Chapter 2142 — The Pi Family's Choice

"For the two-person arena challenge, second place goes to the hidden Zhuang family, third place to the hidden Yu family!" Old Master Zhao announced. "The families ranked fourth and below are each entitled to one challenge. Is there any family that wishes to challenge?"

This challenge proposal stirred something in the hearts of the Pi brothers! Wei Zhao was injured at the moment—if they challenged the first place, might they win? Or would Wei Zhao, too hurt to fight, simply concede?

At that thought, Pi Zhishan lifted his head and glanced at Old Master Pi.

From Pi Zhishan's eyes, Old Master Pi read his thoughts at once. He pondered for a moment, then slowly shook his head. "Zhishan, our hidden Pi family has a thin foundation and cannot afford upheaval. To my mind, I am no match for Wei Zhao. If Wei Zhao concedes now and takes revenge afterward, our hidden Pi family is finished!"

"Yes, Grandfather, I was rash!" Pi Zhishan's heart went cold, and he immediately saw the possibility too! Indeed—Wei Zhao might concede now, but a moment's satisfaction would buy the family utter annihilation!

Seeing the sorry state of that spirit wolf and Woking Dao, Pi Zhishan did not doubt for an instant that Wei Zhao could wipe out the entire hidden Pi family! With only his grandfather, a single early-stage Heaven-rank external expert, they could not withstand Wei Zhao's devastating might!

"An enemy need not remain an enemy forever. He bears our Pi family no blood feud—those we lost were merely some ordinary disciples and distant kin!" Old Master Pi said mildly. "Look at the hidden Yu family: their Qi Condensation Pills were seized, the secular Yu family was wiped out, and still they endure."

"Mm..." Pi Zhishan nodded, but then another thought struck him. Lowering his voice, he said, "But can Wei Zhao survive this afternoon's additional match? Would the Qian Mountain Sect's Master Wo really let Wei Zhao leave alive? Even if we beat Wei Zhao, we'd need him to live long enough to take revenge, wouldn't we?"

"Zhishan, to become the head of a family, one must look far ahead and tread carefully—neither arrogant nor given to reckless ventures. Anything that could plunge the family into eternal ruin must not be touched!" Old Master Pi said. "Our hidden Pi family is not the strongest of the hidden families, but it is the steadiest. Why? Because we seek growth through stability, unlike those families that seek fortune through peril! Earlier, when Wei Zhao's underling beat Jin Wudi to death, you made the right choice—you decided on the spot and hurried the family home. But today, how did those bets go to your head?"

"That..." Cold sweat broke out on Pi Zhishan's forehead. Yes—these past few days, the bets had indeed made him a little red-eyed.

"Look: before any given match, who favored Wei Zhao? And what was the result?" Old Master Pi said. "What are these bets worth? So long as our hidden Pi family stands, we can seek such things slowly. But once we offend that Wei Zhao, do you think we'll have any peace? Even if Wei Zhao dies, if that underling of his comes and raises hell, who could bear it?"

"Yes!" Pi Zhishan thought of the might of that Ergoudan and nodded hurriedly. "Grandfather, I understand!"

"Mm. If Wei Zhao survives this by some luck—heh, then things will get interesting!" Old Master Pi glanced at Han Tianba not far away, and with a note of envy and resentment said, "The hidden Han family truly has good fortune!"

"The rankings for the two-person arena challenge are now set. First place, the hidden Han family; second place, the hidden Zhuang family; third place, the hidden Yu family. Will the three families come up to the stage to collect their wagers!" Old Master Zhao announced.

Though Wei Zhao was off healing himself, the others could not be held up on his account; the procedure of collecting the wagers still had to be observed.

So this time the hidden Han family was like any other family, and it was Han Tianba who came to collect. But Han Tianba did not know whether Wei Zhao needed the treasures of the hidden Zhuang and hidden Yu families, and he did not dare presume to trade for them on his own. A glance told him, however, that the two treasures those families had put up were both items already in his own family's treasury—so if Wei Zhao wanted them, they could simply be taken from the family treasury. There was no need to trade with them, and so he simply took the wagers Wei Zhao had won into safekeeping.

"Old Master Han, it seems you have no authority to trade treasures with us. Tsk tsk—I wonder, in your vast hidden Han family, is it Wei Zhao who holds sway, or you, Han Tianba?" Old Master Zhuang needled him with a false smile.

This contest should have been the hidden Zhuang family's foregone championship, yet Wei Zhao had snatched it away—how could he not seethe? He would not let a single chance for needling and mockery slip by.

"Naturally it is Mr. Lin," Han Tianba said with a faint smile. "Our hidden Han family is a family under Mr. Lin's leadership. Is there some problem with that?"

Han Tianba showed not the slightest shame; instead he spoke as though of something glorious, openly naming Wei Zhao's standing in the hidden Han family.

"Willing to sink to such depths!" Old Master Zhuang, seeing his provocation fail, snorted sourly.

"Some families can't reach the grapes and so call them sour—I understand," Han Tianba said with a hearty laugh.

Here Han Tianba and Old Master Zhuang were locked in argument, while the other old masters seemed to be idly chatting, yet the corners of their eyes were all fixed on the same direction—Wei Zhao on the arena! Master Wo especially: he could not believe Wei Zhao would not die. Man-and-beast as one could fight above its level, could kill even a top early-stage Heaven-rank expert—and it still could not kill Wei Zhao? True, a rare few cultivators whose true qi was not exhausted could keep themselves alive on it, but after so long, Wei Zhao ought to have croaked by now?

In their hearts, all these people simply wanted to see what had become of Wei Zhao—alive or dead, maimed or whole. So though they should have gone back for lunch, they all lingered instead. If Wei Zhao failed to hold out, then not only would the championship be voided, but these people would surely set out wine to celebrate—especially the hidden Zhuang family, for whom the championship would be like something lost and regained!

Wei Zhao was inside the jade pendant's space, yet he knew everything outside as clearly as if he were there, and he knew what these people were thinking. He did not dare slacken, and circulated the Xuanyuan Dragon-Taming Art rapidly, healing at flying speed. This time the injuries were too severe—there was scarcely a whole piece left on his entire body!

Though the second layer of the Xuanyuan Dragon-Taming Art healed far faster than the first, so many wounds could not be restored in a moment. So Wei Zhao could only speed up. These people did not want to disperse—then let them watch; they were all cultivators and would not starve.

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