Lost the Wheel Battle?

Yun Jingheng stood by the lakeside, the Moonlight Sword hanging loosely at his side, its tip resting against the ground.

His tone was indifferent, his expression plain.

Yet the five students watching him held varied gazes.

The eldest was eleven or twelve, burly and broad-shouldered, with arms a size thicker than the average person's—clearly a strength-based martial soul.

He glanced at Yun Jingheng, the corner of his mouth twitching, but he remained silent.

Standing beside him was a girl with a ponytail, looking a year or two older than Yun Jingheng, her eyes sharp and her hand held in a loose grip, as if habitually clutching a weapon.

The other three: one was tall and thin, hands in his pockets, wearing an expression of utter indifference.

Another was a short, chubby boy, staring intensely at the sword in Yun Jingheng's hand.

And there was one more—

The youngest.

Around eight years old, about the same age as Yun Jingheng.

She had golden hair, blue eyes, and delicate features, though a coldness inconsistent with her age lingered between her brows.

Her gaze fell upon Yun Jingheng, sweeping him from head to toe before finally resting on the crescent moon mark at the center of his forehead.

Then, she let out a "hmph."

It wasn't a cold snort, but a genuine "hmph"—the kind emitted from the nose, carrying twelve parts of disdain.

Yun Jingheng looked at her: "What is your name?"

The girl did not answer.

She huffed again and turned her head away.

Yun Jingheng: "..."

Yun Jingheng looked at the golden-haired girl and suddenly felt like laughing.

This expression, this "I don't want to talk to you, but I want you to know I'm amazing" attitude...

It looked exactly like the tsundere heroines from the school-life novels of his past life.

"Fine."

He said, "Then which of you will go fir—"

Before he could finish, a fierce sword light slashed toward his face.

The golden-haired girl had moved.

She had produced a sword from nowhere; the blade was slender and bright yellow, shimmering with star-like specks of light under the sun.

The Star God Sword.

She thrust the sword forward, aiming straight for Yun Jingheng's throat.

No nonsense, no greeting, no "I'm about to attack" warning.

She simply struck.

Yun Jingheng frowned slightly.

It wasn't because the strike was particularly strong.

It was because the strike was too direct.

So direct that... it didn't feel like a sparring match; it felt like an ambush.

His feet shifted slightly, his body swaying to dodge the blade while his right hand gave a light flick.

Crescent Slash.

A silver-white arc of moonlight flew from the tip of his sword; it was neither fast, nor powerful, nor angled with any particular cunning.

It was just a casual flick, as if swatting away a fly.

A flash of contempt crossed the golden-haired girl's eyes.

She gave her sword tip a shake, and a pale golden sword qi shot out to meet the crescent blade.

"Bang—"

The two sword energies collided, and silver light and golden radiance exploded simultaneously.

The corners of the golden-haired girl's mouth curled upward slightly.

Nothing special.

Just as she was about to continue her assault, she suddenly realized—

Yun Jingheng was gone.

In the next instant, her vision blurred.

That plain face appeared before her, less than a foot away.

The Moonlight Sword was already raised, its edge pointed directly at her throat.

The blonde girl's pupils constricted sharply.

Instinctively, she held her sword horizontally to block.

"Clang—"

The Star God Sword collided with the Moonlight Sword, sending sparks flying in every direction.

Then, she felt a strange power surging from the opponent's blade.

It wasn't brute force, nor was it a shockwave of soul power, but rather a kind of... traction?

It was like moonlight falling upon the surface of water; it looked gentle, yet it could shatter the reflection on the water into pieces.

Her Star God Sword flew out of her hand.

It traced an arc through the air and, with a soft thud, embedded itself into the grass three zhang away.

The blade trembled slightly, its luster dimmed.

The entire scene fell silent.

Yun Jingheng was stunned for a moment, and after a long silence, Xiao Jiu managed to squeeze out, "Is... that it? Then what was she being so arrogant about just now?"

The blonde girl stood frozen in place, maintaining her horizontal blocking posture, but her hands were completely empty.

She looked down at her hands, then up at Yun Jingheng, then back down at her hands again.

Her expression shifted from bewilderment to disbelief, and finally to—

Shame and indignation.

"You—"

Her face flushed red; she wanted to say something, but nothing came out.

Yun Jingheng retracted his sword and took a step back.

"You lost."

He said, his tone flat, as if stating a simple fact.

The blonde girl glared at him, her eyes rimmed with red.

"I..."

"You are no match for me right now."

Yun Jingheng interrupted her, "Next."

The blonde girl stood where she was, motionless.

From the time she was small until now, she had never lost.

At home, she was a genius.

In her clan, she was a treasure.

In the genius class, she was the standout among her peers.

She had thought she was strong.

Very, very strong.

Yet, she had been disarmed of her martial soul by a single strike from a guy she had never even heard of.

Furthermore, she hadn't even seen how that strike had come about.

She bit her lip, turned around, and walked away.

After two steps, she stopped again.

"What is your name?"

She didn't turn back, her voice muffled.

Yun Jingheng blinked, confused: "I didn't call out."

By the tree, Yun Ming raised an eyebrow, his expression a mix of amusement and exasperation.

"I am asking what your name is!"

Yun Jingheng realized he had just said something foolish.

"...Shouldn't you state your own name first?"

"Ye Xinglan!"

"Yun Jingheng."

After saying this, she strode away, not looking back once.

The girl with the ponytail watched her retreating figure, then looked at Yun Jingheng, her eyes filled with complex emotions.

"She isn't usually like this," she said, "She was just stunned by your strike today."

Yun Jingheng nodded: "I understand."

He looked at the remaining four people.

"Who is next?"

The burly boy stepped forward.

"I'll go."

He walked to the center of the arena and shook his arms, causing them to instantly swell in size as a faint golden glow emerged on the surface of his skin.

"Vajra Arm Martial Soul, power type."

He said, "My name is Guo Zhen, eleven years old."

Yun Jingheng nodded: "Yun Jingheng, eight years old."

Guo Zhen grinned: "I know you're eight. Beating you counts as bullying a child, but Teacher Lan told me to come."

He paused, clenching his fist as golden light flickered over his knuckles.

"Watch out."

As the words fell, he took a step forward, the ground trembling slightly as he launched himself toward Yun Jingheng like a cannonball.

The wind of his fist whistled.

Yun Jingheng did not take the blow head-on.

His figure flickered, dodging the punch while simultaneously sweeping his Moonlight Sword horizontally.

Crescent Slash.

Guo Zhen dodged to the side, the golden light on his fist surging as he threw another punch.

Yun Jingheng dodged again.

And swung his sword again.

Dodged again.

And swung his sword again.

Only thirty seconds into the fight, Guo Zhen had already thrown over a dozen punches, each one heavier and faster than the last.

Yet Yun Jingheng was like a sliver of moonlight, elusive and flickering; every sword strike hit with precision, yet every strike was deflected by the force of Guo Zhen's fist wind.

"Is all you can do is hide?" Guo Zhen roared.

Yun Jingheng did not speak.

Inside his Sea of Consciousness, Xiao Jiu yawned.

"Ten seconds left for the New Moon," it said.

Yun Jingheng's thoughts stirred.

Indeed, from the start of the battle until now, he had been using the most basic Crescent Slash to probe, without actively triggering any lunar phase changes.

But the moon within his body was already slowly rotating.

In the New Moon state, his spiritual power increased by thirty percent, and his attacks carried a mental interference effect.

He could clearly perceive the trajectory, power, and angle of every punch Guo Zhen threw, and could even predict where the next one would land.

This was the power of the New Moon.

Another punch came roaring in.

This time, Yun Jingheng did not dodge.

He met the fist wind head-on and swung his sword.

The moment the blade collided with the fist, Guo Zhen suddenly felt a sense of vertigo.

His mind went blank for 0.5 seconds.

It was very short, so short it was almost imperceptible.

But for Yun Jingheng, it was enough.

He sidestepped the fist and tapped his Moonlight Sword lightly against Guo Zhen's waist.

"Clap."

Guo Zhen froze, looking down at the spot where he had been tapped.

It didn't hurt.

But in that instant, he knew that if his opponent had wanted to kill him, that sword could have pierced through his waist and abdomen.

"You..."

He opened his mouth, not knowing what to say.

Yun Jingheng stepped back.

"You lost."

Guo Zhen was silent for three seconds, then grinned.

"Fine, I lost."

He turned to leave, but took two steps before looking back.

"What was that move of yours? Why did I suddenly zone out?"

Yun Jingheng thought for a moment: "Maybe the moonlight was too bright."

Guo Zhen looked up at the sky.

The sun was blazing; where would moonlight come from?

He scratched his head, didn't ask again, and walked back to the group.

"Next?"

"Next."

"Coming?"

Lan Muzi stood not far away, watching this gauntlet match from start to finish.

Five people.

Five of the most outstanding students from the genius class.

All defeated.

"So, I would like to know where your arrogance comes from? You couldn't even beat a one-ring Spirit Master in a gauntlet match?"

Lan Muzi said.

The five hung their heads, none daring to utter a word of rebuttal.

"Drop that attitude of looking down your noses at people! Go back and reflect on yourselves!"

He took two steps, turned back, and winked at Yun Jingheng.

Then, he led the five students away.

By the shores of Sea God Lake, silence returned.

Yun Jingheng stood where he was, watching the group's retreating figures.

In his Sea of Consciousness, Xiao Jiu rolled over.

"Xiao Jiu."

"Hm?"

"Do you think I'll be able to touch the Blood Moon when I turn twelve?"

Xiao Jiu was silent for a moment.

"I don't know."

It said, "But no matter when it is, I will be by your side."

Yun Jingheng froze for a moment, then smiled.

"Good."

In the distance, Yun Ming stood under a tree, quietly watching this scene.

Ya Li arrived at his side, though he hadn't noticed when.

"Is it over?"

"It's over."

"How was it?"

Yun Ming was silent for a moment, then suddenly smiled.

"Five people," he said, "in a gauntlet match."

"They lost?"

"All of them."

Ya Li smiled as well.

"My son is truly amazing..."

She didn't finish her sentence, simply watching the figure by the lake, her eyes filled with tenderness.