146

Xu Yan looked at Fu Yuntian and respectfully said, "Headmaster Fu, I take my leave for now. I'll visit the Seven Star Academy again when I have the chance."

  This visit to the Seven Star Academy is basically concluded.

  As for the Repository Pavilion, if there's a need in the future, I'll come back to see it.

  Next, I'll go to Canglan Island to accept the legacy left by Yin Hong. After purchasing the spiritual medicines, it'll be time to return to the Border Wilderness.

  "You're welcome to visit anytime, Young Master Xu."

  Fu Yuntian took a deep breath and said.

  "Lady Xu was fortunate to witness Young Master Xu defeating a Grandmaster today. It can be considered a great privilege. It's been some time since we parted at the Unparalleled Pavilion. How about we catch up?"

  The woman in plain clothes had a clear voice, which invigorated the listeners.

  "It's you."

  Xu Yan patted Xie Lingfeng's shoulder and said, "This is the friend I mentioned. He also needs to temper his mind. How about he spends some time honing himself here when he's free?"

  Xie Lingfeng swallowed nervously and chuckled, "Xu Brother, there's no need. I've already tempered myself!"

  The gaze of the woman in plain clothes was smiling, but it gave him a chilling feeling.

  "You see, Young Master Xu, Xie Lingfeng doesn't need it."

  The woman in plain clothes said with a smile.

  Xu Yan stared at her for a while, feeling somewhat cautious. This woman's attitude was somewhat problematic, softer than when he first met her at the Unparalleled Pavilion.

  Du Yuying was even more vigilant.

  "Since that's the case, let's leave it at that!"

  Xu Yan clasped his hands and turned to leave.

  At this moment, the students of the Seven Star Academy seemed to come back to their senses.

  "Young Master Xu, I have some martial arts questions. I hope you can enlighten me."

  "Young Master Xu, I've been feeling restless lately. I don't know if there's a problem with my martial arts practice. Can you help me understand?"

  A group of female students swarmed over.

  Xie Lingfeng swallowed nervously. Were these women all insane?

  Hu Shan showed envy on his face.

  Many male students also had envy in their eyes, almost turning red.

  "Xie Brother, see you at the other courtyard!"

  As soon as Xu Yan saw him, his figure flashed and disappeared in an instant.

  As soon as he left, the Seven Star Academy students who had swarmed over were suddenly disappointed, and some even blamed Xie Lingfeng.

  "What's the big deal with the Sword Venerable Cliff's first day of arrogance over the past thousand years? It's all just inflated praise!"

  "Yes, it's nothing more than relying on the reputation of his father, Grandmaster Xie, to be praised by others."

  Xie Lingfeng exploded upon hearing this. I'm not as good as Xu Yan, that's a fact, but what are you guys? You have the audacity to question me?

  His expression turned cold, drawing his sword from its sheath, and said coldly, "Today, Xie Lingfeng challenges all students under thirty of the Seven Star Academy!"

  His figure soared into the air, heading straight for the martial arts platform.

  "Today, Xie Lingfeng wants to see how much skill you students of the Seven Star Academy under thirty have. In my eyes, you're nothing but trash!"

  Hu Shan immediately became excited and roared, "My young master, Sword Venerable Cliff's Xie Lingfeng, challenges all students under thirty of the Seven Star Academy.

  "In the eyes of my young master, all of you are trash!"

  Du Yuying: ...

  The woman in plain clothes: ...

  On the martial arts platform, Xie Lingfeng stood with his sword.

  Originally, he didn't have such thoughts, but being looked down upon by the students of the Seven Star Academy, how could he bear it? After all, he was a renowned genius, proud and arrogant.

  "If Young Master Xu can break through nine layers of the martial arts platform, I can't be worse than him. Today, I'll suppress all students under thirty of the Seven Star Academy!

  "These bunch of nobodies, what qualifications do they have to mock me!"

  Xie Lingfeng felt enraged.

  The Seven Star Academy was boiling, and all the students were furious.

  Arrogant! Xie Lingfeng directly challenged all students under thirty of the Seven Star Academy, which was equivalent to suppressing peers!

  Xu Yan, who had just left, came back.

  He approached Hu Shan and asked, "Hu Shan, how about we make a bet in the Seven Star Academy?"

  "Hmm?" Hu Shan was puzzled, "What kind of bet?"

  Xu Yan was excited, as if he saw an opportunity to earn spirit crystals, and said, "Let's bet on whether Brother Xie wins or the Seven Star Academy wins!"

  Hu Shan understood instantly and twitched his mouth, saying, "Is this appropriate?"

  "This is a good opportunity to make money!"

  Xu Yan was still confident in Xie Lingfeng.

  "Alright then."

  After thinking for a moment, Hu Shan nodded in agreement.

  These matters naturally had to be handled by him. If people knew that Xu Yan had faith in Xie Lingfeng, how could they make money?

  So Hu Shan walked to a large rock, took out his sword, placed it on the rock, and shouted loudly, "Today, my young master challenges all students of the Seven Star Academy. I'm confident that my young master can suppress all his peers. Who dares to bet?"

  The students who rushed over were holding their breaths. It was one thing for Xu Yan to be arrogant; he had the qualifications for it.

  But what qualifications did Xie Lingfeng have to be arrogant?

  He was just a prodigy praised by others.

  "How do we bet?"

  Some students immediately approached.

  "It's simple. If the Seven Star Academy wins, I'll give this sword to the Seven Star Academy, representing Sword Venerable Cliff losing

Under the stimulation of these words, the students of the Seven Star Academy surged with excitement.

  "I bet! Let's see what Xie Lingfeng is capable of, challenging our Seven Star Academy!"

  "Heh, we'll take the reputation of your Sword Venerable Cliff!"

  So, the students began to take out their bets one after another.

  All of them bet on the victory of the Seven Star Academy!

  On the large rock, opposite Hu Shan, small pouches were already piled up, each containing spirit tickets. Xu Yan looked on excitedly.

  This would be another big win.

  Xie Lingfeng on the martial arts platform twitched his mouth, feeling the pressure instantly.

  If he happened to lose, it wouldn't just be losing face for the Sword Venerable Cliff, but also losing money for Xu Yan!

  He took a deep breath and said coldly, "There's no need for anyone below Grandmaster level to come up."

  Boom!

  The aura of a Grandmaster surged, shaking the surroundings.

  The students of the Seven Star Academy were suddenly stunned. Xie Lingfeng was a Grandmaster-level martial artist!

  Just the thought of his age, barely in his twenties, yet already a Grandmaster-level martial artist, how many in the entire inner domain could compare?

  Rumors were not all just exaggerations.

  "I'll go!"

  A student of the Seven Star Academy soared into the air and landed on the martial arts platform.

  He was also a Grandmaster-level martial artist.

  "Please!"

  Xie Lingfeng said coldly.

  "Kill!"

  The student lifted his hand and struck with his blade.

  However, in a flash of sword light, his blade flew out, and a hole appeared on his shoulder.

  "Next!"

  Xie Lingfeng said coldly.

  The students of the Seven Star Academy were all stunned! One sword defeated a Grandmaster!

  Fu Yuntian's expression also turned serious. While Xie Lingfeng's strength might not match Xu Yan's, it had to be said that his strength was worthy of his reputation as a prodigy.

  This battle also concerned the reputation of the younger generation of the Seven Star Academy.

  "Let Pingdong come. If he loses, no one under thirty in the Seven Star Academy will be a match for Xie Lingfeng!"

  Fu Yuntian pondered for a moment before speaking.

  "Alright!"

  Ding Yan nodded.

  The second Grandmaster-level student of the Seven Star Academy stepped onto the platform. He was somewhat stronger, but Xie Lingfeng defeated him with just two swords!

  Then came the third, the fourth...

  Not one person could withstand three swords from Xie Lingfeng!

  Moreover, those Grandmaster-level students from the Seven Star Academy were almost thirty years old. Both in age and strength, they were far inferior to Xie Lingfeng.

  This made many students of the Seven Star Academy silent.

  And those students who impulsively took out spirit crystals for bets were now feeling regret. They looked at the pile of pouches on the rock, wanting to retract their bets.

  However, they were afraid of losing face for the Seven Star Academy, so they could only watch helplessly, not daring to step forward to reclaim their pouches.

  The most excited was Xu Yan, who had made another big profit with the spirit crystals.

  The trip to the Seven Star Academy was fruitful, defeating a Grandmaster, acquiring Canglan Island, and now, with this bet, even if each person only had a thousand spirit crystals, there were tens of thousands in total.

  Big earnings!

  "Is there anyone else who wants to come and fight?"

  Xie Lingfeng held his sword contemptuously, looking down at the students of the Seven Star Academy below.

  Just then, a powerful aura emanated from the Seven Star Academy. A long blade flew over and landed on the martial arts platform. Immediately after, an expressionless man appeared and grasped the long blade.

  "Pingdong, here to learn!"

  The newcomer was about the same age as Xie Lingfeng, in his early twenties, and was also at the same level.

  Xie Lingfeng's expression became serious. "So it's Pingdong."

  Pingdong, the current number one prodigy of the Seven Star Academy, was on par with Xie Lingfeng, known as one of the three youngest Grandmasters in the inner domain!

  "Xie Brother, encountered a little opponent!"

  Xu Yan looked at Pingdong and spoke.

  "Who do you think will win, Young Master Xu?"

  Du Yuying asked softly.

  "Of course, it'll be Brother Xie!"

  Xu Yan replied without hesitation.

  Xie Lingfeng had already condensed his true qi and experienced a huge improvement in strength. His comprehension of swordsmanship was also not lacking. While Pingdong's strength was not weak, he ultimately fell short compared to Xie Lingfeng.

  Of course, if Xie Lingfeng hadn't condensed his true qi, the outcome against Pingdong's strength would have been difficult to predict.

  "Please!"

  Xie Lingfeng said solemnly.

  Pingdong, apparently a man of few words, just nodded. With a flick of his long blade, in an instant, the blade light was fierce and the blade energy rampant, with a chilling killing intent sweeping out.

  Xie Lingfeng swung his treasured sword, the Thousand River Sword Technique unfolded. At this moment, the Thousand River Sword Technique he employed was no longer the original one but had been improved.

  The sword qi surged out, followed by the Rainbow Sword Technique!

  Sword lights flashed like lightning, intertwining within the sword qi. For a moment, the two engaged in intense combat.

  At one moment!

  The sword qi gathered into a vortex, sweeping up, and the sword light flashed, as if piercing through the vast sky.

  Boom!

  The blade light shattered, the blade energy dissipated, and in front of Pingdong was a shining sword.

  "I've lost!"

  Pingdong was silent for a while before exhaling and saying.

"Thank you for your concession!" 

Xie Lingfeng bowed.

"Xie Lingfeng, truly worthy of your reputation!" 

Pingdong turned and left.

"Anyone else? Come and fight!" 

Xie Lingfeng stood with his sword, proudly overlooking the students of the Seven Star Academy.

At this moment, the students of the Seven Star Academy were silent.

"Xie, you've won. There's no need to continue fighting," 

Fu Yuntian shook his head with a wry smile.

Pingdong lost, and among the younger generation, no one could match Xie Lingfeng.

Hu Shan happily gathered all the pouches on the rock and carried them in his hands.

"Let's go," 

Xu Yan was excited.

Xie Lingfeng came down from the martial arts platform, walking with Xu Yan. Hu Shan, Du Yuying, the woman in plain clothes, and the old lady followed closely behind.

Leaving the Seven Star Academy, Hu Shan handed the bundle to Xu Yan. "Young Master Xu, your things!"

"Thank you then," 

Xu Yan happily accepted.

Arriving at the elegant place mentioned by Du Yuying, it was indeed a secluded place.

"Cui'er, didn't I ask you to reserve it?" 

Du Yuying frowned as she saw a few warriors sitting there, enjoying spirit tea not far away.

"Miss, those people seem to have distinguished identities, and the shopkeeper didn't allow us to reserve it."

Cui'er whispered.

"Miss Du, there's no need to spend too much. There are always other places,"

Xu Yan said.

The group sat down in a charming courtyard.

Suddenly, the voices of several warriors reached their ears.

"Have you heard? The prodigy from the Sword Venerable Cliff, Xie Lingfeng, is actually bald!"

"Really? I haven't heard that Xie Lingfeng is bald!"

"You don't know this. Xie Lingfeng wears a wig!"

"Brother Yuan, how did you find out?" 

A companion asked curiously.

"I heard the news from Yan Kingdom. Xie Lingfeng killed several Grandmasters, and he's provoked a powerful enemy. It's said that a Grandmaster is chasing him!"

"Wow! Where did this Grandmaster come from, daring to chase Xie Lingfeng? Isn't he afraid of the Sword Venerable Cliff, or afraid of Xie Tianheng?"

"That's hard to say."

Suddenly, someone interrupted, "Brother Yuan, your information is outdated, isn't it? You just returned to Seven Star City, so you might not know. Xie Lingfeng is currently at the Seven Star Academy, having passed through the ninth level of the martial arts platform."

"And, I heard that it's actually Sword Venerable Cliff's Hu Shan who's being chased by a Grandmaster. That bald guy is Hu Shan!"

"Oh, really? Such a thing happened?"

Brother Yuan was astonished.

"Is it really Sword Venerable Cliff's Hu Shan being chased by a Grandmaster?"

"Yes, that's the news I just received!"

"Do you know which Grandmaster it is? It's Hu Shan's father, Grandmaster Hu Hai. He used to be Xie Tianheng's page boy. How dare he chase Hu Shan? Isn't he afraid of Grandmaster Hu Hai?"

"Who knows what's going on? Perhaps it's for some treasure."

...

Xie Lingfeng and the others looked at each other in amazement. What kind of rumors were these?

Xie Lingfeng pulled his hair and twitched his mouth. "When did I become bald?"

Hu Shan also looked puzzled. "That's not right. I'm right here. When was I being chased by a Grandmaster? And with my strength, a Grandmaster wouldn't need to chase me. They could just kill me directly, and I wouldn't have a chance to escape."

Du Yuying and the woman in plain clothes were also bewildered.

The information from those people was too outdated and absurd.

But Xu Yan's eyes widened, angrily saying, "It's my junior brother Meng Chong! Who's the doggone Grandmaster from wherever, daring to chase my junior brother!"

He stood up angrily.

(End of this chapter)