Xing Yu!

"Our Mystic Universe Heavenly Palace has an unwritten rule. Any disciple who takes an elder as his master must accept challenges from the other disciples in the palace. If a challenger wins, he takes your place as my disciple."

Mo Tianji arrived early the next morning.

And he brought that piece of news with him.

Xu Xuan was briefly stunned. "That's actually a thing?"

He had thought he could begin cultivating as soon as he became a disciple, but he had never expected to have to keep accepting challenges.

"Life Deduction System, begin the second deduction!"

The system's voice rang out in his mind.

Xu Xuan's expression immediately turned serious. He listened quietly, not daring to let his attention slip.

"An individual named Xing Yu will soon arrive to challenge the host. Does the host choose to accept?"

"He's already bringing the fight to my doorstep. How can I refuse?"

Without the slightest hesitation, Xu Xuan nodded. "Accept the challenge!"

"The host succeeds in the challenge and defeats Xing Yu. However, Xing Yu refuses to accept defeat and launches a hidden weapon, swiftly killing the host in a reversal!"

Xu Xuan's face darkened at that.

Fuck!

Am I really that unlucky?

"Then I choose to refuse the challenge!"

"The host refuses the challenge and is publicly humiliated by Xing Yu. The host loses a four-digit amount of Fate Points and is eventually murdered by Xing Yu in secret."

"Motherfucker!"

Xu Xuan immediately burst into furious curses, completely forgetting Mo Tianji beside him.

"Hmm?"

Mo Tianji's brow twitched, and his expression stiffened. He looked at Xu Xuan. "Were you just insulting your master?"

"No! I wouldn't dare!"

Coming to his senses, Xu Xuan hurriedly waved his hands. He had been cursing the system, not his master!

"Enough. Go outside and wait for now. If no one challenges you by noon today, the matter will be over. If someone does challenge you, accept it. If you refuse, you will lose access to all the sect's resources. The Mystic Universe Heavenly Palace will not support a coward!"

Mo Tianji finished with a grim expression, every trace of goodwill he had felt toward Xu Xuan vanishing.

Ding! Mo Tianji's goodwill toward the host has vanished. Fate Points -556!

Xu Xuan's eyelids twitched furiously. That curse had slipped out by accident, yet his master had mistaken it for an insult directed at him.

Even so, Xu Xuan walked outside the Moji Pavilion and quietly awaited Xing Yu's arrival.

"Well, well, isn't this the new disciple? Quite full of yourself, aren't you?"

A male disciple with a sword at his waist and an arrogant expression came riding a flying sword.

Dressed in black martial robes, he stared at Xu Xuan with open hostility. "I heard you possess a Chaos Body?"

"I, Xing Yu, challenge you. Do you dare accept?"

Xing Yu pointed at Xu Xuan, smiling with undisguised arrogance.

Xu Xuan glanced at the bead he held, then tucked it into his robes before looking at the newcomer.

The bead was precisely the one the system had given him!

Its function was to record their battle. With the system, he naturally knew his opponent would launch a hidden weapon after the fight. As long as he stayed alert and dodged it, there should not be much of a problem.

Moreover, with the bead recording their battle, it would be clear that Xing Yu had not released the hidden weapon by mistake. Such conduct was forbidden in the Mystic Universe Heavenly Palace.

Maybe I can't kill him, but I can at least get him punished!

After sizing him up, Xu Xuan smiled, his lips curling mockingly. "Peak Transforming Sea? You're still no match for me."

"Is that so?"

The sword at Xing Yu's waist shot skyward amid waves of purple killing intent, his imposing aura surging!

"As expected of Senior Brother Xing Yun's younger brother! That aura alone is on par with a half-step Heavenly Mansion cultivator!"

Countless spectators clamored to offer their opinions, each acting as though he were the one standing in the arena.

"Such dense Sword Qi! Probably only Senior Brother Xing Yun's younger brother, Xing Yu, could possess it!"

System scan: Xing Yu!

Younger brother of Xing Yun, Elder Bai's second disciple. Cultivation: peak Transforming Sea. His swordsmanship has reached transcendent mastery and possesses boundless might!

The introduction was brief, but it gave Xu Xuan a clear understanding!

Facing the menacing Xing Yu, Xu Xuan merely picked up a wooden stick. With the system's deductions backing him up, what the hell did he have to fear?

"A wooden stick is enough to defeat you!"

Xu Xuan spoke with supreme swagger.

"You're courting death!"

Xing Yu flew into a rage and leaped into the air. The next instant, he slashed his sword straight toward Xu Xuan's forehead.

"I never expected this new disciple to be so good at showing off. Too bad he's up against Xing Yu. I bet he'll lose within three moves!"

"Three moves? You're giving him far too much credit. As I see it, he'll be lucky to withstand this one attack. Xing Yu might even kill him outright with that sword!"

"Exactly. Junior Brother Xing Yu is only eighteen, yet his swordsmanship has already reached this level. That alone proves his talent. This new disciple won't get the better of him."

Several palace deacons were also whispering in the shadows near the fight.

They oversaw all contests and clashes between the palace's disciples. Every deacon possessed at least Heavenly Mansion cultivation; without it, they might not even be able to subdue an ordinary disciple.

Bang!

The first collision pitted a mid-grade spiritual weapon against an ordinary wooden stick.

Spiritual energy shredded the stick into splinters, which scattered on the wind.

"How is that possible?"

Xing Yu staggered backward, shock written across his face!

It seemed as though he had gained the advantage, but his opponent had used a wooden stick. The stick had shattered, yet he himself had been forced back more than a dozen steps.

Xu Xuan, by contrast, remained expressionless, neither flushed nor breathless. He merely watched him calmly, the mockery on his lips plain to see!

The swordsmanship he took such pride in was actually that worthless in his opponent's eyes!

Unable to bear the blow, Xing Yu's expression turned exceptionally dark.

Xing Yu's state of mind has been damaged. Fate Points -418!

Xing Yu had originally possessed fewer than a thousand Fate Points in total. Losing half of them in one stroke was truly pitiful.

Xu Xuan smiled smugly. "Looks like this so-called genius is nothing but trash. Even your spiritual energy couldn't beat my wooden stick. Crawl back to wherever you came from."

"You're courting death!"

Xing Yu roared furiously and swept his sleeve. Three streaks of cold light shot toward Xu Xuan on the wind!

Their speed was astonishing!

Had he not prepared beforehand, that attack really might have caught him.

Xu Xuan had been on guard, watching Xing Yu throughout the fight. The instant Xing Yu moved, he lunged aside, causing the hidden weapons to miss.

"You really are vicious. You actually dared to use hidden weapons!"

Xu Xuan chuckled and took the bead out of his robes.

"What proof do you have that I used hidden weapons?"

Xing Yu lied through his teeth. If he admitted it, he would certainly face severe punishment, and the resources he received in the future would be greatly reduced.

At that moment, several deacons emerged from the shadows.

They truly would have preferred not to interfere, but the bead in Xu Xuan's hand had already recorded the evidence.