Proofreader: Papatonks
“Young master Han, why did you do that?”
Watching the weak and frail lion lying on the ground since it struck Lu Xie, Wen Tao shook his head, “If I had known you were so obstinate, I wouldn’t have said what I had. Seeing you fall in such a plight feels like I harmed you myself.”
Xie Tianshang’s eyes shook as he stared at the scene for a long time before sighing, “I had spent my life only on martial arts, yet not even that can compare to Han Yunfeng’s accomplishment. Soul Burst, a desperate and last move to injure your opponent by exploding your soul. Unless it is the last resort, no one would ever use it, not when the recovery is painstakingly difficult. Even though Han Yunfeng had blown up his soul’s wings, the damage to his soul is heavy and has also crippled his future.”
“Putting the cart before the horse!”
Yan Mo watched from above with a sullen look. He was angry, but not at the result, and more about his inability to fight. “Didn’t he challenge Zhuo Fan so he could go further down the path of cultivation? Now that his soul is crippled, what was the point?”
Wu Qingqiu nodded, lamenting at the pity. Only Ye Lin disdained, looking at the lion in admiration, “What do you, ignorant youngsters know? The soul is important, but the damage isn’t permanent, just somewhat annoying. If my guess is right, Double Dragon Manor, Zhuo Fan, and even me can all heal him. But the step he had taken today shall carry him for miles. The road of cultivation is fraught with obstacles. If one knows every effort was useless and stopped, that is as far as he went. But he has achieved his goal just because he chose to stake his life in this matter despite the obvious outcome. Even if he didn’t get to fight with Zhuo Fan, his heart has grown to new bounds!”
The two squinted, watching Ye Lin in shock.
[Are soul wounds that meager anyone can heal? Double Dragon Manor, I get it, since they’re the top in western lands, but even you and Zhuo Fan are such miracle workers?]
Ye Lin noticed their gazes but said nothing…
Tap~
As the dust cleared, Han Yunfeng dragged his even more weary body, looking with a pale face at the bloody Lu Xie on the ground, “I won. This is the third match.”
Lu Xie gnashed his teeth and found he could not get up. All that was left was the regret in his eyes.
He would never have imagined Han Yunfeng would go to such extremes.
[I just said I didn’t want your life, so why did you have to go as far as wound your soul to win?]
[Lunatic, you’re a true madman!]
At Lu Xie’s unreconciled face, Han Yunfeng grinned, then he turned to Demon Scheming Sect, “The next challenger!”
“Brother…” His two younger brothers shook, wanting to dissuade him. But seeing his determined look, they gave up.
They knew that once their big brother was serious about something, there was no changing his mind.
Demon Scheming Sect’s team’s hearts shook and looked from the frail lion to the weary Han Yunfeng. They held him in much more respect than before.
Han Yunfeng would never achieve his goal, yet he fought regardless of the futility of his efforts. It was this determination that won them over. It wasn’t just them. The entire audience was filled with respect.
Gui Hu walked forward, “It’s my turn. Please instruct me!”
“Good, begin!” Han Yunfeng strained to keep his body upright as he shouted.
His lion also struggled to stand, roaring toward Gui Hu.
Despite how exhausted he was, his battle spirit never waned.
Gui Hu said nothing as he walked to Han Yunfeng. Second young master Han was tense, worried about his big brother’s fate.
Han Yunfeng fixed him in his eyes. He knew well that there was no way he could fight an Ethereal Stage expert in the state he was in.
But what amazed him was that Gui Hu had no killing intent, as if he was only walking over.
Han Yunfeng frowned and snapped, “What’s the meaning of this? Are you saying you can take me with just a finger?”
Gui Hu did not reply. As he reached him, under the watch of thousands of pairs of eyes, Gui Hu took Han Yunfeng’s fist, struck his own chest with it three times, and then walked away.
Startled, Han Yunfeng was stumped. The audience was baffled.
At this time, Kui Lang laughed as he came over, copying Gui Hu by hitting his chest with Han Yunfeng’s fist for three punches, “My turn, he-he-he…”
Kui Lang swaggered off.
“Hey, what’s the meaning of this?” Han Yunfeng asked.
Yue Ling smirked and came over. “What’s so hard to understand? You just beat them, so the next one took their place. Aren’t you challenging six Ethereal Stage experts? I’m the last one!”
“Wait, you’re…” Han Yunfeng had a weird taste in his mouth.
“Stop whining. It’s just your fist, um…”
Yue Ling got before him and was about to do the same, but then she realized something. She looked at her perky chest and blushed, then waved. “Never mind. I’m the weakest of the six. Since you beat the rest, I’ll just admit defeat.”
Yue Ling left with a wave as she gracefully walked away. Han Yunfeng was left stumped, his heart filled with complex emotions.
“Gui Hu, what the hell are you guys playing at?” Zhuo Fan chuckled.
Gui Hu shrugged, “Steward Zhuo, you saw it yourself. I took three fists of his and lost.”
“Yep, yep, me too!” Kui Lang bobbed his head.
Zhuo Fan shook his head, “Three fists to the chest? Are you guys swearing an oath of brotherhood here? Since you all admit defeat, it seems I’ll have to step in.”
Zhuo Fan stepped lightly, coming before Han Yunfeng. His eyes lit up with battle intent, “I’ve waited so long for this!”
“Ha-ha-ha, I always keep my word. Since you reached me, you have the right to hang out. Go ahead!” Zhuo Fan smiled.
Han Yunfeng cupped his hands in glee and began weaving signs.
Seeing their big brother shine again, the two younger brothers were filled with pride. They also sent grateful looks to Gui Hu and the others.
[Thank you, brothers!]
[Just showing our respect is all. Since your brother wants to fight Steward Zhuo with such passion, the least we can do is help out a little.]
Gui Hu’s gang hit their chest in reply.
However, just then, there was a light hum and a flash of light. The judge’s aged voice came from outside, “The six hours are up. Both sides cease fighting and come out. If you fight again, I’ll consider it a grudge fight.”
“What?!”
Han Yunfeng shook and was unwilling, “How can it be so fast?”
Then his eyes went dark and collapsed. Zhuo Fan’s right sprung into action. But then he moved it back and used the left one instead to hold him steady, “Brother Han, we’ll fight next time.”
Han Yunfeng shuddered and turned his white face to Zhuo Fan, “You’ll still fight me?”
“Of course, this is my promise. Since this time we can’t, there’s always next time.” Zhuo Fan spoke with determination.
Han Yunfeng’s perked into a smile and his eyes closed. He was out cold. His soul, the lion, also vanished back into his body.
Holding Han Yunfeng’s body, Zhuo Fan was the first to go through the light. The two sects’ teams exchanged glances and followed after.
Only Lu Xie, in his heavily wounded state, had to be carried out by Qi Changlong…
Whoosh~
The teams were back in the arena and were welcomed by a resounding round of applauses.
Unlike the first challenge against Heaven Trailing Sect, the Demon Scheming Sect still held their absolute advantage, but they had a complete attitude change. Instead of abusing their opponent, they showed respect; bar a particular someone, of course. This led to everyone having a whole new respect for Demon Scheming Sect.
After looking at both sects, the judge coughed for silence and was about to announce the results when Zhuo Fan stepped forward, “Elder, ten people went into Sumeru Dimension, and ten have returned. Both sides have one seriously injured member. It should be a draw!”
“Uh, well…” The judge was taken aback and nodded, “Since you are willing to step back, I will help you. This challenge is a draw!”
This statement left the crowd in shock, all looking at Zhuo Fan.
Reason dictated that Demon Scheming Sect held the ultimate advantage and was the real winner. But Zhuo Fan was willing to give up victory and give his opponent the greatest respect.
In an instant, the people were in awe of Zhuo Fan’s style, and the Han brothers appreciated him too.
Exalted Hei Ran, up above, nodded, “The brat is walking the path, a true rarity. Few demonic cultivators have ever risen above their demonic nature.”
“True. However, it’s not just him. Ha-ha-ha has also grown, ha-ha-ha…” Exalted Bai Mei chuckled and added another name to the list in three strong characters…
