Chapter Twenty-Six: Measurement and Response

Ruan Dong came from a wealthy merchant family. As a child, he always got whatever he wanted. His first real setback was failing to become Bai Xiwen's disciple when he sought to apprentice, which left him deeply resentful.

In recent years, his martial arts aptitude on the mountain, while not outstanding, was still above average. If he had diligently trained and honed his skills, he might have had the potential to become a regional expert in twenty to thirty years. Naturally, he was arrogant and proud.

However, this very pride and arrogance were mercilessly torn apart by Granny An at this moment. The frustration and indignation churning within him were beyond anyone's imagination.

What's more, the one who had humiliated him, Duan Yi, was studying under Bai Xiwen, whom he admired and yearned to follow. Coupled with Helan Yue'er's favor towards Duan Yi, these two factors caused him to completely lose his temper and challenge Duan Yi to a duel.

Of course, Zhao Yu's instigation and Granny An's desire to watch the show without adding fuel to the fire also played a part.

"Ruan Dong, how dare you? Duan Yi only came up the mountain a few days ago, and he's practiced martial arts for even less time. How could he possibly be your opponent?"

While others remained silent, Helan Yue'er immediately flared up, looking at Ruan Dong with disdain. Her words were filled with contempt, and when she looked at Duan Yi, her gaze was filled with much worry.

What she said made sense. It was a bit shameless for someone who had practiced martial arts for three years to challenge someone who had only started practicing a few days ago.

But for a man, even a man who hadn't fully grown up, the most unbearable thing was the contempt of the woman he loved.

Upon hearing Helan Yue'er's words, Ruan Dong's face flushed and paled. His heart ached, and he felt a surge of True Qi in his dantian, almost breaking through his meridians and exploding.

"Yue'er, you're going a bit too far. In the Jianghu, the strong triumph. When you and I venture out, others won't show mercy just because of how long you've practiced martial arts.

Since we've arrived at this arena, there's no harm in having a spar. What do you say, Junior Disciple Duan?"

Zhao Yu had spent a lot of effort to provoke Ruan Dong's outburst. How could he let go of this excellent opportunity to test Duan Yi?

However, to be fair, his viewpoint was quite reasonable. In the Jianghu, in the martial arts world, conflicts and battles were inevitable.

And enemies would not show mercy based on how long you had practiced martial arts, or even if you hadn't practiced at all.

From the moment Ruan Dong asked his first question, Duan Yi had remained silent, merely listening. When Zhao Yu finally addressed him, his face showed no anger, as if he didn't care about Ruan Dong's aggressive behavior.

Just as he was about to speak, a voice suddenly echoed in his ears. It was Granny An.

"Young Duan, just agree to it. I guarantee you can defeat him then. After teaching Ruan Dong a lesson, I'll teach you a movement technique, giving you more means to protect yourself when you venture out in the Jianghu."

Duan Yi was surprised. He scanned the people around him, but it seemed only he could hear Granny An's voice. The others were oblivious, instead focusing on him, seemingly waiting to see how he would respond.

He couldn't help but think of four words: Sound Transmission into Secret. This was a technique that could only be used by those who had reached a certain level of internal martial arts.

However, what he didn't understand was how this young boy, Ruan Dong, had offended Granny An to the point of making her so displeased.

This was something Duan Yi was unaware of the inside story.

Although Helan Yue'er was young, her features were exquisite and flawless, making her beautiful and lovable. Coupled with her prominent status, she was pursued and flattered by many men on the mountain, and Ruan Dong was the most tactless among them.

Being tactless meant, firstly, he spoke without restraint, once presumptuously commenting on Helan Yue'er's appearance and figure with a lewd demeanor. Granny An overheard this and became displeased.

Secondly, he didn't know when to stop. He often disturbed Granny An when she was teaching Yue'er martial arts, which greatly annoyed her. However, she couldn't punish a mere boy for fear of being accused of bullying a junior.

As it happened, she met Duan Yi today. Granny An had a deep impression of him and had the idea of using him to teach Ruan Dong a lesson.

As for whether Duan Yi could defeat Ruan Dong, Granny An didn't care. With her methods, helping Duan Yi win without anyone noticing was simple.

And teaching Duan Yi a movement technique was because Duan Yi had protected Helan Yue'er when she was in danger last time. He hadn't asked for any reward afterward, which made her feel something was amiss. Thus, she wanted to use this opportunity to compensate Duan Yi.

Of course, the most important point was Helan Yue'er's special attitude towards Duan Yi.

Duan Yi had already intended to accept the challenge, not because he was provoked by Ruan Dong.

A young man in his prime, desperately wanting to impress the girl he fancied, was simply beneath Duan Yi's notice, let alone provoking him.

He merely wanted to verify the progress of his current learning.

Duan Yi had been practicing martial arts diligently in Bai Xiwen's residence for days. This diligence wasn't just during the day; even when he slept at night, Duan Yi's spirit entered the Tower of Hidden Martial Arts to train with his exceptional comprehension. Therefore, he felt he was making rapid progress but lacked a concrete benchmark.

Coincidentally, Ruan Dong was of similar age and hadn't been practicing martial arts for too long, making him a suitable opponent for a spar.

Furthermore, Zhao Yu had repeatedly tried to probe his martial arts, clearly suspecting he practiced the Invincible Treasure Codex. To avoid being targeted by a powerful figure in the future, Duan Yi wanted to showcase his martial arts to dispel the doubts of those watching from the shadows.

He had to be cautious; after all, his identity was unusual. If Qu Dongliu discovered he was Yan Susu's grandson, he would surely die, and even Bai Xiwen couldn't protect him.

Now that Granny An promised him victory and also offered to teach him a movement technique, it made Duan Yi even more eager.

To survive in the Jianghu, one's martial arts might not need to be high, but one's movement techniques absolutely must be good. Because if you can't win, you must be able to escape.

The Mount Song Sword Manual taught by Bai Xiwen did include footwork and simple leaping techniques that complemented the swordplay, but they weren't considered advanced.

Moreover, Duan Yi's internal energy cultivation was still very shallow, making it difficult to use effectively. If Granny An taught him a movement technique, it would undoubtedly be like adding wings to a tiger, further enhancing his capabilities.

"Alright, since Senior Disciple Ruan wishes to spar with me, I cannot refuse. I shall grant your wish."

Duan Yi feigned being looked down upon and having his pride wounded, replying with a cold expression. He looked at Ruan Dong without any sign of backing down.

Their eyes met, their gazes clashing head-on. To outsiders, their expressions conveyed different things.

Ruan Dong's gaze was like fire, fueled by rage and jealousy burning intensely. Duan Yi's gaze, on the other hand, was like ice, cold and chilling, sending shivers down one's spine.

"Duan Yi, you've only been practicing for such a short time, how can you possibly be Ruan Dong's opponent? No, no.

How about this: you only compete in techniques, not internal energy. That way, it will be much fairer. What do you say?

Ruan Dong, you're not challenging Duan Yi because you're confident in your deep internal energy, are you?"

Upon hearing Duan Yi agree to the fight, Helan Yue'er's small face tensed, her eyes filled with deep worry. A thought suddenly flashed through her mind, and she spoke.

In her opinion, the only thing Duan Yi lacked compared to Ruan Dong was three years of internal energy cultivation. If they only competed in techniques, he might not be weaker than the opponent. After all, his Minor Capturing Hand in Daming County was clean and decisive, leaving a deep impression on her.

However, the expressions of the others were strange. They looked at Helan Yue'er, unsure if she was genuinely ignorant or pretending to be.

Internal cultivation certainly progresses step by step, but that doesn't mean techniques can be mastered overnight.

In fact, to be precise, techniques require even more accumulation of years and refinement than internal cultivation.

If Duan Yi were trained by Bai Xiwen and aided by elixirs, his internal cultivation might advance by leaps and bounds.

However, there's no shortcut for techniques; they must be practiced solidly, with someone sparring and correcting him, so he can gradually grow.

Now, Helan Yue'er having him spar with Ruan Dong, and only focusing on techniques and not internal cultivation, isn't that clearly setting up Duan Yi for failure?

"Haha, good, just as Yue'er said, no internal cultivation then no internal cultivation. I'll compete with you using my swordsmanship."

Ruan Dong was overjoyed and full of pride, already picturing himself defeating Duan Yi with his sword and making the latter lose all face. He felt incredibly exhilarated and refreshed.

Young people love what they love and hate what they hate. It was likely decided from the moment he first saw Duan Yi that he would be someone he disliked. Since he disliked him, he naturally had to suppress him.

Not only did he want to prove to Yue'er that Duan Yi was a pretty boy with no substance, but he also wanted to prove to Bai Xiwen that it was a mistake not to take him as a disciple back then.

Of course, Ruan Dong had automatically ignored the fact that the two of them were never starting from the same point.