The moment Gong Yuantai spoke, Qiao Baiye let out a long, silent sigh of relief. He remained quiet, however, his eyes still fixed on Bu Luo, afraid the boy would throw caution to the wind and insist on a showdown. If that happened, he would be in a truly unwinnable situation.
Bu Luo tilted his head in thought, then scratched it. "Forget it, forget it. I should save my strength for them. You got off easy this time, kid." As he spoke, the Spirit Power emanating from his body dissipated.
Qiao Baiye merely gave a heavy snort, refraining from another verbal spar with Bu Luo this time.
With the two of them standing down, the other Pseudo-Core cultivator beside Qiao Baiye gave a silent nod, signaling he had no objections. After all, the page boy hadn't been challenging him in the first place.
Wang Ning glanced at Gong Yuantai and casually flicked the longsword in her hand, a gesture for them to hurry up.
"Four against four, then. Alright, Senior Brother Gong, count this junior brother in!" A cultivator from behind Gong Yuantai stepped forward. He considered his cultivation to be among the highest of the remaining group and volunteered himself.
Though not a disciple of the Malevolent Spirit Sect, he had braved life and death with Gong Yuantai's group several times, and their relationship was strong.
At the same time, another disciple from the Malevolent Spirit Sect also intended to step forward. But just as he was about to move, Gong Yuantai waved his hand, his gaze shifting toward the courtyard gate.
There, a young man dressed in the same Malevolent Spirit Sect attire had just reluctantly lowered his folded arms. He was now rubbing his nose as he ambled over.
The instant Gong Yuantai looked his way, Li Yan had a bad feeling. Sure enough, Wei Zhongran's voice immediately echoed in his mind.
'Watching is useless. Get over there and take care of them for me, quickly!'
Li Yan's expression froze. He could only let out a low, helpless chuckle to himself before making his way toward the center of the courtyard.
As he moved, the first to notice him were, naturally, the group of cultivators standing to the side. "That person is a disciple from Little Bamboo Peak. Could he be planning to participate in the duel?"
"He is indeed a disciple of Little Bamboo Peak. It seems the only one from Little Bamboo Peak here is Junior Brother Li…"
Amidst the murmurs from the conscripted cultivators and the Malevolent Spirit Sect disciples, the nearly one hundred people in the center of the courtyard followed Gong Yuantai's gaze, their eyes all locking onto Li Yan.
'It doesn't feel very good to be stared at by so many people,' Li Yan thought as he walked. He raised his hands and cupped them in a salute to Gong Yuantai and the others.
Standing in the middle of the field, Wang Ning watched Li Yan approach. A sweep of her Divine Sense brought a flicker of surprise to her eyes, but she quickly composed herself.
"This Fellow Daoist is your fourth person? If so, let's not waste any more time. Who will fight me in this first match?"
After a single glance at Li Yan, Wang Ning had judged his cultivation to be decent, but he was clearly a cultivator who had just recently stepped into the Pseudo-Core Realm.
'Are they planning to repeat the same trick? Feigning weakness before launching a sudden attack? Don't they understand that a trick only works once?' Wang Ning mused, though she didn't particularly care. She wasn't Tang Minglong.
As Li Yan approached the two groups, the disciples of the Malevolent Spirit Sect were also sizing him up. Among them, including Gong Yuantai, only four or five had ever seen Li Yan once or twice before; they weren't very familiar with him.
They were, however, quite familiar with the other eight disciples of Li Wuyi. Excluding those eight, the only one left could be Li Yan.
If their memories served them right, this junior brother had only joined the sect a few years ago. During the last sect competition, he should have still been in the Qi Condensation Realm. Now, he was already at the Pseudo-Core Realm.
This speed of cultivation was simply astonishing, causing many of them to momentarily doubt whether the person before them was truly the youngest disciple of Little Bamboo Peak.
Just then, a doubtful voice suddenly rang out from Wang Ning's side, sounding rather abrupt in the quiet courtyard. Many people turned to look at the speaker.
"You… you are Brother… Brother Jiang?"
Li Yan turned his head to the side to see the page boy's dumbfounded expression. A smile immediately spread across his face as he cupped his fist in a salute.
"Fellow Daoist Bu Luo, I trust you've been well since we last met! I am from the Malevolent Spirit Sect—Li Yan!"
"You're a Malevolent Spirit Sect cultivator? Oh, I see… so Fellow Daoist Jiang was a false name!"
After a moment of shock, Bu Luo immediately understood and clapped his hands with a loud laugh.
"Brother Jiang… no, Brother Li, you really had me fooled! So you're a disciple of the renowned Four Great Sects. But given the circumstances back then, it's understandable. At last, I finally know your true identity."
Bu Luo strode up to Li Yan, still laughing, and scrutinized him from head to toe. Though arrogant by nature, he had never forgotten the debt of Li Yan saving his life.
He instantly guessed why Li Yan had hidden his identity. Back then, it was obvious he feared being recognized, as there was mutual hunting among the Four Great Sects. It was a necessary precaution. The situation was different now, with the Four Great Sects united against a common enemy.
Bu Luo held not the slightest resentment toward Li Yan for this. Instead, he clapped his hands and laughed.
Seeing Bu Luo's reaction, Li Yan nodded with a smile. 'Bu Luo is quick-witted and has an easygoing nature. He's not completely reckless in all matters.'
Naturally, he didn't want anyone to know he had been to the Northern Abyss Demon-Suppressing Pagoda, especially since he had obtained two Silver Pages.
The thought of the Silver Pages stirred something in Li Yan, and he made a mental note to find an opportunity to probe Bu Luo for more information.
If possible, he certainly wanted to find the whereabouts of the other eight Silver Pages, but now was clearly not the time.
Bu Luo's sudden advance to chat with Li Yan left everyone else stunned. This arrogant page boy indeed had some background. Though his name was not well-known, he had managed to get here and even had connections with the Malevolent Spirit Sect, seemingly quite deep ones. This made the page boy all the more worthy of attention.
Although they could hear that the one named Li Yan hadn't given his real name before, the page boy showed no signs of anger. This bizarre personality particularly displeased Qiao Baiye.
'This Malevolent Spirit Sect cultivator has only just reached the Pseudo-Core Realm, yet this page boy from the Zuo Family is already fawning over him. He's trying to find a backer in the Malevolent Spirit Sect right here. What a petty character!'
"We can talk about our matters later. Let's deal with the business at hand first," Li Yan said with a slight smile to Bu Luo, who was about to speak again.
Bu Luo immediately fell silent, remembering the current situation. He had no choice but to suppress his astonishment.
He had been surprised by Li Yan's sudden appearance and change of identity, but what shocked him even more was Li Yan's realm.
'How did his cultivation reach the Pseudo-Core Realm? Back then, the Young Master said he was the same as me, at the Mid-stage Foundation Establishment.'
Bu Luo had absolute faith in Zuo Qiudan's judgment. He didn't believe anyone below the Nascent Soul stage could deceive his young master, especially low-level cultivators like them in the Foundation Establishment.
But a moment ago, a scan revealed that Li Yan had already reached the Pseudo-Core Realm. Although his aura was still slightly unstable, his progress was far faster than his own.
Bu Luo had always believed himself to be hardworking and willing to risk his life, and that his aptitude was no less than those so-called prodigies of the Zuo Family.
When he reached the Great Perfection of Foundation Establishment in just over two years, he was extremely pleased with himself. He had even imagined that one day, when he met "Jianghai" again, he would give him a great shock.
Perhaps he could even repay the favor with his own cultivation. But today, besides shock, all he felt was more shock. Lost in thought, Bu Luo had already taken a small step back, simultaneously considering whether he should fight if he was matched against Li Yan.
In his heart, Bu Luo still wanted to test the current Li Yan to see who was stronger between them.
"Hehe, this Junior Brother Li is our fourth combatant. He is also the captain of the Sixteenth Squad, appointed by our superiors."
Li Yan was just about to say something along the lines of, "So, how shall we begin?"
Unexpectedly, Gong Yuantai spoke first. Li Yan's eyes narrowed. 'Is he trying to scheme against me, to make me the target of public criticism?'
However, Gong Yuantai's voice immediately sounded in his mind.
"My apologies, Junior Brother Li. Martial Uncle Wei told me to say this. It was not my own idea."
The dissatisfaction that had just risen in Li Yan felt as if it were stuck in his throat, impossible to swallow or spit out. It was an indescribably uncomfortable feeling. A moment later, he could only let out a bitter laugh in his heart.
'Master is truly displeased with me for hiding my cultivation. Although he didn't say it out loud, he's still giving me a small punishment.'
As expected, the moment Gong Yuantai's words fell, a loud buzz erupted from the surroundings. Even the cultivators watching the excitement from the courtyard entrance began to whisper among themselves.
"His cultivation is decent, but he clearly just advanced not long ago. How could Senior Wei make such an arrangement?"
"Hehehe, it's not surprising that Martial Uncle Wei would arrange for his own disciple to come…" the other person replied, giving him a look that said, you know what I mean.
"And now he's making Li Yan fight? What's going on? He seems only a little stronger than that page boy…"
"Hehehe, not necessarily. You arrived late. This Fellow Daoist Li has been here for some time. He used to be in the Ninth Squad of the Heavy Peak Battalion. I heard his cultivation is not as simple as it looks."
"The Ninth Squad of the Heavy Peak Battalion? That used to be Bai Rou's squad. I heard their casualty rate was relatively low, but I wonder if Li Yan played any role in that."
"..."
Gong Yuantai only smiled at Li Yan initially. After relaying Martial Uncle Wei's words, he also felt uncomfortable. The Sixteenth Squad had suffered heavy casualties, and Gong Yuantai believed he was qualified to take over as captain.
He was even stronger than the previous captain; he just lacked the opportunity. Moreover, the remaining cultivators had rolled through seas of blood countless times. Even if the sect assigned a disciple stronger than him, they might not be convinced.
The title of the Green Bat Battalion's Sixteenth Squad was one they had earned with their lives. Whoever came to lead them would be met with inner resistance.
Gong Yuantai was aware of Li Yan's time in the Ninth Squad of the Heavy Peak Battalion. But later, when the demonic cultivators launched a massive attack, Li Yan seemed to have vanished into hiding.
Even people like Bai Rou and Du Sanjiang had been on the battlefield the entire time. Thinking back now, this Li Yan had probably been sent to a safe place by Martial Uncle Wei for the past month.
Now he suddenly appeared and was to become the captain. Gong Yuantai couldn't understand Martial Uncle Wei's intentions at all. The Green Bat Battalion's Sixteenth Squad was still a dangerous place.
'Is he just here for show, to be transferred away soon with some excuse? Then he can use this as a pretext to get more cultivation resources in the sect!'
This thought suddenly popped into Gong Yuantai's mind, making him even more dissatisfied.
When Wei Zhongran had sent him the voice transmission earlier, he was first surprised, then immediately thought, 'Not just anyone can be a captain!'
After every battle, their superiors would reward them with resources, and the captain would naturally receive more. The captain also had a higher degree of safety, as dangerous tasks could be assigned to others.
But now, they were making Li Yan participate in the duel. Gong Yuantai's first reaction was, 'This kid must have some powerful magical treasure given to him by Martial Uncle Wei. That's why Martial Uncle Wei is letting him take this opportunity to establish his might.'