CRACK!

Zhong Ming’s words gave Shi Yun the distinct impression that unless he used the power of a mid-stage Qi Cultivation cultivator, he would be utterly helpless against him.

In response, Shi Yun’s hand on his sword tightened abruptly, his gaze turning exceptionally sharp.

"Ahem... Junior Brother, your recent improvement seems quite substantial. It looks like you no longer have any regard for me, your senior brother."

Although he wasn’t being overtly sarcastic, the sharp edge in his tone revealed Shi Yun’s displeasure.

The onlookers Qi Hong, Yang Chen, and Lin Shuyu also frowned.

Even Orchid shook her head.

"This sudden increase in power seems to have made Young Master Zhong Ming a bit arrogant."

Her handmaiden’s words didn’t sour Yi Yunya’s expression. Maintaining her usual elegant and detached demeanor, she said quietly, "The young are naturally full of spirit, and prodigies even more so. The saying, ’A life without youthful folly is a life wasted,’ is the perfect description for a young prodigy."

"And Senior Brother is undoubtedly a prodigy. His ostentatious display is exactly what I expected."

"Fortunately, he’s not being arrogant on a true battlefield. This is just a sparring match. Qi Hong, Shi Yun, and the others will be the ones to knock some sense into Zhong Ming."

At this, Yi Yunya chuckled, idly flicking the folding fan in her hand. "Come to think of it, I was originally planning on using Yan Chen and Su Lingya to temper Senior Brother’s wild arrogance at the end of the month... But having it happen a bit earlier is fine. In fact, it might even be better."

Saying such things to Orchid made it obvious that Yi Yunya was not optimistic about Zhong Ming’s chances in the upcoming fight.

There was a reason for this, of course. Although Shi Yun, Yang Chen, and the others were all injured, they were battle-hardened veterans. Their Swordsmanship, Sword Techniques, and combat experience all far surpassed Zhong Ming’s.

Even his worldly perspective was no match for theirs.

His near-total losing streak in their previous matches was a perfect testament to this fact.

Under such circumstances, Zhong Ming couldn’t even be guaranteed a victory against an equally-ranked Shi Yun, let alone challenge someone in the mid-stage of Qi Cultivation.

The sheer difference in cultivation levels could even lead to Zhong Ming’s swift defeat.

Shi Yun... thought so, too.

’You want me to use my mid-stage Qi Cultivation power? Even if you manifest a Dao Rhyme, you still can’t win... If it’s just one move, I can block it with absolute certainty!’

As he thought this, Shi Yun stepped forward slowly. The aura he emanated was that of the early stage of Qi Cultivation.

This sight made Zhong Ming raise an eyebrow.

"Senior Brother, I suggest you use your mid-stage Qi Cultivation power from the very beginning."

"Ahem... Rest assured, I’ll use it when I need to..."

"Zhong Ming, I finally found you!"

Just as Zhong Ming and Shi Yun took their positions on opposite sides of the Cultivation Field, ready to begin their fight, an excited roar suddenly echoed from the distance.

Turning his head, he saw Zhuang Yi, an A-Class Disciple just like himself, running over with a face full of excitement.

"What are you doing here?"

His arrival, and the way he was staring intently at him, left Zhong Ming deeply puzzled.

’I don’t remember ever offending him, have I?’

Just as Zhong Ming was puzzling over this, Zhuang Yi spoke.

His next words left Zhong Ming speechless, and caused the expressions of Shi Yun, Qi Hong, Yang Chen, and the others to turn hostile.

Zhuang Yi said, "To fight you, of course! Xue Yao said you’re the strongest on Longxi Peak. I don’t know why she’d say that, but one battle will make everything clear."

As he spoke, he glanced at Shi Yun.

He noticed that Shi Yun’s face was pale and his body was weak with injury.

And yet, this was the person Zhong Ming was about to fight. Zhuang Yi snorted coldly. "And another thing! As an A-Class Disciple of Longxi Peak, what kind of skill is there in bullying a cripple? If you want a real fight, fight me!"

"..."

"..."

"..."

The moment the word "cripple" was uttered, the gazes that Shi Yun and Yang Chen fixed on Zhuang Yi turned cold. 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

Their glares made Zhuang Yi shiver, and he subconsciously glanced from side to side.

’What’s going on? Why do I suddenly have such a bad feeling?’

’Whatever, who cares.’

His mind consumed with the urge to fight, he quickly dismissed the thought. He turned his gaze back to Zhong Ming and said eagerly, "I’ve wanted to fight you for a long time. But before, you had just broken through. I felt there would be no honor in defeating you then. Now, you’ve stabilized your cultivation in the early stage of Qi Cultivation. This battle is unavoidable."

With his love for battle and his aspiration to be the strongest, Zhuang Yi did have the bearing of a Sword Cultivator.

Looking at the battle lust in Zhuang Yi’s eyes, Zhong Ming realized that if he didn’t accept the challenge, the man would stick to him like glue.

’That would be even more annoying. In that case, I might as well get this over with quickly.’

With this in mind, Zhong Ming first turned to Shi Yun and apologized.

"Apologies, Senior Brother. I have a small matter to attend to. Please wait a moment; we can begin our match right after."

"Fine."

While Zhong Ming got a reply from Shi Yun, his words displeased Zhuang Yi.

"Zhong Ming, don’t be so dismissive, and don’t even think about your next fight. When you fight me, you will give me your full attention. You can’t afford to let your guard down for even a second."

"Although, even if you did, you won’t have the energy for a second fight today anyway!"

Evidently, Zhuang Yi also fit the description of a young prodigy, though his temperament could be better described as wildly arrogant.

With that last sentence, he was all but stating outright that he would defeat Zhong Ming and leave him unable to continue.

But his words had no effect on Zhong Ming.

An adult doesn’t get truly angry at a child baring its fangs and claws; he merely finds it amusing.

"If that’s what you think, then bring your full strength and try to defeat me."

Saying this, Zhong Ming took a deep breath and began to circulate his Magical Power.

On the other side, despite his wild arrogance and immense self-confidence, Zhuang Yi actually calmed down once the battle was about to begin. Drawing his longsword, he stood ready, prepared to receive Zhong Ming’s attack.

—He was a man of certain principles. He felt that since he had advanced to his current level before Zhong Ming, it was only fair to let Zhong Ming make the first move.

Sensing this, Zhong Ming didn’t stand on ceremony.

"Be careful."

After giving the warning, Zhong Ming bent his finger, preparing his attack.

Then, his attack shattered Zhuang Yi’s composure.

"Zhong Ming, are you insulting me?!"

The reason for his furious roar was that while he stood on high alert, Zhong Ming had simply summoned a tiny droplet of water.

The next moment, Zhong Ming aimed his bent finger at the droplet and postured to flick it—he was actually planning to use this single drop of water as his opening attack.

Zhuang Yi saw Zhong Ming as a worthy opponent and had intended to fight him with all his strength.

Yet Zhong Ming’s attack was so contemptuously casual. This naturally infuriated him.

What angered him even more was that Zhong Ming had actually warned him to be careful, as if he couldn’t even handle a single drop of water. This insult sent Zhuang Yi into a towering rage.

Nearby, Shi Yun, Qi Hong, and Yi Yunya all frowned, feeling that the change in Zhong Ming’s personality was too extreme.

"This is too arrogant, too conceited..."

Muttering this, Qi Hong turned to Shi Yun. "Don’t hold back later. An attitude like Zhong Ming’s is unacceptable. You have to teach him a lesson and make him understand that there’s always someone stronger."

Shi Yun replied, "You don’t have to tell me. I’ll make him understand that while his Talent may be extraordinary, Talent is just Talent, not true strength. He’s still a long, long way from being an expert!"

While the spectators were talking, Zhong Ming finished his preparations.

Looking directly at Zhuang Yi, Zhong Ming said calmly, "I have no intention of toying with you. This attack is quite powerful."

"If I were you, I would take it with my full strength!"

"..." Frowning, Zhuang Yi saw that Zhong Ming didn’t seem to be joking. Suppressing his anger, he nodded. "I understand."

The moment he nodded to signal he was ready, Zhong Ming’s bent finger suddenly snapped forward.

WHOOSH!

With Zhong Ming’s flick, the water droplet he had condensed in front of him shot forward like a bullet.

BOOM!

Its extreme speed was so great that the droplet actually created a sonic boom.

The several dozen meters between Zhong Ming and Zhuang Yi were crossed by the droplet in the blink of an eye.

SLASH!

However, Zhuang Yi did possess some real skill. Aided by Zhong Ming’s solemn warning, he stood his ground and managed to block the incoming water droplet with his longsword.

But after blocking it, his expression became incredibly grim.

The reason for this was that when the speeding droplet hit his longsword, it simply burst apart like a normal splash of water.

Zhuang Yi, who had blocked it, hadn’t felt the slightest bit of force.

This sight made Zhuang Yi’s expression twist in fury.

"Bastard!"

"Zhong Ming, and you claim you weren’t toying with me..."

As he raged, Yi Yunya, Qi Hong, and the others also felt that Zhong Ming had gone too far.

Orchid’s brows were knitted tightly as she said with a bitter look, "My Lady, it seems you’re about to lose your wager this time. After discovering his Talent, Zhong Ming’s personality has changed too much. He’s ostentatious, reckless, arrogant, haughty... Huh?!"

Her transmitted words were not yet finished when Orchid’s voice suddenly cut off.

Qi Hong, Du Chen, and the others also froze.

At that moment, their deeply furrowed brows all transformed into expressions of sheer astonishment.

Yi Yunya and Orchid also stared at the center of the field, their eyes wide with disbelief.

There, something unexpected had happened again.

After blocking the speeding droplet, Zhuang Yi, believing Zhong Ming was toying with him, roared as he began to circulate his Magical Power... He was about to give Zhong Ming a savage beating and teach him a lesson he wouldn’t forget.

However, before he could even fully circulate his Magical Power...

THUMP!

A sharp, powerful attack appeared out of nowhere and slammed violently into his chest.

It was like being pierced by a sharp sword, or struck by a heavy sledgehammer.

The terrifying force crashed into Zhuang Yi’s torso, instantly inflicting grievous damage to his internal organs.

At the same time, the attack didn’t send Zhuang Yi flying.

But this offered Zhuang Yi no relief; in fact, it made his situation even more miserable—it meant his body had to absorb the full brunt of the attack.

Furthermore, this attack hadn’t originated from the outside, but had struck his internal organs directly.

"PTUI..."

The attack was too terrifying for him to withstand, and a spray of fresh blood instantly erupted from Zhuang Yi’s mouth.

His body, which had been surging forward, didn’t even sway before he collapsed weakly to the ground.

"Cough... cough... What... what was... that?!"

He coughed up blood unceasingly, his face a mask of terror.

Seeing his miserable state, Zhong Ming, in the distance, sighed in resignation.

"Sigh... I told you already. I told you to be careful, to use your full strength. Why didn’t you listen?"