by Feng Yise
Although the Sixth Level Essence Qi Realm and the Seventh Level Essence Qi Realm were not on the same level, without a doubt, Ye Yuan indeed possessed the capital to fight with him now. Coupled with his Instant Flash being at the great circle stage, it might be possible for Ye Yuan to battle him.
Chou Ying suddenly felt that today was very bizarre. This brat in front of him had truly given him too many surprises. Initially, he was still grumbling about how this mission was too simple. Now, he could not help but somewhat regretted taking on this mission.
However, regardless of what happens, the mission had to be completed. Otherwise, he would most likely lose the status he earned painstakingly in Mosha.
Apparently, the reason why Chou Ying was still thinking about completing the mission was that even after Ye Yuan swallowed the Five Elements Spirit Link Pill, his cultivation realm ultimately had stopped at the Sixth Level Essence Qi Realm.
This was a cultivation realm that he could handle.
Narrowing both eyes, the killing intent from Chou Yin firmly locked onto Lu-er.
"One Word Kill!"
Chou Ying immediately made his strongest move which he had used to finish off countless opponents in the past.
One Word Kill; simple and straightforward, yet it was domineering. A straightforward move that was not flashy at all.
Lu-er stood there completely unable to react as the sword already reached in front of her.
A hideous smile flashed across Chou Ying's face as if he could see the beauty, Lu-er, was dying, and the image of Ye Yuan's heart-wrenching grief.
However, just as Chou Ying's sword was about to pierce Lu-er's throat . . .
Ding!
His hand which was gripping his sword became numb, and the short sword which had never left his side was sent flying away.
A terrifying strength was transmitted, and Chou Ying was sent flying away as well.
At the critical moment just now, Ye Yuan reached Lu-er with Instant Flash, while his attack which was released after, struck first.
He only stretched his finger out and tapped lightly, accurately hitting Chou Ying's short sword and sent it flying!
Absolute Yang Finger!
Ye Yuan's Absolute Yang Finger already had some progress, reaching the entry stage after several days of cultivation.
A martial technique of this rank obviously was not so easy to learn. To have reached the entry stage within a few days showed how outstanding Ye Yuan's talent was.
Even though it was only the entry stage of Absolute Yang Finger, executing it with Ye Yuan's current Sixth Level Essence Qi Realm was not something that Chou Ying could withstand.
Chou Ying rolled on the ground. Puhwark! He spat out a mouthful of blood.
Looking at Chou Ying, Ye Yuan said coldly, "I will only use one finger. Whether you can escape or not, it is up to your abilities."
Right now, Chou Ying's innards were in mayhem. But he knew that he had hit a hard plate. This brat was clearly pretending to be a pig in order to eat a tiger! He was too strong!
Forcefully suppressing his injuries, Chou Ying could not be bothered to care about anything else and started to wildly circulate all the essence energy in his body.
He wanted to flee!
Chou Ying could feel Ye Yuan's surging killing intent. Clearly, his actions to kill Lu-er just now had thoroughly infuriated Ye Yuan.
Chou Ying used all the strength in his body to escape. He could even feel that his current speed was faster than it had ever been before. It was so fast that his movement technique had touched the threshold of the great circle stage.
This discovery made him ecstatic with joy!
I can escape!
I definitely can escape!
Chou Ying was screaming in his mind, and then his consciousness gradually blurred . . .
Chapter 24 - Good Dogs Don't Get Underfoot
Watching Chou Ying utilized his movement technique to try to escape, Ye Yuan raised his finger leisurely and channeled essence energy with all his might using the Spirit Bristle Nine Yang Divine Art.
A finger pointed forward, and a formless force shot out from Ye Yuan's finger. It tore through the air, penetrating Chou Ying's heart in an instant.
The force was so swift and fierce that Chou Ying did not even notice his injury. His body continued charging forward for several meters more, collapsing only after he lost consciousness.
Absolute Yang Finger was incomparably domineering. The force shot out concentrated instead of dispersing, resulting in an incredibly powerful pinpoint and deadly attack. Being executed using Ye Yuan's Sixth Level Essence Qi Realm strength, its lethality obviously could not be underestimated.
Of course, Absolute Yang Finger was not without any weaknesses. The biggest flaw was that it took too long to charge up. That was also the reason why Ye Yuan was slower by a beat when saving Lu-er just now.
In reality, if Chou Ying recklessly tangled with Ye Yuan in close proximity, leaving Ye Yuan unable to charge up his full strength, he might have a slim chance of survival.
But the various means used by Ye Yuan had long made Chou Ying wanted to withdraw from the fight. Especially when Ye Yuan had sent him flying with only one finger. This shocked Chou Ying's state of mind greatly that made him wanted to flee at all cost.
Yet this attempt to escape gave Ye Yuan the chance to charge up.
From the beginning, Ye Yuan looked as if he was careless. But in reality, he advanced gradually, entrenching himself firmly at every step.
First, he used words to agitate Chou Ying, disrupting his state of heart. Next, he displayed Instant Flash. Following which, he swallowed the Five Element Spirit Link Pill, using his finger to overpower his opponent's sword, crushing Chou Ying's confidence step by step. Finally, he launched this certain kill strike.
It might have looked bland, but the entire process was filled with trepidation.
Although Ye Yuan had a lot of hidden cards, his strength was still too weak. If it was not for the fact that he swallowed the Five Element Spirit Link Pill and unleashed the Absolute Yang Finger with his full strength, he would not have been able to do anything to Chou Ying.
"Brother Tang, it is time to go," Ye Yuan said to Tang Yu lightly, not even bothering to look at Chou Ying who was lying on the ground.
Tang Yu was shocked by Ye Yuan's attack and stood there dumbfounded the entire time. Only when Ye Yuan called him did he recover from his shock.
"Ah? Oh . . . Go . . . Go."
Tang Yu mounted his horse awkwardly, and the three of them continued heading towards the Dan Wu Academy.
. . . . . .
Passing through this stretch of messy stone forest, their field of vision gradually widened. In front of their eyes was a vast plain, and they were able to indistinctly make out what looks like multi-storied pavilions.
It was the Dan Wu Academy!
The State of Qin established itself through martial arts, with a strong emphasis on the Martial Dao. However, this Dan Wu Academy was not established by the State of Qin.
The domain south of the Endless Forest was hailed as the Tranquil Cloud Ten Nations. There were a total of ten nations, and the State of Qin was only one of them. The reason why they were collectively known as the Tranquil Cloud Ten Nations was that these ten nations were all under the jurisdiction of the Tranquil Cloud Sect; the Dan Wu Academy was the outer sect establishment of the Tranquil Cloud Sect.
The Tranquil Cloud Sect established its sect fundamentally with alchemy; even so, the sect's internal hierarchy could be divided into the Pill Faction and the Martial Faction. This was why the outer sect establishment was named the Dan Wu Academy. 1
Just as the three of them entered the gates and were about to head to the residential area, they were stopped by a bunch of people.
"Yoh! Isn't this the Ten Thousand Years Last Place? Well, aren't you a tough one. When they sent you out, you were clearly breathing in but not breathing out. To think you had actually returned alive and kic
king," the person in front of them exclaimed, clearly with sarcasm.
He was called Fei Qingping, a loyal lackey of Wan Yuan. Ye Yuan's predecessor was poisoned because of competing with this fellow and ended up losing his life.
These several people in front of them all came from ordinary backgrounds. In the Dan Wu Academy, in order for those with ordinary backgrounds to obtain additional resources, many would choose to attach themselves to figures from the noble families. Only those who truly had outstanding talent would be heavily groomed by the academy.
"Good dogs don't get underfoot, get lost." Ye Yuan could not be bothered with him. Would he not be demeaning his own status to act seriously against a dog?
"You! Ye Yuan, looks like your skin is itching again!" For someone like Fei Qingping, it was a taboo for other people to scold him a dog.
"With just you?" Ye Yuan asked expressionlessly.
"Yoh. After not seeing you for a few days, you became even more brain-damaged. You First Level Essence Qi Realm . . . Yii . . . How's that possible? Y-you are already at the Third Level Essence Qi Realm?" Fei Qingping had only just sized him up, and could not help but to draw a cold breath. Ye Yuan was originally at the bottom place. After a few days of not seeing him, he actually rose two level consecutively, stepping into the Third Level Essence Qi Realm.
Fei Qingping still thought that he had seen wrongly, and he checked closely again before realizing that Ye Yuan was indeed already at the Third Level Essence Qi Realm. Wasn't this a little too heaven-defying?
"Are your dog-eyes blind? Still can't tell after staring for so long?" Ye Yuan's words once again made the corner of Fei Qingping's mouth twitched.
However, at this moment, Fei Qingping had already recovered from the initial shock and thought of a certain possibility.
He naturally knew that Ye Yuan's father, Ye Hang, was an Alchemy Grandmaster. If he spared no expenses, pulling his son up by two small cultivation realms was not something incomprehensible.
As a matter of fact, there were plenty of methods to suddenly raise strength in this manner. But the price would be to sacrifice one's potential.
It was said that there was an evil technique called Ghee Empowerment. The empowered individual could even directly break through the Essence Qi Realm and reach the Spirit Condensation Realm. But the price of this sort of empowerment was that it would no longer be possible for the person to increase his strength throughout his lifetime.
Only a few days had passed, yet Ye Yuan actually reached the Third Level Essence Qi Realm. Ye Hang should have known that his son's talent was inadequate; therefore, he was afraid his son would be bullied. So he used a method similar to the Ghee Empowerment to raise him by two levels.
Linking all of these together, Fei Qingping gave a cold laugh in his heart. A rookie like this, forget about being at the Third Level Essence Qi Realm, even if he were at the Fourth Level, at the Fifth Level, Ye Yuan would not be his match.
Fei Qingping was at Fourth Level Essence Qi Realm, higher than Ye Yuan by one stage. Thus, he naturally had no need to fear him.
"Hehehe. It's great to have a good father. Poisoned to such extent, and yet you still didn't die. Even increasing strength becomes so simple. This is really an era for competing with fathers!" Fei Qingping said mockingly.
Ye Yuan knew what Fei Qingping was thinking right away, but he obviously would not explain to him. Instead, he smiled and said, "That's right. I can compete using my father, but can you? I heard that your father is a watchdog for other people, using connections to let you entered the Dan Wu Academy. But who would have thought that after coming here, you would also become a watchdog. Indeed, a son will inherit his father's career! One gate and two watchdogs; impressive, impressive!"
Ye Yuan learned from his predecessor's memories that this Fei Qingping's father was the confidant of Wan Donghai, and he entered the academy through the Wan Family's connections. Otherwise, with his talent, he could not possibly join the academy.
It would be wrong to think that he and Tang Yu were both the same, being at the Fourth Level Essence Qi Realm. Fei Qingping was two years older than Tang Yu. He was also a commoner but had the support of the Wan Family's resources. Yet, this Fei Qingping was only at the Fourth Level Essence Qi Realm. In the future, at best he would be at the early stage Spirit Condensation Realm, or he might just even be stuck at the Essence Qi Realm.
'You . . .!" Fei Qingping's lungs were about to explode in anger. Ye Yuan repeatedly calling him dog made him lose all of his face.
Fei Qingping looked at his companions, and even though nobody laughed out loud, he could tell from everyone's face that they were all just barely holding their laughter back.
"What about me? You want to bite me?" Ye Yuan stretched out an arm, and with a smile, he said, "Here, for you to bite."
"Hahaha!" This time around, everyone could not bear it any longer, and they all started to laugh.
Watching everyone ridiculed him, Fei Qingping face turned into the color of a pig's liver.
"Ye Yuan! I want to issue a deathmatch to you! Accept it if you have the guts!" Fei Qingping pointed at Ye Yuan angrily.
The Dan Wu Academy did not forbid private battles among student. Instead, they tacitly accepted the friction between students. However, there was a point to take note, which was under no circ.u.mstances were they allowed to kill someone without permission from the academy. Otherwise, the person would face the wrath of the academy.
However, if both parties agreed to set a life-and-death contract, not only academy will not stop it, an instructor would even be sent to host the deathmatch.
Ye Yuan revealed a surprised expression and asked, "You really want to carry out a deathmatch?"
"Scared? If you are scared, then kneel and kowtow three times loudly for me. Afterward, say 'I'm a dog' three times!" Fei Qingping thought that Ye Yuan was scared and continued to goad him.
Previously, he also used this sort of tactic to make Ye Yuan agreed to the previous competition.
Ye Yuan stretched his ear out and pretended he did not hear clearly, asking, "Say what three times?"
"Say 'I'm a dog' three times!" Right when the words left Fei Qingping's mouth, he realized he fell for it.
"Hahaha!"
The surrounding people laughed out loud again.
Fei Qingping wished he could give himself two tight slaps. He shouted angrily, "Ye Yuan, you coward! Playing this sort of little games when you don't dare to fight!"
"Good dog, so obedient! Your Grandpa Ye has never looked at the owner before hitting the dog. Since you delivered yourself to my door, I will hit for your owner to see," Ye Yuan said with a smile. Dan = Pill.
Wu = Martial.
Chapter 25 - Deathmatch
"Have you heard about it? The Yellow Rank's first ranking from the bottom, the one hailed as the Ten Thousand Years Last Place, Ye Yuan, had just signed a life-and-death contract with someone."
"Of course I've heard. Don't you think that he's tired of living? However, it's been over two years since a life-and-death contract had appeared in the academy. This is considered news big enough for everyone to discuss for some time."
"Yeah, it's been two years and five months now. The previous life-and-death contract was signed by Senior Apprentice Brother Long. Back then, he was also a Yellow Rank student, yet he triumphed against his opponent who was two minor realms higher than him. I'm afraid that back then, nobody would have thought that he could charge to the first place in the Martial Roll of Honor after two years."
"That is true. Senior Apprentice Brother Long didn't even reveal his abilities completely back then. Ever since he finished off his opponent in that deathmatch, he became unstoppable. charging all the way through into the Heaven Rank, and finally being at the first place in the Martial Roll of Honor.
"Hey, do you think that this punk Ye Yuan can also defeat someone stronger than him and finish off his opponent? Rumors have it that this fellow only used a few days to advance two levels, and he
actually went straight from the First Level Essence Qi Realm to the Third Level Essence Qi Realm."
"No way! How can he be compared to Senior Apprentice Brother Long? Back then, even though Senior Apprentice Brother Long was low-key, he wasn't weak to this extent. Advancing two levels at once? Don't you know that fellow, Ye Yuan, entered the academy through an enormous backdoor? His father is one of the few Alchemy Grandmasters within our State of Qin. With his means, what's so strange about pulling the shots and helping his son improved by two levels? This sort of advancement is all empty, so what combat power can there be?"
"That is true. I heard that this fellow had already entered the academy for half a year. If he could advance, he would have done so long ago and would not wait till now. Now that I look at it, it is most likely he used a secret technique to raise his strength."
"Hehehe. That fellow really doesn't know life from death. Supposedly, he competed in neutralizing poison with that Fei Qingping, but he ended up almost poisoned to death. His father is pretty impressive to have been able to save him. Yet he is courting death again right after returning to the academy. Do you think this fellow's brain is missing a screw?"
The Dan Wu Academy divided strength into four ranks of Heaven, Earth, Black, and Yellow. Ye Yuan and Fei Qingping both belonged in the Yellow Rank.
Initially, the academy's attention was concentrated mainly on the Heaven Rank. Very few people paid attention to topics pertaining to people of the Yellow Rank. However, after Ye Yuan and Fei Qingping signed the life-and-death contract, it attracted a great deal of attention and became major news in the entire academy.
Even though the academy silently acknowledged the competitions and fights between students, it would not permit any death. There was once a student who relied on his family's ill.u.s.trious background and killed somebody in the Dan Wu Academy. The end result was that he was murdered forcefully by the academy, bearing no room for discussion. In the end, that particular noble family did not even dare to make any noise.