“Here’s what happened, Senior Sister…”
Led by Ling Fei, the crowd chimed in with their version of events.
Naturally, coming from their mouths, the story had been artistically embellished.
Twisting the truth was second nature to them—they’d done it plenty of times before.
“Is that how it went?” Ling Yixue asked calmly, her gaze settling on Ling Xiao.
Ling Xiao opened his mouth to explain but held back.
Handle your own mess—relying on a woman? Pathetic. And if he spoke and she didn’t believe him, wouldn’t that be awkward?
With that thought, he stayed silent.
“See, Senior Sister? He’s basically admitting it,” Ling Fei declared loudly.
“Ling Fei, you call yourself a man? You know damn well what really happened. Now you’re dragging Senior Sister Ling Yixue into this?” Ling Xiao shot back with a cold laugh.
“Little punk, say that again!” Ling Fei snapped.
Ling Yixue was a beauty many in the Ling Clan secretly admired, Ling Fei included. He’d be damned if he lost face in front of her.
“I’m stating facts—what’s there to fear?” Ling Xiao replied coolly.
“Fine! With Senior Sister Yixue here, I won’t waste words. But you’re paying his medical fees, and you’ll apologize in front of everyone,” Ling Fei said.
He’d wanted to thrash Ling Xiao, but with Ling Yixue present, he couldn’t risk looking like a bully. So he played the noble arbiter of justice instead.
“Apologize? Heh, you want me to apologize to a sneaky bastard who ambushed me? Ling Fei, has your brain melted?” Ling Xiao retorted.
His words made even Ling Yixue frown slightly.
She thought Ling Xiao was overreaching. A newbie at the second Martial Vein level challenging Ling Fei, a third-level? That wasn’t guts—it was suicide.
To her, strength meant backbone; without it, you were just reckless.
“Senior Sister, you heard him. He injured a clan member and won’t apologize. As his senior, I’ve got to teach him a lesson,” Ling Fei said, turning to Ling Yixue for an excuse to act.
“Fighting among clanmates only breeds discord. I heard you say Ling Xiao’s light-body skill isn’t bad. How about a light-body contest instead? If you win, I’ll make him apologize,” Ling Yixue suggested evenly.
“I’ll follow your word, Senior Sister. So, Ling Xiao, dare to face me in a light-body match?” Ling Fei challenged.
He’d seen Ling Xiao’s skill but wasn’t worried. He was confident in his superiority, and Ling Xiao’s true qi seemed nearly spent—perfect timing to take advantage.
“Why wouldn’t I?” Ling Xiao thought with a smirk. You want to show off for Ling Yixue? Fine, I’ll make you eat dirt.
He’d observed Ling Fei’s technique—it wasn’t anything extraordinary.
Sure, with just *Tiger Descending the Mountain Steps*, he might not win.
But he had the Mountain and River Martial Soul. Its analysis and simulation gave him an edge Ling Fei couldn’t match.
“Got some nerve, huh? Hope it’s not just dumb bravado!” Ling Fei sneered, then turned to Ling Yixue. “Senior Sister, please bear witness, so no one can back out when they lose.”
“Very well,” Ling Yixue agreed.
She was mildly curious about the matchup. Ling Fei’s light-body skill ranked among the Elite Hall’s top three. He might be a rival in the annual competition—watching him now could only help.
As an outer disciple, she relied on clan contests for rewards; otherwise, she couldn’t compete with the core disciples’ resources.
Practicality guided her—no nonsense about fairness. Core disciples secretly trained advanced techniques without complaint, so why should she care?
She had no real interest in Ling Xiao. Helping him was just outer-disciple solidarity—she didn’t want him crushed too badly.
Her plan was for him to concede and apologize, ending it there.
But Ling Xiao, clueless to her intent, agreed to challenge Ling Fei’s light-body skill.
Ling Fei’s technique outmatched even hers. Ling Xiao, barely a few days into the second level, had no chance.
This was a lopsided fight—outcome set in stone.
The crowd swelled, many drawn by Ling Yixue. Hearing Ling Fei was facing Ling Xiao in a light-body contest, they scoffed.
Not at Ling Fei—they just found the matchup dull.
A race between an eagle and a turtle? Where’s the suspense?
“Ling Fei’s always said he’d save his best moves for the annual competition, but with Senior Sister Yixue here, he’ll probably go all out to impress her,” someone speculated.
“Heh, this’ll be fun!”
They grinned, ogling Ling Yixue’s beauty while watching Ling Fei warm up.
As for Ling Xiao?
Who cared about a sure loser?
“How’re we comparing?” someone asked.
“Old rules—three standard light-body tests.”
“Which three?”
“First is ‘Void Crossing.’ Draw a starting line, leap without touching the ground, measure the distance—testing range.”
“Second’s ‘Sky Ladder.’ No tools, just jump as high as you can—testing height.”
“Third’s speed. A hundred-meter round trip—fastest wins.”
Simple tests, clear standards. The straightforwardness highlighted raw skill, minimizing cheating.
“Since Junior Brother Ling Xiao just used his light-body skill and must be drained, I’ll give him a break and go first,” Ling Fei announced.
He figured Ling Xiao’s true qi couldn’t recover quickly, so this made him look fair and noble while showing off for Ling Yixue.
If he knew Ling Xiao’s *Qi Recovery Technique* could fully restore true qi in a quarter-hour, he’d never have made such a dumb move.
“Senior Brother Ling’s true to form—not like some who hurt others and won’t apologize. Doesn’t deserve to be a Ling!” a disciple praised.
“Enough. Once Senior Brother wins, Ling Xiao’ll still have to grovel.”
Ling Fei basked in the chatter, smug.
He stepped to the starting line, ready to leap.
“Begin!” Ling Yixue commanded.
Ling Fei sprang up like a swift, darting forward.
“Amazing!”
“That’s gotta be fifteen meters—another record!”
