What?!

Elder Wenshen's eyes grew wide in terror.

He had his eyes fixed on Lu Tianzi since the beginning, and was absolutely certain that the other party did not make a second move.

So where the hell did this second attack come from?!

But in any case, there was no longer enough time for him to gather sufficient momentum to block this attack.

He had no choice but to dodge!

Slash-!

A trace of blood stained the ground as the powerful sword light grazed Elder Wenshen's arm, cutting apart his sleeves and inflicting a small wound.

Elder Wenshen fell into a daze as his gaze fell upon the wound on his arm.

Even though he had failed to completely evade it, all that managed to connect was only the peripheral energy of the attack.

What resulted from that was an inconsequentially shallow wound, yet it felt like it was hurting so much more than it should. Perhaps, this pain was originating more from his heart than from his arm.

A deafening silence fell upon the crowd.

Just like Elder Wenshen, most people present did not truly understand what just happened.

However, it was obvious to all that not only had Elder Wenshen failed to gain the advantage in the earlier exchange, he had even been injured by his opponent. And to top it all of, his opponent was just an Intermediate Essence Condensation realm martial artist!

There was simply no excuse for this!

Yanming completely froze.

Even though that brat was surprisingly at same cultivation level as himself, he was facing an Elder of their Quake Scroll Sect!

Even so, Elder Wenshen actually lost..?

"This should be enough, shouldn't it?" Lu Tianzi's voice broke the silence in the tent. "With this, we will be claiming the right to purchase the young Black Maned Shadow Lion!"

His words quickly snapped everyone back to reality.

"Wait a minute!" Yanming shouted out indignantly. "There's something wrong with this situation! How is it possible for you to beat Elder Wenshen? You must have cheated somehow! Did someone help you from the shadows?"

Hearing that, a clear light immediately returned to Elder Wenshen's eyes.

Yanming's right! How could he have neglected to think of such a simple explanation for the current situation?

If one of the other party's seniors had taken action in secret, then everything would make perfect sense!

After all, there were plenty of martial artists who were adept at performing attacks that were almost undetectable.

It was not exactly a shameful matter for a First Cycle Origin Core martial artist like him to have failed to sense their trail!

"How shameless can you get?" Nanqing Haowen yelled in disbelief. "He won fair and square, so just admit that you lost! No, even if you don't admit it, the result is laid bare for all to see. You have no choice but to accept it!"

"I have been wondering how the earlier attack can be so strong, but Yanming's words truly make sense. How despicable!" Elder Wenshen harrumphed before turning to the Wild Melody Circus member. "Since they have chosen to cheat, we will be calling off the agreement! Let us complete the deal for the Black Maned Shadow Lion!"

"What?! As an Elder figure, how can you be this shameless?" Nanqing Haowen shouted.

Lu Tianzi frowned as well, his gaze falling upon the Wild Melody Circus member to see how he would react.

And Lu Tianzi was just one of many.

The people in the crowd all formed their own impressions of the current situation before turning their attention towards the Wild Melody Circus member.

"Please state the price of this Black Maned Shadow Lion so that we can hurry and be done with this!" the sense of urgency was obvious in Elder Wenshen's tone.

Even though he honestly believed that the other party had cheated, it was still quite embarrassing for him to have fallen for it completely.

If possible, he would definitely want to get out of here as soon as possible!

"This.." the Wild Melody Circus member hesitated for a moment, not too sure about how to handle this situation.

It was clear that no matter whose side he chose to take here, he would end up offending the other.

One had to know that even though he might be acting in the capacity of a representative of the Wild Melody Circus right now, he was really just a low ranking member!

If he handled this poorly, the resulting consequences might not be something that he could afford to bear!

Turning to the other members in the tent, he realised that all of them promptly avoided his gaze, unwilling to lend him a hand in this tricky situation.

Damn it!

But no matter what, with all the eyes on him right now, he had no choice but to make a decision here.

If he chose one side, there would only be a fifty percent chance of being punished.

But if he failed to make a decision here, it was certain that he would be blamed for disgracing the Wild Melody Circus with his indecision!

Seeing that the Wild Melody Circus member was hesitating, Elder Wenshen furrowed his brows in displeasure. "What's the problem now?"

"Well, it is not proven that the other party cheated earlier." The Wild Melody Circus member spoke after thinking it through. "Unless you, or anyone else, are able to prove that the other party cheated, the agreement still stands!"

"What did you just say?" Elder Wenshen narrowed his eyes at him, rage rapidly welling up within him.

"Hahaha! How satisfying!" Nanqing Haowen broke out into a hearty laughter. "Why do you look so surprised? He said exactly what he should have said! If you are so indignant about it, why don't you do as he says and prove that we cheated?"

"The fact that your companion is still at the Essence Condensation realm is proof in itself!" Yanming retorted.

"Let's not waste time arguing," Lu Tianzi spoke confidently. "If you are so doubtful about it, all we have to do is try it again! You can see for yourself if we cheated or not!"

"Damn brat, don't get ahead of yourself. You might just end up getting hurt!" Elder Wenshen spoke in a cold tone, his words laced with malice.

By now, the scholarly aura that he had been exuding since earlier had completely vanished, replaced with a feeling of malevolence.

"Why don't we find out exactly who will end up getting hurt?" Lu Tianzi refused to back down this time.

There was simply no reason for him to do so.

After all, this concerned Nanqing Haowen's contract beast, and more importantly, they were on the side of reason.

Even if the other party ever decided to resort to force, Lu Tianzi was not afraid.

With that earlier exchange, he had already determined that he was able to contend with the Origin Core realm Elder Wenshen. There was simply no way that the other side could do them any serious harm before either the Wild Melody Circus or their Nine Suns Sect got involved.

Of course, he would still prefer to avoid coming to blows if possible, since it might just end up offending the Wild Melody Circus.

Tension levels between the two parties rapidly rose to reach an unprecedented high.

Even so, both sides did not make their move, seemingly contented with simply staring down each other.

It seemed that just like Lu Tianzi, Elder Wenshen had his reservations about making the first move as well.

Despite their curiosity, the crowd wisely retreated a dozen steps just in case the fight really broke out at any moment!

No one noticed when it started, but before anyone knew it, a flowery aroma had already spread through the tent, drawing the attention of everyone present.

It gave off a calming feeling that soothed the mind, easing the tension within. At the same time, it was not hypnotic in nature, and did not exude the same sense of danger that accompanied most poison or drugs.

Hmm?

Lu Tianzi hurriedly held his breath, unwilling to take in this foreign scent.

Even with his extensive knowledge on herbalism, he had no idea just what was the origin of this scent. Just to be safe, he had no choice but to treat it as poison for now!

However, he saw that contrary to the frown on his face, the Wild Melody Circus member had broken into a wide smile.

"Elder Rei!" the Wild Melody Circus called out towards the entrance of the tent, the sense of relief apparent in his voice.

His actions drew everyone's attention towards the entrance, where an elderly looking man was slowly strolling in with a faint smile on his face.

This Elder Rei looked to be in his late sixties, and was dressed in a long black robe with golden seams. His white beard stretched down to his chest, and his long hair was tied up in a neat ponytail, preventing the vibrant vitality in his eyes from being obscured.

Every step his took was firm and without any sense of urgency, yet in just a few moments, he had already arrived before the cage of the young Black Maned Shadow Lion.

Viewing him as a saviour of sorts, the Wild Melody Circus member hurried up to him, wanting to explain the situation. "Elder Rei, this-"

Before he could say much, Elder Rei raised a hand, gesturing for him to stop.

Next, Elder Rei turned and clasped his fist towards Elder Wenshen. "Greetings. You must be Elder Wenshen of the Quake Scroll Sect. If the junior from my Wild Melody Circus has offended you in any way, I hereby apologise in his stead. Hopefully Elder Wenshen does not take it to heart."

"Greetings," Elder Wenshen returned the greeting. "Don't worry, Elder Rei. The young cannot be faulted for making mistakes, and I will not pay it much mind. That aside, it is my honour to witness Elder Rei's famous Hundred Scents Style for myself. The soothing scent of yours truly gives off a sense of tranquillity that cannot be obtained elsewhere! How impressive!"

Elder Wenshen might not be able to recognise Elder Rei's looks since they had never met before, but he had certainly heard of the latter's name.

When the Wild Melody Circus member greeted Elder Rei, Elder Wenshen was able to instantly match the name to one of the strongest Elders in the Wild Melody Circus, a martial artist at the Seventh Origin Cycle!

In front of such a figure, Elder Wenshen was truly insignificant in comparison!

Since such a famous figure was acting in a respectful manner towards him, coupled with the slight soothing effect of the mysterious scent from before, how could Elder Wenshen still act up in anger?

"That's a relief," Elder Rei nodded in satisfaction before turning to face Lu Tianzi, clasping his fist towards him as well. "Greetings, Sir Nanlu. You might not have heard of me, so let me introduce myself. I am one of the three Grand Elders of the Wild Melody Circus, and most people call me Elder Rei. It brings me great pleasure to finally be able to meet you in person, and I hereby welcome you in the name of our Wild Melody Circus!"

"Greetings, Elder Rei," Lu Tianzi clasped his fist in response. "Thank you for the kind words."

Elder Rei's tone was as friendly as when he spoke to Elder Wenshen, but the words used were clearly far more polite this time. This caused Lu Tianzi to gain quite a favourable impression of him.

Listening by the side, Elder Wenshen was taken aback initially. But then it struck him like a thunderbolt, jolting him wide awake.

"Hold on!" Elder Wenshen hurriedly interjected, his eyes full of disbelief as he pointed towards Lu Tianzi. "By Sir Nanlu, does Elder Rei mean he is the one from the recent Scarlet Moon Heroes Meet..?"

Elder Wenshen was not the only one who was surprised. Most of those in the crowd had come to the same conclusion by now.

Spectacular strength, Intermediate Essence Condensation realm, Bluenight City, coupled with the name Sir Nanlu.

All of that could only point to one person!

Hearing Elder Wenshen's question and seeing the panicked look on his face, Elder Rei could not help but shake his head in disapproval. "You have been speaking to him for so long, and yet you had no idea who you are dealing with?"

At the same time, there were some soft chuckles that came from the crowd. Apparently, some of them had known from the start. However, they had chosen to keep their silence and enjoy the show.

By now, Elder Wenshen felt like his body had turned completely stiff.

If his conjecture from earlier was only quite likely, after Elder Wenshen's words, the chance of it being correct had just skyrocketed!

He nervously swallowed a mouthful of saliva before turning towards Lu Tianzi. "This.. this young sir, may I know what is your name exactly?"

Lu Tianzi frowned in response.

He naturally knew the reason for the other party's sudden change in attitude.

But now that things had already reached such a state, Lu Tianzi wanted to see with his own eyes just how low this Elder Wenshen would go!

There was no hesitation in his voice as Lu Tianzi announced his name, loud enough to resound throughout the entire tent.

"I am Nanlu Tianzi of the Nine Suns Sect!"