I will ascend straight to the azure clouds, step by step

Cheng Yu looked at Fang Yong, feeling rather regretful.

In her expectations, if Jiang Man encountered Fang Yong...

Given their past grievances, they would presumably come to blows.

And there was little difference in their strength.

Someone would definitely have to get hurt.

Meanwhile, Chang Qiwen could take another opponent down with him.

Then she could advance smoothly and secure a spot.

Unfortunately, although Jiang Man and Fang Yong had made quite a commotion fighting, neither had suffered any injuries beyond expending some energy.

Still, this would do.

Whether she could advance now really came down to this match.

If she won, her spot would be assured.

Anyone could see that Luo Xuan was done for.

So if they won, they would not have to worry about Luo Xuan challenging them.

Fang Yong looked coldly at Cheng Yu. "Are you threatening me?"

"Calling it a threat is going too far. I just wanted to say that if you don't want people digging into that title of Young Master Fang, perhaps you could try competing with Jiang Man for a spot." Cheng Yu thought for a moment before speaking again. "I hear that place doesn't even have the Spirit Sources to build roads. A poor, remote backwater, with all its Spirit Sources sucked dry by a certain someone so he could play the wealthy young master."

As she spoke, however, Cheng Yu popped pill after pill into her mouth, while talismans flashed over her body.

"Think it over carefully. I'm actually quite generous, too. I guarantee I can find you respectable work in Falling Cloud City," Cheng Yu said as she swallowed the last pill.

At that moment, the blood in her body seethed.

It was the Cheng Household Blood Battle Method.

It could continually draw out the potential of her flesh and blood.

A layer of armor now covered Fang Yong's body-the Hundred Battles Method.

His eyes narrowed slightly, filled with a chill.

Then he stepped forward, a golden dragon crooning low over his body.

Within a breath, he appeared before Cheng Yu.

He thrust out a palm, bringing the golden dragon with it.

Cheng Yu's An Jin surged. Six Harmonies Palm.

Bang!

The golden dragon scattered.

Then a talisman landed in Fang Yong's palm.

Bang!

The talisman exploded.

Spiritual qi covered Fang Yong's palm as he used the Six Harmonies Palm to defend.

Then he turned into blue smoke and stepped forward, his other hand changing from a palm into a claw aimed straight at Cheng Yu's throat.

Seeing this, Cheng Yu pushed off her toes and retreated. Her robes fluttered as she withdrew thirty feet, then stamped down with one foot. Collapsing Flow Technique.

The ground burst open, sending barbed spikes at Fang Yong.

Blue smoke flashed past. When Fang Yong reappeared, he was already at Cheng Yu's side.

Yet...

Cheng Yu's Collapsing Flow Technique, shrouded in the Blood Battle Method, came crashing in.

It was exactly the same fighting method as Chang Qiwen's.

Bang!

Although Fang Yong had already raised his hands to block, the tremendous force still sent the qi and blood in his body surging, nearly making him cough up blood.

At the same time, the Six Harmonies Palm had already fused.

A palm struck down.

Bang!

Unable to dodge in time, Cheng Yu took a direct hit to the shoulder and was driven backward.

But Fang Yong did not stop. He appeared before Cheng Yu again.

Dragon-Suppressing Method.

Boom!

Cheng Yu had no choice but to meet him head-on.

Then the two rapidly vanished and reappeared, bombarding each other with all manner of Spell Arts.

Fang Yong had no intention of keeping his distance. He kept closing in.

He traded wound for wound.

He meant to crush her.

"Do you really not care at all about your reputation being ruined? Do you not believe there will be consequences afterward?" Cheng Yu asked in a low voice.

Yet Fang Yong's eyes grew colder still.

"You don't understand. You have no idea how I made it this far, so you can't understand why you can't threaten me."

No one knew his family's circumstances better than he did. His parents were poor, the villagers could not fill their stomachs, and he had younger brothers and sisters at home.

When he left the village, he took the entire village's savings from ten years with him.

Everyone had placed their hopes on him.

Yet...

In Falling Cloud City, those ten years of savings amounted to less than two months' spending money for a wealthy disciple.

No one knew what he had to face.

No one understood how hard he had to work to keep up with those people.

At first, he could only sweep the Old Courtyard. Fortunately, he discovered a cultivation ground there.

From then on, he cultivated day and night, constantly improving himself.

The more he thought about all this, the fiercer his punches became.

He had worked so hard for so many years, and qualification was right before his eyes. How could he allow himself to be threatened?

If he gave in to threats, what would the village's ten years of savings and all his years of toiling from dawn until dark amount to?

Only failure left him vulnerable to threats. Success was the sharp blade that could cut through every threat.

At that moment, Fang Yong's conviction reached its peak, as though an invisible flame burned over his body.

Talismans surged over Cheng Yu's body, working with the Blood Battle Method to shatter everything. "Keep going, and even if you win, we'll both end up badly injured.

"In the end, you'll still lose to Luo Xuan. You won't get anything."

"Is that so?" Fang Yong's voice was low. "If I can't get what I'm fighting for with my life, am I supposed to get it through your charity?

"You don't even dare take a Blood Demon Pill. You don't even dare stake your life. What do you have to compete with me?"

At that moment, Fang Yong charged at Cheng Yu.

The talisman attack had already formed, striking at Fang Yong like countless blades.

Boom!

Boom!

The talismans attacked incessantly, and Fang Yong smashed through the attacks punch after punch.

Some talismans, however, sliced across his arms, cheeks, and shoulders.

He remained unmoved.

Instead, he pressed forward as fast as he could.

But Cheng Yu unleashed all manner of Spell Arts.

She kept Fang Yong from approaching.

Partway through, however, Fang Yong's steps suddenly changed.

He took one step and shattered an attack, then took another and crushed the palm technique ahead.

Each step was heavier than the last, each step steadier.

It was as though he were climbing higher, step by step.

"It's useless. Give up. You can't go any farther," Cheng Yu said in a low voice.

Yet Fang Yong's steps grew firmer, his eyes holding nothing but the conviction to advance courageously.

"I will go farther. I will move forward, step by step. I will ascend straight to the azure clouds, step by step."

Fang Yong used his body to smash through Cheng Yu's many attacks.

In an instant, he reached her.

Before Cheng Yu could react, he threw a punch.

Bang!

His fist slammed heavily into Cheng Yu's face.

With a bang...

Cheng Yu went flying.

She finally landed hard outside the formation and rolled several times.

As Fang Yong watched her fall, it was as though a great burden had been lifted from him.

The explosive release of power had left him somewhat weak, and his vision was now hazy.

He seemed about to lose consciousness at any moment, but he did not dare.

His injuries were even harder to bear. In his daze, he heard the announcement that he had advanced.

Yet he still did not dare relax in the slightest.

He understood better than anyone how arduous his journey had been.

No one had ever understood him. Perhaps if they knew who he had been before, they could understand who he was now.

Fang Yong put a pill into his mouth and returned to his place, waiting for Luo Xuan's challenge.

Zhao Leming was somewhat surprised. "Fang Yong is stronger than I thought."

Fu Yidan nodded as well. "Indeed. He's thoroughly integrated many Spell Arts. Not only that, his final Spell Art was far from ordinary. It seems he really does possess an inheritance."

"Who's more badly injured, him or Luo Xuan?" Zhao Leming asked.

"Hard to say. They're about the same, but Luo Xuan has very little chance of winning." Fu Yidan considered for a moment before saying, "Fang Yong was staking his life. That's what makes people born into poverty so difficult to deal with. They truly throw their lives to the wind.

"Among wealthy disciples these days, few would choose to stake their lives."

Zhao Leming nodded, agreeing with her words.

Then he had them prepare for the next match.

Jiang Man was also surprised by Fang Yong's performance.

Especially his final Spell Art, Ascending Straight to the Azure Clouds.

So he was the one who had taken the Azure Cloud Formula?

Although the two had been evenly matched in this fight, Fang Yong had fought with the imposing presence of a prodigy.

In the arena, Jiang Man looked at the deathly pale Luo Xuan and asked, "Miss Luo, do you want to fight me?"