Eternal Heavenly Emperor-Chapter 300 - 290 Soul-Loss Powder
Drinks and a resolution of misunderstandings?
Ke Ruoshan looked at Han Zongxin with surprise, the Sun rising in the west? When had Han Zongxin become so easy to talk to?
There must be a plot!
Ke Ruoshan subconsciously thought this and had the intention to persuade Chu Hao not to fall for it, but what if Han Zongxin had really taken the wrong medicine and wanted to resolve his grudges with Chu Hao? Wouldn’t she be doing a disservice by interfering?
With that thought, she began to hesitate.
Chu Hao looked deeply at Han Zongxin, believing that the other party wouldn’t be audacious enough to lure him out and then subject him to torture, or even harm him directly—unless he planned to betray the Spirit Spring Sect.
He didn’t think that the other party would pay such a high price just because his brother had been beaten.
He wanted to see what trick Han Zongxin had up his sleeve.
Chu Hao smiled slightly and said, "Alright, since Senior Brother Han is treating, let’s go."
Han Zongxin also started to smile and said, "Please!" without putting on any airs in front of Chu Hao.
Ke Ruoshan wanted to follow and see for herself, but she shared the same thought as Chu Hao, unless Han Zongxin no longer wanted to be part of Spirit Spring Sect, he wouldn’t dare to harm Chu Hao even if given a hundred times the courage.
Thinking this, she dismissed the idea. After all, there was enmity between the disciples of Tu and Zhang, although it never escalated to life-and-death battles.
On Spirit Spring Mountain, there were no taverns, but there was a small town at the foot of the mountain that had all kinds of entertainment venues.
When Chu Hao arrived at the sect’s gate, he saw a large crowd still gathered there, hoping to become followers of some True Disciple, to occasionally receive guidance in the martial arts, and to reach a higher level.
Chu Hao now certainly qualified, but he didn’t wish to be disturbed by several others, so naturally, he didn’t even consider it.
The Han brothers were very polite, inviting Chu Hao to a tavern in town, providing fine wine and dishes, with Han Tao incessantly apologizing and presenting an attitude of humbly accepting criticism.
Although Chu Hao didn’t understand the Han brothers well, he knew that someone like Han Tao wouldn’t take a loss lightly. However, Han Tao seemed utterly transformed, presenting himself with incredible humility, which Chu Hao found baffling.
Despite his caution, always prepared for any underhanded move from the Han brothers, it seemed they truly only wanted to treat him to a meal, and nothing changed from start to finish.
The meal turned out to be quite enjoyable, the Han brothers were extremely enthusiastic, urging him to drink continuously until late in the night when they finally ended the banquet. Because it was late, Han Zongxin suggested that Chu Hao spend the night in the town and return to the sect the next day.
Considering there was no impact, Chu Hao agreed and stayed for the night.
"Brother, the first step of the plan went smoothly," Han Tao couldn’t help sneering.
Han Zongxin nodded and said, "After ingesting the Soul-Loss Powder, it will take effect after half a day and only last for two hours. Feng Haizhong will challenge Chu Hao tomorrow morning, and they have agreed to fight at noon. By then... hehe, if an arm gets accidentally severed during the sparring, who could be blamed, right?"
"Of course, who can blame someone who got drunk the night before but still agreed to a sparring match the next day?" Han Tao laughed slyly, "It’s his own doing, who else can he blame?"
"Missing an arm, let’s see if he still has the face to be a True Disciple," Han Zongxin scoffed repeatedly.
...
The next morning, Chu Hao got up and returned to the Spirit Spring Sect.
As he approached his wooden hut, he saw someone sitting cross-legged at the door. Sensing his presence, the person immediately stood up, casting a cold glance in his direction.
Feng Haizhong.
He really was like a lingering specter.
"Chu Hao, I challenge you again," Feng Haizhong stated.
"Hmm?" Chu Hao showed a look of surprise. The other party dared to challenge him again? If their previous encounter had been evenly matched, and he had just barely managed to win, then Feng Haizhong might have a chance if he learned from his past failures.
But that battle had ended with Feng Haizhong’s utter defeat, and now, just three short days later, he was challenging again?
Chu Hao immediately thought of the banquet hosted by the Han brothers the previous day. Was there a connection?
The brothers didn’t seem at all benevolent.
But if there was a connection, what could it be?
"Chu Hao, don’t you dare?" Feng Haizhong raised an eyebrow, speaking in a provocative tone.
Chu Hao smiled faintly and replied, "If you still want to take another beating, I certainly don’t mind obliging."
"Then we’ll meet at the foot of the mountain at noon today," Feng Haizhong said before turning away and leaving.
"Junior brother—" Ke Ruoshan came over and said, "Yesterday, Han Zongxin invited you for drinks, and today Feng Haizhong is challenging you. None of this seems normal."
Chu Hao nodded and remarked, "Indeed so. But what exactly is the problem?"
"Could it be that you were drugged last night?" Ke Ruoshan speculated, as that was the most direct reaction.
Chu Hao circulated his Star Force, feeling the Meridians within his body open and his Star Force lively; even his qi and blood were abundant beyond compare, not at all indicative of poisoning. He threw a punch, his Star Force and physical strength vibrating together, unleashing a terrifying force.
Ke Ruoshan, seeing this, couldn’t help but feel puzzled and could only say, "In any case, be careful."
Chu Hao nodded, and after returning to the wooden hut, he thought for a moment and took out a Pill Bottle from the Mustard Seed Ring.
This was the Detoxification Pill that Xiaocao had given him, acclaimed to neutralize most poisons under the heavens. Although he believed he wasn’t poisoned, the actions of the Han brothers yesterday were indeed strange. It was still best to be cautious.
He swallowed a Detoxification Pill and began cultivating quietly on the side, sensing the universe. This was not only a process of expanding his Meridians but also a process of strengthening his soul.
As it was approaching noon, he opened the door and went down the mountain.
"Junior Brother, I’ll accompany you," Ke Ruoshan said. She was always worried and felt that the Han brothers’ invitation yesterday and Feng Haizhong’s challenge today were not isolated events—Feng Haizhong and Yue Feng were both disciples of Tu Honglie, and it was too much of a coincidence for the world to be like this.
Also, Zhang Tianhua had gone down the mountain to prepare materials for Chu Hao’s bone tempering, and the other two senior brothers were out gaining experience; therefore, it was her duty as Senior Sister to take responsibility.
Chu Hao nodded. Although he felt certain nothing would happen to him, there was no harm in having Ke Ruoshan follow.
The two left their residence and soon arrived at the foot of the mountain.
Today was different; there were an unusually large number of people here.
Since Han Tao and Feng Yuan had been vigorously promoting, saying that at noon, Chu Hao would once again duel with Feng Haizhong. By now, Chu Hao’s origins had spread throughout the Spirit Spring Sect, with everyone knowing that he was the top of the new Fledgling Dragon List, while Feng Haizhong was a Follower of Yue Feng, also with considerable strength.
The first encounter ended in a disastrous defeat for Feng Haizhong, but surely no one would be foolish enough to seek a second defeat so soon. Even if Feng Haizhong had the courage to do so, Yue Feng couldn’t afford to lose face like that.
Therefore, Feng Haizhong must certainly have some special method this time, either to enhance his own strength or to suppress Chu Hao’s strength.
As everyone believed this would be an epic struggle between dragons and tigers, many came to watch the excitement, especially disciples at the Martial Sect level. Watching battles of this caliber could greatly aid in improving one’s own strength.
They were packed in, three layers inside and three layers outside.
"Chu Hao is here!" Upon seeing Chu Hao and Ke Ruoshan approaching, someone in the crowd immediately shouted out, parting to create a path for them to pass through.
A large area in the center of the crowd was left vacant, naturally reserved as the arena for their fight, but Feng Haizhong hadn’t arrived yet, so for now, Chu Hao stood alone in the middle.
However, it wasn’t long before Feng Haizhong walked over with Feng Yuan, the crowd likewise making way for the two of them to pass through.
"Eh, Han Zongxin is here too." Someone recognized the person behind Feng Haizhong and let out a cry of astonishment.
That was a Warrior!
A Martial Sect and a Warrior, seemingly only one major Realm apart, yet this single Realm was the divide between the Three Minor Realms and the Middle Three Realms, utterly like heaven and earth. While breaking through from martial master to Martial Sect was difficult yet only required time, the leap from Martial Sect to Warrior was entirely different; not getting the enlightenment was just that—not getting it.
Therefore, among ten Martial Sects, at most, only one could break through to become a Warrior. One can imagine how difficult this was.
"Yue, Senior Brother Yue Feng!"
"What, even Senior Brother Yue Feng has come?"
"Good heavens, it’s really Senior Brother Yue Feng. It seems he really does take good care of his Follower, coming in person to watch the battle."
"If I were Chu Hao, even if I could win, I’d deliberately fight to a draw, or even feign defeat, conceding a favor to Senior Brother Yue Feng. What I’d gain in return in the future would definitely far outweigh the victory of today’s fight."
"Right, there’s no benefit to winning today’s fight."
Surrounding them, the crowd was abuzz with discussion, all of them thinking the smartest move for Chu Hao would be to intentionally throw the match.
Hearing these discussions, the Han brothers couldn’t help but sneer.
If everyone thought this way, then when Chu Hao lost later, even fewer would suspect anything. Of course, Chu Hao would have to sacrifice an arm for it, but how would that matter in front of the Sect Elders? After all, in martial arts competitions, it’s inevitable for weapons to cause injuries and sparing someone’s life was already exercising extreme control.
Feng Haizhong stood in front of Chu Hao, his eyes cold. He already knew that Chu Hao had been exposed to Soul-Loss Powder, so today was his day for revenge.
"Chu Hao, there’s no fun in just fighting. How about we make a bet?" He spoke, still unable to accept his heavy loss to Chu Hao three days ago and not content with merely defeating him.
"What do you want to bet?" Chu Hao certainly didn’t believe that the other’s strength could have skyrocketed within a mere three days.
"I have a hundred thousand Star Stones here," Feng Haizhong casually tossed a Mustard Seed Ring.
"Only a hundred thousand." Chu Hao murmured to himself, honestly not finding that small amount of Star Stones worth his attention, but since someone was giving it away, he wouldn’t turn it down. He too flung a Mustard Seed Ring, which contained roughly a hundred thousand Star Stones.
Feng Haizhong’s face darkened. He was only a Follower of Yue Feng, so a hundred thousand Star Stones was already his limit; otherwise, why wouldn’t he want to win more? After all, this was a sure win with no loss.
"Let the battle begin!" he shouted.(To be continued. If you like this work, welcome to Qidian (qidian.com) to cast your recommendation votes and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please visit m.qidian.com to read.)
