Chapter 353 - 167: Clash of Prodigies, Prefecture Official Ye Luan, the Entire Arena Falls Silent, Only the Martial Saint Lowers His Gaze

Chapter 353: Chapter 167: Clash of Prodigies, Prefecture Official Ye Luan, the Entire Arena Falls Silent, Only the Martial Saint Lowers His Gaze

But while that bit of strength could be fatal in the long run, in the short term... it wasn’t enough to create much of a gap.

"The Dan Mountain Gao Clan... they’re one of the Noble Clans!"

Just then, Cai Ling’Er, who was beside him, spoke in a low, wary voice, a look of disgust on her pretty face:

"Hmph. He puts on such a big show, but to put it bluntly, isn’t it just because he was born well? An ancestor, maybe a parent or grandparent, earned a Title or performed some great service, and it’s been passed down ever since."

"If he’s so great, why doesn’t he go to Cangdu, the Feudal Town of its State, and compete for a spot against the Noble Generals and their ancient families? Why come all the way out here to the Jiangyin Prefecture Courtyard to leech off of us?"

"He’s all show and no go. Just a typical bully who preys on the weak and fears the strong."

The girl wasn’t very powerful herself, but her talent for muttering under her breath was just as sharp as when Ji Xiu had first met her.

Even though she spoke quietly, everyone present was an expert Martial Artist and heard her perfectly clearly. They couldn’t help but let the corners of their mouths twitch as they thought to themselves.

’That granddaughter of Mr. Cai from the Jade Shop... she really will say anything.’

’But then again, with a father like hers...’

’Maybe her family will have a chance to become one of the Noble Clans in the future.’

’Noble Clans, huh...’

Ji Xiu mused.

No wonder even these Qi Cultivation Grandmasters, who came from Grand Lineages to serve as Mansion Official Instructors, were unwilling to provoke him.

It wasn’t that they couldn’t afford to offend him, but it simply wasn’t worth making an enemy of a "Young Lord" for the sake of a talented stranger.

’Such is the way of the world...’

At this thought, Ji Xiu clicked his tongue twice and sighed, though he didn’t really pay it much mind.

After all, the world was a bustling place driven by profit. He had relied on his own two Iron Fists to break free of his cage and get to where he was today; he couldn’t care less about such things.

Meanwhile, Ye Ningzhi, who had been standing silently all this time, suddenly cried out, her face alight with excitement.

"Master!"

’Master?’

Startled, Ji Xiu couldn’t help but look in the direction the girl had called out.

He immediately saw a tall woman approaching. She was dressed in a Cloud Crane Silk Robe, her clothes fluttering as she walked. Tucked beneath a wide sleeve, she held a translucent rapier. Her vermilion lips parted as she spoke:

"If no one else dares or is willing..."

"...I will take him."

Her words immediately broke the stalemate, causing Gao Ye to completely lose face.

But before he could speak...

The Prefecture Students who had passed the assessment and were filing in one by one caught sight of the woman and couldn’t help but cry out in surprise:

"It’s Prefecture Official, Instructor Ye Luan!"

"The number one Instructor of the thirteen divisions!"

"I heard the old Dean holds her in high regard and is personally grooming her to be the next Jiangyin Institute Chief! And she’s so young! Plus, she’s received her School’s True Inheritance. Becoming a Dragon and Tiger is a sure thing, and she might even earn a Title!"

"If only I could become Instructor Ye’s disciple..."

...

「Meanwhile, as the Mansion Courtyard Hall was in an uproar.」

The Jiangyin Institute Chief, Pei Daoran, and the Elder Martial Saint, Xu Longxiang, had not yet arrived in person. They had merely extended their Divine Souls to perceive the events and already understood the full situation.

Pei Daoran couldn’t help but frown.

"That junior from the Dan Mountain Gao Clan is far too presumptuous. I am the Dean, and I haven’t even spoken. Is he trying to make the rules for me?"

"But this boy, Ji Xiu, has excellent skills and solid foundations. He fought to a standstill against a successor, a Young Lord, that a Noble Clan poured all its resources into cultivating."

"A promising talent."

The Jiangyin Institute Chief, Pei Daoran, offered his praise, then grew a little suspicious.

"But his fist and foot techniques... they look like the work of a Grandmaster, not some ordinary Grandmaster Level Secret Martial Art. And there’s something familiar about them..."

"Where have I seen it before?"

After pondering for a moment without coming to any conclusion, Pei Daoran shook his head.

"I’m getting old, after all."

With that, he prepared to enter and put a stop to the farce.

However, Xu Longxiang, who was beside him, suddenly stopped in his tracks. His body went rigid, which surprised Pei Daoran.

"Elder Martial Saint? What is it?"

Xu Longxiang’s expression went vacant. He seemed to see a fleeting shadow from sixty years ago at Cloud Sea Peak—the shadow of his good disciple, who had vowed to ascend True Martial Mountain and clear his master’s name.

But a moment later, the past scattered like dust in the wind.

All that remained...

...was the lingering afterimage in the hall of the young man raising his elbow, a heart-striking blow that resembled ’Ye Longxiang’s Head’.

With his perception as a Martial Saint, Xu Longxiang stared at that fragmented afterimage for a long, long time.

Xu Longxiang squinted, then blinked several times before finally speaking in a hoarse voice:

"It’s nothing."

"I was just reminded of something from the past."

"Let’s go."