Chapter 4174 — Shangguan Tianxia Watches the Duel

Rumors of every stripe filled the air, each more vivid and convincing than the last, and they only made this already closely watched clash of titans draw even more eyes, until it had swelled into the packed, seething spectacle it was today.

But whichever version people believed, public opinion remained lopsided: against Su Zhaohe, a mere Wei Zhao stood no chance at all.

Accompanied by his long-suffering senior brothers, Wei Zhao slowly mounted the North Island arena, casting a calm glance around the crowd, and when his eyes found the figure at the central viewing stand, his gaze abruptly froze.

Wei Zhao had never imagined that a petty challenge of his could draw a top-tier figure like Shangguan Tianxia to watch in person!

And he was not alone—everyone present wore a look of shock at Shangguan Tianxia's arrival, assuming one and all that this top-tier giant had come for Su Zhaohe, to use this duel as a chance to see whether Su Zhaohe truly had the makings of a prized disciple.

That was what the vast majority believed, and Su Zhaohe, one of the two principals in this duel, was more convinced of it than anyone—and beside himself with delight!

A personage on Shangguan Tianxia's level could hardly have come specially to watch a nobody newcomer like Wei Zhao; the only reasonable explanation was that he was indeed watching Su Zhaohe, wanting to see whether he could catch his eye—and this was a golden opportunity of a lifetime!

Over these past days, the rumor that Su Zhaohe was about to take Shangguan Tianxia as his master had grown ever more feverish, until everyone took it for truth. Yet the one with the least certainty in his heart was, in fact, Su Zhaohe himself.

The reason was simple: Shangguan Tianxia had never explicitly said he would take him as a disciple. He had merely, at some elders' council, let slip a word or two of praise in passing—that the boy was worth cultivating—and from that the rumor had spread and spread until all the world knew it. Since Shangguan Tianxia himself had never denied it, the tale grew ever more vivid with each retelling.

Su Zhaohe had been somewhat uneasy, but now, seeing Shangguan Tianxia attend "expressly" for his sake, a great stone dropped from his heart and he was utterly at ease. He thought only this: if today he trod Wei Zhao firmly into the ground and laid bare the strength he had been hiding, the matter of taking a master would be settled beyond doubt!

Little did he know that Shangguan Tianxia had shown his face entirely thanks to Shangguan Lan'er—there had simply been no refusing her; the old man's beard had nearly been pulled out by his own granddaughter!

The reason she had dragged him here by force came down to a single thought: to have him stand by for Wei Zhao. Not to stop the duel outright, but at the very least, should Wei Zhao face mortal danger, a man of Shangguan Tianxia's power could always intervene with ease, so that Wei Zhao would not lose his life on the spot.

Yet when Wei Zhao caught sight of those standing beside Shangguan Tianxia and Shangguan Lan'er, he was startled again. There, plain as day, was Huang Xiaotao!

Since she had gone back last time, Huang Xiaotao had not removed her veil, and word of her restored face had not spread; everything remained as before. That did not much surprise Wei Zhao—what truly astonished him was this: since when had Huang Xiaotao gotten together with Shangguan Lan'er?

From the way Shangguan Lan'er laughed and chatted with her, the two seemed close. Could they have been friends long ago? Why had he never heard Shangguan Lan'er mention it?

On second thought, though, Huang Xiaotao had originally been a disciple of the Soaring Heavens Pavilion, and its women disciples were few and far between; it seemed perfectly normal that Shangguan Lan'er should know her and become her friend.

What he did not know was that although Huang Xiaotao had begun as a Soaring Heavens Pavilion disciple, her time there had been brief, and the vast gulf in their stations meant the two would never have had even a chance to meet—so how could they ever have become friends?

Under ordinary circumstances, only those of matching rank shared a common tongue; those who could be Shangguan Lan'er's confidantes were princess-class figures like Ning Xuefei, and a disciple of common roots like Huang Xiaotao plainly did not meet the requirements.

Her true acquaintance with Shangguan Lan'er had in fact begun only in the last few days, and the thing they had in common—or rather, the source of their growing closeness—was none other than Wei Zhao himself.

"Sister Xiaotao, is what you told me before really true? Is our little junior brother really able to hold his own even against a Golden Core expert?" Shangguan Lan'er asked once more, anxiety in her voice, as she watched Wei Zhao step onto the arena.

This young thing truly does care for Wei Zhao, Huang Xiaotao thought with an inward sigh, and it was for that very reason that, several days ago, she had seen Shangguan Lan'er fretting and worrying herself sick over it, and knowing she was Wei Zhao's girlfriend, had gone up to comfort her and told her of the matter.

At first, Huang Xiaotao had never dreamed that this lofty eldest young miss of the Shangguan house could be so innocent and unassuming, entirely without airs, and in no time the two had become friends—so much so that today Shangguan Lan'er had even dragged her here to cheer Wei Zhao on.

Of course, even without Shangguan Lan'er, Huang Xiaotao would surely have come herself; she simply would not have stood in so central a spot.

Still, Huang Xiaotao was glad to have become good friends with Shangguan Lan'er—not because of the girl's noble station, for she was not the sort to covet vanity, but because Shangguan Lan'er was Wei Zhao's girlfriend. If she got on good terms with her first, then at least there would be one less obstacle later on when she and Wei Zhao were together.

"Mmhm, of course it's all true. That day, though we fled early, we could still feel the aura of the fighting behind us—our opponent was absolutely a Golden Core expert, and Wei Zhao has come through unscathed, which proves at the very least that he can hold his own against an early-stage Golden Core expert. So don't worry, Lan'er," Huang Xiaotao said with utter certainty.

Those words comforted Shangguan Lan'er, but they comforted herself as well; after all, the matter was only her own conjecture—she dared not be a hundred percent sure.

Earlier, when that Golden Core expert had tipped off Su Zhaohe, he had not mentioned his own strength at all—he was a wandering cultivator, after all, and no one would pay him any mind.

The reason he kept silent was simple: the whole affair was too humiliating. A mid-stage Golden Core expert, badly wounded by a whelp at the peak of late-stage Foundation Establishment—if word of that got out, he would be laughed out of every hall in the land. (To be continued..) R752