Brother Ye, Are You Seriously Doing This?

Su Ye's voice was not loud, yet it exploded across the first-floor Martial Arts Arena, landing with perfect clarity in every student's ears like a thunderclap.

The vast first floor of the sword hall seemed to have had its pause button pressed. Everyone fell silent.

The students who had been fiercely sparring lowered their old wooden practice swords one after another, stopping their drills as they turned to look at Su Ye with strange, even speechless expressions.

This guy... hadn't lost his mind, had he?

How could there be such an idiot? Did he even know what he was saying?

Even Zhang Yuan was dumbfounded, looking at Su Ye as though he were seeing him for the first time.

Extreme Shadow Swordplay was indeed unranked, but it was not easy to learn.

How could a martial skill be so easily mastered?

And he claimed he had learned it in a single class?

Generally speaking, an ordinary College Entrance Examination student would need to practice Extreme Shadow Swordplay diligently for a year just to barely reach the Void Shadow level!

Those who could reach the Shadowless level were few and far between!

There probably were not even one in ten!

Yet Su Ye ignored the many peculiar stares. He merely looked directly at Li Aoxue, neither servile nor overbearing, calm and composed.

"You said you reached the Shadowless level in a single class?" Li Aoxue's voice sliced through the air like an icicle.

Her lovely face was full of anger, but she also found it somewhat laughable.

Did he think he was one of those top Heavenly Pride Prodigies from the Five Great Academies?

"You know perfectly well whether that's true or not," Li Aoxue said coolly.

"You managed to cultivate Extreme Shadow Swordplay to the Shadowless level in only one month after tempering your Martial Bone. I admit that your Comprehension of martial skills is indeed quite good."

"But that is not something for you to be proud of!"

Her Beautiful Eyes narrowed slightly as her gaze swept over Su Ye's wrist and posture as he held the wooden practice sword.

His thumb and index finger formed a stable triangle around the hilt. It was precisely the Fixed Sword Grip, the hardest thing to master when first learning Extreme Shadow Swordplay. Among this batch of students, she estimated that fewer than ten would be able to grasp it naturally within six days!

Yet Su Ye's grip was incomparably practiced, as natural as if he had held a sword this way for years. It was absolutely not something that could be developed in a short time.

Su Ye had reached such a level in just one month. Even though Li Aoxue had an extremely poor impression of him, she had to admit that his Comprehension of martial skills might not be much worse than her own.

But to claim he had learned it in one class?

That was practically an undisguised challenge to her judgment, a questioning of her professionalism.

How long had he practiced Extreme Shadow Swordplay? Could she, Li Aoxue, possibly fail to see it?

Li Aoxue's impression of Su Ye worsened by the moment, and she did not want to waste any more time on him.

"If you had truly started from scratch and, under my careful guidance, rushed to the Void Shadow level within six days, then I would have returned your tuition."

"But in your case, I will not refund a single cent."

Her expression was icy as she turned to leave.

Su Ye watched her graceful figure, frowned slightly, then said evenly, "Coach Li, are you really so certain that I did not reach this level through short-term practice?"

"Then what if, over the next few days, I cultivate Extreme Shadow Swordplay to the Shadowless and Extreme Shadow levels?"

Clang!

The wooden sword in Zhang Yuan's hand fell to the floor with a clatter. He frowned in worry.

Had Brother Ye eaten something wrong today? Nothing coming out of his mouth made any sense.

The expressions of the others changed as well. They looked at one another, growing increasingly speechless.

Shadowless?

Extreme Shadow?!

Did this kid really know what he was saying?

Even Li Aoxue was only at the Shadowless level! And he wanted to reach it in a few days? What a fantasy!

Li Aoxue spun around sharply. Her lively Beautiful Eyes carried a trace of anger and ridicule, and the rise and fall of her chest drew countless gazes and swallowing sounds.

Su Ye's words were like a fuse, igniting Li Aoxue's pride as well as the frustration she had been suppressing throughout the lesson.

"Shadowless?"

"If you can truly reach the Shadowless level in the next few days, I'll refund your tuition in full!"

"No, I'll round it up to ten thousand!"

Su Ye rubbed his chin as if he were genuinely considering it. His fingers unconsciously brushed the sword hilt as he sensed the faint glimmer of the Manifestation Talisman in his mind, then smiled.

"Ten thousand? That'll do."

"What about the Extreme Shadow level?"

Seeing Su Ye's serious expression, Li Aoxue's pretty face turned frosty, and it was as though the entire sword hall's temperature had dropped with it.

"Extreme Shadow?"

"Do you take martial skills for sugar figurines on the roadside, something you can mold into any shape with a flick of your hand?"

"Hah! If you can truly reach that level within these six days, I'll take you to the second-floor training room and personally teach you Vast Sea Swordplay from Vast Sea Martial Arts School one-on-one ten times!"

Everyone was instantly stirred, exchanging astonished looks!

Someone even cried out, "Third-Rank Martial Skill, Vast Sea Swordplay?!"

Vast Sea Martial Arts School bore the name Vast Sea for a reason—it was because of Vast Sea Swordplay!

Martial skills were divided into ranks. First through Third Rank corresponded to those used in the Bone Tempering Realm!

Generally, the martial skills circulating on the market for people to learn were mostly unranked skills, such as Extreme Shadow Swordplay.

Otherwise, they were common, run-of-the-mill First-Rank martial skills!

A Third-Rank Martial Skill was usually the finest martial skill a Bone Tempering Realm martial artist could use!

Vast Sea Swordplay was even a top-tier sword art among Third-Rank Martial Skills. Like rolling waves, its force stacked layer upon layer; once mastered, it crushed down like an ocean tide, incomparably domineering!

To truly learn it, one needed not only the hall master's approval, but also at least fifty thousand in tuition!

Most crucially, Li Aoxue would personally provide one-on-one guidance in the training room!

If they truly had such an opportunity, some of the wealthy young masters and second-generation rich kids present would consider it even if it cost a hundred thousand!

"Fine. I accept."

Su Ye's eyes brightened slightly at her words.

It was not that he coveted Li Aoxue's beauty. He simply knew exactly how valuable a Third-Rank Martial Skill was.

Li Aoxue stared fixedly at Su Ye, as if flowers had grown on his face. She could not understand how someone could have such thick skin.

At last, she said coldly, "If you fail to cultivate it."

"Once this tutoring course is over, you need not come back."

"My Vast Sea Martial Arts School does not welcome students like you, who spout nonsense and lie through their teeth!"

She was blacklisting Su Ye, barring him from returning to Vast Sea Sword Hall after this term ended.

Then Li Aoxue turned and left.

She did not want to say another word to Su Ye.

Everyone present looked at Su Ye with teasing, mocking eyes, as though watching a clown.

Zhang Yuan wiped the sweat from his forehead. He looked at Li Aoxue's retreating figure, then at Su Ye. After hesitating, he finally gritted his teeth and walked over.

"Class is almost over!"

"Brother Ye, let's get out of here!"

Under the crowd's smirking, clown-watching gazes, he tugged Su Ye away and left Vast Sea Sword Hall!

After leaving the martial arts school, Zhang Yuan looked at Su Ye with a complicated expression, at a loss for words.

In the end, Zhang Yuan sighed and gave Su Ye a thumbs-up. "Brother Ye, you're incredible!"

"You've completely caught Li Aoxue's attention this time."

"That earth-shaking, ghost-weeping stunt of yours is something those rich second-generation kids wanted to do but never managed!"

Su Ye glanced at Zhang Yuan speechlessly.

"What do you mean, caught her attention?"

"I just couldn't stand her attitude."

"Besides..."

After a pause, Su Ye continued, "I was only fighting for my rightful interests."

The tutoring fee had been over three thousand, nearly all the money he had saved since childhood.

Even half of it was close to seventeen hundred in refunded fees. Naturally, he was not about to swallow such a loss in silence.

Thinking of the wager just now, the corners of his lips lifted slightly. "Now it seems there's even money to be made."

Zhang Yuan was thunderstruck. His eyes widened as he abruptly stopped before a green light.

"Brother Ye, you're seriously doing this?"

"You really want to reach the Shadowless and Extreme Shadow levels?"

"There's no one else here, so stop joking with me. What are you really thinking, Brother Ye?"