Victory and Defeat

Though surprised, Zhang Yao did not panic too much. Instead, he wore an expression of certain victory.

Pff—

Boom!

Three Gale Winds struck before him. Zhang Yao remained unhurried, raising both hands and instantly gathering a pillar of fire half a man's height tall.

The Gale Wind attacks plunged into it, and after a brief tremor, the fire pillar burned even more fiercely.

"Hahahaha!"

Zhang Yao laughed. "Little Brother Yang, I admit your wind arts have a few tricks to them, but do you know that wind feeds fire? The outcome of this spar was already decided from the very beginning."

Zhang Tianqi revealed a smug expression at the sight, but when he looked toward Yang Guanfeng, he found him speaking with another Yang Family child.

His expression remained calm, as though he was not worried in the slightest that Yang Lingrui would lose.

Heh, putting on a calm front will do you no good. If you lose and refuse to honor the agreement, I'll make sure you suffer dearly!

Zhang Tianqi thought.

"Linghu, if it were you, what would you do?"

Yang Guanfeng asked with a slight turn of his head.

"Ancestor, if it were me, once I saw the other party using fire arts, I would close the distance as quickly as possible. Even at the cost of trading injury for death, I would end the fight swiftly," Yang Linghu said quietly.

"Mm, that is a good method. But what if this were not a one-on-one match, but an encounter in the wilderness?"

"In the wilderness?"

Yang Linghu paused slightly at those words, then a crafty glint appeared in his eyes.

"Then of course I would run first. I would use my own advantages to widen the distance and hide, then wait until the opponent let down his guard before finding a chance to launch a sneak attack!"

"Hehe, exactly. When you are out in the world, you need to keep your wits sharp."

With that, the two turned their gazes back toward the arena.

At that moment, a bizarre scene was unfolding between the two combatants.

Zhang Yao controlled the fire pillar, while Yang Lingrui seemed to have lost his mind, endlessly blasting Gale Winds into it.

The fire pillar, originally only half a man's height, had now grown taller than Zhang Yao himself.

"Is something wrong with that Yang Family brat's head? He knows he is only making a wedding dress for someone else, yet he is still attacking like a madman."

Zhang Chen looked speechless, but when he turned to Zhang Tianqi, he was astonished to find the Patriarch actually frowning.

"Hmm?"

He suddenly sensed that something was wrong. Looking carefully at Zhang Yao, he discovered that Zhang Yao was already drenched in sweat.

As Yang Lingrui continued attacking, the fire pillar swelled more and more violently, nearly reaching a full zhang in height!

"This!"

Only then did Zhang Chen realize it. That young Yang Family cultivator wanted to "stuff" Zhang Yao to death!

It was true that the fire pillar could absorb spells. Against wind arts in particular, it could not only absorb them but also strengthen itself.

But Zhang Yao was only at the Second Level of Qi Gathering. The size to which the fire pillar had expanded had long exceeded the limit of his control.

"Damn it!"

In the arena, Zhang Yao clenched his teeth and desperately maintained the fire pillar's stability.

He cursed inwardly, yet he was also baffled.

Does this brat have endless spiritual power? What gives him the right?

If this had been a normal spell duel, he was confident he could have gained the upper hand, though it would have taken some time.

He had brought out this fire pillar because he had hoped to frighten the other party into retreating. He had thought victory was in the bag, yet he had ended up riding a tiger with no way to dismount.

Because it had expanded too much, the fire pillar was already nearly out of control. Whether it finally burst from being overstuffed or he forcefully dismissed it, he would suffer severe injuries.

His only hope of victory now was to pray that Yang Lingrui exhausted his spiritual power first.

Yet when he looked at his opponent, the howling Gale Winds were indeed no longer as fierce as they had been at the start, but Yang Lingrui was still some distance away from exhausting his spiritual power.

As for Zhang Yao himself, every muscle in his body trembled, and even his consciousness had begun to blur.

In the eyes of the spectators, Zhang Yao's defeat was only a matter of time. Only he himself remained unwilling to give up, continuing to hold on by force.

Zhang Tianqi's brows were tightly furrowed, his expression exceedingly ugly. He had thought the mineral deposit was already in his grasp, but he had not expected things to turn out like this.

"Uncle, Brother Yao looks like he can't hold on anymore..."

Zhang Chen stood beside him, his face filled with worry, though inwardly he was secretly delighted at Zhang Yao's humiliation.

Who told you not to let me go? You lost, didn't you? Serves you right!

Zhang Tianqi ignored him. He merely gave Yang Guanfeng a deep look, then flashed over to Zhang Yao's side.

He reached out and grabbed at the blazing fire pillar, dispersing it as easily as snuffing out a tiny flame.

At the same time, Yang Guanfeng descended into the arena and placed one hand on Yang Lingrui's shoulder, dispersing the Gale Winds around his body.

"Father, I haven't lost yet!"

Zhang Yao grew anxious at the sight and hurriedly spoke.

But the moment he opened his mouth, Zhang Tianqi cut him off with a shout.

"Enough! Haven't you embarrassed yourself enough? If I hadn't stepped in just now, you would have been blown into a severe injury by your own spell!"

After being rebuked, Zhang Yao deflated and no longer dared say another word.

"Brother Zhang, victory and defeat have now been decided, and the ownership of this place is clear. I will not see you off."

"Yang Family Patriarch, Zhang has learned much today. Until we meet again."

With that, Zhang Tianqi led his people away from the mineral deposit.

"Father... I'm sorry."

On the road back to Sanglu Valley, Zhang Yao had calmed down and opened his mouth to apologize to his father.

Zhang Tianqi did not continue blaming him. He said, "This matter is not entirely your fault. I am also to blame for thinking the Yang Family too simple."

"Too simple? Father, do you mean this Yang Family has some sort of background?"

"It is hard to say whether they have a background, but the cultivation technique they practice is surely extraordinary."

Zhang Tianqi continued, "The matter of the mineral deposit must be considered over the long term. Once our family opens that cave dwelling in the valley and obtains its treasures and inheritance, it will not be too late to settle matters with the Yang Family."

"Yes, Father." Zhang Yao nodded in agreement.

Walking to one side, Zhang Chen also nodded silently, but he always felt that if he had taken Zhang Yao's place today, he surely would have won.

That cave dwelling's restriction is so formidable. It has remained unopened for twenty years—who knows how much longer it will take? Are we really just going to let the Yang Family profit from the mineral deposit for nothing?

Our family is clearly stronger. Why should we yield?

Uncle is biased in the end. He does not see me as one of his own children, always letting Zhang Yao take the lead in everything.

Since he does not want me to stand out, I'll find my own way. We'll see!

He was ultimately too young. He saw matters too simply and only on the surface, unable to understand Zhang Tianqi's protection and guidance toward him.

Though his talent was outstanding, his temperament held him back.

Comparing the two, Yang Lingrui, whose circumstances were the same as his own, surpassed him by far more than a single star and half a point.

The struggle over the mineral deposit came to a temporary end. Three days later, the Yang Family's mining team arrived at the site.

Most of this team consisted of foreign-clan commoners from South Bank. Ever since hearing of the many benefits on the North Bank, they had longed to obtain a quota. When they heard there was distant mining work, they eagerly signed up one after another.

Yang Linghu was left behind to guard the place. Before the situation stabilized, he might have to remain there for some time.

Having spent so long with Ling Qing, he had also absorbed much through constant exposure and grown considerably.

When Yang Guanfeng had questioned him earlier, he had already roughly understood the arrangements to come.

As the Yang Family continued developing and expanding its influence, it was precisely the time when it needed people.

Ling Rui cultivated, Ling Qing managed the family, so naturally these matters of being sent abroad would fall upon him.

He had no complaints whatsoever. On the contrary, he felt this assignment was quite good.

With his temperament, quiet cultivation would be the real hard labor.

That night, after Yang Linghu finished inspecting the mineral deposit and returned to his residence, he found Yang Guanfeng had come.

He was about to step forward and pay his respects when Yang Guanfeng raised a hand to stop him.

"No need. I only came to deliver something to you, and I'll leave right away. Guarding the mine is hard work, so rest early."

After Yang Guanfeng left, Yang Linghu looked at a small bottle sitting on the table.

He stepped forward and opened it. The instant he sensed its aura, he understood.

"Hahahaha, Lingrui, that kid, is always so modest and yielding. You're making it hard for me, your elder brother, to accept this."