EVIL SAMURAI IN CULTIVATION WORLD - Chapter 164

“Russell Davies is definitely a strong opponent. He’s intelligent, powerful, thinks quickly and is highly unpredictable. He’s a scary opponent to face. No junior will be a match for him…” Javier took a deep breath, his eyes still fixed on the arena as he continued, “… Unless that junior is Claude Rayforth.”

Tap! Tap! Tap!

The sound of footsteps could be heard, and all of a sudden, everyone turned quiet. All eyes were on the arena, and from the dust clouds emerged a figure. He held a katana high up in the air, and walked victoriously, as the audience got a clear view of the victor. This time there were no last minute twists. No turnarounds. Just Claude Rayforth, standing in the middle of the arena.

A few minutes passed by without any noise when all of a sudden, a chorus of excited shrieks and cheers sounded throughout the arena, as the crowd had erupted into a celebratory mood.

Everything seemed like a dream to the disciples. Senior Russell Davies, who had finally defeated his longtime rival Senior Javier Banderas, had lost to Claude Rayforth, a junior who was in the sixth rank of the sky realm!

No one could have predicted that. Sure, some people were hoping for the underdog to win, but no one actually believed that would really happen. And yet it somehow did.

Most people were now anticipating that Claude Rayforth would be the driving force that would lead the Golden Avarice academy to the Golden Crown Tournament trophy.

“There must be a mistake. M-Maybe Senior Russell Davies isn’t out yet. Maybe he’s just hiding. Come on, Senior Russell, get up! Stop playing around!”

In the midst of the cheerful people were a bunch of cultivators staring at the arena and Claude with a half dazed, half sober expression on their faces. They were the people who had placed bets on Senior Russell Davies to win the final round. Now that the victor was finally decided, and it was revealed to be Claude who had won the match, they felt their hearts sink. They were so confident about their bets before, and yet they had lost.

For most people, this match was a dream. But to these people, this was a nightmare.

“I’m doomed! I can’t believe I lost everything! Why on earth did I place the bet on Russell Davies? I should’ve just gone for Claude Rayforth. After all, he was the dark horse. I always go for dark horses, and yet this time, when it actually mattered, I chickened out and went for the other one! Damn it all!”

“Oh dear, oh dear oh dear…. What am I going to do? I can’t believe I actually placed all my life savings on this bet! What on earth was I thinking? I just lost everything! What am I going to do now?”

“F*ck, f*ck, f*ck! Why the f*ck does this keep happening to me? Am I really that unlucky? Everytime I place a bet, I lose! I can’t believe this! This is bull*shit!”

People were fuming, angry about losing their money.

“Ha ha ha! I can’t believe it! I’ve hit the jackpot! I’ve won! Go Claude Rayforth! You’re the best! I love you! You’ve made me rich!” One of the few men who had placed his bet on Claude Rayforth winning laughed loudly as he spoke to the young man sitting beside him, slapping his shoulders and grabbing his neck as he celebrated his lucky bet. He had just placed the bet for fun, and had never expected that Claude Rayforth would actually become the winner of the contest.

But nevertheless, his choice did end up winning him a huge sum of money. His only regret was that he didn’t place enough money on Claude. But of course, that was going through almost everyone’s head right now.

Claude stood on top of the arena with a triumphant smile on his face. He truly was satisfied with the match. Although he would’ve preferred taking on both Senior Russell Davies and Senior Javier Banderas, this also worked out well for him. He was happy and satisfied.

‘And I assume you are as well, Headmaster..’ Claude thought to himself as he tilted his head to look at where the Headmaster was, and nodded his head slightly.

“Ha ha ha ha… That kid!” The Headmaster saw Claude’s little nod and let out a short chuckle before nodding back at him. He had a wide smile on his face as he watched the young man wave his hands triumphantly at the audience in front of him. “He’ll definitely be a great addition to our academy.”

“Only if he stays loyal, Headmaster..” One of the Elders who were standing next to the Headmaster whispered under his breath, and the wide smile on the Headmaster’s face vanished in an instant, replaced by a serious expression. “Of course he’s going to be loyal to the academy. We’re going to make sure that he has every reason to be loyal to us.”

“Didn’t his previous master attempt to do the same?” The Elder who spoke previously continued. “And look where that ended up.”

“The Second Elder was betrayed by Claude, yes.” The Headmaster nodded his head. “But it was because his safety was being threatened. By the time Claude had climbed onto the Flying Sword Faction, it was already a sinking ship. There was no hope of ever winning against the combined forces of the Royal Family and their supporters. So he chose the side which would ensure his survival.”

The Headmaster leaned back in his chair and grabbed a glass of wine from the table as he continued speaking, “We are not in such a desperate situation. At least not yet. And as long as we provide Claude Rayforth with whatever things he requires and keep him happy, then he’ll continue contributing to the academy.”

“But wouldn’t simply keeping him in check using force be the easier and better option?” Another Elder chimed in, and raised his question to the Headmaster. “Isn’t ensuring the satisfaction of Claude Rayforth a bit too risky of a plan?”

The Headmaster shook his head and focused on the arena, where he could see Elder Kenneth walking up to Claude. “Claude Rayforth isn’t your average rebellious disciple who needs a bit of discipline and harsh punishment to learn his lesson.” He paused, took a sip of the wine, and continued. “He’s a ferocious beast that cannot be contained. He proved that by betraying his previous master in order to survive. Claude Rayforth is a genius who has the talent and the ability to climb to great heights, and straining our relationship with him is the last thing that we should do. After all, positive emotions trump negative emotions every single time.”

In the arena, Elder Kenneth walked up to the centre of the field and stomped his foot down, completely clearing the dust and debris that filled the air, revealing an unconscious Russell Davies lying on the ground, and he let out a long sigh.

He knew that this could most likely be the outcome of the match, ever since the Headmaster had placed his trust on Claude. But nevertheless, to see it happen in front of his eyes was something else.

‘This young man,’ He turned to look at Claude Rayforth, who was waving his hands at the excited crowd. ‘He might be the real cultivation monster.’

He then signalled at the servants who were waiting for his orders, before walking up to Claude. He nodded at the young man, who nodded back at him, and then raised his hand high up in the air as he declared, “Russell Davies has been knocked out! Claude Rayforth is the winner of the sparring contest!”

The crowd erupted into even more cheers as the words left Elder Kenneth’s mouth.

“Claude Rayforth…” Standing on the spectators stand, Senior Javier Banderas whispered under his breath, and Senior Wilfred Beldon turned to look at him.

“I would like to fight him one day.” Senior Banderas explained, and Senior Beldon nodded his head.

“Well, you better do it fast,” Senior Beldon said as he stared at Claude. “He certainly had a knack for grabbing the attention of strong opponents.”

Claude, who saw Senior Beldon standing next to Javier Banderas, nodded at him, and Senior Beldon simply smiled in response.

‘Well, he also has a knack for bringing good luck to you,’ Senior Beldon thought about the money that he and Claude had won from betting.

But of course, he wasn’t going to tell that to Banderas.

———————-

The Inner Disciple Division.

Two men were seen searching inside Senior Beldon’s residence. They were rummaging through every single spot, every crevice they could find, and yet for some reason, they weren’t making a single noise while doing so.

“Damn it, damn it, damn it…” A small and thin man whispered under his breath, frustration evident in his voice. This man was, of course, Gaston, who was inside Claude’s temporary room to search for the White Dragon’s teeth. “Where on earth did that son of a b*tch hide the White Dragon’s teeth?!”

And unfortunately for them, things weren’t exactly going according to plan!