Chapter 127: Chapter 127: Get Out of Here
Ye Xuan completely ignored Senior Brother Cheng’s provocation. His gaze fell upon Chen Xing instead as he began to offer guidance. "Chen Xing, you did well just now, but you also made quite a few mistakes. You didn’t apply your skills properly."
"First, your attacks weren’t vicious enough. You didn’t deal your enemies a fatal blow. When Martial Artists roam the world, they constantly walk the line between life and death. This is especially true in a group fight. Once you decide to strike, you must be fast, precise, and ruthless. Take your enemies down as quickly as possible, leaving them no chance to react."
"Second, your strategy was also flawed. It’s right to focus on one person, but not by trading your life for theirs. In a group battle, a true expert won’t get themselves injured just to injure an enemy. They’ll use the smallest possible cost to ensure their enemy’s defeat. The way you fight, even if you win, it would be a pyrrhic victory. You might even end up taking each other down."
"Third, in battle, you must be ruthless when it’s time to be ruthless, and retreat when it’s time to retreat. You can’t just attack blindly and clash head-on. Always leave yourself some room to maneuver..."
Ye Xuan spoke with casual authority, paying no mind whatsoever to Senior Brother Cheng’s words.
Chen Xing, as if already expecting this attitude from Ye Xuan, gave a wry smile. "Ye Xuan, you think I’m you? How could I possibly think about so many things in the middle of a fight?"
The four youths were utterly dumbfounded by this scene.
Senior Brother Cheng, having collected himself, flushed beet-red once more. He pointed a finger at Ye Xuan. "Kid, are you a man or not? If you’re too scared for a one-on-one fight, just say it! Don’t just stand there pretending you can’t hear me."
"Too scared to fight?" Ye Xuan’s gaze finally landed on Senior Brother Cheng.
He gave a cold smile and, for the first time, descended the steps in front of the door, walking slowly toward Senior Brother Cheng.
"A pathetic insect like you thinks you’re worthy of challenging me? The reason I ignore you isn’t because I’m afraid, but because you are fundamentally not qualified for my attention."
With every step Ye Xuan took, his aura grew stronger.
In his past life, he was an Eighth Grade Soul Emperor. To him, this richly dressed youth and his friends were like squabbling children. How could he possibly muster any interest in them?
Even though he had been reborn in this life and was starting from scratch, he was already a First Layer Martial Master. His true strength was on par with that of an Earth Martial Artist.
Yet a mere Second Layer Warrior, a new student at the academy, was relentlessly shouting at him. He had simply been too lazy to bother, but the other party’s persistence was starting to annoy him.
’Does this richly dressed punk really think that just because he was born into a noble family, he can be fearless in the Royal City?’ While Ye Xuan didn’t want to stoop to his level, he knew that with people like this, if you don’t teach them a lesson, they’ll only get more aggressive.
Ye Xuan had held back earlier only to guide Chen Xing and give him some practical combat experience. Now that his objective was accomplished, there was no longer any need for restraint.
He strode forward, and with each deliberate step, the aura emanating from him grew increasingly immense.
In Senior Brother Cheng’s mind, Ye Xuan was like a great mountain descending from the heavens, slowly bearing down on him. That all-suppressing aura suddenly made it difficult for him to breathe.
At first, it was just a slight difficulty in breathing. But as Ye Xuan drew nearer, the oppressive feeling intensified. In the end, the Profound Qi in his body, and even the Martial Soul within his Profound Sea, were compressed into a corner, trembling in fear, unable to move an inch.
"This..."
Senior Brother Cheng’s expression changed drastically. He gritted his teeth, lifted his head, and prepared to strike with everything he had, knowing that if he didn’t act now, he would lose the courage to act at all.
But the moment his gaze met Ye Xuan’s, a shiver ran down his spine. The courage he had just mustered vanished in an instant, like a pricked balloon.
Expressionless, Ye Xuan slowly reached out and grabbed him by the neck, lifting him off the ground.
And Senior Brother Cheng, like a puppet, hung there completely stiff without the slightest resistance. Beads of sweat the size of soybeans rolled down his forehead.
Ye Xuan stared at him coldly, his gaze a sharp knife that seemed to pierce straight into his heart. An icy voice echoed in Senior Brother Cheng’s ears.
"Senior Brother Cheng, is it? I don’t care who you are or what your status is, you’d best not try to play the big shot in front of me. Remember, the only reason I didn’t strike is not because I’m afraid of you, but because you’re beneath my notice. Now, get out."
With that, Ye Xuan gave him a light toss. Senior Brother Cheng felt himself fly through the air before landing hard on his backside in the courtyard, his face ashen and his appearance utterly wretched.
The once insufferably arrogant Senior Brother Cheng was now like a defeated rooster, completely deflated.
The previous haughty expression and arrogant gaze had now been replaced by deep, unconcealed terror.
When Ye Xuan had grabbed him, it wasn’t that he hadn’t thought of resisting. But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t circulate a single shred of his Profound Qi. What’s more, a dense killing intent had completely enveloped him.
He had even felt that the god of death was but a single step away. Only then had he become truly terrified.
As for Senior Brother Cheng’s four cronies, they were completely stunned, utterly gobsmacked by the scene.
"What are you still standing around for? Scram." Ye Xuan’s gaze, as cold as a sharpened sword, seemed to stab deep into Senior Brother Cheng’s heart.
A single look from Ye Xuan was more terrifying than any threat or sharp word.
"Y-Yes, I’ll go... I’m going." Senior Brother Cheng’s voice trembled. Terrified, he scrambled to his feet and staggered out of the courtyard, his whole body gone weak.
This scene left the four remaining cronies in the courtyard dumbstruck. They could hardly believe their eyes. Was this really the same Senior Brother Cheng who could command the wind and rain at the academy?
The always imposing Senior Brother Cheng, scared into a stumbling retreat by a few words from some country bumpkin?
’Have we seen a ghost?’
’Is this still the Senior Brother Cheng they admired? The one they had sworn to follow?’
Though their hearts were filled with doubt and shock, they still hurried after Senior Brother Cheng and left the courtyard.
Ye Xuan retracted his aura and turned to Chen Xing. "Chen Xing, you have several internal injuries. Go back and heal them soon, don’t let them cause any lasting problems. Also, give some thought to the points I made earlier."
"Ahem, so, uh..." Chen Xing chuckled. "Ye Xuan, how about you give me some kind of miracle Pill to help my strength leap forward? You know, like the one you gave Senior Sister Leng Yingying, the kind that lets me break through directly. I’m not asking for much, just enough to get me to the Third Layer of Warrior... Hey, Ye Xuan, where are you going? Why are you leaving... Fine, I’ll lower my standards! A Pill to get me to the Second Layer of Warrior would be fine too! Hey! Hey! Ye Xuan, don’t go!"
BANG!
Before Chen Xing could finish, Ye Xuan had already returned to his room and shut the door.
"Ye Xuan is so cheap," Chen Xing muttered with a long face. "He clearly prioritizes romance over friendship. So generous with his supposed lover, but so stingy with his friends. I’ve made a terrible friend."
"What did you say?" A look from Leng Yingying, sharp enough to kill, shot over from the side.
"Nothing! Uh, and, thanks for earlier."
Chen Xing darted back to his room and slammed the door shut with a BANG.
Having practiced the Cultivation Technique that Ye Xuan had improved, he was still impressed with his own magnificent performance earlier—his courage and dominance in taking on four people by himself. Though he was a little injured, he felt incredibly invigorated.
Outside the courtyard, the four youths caught up to the richly dressed young man, their faces a mixture of indignation and confusion, their heads hung low.
"Senior Brother Cheng, what was that all about? How could you let that kid take you down without saying a single word?"
"Exactly, Senior Brother Cheng, what happened?"
"You didn’t hold back on purpose just to look all suave in front of those two beauties, did you? That’s not your style at all."
The whole group started talking at once, completely baffled by Senior Brother Cheng’s performance.
"All of you, shut up!" Senior Brother Cheng’s face was livid. He snapped at them, shooting them a cold glance that made them immediately fall silent.
Even though Senior Brother Cheng had just lost face, his established power and authority were still enough to keep them from talking back.
But after only a moment of silence, a more hot-tempered one couldn’t hold back. "Senior Brother Cheng, what in the world was that? That kid laid hands on you, and you just let him humiliate you without fighting back at all. That’s not like you!"
"Yeah, Senior Brother Cheng, you didn’t do it for those two women, did you?"
"I get it! Senior Brother Cheng, you’re playing the long game to catch a big fish! You’re deliberately acting all cultured to pick up those two babes!"
"Oh, so that’s it! No wonder you didn’t fight back, Senior Brother Cheng. You were just trying to maintain your image."
The group hadn’t been quiet for two seconds before they erupted into a jumble of chatter again.
Senior Brother Cheng was rendered utterly speechless. ’Are these guys idiots?’ he thought. ’As if I, Chengkun, would let someone beat me up just to look good for a couple of women. They’re talking without even thinking.’
"Enough of your nonsense," Senior Brother Cheng said, his expression grim. "That kid is not as simple as he looks."
The moment he said this, the entire group froze.
What was wrong with Senior Brother Cheng? He’d just been beaten without fighting back, and now he was saying his opponent was formidable. Senior Brother Cheng was known for his arrogance. When had he become such a wimp?
They knew Senior Brother Cheng well. He was arrogant, conceited, and looked down his nose at everyone.
Yet here he was, saying something like this.
This was just building up the enemy’s prestige at the expense of his own.
"Senior Brother Cheng, he’s just some country bumpkin. What’s so formidable about him?"
"Yeah! Why don’t we go back and teach them a lesson?"
"You don’t know shit!" Senior Brother Cheng cut them off, veins bulging on his forehead as he roared, "You useless idiots can’t even take down a single First Layer Warrior! Going up against that kid would be suicide! Don’t you get it? It wasn’t that I *wouldn’t* fight back—it was that I *couldn’t*! His power is unfathomable! I almost died back there!"
