Chapter 92 - 89: You’ve Got a Lot of Nerve?

Arrogant! So arrogant that Li Shangyuan was ready to burst a blood vessel. Since joining the Ye Xiao Conglomerate, when had he ever suffered such humiliation? However, against a First-Grade Spirit Master, having someone in the Spirit Vein Realm make a move was out of the question. He had to do it himself. But with his Spiritual Mysterious Realm Fourth Level cultivation, forcefully initiating an attack meant he would have to pay ten Second-Grade Junior Elixirs as the Combat Tax regardless of whether he won or lost. Even he found that price a bit hard to swallow.

"Do you dare to fight me?" Li Shangyuan took a large stride forward, provoking Mo Qianqian.

"I decline your challenge," Mo Qianqian said.

Li Shangyuan was rendered entirely speechless.

Everyone couldn’t help but secretly sigh in admiration; this First-Grade Spirit Master was smart. Li Shangyuan and his lackeys wanted to teach him a lesson, so why should he accept the challenge? If he lost, not only would he be beaten, but he would also have to pay the Combat Tax.

"What’s the matter? Aren’t the people from your Ye Xiao Conglomerate supposed to be incredibly wealthy, calling everyone you meet paupers? What, now you don’t have the money to fight?" Mo Qianqian lowered his crossed arms and chuckled. "If you’re not going to fight, then I’ll be taking my leave!"

Li Shangyuan’s face turned livid with rage. This was the first time he had ever felt so aggrieved. Gritting his teeth, he coldly snorted, "Hmph, it’s just ten Second-Grade Junior Elixirs. I can afford it! A Spirit Master who doesn’t even dare to accept a challenge is truly a disgrace to all Spirit Masters!"

Right at that moment, a voice halted Li Shangyuan in his tracks. A middle-aged man in white clothes strode out toward them.

"Treasure Master Zhang!" Seeing the middle-aged man in white, Li Shangyuan was instantly overjoyed. Another Spirit Master from their Ye Xiao Conglomerate had arrived!

"That man is Zhang Yongjun, a First-Grade Spirit Master of the Ye Xiao Conglomerate! The conglomerate has three Spirit Masters in total. Ye Xiao is the Great Treasure Master, and there are two other First-Grade Spirit Master treasure masters," someone in the spectating crowd exclaimed.

Although the cultivation of a First-Grade Spirit Master was not as high as that of a Spirit Cultivator in the Spirit Profound Realm, their status within a conglomerate was extremely high. Aside from the Great Treasure Master who acted as the core figure, any Spirit Master was also considered a treasure master of the conglomerate. Spirit Masters were the very core of any conglomerate!

"I heard that this Zhang Yongjun’s combat prowess is very strong. Li Shangyuan might not even need to make a move anymore."

"If Zhang Yongjun attacks, he only needs to pay ten First-Grade Superior Elixirs as the tax. That saves a massive sum of money."

The crowd broke into fervent discussions. Li Shangyuan and his few lackeys all grew excited.

"And you think you’re so respectable?" Mo Qianqian looked at the approaching Zhang Yongjun in surprise.

"At the very least, if a junior challenges me, I dare to accept!" Zhang Yongjun, who had already stopped a short distance away, replied. "If you don’t dare to accept a challenge from someone in the Spirit Profound Realm, then how about me? We are of the same rank, both First-Grade Spirit Masters. Do you dare to accept?"

"I dare to, but I decline your challenge." Mo Qianqian repeated his previous words, watching the First-Grade Spirit Master with great interest. "If I don’t accept your challenge, would a First-Grade Spirit Master as respectable as yourself dare to strike me?"

The crowd was astonished. This was clearly mocking Zhang Yongjun, who had accused him of bringing shame to Spirit Masters the moment he arrived.

"Dare? Why wouldn’t I dare?" Zhang Yongjun sneered. "It’s just that I’ve never seen a First-Grade Spirit Master who can’t even afford a fight."

"And how well can you afford one?" Mo Qianqian deliberately asked in return.

"In addition to the Combat Tax, let’s place a wager of twenty First-Grade Superior Elixirs. How about it?" Zhang Yongjun provoked.

The crowd gasped in surprise. As expected of a First-Grade Spirit Master! Besides paying the Combat Tax, he was even willing to bet an extra twenty First-Grade Superior Elixirs. He was truly wealthy!

However, it made sense upon further thought. Zhang Yongjun was quite famous and had a high chance of winning. If he won twenty elixirs and paid ten as tax, he would still make a profit. Everyone turned their gazes toward Mo Qianqian, curious if he would agree.

Hearing Zhang Yongjun’s words, Mo Qianqian was taken aback. Someone was actually volunteering to deliver free goods to his doorstep?

"I decline your challenge, but I agree to your wager," Mo Qianqian said.

What kind of response was that? Why did it sound a bit off?

However, Zhang Yongjun did not care about the phrasing. He took two steps forward and said, "Such confidence! I am Zhang Yongjun, and I do not fight nameless nobodies. Do you dare state your name?"

"Asura," Mo Qianqian revealed his alias.

"Never heard of it." Zhang Yongjun shook his head in disdain.

Many in the spectating crowd also shook their heads, as they had never heard of this title either.

"Asura?" Right at that moment, an elderly man with black hair stepped forward and questioned Mo Qianqian. "Asura, what is your relationship with Mo Qianqian?"

"Huh?" The crowd murmured in surprise. Someone actually recognized the name? And this Asura might be related to Mo Qianqian?

"Mo Qianqian was once ranked first on the Hidden Dragon List and was the adopted son of the Ling Family. After attempting to indecently assault Ling Qingxue, his cultivation was crippled, and he was expelled from the Ling Family. In the Southern Wilderness, he became a Body Cultivator and reached the First Level of the Second Realm. I heard he can even fight against those at the Eighth and Ninth Levels of the Spirit Profound Realm," someone recited.

Another person joined the discussion. "Moreover, Mo Qianqian is carrying a supreme treasure, and various factions are tracking him down. Not long ago, I heard he even led people to annihilate two factions. Does this man really have ties to Mo Qianqian?"

"You have to admit, Mo Qianqian truly lived up to his former title as the number one on the Hidden Dragon List. Even after his Spirit Vein was crippled, he still managed to become a Body Cultivator and catch up so quickly. With the Ling Family and various factions relentlessly hunting him down, I wonder if he’ll actually be able to survive and grow."

"I heard he was taken away by a mysterious old man. Since he was able to wipe out two reasonably strong factions, that mysterious old man must not be weak either. Perhaps Mo Qianqian really has a chance to make a comeback."

"But rumor has it that when that mysterious old man appeared, he didn’t stay to fight but fled with Mo Qianqian instead. That implies the old man isn’t overwhelmingly powerful. It’ll probably be very difficult for them to stand against the Ling Family and all those other factions."

"Exactly. If he were truly that strong, he would have fought his way to Central Earth a long time ago."

"For Mo Qianqian to achieve such feats, the treasure on him must be extraordinary. I’m far more interested in that treasure. It’s a pity he didn’t come to Central Earth; otherwise, we could have gone to investigate it ourselves."

Various discussions erupted one after another.

At this moment, Mo Qianqian furrowed his brows. Leaving his real identity aside, the news about him had certainly reached Central Earth. However, as for his Asura alias and the events in Luocheng, aside from Lie Tai and Luo Wushuang, probably no one else had reached the Imperial City before him. The name Asura shouldn’t have spread here yet. For this man to know of it and even connect it to his real identity... could he be someone from the three major families? Or perhaps someone from another faction keeping a close eye on the situation over there?

"If you are aware of what happened in the Southern Wilderness, you should know clearly that I, Asura, have absolutely no relation to Mo Qianqian," Mo Qianqian replied to prevent more people from growing suspicious.

"There are so many people who want to know about Mo Qianqian. If you are hoping to get any information out of me, I’m afraid you’ll be disappointed." Mo Qianqian added in a teasing tone, "Of course, if you want to fight me, you’ll have to pay the Combat Tax yourself. I decline your challenge."

"I was merely asking..." The elderly man immediately shut his mouth. He was at a high level of the Spirit Profound Realm and didn’t belong to any major faction. He just wanted to sniff out some news about Mo Qianqian. He genuinely couldn’t afford to pay this Combat Tax.

Hearing the familiar phrase "I decline your challenge," the crowd was left completely speechless.

"It seems you do have somewhat of a reputation. However, others probably won’t get the chance to fight you anyway. To defeat you, I, Zhang Yongjun, am more than enough!"

With that said, Zhang Yongjun launched his attack.