I Can See Your Combat Power
Chapter 1803 - 234: The Demeanor of a King

Chapter 1803: Chapter 234: The Demeanor of a King

Tang Luo and Jiang Fushen met again at the peak of He Shou Peak. Somehow, the two merely exchanged distant glances, and where their gazes intersected, a vibrant peony flower floated in midair.

As hosts to this event, Medicine God Sect wasn’t entirely sure about their Ancestor’s situation, so they naturally went to inquire from the person most likely to know the details.

The attendant or servant brought to the mountain gate by the Unparalleled Institute master?

Outer sect elder Jiang Qinjiao paid a visit and gleaned bits of the bizarre happenings at He Shou Peak through Yun Xiu’s account.

The Unparalleled Institute master and the Hundred Herbs Divine Monarch had set a wager based on when the peony’s petals would fall. Right now, He Shou Peak was the battlefield where the Dao Realm of these two Human Kings clashed.

Jiang Qinjiao, having obtained this inside information, grew ecstatic. After leaving He Shou Peak, he rushed back to Suspending Pot Peak to report to the sect master, Jiang Fuling.

"Sect Master, great news!"

Jiang Qinjiao exclaimed excitedly, "The Ancestor made a wager with the Institute master over the peony’s bloom. If, in two days, the petals don’t fall and the core doesn’t wither, then Ancestor wins!"

To wager against a king known as the Hundred Herbs Divine Monarch over the life of a flower—what unbridled arrogance! To Jiang Qinjiao, the moment he learned of the wager related to flora, he had already disregarded the possibility of Tang Luo winning.

In his view, there was nothing to fret over. Two days later, it would undoubtedly be a landslide victory!

Seeing Jiang Qinjiao’s self-assured and proud demeanor, Jiang Fuling sighed and shook her head with a bitter smile. "If Ancestor truly agreed to this wager, I fear our sect could become the laughingstock of Xiehe’s martial world for millennia!"

"This wager was proposed by the Institute master, so even if we lose, it’s not our sect’s fault. Why would the sects in Xiehe gossip?"

Jiang Qinjiao asked, puzzled. "Isn’t it delightful to see an overly arrogant fool brought down a peg?"

[A young person throwing tantrums may be excused, but elders have no such leeway.]

Even if today’s Unparalleled Institute master were some Yiren Pavilion head from Yuanzhou, Medicine God Sect wouldn’t be in such a passive position. But this master happens to be him!

One day, Tang Luo’s identity as the Unparalleled Institute master will come to light. By then, this unfair wager would also resurface.

At that point, everyone would scold the Divine Sect. The reasoning is straightforward: an arrogant young Human King may act recklessly without care, but as a martial elder, you cannot feign ignorance of proper decorum.

The Superior Heavenly Sect may have eras where there’s no Human King to succeed its title, but losing the gravitas that commands universal respect would reduce it to the status of an ordinary sect.

"Divine Sect should not agree to such conditions of victory or defeat."

Jiang Fuling asked, "How did Ancestor respond to the Institute master?"

"Ancestor said, this peony can bloom throughout its entire season,"

Jiang Qinjiao marveled at Jiang Fuling’s vast foresight, but he was baffled by Jiang Fushen’s decision. "If, two days later, the peony’s petals don’t fall, wouldn’t that signify the Institute master losing? So do the two of them truly intend to do nothing, simply stare at each other atop He Shou Peak for ten or twenty days?"

"This is the magnanimity of Ancestor."

Jiang Fuling sighed in admiration. "Only by doing so can the Divine Sect prevent any grounds for reproach in the future!"

"Huh?"

Jiang Qinjiao froze, suddenly realizing that, though they were discussing the same event, their conclusions couldn’t be more disparate.

This left him confused—was there something about this wager he didn’t yet understand?

With that doubt lingering inside him, Jiang Qinjiao immediately stiffened and solemnly addressed the sect master: "I beseech Sect Master, explain this matter in depth. What hidden intricacies lie within this wager?"

"No profound intricacies, merely the subtleties of human relationships."

Jiang Fuling murmured faintly, "The Institute master lectured and performed for three days. What would you say about his level of cultivation?"

"Lofty as a mountain, shrouded in mist—impossible to fathom. But if the Institute master attains sainthood one day, I wouldn’t be surprised."

Medicine God Sect had encountered countless Human Kings, ranging from those at Xihesa Holy Land and hidden Heavenly Sects to the pillars of sects, aristocratic families, and regional overlords.

Just by flipping through the sect’s internal guest logs, you’d find that, though all of them were Human Kings, their realms and combat prowess still varied astonishingly.

For example, some Kings from grand family lineages may possess a King’s realm, yet their Dao skills remained shallow—it would be more apt to call them an enhanced version of a Grandmaster rather than a true King.

And then there were those Kings who approached the Saint Realm the moment they crossed beyond—all progressing so rapidly it left observers in awe.

Though Jiang Qinjiao couldn’t pinpoint the Institute master’s origins, just based on that brief conflict at Suspending Pot Peak, where the master casually manipulated the Spiritual Energy formation, it was clear that such a figure should never be treated as an ordinary King. Otherwise, the sect master would not have summoned Ancestor to engage him.

Even though the wager itself seemed audacious and foolish to Jiang Qinjiao, it could not overshadow the master’s transcendent realm. This was Jiang Qinjiao’s pragmatic sensibility.

And this was precisely why Jiang Fuling trusted Jiang Qinjiao so greatly: "When dealing with figures such as this, precise control of boundaries becomes imperative. This is what our Ancestor is doing—yielding."

"In this wager about the fall of the peony’s petals, there exists not merely outcomes of winning or losing—but also a draw."

"If the petals fall and the core withers within two days, the Institute master wins."

"If the peony blooms for its entire season, the Ancestor wins."

"But should the peony remain intact for two days without completing its full blooming season, that results in a draw. And this interim period would be the margin of favor Ancestor extends to the Institute master!"

"Now, junior brother, do you understand Ancestor’s painstaking consideration?"

As the outer sect elder Jiang Qinjiao left the grand hall at Suspending Pot Peak deep in thought, the Divine Sect’s inner members also grasped the essence of what unfolded at He Shou Peak.

For those disciples who had heard the master’s lectures and witnessed his performance, though Tang Luo served as a visiting master, comparing him to their Ancestor was akin to weighing feathers against gold.

Thus, every disciple sincerely believed that the wager surrounding the peony’s fall would unquestionably result in Jiang Fushen’s victory.

Humans often pour excessive enthusiasm into their admiration for role models. Even in sects, this phenomenon was not uncommon.

But for Grandmasters at the loftiest level, they wouldn’t overly concern themselves with the matter of winning or losing. Instead, their attention would focus on the true utility and benefits derived.

The clash of Dao Realms between two extraordinary Human Kings—this was an exceedingly rare occurrence. Not to mention the insights it could yield, merely observing the confrontation was itself a monumental fortune.

At present, atop He Shou Peak, both the Unparalleled Institute master and the Hundred Herbs Divine Monarch seemed poised for a confrontation that might last at least a few days, if not well over ten.

Many of Medicine God Sect’s Grandmasters, upon hearing this news, hurried toward He Shou Peak, only to discover the lecture platform had transformed entirely.

The spot where the two kings’ gazes intersected had become the boundary, dividing the sky itself.

On one side stood natural spring sunlight. On the other, an exuberance of life energy so concentrated it roused the spirit.

The collision of these two disparate laws forged an intense domain while the surrounding Spiritual Energy turned wildly chaotic. Yet, at the very heart of this conflict lay the delicate peony flower, still adorned with morning dew, gently rotating without harm.