Instantly, all eyes turned in the direction of the voice.
Through the South Gate, a boy clad in an inner disciple's robe entered the arena. His long silver hair cascaded over his shoulders as he walked in, a look of confusion on his face.
When the Dust Valley Sect disciples saw the boy, disappointment flashed across their faces.
They had all expected one of the powerful inner disciples to arrive, but who would have thought it would be the sect's laughingstock instead?
"Hahaha! Who do we have here?" Elder Gong De sneered, his expression filled with scorn.
Hearing Elder Gong De's voice, the boy finally noticed the Radiant Sect disciples.
When Mo Jian left his courtyard earlier, he had noticed how unusually quiet the inner court was, but he hadn't thought much of it.
However, when he reached the bustling outer court and found it just as silent, he realized something was off.
Just as he was wondering what was going on, he heard a loud commotion in the martial arena and decided to check it out.
However, the situation before him was not what he had expected.
"You must be the sect master's son. Why don't you help your fellow disciples? They're too weak to last a minute against the disciple of my Radiant Sect." Elder Gong De smirked, pointing at Wan Ming on the stage.
The moment everyone heard this, fury surged through them. It was no secret that Mo Jian lacked talent and was the weakest person in the sect.
This was blatant disrespect toward their sect master.
"Gong De, you're going too far." Elder Cui Long's voice boomed as a powerful aura erupted from him.
Feeling the overwhelming pressure, the inner disciples closest to him retreated quickly, their faces pale.
"What? Can't your sect master's son defend the prestige of his sect?" Elder Gong De retorted, completely unfazed by the intimidating aura.
"So you came to challenge us?" A look of realization appeared on Mo Jian's face.
"Yes… What do you think?" Elder Gong De's lips curled into an evil smile.
As Mo Jian stepped onto the stage, he thought to himself, Coming here today won't be in vain. I'll make sure Wan Ming toys with him until he begs for mercy.
On the stage, Wan Ming's eyes flickered with anticipation. Although he looked down on Mo Jian, toying with him would be entertaining.
"Mo Jian…"
"Good. I agree."
Before Elder Cui Long could say another word, Mo Jian cut him off.
"What?!"
All the Dust Valley Sect disciples widened their eyes in disbelief. They stared at the sect master's son as if he were a fool.
Couldn't he see that this was a trap meant to humiliate both him and the sect?
"This is bad…"
"Why did he come in the first place if he's just going to make things worse?"
"What are we going to do now? If the sect master's son gets on that stage, we all know what will happen."
The once-silent disciples descended into murmurs of concern—not for Mo Jian, but for the sect's reputation.
Elder Gong De ignored the crowd's chatter as a bright smile spread across his face. "Good. I knew you wouldn't be like the others."
"Elder, you're right. I'm not like the others." Mo Jian smiled. "So, what's the stake?"
"Hmm? What do you mean by 'stake'?" A look of confusion crossed Elder Gong De's face.
It wasn't just him—everyone in the arena frowned, raising their brows in confusion.
Mo Jian watched their reactions before turning to Elder Cui Long. "Elder Long, don't tell me there's no stake in this challenge."
"This is bad…" Elder Cui Long shook his head.
"Why would another sect challenge us without wagering anything? Are you all so free and idle that you have time for meaningless fights?" His voice echoed throughout the arena.
"What do you mean, 'meaningless fight'?" Elder Gong De was livid. What does this trash mean? Just get on the stage and let Wan Ming beat the life out of you!
"Is it not meaningless? Tell me, what do I gain from fighting him?" Mo Jian pointed at Wan Ming.
"You prove to everyone that your sect is stronger." Elder Gong De responded confidently.
"Who are we proving it to? You? And why do we need to prove our strength to anyone?" Mo Jian countered.
The more he spoke, the more stunned the audience became. Everyone had assumed that Mo Jian's presence would lead to the sect losing its last shred of dignity, but that was not the case.
The once-arrogant Elder Gong De was now tongue-tied under Mo Jian's eloquent argument.
"Nonsense!" Elder Gong De shouted. "Without proving your strength, how could new talented disciples enroll in your sect? Apart from that, how could your enemies fear you?"
"Kid, you're naive." He scoffed.
"Really? Do you think bandits and vengeful spirits fear you? Last I checked, the Radiant Sect's territory was raided by bandits, destroying over ten villages." Mo Jian sneered.
"Where's the fear you speak of? Perhaps your sect is nothing more than a paper tiger."
"Huh?!"
The crowd collectively sucked in a cold breath.
"What a sharp tongue." Elder Cui Long muttered, his face glowing with pride.
All the Dust Valley Sect disciples were momentarily stunned before their faces lit up with excitement.
"Hahaha! Who would've expected the sect master's son to have such a poisonous tongue?"
"Indeed, that's a sharp tongue."
"I bet the Radiant Sect must be furious."
And truly, all the Radiant Sect disciples were seething. How dare he call their sect a paper tiger?!
Standing on the stage, Wan Ming clenched his fists in anger. "All this talk is meaningless if you can't step onto the stage."
The Radiant Sect disciples nodded in agreement, sneering at Mo Jian. Without strength, all his words would be meaningless.
"Are you deaf or what? I already agreed to get on the stage, but there must be a stake." Mo Jian scoffed, not even looking at Wan Ming.
Wan Ming gritted his teeth, watching Mo Jian ignore him as if he were nothing but thin air. Just get on the stage. I'll make sure you regret being born.
Elder Gong De was just as furious, but he wasn't about to back down. "So tell me, how do we bet?"
"How about one million low-grade spirit stones?" Mo Jian asked with a smile.
"What?!"
Everyone in the arena widened their eyes in shock. How could he bet such an astronomical sum?
"What? Are you scared?" He taunted.
"Boy, do you even have that kind of money?" Elder Gong De scoffed, his disbelief evident.
"So you're so poor that you think I don't? Don't compare me to yourself." Mo Jian looked at Elder Gong De with open disdain.
Elder Gong De's chest rose and fell in anger. He wanted nothing more than to teach Mo Jian a lesson, but he controlled his impulses.
"That's too much…"
"Cut it. I don't talk to beggars. I have better things to do." Mo Jian interrupted and turned to face the audience, completely ignoring the furious elder.
"If you think earning a hundred to five hundred spirit stones a day is not too little, go find Zhao Tian, he's recruiting right now."
He then turned to the Radiant Sect disciples and added, "Instead of wasting your precious time on these poor bastards, this is your chance to make some real money."
With that, he sauntered out of the arena arrogantly, leaving the Radiant Sect disciples gritting their teeth in rage.
Just as he reached the exit, he turned and looked at Radiant Sect and said, "I don't need to fight to win. My money will do the fighting."
With that, he left the arena and a deafening silence permeated the air. Then, a female disciple murmured, "Damn… that was cool."