Chapter 122: Exposed

Jiang Luofu glanced at Sang Hong in surprise, feeling he seemed unusually irritable, unlike his usual self. However, she didn't care. She leisurely settled back into her chair, her long legs crossed, ready to see what other surprises Zu'an had in store.

With them leading, others also took their seats, continuing to watch the additional match.

Qin Wanru quickly tugged at her husband: "Isn't that guy getting carried away? Is he really so confident about defeating Yuan Wenji?"

"Not at all," Chu Zhongtian shook his head. "On the contrary, based on the strength he just displayed, he's even slightly weaker than Yuan Wenji. It's just unclear what happened with Yuan Wendong for him to lose so inexplicably to Zu'an."

Hearing this, Hong Xingying, who had been listening intently nearby, secretly breathed a sigh of relief. If Zu'an had returned with the momentum of defeating a fifth-rank master and saving the Chu family, he wouldn't have known how to react. But now, Zu'an was being overly ambitious, like a snake trying to swallow an elephant, and was likely headed for a spectacular fall.

If Zu'an lost this match, all the momentum he had built up would vanish. Hong Xingying wouldn't need to worry anymore. Humph, he thought, indeed, he's a ruffian who clawed his way up from the bottom. Who knows where he got his cultivation from, only to immediately forget himself and the proper way to advance or retreat. He'd probably die without even knowing how.

Chu Huanzhao, standing nearby, looked anxious: "Then won't brother-in-law be in great danger?"

Chu Zhongtian reassured her, "Don't worry, I'm ready to intervene at any moment."

Chu Huanzhao pouted, "Hmph, you've tried to intervene several times already, but when have you actually succeeded?"

Ugh, this brat!

Chu Zhongtian choked, unable to find a retort. After a long moment, he managed to blurt out, "Alright, how about I have your mother and sister join in later too?"

Only then did Chu Huanzhao nod: "That's more like it."

Chu Zhongtian's face turned as black as charcoal. He fumed, thinking how daughters were always a drain, turning their backs on their own family at such a young age. It was infuriating.

At this moment, the Yuan family members gathered around Yuan Wenji, instructing him: "Wenji, don't be afraid. His true cultivation is only at the initial stage of the third rank, he's no match for you."

"Wendong was simply too careless just now. Later, put on these earplugs so you don't get distracted by that guy's nonsense. Just go up there and hack at him directly. Ideally, chop off an arm and a leg."

"And don't worry about his movement technique. We observed it from below just now, and it's nothing special. Later, you'll do this and that..."

On the stage, Zu'an yawned: "Are you done strategizing, or are we going to fight?"

As soon as he spoke, he suddenly paused, struck by a sense of déjà vu. Yuan Wendong had also been taunting like this just moments ago. He wasn't going to repeat that mistake, was he?

Pfft, pfft, pfft. Was that guy as handsome as me?

The Goddess of Fortune finds someone as handsome as me pleasing to the eye and would instinctively favor me a little.

"Since you're so eager to die, I'll grant your wish." Yuan Wenji's face was grim as he stepped onto the stage.

"Don't be like your cousin, all talk and no action – oh, wait, your cousin's verbal skills weren't even as good as mine," Zu'an said with a leisurely expression.

"You used despicable means to ambush my elder brother just now. Now, I'll make you pay a blood debt," Yuan Wenji declared, drawing his long sword and focusing all his attention.

Below, Yuan Zhengchu roared in anger: "Didn't I just tell you? Don't waste words with him, plug your ears!"

Yuan Wenji's face flushed. He quickly used the prepared earplugs to block his ears. That guy's mouth seemed to possess a strange magic, making him instinctively want to retort.

Seeing him put on earplugs, Zu'an felt a pang of frustration. The "What are you looking at?" effect had been surprisingly good just now. Even though the opponent was only distracted for a brief moment, seizing that opportunity often yielded miraculous results.

But what if everyone started blocking their ears from now on? Wouldn't his skill become useless?

However, he quickly dismissed this worry. After all, it was impossible for everyone to wear earplugs all the time. The Yuan family member wearing them certainly wasn't because he knew about the "What are you looking at?" skill, but because he thought Yuan Wendong had lost due to being distracted by talking to him, and was worried about repeating the mistake.

"Die!" Yuan Wenji sneered, directly swinging his long sword and attacking. Although his swordsmanship wasn't as refined as Yuan Wendong's, he had nevertheless grasped its basics, and his swordplay was fierce and imposing.

Zu'an exchanged a few blows with him, then suddenly let out a surprised "Huh." It seemed his previous strong attacks had been anticipated by his opponent.

"Haha, that shabby movement technique of yours was alright for bluffing at first, but after watching it for a while, it's just the same old tricks." Yuan Wenji largely guessed his thoughts and laughed heartily. Though he was laughing, his actions were precise and relentless, pressing his sharp attack closer to Zu'an.

Zu'an couldn't help but secretly complain that Old Man Mi was unreliable; the movement technique he taught was broken so easily.

In truth, Old Man Mi was wrongly blamed. He had primarily created the fake Sunflower Mirage to conceal the true one. A hastily modified pseudo-Sunflower Mirage was bound to have many flaws, and with a crowd of people scrutinizing it, it was easy to find its weaknesses.

Of course, given sufficient time to refine it, even the pseudo-Sunflower Mirage wouldn't have its flaws discovered so easily.

In the instant Zu'an was momentarily stunned, Yuan Wenji seized the opportunity to attack. A sinister smile played on his lips. With this sword strike, his opponent's foot would be severed in half.

What good luck today! Yuan Wendong was completely crippled. Among the younger generation of the Yuan family, no one could compare to him anymore. Plus, today he had avenged Yuan Wendong and performed such a great service for the Yuan family. The position of young master would surely be his!

Speaking of which, he had to thank the Second Miss of the Chu family. Although she had bullied him as a child, not only had he completely retaliated just now, but she had also indirectly given him such a great gift.

Hahahaha, once he became the young master of the Yuan family, he could even propose to the Chu family, marry her, and bully her every day. The thought alone was a little exciting.

As the sword tip seemed to cut into Zu'an's ankle, a hollow sensation came from the blade. His sword sliced through an afterimage and hit the ground, while the real Zu'an had vanished.

From the corner of his eye, he caught a flash of cold light attacking from his side. His heart pounded with dread, and he frantically tried to dodge, but it was too late.

A shrill scream echoed through the arena. Half an arm dropped from mid-air, still grasping a treasured sword, its fingers twitching incessantly, a truly gruesome sight.

Zu'an delivered a heavy kick to Yuan Wenji's lower abdomen. Yuan Wenji shrieked and fell heavily to the ground. He tried to get up several times but failed, trembling as he stared at Zu'an: "You... you're so cruel!"

Rage points from Yuan Wenji: 1024!

Not only was his arm severed, but the kick had also shattered his Qi Sea, completely crippling his cultivation. One moment he was fantasizing about reaching the pinnacle of his life, the next he was completely cast into the dust. The immense disparity between these two states brought him to the brink of collapse.

Zu'an walked over and looked down at him: "I'm no gentleman. If someone is one-tenth good to me, I might repay them three-tenths. But if someone is one-tenth bad to me, I'll certainly repay them ten-tenths. Originally, I only intended to break your arm and severely injure your lower abdomen, which would have been revenge enough for Xiao Zhao. But since you tried to chop off my foot, don't blame me for being impolite."

Hearing his words, Hong Xingying of the Chu family swallowed hard, a shiver running down his spine. This guy was truly ruthless.

At this point, the Yuan family members erupted in fury: "You Zu fellow, you're asking for death!"

Rage points from Yuan Zhengchu: 1024!Rage points from Yuan XX: 444!Rage points from Yuan YY: 444!

Watching his two younger kinsmen being crippled before his eyes, Yuan Zhengchu could no longer sit still. He led the family's masters and charged towards the stage.

Chu Zhongtian was prepared. He led his retainers and blocked them: "What, Yuan Zhengchu, are you going to attack a junior again?"

Knowing he couldn't defeat Chu Zhongtian, Yuan Zhengchu turned to Sang Hong on the stage, pleading: "Lord Governor, this youth is so malicious! I beg you, sir, to preside over justice for our Yuan family."

Hiding behind the Chu family members, Zu'an instantly gained confidence and loudly declared: "Uncle Yuan, I don't understand what you're saying. We clearly agreed before the match that life and death would be left to fate. So, what's with you now? Are you a sore loser?"

Yuan Zhengchu choked. "Who the hell is your uncle? If I had a nephew like you, I would have drowned him in a toilet long ago!"

Rage points from Yuan Zhengchu: 999!

At this moment, Sang Hong on the stage also felt a headache coming on. The Yuan family members were truly too useless, making one mistake after another and forcing him to clean up their messes every time.

He didn't express his stance directly but looked at Jiang Luofu beside him: "Principal Jiang, I never imagined that your academy's Elementary Sword Art — Thirteen Forms would possess such power. It truly astonishes this official."

Zu'an's sword move just now was clearly one of the forms from the Elementary Sword Art, yet when he executed it, for some reason, Yuan Wenji simply couldn't dodge it.

Jiang Luofu was also replaying Zu'an's move in her mind. She, too, couldn't quite understand why an ordinary move suddenly displayed such power. It seemed to have some subtle differences from the academy's Elementary Sword Art, but she couldn't pinpoint what they were.

Hearing the Governor's question, she replied: "The Elementary Sword Art — Thirteen Forms is the crystallization of centuries of the academy's wisdom, so it is naturally profound and miraculous. Perhaps it is merely that we, the descendants, are too dull to fully grasp some of its deeper mysteries."

At this point, Xie Yi also spoke: "Lord Governor, Zu'an's move just now, no matter how one looks at it, was merely the most common and ordinary Elementary Sword Art of the academy. If Yuan Wenji couldn't even evade such a basic technique, it's really unfair to blame his opponent for being too ruthless."

Sang Hong nodded. In front of so many people, he couldn't openly show favoritism: "Patriarch Yuan, before their duel, they both agreed that regardless of who won or lost, no one would be held accountable afterward. Your actions here put this official in a very difficult position."

His words seemed to open a floodgate, and others in the training ground echoed:"Exactly, we heard it too.""The Yuan family truly can't accept losing.""They can't even handle the Elementary Sword Art; the Yuan family is truly too weak."

On the stage, Zu'an secretly breathed a sigh of relief. He had only used the Sunflower Mirage for a fleeting moment, and sure enough, no one had noticed anything unusual, merely thinking it was the academy's most common "Elementary Sword Art — Thirteen Forms." Little did they know that with the bonus from the "Sunflower Mirage," it had transformed into the incredibly powerful "Bixie Swordplay." The peculiar thing about this swordplay was that, apart from the person directly experiencing it, observers couldn't discern any difference, only seeing the opponent mysteriously falling victim to it.

What he didn't notice, however, was that someone in the audience was constantly scrutinizing him: "That fleeting movement technique of his just now, why does it resemble that person's from back then so much? No, I must inform those above."

***

**Acknowledgments:**Many thanks to the patrons and readers who rewarded me, including Naling, Second-in-Command of Cloud Stack Cave, Little Panda Big Wisdom, Liang Siqin, Saint Only Sees Beautiful Pictures, Tai Chi Period Scripture, Lawyer Bai 123 Baidu, White Night and Black Day, Single Point Zhiran, I Fly and Take You Flying, and Crown the Heroes. There are many more readers whose names I can't list individually. Many people specifically downloaded the Zongheng app just to support me; I only regret I can't express my gratitude in person...

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