Roaring Dragon-Chapter 87: I’m Still Too Righteous…

Under the gaze of thousands, the vivid and lifelike sculpture of a giant male organ stood tall in the center of the platform, proudly pointing toward the dim blue sky!

Because the suspense had been dragged out too long before the reveal, the thirty-plus contestants on stage were caught completely off guard when this abomination was suddenly unveiled—over twenty of them practically exploded on the spot.

The rest of the audience broke into bashful scolding and tongue-clicking disbelief.

The two young Taoist priestesses who had come from the Astronomical Bureau froze as well. One of them flushed bright red, and the echo drum beneath her buttocks boomed like thunder; the other’s eyelashes twitched subtly, though she managed to suppress the rippling waves in her heart.

Even Wei Lu and Zhang Huaiyu, though not exactly “losing their composure,” still straightened their posture slightly, the jokes vanishing from their faces.

After all, if this was just the appetizer, someone was bound to suffer social death today...

Xie Jinhuan, however, was as steady as a weathered old dog. He even gave a light shrug, as if to say:

That’s it?

You ever seen a sixteen-foot peerless golden chariot?

You ever seen a white-haired giant spider bigger than a bed?

...

Of course, he also snuck a glance at the one next to him—Mo Mo.

Linghu Qingmo had indeed felt a ripple in her spiritual core. But having been frightened all year long ❀ Nоvеlігht ❀ (Don’t copy, read here) by that lunatic heiress of the Chongming River, and knowing full well that this group of dissolute noble brats had no shame whatsoever, she had mentally prepared herself. Though the echo drum under her still pulsed with waves, she forcibly stabilized her heart rate, holding it within threshold limits, and recited a calming mantra with a blank expression.

Thump. Thump. Thump...

The drumbeats gradually faded. As the crowd dispersed, the lively stage was left with just seven people—all with formidable mental fortitude.

Zhang Huaiyu swept a gaze across the platform and spoke:

“If that’s all you’ve got, I doubt Brother Wei and I will be able to determine a winner. Master Fan, if you’ve got something fiercer, let’s see it.”

Fan Guangyuan had set up the first two trials just to weed out the useless riffraff—no sense paying them bonuses. He waved for his assistants to take away the “national treasure” and said genially:

“Don’t worry. Since Young Master Wei demanded ‘complete disgrace,’ I fully intend to deliver. The first two rounds were mere hors d’oeuvres. Now that we’ve got space, all of you, please come up.”

The remaining contestants all stepped onto the round platform.

Xie Jinhuan rose with Linghu Qingmo, complimenting her along the way:

“Not bad—solid mental control. I thought you’d be storming off in a huff.”

Afraid that Xie Jinhuan would stir up more ripples in her mind, Linghu Qingmo sat cross-legged on the echo drum, immovable as a mountain!

Once the Golden Tower’s host confirmed everyone was ready, he clapped his hands. A few strongmen carried out another veiled platform covered in red cloth and placed it before them.

“Since you passed the second trial, Golden Tower now owes each of you a hundred taels of silver. So this next round won’t be easy. I won’t say what’s under the cloth—feel free to guess as wildly as you want!”

The seven remaining contestants all perked up.

Spectators around the arena began voicing chaotic speculation:

“The first round was already absurd. What hellish thing is coming next?”

“Yang counters Yin. I bet it’s going to be Ultimate Joy...”

“No way. At this rate, even I could win this thing...”

...

Gulp. Gulp...

Maybe the first round was just too outlandish, but this time many hearts were racing. Nervousness had crept in.

Xie Jinhuan quietly speculated what might be revealed. It couldn't possibly be something even more outrageous than before—more likely, it was some rare treasure.

Perhaps the Jiazi Lotus? He desperately needed that right now. If that appeared, he might lose control of his emotions. But by telling himself it was the Jiazi Lotus—something he wouldn’t win anyway—he could maintain calm.

As for anything else, it didn’t particularly interest him.

Linghu Qingmo was breathing deeply, focusing fully, waiting for Golden Tower’s next trick.

The host clearly knew how to build suspense. He waited until everyone was practically suffocating, eyes straining with anticipation—then suddenly ripped off the red cloth.

Whoosh—!

Everyone’s heads snapped toward the object revealed!

And the next instant—

Swish, swish, swish—!

The moment the red cloth came off, a honeycomb-shaped sphere inside fired a barrage of inch-long silver needles in all directions.

From afar, it looked like a storm of pear-blossom darts, all aimed at the seven contestants seated on their echo drums!

For those with solid cultivation foundations, a surprise like this could trigger Overload mode—accelerated heart rate, time dilation, enhanced mental clarity. These positive effects wouldn’t trigger the echo drums.

But those with shallow roots would panic and freeze.

Three of the seven leapt to their feet or threw up their arms to block, startled.

Wei Lu had already gripped the hilt of his waist saber; Zhang Huaiyu rolled up his sleeves.

Linghu Qingmo intended to draw her sword, but before she could move—

A violent gust erupted beside her!

From the corner of her eye, she saw Xie Jinhuan—his sword had somehow already left its scabbard—and he lashed out with a sudden draw-cut!

Clang—!

Three feet of cold steel surged forward, wrapped in fierce inner force. The blast of sword wind roared like a raging sea dragon, slicing past the host of Golden Tower by mere inches.

The volley of silver darts hadn’t flown more than a few feet before a sideways typhoon of terrifying sword aura hit them—sweeping every single one away in an instant!

Pfft-pfft-pfft!

Though the needles looked deadly, a bit of inner force was enough to shred them into white powder, dyeing the sword aura like mist—like a giant white serpent blasting through the space between Wei Lu and Zhang Huaiyu.

Boom—!

Neither of the two were afraid of hidden weapons. But for Xie Jinhuan to unleash Mad Dragon’s Tail Sweep head-on—if they didn’t dodge, they’d have been suicidal. Both flashed to the sides simultaneously.

Thud—!

The shredded mist blew out across the riverbank for dozens of feet before finally settling down, leaving stunned silence in its wake.

Those who had leapt away landed on the boats nearby, dazed.

Wei Lu and Zhang Huaiyu stared, eyes full of shock and disbelief.

Lin Wanyi and Qin Wen were initially startled, but then their eyes filled with little stars:

“Waa~ So handsome! Young Master Xie is so fast...”

“Right? ...Wait, no! This idiot! You were supposed to protect yourself, why block for everyone else? That’s a loss!”

“Huh? Oh no! He interfered with the others...”

...

The Golden Tower host had felt the sword wind skim past like a dump truck roaring by at full speed. He instinctively hunched his neck.

When he finally came to, only Xie Jinhuan and Linghu Qingmo remained seated. Everyone else had leapt up, eyes dazed.

“Uh... this...”

The crowd lining both riverbanks began to murmur noisily:

“What happened?”

“What’s going on...?”

“Why the hell are there hidden weapons?”

...

Xie Jinhuan’s reaction time had always been absurd. Even without a warning from his ghost-wife, when he suddenly saw the silver storm flying, his first instinct was to clear it out entirely. To avoid hurting anyone, he had even angled his strike between the two people across from him, so the force wouldn’t hit them.

But those two cowards still got scared off!

Now, seeing the white mist settling, Xie Jinhuan realized he’d violated the rules. Not only would he get no reward—he’d lose the five hundred taels and the bonus too. Aggrieved, he turned to the host and said:

“This kind of test has no moral bottom line. With no way to know if the danger is real, anyone capable of blocking it would block it. Is the Golden Tower’s idea of ‘fortitude’ really just ‘better you than me’? If that’s the case, I, Xie Jinhuan, accept my loss.”

The crowd, upon hearing this, began to voice their indignation:

“Yeah! How can you set up something like that?”

“This isn’t testing composure! The selfless are punished, while the selfish win? What kind of logic is that?!”

“Pah! They call themselves Confucian disciples, high-born students of Snow Eagle Ridge—but when trouble comes, all they do is dodge. Not even worth one hair on Young Master Xie’s head. You win? Sure, you’re real tough...”

“Damn it—refund the money!”