Chapter 114: The Grand Void Ancestor

"Alright!"

He Pingsheng said: "Xiao Xuan, if you can wait three years for me, you can certainly wait thirty!"

"Just wait a few more years—until I reach Qi Refining tenth level, then we can talk about our match!"

He Pingsheng usually did not argue with others.

But that didn’t mean he couldn’t.

After his spiritual sense grew powerful, his mind gradually awakened, and his thoughts and reactions naturally far surpassed those of his peers.

Opposite him, Xiao Xuan was so enraged he felt like spitting blood.

"Hmph..." The shriveled old man angrily flung his sleeves and stood up: "Does the Grand Void Gate really consist only of cowards like you, who rely on empty words?"

"If that’s the case, the Grand Void Gate is not far from being wiped out!"

"Let’s go!"

The old man stormed off, dragging his disciple behind him.

Whoosh!

Zhao Linger, Xu Kunlun, and Tian Xiaoqing clapped their hands in delight.

"Young brother, you’re amazing!"

"This is exactly how you deal with people like him!"

"He’s challenging you, eighth level, from tenth level—isn’t that blatant bullying?"

Senior sister and senior brother both spoke up for He Pingsheng.

But across from them, Yu Ning frowned tightly and said: "It’s not that simple!"

"Neither Chi Bing True Person nor Xiao Xuan have achieved their goal—they won’t let this go so easily!"

"He Pingsheng, hold your ground!"

"Remember what I told you: no matter how much they provoke you, you must never accept their challenge!"

"Understood?"

She added at the end: "Can you hold your ground?"

"Don’t worry, Master!" He Pingsheng smiled. "If I have to fight him, I’d lose for sure. But if I just need to hold back and refuse, I’ll do it perfectly."

"I absolutely can hold my ground!"

"Good!" Yu Ning said. "Go on. Ignore them."

He Pingsheng took his leave from his master and returned to his quarters to resume cultivation.

Though he was told to hold his ground, this incident made He Pingsheng feel the threat.

Cultivation base!

Raising one’s cultivation base is the root.

Though Xiao Xuan was nothing special, he spoke one truth: in the cultivation world, strength always commands respect.

Only by improving strength can one earn respect.

At the very least, you can’t let your consort look down on you.

He Pingsheng opened his mouth and swallowed another supreme elixir.

The Inner Fire True Law churned furiously within him.

Thus, slowly and steadily, over a month passed without notice.

One day, a knock came again at the courtyard gate.

When He Pingsheng opened the door, he was stunned to find his master, Yu Ning, standing outside. "Master, why are you here?"

Yu Ning asked: "Can’t I come?"

Her expression was less than pleasant.

He Pingsheng said: "Of course you can come—but if you need me, just send word. I’ll come to Yu Ning Palace to pay my respects. Why must you come all the way here yourself?"

"Sigh..." Yu Ning said. "Stop being flippant!"

"I have something to tell you."

He Pingsheng said: "Master, please speak."

Yu Ning said: "Old Nine... I’m sorry... I... I didn’t hold my ground!"

"Huh?" He Pingsheng’s mouth dropped open. "You didn’t hold your ground? What do you mean?"

Yu Ning said: "About the challenge from the Ice Pole Sect—the last time I told you to hold your ground, but now... we can’t hold it anymore!"

He Pingsheng’s heart sank: "Master, what happened?"

Yu Ning said: "After Xiao Xuan and Chi Bing returned from here last time, they were furious and set up a challenge platform in the Dao-Xuan Alliance, declaring they’d wait three years for you to reach Qi Refining tenth level!"

"Then, once you reach tenth level, you’ll face him!"

"The platform has already been set up!"

"I thought we could simply refuse."

"But this matter has spread like wildfire through the Dao-Xuan Alliance—every sect, every family, dozens of them, all know about it!"

"If you don’t show up, it won’t look good."

Hearing this, He Pingsheng’s face darkened: These people are determined to force me into action.

"And one more thing!" Yu Ning said: "Our Grand Void Gate’s ancestral elder—the master of your Grand Master Chongyang True Person, the Nascent Soul powerhouse known as the Grand Void Ancestor—has personally spoken!"

"He said you must go."

"The Grand Void Ancestor?" He Pingsheng’s face softened with reverence.

Legend said the Grand Void Gate had a Nascent Soul elder, but He Pingsheng had never met him; in his mind, the elder was always in seclusion, never meddling in sect affairs.

Yet the Grand Void Ancestor was the supreme elder of the entire Grand Void Gate—once he spoke, who in the sect would dare disobey?

"Yes!" Yu Ning said: "The Grand Void Ancestor’s exact words were: 'A man may die, but his face cannot be lost...' "

"That is his command!"

"I can still speak up on Xiuzhu Peak, but across the entire Grand Void Gate, where do I have any voice? The Grand Void Ancestor doesn’t even know who I am!"

"So, Old Nine... we may have to accept this challenge whether we want to or not."

"One more thing!" Yu Ning continued: "The Qiao family of Heaven Seal Mountain has also agreed to this matter."

He Pingsheng’s pupils narrowed slightly.

The Ice Pole Immortal Sect set the platform, the Grand Void Ancestor accepted it, and now even the Qiao family has agreed.

This time, he had to go—even if he had to force himself.

He had to go, no matter how hard it was.

"Fine!" He Pingsheng nodded. "I accept. Master, do you know what terms they’ve set?"

"Is it a wager for victory, or a fight to the death?"

Yu Ning said: "Of course it’s a victory wager!"

"Perhaps fearing you’d refuse, they stipulated that during the match, both sides may use only bare fists and feet—no magic treasures, talismans, elixirs, or any other aids allowed!"

"Only spells and martial arts!"

He Pingsheng exhaled in relief.

If it was only spells and martial arts, he still had a chance.

After all, he was the man with five dantians.

"So if you lose, you only lose face—you can just break off the engagement with the Qiao family!"

"Frankly, I don’t think the Qiao family had good intentions anyway!"

Yu Ning spoke, trying to comfort He Pingsheng.

"But..." Yu Ning added: "The real issue isn’t how the match will be fought—it’s whether you can reach Qi Refining tenth level within three years!"

"If you can, it’s manageable. If you can’t, it’ll be far worse!"

He Pingsheng nodded.

They’ve set up the platform and given you three years—if after three years you still can’t match their cultivation, won’t everyone laugh at you?

"Master, don’t worry. By the end of three years, I will reach tenth level!"

"Good!" Yu Ning said: "The Grand Void Ancestor said that for these three years, you may enter any great hall in the Grand Void Gate at will, and you may study any suitable scripture or technique in the sect!"

"If you need anything, take this token and go directly to any hall to claim it!"

"Whether herbs or scriptures!"

"Also, for these three years, you don’t need to forge elixirs for the sect anymore!"

"Focus on your preparation!"

"The Ancestor said you may lose—you’re up against a genius. But he has one demand: don’t lose too badly. We must preserve some face for the Grand Void Gate!"

"As long as you don’t lose too badly, we won’t lose face."