Yang Ling stared blankly at Bai Yujing. After a long silence, he said, “The position of the leading disciple of the Law Enforcement Hall was originally yours to begin with. I do not have a stake of equal value to match your title of Chief Disciple...”
He raised his head and said solemnly, “If I lose, I will join your ranks and be at your command.”
Why does he get all the benefits whether he wins or loses! Below the stage, Xu Jianxing stared with wide eyes, glaring fiercely at Yang Ling.
Yang Ling ignored him, his eyes fixed solely on Bai Yujing.
Bai Yujing said, “Brother Yang, please.”
Yang Ling nodded without another word. Grasping the hilt with his right hand, he drew his weapon with a sharp clang. The long blade was pitch-black.
His blood qi surged throughout his body, and his skin gradually flushed red. The surrounding air warped as steam began to rise from him.
With a sudden whoosh, the black blade erupted in flames. Without a word, Yang Ling took a great stride forward and charged fiercely, trailing a long, brilliant streak of fire behind him.
This isn't the Jixin Art, it's Wrathful Resolve... Zhuang Xun's mind stirred as various connections fell into place.
Yang Ling's surname was Yang, the City Lord's surname was Yang, and his master, the Courtyard Head of the Jixin Courtyard, was also surnamed Yang—and was moreover the City Lord's younger sister. His identity was self-evident; he was a member of the Yang family.
However, contrary to Zhuang Xun's initial assumption—that the Courtyard Head of the Jixin Courtyard had joined the Wanxing Martial Academy due to a conflict with the City Lord—it appeared that the relationship between the two siblings was not so terrible after all.
While he was lost in thought, Yang Ling had already closed the distance, executing a sweeping horizontal slash.
Unhurried, Bai Yujing simply spun his spear, redirecting the fiery, rolling slash harmlessly to his side.
Because of this, Yang Ling's balance faltered, and he stumbled past Bai Yujing.
Regaining his footing with a wide stride, he turned to look at Bai Yujing's back. In that instant, a flurry of thoughts crossed his mind, and he realized he was no match for his opponent.
He quickly gathered his thoughts and decided to treat this battle as a personal trial. Gripping the black blade tightly with both hands, the flames on the weapon flared violently. He twisted his body to deliver another horizontal slash, launching into a rapid, relentless assault.
Each strike was faster than the last, each offensive surge more powerful, and each burst of flame fiercer.
The profound mystery of the Wrathful Resolve martial physique allowed a practitioner to accelerate their blood circulation and raise their body temperature as their rage accumulated. It could also block out pain and lift the physical limitations of the body. Consequently, a martial artist cultivating Wrathful Resolve would fight more fiercely and grow stronger as the battle progressed. The best way to deal with such a practitioner was to defeat them quickly in the early stages of the fight...
But this... was the mindset of a loser!
The corner of Bai Yujing's mouth curled up in an almost imperceptible smile. He casually spun his spear to deflect Yang Ling's attacks, waiting for his opponent to slowly stack his buffs.
Thus, in the eyes of the spectators below, Bai Yujing stood entirely motionless, calmly spinning his long spear to ward off Yang Ling's onslaught.
Meanwhile, Yang Ling was exerting every ounce of his strength, dashing and flashing across the martial arts stage just to barely keep up with Bai Yujing.
“The gap in strength is too massive. Senior Brother Bai is incredibly powerful,” the spectators thought in awe.
After hundreds of exchanges, Bai Yujing remained completely spotless, his breathing steady and calm.
Yang Ling, on the other hand, was in a wretched state, panting heavily.
As yet another of his attacks was deflected by Bai Yujing, Yang Ling's momentum carried him forward, and he only managed to halt after sliding a considerable distance.
The moment sweat surfaced, it was instantly vaporized by his scorching, red-hot skin, rising in hissing plumes of white steam. Panting heavily, he turned around to face Bai Yujing.
He could feel that his body was on the verge of its absolute limit, yet it had also reached its peak.
Slowly standing tall, he pointed his long blade directly at Bai Yujing. The flames on the blade stopped expanding and instead condensed inward, causing the black steel to glow with a blinding red light.
“This is my final strike.”
“Please.”
The moment their brief exchange ended, Yang Ling abruptly vanished from where he stood.
In the next instant, he materialized in the air above Bai Yujing, holding his long blade high. The weapon seemed to merge with the sun, shining with such blinding intensity that the spectators directly facing the blade instinctively closed their eyes.
He can actually resist shouting his move? As expected of the Silent Blade. Let me shout it for you: Wrath—ful—Re—solve!
Bai Yujing casually thrust his spear forward, perfectly intercepting Yang Ling's trajectory.
Clang!
This terrifying strike, which had set everyone's hearts racing, was neutralized by Bai Yujing with utter ease.
The long blade flew from Yang Ling's grip, spinning several times in the air before plunging into the martial arts stage. Its extreme heat allowed it to melt effortlessly into the ground.
Yang Ling stared blankly at this sight. The blood-red hue of his skin slowly receded. Swaying slightly, he sank to his knees.
“Yang Ling pays respects to Senior Brother. From this day forward... I am at your command.”
At that exact moment, a thunderous cheer erupted from the crowd: “Senior Brother Bai! Senior Brother Bai! Senior Brother Bai! Senior Brother Bai...”
Ugh, my spear is ruined. Pay me back... Bai Yujing thought as he acknowledged Yang Ling, his peripheral vision catching the charred, chipped tip of his spear.
I need a proper weapon.
His long spear was made merely of hundred-refined steel. While it could pass for a legendary weapon in the mundane world, it paled in comparison to weapons with special attributes, like the Shiliu sword or Yang Ling's flame-igniting black blade.
He had once asked the Principal where he could obtain a good spear. Unfortunately, the Principal had replied that he had already reached a realm where having no spear surpassed having one, so he had never paid attention to such matters.
But Elder Su had secretly told Bai Yujing that the Principal did once possess a divine spear that could freely alter its length. The Principal had simply lost it during a trip, and to save face, he claimed to everyone thereafter that he had reached the realm where having no spear surpassed having one, thus discarding his weapon for a destined successor to find.
Elder Su had also mentioned that the City Lord's Manor housed an excellent spear. It was the Ink Dragon's Roar, ranked fifth on the Xietian Mountain Range's Rare Beast Ranking. In its natural state, it was a flood dragon, but it could freely transform into a long spear.
Zhuang Xun had been quite enticed when he first heard of this. As a child, his favorite show had been Shenbing Kids, and he had often fantasized about owning his own Tianjing Beast. Unfortunately, the relationship between the Wanxing Martial Academy and the City Lord's Manor was mediocre at best, and he had already clashed with them twice, so he likely stood no chance of obtaining the Ink Dragon's Roar.
...
“Excellent! Now it is time for me, the Little Overlord, to take the stage!”
“Hey! Get back here!”
Zhou Ziruo reached out to grab Yi Wangyou by his collar, but he had already leaped down from the balcony. Standing opposite Bai Yujing, he placed his hands on his hips and puffed out his chest.
“Bai Yujing! I, the Little Overlord, challenge you! I want to be the Chief Disciple too!”
Bai Yujing squatted to match Yi Wangyou's height, a gentle smile appearing on his face. “You are Yi Wangyou, correct? Very impressive. Reaching Eighth Rank at twelve years old... At your age, Yujing was not your match. If you still wish to challenge me when you grow up, I will welcome it anytime.”
With that, he pressed his index and middle fingers together and lightly poked Yi Wangyou's forehead.
“Ouch.” Yi Wangyou's head tilted back slightly. Rubbing his forehead, he scurried back.
This move makes me feel like Sasuke and Itachi at the same time.
The connection is established. With the bond between Yi Wangyou and Bai Yujing formed, it won't seem out of place if I use Bai Yujing to rescue Yi Wangyou in the future.
Yi Wangyou ran back to the second-floor balcony, showing off to Zhou Ziruo and Lin Qingsu, who were staring at him blankly.
“See that? Even Senior Brother Bai admitted he was no match for me, the Little Overlord! You all have to call me Senior Brother from now on!”
Challenging Senior Brother Bai gets you a poke on the forehead... This thought looped in Zhou Ziruo's mind. Ignoring Yi Wangyou's attempt to usurp her seniority, she leaped down without a second thought.
“Senior Brother, this junior sister would also like to ask for some guidance from you.”
Bai Yujing said calmly, “Very well, Junior Sister Zhou. Draw your sword.”
Zhou Ziruo: “?”
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