Chapter 1945: A small matter

Get ready to strike.

What move are you gonna use?

Save them.

Zhang Xiaohuai hadn't even snapped out of it yet when the old woman beside him vanished right where she stood.

Huh???

He doubted for a moment, then turned his head to the platform—only to see Tang Xin already unconscious, cradled in the old woman's arms.

His body showed no obvious wounds, but his aura was feeble to the extreme.

With Zhang Xiaohuai's eyesight, it was easy to tell that Tang Xin's soul had suffered grave damage.

On the surface there was nothing to see besides a pallid complexion, but in truth this kind of injury is harder to heal than any bodily wound.

Moreover, once the soul is worn away, the person is gone; in a sense, the soul matters far more than the flesh.

The old woman had noticed that as well, and the Young Palace Master of Extreme Bliss Palace clearly had no intention of stopping.

Relying on her Thousand Illusion Immortal Body's total dominance over illusion arts, she was going to beat him to death.

That's why she chose to act, without spare attention for anything else.

Fortunately, she managed to save Tang Xin in the end; though his soul was badly injured, his life wasn't in danger.

With Cooking King Immortal City's capabilities, plus some heavenly materials and earthly treasures, he could recover over time, without leaving any lingering ailment.

However, right after the old woman rescued Tang Xin, the Palace Master of Extreme Bliss Palace, seated directly in front of the platform, grew displeased and spoke coldly.

"Is this how Cooking King Immortal City does things? You can't take a loss, so you bully the weak with your strength?"

"Cut the crap."

His words were dripping with mockery and contempt, but no sooner had they left his mouth than a louder roar of anger burst forth.

It was Zhang Xiaohuai, standing on the opposite side of the platform.

Faced with that, Zhang Xiaohuai didn't think twice before unleashing a torrent of curses—damn the details, he'd curse first and ask questions later.

Facing Zhang Xiaohuai's tirade, the Palace Master merely frowned slightly, unfazed—he obviously knew this guy's temperament.

He glanced coolly at Zhang Xiaohuai and said,

"How come you dare to do it but won't let anyone talk about it?"

"Cut the crap here—it's a friendly match, we lost, what's wrong with helping them up?"

Huh???

As soon as those words left his mouth, the many Immortal Realm cultivators present blinked in disbelief—'Help them up?'

His lips twitched involuntarily, but he didn't dare to speak up and question it.

As for the Palace Master, hearing such talk made his face darken even further.

Shameless, as always.

He glared at Zhang Xiaohuai with burning anger in his eyes, though he knew he couldn't match him in verbal sparring—uh… nor in actual combat.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have been routed by Zhang Xiaohuai when they fought over the Dragon Heart Fruit earlier.

He felt a tightness in his chest, forcibly suppressing his anger, and the Palace Master let out a cold snort.

"Hmph, I'm not wasting words with you—since you lost, get off the stage."

"Old fool, you looking for a spar? If you've got the guts, let's take this outside the city."

Zhang Xiaohuai's teeth itched with rage, but the Palace Master completely ignored him.

Today's just a sparring match among the young disciples—could he really take on this old geezer?

He outright ignored Zhang Xiaohuai, watched as the Protector of the Way carried Tang Xin down, and with no further Cooking King Immortal City disciples stepping up, he smirked contemptuously.

"What, does the great Cooking King Immortal City have no one left?"

「You.................. 」

The mockery and provocation in his tone were utterly undisguised, making Zhang Xiaohuai wish he could lash out right then.

But remembering they were inside the city, he could only swallow his anger and bear it.

If the two of them fought here, setting aside anything else, certainly over half the city's populace would get caught up—who knows how many would be killed or injured.

As for the many young disciples of Cooking King Immortal City,

although they were numerous and held the home-field advantage, facing the Palace Master's provocation and that arrogant Young Palace Master on stage, not a single one dared to step up.

Even the Young City Lord Tang Xin had lost; what use would they be going up? At most they'd just become a laughingstock.

Putting it nicely, one could say they knew their limits.

But even knowing their limits, they felt utterly stifled inside.

All those fellow disciples present were completely subdued by that one opponent, and not a shred of spirit remained.

This was undoubtedly a massive blow to Cooking King Immortal City's reputation; once it spread, it would become a laughingstock for the world.

One could easily imagine what the rumors would be later.

"Ah, so I say, Cooking King Immortal City really has no new blood—its disciples are all cowed by a single person; the future looks grim."

"Cooking King Immortal City will always fall short of the other great immortal cities."

"The gap is huge, hugely so."

By then, there will surely be busybodies dragging this into comparisons with Pill King Immortal City and Weapon King Immortal City.

All we can say is that Cooking King Immortal City's younger generation truly lacks a pillar of strength—even though the Young City Lord now has four, their numbers aren't few.

But there's no one who can truly go toe‑to‑toe with those top prodigies of the Immortal Realm.

Seeing the field fall into silence, the Palace Master's lips curled in a satisfied smile—this was exactly the outcome he wanted.

His pent‑up frustration and anger vanished in an instant, leaving him feeling relieved.

By contrast, Zhang Xiaohuai's face turned livid with rage, his old teeth clenched; he could only think of what to do, cursing himself for not being of the younger generation—otherwise he'd have marched up and beaten that little bastard to death.

Back when he was young, could Cooking King Immortal City have endured this indignity? Just look at the Bliss Palace Palace Master now—when he was young, Zhang Xiaohuai hit him, just like hitting his own son.

Just as Zhang Xiaohuai was sulking alone, Ye Zhangqing's voice sounded from beside him.

"City Lord, can you let that person on stage and my disciple fight fairly? I am willing to represent Cooking King Immortal City in battle."

Ye Zhangqing was also annoyed by the sight of the two—old and young—from Bliss Palace.

But the opponent is after all an Immortal King realm cultivator; I'm not that bold to go up several major realms to seek abuse.

The cultivation gap is too great; this is fundamentally an unbridgeable difference.

But if there were no cultivation gap, Ye Zhangqing would not fear; at the same realm, he has never lost.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Xiaohuai turned his head to look at Ye Zhangqing, asking with a doubtful look in his eyes.

"Are you confident?"

He didn't try to dissuade him, nor ask further; he simply asked directly whether he could win.

Hearing that, Ye Zhangqing didn't waste words, directly nodding and saying.

"A fight at the same realm, I will surely win."

Seeing Ye Zhangqing so full of confidence, Zhang Xiaohuai's mood instantly brightened, and he grinned happily.

"It's a small matter; watch me."

A fight at the same realm—what kind of demand is that? It's quite normal.

Everyone has different cultivations; then we fight at the same realm, which truly shows one's real strength.

What is called fair? This damn thing is what fairness really is; Ye Xiaozi's demand is flawless, and can't even be considered a demand.

For sparring, if there's a cultivation gap, how can it still be called sparring? This principle holds everywhere.