Strongest Cultivation Swordsmanship System-Chapter 38: He appears.

Zhang Hao clenched his fists when he heard the voice and turned sharply toward the elder Yan’s room. Was this bastard finally going to get involved? Was he coveting that Legacy Technique?

But there was no way he could do anything, right? He doesn’t have Zhang blood, nor is he young. Why, then, does he keep meddling where no one called him?

Although Zhang Hao felt like insulting him, he swallowed his words.

"Elder Yan, what’s going on?" he asked, gritting his teeth and forcing out words of respect.

"I’m just saying, Mr. Hao. Don’t you intend to enforce the final rule?" he asked curiously.

Zhang Hao frowned. "What do you mean, Elder Yan? Thanks to you, I was able to remember that rule, and it has already been enforced; I don’t think I need to do anything else."

"In fact, you have to do it." Elder Yan smiled. "You must have little Lucheng climb into the arena, announce that he will face the deceased, and wait 15 minutes, as required by the rules. The ceremony comes after Lucheng wins all the fights, not before." He reminded him.

Zhang Hao gritted his teeth to keep from uttering an insult, his fingers digging into his hand.

’This bastard just wants to mock us.’ He was furious.

"I believe those are the rules dictated by the Emperor, right, Count Lu? I don’t think I’m wrong." Suddenly, the Drunken Elder brought the Count into the equation. 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

Even the Count was surprised that he had been brought into it.

Still, he now had to give an answer.

’Did that rule exist?’ He thought carefully and looked at Shen Tao behind him.

"Indeed, it does," Shen Tao whispered.

Then the count smiled. "What Elder Yan says is true. Our Great Emperor personally dictated these rules, so they must be followed to the letter," he assured.

Although internally he wondered, what the hell does Elder Yan gain by doing this? Was he planning something, or was he just wanting to cause trouble?

But since the rule already had the Count’s approval, Zhang Hao had nothing more to say, other than to order that exactly what Elder Yan had said be done.

The arena was cleared once again...

Lucheng stepped into the arena with all the arrogance he could muster. He had already won. Who could stop him in front of so many people?

He was just following the rules.

"And the final match of the night... Following the rules created by our Great Emperor... Zhang Lucheng, winner of all his battles, against Zhang Hutian’s heir apparent, Zhang Xiaotian!" The referee roared at the top of his voice.

"The combatants have 15 minutes to report to the arena! Anyone who fails to do so will be disqualified and their opponent will be declared the winner!"

Zhang Lucheng smiled coldly. Just a procedural rule, nothing worth paying attention to.

’Zhang Xiaotian...’ Lucheng sneered. ’I killed and destroyed you myself. Today, I will take your place, and before the Sect, I will rise above everyone else to take what belonged to you. You have only yourself to blame for your incompetence.’

’Admire the greatness I will achieve from beyond the grave.’

After waiting for ten minutes, Zhang Hao stepped forward to look at the Count’s hall and Elder Yan’s hall.

"You already know what happened to my beloved grandson Xiaotian. He was the last remnant of my son Hutian, so his loss has hit me very hard," he said, his face darkening. An aura of melancholy enveloped his words.

"Now we understand that he won’t be coming, and we just want to get back what his father left him so that it doesn’t end up in someone else’s hands," he said. "I think we’ve waited long enough, don’t you?"

Count Lu shrugged. Honestly, he didn’t care. Everyone already knew he was dead. Why waste their time?

Zhang Hao smiled slightly when he saw the count acting this way, then looked at Elder Yan.

"As far as I know, 15 minutes is 900 seconds, not 600," Elder Yan replied plainly.

’Bastard, you just want to waste our time.’ Zhang Hao took a deep breath. ’Calm down... it’s only 300 more seconds... just 300.’

When he returned to his waiting position, something suddenly changed.

A person jumped from the stands and fell into the coliseum, still outside the combat arena. The guards reacted too late, not even having time to move.

"Old Hao, it seems you can’t even count seconds now. Are you so eager to deprive me of my inheritance?"

That voice resounded throughout the audience like thunder, though most did not recognize who it belonged to from the voice alone. But he was openly opposing this, wasn’t he?

It was a bombshell.

Even Zhang Hao frowned and stood up, staring at him. "Who are you, and why do you dare to set foot on sacred ground without being summoned?" He roared and drew his sword.

"Identify yourself!" the guards shouted.

For his part, the only one who recognized him was Zhang Lucheng.

"Sir, it’s you," he said, astonished. "What are you doing here?"

Xiaotian shrugged. What a horrible family he had. They had lived together for almost two decades and were unable to recognize him by his voice.

As he walked toward the combat arena without answering any questions, Zhang Hao became furious and jumped with all his might, landing in the middle of the arena and pointing his sword.

"Guards, arrest this intruder who wants to interrupt a sacred moment!" he roared.

The guards, who should have already done so, quickly ran over and surrounded Xiaotian, carefully, because they had no idea how strong he was.

Even so, just then, several people jumped from the VIP rooms and landed in the arena.

Zhang Hao’s raised sword was knocked to the ground by a sword that struck him before he could defend himself. He didn’t even see it coming, and the man had already sheathed his sword and stood in front of the "intruder" to defend him.

"Elder Yan, you!" Hao became furious, but he saw that next to Elder Yan were also Leader Mu and his daughter.

What the hell was going on?

"Zhang Hao, you want to break the rules? You want to openly oppose the Emperor?! What a feat, Zhang Hao!" Elder Yan roared, clearly angry.

"Huh? Are you going senile, Old Fool Yan?" Zhang Hao roared back, not caring that he was insulting a man much stronger than himself, and continued speaking. "I’m expelling an invader in the most important tournament my family has competed in for decades!"

Elder Yan sneered. "An invader? With all due respect, I must say you’re trash."

A grandfather who didn’t recognize his grandson’s voice couldn’t be called a grandfather.

He would love to be able to recognize it... to hear it once more...

Somehow, that made him furious, but there was nothing he could do.

.

In the Count’s VIP room, the Count noticed something strange and slowly stood up.

"Hey, Shen Tao," he whispered. "That little..."

Shen Tao frowned and whispered back. "I saw him twice before, my lord. At the Mu House and then again a few hours ago, being taught by Elder Yan."

"That damn old man..." The count clenched his fists in anger.

"My lord... Could it be...?"

"It’s him." The Count tried to take a deep breath to calm himself. "It’s Zhang Xiaotian." That aura, as steady as Hutian’s, was unmistakable.

Although his voice was barely audible, many people seemed to hear it as they began to understand what was happening.

In the combat arena, Xiaotian smiled under his mask and stopped wasting time. He brought a hand to his face and threw all the masks he was wearing to the ground.

Suddenly, an unfamiliar face transformed into a familiar one.

"Old Hao, it’s been a long time, hasn’t it?" Xiaotian smiled coldly. "I still haven’t forgotten the things from the past... but I’ll collect on them in due time. For now, get out of my arena, it’s my turn to fight."