Victims came in pairs

A gentle breeze ripples across the blue lake, the Green Bamboo Forest rustles, the Golden Vine Tree sway in the rosy light, and clusters of flowers and grasses release their fragrance.

Qin Ming and Wu Yaozu each moved into a house with a large courtyard. Compared to the dark cabin in the woods they had been in before, this place had a babbling Fire Spring and a wide view, making them feel refreshed and relaxed.

Little Wu spoke up, "Brother, it seems Xin Youdao lost. Sigh, could it be because he was affected by that earlier battle? I feel bad for him."

When the two geniuses from the Mountain River Academy were competing, the spectators kept shouting and cheering, and even those who were not there could hear the sound, which was like the sound of waves.

In any case, the two were in a great mood after moving into their new home and looking at the picturesque scenery nearby.

"Cheng Rui!" Xin Youdao called out to the Woman in Yellow, trying to stop her.

"Never mind that. I don't believe it's such a coincidence. He must have temporarily hired a high-level God Seed to suppress its power and intercept you before the final battle."

Cheng Rui didn't believe that it was realistic for two "fierce dragons" to suddenly emerge from this year's New Life.

Looking across Kun City, among the dozen or so institutions of higher learning, apart from Ling Yu and Pure Yang Body, where else could there be a new disciple who could rival Xin Youdao?

Cheng Rui walked quickly, and her old residence came into view.

She spotted the two men at a glance. The older man was actually using the fishing rod she had left behind to fish for the Five-Colored Dragon Carp in the lake, looking incredibly relaxed.

In an instant, her chest heaved violently, feeling suffocated, and she said, "Look, those two are the ones, don't tell me you don't know them!"

Ling Yu was dressed in black, with black hair that reached his shoulders. His eyes were bright and piercing, and he possessed a restrained heroic spirit. His calm and composed demeanor revealed his strong confidence.

Especially tonight, after defeating Xin Youdao, one of the strongest candidates in this year's unified examination, it was as if he had cultivated some kind of energy and completed a transformation. Now, Ling Yu's Essence, Qi, and Spirit have been greatly enhanced, and he can feel it himself; his cultivation has clearly improved.

His pupils contracted slightly. Was this the person Crow Master had such high hopes for?

With a whoosh, he seemed to teleport, stepping over the branches of the Golden Vine Tree and floating lightly like a fallen leaf to the boy fishing.

Wu Yaozu, carrying a barbecue grill, happened to walk out of the courtyard gate and saw this scene. He said, "We just moved in, and someone already wants to challenge us and take back the house?"

"Why did you attack?" Ling Yu approached and stared at Qin Ming.

"It's none of your business." Qin Ming glanced at him.

Ling Yu thought for a moment and said, "I want to have a duel with you!"

He decided to act decisively to clear up the misunderstanding between Xin Youdao and Cheng Rui. Most importantly, he himself wanted to assess the other party, as Crow Master held him in high regard.

Therefore, he simplified the complex and refrained from further explanation or elaboration.

Qin Ming was surprised; was it really that direct?

Ling Yu believes in the principle of simplicity, and he needs no other reason to Sword Testing Under the Heavens.

"No way!" Qin Ming refused outright; he didn't want to engage in a meaningless sparring match.

"Right here, it won't take you long," Ling Yu said, his black hair fluttering in the night wind, his eyes deep and radiating a powerful conviction.

"Still here? Are you crazy, or am I?" Qin Ming decisively refused. He would go bankrupt after one more fight, and if he and Little Wu fought another one, they would have to sell themselves to the Mountain River Academy.

"Why is someone here again?!" Qian Chuan, the senior student, was quite helpless. He was on duty here today, and this kind of thing kept happening.

"Hiss!" He gasped, drawing out the mist from the lake. Who did he see? It was Ling Yu!

He was immediately at his wit's end. He had thought the duo were nobodys, but how come he kept running into these celebrities?

"This battle is inevitable!" Ling Yu walked forward, his hair flying, his black clothes fluttering, and his whole body surging with a strong Heavenly Light Force.

Above his head, a celestial waterfall seemed to cascade down. Though it was blurry, the fact that the Heavenly Light could create such a hazy and wondrous scene was truly astonishing!

Some call him the Young Ancestor, indeed because of his extraordinary talent, which has reached a level that is difficult for ordinary people to achieve.

At the same time, a strong Consciousness Spirit Light emanated from between his brows, like a sharp sword being drawn from its sheath, slicing through the night fog; he was a person who walked two paths simultaneously.

Boom!

The ground trembled slightly as he gathered his strength. With each step forward, his Mental Will were sharpened like Heavenly Saber, becoming piercing and radiating an imposing aura.

Ling Yu's physical body was also glowing, becoming increasingly dazzling, resonating with his spirit, as if emitting the clanging sound of Heavenly Saber being sharpened. His entire being merged into the vast night, as if borrowing some kind of terrifying "power".

"Bang!"

A grill flew over, but it was blasted apart by Heavenly Light protective aura emanating from Ling Yu's body.

He turned around abruptly, not expecting anyone to intervene forcefully.

Wu Yaozu looked at the grass trampled by this person, teleported to his side, and immediately unleashed a powerful attack. Rainbow Light flew out from his body, and he was wielding a mysterious Yellow Bronze Pestle.

Of course, not wanting to go into deep bankruptcy was only one of the reasons. Little Wu felt guilty and thought that Xin Youdao's defeat might be related to him. Therefore, when he saw another person coming to cause trouble, he really wanted to take action.

The ground cracked open instantly after the massive collision, and nearby vines and flowers were once again devastated.

"You want to bankrupt us?!" Little Wu exclaimed anxiously, and the Divine Rainbow transformed into a dazzling golden archway, pressing down on Ling Yu to prevent him from causing any damage.

"Huh?!" Ling Yu shocked. How could this short-haired boy be so strong?

He already knew about most of the outrageous people in this cohort, and the sudden emergence of two individuals with performances exceeding expectations did indeed seem absurd.

Little Wu is the sole survivor of the Fourth Forbidden Land, so he is naturally extremely powerful!

He blocked Ling Yu's path, using a golden bridge to guide him, attempting to extract the other's Consciousness Spirit Light. Ling Yu, with his ambition to Sword Testing Under the Heavens, possessed terrifying foundations and astonishing strength. Now, his entire body erupted with dazzling light, like Heavenly Phoenix rising from the ashes, spreading its wings to tear apart all obstacles and illuminate this land.

In the distance, some people exclaimed in surprise, as if they were seeing a blazing sun rising slowly in the night sky.

With a thud, Ling Yu felt a sharp pain in the back of his head. He tried to turn around, but he couldn't. His vision went black, and he collapsed to the ground.

In that final moment, he was consumed by rage. The young man whom Crow Master valued was so unscrupulous, actually ambushing him! Qin Ming lowered his hand, showing no embarrassment.

Since Little Wu had already taken action, and given the bloody lesson of bankruptcy before him, Qin Ming naturally wouldn't allow such a thing to happen again this time, and simply and forcefully stopped him.

Seeing this from a distance, Cheng Rui, the girl in yellow, screamed and ran away, because she was the one who led the group there and was afraid that the two boys would beat her up as well.

At this point, she believed that Ling Yu had nothing to do with those two unruly teenagers, and that he himself had been knocked down. Xin Youdao was injured and walked slowly, having just arrived here.

The dozen or so teenagers and boys around him, who happened to be watching from a distance, were all dumbfounded and utterly shocked.

They knew that the main characters tonight were Ling Yu and Xin Youdao, but the two mysterious youths acted rudely and knocked down the two geniuses one after the other.

If this gets out, it will definitely cause Xuanran!

What would it feel like for the spectators to know? Such a bizarre "sparring" was taking place in a hidden corner. Xin Youdao's feelings were complicated. He and Ling Yu were practically side-by-side, both of them knocked down! Cheng Rui whispered, "Youdao, I believe you. Ling Yu didn't arrange for anyone to stop you. He... became a victim too." The group:...

They were all speechless. Qian Chuan, who was on duty here, was stunned into a daze. This was Ling Yu, one of the two top experts tonight, who had also fallen on this patch of grass.

He knew that Ling Yu and Xin Youdao destined to be on the front page of tomorrow's newspapers, but it turned out that they had such a "hidden story" and both had a shameful side tonight. If the outside world found out, it would definitely cause a huge uproar.

And all of this was because of those two unassuming boys!

Qian Chuan found it unbelievable; that dilapidated meadow seemed to possess a magical power.

He stared at it for a long time, but didn't dare to go over, because he was truly in awe of that magical meadow and the two mysterious boys.

The aftermath of the great battle was still intense, with many people discussing it and some heading towards the settlement.

Xin Youdao had a dozen or so people around him go over and try to stop Ling Yu from losing his composure and being embarrassed if he were discovered in this state.

"Brother, wake up." Qin Ming shook Ling Yu.

Wu Yaozu's eyes widened in disbelief, because he saw Ming Ge casually pull three gold notes from that man's pocket. Could that even be possible? He felt like he had opened a window to New World!

Qin Ming's eyes widened in disbelief. Were Tang Jin's lineage really that wealthy? Each gold note was worth five hundred Day Gold!

Even after accumulating for so long before his body exploded, the total amount accumulated was far less than this.

Qin Ming spoke up, "This wasn't robbery. He attacked me first, and I was forced to retaliate, so he became my prisoner. However, because of your interference, Little Wu, I have to return the five hundred Day Gold."

He stuffed one gold note back, kept two, and several dozen Day Gold.

"Ming Ge, you're so considerate, you're a good person!" Wu Yaozu exclaimed, now the two of them wouldn't go bankrupt.

After his initial excitement, he felt a pang of regret, saying, "What a huge loss! I forgot to raid the gold when I defeated Xin Youdao."

Not far away, Xin Youdao happened to be walking over. Upon hearing these words, the veins on his forehead almost popped out.

Qin Ming said, "The situations are different. You can't have such thoughts when you challenge others. I was attacked and forced to defend myself, and I'm just collecting ransom from prisoners."

Ling Yu woke up and immediately flew into a rage, wanting to fight the other party to the death!

However, he felt a sharp pain in the back of his head and was somewhat dizzy. If he were to fight like this, he would definitely suffer a huge loss.

Xin Youdao spoke up, "Brother Ling, don't get agitated. You should leave here first. Everyone else has returned; it's not a good time to cause any more trouble tonight."

He had to stop it; he didn't want things to escalate because he didn't want this mess to be reported in the news tomorrow, otherwise it would be a bloodbath.

Ling Yu pointed at Qin Ming, his chest heaving with anger. Finally, he turned and left, naturally not wanting to be in the newspapers tomorrow and become a laughingstock.

"I want to have a proper showdown with you!" he said before leaving. "There's no need," Qin Ming said, wanting to advise him not to be so anxious.

The Esoteric Sect and Immortal Path disciples who lived here had all returned, and upon seeing Xin Youdao and Ling Yu, they were extremely excited.

A large crowd swarmed around them, showering them with enthusiasm, like stars around the moon, surrounding the two in the center.

"Brother Ling, you are truly the glory of our generation! I eagerly await the day you wield your sword across the land, sweeping away all rivals and reaching the pinnacle!"

"Brother Xin, though you lost, you are still glorious; your brilliance has amazed everyone..."

Such praise and those ardent gazes wouldn't have bothered Ling Yu and Xin Youdao on ordinary days; they were already used to it. But right now, their mood was absolutely terrible.

Every word they uttered felt like a whipping.

They didn't know how much time had passed before they finally squeezed out of the crowd, both letting out a long sigh of relief. They were both covered in sweat; what had just happened had been an ordeal for them.

"What?! You lost to the boy from Black White Mountain?!" Tang Jin suddenly turned around and looked at the indignant boy.

"I didn't lose! He's unethical; he ambushed me!" Ling Yu grew angrier as he spoke, clenching his fists. He shouted, "Please, Senior Sister, make arrangements! I want to fight him fair and square!"

"They might not take the bait," the Purple-Eyed Crow remarked.

(There's more to come!)