A Fight to the Death!

After dinner.

Ye Qiu sat on the mountaintop, chin propped in both hands, alone with nothing but the Northwest Wind for company.

Behind him, Lu Li and Nan Qingyue sat at the stone table, holding hands like a pair of sisters.

In front of others, Lu Li was quiet, aloof, and proud. Nan Qingyue, too, seemed cold, decisive, and brisk.

But now they were completely different. They chatted happily, laughing and teasing each other, saying whatever came to mind.

"Li'er, look. I found this South Sea Blood Bright Pearl for you. It clears the mind and helps with Dao Comprehension."

"Teacher, these are rare. Where did you get it?"

"I fought someone and took it, of course. I asked around—this thing is worth over a million, and it's hard to buy even if you have the money!"

"Oh! You didn't get hurt in the fight, did you?"

Ye Qiu: "???"

Nan Qingyue said, "Of course not. Even if your teacher can't win a fight, she can run very fast."

Lu Li said, "Teacher, you should still be careful. We've offended so many people now. I'm afraid they'll retaliate in secret!"

Nan Qingyue smiled. "Li'er is such a devoted student."

"Teacher, why does this Bead taste a little salty?"

Nan Qingyue said, "It might have spent too long in the sea... You don't like it? Then smash it, grind it into powder, and use it on your face."

Lu Li thought for a moment. "All right."

Ye Qiu: "???"

With a crack, Ye Qiu turned his head slightly. That blood-red Bead, so precious and rare, worth over a million, shattered right before his eyes.

Then they put the powder in a cup and diluted it with water.

He ground his teeth. Just look at them. Look closely... Weren't these two born to squander a fortune?

From now on, it wouldn't just be a matter of swallowing his anger. The real problem was... he couldn't afford to support them!

A Bead worth over a million, and you're using it on your face? Is your face made of gold?

Lu Li said, "Teacher, if I put this Bead on my face, won't my face taste salty too?"

Nan Qingyue exclaimed, "Oh! I forgot about that... Forget it, feed it to a dog. But would a dog even like it?"

Lu Li thought for a moment. "Better not. Save it for my Ye Qiu. He'll eat it—it can replenish his Qi and Blood!"

Ye Qiu: "???"

Woman, you're humiliating me!

Late that night, Nan Qingyue and Lu Li finally finished talking. Then Lu Li looked at Ye Qiu. "Time for bed."

Ye Qiu rose, looking as though life held nothing for him. "Where am I sleeping?"

"In my room," Lu Li said.

"In your dreams!" Ye Qiu roared.

Nan Qingyue said, "What, were you hoping to sleep in my room?"

Ye Qiu: "..."

Has it occurred to either of you that you could sleep in the same room?

But he didn't say it.

He didn't much want to speak to either of them.

He turned away in silence and went to the Gravity Tower.

On the way, he wrote his grandfather a letter to let him know.

After all, when he'd left, he had promised his grandfather he would be back quickly.

Now it seemed he might be gone a little longer.

Just eight characters: Things are tricky. I'll return later!

Three days later, Ye Qiu received a reply from the Wen Family. Two words, with an emphatic mark: Understood!

He put the letter away and sighed quietly. It was as though his family had known this would happen all along.

He felt a little offended.

His mood really wasn't good.

Over those three days, he had also trained desperately. His Qi and Blood and Cultivation Level had both improved considerably.

His Fist Technique, Blade Technique, and Essence Qi and Spirit had grown stronger as well.

But compared with Lu Li...

Why did you have to go and comprehend Artistic Conception?

Just then, several people darted out from the side and blocked his path. Their leader was a tall, burly man.

The man looked at Ye Qiu. "You're Ye Qiu?"

Ye Qiu shook his head. "No."

The man's face turned icy. "I've seen your portrait. You are."

Ye Qiu looked at the big fellow, whose hostile face made it obvious he had come looking for trouble. "Then why ask?"

The man's expression darkened. "You have a marriage engagement with Senior Sister Lu Li?"

Ye Qiu sighed. What he had expected had finally come. He'd known someone was bound to cause trouble.

"Do you know who Senior Sister Lu Li is?"

"Are you about to tell me I'm not worthy of her?" Ye Qiu asked.

"As long as you know!"

"Here's an idea. I'll take you to Lu Li, and you can tell her all this yourself. How about it?"

The tall man's face twisted. "Trying to use Senior Sister Lu Li to pressure me?"

Ye Qiu: "???"

The man sneered. "No wonder you're so good-looking. You're just a pretty boy who hides behind a woman!"

Ye Qiu took a deep breath. "Fine. What do you want?"

"If you're a man, face this yourself!"

"You want a fight?"

"A fight to the death!"

Ye Qiu glanced at him. "Is killing allowed here?"

The tall man's name was Wu Gang. He looked at Ye Qiu with a cold smile. "Trying to hide behind the Academy Laws now?"

"If you're a man, follow me onto the Life and Death Stage!"

"And don't think you can hide. You might escape today, but you can't escape forever. I have all the time and all the ways I need to make your life hell!"

Ye Qiu studied him. "Which way?"

Wu Gang stared back at Ye Qiu. A moment later, he headed straight toward the Life and Death Stage.

The people behind him gave Ye Qiu amused looks, then followed.

"That kid's got some nerve, huh?"

"He's got nothing. Senior Brother Wu Gang backed him into a corner."

"Senior Brother Wu Gang is at the seventh level of Mystic Passage and ranks among the top hundred on the South Province Ranking. That kid's a new student. Isn't he a mouse licking a cat's teeth, sticking his head in its mouth to die?"

"What a joke!"

Ye Qiu couldn't be bothered with them. He followed, and before long, they reached a Mountain Valley.

Ahead stood a Black Battle Platform. At its base was a stone stele bearing three blood-red characters: Life and Death Stage!

Wu Gang leaped onto the platform and stood in its center, pointing angrily at Ye Qiu. "Pretty boy, get your ass up here! Don't make me look down on you!"

The people around them began to jeer, watching Ye Qiu with amused expressions. More people streamed toward the platform.

When they heard what was happening, the crowd roared, "Kill him!"

Lu Li was famous in the Academy, and far too many people secretly adored him.

They were jealous, frenzied, and filled with hostility toward Ye Qiu.

Ye Qiu said nothing. He walked onto the Battle Stage. The moment he stepped up, Wu Gang clasped his hands behind his back. "I'll give you three moves."

Ye Qiu lifted his eyes.

Wu Gang extended a hand and crooked a finger at him with a sneer. "Go on. Attack."

Boom—

The words had barely left his mouth when a sonic boom exploded. By the time it rang out, Ye Qiu was already in front of Wu Gang.

The Black Broadsword in his hand came down the instant they met!

After that single slash, Ye Qiu turned and walked toward the edge of the Battle Stage. Behind him, Wu Gang stood motionless, face blank, eyes bulging.

The next instant,

Pfft—

Wu Gang's body split in two from head to crotch, and a thick mist of blood billowed out.

The noisy scene fell dead silent.

The amused smiles on some faces had yet to fade.

Many people didn't even know what had happened. In the blink of an eye, Wu Gang had been cut apart!

What had just happened?

Ye Qiu walked toward the edge of the Battle Stage, expressionless. Then a man suddenly roared, "How dare you launch a sneak attack?"

Ye Qiu looked up at him. He was tall and thin, dressed in white, with cold eyes.

Ye Qiu raised his blade and pointed it at him. "Your turn?"

The man fell silent.

"If you don't dare, then shut up!" Ye Qiu said.

The man suddenly raised his head, his face contorted. He sprang onto the Battle Stage.

Before his feet had even fully landed, he charged straight at Ye Qiu.

His aura erupted, and crimson light flashed.

Mystic Passage Eighth Layer!

Pfft—

Ye Qiu remained calm. He waited until the man closed in, then raised his blade again and brought it down with overwhelming force!

One Saber Breaks Ten Thousand Laws!

Boom—

A blinding blade light slashed down. Before everyone's eyes, the crimson glow around the man shattered with a boom, his terrifying aura crushed to pieces!

The blade light descended toward his head. His expression changed drastically, but there was no time to dodge.

"Ah..."

With a miserable scream, his body exploded under the shocked gazes of countless onlookers!

It didn't split apart. It exploded!

Blood and flesh sprayed in every direction!

The crowd: "..."

A falling needle could have been heard!