Cultivation: But Not a Game-Chapter 50 - 24: Provocation and Pursuit

"Wow, going straight for the big guns?"

Su Yu looked back in confusion, and the man beside him laughed and asked:

"You don’t recognize him, do you?"

"I don’t know him."

"He’s not an ordinary person. His name is Li Yingshen, the leader of the newly established main force squad of the Frostfire Guild. He is under the tutelage of a Loose Immortal from the Qingcang Sect, having mastered a Refined Level Qi Refining Heart Skill, reportedly at least over the ninetieth level. It’s speculated that he will attempt to pass his first Great Celestial Tribulation in no more than five years."

"That powerful?"

"More powerful than you imagine. Do you see that yellow bell in his hand? That’s a Tier Seven Treasure, at least of premium grade, with both offensive and defensive capabilities. With this treasure, his success rate when crossing tribulations will be very high."

"Hmm!"

"Frostfire Guild has developed very well in recent years, with quite a few outstanding young talents, and Li Yingshen is just one of them."

"The Thousand Feather Guild, however, has fallen behind over the years. Among the young experts with the potential to advance to Loose Immortal, there’s only Chu and someone from the first squad. Although the guild’s foundation is stronger than Frostfire’s, it’s hard to say what will happen if this goes on."

"Chu?"

The man turned back in surprise:

"You’re at least a member of the Thousand Feather Guild. Don’t tell me you don’t know Chu?"

"Uh, is it Deputy Leader Chu Xinyue of the second squad?"

"You knew and still asked?"

"My bad, I didn’t realize at first."

The man waved his hand, looking puzzled:

"I have a question for you. I was told that Chu’s father was one of the founding elders of the Thousand Feather Guild and created the second squad. Logically, she should inherit the leader position. Why hasn’t she taken over after returning from the Xuanzhen Immortal Sect?"

"I’ve heard someone doesn’t want her back and wants to take her leader position. Is that true?"

"Brother, you’re overestimating me. How would an ordinary member like me know such things?"

"That’s true."

Su Yu sighed lightly to himself. He hadn’t expected so many people to know about this matter.

"Power struggles, scheming and plotting!"

"Alas!"

There’s no avoiding it; as long as there are people, there will be conflict.

In the few short sentences, Li Yingshen defeated another person. Holding the treasure bell, he stood in mid-air, his robes fluttering like an immortal, and looked at the small town with a smile, saying:

"In such a large Thousand Feather Sect, is there not a single expert?"

"Arrogant!"

A burly man leading the defeated second squad members shouted loudly:

"What skill is there in flaunting your power when our deputy leader is not around? If you’re capable, wait until Mr. Chu comes back to challenge."

Li Yingshen flicked his eyelids and looked at him, saying:

"I’d love to challenge, but every time I come, she’s not here. I wonder if she’s deliberately avoiding me."

The burly leader replied coldly: 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

"Deputy Leader Chu will be back tomorrow. If you’re capable, come again tomorrow."

"Looking forward to it!"

After saying this, he seemed to have achieved his purpose, turned and returned to the Fire Spirit Ship, waved his hand, and the two ships turned around and left.

No show to watch, and the crowd gradually dispersed.

Su Yu frowned as he looked at the crowd that had come out from the base before, numbering about a hundred, but divided into three groups. Only one group responded to the challenge, while the other two were merely watching.

"Internal conflict to this extent?"

He shook his head, lost interest in wandering the night market, and went into town to book a room for the night.

Silence filled the night, and early the next morning, five people met up. Gu Zhiqiu asked:

"Should we keep leveling up today, or should we wait here for a day?"

He Shoucheng glanced at him:

"Want to watch the show?"

"A battle between top experts below the Loose Immortal level, who wouldn’t want to watch?"

He Shoucheng waved his hand directly:

"You don’t need to wait, it won’t happen."

"Why?"

"Because Li Yingshen will not come."

"What? Didn’t he agree to it last night? And in front of everyone, wouldn’t he be afraid of being ridiculed for not showing up to the challenge?"

"Wouldn’t getting beaten badly also lead to ridicule?"

"???"

He Shoucheng chuckled:

"They’ve fought before, right after Deputy Leader Chu returned from Xuanzhen Immortal Sect. At that time, Li Yingshen had just established the fourth main force of Frostfire and was ambitious, wanting to claim Chensha Town and this area as the base for his main force, so he came to provoke from time to time."

"But he encountered Deputy Leader Chu who had just returned, and was thoroughly defeated both times they clashed."

Su Yu and Gu Zhiqiu exchanged glances and asked again:

"If he’s not her match, why does he keep provoking? Is he itching for a beating?"

"Hah, so he only dares to come when Deputy Leader Chu isn’t around."

"What’s the point of that?"

"Point?"

He Shoucheng smirked:

"There’s a big point. By doing this, he continuously undermines the guild’s reputation and lowers its standing with the River God. When Frostfire Guild gains more favor with the River God than us, that’s when Chensha Town will change hands."

Su Yu asked again:

"How is the guild responding? The second squad seems to have issues and isn’t united. Doesn’t the guild care, and aren’t they afraid Chensha Town will change hands?"

"Not afraid. Our guild’s overall strength is stronger than Frostfire’s. The main force of the second squad has been established here for decades; even if we do nothing, Frostfire cannot surpass us quickly."

Su Yu: ...

He Shoucheng patted him on the shoulder and said:

"You don’t need to worry. We are just newcomers, and the matters of the guild’s higher-ups have nothing to do with us. Just focus on improving your strength for now."

"Alright."

Su Yu shook his head, waved his hand, and said:

"Since there won’t be a fight, let’s go level up."

"Let’s go."

The Fire Spirit Ship soared skyward and flew towards the Chained Demon Stronghold.

They got up early, and although many teams had occupied positions in the stronghold, there were still many empty spots in the depths. They casually chose one and began luring demon soldiers.

After grinding all day yesterday, they were already skilled in cooperating.