Chapter 496: Chapter 496: Marilyn Challenged Zen

The sixth-grade pill Zen offered slowly but surely began its task of relieving the pain the man was going through. Since he was not dead, there was a high chance that he could get significantly better after consuming the elixir. The pill started to mend his vessels and heal from the inside.

However, it was concerning that the meridians in Owen's body were almost completely damaged. Even if he was capable of a full recovery from his major injuries, it would be difficult for him to regain his former strength and prowess quickly. He was looking at maybe several years down the road before coming back to his strongest form. If worse came to worst, he might never be able to reach his former level for the rest of his existence.

With the elixir numbing his pain, his excited smile seemed more like a grimace when he tried to lift his head to look at Zen. As he paid no attention to the current condition of his body, the fire of hope in his heart that had been extinguished upon being thoroughly beaten had ignited once again.

Anyone who were in his shoes would have been thrilled despite everything. His plan to take down Marilyn failed miserably, which meant that he would never get his girlfriend back unless Eddie released her. However, it was impossible for Eddie to let his beloved go.

Discovering that someone else had also planned to destroy Marilyn lightened his mood. Although he had still felt hopeless and despair, a beacon of light shone through in the form of Zen.

As Zen leaned over him and quietly inspected his weary state, he met the eyes of Owen and tried his best to give him a reassuring nod. “You should take your time and rest,” the man stated before walking back to the platform. He quietly muttered, “Leave it to me.”

When Marilyn saw the exchange, a faint sneer graced her features. The woman scoffed under her breath and then turned away, fixing her gaze on the ongoing battle.

Right in the center of the battle ring stood two men engaged in an intense fight. One of the fighters was Brent of the Ethereal Spirit Sect and his opponent was Joel who hailed from the Mysterious Luna Hall.

Comparing the rank of both men, Joel appeared to be marginally stronger, as he had reached the medium level of the Internal Elixir Realm while Brent was only at the ultimate level of the Illuminating Soul Realm. Astonishingly, the latter had the upper hand ever since the fight started despite the difference in rank. Cultivation levels almost always determined the outcome of a match but it seemed that this particular fight was an exception to the norm.

At a young age, the fifteen-year-old genius surprisingly held his position well against his opponent as he fully displayed his immense strength and ingenious strategies in combat.

Even though Joel of the Mysterious Luna Hall had showcased his best secret skills, the younger man was unfazed by the attacks and easily countered them. Grunting, Joel was left desperate of any special secret moves that could overpower the other. It seemed as if all his offensive attacks were not effective against him as he fended them off quite easily. Furthermore, Brent did not feel the need to use his Space Law which he specialized in, due to the fact that his opponent was too weak.

In the eyes of the spectators, it was without a doubt that Brent won the fight. Fortunately for him, it appeared as though luck was on his side when he had gotten a challenge card after.

Grinning victoriously, he examined the piece of board on his hand. “Challenge card, huh..” the boy murmured, turning over the object on his palm and tracing the roughness of its engravings. As Brent stared at the board in his hands, he noticed the anticipation of the people around him and his gaze fell on the platform. With a resolute mind, he nodded to himself as he intended to use the challenge token right away.

Murmurs such as “Who does he want to challenge now?” rose from the crowd as they wondered who he would choose to face off next in the battle ring.

“The nerve of this boy, just getting a challenge card and immediately using it. How cocky..”

“He's got some spirit! As expected, the genius of the Ethereal Spirit Sect is amazing!” Despite the unconvinced voices from the antagonistic folks, there were some who showed intrigue and support at the rising power of the cultivator.

Scanning his eyes through the cultivators on the opposite side from where he stood, he picked up on the aloofness of a man who seemed strong yet indifferent to the budding atmosphere that surrounded the grounds. Smirking at his decision and thus pointing at his next conquest, Brent confidently declared, “For the next match, I want to challenge you, Zen!”

Slightly surprised, Zen furrowed his eyebrows as he heard his name being called. Numerous heads turned towards his direction, as they were expectant of his answer.

From the speculations made a while back, Brent was also a divine-level talent just like Eden. Just having faced off Eden in his previous match and witnessing the fight between Brent and Joel, he had an inkling on the capabilities the fifteen-year-old boy could display. Humming to himself, he also noticed that although Brent was just at the ultimate level of the Illuminating Soul Realm, he exuded more strength and showed more potential than Eden regarding battle force. ŘÀ𝐍ố𐌱Еꞩ

Although it would have been a competitive and interesting battle, Zen planned to save his strength. Reserving his power was important when all he could think about was Marilyn's complete and utter defeat. As he made up his mind, he shook his head blandly and yelled out, “I refuse!” Reaching into his pocket, Zen took out and raised an exemption card.

Upon seeing the exemption card in Zen's hand, the young boy pouted with a disgruntled expression. Even the crowd of spectators dissented in hush tones, inaudibly disappointed with what could have been an epic match between the two males.

Since Zen's first fight in the battle ring, his prowess caught the attention of many, most especially Brent's. Upon witnessing Zen's successful maneuvers that defeated cultivators from the Internal Elixir Realm, Brent vowed to himself that he wanted to challenge him. The young boy's former plan was to battle Zen right after he finished Eden.

However, he was unfortunately unable to carry out his plan since the two cultivators who he had wanted to fight ultimately ended up fighting with each other. Before he had a chance to choose Eden as his opponent, Zen had already defeated the other in the blink of an eye. With a total defeat, Eden's warrior spirit was even destroyed. Thus, Brent changed his plan and made Zen become his first target.

Disappointed, he crossed his arms against his chest and slouched. “It looks like you don't have the guts to fight with me,” the young boy gloomily stated. Nonetheless, he raised his eyebrow in challenge and urged the other man into action by provoking him. “Are you that scared to lose?”

Shaking his head indifferently, Zen gave an unimpressed look to the other boy. The cultivator did not intend to respond to such childish provocation from someone younger than him. If fate allowed him, he would battle this boy and take him down a peg right after he was done defeating Marilyn.

With pursed lips, Brent stomped back to the platform wherein the people from his sect were mumbling angrily among themselves. Uncrossing his arms, he gripped his challenge card tightly and he despondently thought, 'I just wanted to show everyone a good fight..'

One of them sighed, dissatisfied. “I actually looked forward to watching Zen and Brent fight!”

“One is a fifteen-year-old at the ultimate level of the Illuminating Soul Realm,” the crowd whispered conspicuously. “The other one is a seventeen-year-old at the fourth grade of Illuminating Soul Realm,” more of them muttered privately. Judging by the disgruntled expressions of the people who had come to watch the fights, it was not just Brent who had been let down. The two warriors were amazingly powerful and no one could deny it.

“Maybe Zen did have his reservations, fighting with Brent? So far into the battles, I don't think he would be that kind of a coward, though.”

Most cultivators present at the arena expressed their disappointment at the refusal of Zen to accept Brent's challenge. Just when they altogether predicted that the two would be in a match eventually, they regained some of their sense of anticipation back.

The officiator of the battles, Xiao, drew lots and lo and behold, Zen's name appeared on the board once again.

“Zen Luo of Cloud Hall is now hereby called to fight Davis Meng of Black Mountain Sect!” Xiao announced.

A grin adorned the face of Davis Meng, for he was satisfied with the person he was about to battle. Just before he jumped off the platform, Zen's melodic voice resounded. “Wait!”

Without taking a step forward, Zen raised his voice again in order to be heard. “I refuse!” Reaching into his pocket once again, Zen waved his second exemption card to the baffled gasps of many.

“Why did he refuse again?” some of the cultivators murmured, scratching their nape in bewilderment.

“Is it his plan to turn down all challenges he deems unworthy?” Glancing towards the uncaring man, Zen idly took out the cards in his pocket, showcasing the several exemption cards in his hands. “Refusing to fight seems to be his only method since it looks like he has many exemption cards,” one of them pondered.

“Davis Meng of Black Mountain Sect is a cultivator at the primary level of Internal Elixir. He is not a formidable opponent and definitely much weaker than Eden or Brent.” Leaning his head to one side with a puzzled look on his face, a cultivator tried to guess Zen's intentions.

What happened next made all the spectators of the battles more perplexed and surprised. On the span of thirteen fights afterwards, Zen's name had popped up twice. However, he had kept on waving his exemption cards even though a sure victory was in his hands due to the opponents being weak independent warriors.

During the flummoxing period, Marilyn herself had participated in two matches and undoubtedly defeated her opponents. After her victories, she had chosen both an exemption card and a challenge card.

Weighing her options, Marilyn decided not to use her challenge card just yet. She returned to her platform with a plan in her mind.

Noting that Zen had no exemption cards left, Marilyn subtly smiled before raising her hand in the air, the challenge card waving with the wind. As the grounds became significantly quiet at the silent challenge, Marilyn spoke in a gentle and melodious voice. “I choose to challenge Zen Luo. Now you can't refuse to fight, eh?” the woman remarked. The intention to confront was clear in her eyes.

As the words left Marilyn's mouth, Zen smiled back at her faintly. Unbeknownst to the cultivators and to Marilyn, he had purposefully and deliberately used up all of his exemption cards for this moment. In order to be chosen by her, he needed to refuse challenges until it was her turn to use her challenge card without anyone unworthy meddling.

“Of course,” the man shrugged his shoulders and started to walk towards the ring. “In fact,” he continued while calmly advancing. “I was not planning to refuse your challenge in the first place.” As Zen approached, the tension became palpable in the air as the anticipation of the cultivators grew higher at the upcoming promise of a good fight.

As he left the platform to face the confident woman, a wary voice suddenly spoke behind him, making him halt his movements.

“Zen, wait.. Be careful, something tells me winning would not be so easy this time.”

Letitia said.

As he turned to face her directly, Zen found a thin layer of icy mist covering her features which made it difficult for him to comprehend her seriousness. However veiled and hidden she was, the worry in her usually airy voice could not be mistaken by Zen. It would do him good to listen to Letitia; she usually knew what was best. Nodding softly, Zen carefully spoke an assent. “Yes, I will.”

After watching Zen walk out of the platform and into the battling ground, Letitia furrowed her eyebrows and bit her lip before speaking to herself inaudibly. “Zen, do you really have any idea of what you are about to face?” With an uneasy expression, Letitia clasped her hands in front of her and sighed.

As soon as he stepped onto the field, it seemed like the atmosphere had changed as the howling wind and the darkening of clouds accompanied the foreboding battle. With the previous matches still warming his muscles and joints, Zen felt his heart begin to beat faster as he poised himself in best condition for the fight.

Time was in a perfect standstill as he remembered how long he had waited before this moment to fight Marilyn had come. As he exhaled, his senses and vision sharpened as he could even hear every whisper and connect with his spirit deeper. Perhaps, it was because this battle was significant to Owen and Zen. 'Maybe Marilyn has also attached importance to our fight, ' the man thought, conscious of the woman's intentions. 'After all, I have ultimately crashed Eden's resolve to pursue martial arts. Eddie must have instructed her to end my life after this.'

Just as Marilyn was about to jump down from her platform, Eddie frowned and leant into her space to squeeze in a last word. “Marilyn, do not show him any mercy.”

At the stern reminder from Eddie, Marilyn turned around and winked while showing him a sweet smile. “Are you doubting my strength? You do not have to worry. I will definitely avenge Eden. After all he has done to him.” The woman shook her head and schooled her expression into that of murderous intent, ridding herself of her earlier gentle persona. “That mongrel needs to die.”

In reality, Eddie could actually find a way to help his son regain his warrior spirit, albeit doing so would be a difficult task. On the process of trying to help him become interested in martial arts again, Eden might become a completely different person with a separate personality. The worst part was the existence of the possibility that he might even lose a part of his memories.

This was because of the fact that the tumultuous process of regaining the warrior spirit in a cultivator involved a soul source or a glimpse of a memory. Even the experts located in the four divine kingdoms did not have an abundant knowledge about the process, not to mention those situated in the Central Region.

Keeping his mouth shut, Eddie merely stared at the retreating figure of Marilyn as she determinedly walked into the battle ring.

Feeling his skin prickle and a sudden jolt on his spine, Eddie looked around wildly. The man sensed a strange presence that enabled him to feel targeted. As the strongest cultivator in the Central Region, it was nonsense that he could elicit such thoughts. There was no one who could stand a chance against him, and definitely no one strong enough to regard him as a prey. Shaking his head slightly, he focused once more to the battle ring.

The woman was in a new light yellow coat in replacement for her tattered one, ripped from her previous match. Staring at Zen with a fascinated look on her face, she ought to clarify something before they started fighting. “Hmm, you know, I really don't get you.”

“What do you mean?”

Zen countered with a frown.

“Did you purposefully use all of your exemption cards to wait for me to challenge you?”

A teasing smile was etched on her face.

Acknowledging the intelligent observation of the woman, Zen noted that her quick wit made her admirable at some point. The man chuckled with mirth before speaking. “I cannot get a challenge card in order to challenge you myself.” With half-lidded eyes and a careful twitch of his mouth, he continued. “I had to wait for you to challenge me instead.”

“Are you not afraid of dying? Or do you have the same purpose here as that weakling.. Owen? Now that I think about it, you have the same surname as that beguiling little lady called Yan,” the woman teased him, seeing how far she could push his buttons before he snapped. “It's not a coincidence, is it? You must be related.”

Eddie had not thoroughly explored Yan's family background. After all, she used to live in the Eastern Region, far away from the Central Region. He had never paid a visit to the Cloud Sect to find out Yan's family members.

More importantly, Eddie did not fathom that anyone could pose a threat to his position back then. His power and reign reached far and wide, therefore he did not give much importance to the lineage of Yan. Furthermore, the only thing that ever mattered to him was that Yan possessed a Purple Power Body.

In hindsight, this was the ultimate reason as to why Zen was familiar to him but he could not remember such a face or persona. After all, Zen was just an unremarkable existence to him back then, someone who did not stand out or attempted to rise among the ranks-a wallflower.