When Zhang Ergou's name was called, the disciples and elders of the Misty Sect wore bitter expressions.
Zhang Ergou had vanished without a trace, his whereabouts unknown.
It seemed the Flowing Sea Sect was poised to win this match as well!
Alas...
A wave of sighs swept through the Misty Sect. The thought of conceding a spot to their opponents was unbearable, yet Zhang Ergou had not returned!
Those Misty Sect disciples who were not close to Zhang Ergou began to resent him.
Lin Yueru and her companions could only glare, their faces flushed with anger as they watched the crowd being whipped into a frenzy by Leng Feng.
With Zhang Ergou absent, they had no grounds for rebuttal and could only fume in silence.
Leng Feng and his ilk naturally lamented Zhang Ergou's absence, eventually drawing the voices of agreement from several elders...
"Next match for the Golden Core stage: Zhang Ergou of the Misty Sect versus Hua Ying of the Flowing Sea Sect."
As Zhang Ergou remained absent from the arena, the officiating elder called out again, this time with a discernible trace of anger in his voice.
In all the matches he had presided over, Zhang Ergou was the first to be summoned twice and still not appear.
After another moment of waiting, just as the presiding elder was about to call out for the third time, a figure emerged from a corner.
Seeing Zhang Ergou walk towards the arena, the presiding elder's expression softened slightly, though he still cast a stern glance at Zhang Ergou.
"Elder, my apologies. I was delayed by some matters and arrived late!"
Zhang Ergou bowed to the presiding elder, whose expression then completely improved.
"Zhang Ergou of the Misty Sect?"
"Indeed, disciple?"
"Why are you not wearing the sect's attire?" The presiding elder's face showed a hint of displeasure. His lateness was one thing, but to not wear the sect's uniform was another.
"Elder, I was truly held up by a matter, and rushed here without time to change."
Zhang Ergou explained again.
"This does not violate the rules of the grand competition, does it?"
"Oh, no, it doesn't. I was merely curious." The presiding elder shook his head.
Zhang Ergou offered a slight smile to the presiding elder.
"Very well, since both parties are present, the match shall begin."
Hua Ying had already won his previous match. When he had heard the presiding elder call out twice without Zhang Ergou appearing, he had been ready to advance directly.
The name Zhang Ergou sounded vaguely familiar. When he and Ling Feng'er had visited the black market, they had encountered someone named Zhang Ergou.
However, that fellow had only been at the Foundation Establishment stage. Judging by the time, it had been at most a year.
Hua Ying found it hard to believe that this Zhang Ergou was the same one.
He had never heard of a cultivator breaking through from Foundation Establishment to Golden Core in less than a year.
Except for Ling Feng'er, with her awakened bloodline...
...
"Who is that on the stage? Zhang Ergou?"
While disciples from other sects showed no reaction, the Misty Sect erupted in a commotion.
"That person doesn't look like Zhang Ergou!"
Although these individuals were not close to Zhang Ergou, they could still recognize his appearance. However, the person on the stage truly did not resemble Zhang Ergou.
But if not Zhang Ergou, then who could it be?
No one would be so bored as to take a beating in Zhang Ergou's place for no reason.
Lin Yueru and the others were also bewildered. They genuinely did not recognize the person on the stage.
"Who is that?"
Seeing Lin Yichen return, Lin Yueru and the others quickly asked in hushed tones. Lin Yichen had not returned immediately after descending from the arena.
Instead, he had walked towards a corner. The "Zhang Ergou" who had just appeared on stage had also emerged from that very corner.
They assumed Lin Yichen must know what was going on.
"It is Zhang Ergou." Lin Yichen nodded affirmatively, his voice not particularly low, precisely so that those around him could hear.
"But, he..." Lin Yueru started to ask why Zhang Ergou's appearance had changed, but catching Lin Yichen's gaze, she swallowed her words.
Shi Wuhen, observing everything in the arena, silently transmitted a message to Chi Yu...
"Boy, are you from the Misty Sect?" Hua Ying confronted Zhang Ergou with an air of superiority.
Though his cultivation could not compare to the Saintess Ling Feng'er, he was now at the mid-Golden Core stage.
A mere early-Golden Core cultivator was not something he took seriously.
"You're still so arrogant!" Zhang Ergou's expression remained unchanged in the face of the opponent's arrogance.
"What did you say?" Hua Ying's brow furrowed. He found Zhang Ergou's words somewhat incomprehensible.
Seeing that the opponent seemed not to recognize him, Zhang Ergou let out a cold laugh, "Has the shoulder injury healed?"
Zhang Ergou looked at him with amusement. Previously, when Hua Ying had attempted to harm Ling Feng'er, he had been repelled by the Foundation Establishment stage Zhang Ergou, who had also left a scar on his shoulder.
"You are Zhang Ergou!" Hua Ying's eyes widened. The person before him was indeed the same Misty Sect disciple who had humiliated him back then.
What he had just dismissed as impossible was now a slap in the face.
While his face flushed, Hua Ying seethed with anger. He had never forgotten the humiliation Zhang Ergou had inflicted upon him.
He remembered how he had told Zhang Ergou that they would meet at the sect competition before leaving, and now, they had indeed met!
"Heh heh, since that's the case, boy, you got lucky last time. Today, I will make your life worse than death."
Hua Ying uttered these words through gritted teeth.
As the saying goes, enemies meeting are bound to be enraged.
Earlier, seeing Zhang Ergou's drastically altered appearance, he had believed it wasn't the same Zhang Ergou who had harmed him.
His emotions had not been so intense. But now that Zhang Ergou had admitted it, Hua Ying was truly enraged.
Not only had this brat humiliated him in front of Ling Feng'er, but he had also ruined his plans.
"Boy, die!"
Without waiting for Zhang Ergou to prepare himself, Hua Ying thrust his sword towards Zhang Ergou. A fierce sword energy, as if tangible, lunged at him.
"Likewise!" Zhang Ergou coldly chuckled, not daring to delay. He directly brandished his spear to meet the attack.
If Hua Ying had any lingering doubts about Zhang Ergou's identity, they vanished when Zhang Ergou produced the Ghost Spear Tianwen.
Zhang Ergou's weapon was too unique. Hua Ying had never seen another cultivator wielding such a dark, seemingly cumbersome weapon.
Clang!
A metallic collision echoed. The sword energy struck the Ghost Spear Tianwen and was directly deflected.
"It is indeed you!" Seeing Zhang Ergou use his weapon to block, Hua Ying swung his other palm towards Zhang Ergou. Sudan Novel Network.
Zhang Ergou, having just blocked the sword energy, quickly raised his palm to meet the incoming blow.
Bang!
A fierce explosion sounded. The two palms collided in mid-air. The surrounding spiritual energy rippled, and dust billowed up, a testament to the ferocity of the exchange!
"Boy, you've got some skill!" Hua Ying's expression grew even more grim. Zhang Ergou had effortlessly neutralized his attack.
This was something he had not anticipated!
"I'm confident I can defeat you." The smile on Zhang Ergou's face widened. The angrier his opponent became, the more at ease he felt.
"Boy, stop your glib talk. Take this!"
Another sharp sword energy slashed towards Zhang Ergou...