Chapter 19: Roaming King Tournament
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
“Congratulations on making a breakthrough in your Meridian Cycle Boundary, Luo Feng!”
After Nan Fei left, the surrounding Silver Moon Class students offered congratulatory messages to Luo Feng.
Back when Luo Feng had triumphed over Lin Hui, most people had just chalked it up to luck. However, after this battle where he defeated Nan Fei, the class’s second strongest person, everyone had finally realized Luo Feng’s strength.
Silver Moon Class was the lowest caste within the Purple Sun Institution, and as such, they were looked down on by the other students.
Nevertheless, Luo Feng’s sudden growth had inspired many, and now what all the students had for Luo Feng was respect.
This was especially true for those who used to be at the bottom of the hierarchy. These students held not only respect for Luo Feng, but reverence too. They too hoped that they could one day shine as brightly as Luo Feng.
Only after the crowd had dispersed could Luo Feng and Bing Ruolan finally leave.
While they were traveling to their destination, Bing Ruolan shot a sidelong glance at Luo Feng and asked, “Luo Feng, what Light Body martial arts were you using earlier? Why haven’t I ever seen it before?”
“It’s the Soaring Dragon Steps.” Seeing as Bing Ruolan had revealed her secret of the Storage Soul Artifact, Luo Feng saw no reason to hide the truth from her.
“It really was the Soaring Dragon Steps!” Bing Ruolan blinked in disbelief, and her gaze towards Luo Feng becoame one of curiosity.
Bing Ruolan had heard the rumors of Luo Feng choosing to cultivate the Soaring Dragon Steps, but she did not think that Luo Feng would be able to succeed back then. As such, she did not take it to heart. Contrary to her expectations, the scenario was now a reality.
Luo Feng nodded. “Yeah, but I’ve only advanced to Level 2.”
“Level 2!” Bing Ruolan stood rooted to the spot.
It had been around ten years since the Soaring Dragon Steps first appeared within the Martial Arts Hall, and yet no one had managed to successfully cultivate it. The only one who was able to gain some semblance of enlightenment from it was the genius, Lu Xiaoyun, and even then, he had only managed to reach Level One! Moreover, Lu Xiaoyun had already passed the test to the Golden Halls long ago, and became part of the Ten Rising Dragons! He was practically a celebrity!
While she stood still, Bing Ruolan fixed her sights onto the back of the confident young man before her. She was lost in her thoughts, and a moment later, she chuckled softly, muttering to herself, “Lin Xiaoxiao, you dumbo, you’ll probably regret your decision soon…”
…
The two had left the housing area and walked past the institution’s common area.
The area was bustling with the sounds of chatter, and a sea of people extended for as far as the eye could see.
“Why are there so many people here?” Luo Feng found the situation odd.
The common area was a place for announcing major news and since the students were usually engrossed in their cultivation, the common area was usually empty.
“You’re not aware?”
Bing Ruolan glared angrily at Luo Feng as she explained, “There’s only half a month more before the Outer Institution’s Roaming King Tournament! Don’t tell me you’ve forgotten about it!”
“I actually did. Let’s go check it out.”
Over the past few weeks, Luo Feng had spent all his time cultivating on Purple Spirit Peak, and he had not gone down the mountain at all during that time. As such, he was oblivious to the various events around the institution.
The two arrived at the center of the common area. A massive notice board stood within the common area with several letters inscribed around the size of a fist on top of it. Each of the words were written in powerful strokes, indicating that it was written by a veteran!
Luo Feng looked up at the board, and aside from a few precautionary matters regarding the tournament, it also contained the details of the rewards.
As Bing Ruolan read through the board, she became visibly excited. “The rewards for the Roaming King Tournament this time is quite lucrative. The top hundred students will be rewarded with two Vitality Condensation Pills.”
“Two Vitality Condensation Pills?” Luo Feng was slightly surprised at the revelation. After all, each Vitality Condensation Pill cost 500 taels of silver, and in bulk, they would amount to 100000 taels of silver! The tournament this time had surely made a dent in the institution’s wallet.
“That’s not all!” Bing Ruolan pointed to the uppermost section of the notice board and said, “The Ten Great Roaming Kings will be allowed to select a Yellow Rank Middle Class martial art of their choosing; and the top six will be awarded the spirit medicine, Untainted Bone Pill. Furthermore, the top three would be given the opportunity to select a Yellow Rank Upper Class martial art of their choosing, and for the one who scores first place, they will be able to receive a Yellow Rank Supreme Class martial art handpicked by the director himself, along with the Grade Two Spirit Medicine, Spirit Nurturing Pill!”
“A Supreme Class martial art! A Spirit Nurturing Pill!” Luo Feng’s heart was racing as he took a huge gulp. His mind had now wandered into deep thought.
Just as Bing Ruolan had stated, the Roaming King Tournament this time around had provided a much, much more generous share of prizes!
Since Luo Feng had already finished cultivating the Roaring Tiger Fist, he was no longer interested in any other Yellow Rank Middle Class techniques. However, the Untainted Bone Pill was a whole different matter.
After all, not only could the Untainted Bone Pill assist in cultivating for those who had the Iron Bone Boundary, it would also enable those who were on the verge of advancing past the Strength Boundary to do so. As such, it suited his needs pretty well.
Similarly, the Yellow Rank Upper Class martial art was also quite important to him.
At that moment, the only techniques that Luo Feng knew were the Soaring Dragon Steps, the Leopard Fist, and the Roaring Tiger Fist. Aside from the Light Body technique, the Soaring Dragon Steps, all of his other techniques were Fist Techniques. He did not possess a single Weapon Technique which turned out to be his greatest flaw at that point.
Now that Luo Feng was about to buy a weapon for himself, his strength would definitely double if he were to obtain a Yellow Rank Upper Class Weapon Technique to complement it.
He could not help but let out a bitter chuckle upon noticing the first place’s prize.
It was, without a doubt, the most attractive reward among them all!
The Supreme Class martial arts were techniques that ranked in between the Yellow Rank and Mystic Rank techniques. They were extremely valuable and be it in the Outer Institution or Inner Institution, they were extremely difficult to obtain!
Furthermore, the Spirit-nurturing Pill was not ordinary as it was a Grade Two Spirit Medicine! It would greatly aid those who had already advanced to the Level Six Meridian Cycle Boundary, the Heroic Boundary to concentrate, which in turn, would ease their transition into the Seventh Boundary, the Essence Boundary!
This was great and all, but there was one problem regarding the first place, which caused Luo Feng toi have no confidence in obtaining it.
After the huge advancements in his Meridian Cycle Boundaries, and when compared to Li Yunhao, who was ranked among the top twenty students within the Outer Institution, Luo Feng was confident that he could make it into the top ten placings. However, obtaining first place was still quite a bit of a stretch for him.
After all, every single student who was ranked in the top ten had already advanced into the Iron Bone Boundary. Furthermore, the one who stood at the very top, the Number One Genius, Li Heshan, had already cultivated to the later phase of the Iron Bone Boundary. His abilities were practically too powerful to comprehend.
Luo Feng was confident that he could beat anyone whose abilities were still within the Strength Boundary. Furthermore, he was also sure that he would be able to give those who were in the early phase of the Iron Bone Boundary a good run for their money. However, he felt that his odds of success would plummet to a quarter if he were to encounter any middle phase Iron Bone Boundary opponents.
He pondered long and hard and finally made a decision.
‘I won’t hold any expectations of obtaining first place. However, I need to at least obtain second or third place in order to get the Yellow Rank Upper Class technique!’
“Luo Feng, there’s only half a month left before the tournament begins. I’m sure you’ll be able to make it into the top ten if you work hard enough,” Bing Ruolan exclaimed with an optimistic expression.
‘Top ten…’
Luo Feng laughed at Bing Ruolan’s comment. After all, his goal was to enter the top three!
“Hmph! You probably won’t even make it into the top hundred, seeing as your cultivation is still at the middle phase of the Strength Boundary.” A high-pitched voice rang out from his side.
Luo Feng turned his head around, and there were three people who stood in a spot that was suddenly emptied out.
Among them, were two familiar figures, namely Lin Xiaoxiao and Duanmu Yu; and beside them stood an athletic-looking teen.
The teen was aged around fifteen to sixteen years of age and had a sturdy build. Furthermore, his muscles bulged under his Golden Sun Class Uniform. At that moment, he crossed his arms together and looked disdainfully at Luo Feng. He was also the one who had made the remark earlier.
“Li Tianyang!” Bing Ruolan scrunched her brows at the sight of him.
“It’s the Number Two student of Golden Sun Class, Li Tianyang!”
Many of the surrounding students let out hushed gasps and wore terrified expressions.
Luo Feng shot a glance at Li Tianyang and a thick wave of pressure slammed into him immediately after. Li Tianyang had already advanced to the middle phase of the Iron Bone Boundary!
“Luo Feng, I recall you saying that you would enter the Inner Institution within three months, and we’re almost done with the first month. Don’t tell me you’ve forgotten?”
Duanmu Yu stood out with a demeaning smile on his face. While he examined Luo Feng, he took a jab at him and said, “Oh yeah, weren’t you cultivating the Soaring Dragon Steps? I wonder whether you’ve succeeded.”
“The young master likes to joke around, I see. After all, Silver Moon Class students are delusional if they think that he can cultivate the Soaring Dragon Steps. What a joke!” Li Tianyang shook his head. He made no attempts to hide his thoughts.
Luo Feng mentally sneered at the two entertaining themselves. Then, he stated in a neutral tone, “Duanmu Yu, I’m a man of my word. I’ll definitely make it into the Inner Institution within the next three months. Also, you’ll find out sooner or later regarding my progress with the Soaring Dragon Steps…”
Duanmu Yu’s expression sank. He had originally meant to belittle Luo Feng, but he had not expected Luo Feng to not fall for his taunts. This spawned great displeasure within him, and he had no outlet to vent.
“Young master, if I’m able to rank within the top six of the Roaming King Tournament and obtain the Untainted Bone Pill, I’m certain that I’ll advance to the Iron Bone Boundary.” Lin Xiaoxiao suddenly hugged Duanmu Yu’s arm and stated in a cutesy manner after reading through the notice board.
Duanmu Yu directed his gaze at Luo Feng as he nonchalantly stated, “Tis but a small matter! With Li Tianyang’s aid at my disposal, forget the top six, even making the top three would be a breeze for you!”
Li Tianyang nodded his head as he added, “Junior Sister Lin, rest easy. With my aid, you’ll definitely bag a top-three finish in the Roaming King Tournament!”
Lin Xiaoxiao’s eyes gleamed with happiness, and with a flowery smile, she exclaimed, “Thank you, young master!” Although her words were directed to Duanmu Yu, her eyes were on Luo Feng, and within her gaze, a cold, ridiculing gleam was detected.
Luo Feng returned the gaze in kind. It was clear that Lin Xiaoxiao was acting this way on purpose.
“Luo Feng, weren’t you about to treat me to a meal at the Drunken Deity Restaurant? Well, if we don’t leave now, then we wouldn’t be able to find a place to sit!” A light-hearted voice chimed in. Out of the blue, Bing Ruolan grabbed onto Luo Feng’s right arm whilst pouting her cheeks and fluttering her eyes. At that moment, she was the epitome of cuteness.
Gulp…
A wave of saliva-gulping sounds rumbled as the surrounding students stared at Bing Ruolan in a dazed manner.
Despite being one of the top three beauties of the Outer Institution, she usually wore a stone-cold expression of which could be detected over a thousand miles away. As such, it was not a stretch to describe her current smile as one capable of overthrowing a city! Even a hundred flowers blooming simultaneously had paled in comparison to her smile! Lin Xiaoxiao might also have been a beauty, but when compared to Bing Ruolan, she was far inferior.
A spark of jealousy ignited within Duanmu Yu upon seeing this scene. Not only that, even Lin Xiaoxiao, who stood beside him, had contorted her face into a hideous expression.
Be it in cultivation, looks, or even her figure, Bing Ruolan trumped Lin Xiaoxiao in all aspects! Due to this, Lin Xiaoxiao had always considered Bing Ruolan her greatest enemy back when she was in Silver Moon Class.
Bing Ruolan’s current actions were undoubtedly naked provocation towards Lin Xiaoxiao! However, all Lin Xiaoxiao could do was grit her teeth and swallow her feelings down.
Luo Feng was slightly ruffled at first, but he quickly understood her intentions. He then looked at Bing Ruolan and, with a smile, stated, “Oh my, I almost forgot about that. Let’s leave, Ruolan.”
“Mmhmm.” Bing Ruolan flashed a sweet smile and followed Luo Feng out of the common area. Before she left, she turned around, looked at the pale-faced Lin Xiaoxiao and spoke in a profound manner, “Lin Xiaoxiao, you’re always trying to surpass me, but alas, you’ve always come out short. It’s the same thing too this time. I truly pity your short-sightedness.”
“Explain yourself!” Lin Xiaoxiao widened her almond eyes as she fumed.
“You’ll understand soon.” Bing Ruolan grinned, and while doing so, her gaze brushed past the Duanmu Yu. Following that, she vanished from the common area together with Luo Feng.
“Damn you!” Only after Luo Feng and Bing Ruolan had left did Duanmu Yu finally let out a low growl. He was like a furious lion with a bitter expression in his eyes.
After all, Bing Ruolan’s words were practically saying that he was below Luo Feng!
Through his gritted teeth, Duanmu Yu turned his head around and said, “Li Tianyang, you’d better teach Luo Feng a good lesson during the Roaming King Tournament. I want him to be humiliated in front of everyone else!”
“Rest assured, Young Master Duanmu. He’s just a Silver Moon Class student. All I need is a finger to squash him! I assure you, he wouldn’t even make it past the top hundred during the Roaming King Tournament!” Li Tianyang clasped his fists together as he stated with utmost confidence.
Some color began to return to Duanmu Yu’s face upon hearing those words. He then nodded and said, “That’s good to hear. Now let us leave, Xiaoxiao.”
“Alright.” Lin Xiaoxiao nodded her head, but her thoughts were distracted by Bing Ruolan’s earlier words.
‘I’m short-sighted? Is she saying that Duanmu Yu’s inferior to Luo Feng?’
‘What a joke! All Duanmu Yu has to do is utter a word and I’ll be in the top three. What does Luo Feng have on him? Hah, with his middle phase Strength Boundary, I doubt that he’ll even make it past the top fifty! Bing Ruolan, you’re the one who’ll come out short this time!”
Lin Xiaoxiao’s eyes gleamed as her lips curled into a smile.