Chapter 1977: First Battle with Wu Zhong

Those words from back then seemed to echo again in his ears; staring at Ye Zhangqing with a complex expression for a while, finally, this Heavenly Pride struggled to get up.

He bowed deeply to Ye Zhangqing.

"Young City Lord, your strength is peerless; I am utterly convinced."

In this battle, Ye Zhangqing indeed had no tricks; he won purely by his own strength.

The first Heavenly Pride was defeated, and then the second Heavenly Pride stepped onto the stage.

However, he had no doubt left in his eyes; he had witnessed that battle completely.

At this point, there was no longer any doubt about Ye Zhangqing's strength.

However, the chance to battle a young Yāoniè was not something he wanted to give up.

Feeling that he had suppressed his cultivation to the peak of the Emperor Sovereign Realm, Ye Zhangqing wasted no words and struck directly.

Again, it took less than ten moves, and this Heavenly Pride was defeated.

However, this Heavenly Pride felt no disappointment at such an outcome.

Because from the moment he stepped onto the stage, he already knew this would be the result.

Since he had already foreseen the result, what was there to be disappointed about?

He simply wanted to experience again the suffocating pressure exerted by that young Yāoniè.

And Ye Zhangqing indeed did not disappoint him; from the start to the end of the fight, though it seemed brief, he saw not even a sliver of opportunity.

One after another, three young Heavenly Pride stepped onto the stage, and Ye Zhangqing defeated them each in turn.

As the third person fell, Ye Zhangqing calmly said to the three.

"We've fought; if there's nothing else, please go, all three of you."

Having said that, he turned and left, which counted as getting past the situation; the three watched Ye Zhangqing's retreating back, each wearing a wry smile—indeed, the Immortal Realm had produced a fourth young Yāoniè.

As long as Ye Zhangqing can raise his cultivation, he will truly be able to stand on equal footing with the three from Tianlin and compete for superiority.

I originally thought that after dealing with these three, I could finally have some peace.

But afterward, the number of young challengers kept growing; not only that, many old-generation strongmen came, shamelessly, to challenge.

Everyone knows the rule: suppress cultivation to the same realm and fight.

Faced with so many challengers, Ye Zhangqing became angry.

"Still want to accept?"

Inside the Dong Fu, Ye Zhangqing looked at Bai Yuan and said, speechless.

With so many people, how long will this fighting go on?

It's not that I'm afraid; it's just pointless. With this time, I'd rather lie in the sun, sip a pot of tea, and be comfortable.

Even directly admitting defeat won't work; those people simply won't accept it.

Or rather, they come to challenge without any thought of winning; they just want to feel the strength of a young Yāoniè.

After all, the backgrounds of the three from Tianlin are all extraordinary; compared to them, challenging Ye Zhangqing is much easier.

This is not Ye Zhangqing's problem, but rather the problem of the Cooking King Immortal City.

Put bluntly, the strength of the Cooking King Immortal City is far from being a match for the Heavenly Family or the Ultimate Bliss Palace; the gap is huge.

They are being treated like a soft persimmon to be squeezed.

Faced with Ye Zhangqing's dissatisfaction, Bai Yuan also wore a face of self-reproach.

"Indeed, it is the Cooking King Immortal City that has let you down, kid; if the Cooking King Immortal City had the strength of the Heavenly Family, then you wouldn't need...................."

Bai Yuan said that, and Ye Zhangqing pursed his lips—what else could he say?

The Cooking King Immortal City has never fallen short for me; basically, it grants any request. People have given their all for me, and Ye Zhangqing naturally repays their kindness, so in this matter he has truly never blamed the Cooking King Immortal City.

But with the challengers increasing, if every Tom, Dick, and Harry feels obliged to step up, then each day I wouldn't need to do anything—just wait on the platform.

Helplessly shaking his head, Ye Zhangqing said.

"Would it work if I add a condition?"

"What condition?"

Bai Yuan said doubtfully; in response, Ye Zhangqing simply said.

"Let these challengers first face Wu Zhong; if they can't even beat him, then there's no need to come challenge me—this request shouldn't be a problem, right?"

Hearing this, Bai Yuan didn't even think; he directly nodded and agreed.

This request is indeed not excessive and is reasonable; even so, the Cooking King Immortal City would likely face considerable pressure.

After all, some people will go to any lengths just to be able to challenge Ye Zhangqing.

They harbor no ill intent; at most they want to personally experience the strength of a young Yāoniè, and later it could serve as bragging rights.

I once fought fiercely with someone, and ultimately lost by a single move....................

Nevertheless, despite that, the Cooking King Immortal City can still withstand this pressure, gritting its teeth to endure.

Seeing Bai Yuan agree so readily, Ye Zhangqing didn't waste words and simply nodded.

"Alright, let's do that—have them defeat Wu Zhong first, then come find me."

"Good."

Bai Yuan then hurriedly left; nowadays, more and more people are coming to the Cooking King Immortal City.

The city lord Xiao Huai is off somewhere, indulging in pleasure, not in the city; as for Huang Lao, aside from Ye Zhangqing's affairs, other matters are hardly worth hoping for.

Thus, all the big and small affairs in the city naturally fall onto Bai Yuan and his two companions—very troublesome, exhausting, and helpless.

Everyone wants to challenge Ye Zhangqing, as if merely being able to fight him—even if they ultimately lose—would be something worth bragging about.

Thus, many people don't care about winning or losing; they come purely for the experience.

And after Bai Yuan announced the challenge requirements to everyone, although the people were somewhat dissatisfied, under the Cooking King Immortal City's firm stance they could only reluctantly agree.

In any case, if the rules are not followed, no matter how strong your background, the Cooking King Immortal City will not yield an inch, even if it means going to war.

They have already tolerated enough; naturally, everyone cannot push things to the extreme, so they can only agree.

Starting tomorrow, everyone can challenge Wu Zhong, the venue being the main square in the city.

Two Shíchén in the morning, two Shíchén in the afternoon, four Shíchén each day.

Wu Zhong will always be on the stage, accepting everyone's challenges.

The victor can hold the specially made token of Cooking King Immortal City and go challenge Ye Zhangqing to preserve their lives.

As for the time of the challenge, it will naturally be decided by Ye Zhangqing, and he will notify everyone then.

Inside the hall, Wu Zhong looked at the three Bai Yuan before him and muttered discontentedly.

"You're not trying to make me cannon fodder, are you? I won't do it."

Not involving the Heavenly Family's young lady, Wu Zhong this guy is indeed not stupid, quite clever.

He immediately realized the root of the problem, and naturally did not want to be cannon fodder for such a thing.

But the three Bai Yuan treated Wu Zhong completely differently from how they treated Ye Zhangqing.

Upon hearing this, one of the Deputy City Lords, with a dark face, immediately snapped angrily.

"What are you complaining about, kid? You're not even a person of our Cooking King Immortal City? These years, our Cooking King Immortal City hasn't provided you with cultivation, hasn't given you treasures; now we let you do something, and you're nitpicking—what do you mean by 'cannon fodder'? You can't say that; this is tempering, we're not just tempering you."

Huh???