You Su felt the strength coming from behind him and looked up at Gu Yao in surprise.
To be honest, You Su had never thought highly of Gu Yao. Perhaps in other people's eyes, Gu Yao was a noble and stern envoy of the Divine Mountain, but to You Su, he was merely a hypocrite who threw his weight around. If not for the sake of gaining admission to hear the lectures by indulging him, You Su would never have admitted fault against his conscience that day.
Gu Yao paid no attention to the young man's gaze and continued:
"Indeed, these two young men are both rare heavenly prodigies. Even in my Xuanxiao Sect, only a few people at the same cultivation level possess such strength. In this contest, both of them displayed their own brilliance. Compared to themselves, neither can truly be called a loser. Precisely for that reason, I cannot judge them as having drawn."
"Whether victory or defeat, both are gifts—the spoils of war they earned today. The process is certainly important, but we cannot let it muddle the result. Defeat is defeat, and victory is victory. Judging the victor as the loser is to belittle the victor's efforts, while judging the loser as the victor is to insult the loser's hard work. Their Dao Paths ahead are still long—perhaps even longer than ours—and they will experience countless victories and defeats. Rather than have them take victory and defeat lightly like old men at such a young age, it would be better to let these hot-blooded youths remember the truth: do not grow arrogant in victory or discouraged in defeat."
"So, You Su wins! Wu Cheng loses!"
The excitement at the front of the crowd had subsided somewhat after Gu Yao spoke. Outsiders truly had no right to define victory or defeat for the two people who had fought in the arena. To do so would be disrespectful to them both.
City Lord Liu, Qi Daodong, and the others wore slightly more solemn expressions, though they still maintained smiles on the surface.
At that moment, someone in the crowd shouted shrilly, "Immortal Master Gu, weren't you the one who said we shouldn't cling to victory and defeat? Why are you making it sound as though victory and defeat are important now? Besides..."
"Besides, I don't think my brother lost! You Su can barely stand. My brother surrendered because he was afraid of hurting him!" The speaker was short and rat-eyed, his face full of indignation. It was none other than Wu Ping.
"Ping'er!" Wu Xueting, the Wu family head, shouted coldly, cutting Wu Ping off. Even Qi Daodong withdrew his smile and frowned at the youth who had stepped forward in defense of his brother.
Qi Daodong and the others understood that this was not a debate over victory and defeat. What did it matter if Gu Yao's words contained ten thousand flaws? Who had the more convincing argument was completely irrelevant. What mattered was Gu Yao's attitude toward the matter. His rebuttal had already made it clear that he intended to judge You Su the winner today. It would be the same even if some people in the crowd disagreed with him.
What meaning was there in continuing the argument? It would only make it seem as though they had ulterior motives.
Gu Yao was not angry. He glanced indifferently at Wu Ping, scaring him into shrinking back at once. Just as Wu Ping was about to offer another explanation, someone beside him spoke first.
"Wu Ping, show some respect! When did Immortal Master Gu's meaning of not clinging to victory and defeat become the same as saying victory and defeat are unimportant? Besides, You Su can barely stand because after I surrendered, he forcibly withdrew his qi to keep that sword strike from hurting me and suffered internal injuries. In this contest, I, Wu Cheng, lost fair and square!"
Wu Cheng's voice grew louder as he spoke. He was no longer addressing Wu Ping, but acknowledging his defeat today before everyone present.
You Su's feelings were complicated. Wu Cheng's reaction had surprised him even more than Gu Yao's.
Gu Yao's intervention could be considered compensation for forcing him to admit fault before, but Wu Cheng had no reason to speak up for him. He only needed to remain silent, and he would lose nothing.
Yet by saying this, he had not only gone against the wishes of the elders behind him, but had also openly acknowledged that You Su was the undisputed victor today—a fact no one could change.
"Good! Senior Brother Gu truly has the foresight of a master. Now that Wu Cheng understands the principle of not becoming discouraged in defeat, he will surely work even harder. You Su must not become arrogant or complacent, either—keep it up. Since the two of you understand Immortal Master Gu's wisdom, your futures will certainly be bright, and you will surely make the name of Chuyun City resound throughout the land!"
City Lord Liu was unwilling to let the dispute over victory and defeat continue, so he spoke up to summarize matters.
Afterward, Gu Yao and he took turns exchanging a few polite words, encouraging the city's cultivators in their resolve to pursue the Dao and affirming the efforts of every contestant. At last, the five-day Ascension Gathering came to an end with You Su claiming first place.
Gu Yao also made a decision. Tomorrow—the final evening of his stay in Chuyun City—he would host a banquet at the City Lord's Mansion, inviting the patriarchs of every sect in the city as well as each contestant. He would present rewards to the cultivators who had performed outstandingly and announce the final recipients of the affiliated sect positions and the places to hear lectures at Xuanxiao Sect.
The crowd finally dispersed as well, leaving the once-bustling City Lord's Mansion seeming empty and desolate.
With the nourishment of Gu Yao's Mystic Qi and the help of that Spirit Creation Pill, You Su could now basically walk freely again. He did not slip away quietly through the crowd, either.
Gu Yao watched You Su's back and secretly shook his head, sighing that he was truly an overly strong-willed youth. Only someone like him could comprehend, at such a young age, the sword intent that even old fossils who had practiced swordsmanship for hundreds of years could not grasp. The previous disciple of the Lotus Sword Venerable had already been the foremost heavenly prodigy. It seemed the next one would be no less impressive.
On the way back, You Su was surrounded by an even larger crowd than before. The restaurant he frequented even offered to charge him nothing whenever he came to eat in the future. The proprietress of Zhaiyun Clothing Shop practically wanted to hug You Su and dote on him, sending him away with a great many new clothes.
You Su thanked them all one by one, bought some medicine for himself at the pharmacy, and slipped away from the crowd. When he reached the rarely traveled West Willow Road, he was alone once more, which made him feel completely at ease.
But the sudden obstacle blocking the road ahead made him tense up again, and memories of all the times he had been surrounded from childhood onward came flooding back.
It was Wu Cheng.
"Still want to fight?" You Su frowned slightly, his hand already resting on the hilt of his sword. His legs were still inconvenient, making it impossible to flee as he had before. At this moment, he had no choice but to fight.
"Not anymore. Didn't I say it already? I lost fair and square." Wu Cheng wore a smile as he slowly walked toward You Su. He had not even changed his bloodstained clothes, clearly having waited here for some time.
You Su did not lower his guard, and his hand remained on the hilt.
"Don't be so tense. I just came to talk to you. If I didn't like talking before a fight, does that mean I can't talk after one?" Wu Cheng stopped two meters away from You Su. The distance was close enough not to seem too far, yet far enough that it did not feel dangerous.
"If you have nothing to say, get out of the way. I'm in a hurry to go home." You Su was clearly in no mood to be polite to Wu Cheng.
Wu Cheng seemed to have expected this. He turned sideways to clear the path, then gazed at the lush green leaves and said leisurely:
"My master isn't as petty as you think. At first, he did indeed tell me to challenge you, but everything afterward that was directed against you was my own decision. Even if you defeated me, he wouldn't truly make a move against you."
"Mm." You Su did not stop and strode away.
"So you could have agreed to fight me from the start, then. Now that I know how strong you are, I won't pester you anymore."
"That doesn't justify you clinging to me."
"That's true. I was too caught up in appearances before. I won't come again." Wu Cheng looked relaxed, as though he had finally achieved his wish and broken free. He turned to look at You Su's departing back and said solemnly, "You Su, the next time we meet will be at the Divine Mountain. I will defeat you."
You Su continued forward in silence and disappeared at the end of the alley. His cold voice drifted back from afar:
"Next time, I won't hold back."
Thank you all for the recommendation votes and monthly votes. But follows and collections are important to me right now too, sob.
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