Nine Dragons Saint Ancestor
Chapter 516 Pride and Regret

Chapter 516: 516 Pride and Regret

"I... admit defeat!"

Even though Shen Wannian was extremely unwilling in his heart, under Yun Xiao’s increasingly fiery breath, he ultimately felt that saving his own life was more important and uttered a voice of surrender.

These three words, though spoken softly, were like a clap of thunder in the quiet center square, causing all the spectators among the cultivators to be momentarily unable to recover their senses.

At the beginning of this battle, almost everyone favored Shen Wannian; after all, in terms of fame alone, this leading disciple of the Royal Qi Sect was countless times stronger than Yun Xiao.

However, the actual outcome was a far cry from what everyone had imagined. After Shen Wannian had activated his Ancestor Vein Power and even employed the strongest methods of the Royal Qi Sect, he was still easily defeated by Yun Xiao, which was clearly at odds with their earlier predictions.

Perhaps some people thought Yun Xiao had taken advantage of the situation, for if he hadn’t preemptively guessed the location where Shen Wannian’s true body would appear and calculatedly poked his finger there, the battle likely wouldn’t have ended so quickly.

No matter how you put it, after Shen Wannian had activated his Ancestor Vein Power and reached the peak of the Meridian Union Realm, with a difference of two minor boundaries, Yun Xiao should not have won so easily.

Indeed, if Yun Xiao hadn’t activated his own Ancestor Vein Power and employed some of his more formidable techniques, overcoming Shen Wannian, who was two minor boundaries higher, would have been difficult.

Yet Shen Wannian was too clever for his own good or perhaps too confident, ultimately giving Yun Xiao an opportunity and being defeated with a single strike. It must be said that sometimes the outcomes of battles are full of surprises.

Regardless, the battle was won by Yun Xiao. Seeing the Royal Qi Sect’s number one talent kneeling before Yun Xiao and uttering words of defeat, everyone felt emotional inside.

That was the super-talented Shen Wannian, hailed as the most likely contender for the championship of this Countries Hidden Dragon Conference, who didn’t even make it to the top four and was defeated by Yun Xiao’s hand.

From another perspective, didn’t Yun Xiao, who defeated Shen Wannian, already possess the strength of the champion of the Countries Hidden Dragon Conference? As such, everyone was filled with immense anticipation for Yun Xiao’s next battle.

"Haha, Sect Leader, congratulations!"

Naturally, the young disciples of the Jade Pot Sect were in a flurry of cheers and excitement, and Great Elder Lu Zhan also turned his beaming face to offer his congratulations to Sect Leader Yu Shu.

Although Yun Xiao was the direct disciple of the Sect Leader himself, he was obviously closer to the Medical Pulse branch, so Lu Zhan, Li Shan, and the others, had long considered Yun Xiao as a disciple from the Medical Pulse branch.

Besides, Yun Xiao’s advancement into the top four of the Hidden Dragon Conference was a glory for the entire Jade Pot Sect. It was believed that this Hidden Dragon Conference would go down in history and become a highlight in the Jade Pot Sect’s honor.

"Hehe, joy for us all!"

Yu Shu’s face was about to burst with joy; his disciple, whom he had taken under his wing for just over a year, had truly not disappointed him.

"What do you think, could Yun Xiao possibly win the championship of this Hidden Dragon Conference?"

Li Shan, struck by a sudden inspiration, posed the question. And upon asking, everyone was stunned, with a seed of thought immediately and uncontrollably sprouting within them.

Thinking back to the end of the Spiritual Chick Battle List at the Jade Pot Sect, no one would have thought the sect would achieve such outstanding results. Even the fact that Yun Xiao, Mo Qing, and Ling Wan could break into the top hundred of the Hidden Dragon Conference was already impressive.

But now, Ling Wan broke into the top sixteen, Mo Qing into the top eight, and Yun Xiao had even defeated the most promising champion contender Shen Wannian to advance into the top four.

All these outcomes were beyond the imagination of the Jade Pot Sect members. Given this, what was so impossible about Yun Xiao defeating two more opponents and securing the championship of this edition of the Hidden Dragon Conference?

"Hmph, that last battle, Yun Xiao merely took some shortcuts, how could his future opponents give him chances again?"

While Yu Shu and many Elders from the Medical Pulse branch were excitedly talking, a somewhat discordant voice suddenly rang out, and without looking, one would know it was from Second Elder Fu Du.

Regardless of whether Yun Xiao was a member of the Jade Pot Sect or not, Fu Du had never been able to harbor any good feelings towards this youth. Perhaps he was very aware that even if Yun Xiao won the championship of the Hidden Dragon Conference, he probably would not esteem himself too highly.

Since they were destined to become enemies, Fu Du certainly didn’t want to see Yun Xiao gain too much limelight. If Yun Xiao really won the championship of this Hidden Dragon Conference, wouldn’t the entire Jade Pot Sect have to yield to that young man?

"Second Elder, your words are not quite right. Although Yun Xiao did indeed take advantage in the last battle, some of his techniques have not been employed yet, such as those three Ancestor Vein Powers!"

Great Elder Lu Zhan has always been at odds with Fu Du. Seeing his own clan’s prestige get crushed, he immediately felt uncomfortable and openly objected, leaving Fu Du somewhat at a loss for words.

The recent battle between Yun Xiao and Shen Wannian indeed proceeded too quickly. Although Yun Xiao might appear to have resorted to some cunning tactics, as Lu Zhan pointed out, didn’t he still have some tricks up his sleeve that he hadn’t used during his performance on the Spiritual Chick Battle List?

This was still under the assumption that Lu Zhan was unaware that Yun Xiao had already activated his fourth Ancestor Vein. Nonetheless, Lu Zhan was at least clear about one thing: in the previous battle, Yun Xiao had probably not even displayed half of his strength. It was not entirely implausible for him to win the championship of this Hidden Dragon Conference.

After all, the remaining contenders like Xu Hongzhuang and those from Xuan Jiuding, their strength might not necessarily surpass that of Shen Wannian. If Yun Xiao could overpower Shen Wannian so dominantly, why couldn’t he defeat the others?

"No matter the final result, Yun Xiao’s status within the Jade Pot Sect will be equivalent to that of the Sect Leader!"

Yu Shu looked indifferently at Fu Du, whose face had turned gloomy. After these words were spoken, all the Great Elders were astonished. The Elders from Medical Pulse lineage were both shocked and delighted, while the faces of the Elders from Poison Vein lineage grew even more sullen.

These words from the Sect Leader were clearly intended for Fu Du and the others. As the Sect Leader of Jade Pot Sect, how could Yu Shu not be aware of the relationship between Yun Xiao and people like Fu Du? Although he did not know all the details, he was now clearly more significant than Fu Du and the others.

Especially if Yun Xiao actually managed to win the championship of the Countries Hidden Dragon Conference and earn the title of Hidden Dragon Emerges, his future would be boundless.

Not to mention that just last night, the daughter of the Master Xuan Yin personally invited him to the Jade Pot Courtyard. This was already a form of intimidation. Given time, it won’t just be Hidden Dragon Continent that couldn’t contain Yun Xiao; even the Tenglong Continent might not be enough.

With this in mind, why bother to give heed to people like Fu Du? As the leader of the sect, Yu Shu could certainly distinguish between what was more and less important. A Second Elder who hadn’t made a breakthrough in many years and an unparalleled genius with limitless potential—there was simply no comparison.

Not to mention the verbal sparring among Jade Pot Sect’s Elders here, the disciples at their respective locations were also in a jubilant state, particularly those surrounded by a few individuals.

One of them was Tan Yun, an Outer Disciple. As it happened, she was the only Outer Disciple who came to the Imperial City to watch the competition, which made her the lowest-ranking among all these disciples. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have been assigned to guard the gate of Jade Pot Courtyard.

But now, Tan Yun was surrounded by countless Inner Sect Disciples, each of whom was showing her respect and politeness as if she were their senior sister.

Everyone knew that even though Tan Yun’s strength was still low and she didn’t even qualify for Inner Sect promotion, her relationship with Yun Xiao was not simple.

Ever since Yun Xiao rose in the Inner Sect and grabbed the first place on the Spiritual Chick List, how he joined the Jade Pot Sect was naturally dug up by others, and Tan Yun’s team was an inevitable part of that story.

Now, Yun Xiao wasn’t just the number one talent of the Jade Pot Sect; he stood at the forefront of Hidden Dragon Continent’s young generation and could go even further, possibly becoming the number one talent in the entire Hidden Dragon Continent.

Since they couldn’t ingratiate themselves directly to Yun Xiao, why not make a roundabout move? Starting with someone close to Yun Xiao and maybe gaining the favor of this extraordinary talent at some future opportunity seemed like a good strategy.

Surrounded by Inner Sect Disciples who typically held themselves in high esteem, Tan Yun felt both flattered and overwhelmed. As an Outer Disciple, when had she ever received such treatment?

"Yun Xiao, this time, I’ve really basked in your glory!"

Tan Yun looked through the layers of crowd toward the rough-clothed youth slowly stepping down from the stage, reminiscing about the initial admission assessment and the various encounters with Yun Xiao on Jade Pot Mountain—as if it were all in a different lifetime.

"Hey, junior brother Song Tian, tell us about the Outer Sect competition back then. How exactly did senior brother Yun Xiao dominate the group?"

Elsewhere, Song Tian, who had advanced to the Inner Sect with Yun Xiao, was also surrounded by a group of Inner Sect Disciples, with one of them grasping at straws to start a conversation. After all, who in Jade Pot Sect now does not know about that unique Outer Sect competition?

Although Song Tian had already advanced to the Inner Sect, his cultivation talent was no match for those veteran Inner Sect Disciples, and he had never experienced being surrounded by admirers like this, so he felt just as bewildered as Tan Yun.

Meanwhile, at several other locations, individuals like Zhao Ningshu and Cao Luo were going pale with regret, wishing they could just drop dead.

Had they known Yun Xiao could grow to such a stature, they would rather have died than offend such a peerless talent. It was all too late for remorse now.

Didn’t they see the Family Heads of their respective families glaring at their sons with a grim look? Especially Zhao Family Head Zhao Huan, who wished he could slap Zhao Ningshu to death at that moment. How could he father such a short-sighted child?

Zhao Huan clearly forgot how he used to treat Ling Wan and doted on Zhao Ningshu and his brothers. Now all he saw was Ling Wan’s astonishing talent, and his friend Yun Xiao rising towards the championship throne of the Hidden Dragon Conference, naturally looking for a scapegoat.

And Zhao Ningshu was the perfect choice!