The gray-robed old man and Fei Banqing were staring at Ye Guan in confusion.

Fei Banqing walked over to Ye Guan and pulled on his sleeve. 

“What’s wrong?” she asked.

Ye Guan composed himself and muttered, “It’s nothing. I don’t know, but I just felt like I’ve seen her before.”

The idea that he had seen the founder of the Immortal Treasures Pavilion was ridiculous, and even Ye Guan knew that as he shook his head and smiled before saying, “Let’s go.”

With that, he turned around and walked out. 

Fei Banqing made a sidelong glance at the portrait of a woman before walking out.

…

While they were on their way back to Guanxuan Academy, Ye Guan looked down at the Sky-rank cultivation manual in his hands and muttered, “Tutor…”

Fei Banqing said calmly, “I told you it’s nothing. It wasn’t that expensive.”

However, Ye Guan was still worried. He hesitated, but he still flipped over his palm. A black box appeared on his palm, and he handed over the black box to Fei Banqing.

Fei Banqing opened the box and saw a Sky-rank Demonic Beast Internal Pill. 

Fei Banqing looked up at Ye Guan and asked, “What is this? Do you not want to be indebted to me?”

Ye Guan hurriedly said, “It just doesn’t feel good…”

Fei Banqing shook her head and explained, “You’re my disciple, so it is perfectly normal for me to provide you with cultivation manuals. And didn’t you say that you’ll represent the academy and become the champion of the decennial martial contest so that you won’t owe me anything?”

Ye Guan wanted to say something, but Fei Banqing vanished before he could do so. 

Ye Guan felt helpless, and he could only return to the academy.

Soon, Ye Guan arrived at the academy, and he was about to start cultivating when a young man stood in front of him. The young man was wearing a tight black robe, and he looked tall and sturdy. His bulging muscles made him look strong and fierce.

The young man looked at Ye Guan and asked, “Are you Lady Nalan’s fiance?”

Ye Guan nodded and asked, “And you are?”

The young man stared deeply at Ye Guan before saying, “My name is Sun Xiong!”

Sun Xiong! Isn’t he one of the top three talents of the academy?

Ye Guan asked, “What’s the matter?”

Sun Xiong smiled at him and said, “Let’s battle it out on the Life or Death Stage!”

A battle on the Life or Death Stage! A barely perceptible glint flashed across Ye Guan’s eyes as he calmly responded, “Fine.”

Sun Xiong laughed and said, “At least you have the guts! Let’s go!”

With that, he turned around and soared into the sky. Ye Guan kicked off of the ground and chased after Sun Xiong.

What was the reason behind the sudden invitation? Ye Guan didn’t have to ask. 

Why? 

It was simply because he didn’t need to ask. Since Sun Xiong wanted to fight him, they would fight. 

Soon, they reached a particular mountain peak with a huge stage made out of limestone. The stage was massive, measuring a few thousand meters in width and height. The stage was surrounded by incredibly tall stone pillars, and there was an abyss next to it.

The stage was none other than the Life or Death Stage.

In Guanxuan Academy, students with irreconcilable grudges could choose to end everything by duking it out on the Life or Death Stage. Upon getting onto the stage, their lives would be up to fate.

The news about Ye Guan and Sun Xiong’s agreement to duke it out on the Life or Death Stage spread like wildfire throughout the entire academy. Soon, thousands of people arrived to spectate the upcoming battle.

Fei Banqing wordlessly stared at Ye Guan while standing on a high platform. She didn’t dissuade Ye Guan.

Why would she dissuade him? Ye Guan’s principle was similar to Fei Banqing's principle. They would not go out of their way to provoke people, but they would certainly fight back if people went out of their way to provoke them.

On the contrary, if Ye Guan didn’t dare to accept the challenge, Fei Banqing would have looked down on him.

All of a sudden, Lu Chen appeared next to Fei Banqing. 

Lu Chen looked at Ye Guan and said, “There’s a mastermind behind all this.”

Fei Banqing remained calm as she replied, “I know.”

Lu Chen stared deeply at Fei Banqing. 

Fei Banqing added, “I know, and I don’t care. The youngsters can fight for as many times as they like...”

Lu Chen nodded slightly. 

Guanxuan Academy wasn’t a sacred academy. It actually encouraged fighting between students. The academy believed that if fights weren’t encouraged and allowed, the students of the academy would simply become bookworms. 

By then, the Guanxuan Academy would be screwed. 

It also had to be mentioned that the past Academy Masters had all emerged victorious from every fight that they had to go through while they were still students of the academy.

Meanwhile, an old man suddenly appeared next to Lu Chen and Fei Banqing. The old man was none other than Song Ci, and he was staring at Ye Guan with a complicated expression. 

Ye Guan would have become Song Ci’s disciple if the latter simply hadn’t given up on the former. 

Unfortunately, Song Ci thought that Ye Guan no longer had any hope for a comeback, so he gave up on him and gave his disciple spot to Li Chuan of the Li Clan.

Song Ci truly didn’t expect that the young man would still make it to Guanxuan Academy. 

On the Life or Death Stage, Sun Xiong gazed at Ye Guan and said, “Let’s begin.”

Ye Guan nodded slightly before dashing toward Sun Xiong at breakneck speed.

Sun Xiong’s eyes narrowed. He opened his palm, and a flame manifested over it. He clenched his fist, and the flame enveloped his fist before he charged at Ye Guan and sent a punch flying toward the latter.

A head-on collision! Ye Guan’s eyes narrowed. Their fists were about to meet, but Ye Guan made a last-minute decision to turn his fist into a palm. His palm avoided Sun Xiong’s fist and made its way over to Sun Xiong’s neck.

However, Sun Xiong’s fist struck Ye Guan’s chest as well. 

Crack!

Bam!

Sun Xiong and Ye Guan flew backward at the same time.

Lu Chen’s face was solemn as he asked, “You actually taught him such a risky maneuver?”

Fei Banqing shook her head, and she gazed at Ye Guan with a complicated gaze. 

That brat is risking his life!

Blood was flowing out of Ye Guan’s mouth, but he wasn’t done just yet. He endured the pain and charged at Sun Xiong like a panther that was about to devour its prey.

Sun Xiong’s eyes widened. He used his right hand to cover his throat as blood flowed out of his eyes, nose, mouth, and ears. He didn’t expect Ye Guan to do such a risky move from the get-go. 

Sun Xiong’s attacks were explosive and powerful, but he wasn’t as fast as Ye Guan. He reckoned that Ye Guan’s speed was the reason the latter’s palm reached him first.

His throat ended up being injured, but before Sun Xiong could even compose himself, his eyes flashed in a sinister light. Ye Guan was already running toward him, so how could he not return the gesture in kind? 

Sun Xiong ignored the intense pain and charged at Ye Guan. He threw another punch, but a scorching flame enveloped his forearm as well rather than just his hand.

Ye Guan saw the incoming punch, and he knew that there was no way that he could take that punch like what he had done to Sun Xiong’s first punch. Ye Guan decided to change directions and rolled on the ground toward Sun Xiong’s right flank. 

He immediately widened the distance between him and Sun Xiong.

Boom!

Sun Xiong’s fist struck nothing but the air, causing a huge explosion as the air itself caught fire. However, Sun Xiong’s expression changed upon realizing that Ye Guan had rolled over to his right flank.

Sun Xiong wanted to send another punch, but Ye Guan swept Sun Xiong’s foot.

Sun Xiong lost his balance as Ye Guan pulled him down while Ye Guan himself used Sun Xiong’s sturdy physique to pull himself up before stomping on Sun Xiong’s chest.

Crash!

Sun Xiong crashed to the ground, and Ye Guan’s stomp forced a mouthful of blood to emerge from Sun Xiong’s mouth. 

However, Ye Guan wasn’t done just yet. He appeared behind Sun Xiong and held him in a chokehold.

“Ye Guan!” Song Ci shouted from above a high platform. 

Fei Banqing gazed indifferently at Song Ci, while Lu Chen wordlessly stared at Ye Guan.

Ye Guan looked up at Song Ci. 

The killing intent in Ye Guan’s eyes made Song Ci hesitate. Still, he decided to speak to save the life of his one and only direct disciple.

“Can you spare him?” asked Song Ci.

Ye Guan calmly replied, “Sure!”

With that, he released Sun Xiong and casually stood up, astonishing everyone. 

Song Ci was astonished as well. He didn’t expect that Ye Guan would let Sun Xiong go just like that.

Ye Guan stood up and wiped the blood from the corners of his lips before walking over to one of the stone pillars. He stared at the white-robed young man on one of the stone pillars. The white-robed young man was none other than Nan Xuan.

Under everyone’s gaze, Ye Guan stared deeply at Nan Xuan. 

“I know you’re the mastermind behind all this. Since you want me to die, I’m giving you the chance to kill me. Come down and fight me on this Life or Death Stage. Let’s end everything between us,” said Ye Guan.

The spectators were shocked as they looked at Nan Xuan. 

Fei Banqing wordlessly stared at Nan Xuan as well. 

Nan Xuan was also taken aback. His gaze turned deep as he looked at Ye Guan, but he eventually smiled and said, “Brother Ye, I have no idea what you’re—”

“Get your ass down here!” Ye Guan bellowed, “Quit the bullshit! I’ll end you today, so come down here and get ready to die!”

Nan Xuan’s expression turned ugly. He didn’t expect that Ye Guan would make things difficult for him in front of everyone. He was aware that Ye Guan had been suspecting him, but he also knew that Ye Guan had no evidence against him.

However, he didn’t expect that Ye Guan would challenge him without even bothering to gather any evidence against him.

Song Ci stared coldly at Nan Xuan. He wasn’t a fool, so he knew that someone had been manipulating his disciple. He wasn’t aware of the mastermind’s identity, but Ye Guan had revealed the mastermind just now.

Nan Xuan’s smile deepened as he said, “Brother Ye, I think there’s a misunderstanding—”

Ye Guan interrupted. “Are you a coward?”

The gazes of the students turned strange as they stared at Nan Xuan.

Nan Xuan’s eyes turned cold. He knew that he had to accept the challenge if he wanted to maintain his reputation. 

However, an old man appeared next to him before he could even accept the challenge. The old man was none other than Xiao Ge—one of the top three tutors at Guanxuan Academy. 

Xiao Ge examined Ye Guan and said, “A death match isn’t an issue, but you’re clearly injured, and we’re not going to take advantage of that. You should recover first. A month should be enough. Next month, the two of you can fight to the death on the Life or Death Stage.”

With that, Tutor Xiao took Nan Xuan with him and disappeared. 

Ye Guan’s expression turned solemn, but he eventually sighed and walked away.

Meanwhile, Sun Xiong finally woke up. 

He sounded hoarse as he asked, “Why did you spare me?”

Ye Guan made a sidelong glance at Ye Xiong before pointing at the abyss on Sun Xiong’s right. “There’s an abyss next to you. If you find it shameful to live on, then jump into the abyss.”

Sun Xiong wordlessly gazed at Ye Guan. 

Ye Guan calmly added, “Is defeat really that scary? I don’t think so. You should think about why you lost to me rather than brooding over the feelings of shame. A man must know when to advance and retreat. Are you even a man if you can’t take a defeat?”

Ye Guan turned around and started walking away while saying, “You have to remember that you owe me your life. Don’t just brute force your way through everything; use your brain as well! You shouldn’t let others manipulate you into doing their bidding.”

Sun Xiong remained silent. He finally realized that he had been manipulated into taking action.

The students watched as Ye Guan walked away, and their expressions were complicated. However, most of them clearly didn’t expect that Nalan Jia’s fiance would actually be so strong and handsome.

The gazes of quite a few female students turned strange while they were staring at Ye Guan’s departing figure. 

Fei Banqing’s lips curled up as she gazed at Ye Guan.

Lu Chen smiled and exclaimed, “What an interesting brat!”

Fei Banqing nodded slightly. “I also didn’t expect him to spare Sun Xiong.”

Lu Chen nodded and said, “Yeah. Anyway, I think Sun Xiong is a bit stu—hmm… simple-minded. Nan Xuan is too scheming, while Little Jia is too easygoing. I think none of them will become the Chief Student Representative!”

Fei Banqing turned to look at Lu Chen and asked, “What about that one? Can my disciple compare to him?”

Lu Chen went silent. Actually, Guanxuan Academy didn’t just have three top talents, but four. There was a mysterious student that the Academy Master was teaching personally.

“He’s a courageous and smart young man. His personality is decent as well, but if I were to compare him to that one…” Lu Chen trailed off.

Fei Banqing smiled and asked, “Do you really think that you’ve seen all there is to him?”

Lu Chen froze upon hearing that. 

“Anyway, I’m off! I have to go and borrow money from the Academy Master, or I’ll starve at this rate!” exclaimed Fei Banqing before turning around to leave.

She left a speechless Lu Chen in her wake.

…

Ye Guan returned to his palace and stumbled upon Fei Banqing. 

Fei Banqing said, “Lie down.”

Ye Guan froze, and he stood rooted on the spot.

Fei Banqing pushed him to the floor and tore his clothes open before he could even recover. Ye Guan immediately covered his crotch, and he seemed aggrieved as he muttered, “Tutor… don’t use force…”

Fei Banqing didn’t know what to say.