. Now that that vengeful woman had spilled all the beans, he would never have the chance to fight enemies of the same rank anymore. “Even so, Lu Ye, this will be a long battle. The enemies will be coming for you one after another. I see at least thirty to fifty sects and orders from the Thousand Demon Ridge side which have arrived. Are you sure about this?” “I’ll do what I can, Brother. Prolonging the war is not good for anyone. If I could end this here and now, that would be for the best.” Li Baxian did not answer. Lu Ye was right and he of all people knew it. Beyond any doubt, the Thousand Demon Ridge side knew this too. The status quo of the battle had spiraled out of control with more Cultivators joining the fray by the minute and the mayhem would intensify further. Yesterday, Lu Ye could have sworn that he saw at most a thousand people here at Goldentip. But the number of Cultivators now embroiled in the battle here had doubled in just a single night. Prolonging this fight would only cause more bloodshed. How else could the entirety of the Thousand Demon Ridge mob listen to a Fifth-Order? The die had been cast and both sides had long passed the point of no return. Lu Ye’s idea was the single chance they ever had for the survivors to walk away alive. It wouldn’t be a stretch to say that Lu Ye’s proposal came at a perfect moment with the exact thing that both sides yearned for: survival. That was the exact reason the Thousand Demon Ridge mob ever agreed to the proposal. Now that the terms had been articulated clearly, there was no way for Lu Ye to worm out of this. Numerous Cultivators from the Grand Sky Coalition side had perished and the rest would hope to be able to live and breathe and see the next sunrise. Disagree with the terms and the Crimson Blood Sect would lose respect and credit. Especially with that crisp-clear talk about how the Crimson Blood Sect expected the Grand Sky Coalition to lay down their lives to save Lu Ye. That sentence had practically sown the seeds of discord which could very well bud if Lu Ye refused to accept the new terms. Thousand Demon Ridge Cultivators all came because of the rewards promised if they could kill Lu Ye, but on the Grand Sky Coalition side, most if not all of them were here by orders of their mentors or leaders. They owed no duty or obligation to die for Lu Ye’s sake. Therefore, whether Lu Ye liked the new terms or not, there really was no backing down now.