It was another beautiful day in the Cang Wu Mountain.
The annual ten day ten fail rain had just finished. For almost two weeks, a disastrous downpour had battered the peaks and flooded the valleys, keeping all living beings indoors.
But every cultivator knew that after the calamitous rain, the wild spirits of the mountain would come out from their hiding spots to bathe in the fresh worldly energy. It was finally time to take advantage of this rare phenomenon and capture the precious resources needed for the clans.
However, catching wild spirits was secondary. The most important matter weighing on the minds of the mountain inhabitants was singular: who would visit the Jade Spring at the top of the Cang Wu Mountain first?
There were five ruling clans in the Cang Wu Mountain.
The Lin, Yan, Mo, Bai, and Feng clans. All these factions were mid size clans of the southern border. They were all led by formidable Rank 4 Peak stage to Mid stage Spirit Masters, making them local overlords in their own right.
The way they decided the order of the Jade Spring visit was none other than the grand clan battles, officially called the Battle of the Jade Spring.
It was a tournament between the young generations of the clans where anything but killing was allowed.
The most promising five youngsters of each clan would participate. Based on the final rankings, the winning clans would decide their priority order to visit the highly coveted spirit spring.
Since these clans considered themselves part of the righteous path, they had to strictly follow this established order.
If any single clan tried to take hold of the Jade Spring all by themselves, they would have to face the relentless and combined attacks of the other four clans. That would cause massive damage and possible extermination.
This was not an empty threat. It was a bloody lesson from history.
Cang Wu Mountain originally had six ruling clans. But decades ago, one of the clans decided to go against the rules. They attempted to steal the Jade Spring without participating in the tournament.
This greedy act caused a huge war where the other five clans joined forces and completely eliminated the rule breaking clan from the face of the southern border.
Just like that, the bloody history paved the way for peace, bringing them to the present day. It was the day of the tournament.
The tournament was being held at the base of the mountain in a vast plain area utterly devoid of trees.
A huge crowd had gathered, forming a sea of people. Many among them were mere mortals, but a large portion consisted of spirit masters of each clans and independent cultivators, who were mostly from wandering caravans.
It was not strange to see such a massive gathering.
During this tournament, the whole area took on a vibrant, festive nature. Excitement bubbled in the air.
Mortals and low level Rank 1 spirit masters had opened up bustling food vendors, selling roasted meat and sweet buns.
There were several activities scattered around the perimeter, including snake dancing, monkey dancing, and solemn events honoring the bodhisattvas for good fortune.
Countless gambling dens had popped up, with people shouting their bets on the upcoming matches.
In the middle of all this chaos was a big empty space. The earth had been flattened completely. This was the tournament ground. Surrounding it were huge walls, incredibly tall and thick, made entirely out of compacted earth.
It was clearly the masterful work of powerful earth path spirit masters.
Even taller than the arena walls was a massive pillar that held a grand balcony structure. This was the VIP viewing deck. From there, people could see many dignified figures sitting in comfortable chairs.
Normally, the commencement of the tournament meant the immediate attention of the mortals and spirit masters would be fixed on this pillar. That was where the prestigious clan leaders and the most powerful elders watched the battles.
But today, the attention of the crowd was completely drawn to something entirely different.
All eyes were glued to five mysterious spirit masters standing down below, right next to the seating area of the Feng Clan.
These five figures wore strange hanfu, keeping their heads slightly lowered. Their auras were completely concealed, making their figures look profoundly mysterious.
By simply counting the factions present, anyone could tell this group belonged to neither the Lin, Yan, Mo, Bai, nor Feng clans.
This was a sixth clan.
Most people in the crowd had no idea who these strangers were, but whispers and rumors were already spreading like wildfire through the audience.
"Hey, look over there! Are those the people from the Wang Clan that the rumors are talking about?" a merchant whispered, pointing a greasy finger.
A spirit master crossed his arms, his eyes narrowing. "Look at them. They look rather strange."
"I cannot wait to see what spirits they have. Do you think they will be the new sixth clan of Cang Wu Mountain? If they are, the power balance of the southern border is going to shift drastically!"
While the common people questioned and gossiped, their eyes occasionally traveled up to the grand balcony. Up there, sitting right next to the Feng Clan leader Feng Ya, was a newcomer.
Feng Ya was a renowned Rank 4 middle stage spirit master, yet he was treating this new figure with utmost carefulness.
This mysterious person was the leader of this new Wang Clan, exuding the terrifying aura of a Rank 4 peak stage spirit master! However, the faces of these clan leaders were not clear to the masses, since they were sitting so incredibly high up.
A loud gong echoed through the plains, silencing the murmurs.
The commencement of the tournament started with a vibrant lion dance. Performers leaped on wooden poles, displaying incredible acrobatics, followed by a beautiful traditional dance by the women of the Mo clan.
Soon after, the battles began. Several duels took place between the youngsters of the established clans. Some fights ended in brilliant displays of fire and water path spirits, while others ended up in exhausted ties.
Of course, this tournament was also a display of foundation and power between the clans, so no participant took it lightly. Every youngster fought tooth and nail to bring glory to their family name.
As the tournament progressed and the sun climbed higher, the announcer stepped onto the stage. He took a deep breath and his voice boomed across the plain using a sound path spirit.
"The fourth match! A battle between the prestigious Bai Clan and the newly rising Wang Clan!"
The crowd instantly erupted into cheers and curious murmurs. This was what they had been waiting for.
Two figures leaped over the high earthen walls and landed on the tournament stage.
On one side stood Bai Jun, a handsome and arrogant youngster from the Bai Clan. He wore pristine white robes and carried himself with an air of absolute superiority.
On the other side stood a young man from the Wang Clan. He dropped his mysterious cloak, revealing tight fitting martial arts clothes. He stood tall, though his posture was slightly bizarre, his chest puffed out to a comical degree.
The two spirit masters bowed out of formality.
Bai Jun sneered, looking down at his opponent. "Let this senior give you some lessons, youngster, about what it means to be a proper clan! Do not think that just because your elders managed to secure a spot in this tournament, you are worthy of standing on the same stage as me! I will show you the true foundation of the Bai Clan!"
He spoke with an incredibly haughty tone, fully expecting the Wang Clan spirit master to cower or talk back in anger.
But the Wang Clan spirit master did not answer him at all. Instead, he completely ignored Bai Jun. The young man turned his body, standing proudly as he looked up toward the towering balcony where his clan leader sat.
A wide, bright smile spread across the young man’s face. He thumped his chest and muttered with absolute, burning devotion, "We are righteous! We are the wild boners! We are the honorable Wang Clan!"
Bai Jun blinked, completely baffled by the weird motto. "What nonsense are you spouting? Are you crazy?"
Ding!
The bell rang, signaling the start of the match.
Bai Jun immediately took a swift step back, distancing himself. He observed his opponent closely. From the stance, he felt this spirit master was likely a close range fighter.
This was genuinely their first time fighting anyone from the Wang Clan, so the Bai Clan had absolutely no idea what kind of spirits they used.
However, from the aura leaking out of the young man, Bai Jun could clearly tell this person was only at the Rank 2 middle stage.
Bai Jun smirked. He himself was at the Rank 3 initial stage. A whole major realm of difference! He did not fear this opponent at all. He concluded this would not be a hard fight.
Suddenly, the Wang Clan spirit master let out a loud shout and came sprinting toward him.
The way he ran was utterly ridiculous. He did a weird pose, placing both of his hands casually behind the back of his head, thrusting his pelvis forward as he ran. And yet, his speed was terrifying.
He had a massive, unhinged smile on his face.
*Yeeehow *Yeehow
Wang spirit master kept shouting.
"Foolish!" Bai Jun shouted. He activated his spirit essence. A blue lightning spirit crackled into existence, creating a dense ball of crackling lightning on his right hand. He aimed and prepared to throw it directly at the approaching madman.
But before Bai Jun could even launch his attack, he suddenly saw a blur. Something thick and flesh colored shot out from the Wang Clan youngster’s lower body and hit Bai Jun squarely in the face!
Smack!
The sheer force of the impact caused Bai Jun to stumble backward, his nose bleeding and his eyes watering. "What in the heavens was that?" he thought, completely disoriented.
Recovering his balance, Bai Jun angrily threw his blue lightning ball.
The Wang Clan spirit master simply laughed. He suddenly jumped into the air, soaring incredibly high. He evaded the lightning ball completely.
Bai Jun looked up in shock. The Wang Clan youngster was vaulting into the sky using some kind of a thick, elongated pole that had seemingly extended straight out of his body.
Wait.
Bai Jun squinted his eyes. The shape of that pole looked oddly familiar to him. It had a strange, rounded tip.
Before Bai Jun could process what he was looking at, the Wang Clan youngster descended from the sky. As he landed, the exact same pole whipped through the air with terrifying flexibility and speed.
Smack!
It hit Bai Jun right on the cheek again!
The physical force was absurd for a Rank 2 spirit master. Bai Jun was thrown back even further, rolling across the dirt. He tried to get up and summon another lightning spirit, but the Wang Clan youngster was already upon him.
The barrage did not stop.
Thwack! Smack! Whack!
The Wang Clan youngster kept his hands casually behind his head, smiling brightly as he hopped around the arena. He was using that bizarre, extending pole from his crotch area to sweep, strike, and vault over Bai Jun’s desperate lightning attacks.
Bai Jun was getting completely pummeled by an opponent he could not even touch.
The entire crowd outside the earthen walls fell dead silent. Everyone was gasping, their eyes wide as saucers. The merchants dropped their roasted meats. The gamblers forgot to cheer.
Suddenly, one of the wandering spirit masters in the crowd slowly turned his head. He looked at the cultivator standing right next to his right side. He pointed a trembling finger at the arena and asked in a hushed, horrified whisper,
"Brother... is that his penis he is using as a pole to jump and attack?"