I Pick up a Lost Godhood-Chapter 36 - 34: Hall Battle

Wang Meng was taken aback. "Can’t we talk this out? We’re all Holy Hall Disciples, we can be reasonable."

"Reasonable my ass! Eat my hammer!"

The moment Wang Meng walked in with the hoe over his shoulder, Suo Ming brought a hammer smashing down toward his face.

The crowd cursed his shamelessness. Wang Meng looked startled, and the hoe bounced off his shoulder as if slipping from his grasp. It traced a graceful arc through the air and struck Suo Ming squarely on the back of the neck.

For a Body Cultivator, an attack like that should have been no more than a tickle, yet Suo Ming collapsed as if he’d been cursed.

"Sorry, my apologies. My hand slipped."

He hastily picked up the hoe and slung it over his back, but his hand "slipped" again. As fate would have it, the hoe smashed right into Suo Ming’s mouth.

There was no scream, but Suo Ming’s front teeth fell out. Wang Meng looked even more embarrassed.

Hastily picking up the hoe again, Wang Meng said with some regret, "I told you, we’re all Holy Hall Disciples. We should be reasonable."

He patted Suo Ming’s face. "Don’t go baring your teeth anymore."

Shenn Tu stared, dumbfounded. ’What the hell? Is this guy really an idiot, or is he just playing dumb?’

’Did that hoe strike really have that much power?’

Shenn Tu looked at Wang Meng, whose clothes were so filthy he looked like he’d just come back from the fields. For a moment, Shenn Tu couldn’t be sure. ’Is this guy trying to bluff me?’

But the disciples of Thunderlight Hall were invigorated. Who cared how it happened? A win was a win! It seemed Hengshan Hall was just a paper tiger, all for show!

Seeing the surrounding Thunderlight Hall disciples glaring at him like tigers, he felt the atmosphere had been stirred up enough.

"Fine! So this is how Thunderlight Hall treats its guests! On behalf of Hengshan Hall, I challenge you to a Hall Battle! Do you dare accept?"

This was a formal challenge. Refusing would mean a complete loss of face. Accepting, however, came with its own problem: Hall Battles always involved a wager, contributed by both sides, with the winner taking all.

A Hall Battle was not just about honor; it was a way to plunder cultivation resources.

Zhou Qian’s first instinct was to refuse. ’How much is face worth, anyway? Besides, it’s not like Thunderlight Hall has any face to lose.’

This was basically everyone’s reaction—except for Zhang Xiaojiang.

The moment Hu Jing saw the blood rush to Zhang Xiaopang’s face, she knew this was bad. But it was too late to stop him.

"A battle it is! Who’s afraid of you? We’ll flatten your Hengshan Hall! Right, everyone?" At that moment, Master Zhang had the bold air of a great leader critiquing the world with fiery words. 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

...There was only dead silence. Everyone just stared at each other, wide-eyed. ’Has this guy lost his mind? How could he agree to that?’

Shenn Tu laughed smugly. "Good. Excellent. You’re Zhang Xiaojiang, aren’t you? Elder Wan’s disciple. You’re qualified to represent Thunderlight Hall. Since you’ve accepted, each of our Halls will put up twenty Middle-Grade Spirit Stones and two hundred Low-Grade Spirit Stones. We’ll each send out five people. The winner of the best-of-five competition takes all the Spirit Stones!"

"Huh? It costs Spirit Stones?" Zhang Xiaopang was stunned. Twenty Middle-Grade, two hundred Low-Grade... he wasn’t sure Thunderlight Hall even had that much if they scraped everything together. Just then, Master Zhang saw the cunning glint in his opponent’s eyes. ’Damn it,’ he thought, ’I’ve been set up.’

Zhou Qian could only force a bitter smile. ’That fatty really is all gut and no brains. A Hall Battle is just a way for the strong to plunder the weak. How could he dare to agree? Isn’t this just asking for death!’

Shenn Tu and his group left smugly, leaving behind a complete mess. The onlooking Thunderlight Hall disciples scattered in an instant, not wanting to get dragged into the fallout.

Spirit Stones were the most essential resource for a Cultivator. Everyone treasured them as if they were priceless jewels. No one was willing to contribute them to a Hall Battle they had absolutely no chance of winning.

When Zhang Xiaojiang looked toward Zhou Qian, Brother Zhou quickly waved his hands. "Oh, sorry, my stomach hurts. I’ve got to go."

With that, he vanished in a flash. His speed showed no sign of a stomachache.

Only Zhang Xiaojiang, Hu Jing, and Wang Meng—who had just been watching the show—remained. Ma Tian’Er looked like she wanted to say something, but her senior sisters dragged her away.

Back at Wang Meng’s place, Zhang Xiaojiang looked utterly dejected. Hu Jing couldn’t hide her worry. "Zhang Xiaojiang, you were too reckless just now! They did that on purpose. They’re trying to hit us while we’re down! If we lose the Hall Battle, Thunderlight Hall is finished. Twenty Middle-Grade Spirit Stones and two hundred Low-Grade Spirit Stones—they’re aiming for our Hall’s entire annual reserve."

Hu Jing didn’t need to say it; Zhang Xiaojiang had already sobered up. ’Damn it,’ he thought. ’Hengshan Hall aren’t just hooligans, they’re shameless hooligans! To think they’d set a trap to screw me over.’

"So what do we do? I already gave my word... Can I take it back?" Zhang Xiaojiang suddenly grasped at his last straw.

"You should have refused then. Now that you’ve agreed, I’m afraid... you can’t," Wang Meng said.

"Even if we tried to back out now, they wouldn’t just let it go. If this blows up, it will even reach the Elders. After all, no one forced us to accept. If you were just an ordinary disciple, it might be fine, but you’re Wan Jing’s Closed-door Disciple. This now involves Elder Wan’s dignity."

Hu Jing sighed. ’Impulse is a demon. In the world of Cultivators, the most important thing is to remain calm.’

Zhang Xiaojiang gritted his teeth. "I’ll take responsibility for the trouble I’ve caused! I won’t drag anyone else into this!"

’Wan Jing was like a second father to him. He could stand being shamed himself, but how could he drag his master down with him?’

BONK...

A fist rapped against Zhang Xiaojiang’s forehead. "Take responsibility? With what?"

Wang Meng smiled. "There’s a solution to every problem. Little Jing, is there a time limit for this Hall Battle?"

"Usually, the longest preparation time is half a year," Hu Jing said. But half a year wouldn’t change anything.

"Half a year, huh? Then maybe there’s still a chance," Wang Meng said. "Since we can’t take it back, let’s just face it. From the looks of it, no one else is going to help us. I count three of us here. We just need to find a way to pull in two more to make up the numbers."

"WAAAH! Brother Meng, you’re a true brother!" Zhang Xiaopang immediately lunged at him.

"Enough, enough. Save your energy and focus on your cultivation, unless you want to get beaten so badly your own mother wouldn’t recognize you."

Hu Jing bit her lip. "Even if we get enough people, how are we going to gather that many Spirit Stones? No one will help."

That was indeed a problem. They couldn’t possibly use Thunderlight Hall’s reserves, and fundraising was out of the question. Thunderlight Hall was already in a bad state, and many disciples were looking for a way out. Who would offer up the Spirit Stones they treasured like their own lives for such a pointless battle?

"Alright, I’ll figure out a way to get the Spirit Stones. As for the people, I’ll find two more. You two just focus on training hard so you can carry the team when the time comes."

Hu Jing and Zhang Xiaojiang stared blankly at Wang Meng. Twenty Middle-Grade Spirit Stones and two hundred Low-Grade Spirit Stones... even an Elder would have trouble gathering that much. This...?

"Brother Meng, you have a plan?" Although he had blind faith in Wang Meng, even Zhang Xiaopang thought this was pure fantasy.

"It’s a secret. Don’t worry, I’m not going to sell you. Even if I had to sell someone, I’d sell Little Jing, haha."

Wang Meng’s joke managed to relieve some of their stress.

The departing Hengshan Hall disciples were also laughing. "Senior Brother, your acting was so convincing! Those idiots from Thunderlight Hall really thought it was a Bursting Fire Talisman! A Bursting Fire Talisman, haha, that’s hilarious!"