Theodore's eyes rolled to the back of his head, and he clutched his privates with both hands. With a shrill yell, he fell over and rolled on the ground.
This was a move that transcended cultivation. It didn't matter if the victim was at the Body Tempering Realm or the Qi Absorption Realm. Even a mighty Spirit Fusion expert, when kicked in the balls, would fall over in pain and be immobile for a while.
But no one from the Swan Sea Sect felt any sympathy for Theodore. Everybody hated him to the marrow of their bones.
'Heaven-defying, Heaven-defying!' they exclaimed in awe.
'Not only did James cripple their Outer Disciples, he also crippled their strongest Inner Disciple, though in a different way!'
During both of Theodore's fights, his overpowering offense meant he dominated the competition. His opponents didn't even have the opportunity to land an attack. To them, Theodore Nott was like an existence on a higher plane, unable to be touched. No one expected the first to injure Theodore would actually be James!
That attack was from such a close distance, and so unexpected, that there was no avoiding it. James' foot hit the mark exactly. Whether by luck or by good aim, it severed Theodore's lifeline.
For a long, drawn-out moment, the only noise that could be heard was Theodore's howl of pain. Everyone else was in shocked silence.
Even the Sect Master pinched her nose in disbelief. This boy…
'Senior, why did those two send this scoundrel to my sect?'
It was Macnair who moved first.
"James, DIE!" he roared. The axe on his back appeared in his hand, and he swung it with all his might at Harry. His oppressive strength shook the entire dueling stage, locking Harry in place, helpless to defend himself. Not that it would have done any good. This attack was like an elephant stepping on an ant.
CLANG!
Above Harry's head, three blue swords appeared and collided with Macnair's battle-axe. Violent Qi exploded out in all directions, instantly shattering the stage into thousands of fist-sized pieces. Harry was sent blown away, and he landed off the stage, coughing out a mouthful of blood.
Just the residual shockwaves of the attack injured him badly, and he felt like a massive force rearranged his organs and bent his bones.
'Too strong, too strong!' Harry thought in shock. Luckily, the Sect Master managed to land her counter-attack in a way that dispersed most of the force aimed towards him. Otherwise, he wouldn't be around to appreciate it.
"Walden Macnair, I warned you, but you didn't listen. Are your disciples perhaps tired of living?" the Swan Sea Sect's Sect Master asked coldly.
"Woman, step aside!" Macnair roared. He took a step, and suddenly he was just meters away from Harry, who panicked and started backing up. He brought his axe high in the air to crush the fleeing disciple in front of him.
In that brief moment when Harry activated Burning Blood, Macnair sensed the sudden spike in strength. He was just too far away to prevent it. But he could tell – this disciple had both an offense and defense that could rival the 3rd or 4th level of the Qi Absorption Realm. He didn't know how it was possible, but he couldn't ignore the facts in front of his eyes. More than that, he couldn't allow someone this strong to continue existing – especially if they were enemies. If James were allowed to grow, it would be a future disaster.
But the next moment, the Sect Master was in front of him, standing on one of her giant swords with another in her grasp. Their weapons smashed into each other again, and Harry, along with all the other disciples, were blown away.
"Elders of the Swan Sea Sect, when I give the order, kill off all the disciples of the New Port Sect!"
The Elders all got up, hands on their weapons and eyeing the New Port Sect. The New Port Sect disciples backed up in terror. They didn't expect the situation to reach this point.
"Gwenog, do you dare?" Macnair seethed, his grip never leaving his weapon.
"Now I understand where your disciple learned his conduct from. I never imagined a Core Formation expert would attack a mere Body Tempering disciple. Macnair, today, you've opened my eyes when it comes to disgrace and shamelessness. I wonder what your old friends will say when I spread the word."
"Good, good, good," Macnair repeated that word three times, then spat onto the ruined Dueling Stage. He strapped his weapon to his back, then picked up Theodore and fed him a pill. It seemed to be some sort of pain-relief, because Theodore stopped rolling and shakily got up. As he did so, he stared at James with a look of pure hate.
"James, you've pissed me off. Hide in the Swan Sea Sect while you can, but once you step outside, I'll give you the most painful death possible. And once the Nott Clan sets their sights on you, there won't be anywhere in this empire you can hide," Macnair threatened.
Suddenly, Harry recalled the warning Slade imparted on him.
'Whatever you do, don't piss him off,' Slade said. Harry had dismissed it, thinking there was no way he could possibly piss off the head of a Tier 2 Sect. Now, Harry wanted to bang his head on the floor. How did the situation devolve into this?
It was all due to Burning Blood. When he got angry, he lost all control over his actions.
"New Port Sect, we're leaving." Macnair looked like he was about to explode due to rage, and hurriedly left. His disciples followed right behind him.
They had entered the sect with a pompous air, thinking they were better than all the Swan Sea Sect's disciples. This competition should have been an easy win, and they should have returned to their sect in glory. But they left in the exact opposite fashion. Not only did they lose the original competition, a dozen of their Outer Disciples suffered terrible injuries, and even their strongest Inner Disciple, the Sect Master's personal disciple, was crippled down below! None of them had any desire to stay longer, and wanted to leave this sect as soon as possible.
"Wait a moment," the Sect Master's voice rang out.
"What is it?" Macnair spat.
"Don't tell me, you've forgotten our bet? I believe you owe me three Heaven Grade Beast Cores."
Macnair scowled, but the three Beast Cores appeared in his hand. He tossed them towards the Sect Master, and with a wave of her hand, they gently floated into her palm.
"Sect Master Macnair is very generous," the Swan Sea Sect's Sect Master smiled. "Perhaps we should have these competitions more often."
"Gwenog Jones, you should be more mindful of your actions. If you offend the wrong person, you'll suffer the consequences. I don't mind teaching you the same lesson your master learned," Macnair threatened. He looked just like gambler who lost his entire life savings in a single night. His eyes were red, and he said whatever nasty words he could think of to hurt the Sect Master.
The Sect Master's smile froze. "Thank you for the reminder. You can scram now."
"You'll regret this," Macnair warned, then led his disciples away. Their eyes were full of bitter resentment, and they left the sect as quickly as possible.
Once the doors of the sect closed behind them, the Swan Sea Sect erupted into thunderous cheers. People were jumping up and down, excitedly cheering, shouting someone's name – with a start, Harry realized they were shouting his name, well, they were yelling "James", but same thing.
"James! James! You did it!" people were shouting. His friends surrounded him, and before Harry could resist, they lifted him and tossed him into the air.
Their continued losses to the New Port Sect were a sore subject, like a curse that hung over the Swan Sea Sect for decades. By all expectations, this year's competition should also have ended in a loss. But due to the Sect Master's cunning, and James' unnatural strength, they were able to finally win for the first time in decades.
From now on, any of Theodore's past achievements were moot. Whenever people thought of Theodore Nott, they wouldn't think about his cultivation talent or battle strength. They would just remember him as the Qi Absorption Realm cultivator who was kicked in the balls by a Body Tempering Realm cultivator. Further, his master, a Core Formation Realm expert, was standing right there but unable to prevent it or get revenge. For a cultivator, there was no greater humiliation. Some people would rather fall in battle than suffer a cruel fate like that.
James Evans' enormous guts were now the subject of legend. Even Inner Disciples and Elders marveled at his huge courage. Many hotheaded disciples wished they were as brave as him, so they could have the glory of crippling Theodore down below.
"Come on James, it's time to celebrate!" Slade yelled, and dragged him to where the Inner Disciples lived.
"Wait, I need to get – " he was about to say he needed to get his Qi Crystals, until he realized the Sect Master already left the scene. 'Don't tell me, she's going back on her promise?' Harry thought in panic. But he felt the Sect Master wasn't that kind of person. She was probably just gathering the Qi Crystals first.
He allowed himself to be dragged to the celebrations. There was food and drink, as all the disciples gathered in jubilation, merrily forgetting their worries and basking in the joy of finally defeating the New Port Sect. Though the atmosphere was full of laughter, Harry just couldn't bring himself to fully join in. He kept replaying the last moments of the competition in his head – how he impulsively attacked Theodore Nott.
"Something on your mind James?" Shaun and his other friends came over and sat by him.
"You know, I was wondering why Theodore Nott joined the New Port Sect," Harry spoke up. Now that he thought about it, that point didn't make any sense. The Tier 2 sects were powerful, but the Sacred Clans were on a level above. They were like the rulers of the empire – so why would Theodore Nott join a comparatively weak Tier 2 sect?
"There's a story floating around," Slade responded. "Not sure who spread it, but it's like this. Theodore Nott's father is the Patriarch of the Nott Sacred Clan, who's an old acquaintance to Walden Macnair. They were both Death Eaters," – seeing Harry's confused look, he explained – "'Death Eaters were the followers of the last Dark Lord. Macnair and the Notts fought for him in the war a few decades ago."
"Okay," Harry nodded, even though he had no idea what Slade was talking about.
"Well, that part's not relevant. Anyways, in the capital, there's intense competition between the 28 Sacred Clans, especially among the juniors. The rumor is that Theodore Nott fought a junior of one of the other Sacred Clans. And get this – they fought over 10 times, and Theodore Nott lost every time!"
Harry sucked in a gasp of cold air. Theodore Nott – he actually lost against another junior?
Theodore Nott's strength, his Magic Spirit, his handling of the sword and understanding of Sword Intent, not to mention his vicious character and unhesitating battling style – they all made him a formidable opponent. Harry couldn't imagine any juniors who could defeat him.
"Right, and I heard, every time he lost, he was defeated thoroughly. It wasn't the kind of battle where the opponents wear each other out until one person wins, or the kind where the loser made a small mistake and lost. It was like if Theodore fought me," he continued while shaking his head.
"The talents in the Scarlet Phoenix Capital can't be judged by our standards," another Inner Disciple commented.
"Exactly. The rumor is that Theodore Nott grew depressed and unwilling to cultivate as a result of the constant losses. His father sent him to Macnair, to give his son a change of environment and let him become informed and experienced outside the capital. The New Port Sect is a strong force, but even there, Theodore Nott is like a wolf among a pack of dogs. James, this time, you really made a powerful enemy." Slade sighed.
"I did make a mistake," Harry nodded glumly. Now the battle was over, and his emotions settled down, he could reflect upon his actions level-headedly. No matter the reason, it was a colossal mistake. Theodore Nott already wanted him dead, but now, Macnair definitely did too. That wasn't even mentioning the Nott Sacred Clan, a group so powerful that their strength was beyond Harry's understanding. If they came for revenge, Harry was well aware the Sect Master would be unable to protect him.
He was even thinking of fleeing the sect, but then he remembered the Ivory Fist Clan was waiting for him outside. There was nothing he could do.
"There's something else – did you guys notice this? None of the Ivory Fist Clan members were challenged," Harry voiced. It was true. Whenever the New Port Sect issued challenges, none of the Ivory Fist Clan members volunteered to fight, and they were never directly challenged either.
Despite what happened to Maynard, the Ivory Fist Clan was still the strongest clan in the area. They had plenty of powerful Inner Disciples, but none of them fought for the Swan Sea Sect. It was either a strange coincidence, or there was something suspicious going on.
"Hmm," Shaun recollected the fights and nodded. "That's true, but it's probably because none of them are in the mood to fight," he guessed.
Harry shrugged and agreed with that. He was probably thinking too much about it. The Ivory Fist Clan was in no mood to do anything, much less fight, and perhaps their physical appearances intimidated the New Port Sect from challenging them. That was a reasonable explanation.
There was one more thing bothering him, which was how forceful Macnair had been to initiate the challenge. When the Sect Master initially refused, he grew angry and used every method he could to force the two sects to fight. Harry couldn't understand it. Why was he that desperate to fight the Swan Sea Sect, or did he have some other agenda today?
Further, Macnair's conduct was too disappointing. He was a Core Formation Realm cultivator, and as the head of one of the Tier 2 sects, that made Macnair one of the most powerful people in the empire. Why then, did Macnair act so despicably?
As it turned out, having a high cultivation level didn't mean one had good character. In fact, now that Harry thought about it, it was actually the opposite.
Cultivation, fundamentally, was a lifelong competition for resources. All cultivators needed pills, Qi, weapons, techniques, and numerous other resources to advance their strength. But all these resources were limited, leading to constant competition. In the Swan Sea Sect, there was a merit system where everyone had a chance to get resources, which had the effect of limiting the amount of fighting. But at places like the New Port Sect, the situation was completely different. Fighting and competition bloomed in the New Port Sect.
And based off the little information he heard about the 28 Sacred Clans and the Scarlet Phoenix Capital, the competition there was 10 times as intense. The 28 Sacred Clans had deep backgrounds and powerful leaders, who collectively formed the most powerful strength of the empire. But these clans were anything but united. In-fighting broke out all the time, both between the clans and within. The 28 clans competed against each other for dominance in the empire, while the clan members competed against themselves for power within the clan. The situation there could only be described as an incredibly complex web of political relationships. There was constant fighting, and it was natural for people like Theodore Nott, who grew up in such an environment, to end up stronger.
In this world, those who made it to the top only got there by defeating others, no matter the price. And the people with principles and dignity were defeated by others, because they weren't willing to make the sacrifices needed. There was no such thing as a powerful cultivator who never fought or killed, because those types of people were killed by others before they could grow strong.
Thinking about it like this, it was actually natural that the strong would be violent, the powerful would be brutal, and the rulers would use despicable means. If they didn't, they wouldn't have gotten to their position.
Macnair used all sorts of underhanded tactics to win the competitions. Not only did he time his arrival when the Swan Sea Sect was at its weakest, he also brought Theodore and Tristan Nott, members of a Sacred Clan. With their status, who would dare to injure them? Even if Theodore turned out to be weak, he could have just stood there and won all 50 battles himself by flaunting the name of his clan.
Only Harry was different. Macnair was shameless, but it was ineffective against Harry, who didn't care about the rules at all. He directly broke all the unspoken rules as if they didn't apply to him. Though this time, he truly brought a disaster to himself. How long would it be before the Nott Sacred Clan came to settle accounts?
"One more round for James!" someone called out, interrupting Harry from his thoughts. Harry outwardly smiled and accepted the toast, but his inner thoughts were far more chaotic.
All night long, people came up to him and thanked him for standing up for the Swan Sea Sect. Harry graciously accepted all thanks, humbled by how many Inner Disciples were praising him. The tale of James winning nearly 40 consecutive battles, then kicking Theodore Nott in the balls, was being told over and over. Each time, the telling was more dramatic, and people even started reenacting the scene, to drunken and uproarious laughter.
It was late at night when Harry finally got away from the celebration, and returned to his dorm. He had half a mind to find the Sect Master and ask for his Qi Crystals, but decided it could wait until the morning. Not to mention he didn't know where she lived, even he didn't have the courage to barge into her residence at night and demand his money.
However, all that turned out to be unnecessary. When Harry finally stumbled back to his dorm, he opened the front door and saw an unbelievable sight. Though he was feeling a bit lightheaded, the moment he saw what was waiting for him, his tipsiness vanished and his eyes lit up like firecrackers.
Qi Crystals!
So many Qi Crystals!
There was a small mountain of Qi Crystals right in the center of his room. They stacked halfway up to the ceiling, and spread out all over the floor. Everywhere he looked, he saw the silvery, luminous rocks twinkling back at him. His living room was buried under them.
'I'm rich!' he leapt for joy. Even when he worked in the mines, he never saw so many Qi Crystals at once before. There was no way he could have counted all these Qi Crystals, but he trusted the Sect Master to not have withheld any.
'So, this is what 4500 Qi Crystals looks like!' he started doing a little dance in his room, before getting to work.
All night he labored, and well into the morning. His arms were like machines, grabbing Qi Crystal after Qi Crystal and placing them on his body, allowing the Nameless Seed to suck out every bit of Metal Qi. When he got tired of that, he just rolled around his room, consuming Qi Crystals as he did. And as the crystals' essences entered his body, the crystals turned into tiny particles of dust, and he felt like his heart was bleeding.
'So many Qi Crystals… ah, I could buy so many pills or other treasures with them! But the Nameless Technique is more important,' he consoled himself. Even then, it made him ache to lose all his Qi Crystals so quickly. Feeding the Nameless Seed was akin to dumping money down a bottomless pit, never to be seen again.
Though he worked as rapidly as possible, there was still a limit to his speed, and he had a literal mountain of crystals to go through. He worked until the Sun rose, and then set again, stopping only briefly for short naps. Each crystal sent a clump of Metal Qi into his body, which was deposited into his bones, hardening them millimeter by millimeter. It wasn't until the third day when he finally refined the last Qi Crystal, and collapsed over in exhaustion.
He didn't know whether to laugh or to cry.
With the roughly 5000 Qi Crystals he earned while at the Swan Sea Sect… he was only somewhere between one-third and one-half of the way done.
5000 Qi Crystals… 5000 Qi Crystals, a huge mountain of Qi Crystals, and he only managed to strengthen his arms, skull, and part of his chest. Speaking of his arms, they became as heavy as rocks, leaving him unused to the weight. If it weren't for Rebirthing Muscle, Harry was doubtful he would even be able to lift them up.
It was in the midst of this depressing, frustrated mood when an announcement from the Sect Master came echoing across the sect.
"The Swan's Seamount is about to erupt. All Elders and interested disciples should report to the main beach."