I Report

Chapter 6: I Report

"You're this grown and still so childish?" Xu Zimo shook his head helplessly, looking at Zhong Xin with a smile. "Fine, I agree."

He understood the other's thinking—his own father was the Vice Sect Master, and to some extent, any disgrace he brought fell on his father's face as well.

"I have a Yellow Tier meridian technique here," Zhong Xin said flatly. "You two can each study it for the time it takes an incense stick to burn. Then we'll see who has better comprehension and who uses the technique more proficiently. That decides the winner."

"Fine, I have no objections." Xu Zimo and Liao Ruyan both nodded.

Zhong Xin then took the meridian technique out from his Storage Ring. This Yellow Tier technique was called the Flying Swallow Saber Technique.

Liao Ruyan's eyes lit up when she saw it.

In fact, she had been cultivating a meridian technique ever since she started Body Tempering in the Mortal Realm half a year ago.

Just a while back, she had finally reached the "Subtlety" level with that technique.

On the Yuanyang Continent, every meridian technique was divided into four levels: Subtlety, Mystery, Other Shore, and Perfection.

And the technique Liao Ruyan had been cultivating was precisely this Flying Swallow Saber Technique.

Zhong Xin gave Liao Ruyan a subtle smile, then said, "If you two have no objections, let's start cultivating now."

"There's no need for all that trouble." Xu Zimo shook his head, took the technique, and casually flipped through a few pages.

"Lend me your saber for a moment," he said to a disciple watching nearby.

With a clang, the long saber was drawn from its sheath. Xu Zimo gripped the handle and lightly sliced through the air.

Everyone felt a profound, elusive sensation pass before their eyes as the blade burst forth with a saber aura over a meter long.

They heard what seemed like a swallow chirping by their ears, and the saber aura in front of them transformed into a flying swallow in midair.

The air split with a white trail, and then the swallow vanished.

Xu Zimo casually returned the saber to the disciple beside him and smiled at Liao Ruyan. "Go ahead, show us your performance."

The atmosphere fell dead silent. After a long while, someone muttered uncertainly under their breath.

"Was that Martial Dao True Intent just now? Could he have already cultivated the Flying Swallow Saber Technique to Perfection?"

The crowd erupted. Only a meridian technique at the Perfection level could evolve Martial Dao True Intent.

Liao Ruyan stared at Xu Zimo, unable to speak for a long moment. "You're already at Perfection! How the hell am I supposed to compete with that when I'm only at Subtlety?!"

"If you think the time of one incense stick is too short, I'll give you a whole day. As long as your understanding surpasses mine, you win." Xu Zimo smiled, then turned to the dumbfounded Zhong Xin. "What do you think, Senior Brother Zhong?"

"Ah." Zhong Xin quickly snapped back to himself and forced a smile. "That's fine, but I feel that in a contest, what matters is the process—what everyone gains from it. The result isn't that important."

"Bullshit. If the result doesn't matter, then the contest itself is meaningless." Xu Zimo showed no mercy, shaking his head with a sigh. "Senior Brother Zhong, you're the First Elder's Chief Disciple, yet you don't understand such a simple truth. I wonder if it's your own stupidity or if the First Elder's teaching methods are too rigid."

"The master leads you in, but cultivation depends on the individual," Zhong Xin replied coldly. "If Junior Brother Zimo has a problem, take it up with me. You're not qualified to insult my master."

"Say whatever you want." Xu Zimo shook his head with a laugh. "I'm just concerned about when those two Dark Sky Tiger cubs of mine will be delivered."

Zhong Xin fell silent for a moment, then looked at Liao Ruyan.

The Dark Sky Tiger was an Emperor Beast. Even the True Martial Sacred Sect didn't have many, and the First Elder had already planned to gift those few cubs to certain people as favors.

So Zhong Xin didn't dare make that decision on his own.

"If you can't deliver, just say so. I don't really care." Xu Zimo replied with a faint smile. "But some people—if you can't handle the game, don't play. Don't disgrace the True Martial Sacred Sect. Think back to the True Martial Great Emperor's grandeur in his day. We may not surpass our ancestors' glory, but at least don't tarnish it!"

"That's right. If you can't handle it, don't waste other people's time and energy." Lin Ruhu chimed in from the side. "A Great Emperor once said, time is money, time is life. Wasting someone else's time is like murder for profit."

"You don't need to jab at me with your insinuations. I concede. I won't go back on the bet." Liao Ruyan's face flushed red as she shouted, then turned and ran off.

"Brother Zimo, were we too harsh?" Lin Ruhu tugged at Xu Zimo's shoulder, glancing in the direction Liao Ruyan had fled, and asked quietly.

"Harsh?" Xu Zimo shook his head with a smile.

First, he hadn't planned to stir up trouble. Liao Ruyan had provoked him first to humiliate him.

Second, Liao Ruyan had already learned the Flying Swallow Saber Technique long ago. Zhong Xin pulling it out for the contest—wasn't that dirty trick even more excessive?

Third, he was a villain, damn it. Glare at me, and I'll slaughter your whole family. What's wrong with being harsh?

Zhong Xin shot Xu Zimo a deep look, then quickly chased after her.

"Picking on a girl—what kind of skill is that?" Just then, a discordant voice suddenly rang out from the gathered crowd.

The voice was very low. With so many disciples packed together, Xu Zimo couldn't tell who it came from.

"Who's running their mouth behind people's backs?" Lin Ruhu widened his eyes, scanning the crowd of youths.

The youths exchanged glances and shook their heads in unison.

"Personally, I hate it when people gossip behind my back. If you've got something to say, say it to my face like a man." Xu Zimo stepped forward with a light laugh, addressing the crowd. "I know some of you must have heard who said that. So, whoever tells me who was gossiping just now—from now on, you can follow me. You'll be my people."

My people? Bah—why does that sound so misleading!

You're just my underlings, yeah, that's right, underlings, lackeys."

As Xu Zimo finished speaking, he saw someone nearby raise a hand.

"Brother Zimo, I'm reporting—it was him gossiping just now."

"That's right, it was him gossiping, I heard it loud and clear."

"Exactly, he and I get along well usually, and he often badmouths you—I swear on my character and integrity."

At this point, the youths in the arena were in full uproar, each one acting like a little detective prince.

All fingers pointed at the disciple in the white robe standing in the middle.

The reported youth was now utterly dumbfounded; he'd only dared to comment because of the crowd.

He never expected such a dirty trick!

To become Xu Zimo's lackeys, these people had all turned into bootlickers.