Chapter 133 - He Always Knew He’s Divine

In the audience, Xiao Dong who had sensed the arrival of his king as soon as Qiu ling stepped through the array wanted to argue but one look from his king let him fall silent. Why did he feel like he was being insulted with this look? It seemed to say 'You stay away with that golden hair and blue eyes of yours or do you want to condemn me? Even an idiot should be able to think this far ahead!' Xiao Dong's head drooped. Right, he had completely forgotten that he himself would easily be mistaken for a demon due to his outward appearance. He was of no use to his king in this case.

Qiu Ling didn't think of it any longer and turned around to the stage. "What did you just say?" He seemed calm but there was an indisputable layer of ice in his voice.

"Silence!", the Elder chastised, his red sleeves flourishing when his hand grabbed his sword. "This is no place for a demon to speak his mind!"

Qiu Ling cracked his knuckles. He actually dared to call me a demon again! Let's teach this guy —

He stopped midway and peaked into the audience. From where he stood he couldn't see him but he felt that his beloved was looking in his direction. Ah! Is he worried about me? Mn, whatever it is, I can't act out now. I wouldn't want Jing He to see that. He'll remember when he wakes up. I have to solve this in the best possible style.

Qiu Ling dropped his hands that were already on their way to grabbing his own sword and put on a gorgeous smile. "Mn, esteemed guest, I'm afraid I'm not too familiar with the sects here. Could it be that it is your sect's habit to accuse people of being demons without evidence?"

The red-clothed Elder was livid. "I told you to keep silent!", he roared. Then he turned toward Yuchi Bing Xia. "Sect master Yuchi, is this the Yun Zou sect's way of doing things? You couldn't produce a talent in all those years so now you've sunken to this point and actually taken in a demon?"

Yuchi Bing Xia slightly frowned. He looked at the burned sphere and then at Qiu Ling. It was obvious that it had been this young man's blood that evoked this reaction. Normally, that should only happen if the sphere came into contact with non-human blood.

Grandmaster Zhangsun stood up and left the stage, going over to Qiu Ling. He looked at his disciple's face and took his wrist. If his disciple really was partly demon, that would have explained the problem he had had with his energy when he took him in. He wasn't too worried, though. That boy didn't seem demonic to him. He might not be entirely human but that didn't have to mean he was a demon either. Zhangsun Xun Yi had seen enough of the world to know that there were some other possibilities.

He closed his eyes and concentrated on the energy in his disciples' body. Soon, his expression changed. His eyes flew open and he looked at the boy in front of him with surprise. "You actually …" He stopped, unable to continue for a moment.

The red-clothed Elder smiled triumphantly and pointed at Qiu Ling again. "See that? Even your own Grandmaster had acknowledged that he's a demon! I say we slay him on the spot!"

Some of the other Elders from first-tier sects nodded or even murmured their assent. All of them wanted this danger to their spot on the ranking gone. The white-clothed Elders from the Yun Zou sect all had expressions as dark as the bottom of a pot. It couldn't be that the talent their Grandmaster took in really was a demon, could it? Their Grandmaster wasn't one to make such a mistake!

"Grandmaster Zhangsun, what is it?", asked Yuchi Bing Xia.

"Ah, it seems I overlooked something when taking him in."

The red-clothed Elder wanted to gloat again but Zhangsun Xun Yi's next words shut him up.

"This disciple of mine actually has a unique constitution."

"Unique constitution?!" The Elders erupted once again. That was … What heaven-defying luck did the Yun Zou sect have to take in someone with a unique constitution?

They were in for a surprise, though: The Grandmaster wasn't even finished. "Actually, that's an understatement. He has the divine constitution that we call 'dragon body'. It's quite normal for the sphere to react like this. I fear we'll have to rely on something else to draw the lots." He somehow managed to return to the original issue without caring for the aftermath of his words.

Qiu Ling also couldn't understand what all the hubbub was about. He had some divine body, so what? Wasn't that obvious just from looking at him? This face, this figure, how could one explain it with anything but the word 'divine'? These puny mortals just hadn't seen enough of the world!

That wasn't what the Elders were shocked about, though. A divine constitution was rarer than rare! As rare as phoenix feathers and qilin horns! It could only be chanced upon but never found when one searched for it. In fact, in all the history the sects present at the gathering could remember there had only been two confirmed cases of someone having a dragon body and one rumor about a heavenly genius that also possessed one, though nobody had been able to verify that. Come to think of it, that rumored genius was said to also be part of the Yun Zou sect …

The Elders had a lot of questions but Yuchi Bing Xia didn't deign to indulge them further. He looked at the Elder in charge of overseeing the fights. "Since the problem has been solved, I believe we should continue with the gathering."

The Elder nodded hurriedly and took out another sphere. He just put in into the cauldron without doing anything else. Well, there was only one disciple with an empty sphere anyway.

Qiu Ling wouldn't let this go so easily, though. He frowned and looked at the stunned Elder in red that couldn't believe what his accusation had entailed. He had tried to pull that talent and the Yun Zou sect down but had instead managed to elevate them further. That young man wasn't just the disciple of Grandmaster Zhangsun, he was even a talent with a divine constitution! The other sects were already hurrying to send another message to their sects.

"You there. You just accused me of being a demon in front of so many people, after all. Now that it's proven that I'm not … Don't you feel like an apology is needed?"

The Elder gritted his teeth. He had just unwittingly helped them and now that boy even wanted him to apologize? How much face would he lose if he really did that?!

Qiu Ling just smiled. "Ah, could it be you don't trust in my master's impartiality? Maybe you want to come down and check for yourself whether I'm a demon or not?" He even went so far as to extend his arm, pull up his sleeve show his wrist all the while smiling brightly.

The disciples around him shuddered and noted him down as someone that shouldn't be crossed. This man was obviously vindictive! Slight him once and he will pay you back a hundredfold!

The red-clothed Elder forced a smile, too. "Well, it seems I really misunderstood."

Qiu Ling's smile turned even brighter but he didn't say anything. Don't think I'm dumb! You clearly just said that you misunderstood. You didn't acknowledge that I'm not a demon and you also didn't apologize!

The Elder's smile stiffened. Shouldn't someone from the younger generation magnanimously let him off when he had already admitted his fault? Unfortunately for him, Qiu Ling wasn't that type of person. This man had tried to shame him in front of his beloved! He couldn't show off in front of Jing He in good conscience as long as he hadn't made sure he had taken enough of a revenge.

Thankfully for him, the Elders who had echoed that red-clothed Elder before were now turning against him. It was to be expected. This was a prime opportunity to take down a competitor and ingratiate oneself with a future powerhouse.

"He's right, Elder Gongxi! You should really apologize! Accusing him of being a demon, which righteous practitioner could take such an insult?"

"Indeed, indeed. If it was me, I would have long challenged you to a duel over this. I'd rather lay down my life and be honored in death than to be seen as a demon while alive."

Qiu Ling perked up. Oh? That sounded good! "This Elder is right! How can I take this just like that? I think such a duel would be a good idea!" He gripped his sword and looked at the red-clothed Elder Gongxi, his eyes clearly holding a provocation.

Elder Gongxi gulped. How had he gotten into this situation? Being asked to duel by someone from the younger generation … Had he any face left at all?