A bitter smile touched the corners of Ling Xiao's lips. 'I was careless,' he thought. 'Who would have thought the Wulan Clan would let a Tier Nine Sword Attendant carry a Tier Three Enchanted Sword around? Damn it, aren't they afraid someone will steal it?'
Originally, Ling Xiao had only planned to make it look like a narrow victory. That way, he could win back some face for his family and finally shed the "trash" label. After all, who would enjoy being called trash all day?
He never expected his plan to almost backfire so spectacularly...
Before anyone could react, three blasts of Sword Qi shot toward Ling Xiao. Among the spectators below, some of the more timid girls had already started screaming. They might shout about fighting and killing on a normal day, but how many of these young men and women had ever truly witnessed a scene of carnage?
A terrifyingly cold light glinted in Shangguan Yutong's eyes as she locked her gaze on Wulan Tuo. She was already completely stunned by what Ling Xiao had demonstrated today!
'I'm sure the other teachers hidden among the students feel the same way,' she thought. Ling Xiao's strange sword techniques and Cultivation Technique seemed unlike any she had ever seen from any known school. They were more reminiscent of those from the legendary, ancient, hidden sects! 'Even if he's a Celestial Vein Master who can only cultivate to the level of a Tier Six Sword Master... who would dare call him trash now? What if his Cultivation Technique is truly...' Shangguan Yutong didn't dare to let her thoughts wander any further.
In the crowd, a low-key, veiled girl stared dumbstruck at Ling Xiao on the stage, her mouth slightly agape. The corner of her lips twitched, and a quiet thought formed in her mind: 'Ling Xiao, farewell. Though all ties between us are severed, I will avenge what happened today. If I ever reach the peak, I will personally kill Wulan Tuo for you!'
Just then, Ling Xiao suddenly staggered. His body, seemingly boneless, contorted into an extremely bizarre posture... and he fell. He landed in a pathetic, spread-eagled heap on the ground!
But no one dared to laugh.
Because those three lethal blasts of Sword Qi had grazed past Ling Xiao's body, blasting several large holes into the stage paved with thousand-year-old ironwood! A cloud of dust and debris filled the air, but almost everyone sensed it—had those three blasts of Flame Sword Qi... missed?
The expressions on people's faces froze, creating a comical sight. An eerie silence fell over the several thousand people in the lower-class training ground. It was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
*Cough, cough...* With a pair of light coughs, Ling Xiao scrambled up from the ground, looking utterly disheveled. The front of his shirt had been completely sheared off, revealing a large, bloody mess of flesh—an external wound caused by the Flame Sword Qi grazing past him.
Other than that, Ling Xiao was somehow completely unharmed!
"Holy crap! By the Sword God! Is this kid protected by the gods?"
"Ah... Are my eyes playing tricks on me? Or am I dreaming?"
"Damn it, how can his luck be so good?"
"Oh my god, Ling Xiao, I love you! I don't care if you're a Celestial Vein Master! You're an invincible lucky star!" one lovestruck girl shouted wildly at the stage.
Everyone went insane at that moment. Three lethal blasts of Flame Sword Qi, dodged in such a way? The crowd below erupted into an uproar. Just then, someone with sharp eyes pointed out, "Look! The place where Ling Xiao just fell is the crater left by Young Master Wulan Tuo's first blast of Sword Qi! Ling Xiao tripped in that crater!"
As soon as those words were spoken, everyone's expressions became incredibly colorful. They stared at the crater left by the Sword Qi, unsure whether to feel sorry for Wulan Tuo or marvel at Ling Xiao's unbelievably shitty luck.
However, no one noticed that even if a normal person had tripped in that crater, they wouldn't have had enough time to dodge those three lethal blasts of Flame Sword Qi.
In a corner, Yisha smiled through her tears at the azure sky. "O Sword God above, you are so good to Yisha! I will be sure to pray more often from now on..."
Chunlan and Qiuyue unclenched their tightly balled fists. Ignoring the crescents their nails had dug into their palms, they began to cheer with wild abandon.
Shangguan Yutong also let out a long sigh of relief. Her gaze toward Ling Xiao was now filled with playful amusement. 'You little brat, how dare you scare your teacher like that! Just you wait!'
Wulan Tuo was dumbfounded too. He stood there in a daze, still unable to recover from the shock. When he suddenly saw the malicious glint in Ling Xiao's eyes, an inexplicable shiver ran down his spine. At that moment, he truly wanted to turn and run, but seeing the Fine Willow Sword in Ling Xiao's hand already stabbing toward him, Wulan Tuo hastily tried to block it with his own...
In a duel between Martial Artists, the most fatal mistake is distraction. A life can be lost in the blink of an eye!
Ling Xiao's mind was steady. He showed no mercy, thrusting straight for Wulan Tuo's abdomen!
'You wanted my life! Why should I spare yours?'
Ling Xiao's face was a mask of cold indifference. With a flick of his Fine Willow Sword, he viciously lashed out at Wulan Tuo's groin.
Wulan Tuo let out a blood-curdling scream, "AOWWW!" His body flew backward like a withered leaf in the autumn wind, landing on the ground curled up like a large shrimp. He clutched his groin with both hands and began to wail loudly. Paired with his duck-like voice, the sound was exceptionally shrill.
Ling Xiao gave a cold smile. The Fine Willow Sword suddenly went taut and stabbed toward Wulan Tuo's chest.
"How dare you, boy!" A heaven-shaking roar suddenly came from below the stage. A man in gray robes floated past the crowd like a wisp of smoke. He was unarmed. While still two or three meters away, he waved a single palm at Ling Xiao. Ling Xiao was instantly sent flying, spitting a mouthful of blood in mid-air. Crimson droplets rained down upon the stage.
Ling Xiao landed hard at the edge of the stage in a sorry state. "Good. Very good!" Ling Xiao slowly straightened up. Though his body swayed precariously, making Chunlan, Qiuyue, and the others' hearts pound with fear, he managed to stand firm.
Ling Xiao stared expressionlessly at the gray-robed old man before him, wiping a smear of blood from the corner of his mouth. "Who are you?"
"You are not qualified to know!" the gray-robed man, an elder, said coldly without even glancing at Ling Xiao. He then bent down to check on Wulan Tuo's injuries.
A ferocious expression appeared on Ling Xiao's face as he stared coldly at the old man. "We signed a Life and Death Contract between nobles. Are you treating the laws of the Empire as a joke?" As he spoke, Ling Xiao raised his head proudly. His gaze was chilling. Though he was dressed in rags, a formidable aura erupted from him. His eyes were like those of a wolf about to devour its prey.
It actually made the gray-robed old man, a Tier Two Demon Swordsman, take an involuntary step back, his face losing its original composure.
The old man was immediately overcome with shame and anger. 'To think that I, who was once so renowned in the Imperial Capital, would be intimidated by a mere child who isn't even a Sword Master,' he thought. 'And a Celestial Vein Master, at that! How will I ever be able to face anyone after this?'
He snorted and sneered, "What damn Empire laws? I am not afraid! Yes, you signed a Life and Death Contract today, but Wulan Tuo's father once did me a great favor. I could not possibly watch my benefactor's son die by your sword! So, I intervened. If you're not convinced, feel free to go find your father and have him come find me!" As the old man spoke, a vicious light flashed continuously in his eyes. He stared at Ling Xiao, his true intentions unclear.
"Shameless!" Chunlan and Qiuyue's pretty faces flushed red with anger as they glared at the old man on the stage. At that moment, Shangguan Yutong, who had been beside them, suddenly vanished. When Chunlan and Qiuyue looked up, they were shocked to find Teacher Shangguan already standing on the stage.
"Demon Swordsman Hai Tian, why must you lower yourself to a child's level? Aren't you afraid of tarnishing your reputation?" Shangguan Yutong stood beside Ling Xiao, staring coldly at the gray-robed elder.
Only then did Ling Xiao learn that the gray-robed old man was named Hai Tian. He secretly committed the name to memory. 'Revenge, for a gentleman, is never too late, even after ten years!'
Hai Tian gave Shangguan Yutong a somewhat surprised look. He hadn't expected that after so many years, someone could still recognize him at a glance. He gave a few awkward laughs and said, "I am definitely taking this boy with me today. As for him..." He pointed at Ling Xiao and gave a strange laugh. "Kid, I can tell you're not happy about this. However, this is a world where strength reigns supreme. When the day comes that you are strong enough to get your revenge, you are welcome to come find me. But, hehe, you're a Celestial Vein Master. I doubt you'll ever get that chance!"
Shangguan Yutong's appearance dispelled Hai Tian's thought of crippling the boy who had unsettled him. For some reason, despite being a Celestial Vein Master, the boy exuded a shocking aura that seemed even more powerful than his, a Demon Swordsman's. If allowed to develop, perhaps this child could truly break through his Celestial Vein. For someone of the old man's power, using a Medicated Bath to unblock a Celestial Vein was no secret.
The Canglan Continent was vast, and there was once a rumor: if a Celestial Vein Master was fortunate enough to unblock their meridians, their future achievements would be limitless!
Therefore, Hai Tian felt a little hesitant. But the aura coming from this beautiful young woman, Shangguan Yutong, was not the slightest bit weaker than his own. Moreover, she was clearly protecting Ling Xiao, which made Hai Tian change his mind.
Ling Xiao took a step forward, suppressing the roiling anger in his heart, and looked coldly at Hai Tian. "Don't you die too soon!"
"Hehe, you've got personality!" Hai Tian sneered. He picked up the unconscious Wulan Tuo, tapped his toes lightly on the stage, and, despite carrying a grown man, moved as if he were weightless. In a few quick movements, he disappeared from sight.
Shangguan Yutong looked at Ling Xiao with a face full of concern. "Are you alright?" she asked worriedly.
Ling Xiao shook his head, forcing a smile. He was just about to say he was fine when his body swayed twice and he collapsed limply onto the stage. Shangguan Yutong rushed over to support him, discovering that Ling Xiao had been injured by Hai Tian's palm strike.