There were already a large number of students gathered in the arena. The first row was fully occupied by the members of the Xuan Gang. Each of them crossed their arms over their chests, and their bodies emanated powerful auras that kept anyone from getting close. The tactic they used was to overawe the opponent before the match had even begun, and strike fear into his heart.
But to their disappointment, even though they had emanated their auras for half a day, Yunxiao was nowhere in sight. They were all tired and sweaty, and could not hold on any longer.
"Is that brat coming or not?"
"I won't be surprised if he's not. Losing his honor is better than losing his life!"
The crowd was discussing among themselves, and some were cursing Yunxiao in their hearts for deceiving them. Lan Xuan's face was also a little blue as he sat there in the arena listening to the clamor around him. In the end, he simply closed his eyes and waited.
"Fatty, do you think Yunxiao will come?" Ruxue had butterflies in her stomach. A part of her hoped that he would come, but the other part thought otherwise.
"I don't know. I've not seen him for days. Could it be that he has fled?" Han Bai said as he suddenly thought of this possibility.
Chen Zhen froze for a moment, then shook his head and said, "Absolutely impossible! If so, then he is not worthy of being the heir of the Li Family, much less worthy for us to follow. A man can die on his knees, but not live with shame!"
Those words agitated Ruxue as she said angrily, "What are you talking about? Don't you have anything nicer to say?"
"Look, that piece of trash is here!"
Just as everyone was getting impatient, a voice rang out. The crowd quickly turned their heads and then saw beneath the statue of the Martial Sovereign Gu Feiyang there stood a figure in green clothes, who was completely enveloped in the light of the rising sun. He had a carefree look as if he was going for an outing, and he was even humming a little tune.
"Wow! He did show up! A hero!"
"Ha! What a brainless guy who only acts on impulse. He's dead today."
"Lan Xuan is a peak nine-stars warrior. How many moves do you think this guy can withstand?"
"How many moves? Haha! I'll consider him amazing if he's still alive after the first move!"
The students who packed the arena parted to give Yunxiao way while most of them had a gloating look on their faces.
"Get out of my way!" Ruxue pushed her way out of the crowd in a huff and rushed to Yunxiao. "You are a fool! Why are you here? Go back right now or he will kill you!"
"What are you thinking, Young Master Yun?" Chen Zhen was there too.
Yunxiao felt a slight warmth in his heart. At least he had a few friends who cared about him.
Suddenly, a figure flashed before him: it was Yunshang. "Don't be mischievous! Get out of here right now! The challenge is canceled!" She shouted angrily.
"What? Canceled?" Everyone was shocked and began to swear. "No wonder this brat looked so fearless. Apparently, he has such a trick up his sleeve!"
"Fu*k! He has disgraced the Li Family!"
"He had long disgraced his family for being a piece of trash, so it's not a big deal for him to do it once more!"
All sorts of curses drifted over, causing Chen Zhen and Han Bai's faces to turn blue, their bodies shaking with rage.
"Miss Luo, this is a duel between two students. How could you cancel it on their behalf?" A teacher named Xuan Ping rose to his feet abruptly and said, 'Besides, you are from the State Guardians. It seems inappropriate for you to intervene in this matter."
The duel had attracted many teachers here. It was not because of the disparity in the strength between two students, but their unique background, which just happened to represent the two major powers in the state of Tianshui. The teachers in the academy were not completely neutral, and many were actually affiliated with one of the major powers. As for the State Guardians, they were Tianshui's strongest armed forces, directly under the leadership of His Majesty the King.
Yunshang's eyes sparkled with a bright gleam as she stared at Xuan Ping and said coldly, "I only know that since Li Yunxiao is my student, I have the obligation to protect him. What faction are you from that makes you say that?"
Xuan Ping's face flickered, then simply shook his head and said, "I don't belong to any faction. However, as the teachers of the academy, it is inappropriate for us to intervene in the duel between students. We have to be fair and just, not siding with anyone."
"I'm your student, Teacher Luo. Why are you always defending Lan Xuan?" Yunxiao said before Yunshang could even open her mouth. "Teacher Xuan is right, you have to be fair and just, and not siding with anyone. You may all leave us now. I can cripple him in just minutes."
Yunshang and others were struck dumb. Was there something wrong with this guy's brain? Was he scared out of his wits by the scene?
While they were still stunned, Yunxiao had already stepped onto the arena, walking step by step toward Lan Xuan.
"He is a fool!" Yunshang stamped her foot in anger. There was nothing she could do to stop the duel now, so she began to watch the arena intently, ready to come to his rescue at any moment. She would not let him get crippled in any way!
"I thought you were too afraid to come." Lan Xuan mocked in a cold voice as he stood up.
"Do you think you can prolong your sense of existence by saying a few more words? You're dreaming!" Yunxiao shouted coldly as he took a step forward and a force spread out of his body.
"Warrior? This lad has really made a breakthrough and become a warrior!" Yunshang's heart was violently shaken. Although Zhong Lishan had told her so, witnessing it with her own eyes still gave her a great shock. She was sure that Yunshang was still a loser a few days ago with no chakras opened.
"How's that possible? I can't believe this brat is a warrior of the Origin realm!" The students outside the arena were astounded. Yu Hezheng, who was among the crowd, felt as if he was struck by a hammer, his heart filled with a profound shock.
"No wonder my good-for-nothing brother was no match for you...You really know how to hide your strength!" Lan Xuan sneered. "But, your good luck has come to an end today!" His aura surged in a flash and waves of force poured out of him. The surrounding air seemed to be affected and began to spin rapidly while the students near the arena could feel a faint pressure.
"He is indeed a peak nine-stars warrior. This Lan Xuan is truly amazing! I think he will be able to break through into the Two Force realm in less than two months and become a martial master!" Xuan Ping was full of praise in the audience. "How many moves do you think this Li Yunxiao can hold up?"
"How many moves?" Another teacher said with a laugh, "Look at the contrast between their auras. I think he will be crushed as soon as they clash for the first time. Even Commander Xiao Chen was praising and expressing his intention of recruiting Young Master Lan Xuan when I saw him the last time."
"Oh?" Xuan Ping's eyes lit up as he said happily, "Young Master Xuan is only one step away from becoming a martial master, so for him to become a member of the State Guardians is a done deal. Well, if this Li Yunxiao is still alive after withstanding the first strike, he would be a real marvel."
Wang Feng, who was at the side, was silent with a glum look in his eyes. Although he was also from the fraction of the Lan Family, he was only on his nephew's side. Now that his nephew was expelled, he felt extremely depressed when looking at his competitor stealing the show. He wished that Yunxiao could bring him a big surprise by crippling Lan Xuan completely, but he knew on the inside that it was just a silly dream.
"One move? I don't think so." Zhong Lishan, who had not spoken a word since he arrived, stared at Yunxiao's steps on the arena as he said meaningfully, his eyes gleaming, "You all have underestimated this Li Yunxiao. Perhaps there is something worth looking at in this duel."
The rest of the teachers were all startled; even Yunshang was a little shock and bewildered. She looked up and saw Yunxiao approaching Lan Xuan slowly. His movements were very sluggish, as if he could hardly move a single step under his opponent's pressure, and it cost him a great amount of energy to take each step.
Of all the people present, Zhong Lishan was the only one who had a vague feeling that something was wrong. As a martial king of the Five Elements realm, he had noticed something strange in the air around Yunxiao, and he could feel as if the whole void seemed to vibrate with each step Yunxiao took. For a moment, he seemed to have an illusion that the surrounding rules of heaven and earth appeared to be beating with Yunxiao's pace, as if it were alive!
He sucked in a cold breath at the thought. 'How's that possible! But, this kid's pace is definitely a kind of mystic art. At least, it has set the surrounding auras into motion, making their frequencies the same as his pace. What an advanced martial technique!'
With Zhong Lishan's hint, Yunshang seemed to have noticed something as well, and she was lost in thought.
"Loser, how are you going to fight me when you can hardly take a step under my pressure?" Lan Xuan laughed contemptuously as a large amount of Primordial Qi crazily poured into his right hand. Rings of Qi waves rippled out, spinning like vortexes on the sea.
"Don't worry, I won't kill you! But, I will beat you to your knees and make you apologize. I'll make you and your family never get your heads up again for the rest of your lives!" Lan Xuan planned to win the duel with one move so that he could establish his prestige.
"Passing Cloud Sword Technique, Spinning Star Palm!"
As soon as he pushed his palm forward, the surrounding natural energy frantically rushed over and formed a cyclone that blotted out the sky and land before swooping down toward Yunxiao!
"He uses his palm in place of a sword, and makes it look like a spinning star! Amazing!" Xuan Ping could not help cheering. Some of the other teachers, although unaccustomed to his naked flattery, showed a look of praise in their eyes as well. But Zhong Lishan, who was staring at Yunxiao, had his face growing serious.
With a sneer on his face, Yunxiao suddenly concentrated all his Primordial Qi on his feet and kicked them at the ground. His body blurred into motion in a flash and leaped into the air while the floor paved with hard diamond rocks was crushed to pieces!
"What's happening? He's so fast!"
Lan Xuan's face flickered. He did not expect that Li Yunxiao's speed was fast enough to escape the cover of his palm-strike. "Trying to flee? You're dreaming!" he cried out in both shock and fury while moving his right palm. The cyclone suddenly expanded with that motion and the range of attacks increased by several times. As Yunxiao was in mid-air, there was nothing he could do to dodge the attack!
"Hmph! Moon Walk, Nether Swap!"
Just as everyone's eyes were wide open to see how he would defend against the move, his body suddenly turned into a shadow and moved a few feet across the air in a strange posture.
He had dodged the attack!
"How's that possible! What is this movement technique! Was he walking in the air?" Lan Xuan's pupils constricted and his eyeballs almost popped out!
While all the people were gaping, Yunxiao took a step in the air as if he was walking, and he did not fall down! Moreover, with that step, some kind of force seemed to be triggered in the void, causing everyone's heart to shake slightly.
Zhong Lishan's pupils constricted abruptly as he lurched to his feet in shock. The others might not be aware, but he clearly saw that this step was the continuation of Yunxiao's previous paces. Both the frequency and timing were exactly the same!
In other words, he avoided Lan Xuan's attack not because he could not resist it, but because he wanted to complete the strange set of steps. As he took this last step, the rhythm between heaven and earth began to move with him.
Suddenly, shafts of golden light burst out of him, and as he fell from the sky, the auras between heaven and earth seemed to be drawn over rush madly into his body. It gave everyone the impression that the sky was collapsing and all the auras were converging on him.
"He's borrowing the force of heaven and earth!"
Zhong Lishan gasped with astonishment as his eyes stared straight ahead! He finally understood the purpose of Yunxiao's set of steps—he was using it to muster the force of heaven and earth!