Chapter 19: Colliding Tiger

The Outer Gate of Xuantian Sect has ten dining halls, named after the Heavenly Stems like the Outer Gate dormitories, located south of the Outer Gate training ground.

The dining halls have two levels: the first floor offers free food, while the second floor requires payment.

Of course, the free food only fills the stomach, while the paid meals are made from demonic beast meat and spiritual herbs, enhancing a martial artist’s physique and boosting cultivation.

These ten dining halls cover vast ground and can accommodate ten thousand Outer Gate disciples simultaneously.

The cooks, dishwashing women, and other staff are all recruited from nearby towns and villages around Xuantian Sect.

Cang Luo mused that Xuantian Sect had contributed significantly to Tongzhou’s GDP and employment.

The four arrived at the Xin-character dining hall, packed with crowds and deafening noise—roughly several hundred people inside.

The meal service resembled a university cafeteria: each person received a wooden tray, then lined up.

One large scoop of rice, one steamed sweet potato, one mixed meat-and-vegetable dish, and one bowl of the only free medicinal soup that enhanced martial strength.

This was Cang Luo’s first meal on the Yuanwu Continent.

The food was simple, but free; if a disciple wanted something better, he could go upstairs or visit a tavern in Xuantian Town.

After getting their meals, Zang Feng led Cang Luo and Liu and Li toward an empty table, when Cang Luo suddenly said, “Brothers, go ahead—I’ll greet an acquaintance.”

With his tray in hand, Cang Luo walked to a table where only one female disciple sat.

He set down his tray and softly greeted the girl, who was quietly chewing: “Hello!”

The female disciple was none other than Xiang Yunjiao, the girl Cang Luo had teased that morning.

Cang Luo suspected her gloom was likely caused by his phone, so he came to confirm.

Did she really believe his nonsense—that her soul had been trapped inside the “Soul-Sealing Mirror”?

After much thought, Cang Luo decided to explain the Soul-Sealing Mirror to her; otherwise, he couldn’t bear the guilt.

Upon hearing Cang Luo’s voice, Yunjiao froze, recalling his words that morning with the Soul-Sealing Mirror.

Your soul has been sealed inside!

You’re mine now!

I can look whenever I want!

Thinking of it, Yunjiao burst into tears again, her tears rolling down uncontrollably.

This man saw my body! He defiled my purity—how can I ever marry now!?

“Ah! What’s wrong?” Cang Luo panicked as she suddenly cried.

It really was my fault—what the hell happened!?

Did she think I could do whatever I wanted with the photos on my phone? Like undress her?

Hmm… people from this world are so naive.

What a beautiful misunderstanding… I must never show my phone to anyone from this world again.

A device born of technological civilization is utterly incomprehensible to the cultivation-based Yuanwu Continent.

Seeing her tears flowing like a downpour turning into a thunderstorm, Cang Luo nervously glanced around, terrified someone might think he was bullying her.

Right now, the priority was stopping her tears and explaining clearly—but before he could speak, Yunjiao suddenly cried out, “Cang Brother, watch out!”

Cang Luo froze—watch out for what?

Before he could turn, a massive force slammed into him, sending him crashing to the ground and sliding three or four meters.

As he hit a pillar, a tray flew through the air and struck his head—he reeled with dizziness, food splattering all over him.

Cang Luo was stunned, lying on the ground, dazed—he only vaguely saw an Outer Gate disciple in green robes had knocked him down.

He shook his head; luckily, as a martial artist, his body was much stronger now—otherwise, that blow would’ve sent him to the hospital.

Wiping food off his face, Cang Luo turned to see who had hit him—but before he opened his eyes, a roar rang out.

“You dog’s spawn, why are you blocking the aisle? Pay for my lunch!”

The roar drew attention from many Outer Gate disciples, who paused their meals, staring at Cang Luo on the ground and the man shouting, whispering about what had happened.

One disciple who saw the incident whispered: “Chen Dahu is pulling another stunt—this guy’s in trouble.”

“He doesn’t look young—shouldn’t be a new recruit? How doesn’t he know about ‘Colliding Tiger’? Should’ve stayed farther away.”

“Shh! Quiet! Don’t let him hear—word is he and his brother have a new patron, and they’re getting more reckless among the Warrior disciples.”

“New patron? Who?”

The disciple, seeing others gather, lowered his voice smugly: “Ouyang Lie, seventh-ranked among the Outer Gate’s top ten.

Ouyang Lie is at the peak of Warrior Ninth Layer—he’s guaranteed to enter the Inner Gate next year, only the ranking’s uncertain.”

“And Ouyang Lie leads a gang in the Outer Gate—he’s the boss, with hundreds of underlings…”

Hearing this, everyone shook their heads and sighed, silently vowing to avoid Chen Dahu and his brother Chen Dalong at all costs.

They couldn’t afford to tangle with such troublemakers…

Yunjiao saw clearly—it was the infamous Chen Dahu who deliberately rammed into Cang Brother.

She was torn, hesitating whether to help Cang Luo up—yet remembering how he’d used the Soul-Sealing Mirror to see her naked body, fury surged.

She wanted to punch him!

No—she wanted to punch him a hundred times!

But then she remembered: her body had been seen by him—so she belonged to him now, and could only marry him.

So Yunjiao leapt from her seat, rushed to Cang Luo’s side, helped him up, and wiped the food off his clothes.

Then she asked anxiously: “Cang Brother, are you alright?”

“I’m fine!” Cang Luo thanked her, then glared at the man who’d knocked him down, his blood boiling.

He’d overheard the disciples’ whispers—he knew it was Chen Dahu who’d deliberately rammed him.

Damn it! I just wanted to quietly cultivate for a year in this world, then return to Earth and rule the skies!

I never wanted trouble—I even avoided Xuan Qingqing, the Sect Master’s daughter, to dodge unwanted attention.

But today, just standing still got me targeted—fate can’t be escaped; I’ll deal with it now!

Cang Luo grew angrier by the second, secretly activating the Whirlwind Step, striding angrily toward Chen Dahu.

But his steps slowed.

Because he suddenly noticed Chen Dahu was towering over him—by a full head’s height, and that was pure height.

Chen Dahu was bald, his scalp bulging with veins, radiating ferocity.

Worse, Cang Luo noticed faint yellow spirals swirling over Chen Dahu’s clenched fists.

Seeing those fists, Cang Luo recalled the brief description of the Tiger Subduing Fist he’d heard in the Technique Pavilion.

Tiger Subduing Fist: a Wind and Earth attribute martial art, immensely powerful—when activated, a vortex forms on the fists, capable of tearing through skin…

Then he remembered his own cultivation: Warrior Third Layer, while Chen Dahu was surely higher.

His anger instantly deflated, replaced by a creeping fear.

Cang Luo admitted it—he was scared!

So he stopped one meter from Chen Dahu, hesitating what to do next.

Backing down? No way!

So many people watching—and a beautiful girl beside him.

Hmm… need a way out.

Cang Luo swallowed hard, feigning calm: “You…”

“You what?”

Chen Dahu cut him off, grabbing his collar and snarling: “You did that on purpose, didn’t you? Don’t you know good dogs don’t block the path?

You spilled my lunch—do you think the food’s too delicious and you want to eat shit?”

Chen Dahu’s brutal insults drew stifled laughter from onlookers—they knew he was provoking, but wouldn’t expose him or help Cang Luo.

One, they didn’t want to provoke Chen Dahu; two, they didn’t want to spoil an upcoming show.

In their eyes, this was a tiger versus a dog.

Chen Dahu was the tiger; the shorter, older-looking disciple was the dog.

Everyone turned to Cang Luo, waiting to see how he’d respond to the insult.

They expected him to curse back, then get beaten up and pay compensation—but Cang Luo’s next words sent the crowd into uproarious laughter.

Cang Luo tried prying Chen Dahu’s hand off his collar but couldn’t budge it, so he said: “Let me get you another tray of food?”

Silence fell for a few seconds—then laughter erupted.

“Hahaha, how pathetic is this guy?”

“Can’t even retort? This guy deserves to be kicked out of Xuantian Sect?”

“Total waste!”

Mocking voices rang all around, but Cang Luo remained unmoved.

He wasn’t from this world—he’d return to Earth next year. Dying here before going home would be a disaster.

Cang Luo endured it—but his peripheral vision caught Yunjiao giving him a disappointed glance, then lowering her head.

She must be disappointed in me!

Cang Luo reflected: avoiding Xuan Qingqing was to dodge trouble.

But this time, he’d been careless—if he hadn’t teased her in the Technique Pavilion, he wouldn’t have come to apologize, and wouldn’t have drawn Chen Dahu’s attention.

Sigh… after this, I’ll avoid women entirely.

Cang Luo thought lowering his head and apologizing would make Chen Dahu let him go—but he was wrong.

Chen Dahu sneered, puzzled: this waste shouldn’t have any connection to the boss—why did the boss order me to break both his hands?

Logically, an Outer Gate waste like this shouldn’t even cross paths with a peak Warrior Ninth Layer powerhouse, let alone provoke him.

Forget it, anyway I just do whatever the boss says—break both hands? Fine, it’s no big deal.

The boss said this waste has only Foundation Establishment Stage One cultivation, and just today became an outer disciple from a menial apprentice.

Truly a waste! At over twenty years old, he’s still only Foundation Establishment Stage One.

If it weren’t for the sect rule forbidding disciples from fighting without cause, I’d have just attacked outright—no need for all this hassle, wasting a meal…

The Profound Heaven Sect has a rule: if disciples have disputes, they may seek resolution at the Enforcement Pavilion, or settle privately, but they must not bully the weak; violators face severe punishment.

Chen Da was deeply resentful of this sect regulation; normally, when he collected “protection fees” from lower-level outer disciples, he had to invent an excuse.

For example, accidentally getting shoved down by the other, or dropping a “supreme yuan stone” that the other stepped on and shattered…

That’s also how he earned his nickname, “Fatty the Pickpocket.”

But this time was different—he didn’t want Cang Luo to pay money; he wanted Cang Luo’s hands.

Yet, merely spilling his lunch wasn’t enough of an excuse for him to initiate a bullying attack.

So Chen Da figured he had to provoke Cang Luo into striking first, or get him to agree to a duel, so he’d have grounds to break his hands without facing repercussions.

Thinking of this, Chen Da sneered: “You waste, I’ll give you two choices. One: crawl under my crotch, and I’ll forgive you for spilling my lunch.

Two: fight me. I won’t bully you—I know you’re only Foundation Establishment Stage One. I’m Stage Five, but I’ll suppress my yuan force to match yours.

Which will you choose?”