“Elder Wu, be careful. Chu Chuyan is dubbed the number one prodigy of the younger generation, a genius among geniuses. You mustn’t get careless,” reminded Yuan Wendong.
He had set Wu Di against Chu Chuyan because the latter had always been the Chu clan’s pride, a symbol of the Chu clan’s strength. If they could defeat her in public, they could deal a huge blow to the Chu clan’s reputation, and further the subsequent rise of the Yuan clan.
“Rest assured, I’m a rank stronger than her. It’ll be a walk in the park for me to defeat her,” said Wu Di calmly.
Right now, all he was worried about was how he should win the battle without revealing his cultivation. He studied the spectators who had turned up for the duel. Governor Sang Hong won’t be a problem, but it’ll be hard to pull wool over the eyes of Chu Zhongtian or Principal Jiang. If they notice something, it could spell trouble.
In the opposite corner, Yue Shan was also advising Chu Chuyan. “First miss, your opponent is someone we have never heard of before. Given the circumstances, it’s safe to assume that he’ll be a tough opponent. You must be careful.”
Chu Chuyan nodded calmly in response.
Yue Shan couldn’t help but chuckle softly. I guess I’m worrying too much. How could the first miss possibly lose against a fellow junior?
As the fighters were preparing, Qin Wanru was deep in discussion with her husband about the current state of affairs. “Hubby, even if Chuyan wins this match, we’ll only be leading by 4:3, with two matches to go. Are we really going to lose just like that?”
She had confidence in her older daughter, but the same couldn’t be said about their two remaining fighters.
Chu Zhongtian could not hide his concern.
“The Yuan clan has already fielded all of their experts, so Huanzhao’s opponent shouldn’t be too strong. Given the special attributes of the Wailing Whip, she still stands a chance at winning,” he said, but his tone was uncertain and devoid of confidence. He knew that his second daughter was a wilful girl who spent little time on her cultivation.
As for Zu An’s duel, he had already dismissed it as a hopeless match.
Honestly, he found the situation incredibly bizarre. Even with the Wu clan’s help, the Yuan clan should still have been no match for the Chu clan. How could they have so many experts hidden away? This was truly puzzling.
…
As they fretted, Chu Chuyan descended gracefully into the dueling ring, her footsteps light and soft. Her dress fluttered lightly as she stood serenely before the crowd, her elegant presence drawing enthusiastic cheers.
“Young miss Chu, you have our support!”
“Young miss Chu sure is gorgeous. How lucky Zu An is to have her as his wife!”
“What’s wrong with the guys? Why are they all acting like adolescent boys meeting a girl for the first time?”
…
Shi Kun smiled upon hearing the cheers ringing from all corners of the arena. As expected of a woman I have set my eyes on. Her popularity truly knows no bounds. Only I am worthy of a woman as perfect as her!
The unwelcome image of Zu An rudely interrupted his thoughts. His smile slipped, his face wrinkling in disgust. He felt like he had just eaten a fly.
Zu An, who had intended to watch the show quietly, was suddenly surprised by a huge wave of Rage points. Once again, Chu Chuyan’s beauty had managed to stoke the envy of the men, leading them to direct their indignance toward him.
“Ahhh, this must be what it means to be outstanding! Even when I’m not doing anything at all, the cash just continues to roll in!” exclaimed Zu An.
Chu Huanzhao’s interest piqued instantly. “Cash? Roll in? What cash?” She tugged at Zu An’s sleeves, her voice full of excitement.
Zu An gave her a silent glance before shaking his head. Looks like this lass has gotten hooked after the easy money she earned the last time.
“Nah, you heard wrongly.” In order to distract her, he quickly changed the topic, “What’s your older sister’s cultivation rank?”
“She should be at pinnacle fifth rank, I think. I’m not too sure about the details,” replied Chu Huanzhao.
Zu An was amused. “She’s your older sister though. You don’t know her cultivation rank?”
Indignantly, Chu Huanzhao harrumphed, “Why would I care about that?”
The Yuan clan’s fighter chose this moment to step into the dueling ring.
Zu An resolved to watch this duel carefully. He had never seen his wife in action before, and he was curious to know how far behind he was from the most talented cultivator in his age group.
“My name is Di Wu. I’m looking forward to having a taste of young miss Chu’s Snowflower Sword!” As he made his way forward, Wu Di marveled at the beauty of the white-dressed woman before him.
Her eyes were as beautiful as the stars in the night sky, and her facial features looked as if they had been carefully painted on by a master painter. Wu Di felt flames stirring in the depths of his long-dormant heart.
Despair followed swiftly, crushing him. If he was still young and had just reached the sixth rank, he would have surely done everything he could to pursue her. But he was well into his middle years, and had no potential left to develop. There was no way he would stand a chance with her anymore.
I wonder just what kind of man in the world would be worthy of a woman as perfect as she is!
He thought about the intelligence he had received which detailed how Chu First Miss had chosen a renowned wastrel in Brightmoon City as her husband, and envy immediately gripped him. This is unfair! How can that kind of fellow be worthy of her? If I’m not qualified to pursue her, how could a man like him be wedded to this fairylike woman before me?!
You have successfully trolled Wu Di for +999 Rage!
Zu An had been calmly watching the show from the rest area when a sudden inflow of Rage points shocked him. Huh, what’s wrong with this Wu Di?
He quickly scanned the surroundings and caught the Yuan clan’s fighter in the dueling ring glaring at him intently. He pondered for a moment. Wu Di, Di Wu… Hm, interesting.
Just then, the official from the City Lord Estate declared the start of the duel. Wu Di immediately turned his attention back to the beautiful woman before him, his mind made up. Even if you’ll never be mine, I’ll make you remember me for life. I shall make you suffer a tragic defeat today!
He drew his saber, and it was immediately sheathed in red flames. Behind him, the vague avatar of a ferocious tiger could be seen. Waves of heat rippled out into the surroundings, drawing wide-eyed astonishment from the crowd.
“He’s actually a fifth rank cultivator! How did the Yuan clan find so many experts?”
“On top of that, his elemental attribute is fire, which happens to be at odds with Chu First Miss’ ice element!”
“I wonder who would curb who.”
“Fire can curb ice, but ice can curb fire too. In the end, it boils down to who is stronger.”
…
Chu Chuyan calmly drew her sword, revealing a transparent blade tinged in light blue, trailing white mist as it moved – a result of the blade’s extreme cold condensing the water vapor surrounding it.
Zu An snorted to himself.
It’s no wonder why my wife’s personality is so cold – even her weapon is a block of ice!
Hmm… Her personality is cold, she practices an ice-style cultivation technique, and she brings that chunk of ice everywhere around with her… Wouldn’t the coldness result in painful menstrual cramps?