Chapter 80: Getting Picked on

　　After that, Qi Shun delivered a long-winded speech, but the general gist of it could be summarized into a few key points.

　　The time limit was half a day. The aim was to secure as many badges as possible during that time, and if you were among the top then disciples, you would be accepted into the number one academy in the kingdom, the Yun Xiao Academy, to be developed as a young general.

　　It didn’t matter if your badge were taken; you could still steal other people’s badges!

　　If you had a large number of badges, then you had to be wary of other people forming teams to steal your badges!

　　In other words, secure badges no matter the cost.

　　Qi Ying’s fists were tightly clenched, and he was raring to go.

　　…

　　Within the crowd, Duan Xilai stared intently at Qi Ying with furrowed brows. “He’s still alive!”

　　Qi Ying was not dead, and he appeared to be completely unscathed. Meanwhile, there was still no news from Xue Yuesha, so there were only three possibilities: number one, Xue Yuesha didn’t complete the mission and fled into hiding again; number two, Xue Yuesha never attempted to complete the mission and simply ran away; number three, Xue Yuesha didn’t complete the mission AND he was killed!

　　The third possibility was the one most plausible.

　　But who could be capable of killing Xue Yuesha?

　　Energy Martial Stage warriors definitely wouldn’t be able to do so.

　　As such, it was most likely the case that Yan Thirteen had already noticed Xue Yuesha’s presence during the banquet. He must have then used Qi Ying as bait to lure Xue Yuesha into a trap before killing him!

　　Duan Xilai felt like he must not have been far from the truth, and he instantly flared up with rage.

　　The Duan family had paid a heavy price to locate Xue Yuesha and convince him to take on the job. He was initially thinking that even if Xue Yuesha failed his mission, he could join in on their efforts to bring down Yan Thirteen. After that, he would detain Xue Yuesha with the help of Gu Tailai to recover the price the Duan family had paid.

　　But Xue Yuesha was most likely dead!

　　The deposit they had paid to him was gone!

　　At that moment.

　　Just then, a few people converged around him.

　　They were Great Elder Duan Hongxue along with the leaders and great elders of the Sun and Wang families.

　　Aside from that, there were also two Spirit Martial Stage powerful beings whom they had recruited from outside the Celestial River County.

　　The leader of the Sun family said, “The members of my family are about to enter the hunting grounds. After that, no one will be able to interfere with them, so that little brat, Qi Ying, is dead for sure. All we need to do now is to take care of Yan Thirteen. Family Leader Duan, when do you propose we strike?”

　　Duan Xilai’s eyes narrowed, as a vicious expression appeared on his face. “After the tournament, we’ll proceed as planned and attack along with Gu Tailai!”

　　‘Hmph, Yan Thirteen! So what if you can kill Xue Yuesha? In the face of the three major families and Mayor Gu, your death is already sealed… This time, you won’t be able to threaten us with the lives of our elite young warriors!’

　　…

　　Time passed by slowly.

　　The two hundred and sixty participants were dispersed, and led by different soldiers at random to one of the several hundred entrances leading into the hunting grounds.

　　In order to make the tournament as fair as possible, they were trying to separate everyone to avoid members of the same family forming an invincible juggernaut. In that case, whichever family had the most participants would always end up with the largest number of badges, thereby defeating the purpose of the tournament.

　　The area in which the tournament was being held was quite large, and the terrain was very complex. Those factors, in conjunction with the fact that everyone was taken to a different random entrance, made the conditions more favorable for more powerful warriors.

　　Among the two hundred and sixty participants, the ones with the lowest cultivation bases were at the Fifth Energy Martial Stage.

　　On the other end of the spectrum, there was apparently more than one Spirit Martial Stage participant!

　　Qi Ying was a little uneasy and nervous, but also a little excited at the same time. He felt like there was a good chance that she was looking at him from somewhere.

　　She would be really happy, since he was working so hard for her sake, right?

　　He had to enter the Yun Xiao Academy… There would still be a massive gulf between them even then, but he would at least be one step closer to her!

　　A figure was quickly approaching him.

　　Qi Ying knew that a supervisor would be coming to check him for banned items, and to verify his identity to see if he actually was who he was supposed to be, as well as to ensure he wasn’t over the age limit.

　　However, the person who was making their way toward him wasn’t the one he was expecting.

　　Instead, it was the one he least wanted to see; it was Madam Butterfly!

　　Whoosh!

　　The arrogant Madam Butterfly appeared before Qi Ying, and she raised an eyebrow after sizing him up for several seconds. “Fifth Energy Martial Stage? Piss off!”

　　“Huh?”

　　Qi Ying was in disbelief!

　　Piss off?

　　What was that supposed to mean?

　　“Supervisor… I’m not quite sure what you mean.”

　　Qi Ying gritted his teeth.

　　Madam Butter pursed her lips and raised her eyebrow even higher. “Heh, these small places sure are unregulated. They let a Fifth Energy Martial Stage warrior get a spot in the tournament? What a joke! Your badge will just be a free one for the taking anyway, so I might as well confiscate it to ensure there’s balance in the tournament!”

　　“…”

　　Before Qi Ying had a chance to issue a rebuttal, the badge on his wrist was suddenly stripped away by a burst of power!

　　“Piss off!”

　　Madam Butterfly repeated in a cold voice.

　　Qi Ying didn’t move.

　　Was she chasing him away?

　　If he left now, there would be no opportunities left for him!

　　Traveling to Yun Xiao City would be extremely difficult, and it would be next to impossible for a nobody like him to get closer to Qin Susu…

　　He couldn’t give up!

　　Qi Ying repressed his thunderous rage and leaned down to pick up his badge. “I secured a spot with my own power.”

　　“I told you to piss off!”

　　Madam Butterfly’s voice was cold to the extreme.

　　“…”

　　Qi Ying ignored her and continued to stand on the spot.

　　Bam!

　　All of a sudden, an invisible force rammed into Qi Ying’s chest, sending him flying for several dozens of feet before crashing heavily to the ground.

　　“Piss off.”

　　Madam Butterfly repeated again.

　　The surrounding soldiers didn’t dare to say anything. They knew that Madam Butterfly was not someone they could oppose.

　　Qi Ying stood up and dusted himself off. He ignored Madam Butterfly and continued to walk toward the entrance.

　　There was no way he was going to give up!

　　He couldn’t resist either, so he could only use his actions to show his determination.

　　“Hmph!”

　　Madam Butterfly harrumphed coldly and sent a burst of that invisible power hurtling toward Qi Ying again.

　　Qi Ying felt a gust of gale-force wind descending upon him.

　　Bam!

　　All of a sudden, that burst of energy was dispelled by something, and it only managed to ruffle Qi Ying’s hair.

　　“Don’t pick on him, auntie. It must have been quite difficult for him to secure a spot, so just let him participate in the tournament.”

　　A voice suddenly sounded in the air.

　　“Eh?”

　　Qi Shun looked up to discover that the person who was standing up for him was Qi Shun!

　　Why was Qi Shun referring to Madam Butterfly as aunt?

　　In any case, that didn’t matter to him.

　　All he wanted was to be able to participate in the tournament.

　　“Then, I’ll let him off just this once.”

　　Madam Butterfly glanced at Qi Ying indifferently before rising into the air.

　　Qi Ying patted his chest and heaved a sigh of relief. At the same time, he cast a grateful glance toward Qi Shun, to which the latter smiled and nodded in response.

　　‘Even I’m starting to like him…’

　　Qi Ying thought to himself.

　　As expected of a young master from a truly prestigious family. His demeanor and the way he treated people was completely different from that of the so-called young masters in the Celestial River County.

　　The expression on Madam Butterfly’s face was reminiscent of how Duan Gucheng had once appraised him, and detested her greatly for it.

　　It was as if she thought of herself as some high and mighty goddess, while everyone else was scum.

　　At that moment.

　　High up in the sky, Madam Butterfly didn’t actually leave. Instead, she continued to stare intently down at Qi Ying.

　　“Is this the brat that Susu was looking at last night?”

　　Her eyes then fell upon Qi Ying’s left hand, and she mused to herself, “Heh, there’s no mistaking it. It may have changed slightly in appearance, but it’s still Susu’s silver glove. I gave that to her as a present back in the end… So that brat really is the kid from the Nameless Mountain… How annoying…”

　　……

　　The sun gradually rose to its highest point, and a voice finally rang out from the voice amplification spell formation, traveling to every corner of the venue.

　　“Let the tournament begin!”