In the very center of the two tense groups of youths, two bare-handed teenagers were currently engaged in a fierce exchange of fists and kicks. One of them, slightly plump but with an exceptionally stable and solid stance, moved with powerful and vigorous punches and kicks, each move carrying the force of a whistling wind. He was none other than "Glutton" Billy, the friend Elara Stonefield had recognized earlier in the crowd, with whom she had some acquaintance. This fellow Billy, despite his plump build, was by no means weak. With his occasional shouts, every punch he threw inevitably carried a sharp, whistling force, appearing imposing and formidable for a time. His opponent, a relatively shorter youth, was exceptionally agile and nimble, like a vigilant spirit mouse in the forest. He seemed to have no intention of directly meeting Billy's powerful, heavy fists, merely relying on his flexible movement skills to rapidly dodge and weave around the field. From his appearance, it seemed he intended to first exhaust Billy's considerable stamina and then look for an opportunity, an opening, to stage a dramatic counterattack.
Seeing her former friend engaged in a contest of skill on the field, Elara's heart naturally leaned towards her friend's side.
She stood in the tree, watching with interest for a short while. Seeing Billy still maintaining his swift and fierce offensive on the field, showing no signs of faltering, Elara, though she herself knew no profound martial arts or magic, could tell that Billy would absolutely not be easily defeated anytime soon. Thus, she somewhat eased her initially anxious heart.
She temporarily shifted her gaze from the center of the field and began to carefully scan the surrounding crowd, looking for someone who seemed relatively kind-faced and also appeared to understand the situation on the field, to ask what exactly was going on and why these people were clashing here.
Soon, she saw a protruding rock not far from the large tree where she was hiding. Beside the rock stood a youth with a focused expression. While watching the contest in the field intently, he kept moving his hands, mimicking the actions of the two combatants, gesturing here and there. He was also constantly muttering something: "Hit his head! Yes, kick his ribs! Aiya! Just a little bit off! Beautiful! That's it, yes, yes, kick his butt hard! Put more effort into it..."
This youth, while intently watching the fight, was also constantly voicing his "lofty opinions." Listening to his anxious yet somewhat know-it-all tone, it seemed he was firmly on Billy's side.
Elara found this youth rather interesting, so she silently and slowly climbed down from the large tree where she was hiding, and then unhurriedly walked over to the youth's side.
"Excuse me... Senior Apprentice," Elara tried her best to put on an honest, harmless expression and asked, "Do you know everyone who is competing in the field? Why are they fighting here?"
"Is that even a question? Within this Stonefist Outpost, is there anyone I, Sammy 'The Calculator,' don't know? These people, of course, they're for... Huh! Wait! Who are you? Why do I feel like I've never seen you before? Are you a newly enrolled apprentice? No, that's not right, it's still at least half a year until the next recruitment of new apprentices! Where on earth did you pop out from, little girl?" This youth, who called himself "The Calculator," had initially started to answer Elara's question somewhat absentmindedly and without thinking, but halfway through his sentence, he suddenly realized that he seemed to have never seen the girl asking him questions before. He immediately became alert and clear-headed, his small eyes glinting shrewdly.
"I am Elara Stonefield," Elara replied, still with a perfectly serious demeanor, unhurriedly, "a good friend of the incredibly brave 'Glutton' Billy who is fighting on the field."
"'Glutton' Billy's good friend? Hmph, I know all his cronies, but I've never heard of anyone like you!" This youth named Sammy remained highly vigilant and didn't easily believe Elara's words.
"Oh, it's like this. For some special reasons these past few years, I've been in secluded cultivation in a remote place and haven't shown my face outside for a long time. So, it's quite normal that you don't know me," Elara said, half-truthfully, half-deceptively, without a change in expression, casually making up an excuse.
"Is that so? So, you were also one of the apprentices who entered the Outpost four years ago? I never expected that on this Stonefist Outpost mountain, there would actually be someone I, the self-proclaimed 'Know-It-All' Calculator, don't know!" This youth named Sammy sized Elara up and down a few times, then glanced at her attire, which, though somewhat old, was indeed the standard uniform of an inner apprentice of the Outpost. He seemed to have grudgingly believed Elara's words.
This Sammy, who called himself "The Calculator," after chatting idly with Elara for a few more sentences, couldn't hold back his gossipy heart, which loved to spread news. He himself couldn't resist and proactively began to tell Elara in detail the true reason and origin of the fierce contest before them.
"Alas, Junior Sister Elara, you don't know! This trouble, in the end, was caused by a woman. This matter, it's a long story, it has to start from..." This "Calculator" Sammy truly lived up to his self-proclaimed title of "Know-It-All." He was indeed eloquent and well-informed. In just a few words, he told Elara the entire story, in full detail, from beginning to end.
It turned out that the cause of this incident primarily stemmed from two people. One was a youth named William, who was the cousin of "Glutton" Billy on the field. The other was a richly dressed youth named Charles Blackwood, the precious son of a money-lender boss in a large nearby town. Both of these individuals were originally apprentices of Stonefist Outpost, but William was just an ordinary outer apprentice, while Charles Blackwood was a respected inner apprentice from the core area.
These two youths of disparate status, although they both lived in the same small town near the Outpost, would normally have been completely unrelated, with no possibility of any interaction. All this entanglement and conflict was caused solely by another innocent girl.
That girl lived in an ordinary family at the other end ofthe small town. She had been childhood sweethearts with "Glutton" Billy's cousin William, and their families had long since arranged their engagement. However, some time ago, when the girl was out at the market, she unfortunately caught the eye of Young Master Charles, who happened to be passing through on a visit home from the Outpost. The result was predictable. Under the fierce monetary offensive of the wealthy Young Master Charles, the girl and her parents soon completely succumbed. Thus, the girl was forcibly betrothed by her parents to this Young Master Charles, and the meager engagement gifts previously given by William's family were naturally returned untouched.
The woman's side's behavior of spurning the poor for the rich, changing affections, and breaking off the engagement, as well as the devastating news of his fiancée being snatched away, dealt an incomparably heavy blow to the pitiful William. And William had long been deeply in love with that girl, infatuated with her. After learning this news, he moped around all day as if he had lost his soul, gloomy and suicidal. In the end, unable to get over it, he actually chose to jump into the river and end his young life.
Originally, the matter should have ended here, at most a tragic love story that makes one sigh with regret.
However, "Glutton" Billy had been closest to this cousin William since childhood, like brothers. After hearing the full story, he naturally refused to let the matter rest. So, he angrily sought out Charles Blackwood and challenged him by name to a fair duel. Both sides agreed that the loser must respectfully serve tea, bow, and kowtow in apology to the other, as a sign of submission.
Although Charles Blackwood was usually arrogant and conceited, he knew clearly in his heart that in terms of individual martial skill, he was probably slightly inferior to "Glutton" Billy. So, he devised a plan and proposed to Billy that both sides be allowed to invite friends to assist, that they would have multiple matches, and the final winner would be determined by the overall outcome. And "Glutton" Billy, in the heat of the moment, agreed without a second thought.
Subsequently, Charles Blackwood, relying on his family's wealth, began to lavishly spend silver coins, contacting and inviting skilled fighters from among the wealthy disciples he knew who also cultivated in the Outpost's core area to come and help him out in the fight. As for "Glutton" Billy's side, although he himself had no money, his popularity among the ordinary apprentices and lower-to-middle-ranking members of the Outpost was quite widespread and good. He had also made many friends of humble origin but similar righteous spirit. Thus, many apprentices with equally impressive martial skills also voluntarily stood up to help him.
As a result, many Outpost apprentices who heard the news and came to watch the excitement, as well as those who came to cheer for their respective sides, gathered in increasing numbers. Eventually, this led to the current explosive standoff, with clearly defined sides, distinct barriers, and an atmosphere filled with hostility and a palpable sense of impending conflict.
From the slightly agitated tone of this youth named Sammy, Elara could also hear that the contradiction and conflict between the wealthy elite apprentices and the ordinary apprentices from lower-to-middle-class commoner families within Stonefist Outpost seemed to have become even more acute and intensified than before. Otherwise, how could a private contest arising merely from personal grievances attract so many people to come and watch and cheer?
"Junior Sister Elara, you must be on Big Brother Billy's side too, right? Let me tell you, if those self-righteous young masters dare to disobey the rules of the contest later, or try to bully people with their power, then we'll all rush up together and give them a sound thrashing, beat those pampered young masters until they're scared out of their wits and crying for their parents! Let them never dare to casually bully us common folk again!" This youth named Sammy, ever since he had started talking, his mouth had hardly stopped for a moment, chattering on endlessly.
Hearing this, Elara just gave a wry smile inwardly. What did the conflict and contradiction between these two groups have to do with her directly? Moreover, it was difficult to simply judge who was right and who was wrong in the cause and course of this matter. Furthermore, after these years of almost secluded, incredibly tedious breathing exercises and qi cultivation, the youthful hot-bloodedness and impulsiveness she once had had long since been worn down, making her more calm and pragmatic. To put it bluntly, in these past few years, apart from that inscrutable nameless incantation, she had never cultivated any real fist and kick techniques or weapon skills. With her current meager strength, she probably couldn't defeat any ordinary fellow apprentice who had undergone formal training. It seemed she should just obediently watch this martial contest today and then quietly return to that secluded Quietstream Valley, lest she stir up any unnecessary trouble here.
"Alright! Wonderful!" Suddenly, the youth named Sammy standing beside Elara showed an expression of ecstasy on his face and shouted excitedly.
Hearing this sound, Elara quickly turned her gaze back to the field. It turned out that in the brief moment she had been talking with Sammy, the shorter opponent fighting "Glutton" Billy on the field had finally succumbed due to lack of stamina and failed to last until the end. In a moment when he couldn't dodge in time, he failed to avoid Billy's massive fist, as large as a sandbag, and was hit squarely on the forehead. He immediately saw stars, staggered backward, and fell to the ground, directly losing consciousness.
In an instant, a large portion of the watching crowd erupted in deafening cheers of "Good!" while the supporters of the shorter youth all turned ashen-faced, their expressions becoming extremely unsightly.
"Glutton" Billy, now looking extremely smug, triumphantly waved his fist at the supportive crowd around him in thanks. Then, sticking out his enormous backside, he swaggered and swayed back to his own camp, no longer showing any trace of the fierceness and ferocity he had displayed during the contest.
And from Charles Blackwood's side, two people immediately came out and, with some effort, dragged the already unconscious apprentice back to their own camp.
Immediately after, both sides sent out a new contestant from their respective camps. This time, one held a gleaming steel saber, while the other gripped a sharp arming sword.
These two newly entered youths also seemed to be hot-tempered individuals. After they stood firm in the field, they didn't even bother with any unnecessary pleasantries before each swung their respective weapons, producing a series of fierce "clang, clang" sounds as they locked in a fierce struggle.