by Translator: Pokka; Author: 我本纯洁 (I Am Pure); Licensed From: Migu
Xiang Shaoyun did not give a direct answer, but it was clear enough.
"Oh, do you mean Lu Yanchao will lose?" Xia Liuhui nearly cried out. Even though he had suppressed his voice, the people around him had still overheard him. They all shot Xiang Shaoyun and Xia Liuhui resentful gazes. The honor of both academies were on the line here. How could they praise their opponent and downplay their own people?
But it was at this moment that something had indeed happened to Lu Yanchao.
Liao Hao had flicked some water from the river into Lu Yanchao's eyes, disrupting his vision and interrupting his tempo. At the same time, he launched an attack on the plank Lu Yanchao was standing on, causing him to lose his balance before finally pushing Lu Yanchao into the river with a final attack.
Lu Yanchao did not forget to launch a counterattack on Liao Hao the moment he was falling into the river. Unfortunately, Liao Hao easily dodged it.
Splash!
Lu Yanchao was drenched wet, signifying his defeat.
"Well done, Senior Brother Liao! Gateflag Academy! Victory! Gateflag Academy! Victory!" the Gateflag Academy disciples started chanting.
A wide smile crawled onto Luo Lin's face as he said, "Brother Tan, Brother Jie, it is a good fight, but looks like it's our victory, hahaha."
Tan Guanghua, Jie Shi, and the Martial Hall Palace disciples felt like they had been slapped on the face. The defeat was an insult to them.
Lu Yanchao climbed back up on the deck and said guiltily, "This disciple is an embarrassment to the Martial Hall Palace."
Water battle was not something he was good at. If this was a land battle, he was confident he could crush Liao Hao.
"Victory and defeat is common in battles. Don't think too much about it," Tan Guanghua said.
"Let me fight the second match," Mo Zhu stepped out and said. Not giving anyone a chance to say anything, he directly leaped onto the plank. The graceful elegance he emanated with his every motion caused the female disciples to cheer loudly for him. They were completely smitten looking at Mo Zhu.
"Eldest senior brother! Victory! Eldest senior brother! Victory!" the girls started chanting.
A victory was much needed to regain the face they had lost during the previous defeat.
Tan Guanghua and Jie Shi both inwardly mourned bitterly, It's over. The Battle of Towns has yet to start, and we are already suffering defeat.
They knew that even if Mo Zhu was personally fighting, it would be pointless since a Transformation Realm cultivator was still waiting there. Sure enough, Fang Qing'er was the one fighting this time.
Her graceful figure landed lightly on the plank, akin to a fairy descending from the heavens. Her appearance immediately captured the gazes of all the Martial Hall Palace's young male disciples. A beauty like that was comparable to even Gong Qinyin. Unfortunately, Gong Qinyin was much weaker than her. Otherwise, if she was the one fighting this Fang Qing'er, it would be a feast for the eyes of the male disciples.
Even Mo Zhu had an odd expression on his face when his gaze landed on Fang Qing'er. The moment he laid eyes on her, his heart grew uncontrollably excited.
"There are still two of you. Just come together," Fang Qing'er's crisp voice rang out.
"Are you looking down on me?" Mo Zhu frowned.
"If your cultivation level is even one phase higher, I am willing to have a fair fight with you. But the current you are still not worthy," Fang Qing'er said indifferently.
"Haha, since Qing'er has already offered, you two should just attack together. If the two of you can defeat her, we will just admit defeat," Luo Lin said cockily. He had full confidence in Fang Qing'er. After all, she was Gateflag Academy’s trump card.
"No, I myself shall defeat you!" Mo Zhu yelled and drew the sword hanging on his back before launching an attack at Fang Qing'er. He attacked quickly—in the blink of an eye, he stabbed forth eight times, leaving eight afterimages in the air. It looked as if eight swords were attacking all at once. Each of the attacks was aimed at a different vital part of Fang Qing'er.
This was the strength of Mo Zhu. He was a peak Astral Realm expert, and with his spectacular sword technique, he could even fight early Transformation Realm cultivators. Facing the incoming attack, Fang Qing'er merely stood there silently, seemingly not bothering to defend herself.
Just as Mo Zhu's sword was about to reach her, a layer of energy surfaced on her body and blocked the attack.
Cling! Clank!
The sword struck the barrier, creating sparks and causing a clink to ring out.
"A Transformation Realm expert!" Mo Zhu cried out in alarm. He had already guessed that his opponent was in the Transformation Realm, but when his guess was validated, he still couldn't prevent himself from being alarmed.
The other Martial Hall Palace disciples were also shocked. If the opponent was a Transformation Realm cultivator, Mo Zhu would stand no chance. Even if Chen Xin joined in, they still wouldn't be a match for this opponent.
"Chen Xin, you go as well. Even in the face of defeat, we still have to try our best," Tan Guanghua said, a bitter expression covering his face.
They had been so crushingly defeated before they had even reached their destination. How were they going to continue participating in the Battle of Towns? If they still participated after this, they would only be there to further glorify the would-be victors of the competition.
Chen Xin nodded and leaped off the ship as well. She then joined in and started helping Mo Zhu fight Fang Qing'er. Unfortunately, they couldn't do anything to her even after joining hands. Ultimately Fang Qing'er only gently waved her hand to send the two falling from their planks.
All three Martial Hall Palace disciples had thus been defeated. All of them had unsightly expressions, as if they had swallowed a dead fly, feeling extremely uncomfortable. On the other hand, loud chants erupted from the Gateflag Academy's side.
"Gateflag Academy! Victory! Qing'er! The most beautiful of all!"
"Gateflag Academy! Victory! Qing'er! The most beautiful of all!"
"Martial Hall Palace! Defeat! Martial Hall Palace! Defeat!"
"Martial Hall Palace! Defeat! Martial Hall Palace! Defeat!"
They were so excited it was as if they had all been drugged. All of them started throwing insults at the Martial Hall Palace people.
"Others might swallow this insult, but that does not apply to my boss! If my boss decided to fight personally, he alone can crush all of you!" Xia Liuhui shouted loudly. His voice was extremely loud, to the point even the Gateflag Academy people heard him.
Someone immediately shouted, "Your boss wasn't even given a chance to fight. If he actually dares to come out, my senior sister won't even need to dirty her hands. I alone am sufficient to crush your boss with one finger!"
Chapter 113: This Young Master Shall Trample on You One by One
The Gateflag Academy disciples were cheering happily when someone from the Martial Hall Palace suddenly jeered at them. Of course they couldn't take it. Over the years, the two parties had been fighting openly and maneuvering covertly against each other without being able to determine a clear victor.
Now, they had finally obtained a clear victory against the Martial Hall Palace. The Martial Hall Palace was supposed to lose the courage to remain prideful. But there seemed to still be someone who feared nothing among them. Was that person trying to court death?
"Boss, he said he's going to kill you with one finger. Will you take that lying down?" Xia Liuhui asked.
Xiang Shaoyun had an urge to slap this fellow to death. He was the one who had courted this trouble in the first place, but now he was shifting the trouble to him? But since his underling couldn't stand the Gateflag Academy's attitude, as the boss, he had to back his underling up.
Xiang Shaoyun stretched lazily and said, "Killing me with one finger? Ohhh, I'm sooo terrified!"
"If you are terrified, shut your mouth. Some words can't be easily said," a strong reply came from the other ship.
Luo
Lin did not do anything and allowed his disciples to keep jeering at the Martial Hall Palace. A victory over the Martial Hall Palace like this was rare. They should savor it well.
Just as Xiang Shaoyun was about to say something, Tan Guanghua looked at him and berated, "Stop messing around! Even in defeat, the Martial Hall Palace has the courage to accept it. What is the point of bickering like that?"
Xiang Shaoyun met Tan Guanghua's gaze and said, "Vice palace master, stay out of this. I am definitely going to teach them a lesson."
Acting like a reckless fool, Xiang Shaoyun first disrespected Tan Guanghua before pointing at Luo Lin. "Hey, old dog! After defeating us in a match you proposed on the spot, you are now hoping that the Martial Hall Palace will help you snatch a spot in the top 10?"
Luo Lin frowned and shouted, "Impudent! You dare scold me?"
Xiang Shaoyun rolled his sleeves up, placed both his hands on his hips, and shouted, "So what if I scold you? Old bastard, feel free to send all your disciples my way. I will trample over each and every one of them. Let me see how capable you are to dare dream of making the Martial Hall Palace obey your commands."
That badly infuriated the Gateflag Academy. Their vice principal had been scolded openly like that, and this fellow was actually looking down on them that much. How could they bear with his insults?
"Vice principal, let me, La Liufeng, go teach him a lesson!" said a youngster. This was the same youngster who was shouting at Xia Liuhui earlier. This La Liufeng was none other than the youngster who had been scared away from the Hundred Beast Mountain Range by Xiang Shaoyun not long ago. The moment he laid eyes on Xiang Shaoyun, he had been thinking of a way to take his revenge. Now, an opportunity had arrived. He would not let it go.
"Ok. Just be sure to not kill him. Crippling him will do," Luo Lin said, fury on his face. He wanted nothing more than to personally slap this Xiang Shaoyun to death himself, but due to his status, doing that would embarrass him even more.
La Liufeng stepped forth, pointed at Xiang Shaoyun, and shouted, "Get your ass over here! You dare insult us? I, La Liufeng, shall trample all over you!"
It had been a while since Xiang Shaoyun had last seen La Liufeng. This fellow had advanced to fourth-stage Astral Realm from first-stage Astral Realm. That was quite a fast growth.
Xiang Shaoyun dug his ear and said, "Why should I fight you? It's not like I stand to gain anything."
The moment he said that, the Gateflag Academy people started heckling at him again. They now had an impression that this guy was merely someone with a big mouth but was in fact a coward who did not dare to fight.
But that was not the case for the Martial Hall Palace people. They were clear how strong Xiang Shaoyun was. Just a few months ago, he had defeated Li Tianba who was an eighth-stage Astral Realm cultivator. Would someone like that be a coward?
Tan Guanghua was about to stop Xiang Shaoyun when Jie Shi started talking to him through voice transmission, "Just let him be. Maybe this will change things for the better."
Since Jie Shi was saying that, Tan Guanghua decided to not do anything as well. In any case, they had already lost the bet. They had nothing to lose now.
"Coward, what do you want? Feel free to say it! I will grant your wish!" La Liufeng shouted.
"So the Martial Hall Palace has to obey the Gateflag Academy after losing the bet earlier, right? Well, if you lose, just cancel that arrangement," Xiang Shaoyun replied.
"Impudent! That is something we have decided upon! How can we cancel it so lightly?" Luo Lin said unhappily. He then shot Tan Guanghua and Jie Shi a gaze. "Is this the kind of disciple the Martial Hall Palace breeds? Someone who would pester endlessly upon losing? If you are going to take defeat with such bad grace, you shouldn't have agreed on the bet in the first place."
Before Tan Guanghua and Jie Shi could reply, Xiang Shaoyun's voice rang out again, "Old bastard, our vice palace master and first elder were simply trying to not embarrass you too much. If they had sent me out earlier, none of you guys would be my match. What? You don't believe that? Fine, I'll allow him to fight me with three of his other fellow apprentices!"
Xiang Shaoyun was behaving like an ignorant but reckless fool, giving his opponents an impression that he was just an idiot. Did he not see a Transformation Realm expert among the Gateflag Academy disciples? He still dared to brag like that? It would seem like there were no limits to how much a person could brag. But one had to admit that those words of Xiang Shaoyun’s were very effective at infuriating the Gateflag Academy’s people.
"That kid is too cocky! Not only is he scolding our vice principal, he is also provoking all of us! I can't stand him anymore!"
"Vice principal, agree to it! We shall torture him to death! That will show him!"
"Yeah! We need to teach him a good lesson. We can't allow someone like that to get even more cocky!"
"We have already defeated their three strongest disciples anyway. There is no need to bear with this kid's insults. Let me go out and crush him!"
The Gateflag Academy disciples started shouting in rage, each of them wishing nothing more than to rip Xiang Shaoyun apart. At this moment, Lu Xiaoqing arrived beside Xiang Shaoyun and said anxiously, "Shaoyun, don't let your emotions get to your head!"
"Step aside. There is nothing scary about them," Xiang Shaoyun said. He then gave the Gateflag Academy people his middle-finger before saying, "Come! Come if you dare! I, Xiang Shaoyun, shall allow you to send anyone you want against me. If I get myself killed, the Martial Hall Palace will definitely not further pursue this matter. But if I win, cancel the agreement earlier."
"Fine, you said so yourself. Don't blame us if you get killed!" Luo Lin said.
He could see that Xiang Shaoyun was merely a seventh-stage Astral Realm cultivator. Even if he could punch above his weight, he would at most be able to match someone at the eighth stage. There was nothing to fear.
"Come and face your death!" La Liufeng hopped onto a plank impatiently and shouted while pointing at Xiang Shaoyun.
Luo Lin couldn't even stop him in time. Thus, he could only sigh inwardly, Liufeng is a disciple with decent prospects. It will be beneficial for him to be taught a lesson, I guess. In any case, that big-mouthed kid has personally allowed us to pick anyone we want to send against him anyway. One defeat won't matter to us.
Just as Xiang Shaoyun was about to jump off the ship, Gong Qinyin suddenly appeared beside him and said, "If you can cancel the agreement, I will consider the grudge between us over."
Earlier, Gong Qinyin wanted to step forth and do battle as well. But she was only at the seventh stage. Even with her trump cards, she would only be able to fight a ninth-stage Astral Realm cultivator, not a Transformation Realm cultivator. Xiang Shaoyun's courage to put his life on the line had caused her to look at him in a new light.
Chapter 114: You Can Piss Off Again
"Haha, don't forget what you say, little girl. Remember to stop bothering me in the future," Xiang Shaoyun laughed.
Currently, everyone was focused on him. When they saw Gong Qinyin standing so close to him and heard what he called Gong Qinyin, their faces twitched. If this was any other day, they would have already tossed this fellow into the river. He was actually calling their goddess a little girl? That was unacceptable! They forced themselves to calm down and see if this fellow would be beaten up by the Gateflag Academy people instead.
Xiang Shaoyun then walked to the deck and hopped onto a plank. He did not jump toward the Martial Hall Palace's plank. Rather, he leaped straight toward La Liufeng.
"A defeated opponent dares to act tough in front of me? Piss off," Xiang Shaoyun bellowed. His voice was loud and imposing. Combined with a tiny bit of his presence, when the soundwave drilled into La Liufeng's ears, La Liufeng’s mind went blank momentarily.
In his eyes, the descending Xiang Shaoyun seemed to have transformed into a dragon, and he also looked like a fierce tiger, looking incomparably fearsome. Just as he was blanking out, Xiang Shaoy
un's feet struck his face.
Splash!
La Liufeng was kicked into the river before he could react. The sight of that sent everyone into silence.
The Martial Hall Palace disciples shouted, "Well done!"
The defeat of Mo Zhu, Lu Yanchao, and Chen Xin had filled them with anger. Now, Xiang Shaoyun had vented their anger for them. After sending La Liufeng into the river, Xiang Shaoyun landed on the plank steadily, looking incomparably dashing while doing so. He then flicked his bangs and formed a charming smile on his handsome face, causing numerous girls to cheer for him.
Xiang Shaoyun was slightly younger than Mo Zhu. However, the charisma he was emanating had surpassed even Mo Zhu’s, and he seemed like a completely different person now compared to when he was heckling like a reckless fool. After shedding his skin and undergoing a rebirth of his body, he now possessed an elegance not many people could compare to.
"Bastard! That was a sneak attack! I do not accept that!" La Liufeng shouted after getting out of the water. His nose was slanted to the side from the kick and was even bleeding, making him look rather sorry. But his valor was still laudable.
"Sure, I'll give you one more chance," Xiang Shaoyun said as he gestured tauntingly at La Liufeng.
"Die!" La Liufeng jumped off the ship again. While midair, he drew his weapon and swung it straight at Xiang Shaoyun. He was trying to let Xiang Shaoyun have a taste of his own medicine.
La Liufeng was attacking at his full power. Coupled with the height advantage he currently held by attacking from above, he was confident he could kill Xiang Shaoyun with one slash. But when his sword was about to land, Xiang Shaoyun reached out and caught his sword between two fingers. Everyone was alarmed at the sight. Catching a weapon with his fingers? How powerful were his fingers?
"You can piss off one more time." Xiang Shaoyun pulled the sword before swinging La Liufeng into the river again. Now, La Liufeng looked even more sorry. He had been defeated with one move by Xiang Shaoyun two times in a row, completely embarrassing himself.
"The three who fought earlier, you may come at me together. I will deal with all of you at once." Xiang Shaoyun did not bother giving La Liufeng a second look, and he provoked the Gateflag Academy people again.