Chapter 30 - Obligatory Set Up Before The Big Fight
(MC POV)
"Master Lin, won't you participate in the open segment?" Sect Master Long asked.
I paused in brushing Cai Hong's hair, prompting her to tilt her head back at me.
"Muu? Papa stage?"
"Participate huh… How long has it been since I last came here?" I mused.
Twenty two years I believe, it really feels like it's been forever.
"Oh? Just two years ago, isn't it?" Sect Master Long recounted. "The year you were made a Master you came here to make your position official to the other Sects. Hahaha, I remember we had a hard time convincing you to take time off your cultivation to participate!"
Oh right, it's only two years for them.
"It would be a good chance for other Sects to learn a bit," the Sect Master added in.
How kind of you to think about helping the other Sects improve as well. Yes, it is a good chance for everyone to learn together.
"Well… I suppose it won't hurt," I decided.
Yes, I shouldn't be selfish. Just go up there and exchange some pointers with the other Sect's experts, correcting their mistakes and guiding them in their Techniques and fighting styles.
This will surely improve the average levels of Cultivators in the Earthen Plane.
In case any calamity occurs on the Earthen Plane in the future, these people won't just rely on me alone to deal with it.
I stood from my seat and placed Cai Hong gently on it, giving her a last head pat before leaping up on the stage.
"For the first round of the open segment, Master Lin has taken the stage!" The announcer narrated. "How many opponents is Master Lin seeking to face?"
"I want to fight ten… No, whoever who wants to come, just come."
A ripple of gasps emanated from the audience.
Is that really surprising? I mean for sure there should be a number of people who would want to exchange pointers with me right?
Like how to effectively engage and disengage in a close quarter Practitioner fight or the advantages and disadvantages of precasting your Techniques for example. I could also show how to effectively deal with your opponents when outnumbered too.
I definitely didn't waste my time up in those two hellish Planes you know?
One of the Masters from another Sect stood up, "Master Lin, are you sure you're not overestimating yourself? With those words you might even face fifty of us you know?"
I shrugged, "It doesn't matter, whoever wants to face me just come up here. One on one, ten on one… I'll take you all on."
It's better that those interested in learning come at me together, so I don't need to repeat my lesson over and over again.
"Such arrogance… Very well then!"
The Master turned towards his Sect Master who gave him a nod before leaping up on the stage.
The moment he did, ninety nine other Elders and Masters entered the stage as well.
Oh, it seems I'm quite popular? Didn't think so many people would want to exchange pointers with me. Even the really old Elders have stepped on the stage, no doubt to learn whatever they could by challenging me.
My Sect Master stood up from his seat, "What is the meaning of this?! Master Lin has been gracious enough to enter the stage of his own volition and all of you resort to this?!"
Ah, Sect Master must be worried that guiding so many people at once might tire me out, how thoughtful of him.
A Sect Master from another Sect stood up, "What baseless accusations! Master Lin himself has said it himself that he would take on any number!"
Another one also rose up, "Indeed! Don't slander us Sect Master Long! For so many people to take an interest in exchanging pointers with Master Lin is admirable!"
Well, you also have to take into account the inefficiency of such a thing right? A single teacher teaching a hundred students won't allow each student to learn much you know?
Hmmm… But in order to be a better Master for my disciples, I'll just see this as the next step in my growth as a teacher.
"All of you are too much! If you…"
"Sect Master Long," I interrupted him. "It's fine."
I gave him a smile of reassurance, he stared at me in silence for a while before he sat back down.
I glanced towards where my disciples stood, spotting their worried visage.
It's good to have such caring disciples, I just gave them a smile and nod to ease their worries.
I turned back to face the hundred Practitioners with my right hand behind my back while my left hand gave a 'come hither' motion.
"Let's start the lesson."
*
(Lian Li POV)
Everyone here should just BURN!
I can't believe that everyone would take advantage of Master like this!
Even our so called Sect Master had less than noble intentions, suggesting to our Master to take part in the open segment to boost his own Sect's reputation shamelessly. Any goodwill we had of him just went down into the drain right there.
What made it worse was those sacks of trash!
I heard them! They're conspiring to hurt Master! The whispers they did right before those wastes of space challenged Master!
"He doesn't want to join our Sect, make sure he won't empower Heaven Sect."
"As long as we don't use a fatal attack to start with, the Technique to send him outside won't activate."
"Cripple him in the fight, make it look like an accident."
"Use this poison needle in the fight, it will corrupt his Quark Veins."
"This pill will strengthen your power by ten times for a full minute, use it and destroy him."
"Remember to use the Eternal Crippling Poison Blow on him, that will ensure him being a cripple forever."
That pitiful excuse of a Sect Master tried to stop the fight but he was utterly shut down by the other trash.
How useless!
Manami, Eris, Cai Hong and I were all ready to move to protect our Master, all of us were prepared to shed blood there.
But Master turned around and gave us his usual smile.
"It's fine."
He knew.
He knew their intentions but Master was saying it didn't matter.
Master truly is the epitome of power.
Yes, all we had to do was trust in Master, the Master who had pulled us from within the darkest abyss.
He will surely win.
"Let's start the lesson."
I shivered involuntarily upon hearing the words he normally said to us during our trainings.
Master will teach them himself it was utterly foolish for them to try and bring him down.
The fools who do not even possess the capability to reach his feet, dares to try and pull him down? Never in a million years.
We four sisters shared a look, all of us knowing that all we have to do now is to believe in our Master.
For now, we could only lament in our powerlessness. Our church is still small with few believers and fewer preachers.
But it is just a matter of time.
The underground of Jin city has been conquered, the Xi Family had been infiltrated into and our believers slowly but surely growing in number.
They will all bathe in Master's light sooner or later.
Or else.