Chapter 122: Exposed

Jiang Luofu glanced at Sang Hong in surprise. She felt he was unusually agitated, unlike his usual calm demeanor. However, she didn't mind. She settled back into her chair, her long legs crossed casually, eager to see what other surprises Zu'an had in store.

With them leading, the others also retook their seats, continuing to watch the tie-breaker 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 displayed just now, he's actually a bit weaker than Yuan Wenji. It's just unclear what happened with Yuan Wendong that he lost to him so inexplicably."

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 would likely suffer a major setback.

If he lost this match, all the prestige he had accumulated would vanish. There would be nothing for him to worry about anymore. *Hmph*, just as expected from a thug who rose from the bottom; he must have acquired his cultivation from who-knows-where, then immediately became conceited, not knowing when to advance or retreat. He'd probably die without even knowing how.

Next to them, Chu Hanzhao looked anxious. "Isn't Brother-in-law in great danger then?"

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

Chu Hanzhao pouted. "Hmph, how many times did you try to intervene just now, and which time did you actually save him?"

*Sigh*, this troublesome child!

Chu Zhongtian caught his breath, unable to find a retort. After a long moment, he finally blurted out, "Later, I'll have your mother and sister join in. That should be enough, right?"

Chu Hanzhao finally nodded. "That's more like it."

Chu Zhongtian's face turned as black as charcoal. He thought, *Daughters are just money pits, siding with outsiders at such a young age. It's infuriating!*

At this moment, the Yuan family members surrounded Yuan Wenji, instructing him, "Wenji, don't be afraid. His actual cultivation is only at the early third rank; he's no match for you."

"Wendong was just too careless earlier. Later, put on these earplugs so you don't listen to that guy's nonsense and get distracted. Go straight for him and hack him, preferably severing an arm or a leg."

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

On the stage, Zu'an yawned. "Are you done strategizing? Are we fighting or not?"

As soon as he spoke, he suddenly froze. This situation seemed familiar; Yuan Wendong had been taunting like this just moments ago. Would he repeat the same mistake?

*Ptooey, ptooey, ptooey!* Was that guy as handsome as me?

Fate herself, finding someone as handsome as me pleasing to the eye, would subconsciously favor me a little.

"Since you're so eager to die, I'll oblige you," Yuan Wenji said, his face grim as he stepped onto the stage.

"Don't be like your elder cousin, all talk and no skill. Oh wait, no, actually, your mouth-game isn't even as good as mine," Zu'an said with a leisurely expression.

"You used despicable tactics to ambush my elder brother just now. Now you'll pay for it with blood!" Yuan Wenji drew his longsword, fully concentrating.

Below, Yuan Zhengchu roared, "How many times did I warn you? Don't waste words with him! Plug your ears!"

Yuan Wenji's face flushed. He quickly put in the earplugs he had prepared. That guy's words seemed to have a magical pull, making him instinctively want to retort.

Seeing him wearing earplugs, Zu'an felt a pang of annoyance. His "What are you looking at?" tactic had worked surprisingly well earlier. Even if it only distracted the opponent for a brief moment, seizing that opportunity often yielded remarkable results.

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

However, he quickly dismissed that worry. After all, it was impossible for everyone to wear earplugs constantly. The Yuan family member likely wore them not because he knew about the "What are you looking at?" skill, but because he thought Yuan Wendong had lost due to being distracted by their conversation, and feared repeating the same mistake.

"Die!" Yuan Wenji sneered, directly swinging his longsword and attacking. Although his swordsmanship wasn't as refined as Yuan Wendong's, it was still passable, demonstrating formidable power when executed.

Zu'an exchanged a few blows with him, then suddenly let out a small "Hm?" It was as if his several strong attacks had been predicted by his opponent.

"Haha, your shoddy movement technique is fine for startling people at first, but after a while, it's just the same few tricks." Yuan Wenji likely guessed his thoughts and burst into laughter. Though he laughed, his movements were decisive, and his offensive pressed fiercely towards his opponent.

Zu'an couldn't help but secretly grumble about Old Man Mi being unreliable; the movement technique he taught was so easily countered.

Actually, Old Man Mi was wrongly blamed. He had mainly modified the "Sunflower Phantasm" in haste to conceal the real one, and this "pseudo-Sunflower Phantasm" naturally had many flaws. With a crowd of people scrutinizing it, it was easy to find weaknesses.

Of course, if Old Man Mi had been given ample time to refine it, even the pseudo-Sunflower Phantasm wouldn't have had its flaws exposed so easily.

In that moment of his distraction, Yuan Wenji seized the opportunity to attack, a sinister smile on his lips. With this single sword strike, his opponent's foot would be half-severed.

*My luck is truly excellent today! Yuan Wendong is completely crippled, and there's no one in the younger generation of the Yuan family who can compare to me. Plus, today I avenged Yuan Wendong and rendered such a great service to the Yuan family. The position of young master is surely mine!*

*Speaking of which, I owe all of this to the Second Miss of the Chu family. Although you bullied me when we were children, not only have I gotten my full revenge just now, but you also indirectly gave me such a great gift.*

*Hahaha, once I become the young master of the Yuan family, I might even propose to the Chu family, marry you, and bully you every day. Just thinking about it makes me a little excited.*

Just as the sword tip seemed to cut into his 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.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a cold glint attack from his side. His heart pounded in terror, and he frantically tried to dodge, but it was too late.

A shrill scream echoed through the arena. Half an arm fell from mid-air, still clutching 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 crashed to the ground, attempting to get up several times but failing. He simply lay there, trembling, and stared at Zu'an. "You... you're ruthless!"

Rage points from Yuan Wenji +1024!

Not only was his arm severed, but that 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 utterly cast into the dust. The sheer contrast brought him to the brink of collapse.

Zu'an walked over and looked down at him. "I'm no gentleman. If someone is good to me by one measure, I might repay them by three. But if they're bad to me by one, I'll definitely repay them tenfold. Originally, I only planned to break your arm and seriously injure your lower abdomen, which would have been enough to get even for Hanzhao. 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 merciless.

At this moment, the Yuan family members erupted in fury. "Zu, you're looking for death!"

Rage points from Yuan Zhengchu +1024!

Rage points from Yuan XX +444!

Rage points from Yuan YY +444!

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

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

Knowing he couldn't defeat Chu Zhongtian, Yuan Zhengchu cried out to Sang Hong on the stage, "Governor, this boy is so malicious! We beg you to dispense justice for our Yuan family!"

Hiding behind the Chu family members, Zu'an suddenly felt emboldened and loudly declared, "Uncle Yuan, I don't understand what you're saying. Before we went on stage, we clearly agreed that life and death would be left to fate. So, are you being a sore loser now?"

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

Rage points from Yuan Zhengchu +999!

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

He didn't state his position directly, but instead looked at Jiang Luofu beside him. "Principal Jiang, I never imagined that your academy's 'Thirteen Forms of Beginner Swordsmanship' could possess such immense power. This official is truly astonished."

Zu'an's sword strike just now was clearly a move from the beginner swordsmanship, yet when he executed it, Yuan Wenji simply couldn't dodge it for some unknown reason.

Jiang Luofu was also recalling Zu'an's move in her mind. She couldn't quite grasp why an ordinary move suddenly had such great power. It seemed to have minor differences from the academy's beginner swordsmanship, but she couldn't pinpoint exactly what they were.

Hearing the Governor's question, she replied, "The Thirteen Forms of Beginner Swordsmanship are the culmination of centuries of the academy's wisdom. Naturally, they are profound and marvelous. Perhaps it is merely our generation that is too dull to fully comprehend some of their mysteries."

At this point, Xie Yi also spoke up. "Governor, Zu'an's move just now looked like the most ordinary and common beginner swordsmanship taught at the academy. If Yuan Wenji couldn't even evade such a basic technique, it's truly hard to blame his opponent for being too ruthless."

Sang Hong nodded. In front of so many people, it was difficult for him to openly show favoritism. "Patriarch Yuan, before their duel, they agreed that regardless of who won or lost, no one would be held accountable afterward. Your actions are putting this official in a difficult position."

His words seemed to open a floodgate, and others in the training ground chimed in:

"Exactly, we heard it too!"

"The Yuan family truly can't handle losing."

"They can't even handle beginner swordsmanship; the Yuan family is too weak."

On the stage, Zu'an secretly breathed a sigh of relief. He had only briefly used the Sunflower Phantasm, and indeed, no one saw through it. They all thought it was merely the academy's most common "Thirteen Forms of Beginner Swordsmanship." Little did they know that with the enhancement of the "Sunflower Phantasm," it had transformed into the incredibly powerful "Bixie Swordplay." The peculiarity of this swordplay was that, apart from the person directly experiencing it, onlookers couldn't discern the difference, only feeling that the opponent was inexplicably struck.

However, he didn't notice that in the audience, someone was constantly scrutinizing him. "That momentary movement technique just now... how is it so similar to *that person* from back then? No, I must inform those above."

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