Chapter 158: Chapter 158: The Three-Move Agreement
How could he know that for Ye Xuan, improving his Martial Soul was not a priority? Those who rushed such things were merely ordinary Martial Artists. A true expert would only act after identifying the perfect target.
Take Zhao Wei, for example. As a Prince, he would only make a move after thoroughly preparing for the specific Profound Beast he needed.
This kind of careful, step-by-step planning was the only way to ensure a better path for his future cultivation.
And that was just for Zhao Wei, the Prince of a small kingdom. For Ye Xuan, a former Eighth Grade Soul Emperor, there were far more factors to consider, requiring a much more comprehensive approach.
Most importantly, Ye Xuan was a man of principle. He had come at Zhao Wei’s invitation to help him improve his Martial Soul.
He simply couldn’t bring himself to start hunting a Profound Beast for his own purposes before their mission for Zhao Wei was complete.
AWOO!
As the group sped through the area, a sudden roar echoed out. From the dense woods, a pack of demon wolves suddenly surged forth.
"They’re Tier Two Demon Beasts—Red-eyed Wolves!"
The moment they appeared, the pack of Red-eyed Wolves launched a ferocious attack on Ye Xuan’s group.
While Demon Beasts weren’t numerous on Cyan Profound Mountain, they certainly existed. The group had already encountered and slain a few along their path, but this was their first time facing an entire pack of Red-eyed Wolves.
"Don’t panic! Circle up!" Zhao Wei commanded from the center.
The others didn’t need to be told; they had already formed a defensive line.
Zuo Liu was the first to engage the Red-eyed Wolves. A sharp glint flashed in his eyes as the longsword on his back was suddenly unsheathed. He slashed out, sending a brilliant streak of light that instantly sliced through the wolf at the very front of the pack.
SPLAT! The Red-eyed Wolf was instantly split in two, its intestines and blood gushing from the wound and splattering across the ground.
Qing Ling was even faster. Her figure moved like a dancing butterfly, flitting between several Red-eyed Wolves. In her wake, the beasts collapsed dead, yet no one could even see how she had attacked.
Zhao Wei’s strength was not to be underestimated, either. He focused his mind, and lightning began to crackle over his martial robes. With a single punch, a Red-eyed Wolf howled in agony as it was instantly electrocuted into a charred husk, filling the air with a foul stench.
Fu Yuling was also incredibly agile. A pair of Emei Piercers in her hands became two streaks of light, skewering a Red-eyed Wolf.
As for Duan Ren, he wielded his broken blade with the force of a whirlwind. With a furious roar, he brought his blade down, cleaving a Red-eyed Wolf in two from head to tail in a spray of blood.
Although the Red-eyed Wolves were numerous and formidable, Zhao Wei and the others were top-ranked experts from the Profound Spirit Academy’s leaderboard—the best of the best from the entire Liuyun Kingdom. Dealing with the pack was almost effortless.
Seeing how easily they handled the situation, Ye Xuan held back. He leisurely engaged a single Red-eyed Wolf, using the opportunity to discreetly gauge everyone’s strength.
In less than fifteen minutes, the pack of Red-eyed Wolves was either dead or had fled. The one fighting Ye Xuan was clipped on the tail by his fist. It let out a yelp and scrambled away, looking less like a Tier Two Demon Beast and more like a stray dog fleeing for its life.
Ye Xuan gave a faint smile and lowered his fist.
Ye Xuan had no interest whatsoever in slaughtering such low-level Tier Two Demon Beasts.
When Duan Ren saw this, he flew into a rage. "Ye Xuan! The rest of us are fighting our hearts out against these Demon Beasts, and what are you doing? Playing games? Or are you so pathetic you can’t even deal with a single Tier Two Demon Beast?"
He had fought valiantly, killing nearly ten Red-eyed Wolves himself. Because of his wide, sweeping attacks, he was covered in wolf blood.
So when he turned to see Ye Xuan standing there elegantly without so much as a speck of dust on him, let alone any blood, having failed to kill a single wolf, he felt a great sense of injustice and his anger boiled over.
Moreover, during their previous encounters with Demon Beasts, Ye Xuan had remained completely idle while Duan Ren had been the one to lead the charge every time. This had left a very sour taste in his mouth.
’In his mind, when they encountered weaker Demon Beasts, the weakest member of the team should be the one to handle them, allowing the experts to conserve their strength.’
’And that weakest person was obviously Ye Xuan. Yet, the man showed no awareness of his role. Every time they encountered Demon Beasts, it was I who had to step up.’
Despite Zhao Wei’s explicit orders, he had finally reached his breaking point.
"He’s right," Fu Yuling chimed in, giving Ye Xuan a cold look. She clearly had her own complaints. "Ye Xuan, since you were invited by His Highness the Eighth Prince, you should be doing your best. Even His Highness killed three Red-eyed Wolves just now. For you, an outsider, to be here but not pull your weight... you haven’t even killed a single one. That’s not right, is it?"
"Fu Yuling, not pulling one’s weight isn’t the real problem," Duan Ren sneered, his gaze toward Ye Xuan filled with disdain. "If someone truly has strength, their time to shine will come. What I’m afraid of is someone just tagging along to pad the numbers, or worse, someone with ulterior motives. That’s what’s truly dangerous."
’His experience so far had convinced him that Ye Xuan’s reputation was completely unearned.’
"Alright, that’s enough," Zhao Wei said coldly, shooting Duan Ren a look of displeasure. "I was the one who invited Ye Xuan. I have complete faith in his strength."
Duan Ren steeled himself and declared loudly, "Your Highness, it’s not that I’m ignoring your words, but please, don’t be deceived by him! What has he even done, besides defeating Tong Hong? How strong can a new student possibly be? This trip to the forbidden land is critical for you! It’s one thing if someone can’t contribute, but can we afford to have someone who will drag the whole team down?"
"He’s right, Your Highness. What Duan Ren said isn’t wrong," Fu Yuling added.
With Duan Ren putting on an air of loyal concern and Fu Yuling backing him up, it became difficult for Zhao Wei to reprimand him further.
Zhao Wei turned to look at Ye Xuan instead.
’He personally didn’t have a problem with Ye Xuan’s behavior, but they were a team. It was only natural for others to complain when Ye Xuan hadn’t been pulling his weight.’
Nearby, Qing Ling and Zuo Liu watched Ye Xuan with keen interest.
They were curious to see how he would respond to this confrontation.
Under everyone’s watchful eyes, Ye Xuan’s expression remained calm. He gave a faint smile. "Don’t worry, Brother Zhao. When it’s time for me to act, I will. It is simply not yet time."
"What arrogance," Duan Ren sneered. "Who do you think you are? The number one on the leaderboard? Even Senior Sister Qing Ling has already fought. Who the hell are you to be putting on airs here?"
As his voice fell, he sheathed his broken blade and stepped forward.
"Don’t think I’m picking on you. We are all here under His Highness’s command, so we should all be clear on each other’s capabilities. You’re just a new student, so I won’t bully you. How about this: if you can withstand three of my moves, I’ll acknowledge your place in this team."
Without waiting for Zhao Wei or Ye Xuan to respond, he lunged forward, throwing a punch straight at Ye Xuan’s chest.
BOOM! A fierce wind swept out as Profound Qi surged on the surface of his fist, coalescing into a rumbling vortex of energy that pressed forward, the air in a several-meter radius crackling with power.
’He called it a test, but in reality, he was using it as an excuse to put Ye Xuan in his place and vent his pent-up anger.’
A cold glint suddenly flashed in Ye Xuan’s eyes.
Facing Duan Ren’s punch, Ye Xuan remained perfectly still, his expression nonchalant. Only at the last possible moment, just as the attack was about to land, did he extend his right hand. The movement was deceptively light, as if completely devoid of strength.
A flicker of surprise passed through the eyes of Qing Ling and the others.
’Duan Ren’s punch was ferocious. Even we wouldn’t have dared to face it so casually. Was this kid fearless, or just too slow to react?’
’Good, kid! Daring to take my punch head-on? I’ll show you just how fearsome Duan Ren can be!’
Seeing this, Duan Ren was ecstatic. He let out a sudden roar, pushing the Profound Qi of his Martial Master Third Layer cultivation to its absolute limit as he threw the punch with a deafening boom.
Just as his fist was about to strike Ye Xuan’s chest, Duan Ren’s wrist suddenly went numb. At some point, Ye Xuan’s casually extended hand had already closed around it.
The terrifying Profound Qi gathered in his right fist vanished instantly. His arm went limp, completely numb and powerless.
His heart lurched in shock. Just as he tried to react—
—Ye Xuan smoothly pulled on his wrist, twisted, and then flicked.
And just like that, Duan Ren—a Third Layer Martial Master ranked fifteenth on the academy’s leaderboard—was tossed aside. He was like a puppet on a string, utterly powerless against Ye Xuan’s manipulation. His large frame flew more than ten meters through the air like a broken kite before crashing hard against a tree.
The throw wasn’t lethal, but it left everyone present completely and utterly stunned.
’Interesting. Very interesting. His strength is truly extraordinary,’ Qing Ling and Zuo Liu thought, their eyes flashing as they stared at Ye Xuan in shock.
At Profound Spirit Academy, being in the top twenty of the leaderboard was a completely different level from being in the top ten. And the gap between the top ten and the top five was even more distinct.
Although Duan Ren was ranked fifteenth—a far cry from their own rankings—and was a blade master whose unarmed combat was much weaker than his skill with a sword, for him to be tossed aside so casually was still shocking.
Ye Xuan’s strength far surpassed their expectations. They roughly estimated that he had to be at least on par with the top five on the leaderboard, capable of rivaling them. This was no small matter.
For a moment, the atmosphere became extremely awkward.
Ignoring everyone else, Ye Xuan walked over to Duan Ren.
"Three moves was too generous. One was enough."
"You!" Duan Ren’s face flushed crimson. That single throw had utterly stripped him, an expert ranked fifteenth on the leaderboard, of all his dignity.
SHING!
He abruptly drew the blade at his waist, his shame turning to fury. "If you’ve got the guts, face me in a real fight!"
’Even now, he didn’t understand how he had lost. He convinced himself that he had simply been careless and that Ye Xuan had exploited an opening. If he had used his blade, the outcome would have been completely different.’
’No matter how good his opponent’s martial arts were, could he really catch a blade with his bare hands?’
"Enough!"
Zhao Wei roared, seeing the situation escalate. He glared at Duan Ren. "A loss is a loss! Show some backbone! This is the last time. If I hear one more word of complaint from you, you are to leave this team immediately."
Then, he turned to Ye Xuan with a hearty laugh. "Ye Xuan, my friend, you really are full of surprises! I’m truly impressed. Please, don’t take Duan Ren’s rudeness to heart."
