Immediately, Harry found himself the center of attention. But for once, people weren't staring at him with looks of fear and disbelief. Instead, they looked… excited?
'That's right, we have James! James… James is our secret weapon! This freak of nature is unbeatable in the Body Tempering Realm! He can definitely do it!'
Every member of the sect lit up. After just the first 10 battles, the Swan Sea Sect already lost hope of winning. And when the New Port Sect won their 25th battle, they had no choice but to accept another loss. But with just a few words, the Sect Master shined a ray of hope upon their sect.
"…me?" Harry asked, pointing at himself in doubt. The exact situation he was hoping to avoid had come to pass.
"Yes, you. Is there a problem?"
"Well, it's just…," Harry hesitated, not sure how to explain himself. He didn't want to fight, but at the same time, the ownership of four Heaven Grade Beast Cores was on the line. If he backed out now, it would be far too disgraceful.
"Just what?"
"It's just, I've had a change of character recently. I've decided to take a break from fighting," Harry awkwardly said. He realized what position he was putting the Sect Master in, but at this moment, fighting was truly the last thing on his mind. When he fought, he scared even himself.
Those words were like a lightning bolt, striking everyone who heard them mute. What did James just say?
'A change of character? James? What the hell?' people stared at Harry in bafflement. All across the Dueling Hall, his sect members looked at Harry like he had grown a second head.
'James doesn't want to fight? Did I hear that right?'
'If you don't want to fight… then what have you been doing this entire time in our sect?!' people wanted to open their mouths and criticize James. It hadn't been too long since James beat Maynard into a pulp, and then started slapping Alchemists for profit. How could he change his mind so suddenly?
Even the Sect Master looked at him in surprise. Obviously, his reputation must have preceded him to even reach the Sect Master. She gave him a long, hard stare, unable to believe what he just said.
There was a moment of silence, and then Gwenog Jones spoke again.
"James, I heard you're short on Qi Crystals. Is that true?"
Harry opened his mouth, then closed it, not understanding why the Sect Master brought that up. Even at this time, was she making fun of him for being poor? People from the New Port Sect could be seen and heard sniggering at his situation.
"That's true," he finally admitted.
"For every battle you win, I will reward you 100 Qi Crystals. And when – "
"Deal," Harry blurted out before he could help himself. He didn't even let the Sect Master finish her offer.
And hearing that, everyone nearly fell down at once.
'What the hell? Didn't you just say you were taking a break from fighting? But for some Qi Crystals, you changed your mind so quickly! How can you be so desperate for a bit of money?' people scolded Harry in their minds.
'Didn't you say your character had changed? Why does it seem it hasn't changed one bit?!'
To everyone's surprise, the Sect Master actually smiled. It had been a while since she'd seen such an interesting person.
"In that case, go on then."
No longer hesitating, Harry got on stage and faced the New Port Sect.
"I am 18 years old, and at the 8th level of the Body Tempering Realm. I will challenge any 50 Outer Disciples of the New Port Sect, regardless of age or cultivation. Remember my name, James Evans, because I will defeat all of you. Today, I will lead the Swan Sea Sect to victory."
Every single one of Theodore's words… Harry tossed them right back at the New Port Sect!
100 Qi Crystals per battle… 50 battles… wasn't that 5000 Qi Crystals? That was a staggering amount of Qi Crystals! It was enough to make him lightheaded with anticipation. For a moment, he even forgot about where he was, and the Beast Cores up for the wager. With the promise of so much wealth, all thoughts of being hesitant to fight flew straight out of his head.
"But more importantly, I'll earn 5,000 Qi Crystals," he said as an afterthought.
"…"
"…"
"Ah, excuse me. I didn't mean to say that out loud."
'This man… where did the Swan Sea Sect find a greedy idiot like him?' the entire New Port Sect thought. When James challenged them and copied Theodore's words, they were filled with anger, thinking James was looking down on him. But once he revealed he was only in it for the money, their impression of him completely changed. James looked just like a clown on the stage.
Seeing James selected by the Sect Master herself, they thought he was some kind of cultivation talent, perhaps at the peak of the Body Tempering Realm. But as it turned out, he was already 18, and just at the 8th level. There were hundreds of cultivators like that in both sects.
Only a few people felt that something wasn't quite right. The Swan Sea Sect's disciples, who were so forlorn and disappointed a few minutes earlier, now looked like their victory was guaranteed. They were all staring at the New Port Sect members with mockery and anticipation.
'Haha, so what if we're down 40 – 9? We have James! James can even defeat those at the Qi Absorption Realm! His entire body is made out of rocks or something! If you can even leave an injury on his body, it'll count as your win!'
'But more importantly, for the sake of a small profit, James is willing to do anything! By enticing him with some Qi Crystals, our victory is assured!'
Some were even shooting the Outer Disciples of the New Port Sect looks of pity. Naturally, there was no reason for them to pity their enemies, leading to confusion in the New Port Sect.
"You sure have a big tone," one New Port Sect Outer Disciple couldn't stand it any longer, and leapt onto the stage. A quick glance revealed he was also at the 8th level of the Body Tempering Realm.
"Who do you think you are to challenge 50 of us? In the New Port Sect, I'm the strongest Outer Disciple at the 8th level of the Body Tempering Realm. I alone am enough to make you roll off this stage."
"Teach this idiot a lesson!" someone from the New Port Sect yelled, followed by riotous laughter.
"One move," Harry calmly said.
"Arrogant – " the man began, getting his hand onto his weapon.
Before the New Port Sect disciple even fully drew his weapon, Harry was on top of him. One hand firmly gripped his shoulder, and the other gripped the elbow. Before his opponent could react, there was a loud POP – and the next moment, the man's arm grew an inch, and hung loosely off of his shoulder. Then Harry snapped his elbow, pointing his forearm backwards.
"AAAAAAAAHHHHHHH" the man howled at the top of his lungs, then Harry twisted and kicked him with all his strength. A massive force hit his chest, and he shot off the stage, landing in the midst of the New Port Sect disciples.
From the time when Harry moved to the time his opponent was kicked off the stage, only two seconds passed.
"You've lost," Harry said before anyone could react. "Next."
This time, it was the members of the New Port Sect who leapt to their feet, looking like they were going to storm the stage and attack Harry. And seeing all of the New Port Sect take up arms, Harry just shot them a disdainful look.
"Haha, what are you all looking at me like that for? What, are you upset over that trash? Your disciple only has himself to blame for being so weak. And to think he actually questioned my fighting ability, haha, what a joke! I really wonder where he found the courage to get up on stage with me," Harry loudly spoke. He said those words with all the arrogance he could muster, and even struck up a similar pose to the one Theodore had made.
To the Swan Sea Sect, it appeared a bit comical, but more than that, it was refreshing. After being humiliated by the New Port Sect for so many years, their minds were full of indignation and pent-up anger. They never had a way to retaliate, at least, not until James. Seeing James defeat this arrogant disciple in a single move brought joy to all their hearts.
And when he tossed Theodore's words back at the New Port Sect, the rest of the Swan Sea Sect felt like they were floating in the clouds. When Theodore said those words, they all felt stifled, like they were forced to swallow shit but act like it was tasty. But hearing James say those words was like drinking fine wine, filling the mouth with a pleasant taste.
The New Port Sect was filled with anger and indignation. The Swan Sea Sect was the sect they regularly bullied, never the other way around. For James to cripple one of their people was a massive humiliation, and the taunting was even worse. Yet, although they were angry, they were also at a loss of how to respond. After all, Theodore Nott had said the exact same words! If they criticized James, wouldn't it be like criticizing Theodore himself?
Speaking of Theodore, he looked at James with a murderous expression, as if he were considering leaping back on the stage and finishing James off. Hearing an Outer Disciple throw his words back at him filled him with intense rage.
"We're just having a friendly competition between sects!" the crippled man yelled. "Why did you have to break my arm?"
"Oh, that was an accident," Harry shrugged indifferently. "You introduced yourself as the strongest disciple, so I thought you were strong enough to handle that attack. Who would have thought, you couldn't even handle 20% of my power? Next time, you should just admit how weak you are right from the beginning, so this accident doesn't occur again."
The crippled disciple flew into a rage. How did James make it sound like this was actually his fault? Though the New Port Sect didn't know it, Harry truly didn't even use 20% of his strength. He didn't bother to activate Rebirthing Muscle, nor Burning Blood. That was just the power from a casual attack, but they thought James was just saying that to humiliate him some more.
"And did you say this was a friendly competition between sects?" Harry continued. "Do you even believe your own words? If we're having a friendly competition, why did Theodore start by cutting off one of our disciples' arms? I only broke your arm. But don't worry, there's no need to thank me. I am a very magnanimous person."
'You broke my arm, why the fuck would I thank you?' the man wanted to curse at James.
He was full of regret. Why did he have to be the first to challenge James? Now he realized James was just acting like an idiot, to make him lower his guard. He should have let someone else go first, to test James' strength out. But due to his rash action and desire to put James down, he was the one to suffer.
"James, you have guts to copy me!" Theodore spat from the front of the New Port Sect. "Who do you think you are?"
"Thank you for the praise," Harry smiled. "I do indeed have big guts."
"You should carefully watch your words and actions," Theodore's tone couldn't have been more threatening. "They'll reflect upon your Swan Sea Sect, and perhaps fragment the relationship our two sects have. Can you take responsibility if that happens?"
"Haha, what are you implying? You can injure members of the Swan Sea Sect, but I can't injure members of the New Port Sect? When you were up here crippling our disciples, did you think about the relationship between our two sects?"
'Right, exactly right!' the Swan Sea Sect members crowed in joy. In the entire sect, only someone as crazy as James would dare to say those words straight to Theodore Nott's face. No one else had the guts, or perhaps lack of self-awareness, to say that. Theodore looked like he was about to open his mouth and make another threat, but surprisingly, it was Macnair who stopped him.
"That's enough. With your status, how can you bicker and wrangle with an Outer Disciple? Just let our Outer Disciples take care of him."
Though Macnair said that, none of their Outer Disciples made an immediate move to accept James' challenge. None of them clearly saw how James had attacked his opponent, as his actions were just too quick. And from that attack, they could tell that though he was at the 8th level, his strength definitely at the 9th level – no, it was above even that!
"James, you're despicable! You sneak attacked him, before he was even prepared to fight!" Finally, another disciple stepped forward and made an accusation.
"Sneak attack?" Harry snorted. "I attacked right from the front, how was it a sneak attack? And in the Swan Sea Sect, the rule is that once you step on the Dueling Hall, the duel begins. Don't give me your crap about not being prepared."
"Bastard, in that case, take this!"
The man leapt onto the stage, withdrawing his weapon as he did so. Harry was already standing by the New Port Sect's side, so the attacker only needed another leap to reach him. He jumped high into the air, and smashed his sword down upon Harry like an axe hewing a piece of wood.
Strengthening Flesh!
Harry calmly stood there, mockingly smiling. The sword landed on his left shoulder – and stopped right there. It cut through his robes, then halted when it contacted Harry's flesh.
To the New Port Sect disciple, it felt like he tried to chop a rock in half. The sword rebounded off of James' body, tearing itself out of his grasp. His hands and wrists were left numb from the impact.
"What – " the New Port Sect disciple was unable to form words, and could only stare at James' shoulder. His sword didn't even pierce a millimeter through James' body!
Loud laughter rang out from the Swan Sea Sect. Everyone knew such an attack had no hope of injuring James, and they all took pleasure in the New Port Sect's sudden misfortune.
"How is this possible? Are you wearing hidden armor?" the man accused Harry.
"I was just born like this," Harry lied. "My body is naturally this tough."
"How can you be born like this?" the man angrily yelled. "Was your mother a rock? You're – "
"What did you say about my mother? Fuck you!"
Harry's open palm whipped through the air, and smashed into the man's jaw. The entire thing was slapped off his lower face, flying through the air and landing off the stage. The poor man's chin now started at his upper lip.
'Ah, it's over. He insulted James' mother,' the entire Swan Sea Sect simultaneously thought.
"You – aarrruuuughhhhhh," the man howled and clutched his face. He didn't even realize what happened until he saw his jaw lying on the ground.
Harry leapt forwards again, but before he could attack –
"I lossht!" he yelled, and Harry stopped.
"Next person. Please hurry up so I can get my Qi Crystals."
He was confident he could beat any of these Outer Disciples in a fight, but there was always the chance of something going wrong. Perhaps after continuous fighting, he would start to tire, or slip up and make a mistake. Though the chance was low, he didn't want to risk even a single Qi Crystal. He took a lesson from Theodore – scare the enemy, and they wouldn't even dare to fight.
He displayed Strengthening Flesh, showing how hard his body was. And he displayed Rebirthing Muscle, showing how powerful his attacks were. Now, none of the New Port Sect's Outer Disciples were willing to go up on stage.
They looked at the first man, who's arm was broken in two places, but that was nothing compared to the second man, who lost his jaw. An arm could be healed, but the man's jaw was gone forever. If this James fellow decided to do something even more extreme, how could they defend against it? And furthermore, each battle lasted just one move! It wasn't like the battles between the Inner Disciples, where there was a long period of fighting before there was a clear victor. If anything, these battles were more like Theodore's battles.
The members of the New Port Sect glanced at each other, as if mentally prodding someone else to accept the challenge.
"Really? No one? What a pity, I didn't think the New Port Sect was full of cowards. As expected, only trash can be found in trash places. I have no choice but to issue direct challenges then. You, you at the 8th level. Come up here."
Theodore's face twisted again, but the man who Harry pointed at shrinked back.
"I – I admit defeat."
"No!" Macnair suddenly roared. "Coward, get on the stage!"
The disciple turned white, and looked like he was going to collapse. Why was his luck so bad to be singled out? He looked to the left and right, but all his fellow disciples avoided his gaze. Under Macnair's frightening glare, he slowly shuffled forward and climbed onto stage.
"I – I – I'm 18, at the 8th level of the Body Tempering Realm. I'll accept your challenge," he stuttered, and then immediately brought out his sword and a wooden shield –
BANG!
Harry's fist pierced through the shield, and struck the disciple on the chest, pushing him back and flying off the stage. He landed on the ground, and immediately forfeited. Harry didn't make it too difficult on his opponent – he understood the man had no intention to fight, and he wasn't a cruel person like Theodore, who felt the need to injure people for no reason. The first two people were willing to fight, but this one wasn't. Just knocking the man off the stage with a light injury was enough.
His opponent seemed to realize that too, because he sighed gratefully, then avoided the withering glare of his Sect Master.
"You're next," Harry pointed at another random disciple. He had no choice but to shuffle onto stage, and give his best attempt. But no matter what the disciples of the New Port Sect tried, it was all ineffective. When they attacked Harry, he just ignored them and let the attacks land, then retaliated with an overwhelming strike of his own. When they defended, James tore through their shields and armor like paper. Weapons, formations, Magic Spirits, all were ineffective.
Every single member of the New Port Sect was defeated with a single attack, and very quickly, Harry won 10 battles. A few minutes later, he won 20.
'Haha, 2000 Qi Crystals!' he resisted the urge to dance a little jig on stage.
The New Port Sect only brought 20 disciples at the 8th level, so after he tidied them up, he had to challenge the 9th level. But any hopes of the tide changing were quickly dashed after the 21st battle. Those at the 9th level of the Body Tempering Realm lost just as easily as someone at the 8th level. They were still defeated by simple kicks and punches.
After all, just the passive effect of the Nameless Technique brought Harry's strength past the Body Tempering Realm. If he activated Rebirthing Muscle or Burning Blood, he could match even the 2nd level of the Qi Absorption Realm. And if both were activated together, he could go well beyond that. There was nobody here who could pose a challenge to him.
21… 22… 23… 24… 25…
Finally, Walden Macnair couldn't stand it anymore. It didn't take him long to realize the Swan Sea Sect's Sect Master played him. He never imagined she was hiding this kind of freak in her sect.
"Idiots, what are you all doing?" Macnair roared at his own disciples. "Disregard your own safety, and use your full strength to strike him down! If you all do it, you'll tire him out and someone else can defeat him! The next person who fails to injure him will be punished severely when we return to the sect!" Macnair threatened them with a crazed look in his eyes. Obviously, he realized at this rate, James would steamroll through all his disciples.
"Oh?" Harry turned to face Macnair with a taunting smile.
"Earlier, didn't you say that weaker cultivators weren't to gang up on a stronger cultivator to wear him out? Didn't you say your New Port Sect was above such despicable actions? What are you doing now?"
Perhaps due to his excitement over how many Qi Crystals he earned, he forgot who he was talking to. All the joy of finally striking it rich overwhelmed the rational part of his brain, and he thoughtlessly criticized Macnair.
"Boy, you're courting death!" Macnair spat. The next moment, a violent force erupted out of his body and shot towards Harry in the blink of an eye.
A moment before it reached him, the space around him shuddered, and another force intercepted Macnair's attack. Harry only felt a huge gust of wind blow right in front of him, and the strength of it sent him careening backwards.
"Macnair, the Swan Sea Sect isn't a place where you can act as you please," the Sect Master warned. "If you attack my disciples again, I guarantee you won't like the result."
"Gwenog, your disciple talked back to me! He deserves to be punished!" Macnair yelled back.
"It's not your place to teach my disciples," the Sect Master frostily responded.
The events happened so quickly that it took Harry some time to even realize he had been attacked. Attacks at the Core Formation Realm were too powerful and sudden – there was no way he could have reacted. If it weren't for the Sect Master protecting him, he would have died right there.
It was like a bucket of cold water being dumped on his head, jolting him back to his senses. Upon that, he grew absolutely infuriated. His life had almost just ended – ended without him even realizing! Macnair, a cultivator all the way at the Core Formation Realm, actually tried to attack him, a Body Tempering Realm cultivator! Suddenly, he began to feel a familiar stirring in his blood, an anger simmering and boiling and waiting to erupt.
'No, no, calm down, calm down,' he frantically told himself. The last thing he needed was to lose control here and do something he regretted, pissing off Macnair even more. He took deep breaths, and forced himself to enter a calm-minded state. He managed to suppress the anger a bit, but not by much.
"Hmph. You! You're next!" Macnair pointed at one of his disciples, and swallowed nervously and got onto the stage. If he didn't injure James, then –
"Fuck your shameless New Port Sect!" Harry cursed and kicked the man with all his might. He didn't activate the Nameless Technique, but the strike was more than enough. His opponent wailed in pain as he flew back into the midst of his fellow sect disciples.
The 26th to 40th battles all ended the same. Harry couldn't take his anger out on Macnair, but he could on these disciples. As long as someone came onto the stage, Harry kicked them off with a single move, no longer caring that Macnair's face was growing angrier and angrier.
It was 40 – 9 after the Inner Disciples fought, with one single tie. Now it was 40 – 49. If Harry won just one more battle, then the Swan Sea Sect would be the winner of this competition.
The Swan Sea Sect realized this, and anticipation was rife in the air. This would be the first competition in a very long time that they had won, and they couldn't wait for the last battle to occur. Similarly, Macnair also realized this, and glared at both Harry and his own disciples in raw displeasure. If the Sect Master wasn't here, he would definitely have killed James right here on the spot.
He thought back to the words he exchanged with the Swan Sea Sect's Sect Master, both before and after the Inner Disciples fought. Now he understood why she forced him to double his bet. That talk about her disciples not being able to fight right now was all bullshit. It was all to make him feel confident, so he'd agree to the second part of the bet with the Outer Disciples.
Out of options, Macnair turned to a disciple standing among the New Port Sect's Inner Disciples, and gave him a meaningful look. That disciple immediately understood Macnair's intention and stepped forwards.
"James, do you dare to challenge me?" he asked.