Shockingly, the actual scene playing out within the Hidden Mountain card was a stark contrast to everyone's expectations.
Unlike what Zhi Bing had mentioned earlier, not even Jiang Xiaodao had any confidence in being able to eke out a victory here.
"Xuan Qi, you're despicable!" A mountain pressed down upon him from above. He was struggling to hold it back with both hands, but another mountain came crashing down, followed by another. Each mountain pressed deeper and deeper into the ground.
Lu Yin looked around in astonishment. Was this the pocket dimension within the card? It looked exactly like one of the 3,000 hidden worlds of the Honor Zone. However, this card also had a special function. Every time Lu Yin waved his hand, a mountain would inexplicably appear and then fall onto Jiang Xiaodao. This was the card's battle technique. No wonder it was called Hidden Mountain.
He was growing increasingly intrigued by the Lost Clan’s cards. What sort of abilities did their other cards have?
"Xuan Qi, get over here and fight me fairly!" Jiang Xiaodao roared, glaring at Lu Yin as though he wanted to devour him.
The corners of Lu Yin's mouth curled upwards. "Sorry, but the gap between us is too big, and I won’t stand a chance in a fair fight."
Jiang Xiaodao coughed up blood. He looked completely pathetic, like someone who had just crawled out of a trash heap, and red rivulets ran from the corners of his mouth. "Stop pretending! Even with this Hidden Mountain card, you shouldn't be able to suppress me like this. You're definitely stronger than you claim."
Lu Yin chuckled. "Thanks for the compliment."
Rage coursed through Jiang Xiaodao's entire body, causing him to cough up blood once again. "Xuan Qi, let me go!"
"If I let you go, I’m sure to lose," Lu Yin replied.
Jiang Xiaodao's eyes turned bloodshot as he struggled to breathe beneath the mounting pressure. "You're despicable, so despicable! I won't let you off the hook! Once I take the position of Sage, I'll definitely get revenge!"
Lu Yin shook his head. "It's way too early to be thinking about that. Besides, whenever you become a Sage, I won't be far behind in the Voidforce Universe."
As soon as Jiang Xiaodao remembered Lu Yin's talent for voidforce, he grew increasingly agitated. As long as this guy did not die, his future accomplishments would be no less impressive than his own. Even when he faced off against Mu Mu or Shao Qingfeng, he had not felt as overwhelmingly frustrated as he was at this moment. Jiang Xiaodao howled in exasperation, "Xuan Qi, just what is it that you want?"
Lu Yin waved his hand again, and another mountain came crashing down. Jiang Xiaodao wailed as he coughed up even more blood.
"I know that you don't want to lose, as that would be embarrassing."
Jiang Xiaodao gritted his teeth. "Obviously."
Lu Yin sighed. "But you need to give me some reason to let you win. Otherwise, why should I?"
Jiang Xiaodao's eyes flickered. "You'll let me win?"
"Give me a reason."
Jiang Xiaodao's breathing quickened. He cared far more about his reputation than the outcome of this fight. As the son of Sage Jiang, he could not afford to be defeated by this person. Despite the fact that he had been taken by surprise, a loss was still a loss. Jiang Xiaodao’s defeat would be regarded as a disgrace to both him and Sage Jiang. "The calligraphy scroll is yours."
"Not enough, it'll already be mine when I win," Lu Yin replied.
Jiang Xiaodao clenched his teeth. "I'll give you more resources. Vast amounts of resources."
"The Voidforce Universe will provide me with that."
Jiang Xiaodao mentioned a few more things, but everything was rejected. "Then what do you want?"
Lu Yin stepped forward, only stopping when he was but a few meters away from Jiang Xiaodao. Such distance meant nothing for Jiang Xiaodao, and if not for the mountains pressing down on him, he could seize victory in a single move.
"I'm also struggling with this. What should I ask for? Why don’t you give me some advice?" Lu Yin countered.
Jiang Xiaodao opened his mouth to say something, but instead coughed up another mouthful of blood due to the pressure of the mountains. "How am I supposed to know what you want?"
Lu Yin said, "Well, I want to join the Central School, so I'll need to learn the power of four different universes. I might as well get a headstart and start now, so help me learn how to cultivate the power of the Cyclic Universe. That way, I can reach the threshold for their school as quickly as possible."
Jiang Xiaodao was surprised. "Is that it?"
"Is there something else?" Lu Yin's gaze flickered. "Is this too easy?"
Jiang Xiaodao quickly corrected himself, "No, what I meant was, that’s it!"
Everyone outside was staring at the location in the sky where the Hidden Mountain card had vanished, waiting for the battle to be decided. Before too long, the Hidden Mountain card reappeared, and two people emerged from the void. One person fell back, clearly in a sorry state, their complexion pale. As for the other, they soared through the air like a powerful expert.
Lu Yin was the one retreating, while Jiang Xiaodao stood in the sky with his head held high.
It was easy to tell who was the victor and who was the loser.
Jiang Xiaodao forcefully suppressed the need to cough up more blood, and suppressing his injuries caused his face to turn an unnatural shade of red. "Xuan Qi, you're not bad. You were able to hold out for so long against my Heavenly River. You'll achieve great things in the future."
Lu Yin returned the praise, "You are indeed Sage Jiang's son, the future Sage Jiang. That Heavenly River battle technique is truly profound. I admit defeat."
"Hahaha, there’s no need to be so modest. With your abilities, you’re able to surpass Shao Qingfeng and the others. While you’re clearly a bit inferior to me, work hard, and your future will be limitless."
"Thank you for the praise, Brother Jiang. Your open-mindedness clearly shows that you deserve to be a quasi-saint."
"Don't mention it. Hahaha, you’re the real genius."
"Please continue to guide me, Brother Jiang."
…
People felt utterly confused as they listened to the two men praise each other. What was going on? Had they not just been locked in a death match? Why were they suddenly being so friendly to each other?
Even Little Lian felt terribly confused. "Big Brother Xiaodao, you two…?"
Jiang Xiaodao waved the question off. "As we fought, we started to understand each other better. There’s no need to mention those little misunderstandings from before anymore. By the way, I've managed to obtain some sudden inspiration. Brother Xuan Qi, I'll come find you later."
"I'll be waiting for you, Brother Jiang."
Jiang Xiaodao turned around. His face turned a deep red as the blood rising in his throat threatened to come out. He fled.
After Jiang Xiaodao was gone, Lu Yin commented in a voice that betrayed a hint of admiration, "He truly is the rightful heir of a Sage with a remarkable demeanor. I admire him greatly."
He then turned to smile at Little Lian and Zhi Xiao. "I apologize for taking up so much of everyone's time."
Zhi Xiao was left puzzled. Based on what he knew of Jiang Xiaodao, the man would never step back so quickly. Exactly what had happened inside that card?