Exchange Competition Concludes

Born in Qingshan Sword Pavilion, Tang Yao had been entrusted with great hopes by the current Pavilion Master ever since she was young.

Although Qingshan Sword Pavilion carried itself like the leading sect within Qingshan City, it was still somewhat lacking before the Renowned Great Sects of Ying Province.

What was more, by the time of the current Pavilion Master, Qingshan Sword Pavilion had in fact begun to suffer from a generational gap. The entire sect was declining along with it.

At a time like this, they desperately needed a genius to emerge and lead the already faltering Qingshan Sword Pavilion back to its feet.

Tang Yao had appeared at precisely the right time. Her talent had caused all of Qingshan Sword Pavilion, and even Qingshan City, to regard her as the finest of the younger generation and the hope of the future.

The girl herself believed she was no ordinary person.

She had intended to first claim first place in the Ying Province Martial Exam, then enter a Martial Arts University to temper herself. One day, she would roam the world with a sword in hand and ascend to the pinnacle of the High Martial World...

Yet before even the first stage of her ambitions had been realized, reality had viciously slapped her across the face.

Tang Yao's face grew increasingly pale. Her beautiful cheek was pinned beneath the other party's foot; even lifting her head had become a distant hope.

The talent and swordsmanship she had been so proud of were as powerless and laughable as street performers' tricks before the Boy in Black.

Before this, she had never lost a single match against anyone of her generation.

The bitterness in her heart at this moment... was richer than ever before.

"Tang Yao, forgive my bluntness."

"You're nothing but trash."

At those words, the sharpness in Tang Yao's eyes gradually faded, and her clenched hand slowly loosened.

She lay on the Training Ground like a dead dog, utterly unmoved by another's humiliation for the first time in her life.

"..."

Ye Li did not even spare her a glance.

Toward this sort of genius who thought too highly of themselves, he had always repaid virtue with virtue and resentment with bluntness.

No matter how pitiful the girl looked now, it had nothing to do with him. Just as if he had lost this match, no matter how pitiful he appeared, she would not have sympathized with him either.

In the High Martial World, the strong were meant to ruthlessly humiliate the weak.

Thus, Ye Li did not lift his foot. Instead, he stepped on her head and walked toward the edge of the stage.

"Ye Li wins!"

The referee's excited voice, hollow and lonely, rang through the air above the Training Ground.

The spectator stands holding over a thousand people were as silent as if a heavy snowfall had descended.

Countless students from Qingshan City stared at the scene onstage, some dumbstruck, some conflicted, some unable to accept it. Their hearts felt as though they were being sawed apart by a sharp blade.

No one had expected that the Sword Immortal girl, lofty and dazzling in their eyes, would be defeated so brutally.

And it had been a one-sided, crushing defeat.

They could not see even the slightest trace of a closely matched battle.

All they saw was the dust clearing, followed by the Boy in Black strolling out as if taking a leisurely walk. In just a few moves, he cleanly took down Tang Yao... a Martial Exam seed contestant wielding a Second-Tier high-grade treasure. Her defeat had come astonishingly fast.

As far as the outcome was concerned, it was no different from Tang Yao's previous matches. Only the identities of the one standing and the one lying down had been switched.

"Tap—"

Amid the deathly silence of the entire venue, only one unhurried set of footsteps echoed.

The sound was not loud, yet it was as heavy as if it were treading upon everyone's hearts.

Under countless complicated and horrified gazes,

the handsome black-haired, golden-eyed youth walked steadily down from the dueling platform, his expression indifferent.

Behind him, the once-level dueling platform was covered in striking cracks.

And that rather handsome face now carried a faint air of authority without anger.

Even the people from Linhai First High School felt their mouths go dry.

Liu Yangde looked at the youth and recalled his suicidal act of provocation last week. He could not help but shudder.

With strength like that, even Qingshan City's publicly acknowledged swordsmanship genius had been beaten into such a state. The fact that he had not been beaten to death back then meant his family's Old Ancestors must have smashed their heads bloody kowtowing in the underworld.

No wonder his uncle, who was a director, had not been able to punish him back then. If they dared touch a genius like this, the school would probably sweep both him and his uncle out the door together!

Liu Yangde's heart pounded wildly as he secretly made up his mind.

From now on, he would rather eat rocks than go looking for death again!

"Since Qingshan First High School's remaining contestants have forfeited, Linhai First High School is declared the victor!"

"This Exchange Competition has now concluded!" The referee's excited voice continued to ring out.

"..."

On the raised platform, the Sword Pavilion elder's expression was ugly as the hand hidden in his sleeve slowly clenched.

A peer who could crush Tang Yao so completely—never mind him, even the Sword Pavilion Master had likely never seen one before.

Thinking of how he had earlier wanted Fengyun University's senior teacher to see what a true genius was, his face now burned with pain.

The Sword Pavilion elder had wanted to say something to salvage his dignity, but when he turned around, he discovered that Yu Weng had left at some point.

The youth named Ye Li had only just exited the stage, and Yu Weng had vanished. His purpose could not have been more obvious.

"Alas..."

At that thought, the Sword Pavilion elder's gaze flickered. After remaining silent for a moment, he finally let out a sigh.

With a Recommendation Quota from Fengyun University, the Boy in Black's future achievements would likely not fall beneath those of the Sword Pavilion Master!

Sure enough.

The Boy in Black had barely disappeared into the exit passage

when a wave of startled cries suddenly rose from the spectator stands.

A figure on the raised platform leaped down as lightly as a bird, plunging toward the ground like a diving hawk.

With a thunderous bang, countless fragments of stone and clouds of dust burst upward, as though a small explosion had occurred.

Everyone turned to look in astonishment, only to see an Old Man with white hair and beard standing steadily atop the crater. His face was kind, yet it carried an imposing air.

He stood tall and straight as a pine, his hands clasped behind his back. His green robe fluttered in the wind, making him seem especially elegant and detached from the mundane world.

An incredibly lifelike cluster of drifting clouds was embroidered on his back, as though winds and clouds were churning within it.

Fengyun University's school emblem!

The thousand students in the stands were all Martial Science Students from Ying Province. Naturally, they knew Fengyun University's reputation and recognized it at a glance, obvious surprise rising in their eyes.

They had long heard that someone from Fengyun University would be watching the Exchange Competition, but they had not expected him to leap directly down from the raised platform!

Yet that surprise quickly turned into intense shock.

The Old Man, who had looked so imposing just a moment ago, charged into the cultivation passage the next second.

His expression was as eager as if he had discovered an unparalleled treasure.

In the blink of an eye, he vanished from everyone's sight.

After he left, the spectator stands exploded like a boiling pot of oil.

"Was that a teacher from Fengyun University? What is he going there for?!"

"Bro, are you an idiot? Isn't it obvious at a glance? He's chasing after Ye Li!"

"Holy shit, don't tell me it's a recommendation?!"

"A recommendation?"

"In city-level competitions like this, if you perform well enough, you can be chosen by teachers from prestigious schools who come to watch. You won't need to take the Martial Exam and can be admitted early through a Recommendation Quota!!"

"What?! Ye Li treated Senior Tang like that, and he can still get recommended to Fengyun University? I can't accept this!"

"I can't accept it either! Isn't that taking everything in one bite and packing it up to go?!"

The spectator stands buzzed with discussion, followed by cries of anguish. Sorrowful emotions shot straight into the heavens.

That bastard had just beaten their white moonlight like a dog, only to turn around and obtain the Recommendation Quota they had dreamed of... They truly could not accept it!

The eyes of over a thousand Qingshan students were filled with both shock and helplessness. Their backsides seemed rooted to their seats.

The teachers on the raised platform looked at one another, all seeing the bitterness in each other's eyes.

Without question.

As long as Ye Li, who possessed such talent and had also obtained Fengyun University's qualification, could grow safely, he would certainly become another High-Tier Martial Artist renowned across an entire region!

That damn Linhai First High School really had absurdly good luck...

Was having one Jiang Qingzhu not enough? Now they had produced an even more outrageous Ye Li. It was enough to make people weep with envy.

The teachers from Qingshan City felt their eyes redden with envy.

Inside the lounge.

Ye Li had just sat down in a chair when he saw Wang Yongfeng enter with an excited expression.

"Good lad, that was incredible! Principal Li is practically delirious because of you!"

Wang Yongfeng warmly came over and looked him over from head to toe. "Are you hurt anywhere?"

"I'm fine. I just used up quite a lot of true qi... I'll recover in an hour."

Ye Li waved his hand and set the spear beside him. His eyes had returned to black, and the injuries on his body had long since been completely healed by [Indestructible Golden Soul].

With every breath, the somewhat depleted true qi within his body rapidly recovered.

Most of the expenditure had come from activating [Golden Soul Revival].

Even without using this Innate Divine Ability that resembled a berserk power-up, Ye Li had been fairly confident that he could win.

But that would have meant trading blows with Tang Yao back and forth. [Frost Snow Covers the Sky], [Riding the Wind Dragon Classic]... he would probably have had to use them all.

Then she might easily have come away with thoughts like, What an exhilarating battle! She would not have felt unwilling to accept it at all.

Then what Malice Points would he be earning? People might think two geniuses had found kindred spirits in one another.

Therefore, Ye Li made a swift decision and chose the most brutal method to claim victory.

He sought to shatter her psychological defenses.

The effect was also quite obvious.

[Seriously injuring and publicly humiliating the arrogant Young Pavilion Master of Sword Pavilion, Malice Points +5000!]

[Current Malice Points: points]

What wonderful numbers. They set Ye Li's heart surging.

"You worked hard. You fought so many matches in the morning, then fought Tang Yao again in the afternoon..."

Wang Yongfeng only found the youth more outstanding the longer he looked. Seeing that damaged black shirt, he could not help feeling a little distressed. "If there are any more matches like this before the Martial Exam, I'll help you turn them down so you can focus on preparing!"

After saying that, perhaps it was merely his imagination, but he felt Ye Li's gaze suddenly sharpen.

"There's no need for that."

Ye Li gave a light cough and said calmly, "I'm used to nurturing battle through battle."

"You still need to take care of your body."

Wang Yongfeng smiled with emotion and encouraged him, "As long as you maintain this level, even Fengyun University, the best in Ying Province, will definitely be scrambling to recruit you!"

Just as he finished speaking, footsteps sounded outside the door.

Yu Weng, his hair and beard white, pushed open the door and entered. With a chuckle, he said, "Indeed. I only wonder whether Student Ye Li is interested?"