Volume Two: Travels in the State of Qi Chapter 160: An Unexpected Incident, Queuing Up

Lawless Wu continued faintly, "Your Majesty, I stand by my words. Let Bu Jige have a match with my son. If my son loses, I will have no complaints whatsoever. If Bu Jige loses, he forfeits his qualification. That is the fairest way to handle this."

Emperor Qi hesitated, casting his gaze toward Bu Jige. "Young man, do you have any thoughts on this?"

Instantly, all eyes turned to Bu Jige, every single person eager to see what choice he would make.

Bu Jige was merely a rogue cultivator, and finding himself suddenly pinned under the scrutiny of so many towering figures, he felt thoroughly ill at ease.

After lowering his head in silent contemplation for a moment, Bu Jige looked up with a bitter smile. "Your Majesty, esteemed seniors, I... withdraw."

Tears welled up in Bu Jige's eyes, yet he forced his chin up, refusing to let them fall. His hands were clenched so tightly into fists that his entire body trembled uncontrollably.

Resentment flooded his heart, raging with a myriad of grievances, but what could he do? He was nothing more than a lone cultivator without power or influence. How could he possibly hope to compete with ancient sects that possessed thousands of years of heritage?

As for fighting Wu Ba? That was nothing short of a joke. Setting aside whether he could even win, if he somehow managed to emerge victorious, he doubted he would live long enough to enjoy it.

Therefore, he had no choice but to step down.

Emperor Qi let out a helpless sigh. As the sovereign of a nation, there were times when he had no choice but to weigh and balance interests. "Young Bu, since you voluntarily relinquish your qualification, though you may no longer enter the Immortal Spirit Spring, you are still permitted to cultivate here on these grounds."

Bu Jige gave a heavy, determined nod. Just as he was about to find a random spot to sit down and begin his cultivation,

Zhang Heng, who had been standing off to the side watching the spectacle, walked over to him and spoke casually, "Brother Bu, my cultivation is low, and I could never have defeated you. Had you not voluntarily conceded defeat that day, the one entering the final four would have been you, not me. Therefore, this qualification rightfully belongs to you in the first place."

Without waiting for anyone to react, Zhang Heng simply found a spot nearby and began to meditate, entering a state of cultivation.

This turn of events caused the jaws of everyone present to drop to the floor. In all the vast world, Zhang Heng was likely the only utter eccentric who could possibly show indifference toward the Immortal Spirit Spring.

Lawless Wu's pupils constricted sharply, and a surge of furious rage ignited within his chest. Zhang Heng was unmistakably delivering an invisible, stinging slap across his face.

Wu had just claimed that Bu Jige was no match for Wu Ba; yet now, Zhang Heng—who had actually defeated Wu Ba—was openly admitting that he himself was no match for Bu Jige. Wasn't this a disguised way of saying that Wu was merely making an unreasonable, baseless fuss?

However, he could not afford to say much more. With so many powerful experts gathered here, it would not do for a man of his standing to squabble openly with a junior.

Bu Jige initially wanted to decline the offer, but seeing that Zhang Heng had already closed his eyes in deep meditation, he felt it inappropriate to disturb him. He stood frozen in place, utterly at a loss for what to do.

Zhang Heng had his reasons for doing this, two to be exact.

First, as a rogue cultivator himself, he naturally felt an aversion to seeing another rogue cultivator like Bu Jige being bullied. Furthermore, on the day they faced off, Bu Jige had willingly conceded, allowing Zhang Heng to advance effortlessly. In a way, he owed him a small favor.

Second, he genuinely, truly had no interest in entering the Immortal Spirit Spring. Setting aside the fact that the concentration of spiritual Qi within the spring was far inferior to the spiritual liquid he held in his own possession, the most crucial reason was that Zhang Heng's cultivation method differed entirely from everyone else's. While others absorbed spiritual Qi by soaking, he had to absorb it by drinking—gulping it down continuously. Thus, entering the Immortal Spirit Spring was completely out of the question for him.

Damn it, drinking his own bathwater was one thing, but immersing himself in a pool where countless other people were bathing and drinking *that* water? How could that ever be acceptable?

At this moment, Emperor Qi spoke up, "Young Bu, since Zhang Heng has generously ceded his quota to you, you may enter the Immortal Spirit Spring alongside the others."

"Many thanks, Your Majesty! Many thanks, Brother Zhang!" Bu Jige was overwhelmed with excitement, bowing repeatedly in gratitude.

Just as this matter seemed settled, another unexpected twist occurred. Huang Yan, the second greatest prodigy of the Lingyu Palace, decided he too wanted to make his presence felt. He strode directly over to Bu Jige.

The crowd stared in a daze. Was someone else about to contest the qualification?

A wave of bitter dread washed over Bu Jige. If Huang Yan truly intended to seize the spot, he knew he would be powerless to defend it.

However, just as Huang Yan was about to open his mouth, Ling Tian, the First Elder of the Lingyu Palace, reached out across the air and yanked Huang Yan back by the collar.

Before anyone could process what was happening,

Ling Tian unleashed a flurry of blows, raining a storm of cuffs and slaps down upon the young man while berating him furiously, "You stinking brat! I always tell you to focus on your cultivation, but you never listen! Look at you now—you get defeated by others, and yet you still want to swagger around trying to show off? Watch how this old man teaches you a proper lesson!"

Seeing this absurd scene unfold, the entire assembly was petrified into statues.

"Master Uncle Ling! Stop hitting me! I just wanted to find a random spot to cultivate! I wasn't trying to steal his qualification at all!" Huang Yan cried out, completely bewildered and battered black and blue. He could only beg frantically for mercy.

Upon hearing this, Ling Tian finally released his grip. "Oh, is that so? My apologies, then. At most, I'll go a bit easier on you the next time I beat you."

After numerous twists and turns, the main event was finally underway! The various prodigies prepared to step into the Immortal Spirit Spring.

Yet, at that very instant, yet another unexpected thing happened.

Mu Wanqing, who had originally secured second place in the Imperial City Grand Tournament, also showed a complete reluctance to enter the Immortal Spirit Spring. She walked straight toward the area where Zhang Heng was seated, and then, mimicking his exact posture, crossed her legs and sat down in meditation.

The onlookers stared in disbelief. Another unprecedented event, one that had never occurred in any previous Imperial City Grand Tournament, was unfolding right before their eyes.

Were these two individuals completely out of their minds?

Yet, upon second thought, nobody probed too deeply. After all, they were talking about the two eccentric figures who had actually sat down and engaged in a drinking contest on the grand arena platform during the final showdown of the grand tournament. That they would make such an eccentric choice was almost understandable.

As for the younger disciples, they began to secretly harbor resentment toward Zhang Heng in their hearts. It was undoubtedly that scoundrel Zhang Heng who had led their beloved Fairy Mu astray.

Ling Tian raised no objections to Mu Wanqing's refusal to enter the spring. After all, he was well aware that the concentration of spiritual energy in the spiritual liquid Zhang Heng possessed far surpassed that of the so-called Immortal Spirit Spring. As long as Mu Wanqing stayed close to Zhang Heng, she would naturally never lack cultivation resources.

Still, a pang of grievance lingered in his heart as he watched the little niece he had raised with his own eyes get spirited away just like that by Zhang Heng. He silently resolved that once this affair concluded, he would demand a generous amount of spiritual liquid from Zhang Heng to properly compensate his wounded soul.

Since Mu Wanqing had voluntarily forfeited her spot, the qualification to enter the Immortal Spirit Spring was reassigned to Huang Yan, who had just been thoroughly disciplined by Ling Tian.

Just when everyone assumed there could possibly be no more surprises, lightning struck yet again.

The Eighteenth Prince of the Qi Nation, Qi Xuan, who had originally claimed third place in the Imperial City Grand Tournament, also chose to bypass the Immortal Spirit Spring. He walked directly toward the spot where Zhang Heng and Mu Wanqing sat, imitated their cross-legged meditative posture, and settled down beside them, forming a neat row of three.

The top three champions of the current Imperial City Grand Tournament were now sitting together, staging their own alternative kind of queue right beside the Immortal Spirit Spring.

Everyone's minds were buzzing with incomprehension. Were these geniuses all inherently this bizarre?

If they hadn't been able to physically sense the potent spiritual Qi radiating from the spring, they would have started suspecting whether this was a spiritual spring or a pool of poison.

Yet, upon reflection, Prince Qi Xuan's actions could actually be comprehended. The Immortal Spirit Spring was, after all, the private property of the Qi imperial family. As the royal family member most passionate about cultivation, Qi Xuan could likely access the spring whenever he pleased. Given his easygoing temperament, ceding the opportunity to someone else was entirely in character.

After navigating through so many unexpected turns, the proceedings finally settled into a peaceful routine.

Eight talented prodigies began to absorb the spiritual energy within the Immortal Spirit Spring to their heart's content. The remaining sect disciples likewise sat cross-legged to cultivate right where they stood. As for the grand figures and elders of the various sects, they either used the atmosphere to gain profound insights or stood guard to protect the young geniuses training within the spring.