Martial nephew Yang

"In the second match, Number One wins."

Jiang Feng helped Duan Yi back to the competitors' area, where they sat down in the front row.

Duan Yi remained silent for a long while before saying bitterly, "Jiang Feng, you're strong. I accept my defeat wholeheartedly."

There were five Fifth Order Knights in this tournament. Apart from Han Yu, who had been eliminated in the third round, Duan Yi was the second Fifth Order Knight to taste defeat.

"You're no slouch yourself. You even destroyed my weapons." Jiang Feng smiled slightly. "I look forward to fighting you again in the finals."

"All right. By the finals, I'll definitely be stronger than I am now," Duan Yi said with a determined gaze, quickly shaking off the bitterness of defeat.

Jiang Feng patted his shoulder and said, "Let's both give it our best."

Jiang Feng had originally wanted to say, "Let's both give it our best, for the glory of knights." But in the end, it felt far too melodramatic and embarrassing, so he left it unsaid.

Duan Yi nodded firmly, then said, "Brother Jiang, I'll head back first."

Jiang Feng nodded.

After Duan Yi left, Yang Wenzhao said, "Your strength is truly astonishing, Brother Jiang!"

"You're strong too. No need to be modest," Jiang Feng said with a smile.

"Where are you from, Brother Jiang, and who is your master? Anyone capable of training such a powerful knight must be a great knight himself." Yang Wenzhao was curious, but he knew where to draw the line. "If it's inconvenient, you don't have to tell me."

"You probably haven't heard of my master. I don't think he's all that famous," Jiang Feng said with a faint smile, glancing at him.

You're the one who asked. Don't blame me in a moment.

"Hmm?" Yang Wenzhao grew even more curious.

"My master's name is Yang Haoyu," Jiang Feng said.

"Yang Haoyu." Yang Wenzhao repeated the name. Suddenly, his expression changed drastically and his pupils contracted. He couldn't help blurting out, "What? You're actually my great-uncle's disciple?"

Holding back his laughter, Jiang Feng asked with a puzzled expression, "What great-uncle?"

Yang Wenzhao's expression turned decidedly strange. He studied Jiang Feng carefully, then finally sighed and said, "My grandfather is Yang Haohan, the current leader of the Alliance, master of the Knight Temple, and Divine Seal Knight of Defense and Coordination. Yang Haoyu is my great-uncle."

At that, Jiang Feng put on a look of surprise as he stared at Yang Wenzhao. "Doesn't that make me your martial uncle?"

"Martial uncle..." Yang Wenzhao was instantly speechless. This boy doesn't even look as old as me, and he's my martial uncle? What a load of crap!

If only I'd kept my mouth shut instead of asking.

Fuck!

Finding out he had another martial uncle should certainly have been a happy occasion. But this martial uncle was about his age, perhaps even younger, and they were opponents competing at the same level.

If they met in a match, was he supposed to fight or not?

Fighting would feel like defying his senior and betraying his masters, but if he didn't fight, was he supposed to concede outright?

"You little rascal! No wonder I felt close to you the moment I saw you. So we're actually martial uncle and nephew!" Jiang Feng said with a delighted expression, as though he had found a relative lost for years.

"Impossible. My great-uncle has been in seclusion for nearly forty years. How could you be his disciple?" Yang Wenzhao was utterly stunned.

"Believe it or don't. My master told me not to invoke his name if I caused trouble outside. It wouldn't do much good, since only the Alliance's highest-ranking figures still know who he is. Ordinary people aren't qualified to know his name," Jiang Feng said calmly.

"Words alone prove nothing," Yang Wenzhao stammered. "Unless you can produce evidence that you're really my martial uncle?"

Even now, he still found it hard to accept this fact.

"Martial nephew Yang, there's nothing I can do if you put it that way. I haven't seen my master in over six months. Where am I supposed to find any evidence?" Jiang Feng immediately took to calling him "martial nephew Yang."

"Don't call me that! Who's your martial nephew Yang? If you've got the guts, produce some proof!" Yang Wenzhao panicked.

He certainly didn't want to suddenly acquire a martial uncle younger than himself.

Jiang Feng merely smiled and quietly watched the matches. This revelation was too shocking; he had to give Yang Wenzhao some time to digest it.

There were two matches left: one pitting a Fifth Order Knight against a Fourth Order Knight, and another between two Fourth Order Knights.

There were no further upsets. In the match between the Fifth Order and Fourth Order Knights, the Fifth Order Knight won easily. The match between the two Fourth Order Knights was also relatively relaxed. Since both had already qualified for the finals, there was no need to go all out just for a ranking. An injury would hardly be worth it.

Today's matches had determined the top four. Tomorrow would be the semifinals of the preliminary round.

After the matches ended, Yang Wenzhao stood up to leave.

"Brother Jiang..." Yang Wenzhao began.

"Call me martial uncle," Jiang Feng said calmly.

"Goodbye, Brother Jiang." Yang Wenzhao hastily bid him farewell and hurried away.

He simply couldn't accept the fact that he now had another martial uncle, so he was going to find his grandfather and confirm it.

If his great-uncle really had taken a disciple, his grandfather ought to know about it.

Watching Yang Wenzhao flee, Jiang Feng smiled slightly and thought nothing more of it. He scooped up Dragon Baby beside him, rose, and left.

"By tonight, you'll be calling me martial uncle without a shred of doubt," Jiang Feng said with a chuckle.

After returning to the hotel with Dragon Baby and eating his fill, Jiang Feng went back to his room to begin cultivating.

"What? You're going to evolve? This soon?"

Jiang Feng stared in surprise at Dragon Baby in his arms. It had hatched less than ten days ago, and it was already about to evolve?

"Woo, woo." Dragon Baby was clearly excited, and he could even hear a hint of joy in its cries.

"All right, focus on evolving. These magic crystals are all yours. Tell me if they're not enough, and I'll find a way to get more." Jiang Feng was happy too.

Dragon Baby had already been a Level Five Magical Beast when it hatched. Now that it was beginning to evolve, he wondered what level it would reach afterward.

Still, this certainly couldn't be a simple advancement. The magic crystals Dragon Baby had been eating lately were all one level higher than its own. The vast spiritual energy they contained was far more than an ordinary magical beast of its level could absorb.

And Dragon Baby had eaten nearly ten of them in succession. Presumably, this evolution would be no small matter.

Jiang Feng placed Dragon Baby on the bed, then arranged his last remaining Sixth Order Golden Twin-Blade Demon magic crystal and four Fifth Order magic crystals around it to supply the spiritual energy needed for its evolution.

Dragon Baby excitedly swallowed a Fifth Order magic crystal in one gulp, then curled up, slowly closed its eyes, and fell asleep.

Jiang Feng observed it for a while but could make nothing of it, so he sat down cross-legged and began cultivating.

As the sky darkened, Yang Wenzhao emerged from the Alliance Executive Government in the Holy City, his face filled with astonishment. Finally, he sighed as though resigning himself to his fate.

From Yang Haohan, he had confirmed that Jiang Feng really was his martial uncle.

Ugh, how am I supposed to face him from now on?

Deeply troubled, Yang Wenzhao decided to stop thinking about it and went straight back to his room.

His room wasn't far from Jiang Feng's; one was on the third floor, the other on the fourth.

After returning to his room, he began reflecting on today's battle. This was a habit of his, one that improved his combat awareness and made him stronger.

Finally, Yang Wenzhao concluded, "The Holy Guidance Spirit Furnace, huh? Compared to my Star Sea Spiritual Furnace, there's still quite a gap."

"A... gap?" Without warning, those two icy words rang out in his room.