Jiang Luofu shot a surprised glance at Sang Hong. He seemed to be acting much more recklessly than usual. However, she thought nothing of it and resumed her seat. She crossed her legs leisurely, preparing to watch the show. She was curious to see if Zu An still had any surprises in store for her.

With Sang Hong and Jiang Luofu setting the example, the other powerhouses also quickly returned to their seats, ready to observe this additional match.

Qin Wanru tugged her husband’s sleeve and asked, “Does Zu An stand a good chance against Yuan Wenji?”

“I’m not sure.” Chu Zhongtian shook his head. “Based on what he had shown earlier, he seems to be slightly weaker than Yuan Wenji. To be honest, I’m still not very sure what happened to Yuan Wendong earlier to make him lose the duel.”

Hong Xingying heaved a sigh of relief at those words. If that fellow had really returned victoriously to the Chu clan after triumphing over a fifth rank cultivator, I really wouldn’t know what to do with him. However, since his greed has got the better of him, it looks like he’ll be done in here.

If Zu An loses this match, whatever prestige he’s built up would vanish in an instant, and there would be nothing for me to worry about anymore. Heh, in the end, he’s still nothing more than a cheap scoundrel who managed to climb up society’s ranks through luck. I don’t know how he managed to build up his cultivation, but he immediately forgot his palace right away. People like him will always end up dying without even knowing how or why.

Meanwhile, Chu Huanzhao was panicking. “Isn’t my brother-in-law in danger, then?”

Chu Zhongtian consoled her, saying, “Rest assured, I’ll step in and save him if it comes down to it.”

“Tsk. Throughout this entire Clans Tournament, have you managed to save anyone at all?” remarked Chu Huanzhao with a click of her tongue.

This darned child!

Chu Zhongtian nearly choked. He struggled in vain for a rebuttal. It took a long while before he managed to squeeze out, “I’ll act together with your mother and older sister if anything happens later on. Would that be okay?”

Only then did Chu Huanzhao finally nod in approval. “That’s more like it.”

Chu Zhongtian’s face turned dark. What’s the use of having daughters? She’s already going against me despite her young age. She’s really going to be the death of me at this rate!

In the Yuan clan contingent, Yuan Wenji was surrounded by his peers, who were busy giving him a pep talk. “Wenji, there’s no need to get scared. His real cultivation is only at a low third rank. He isn’t a match for you in a proper battle.”

“Wendong only lost because of his carelessness earlier. Put on these earmuffs before the fight. Don’t let that man’s nonsensical chatter distract you. Just focus your attention on hacking him down once you step onto the dueling ring. Try to take away at least a hand and a leg from him!”

“There’s no need to worry about his movement skill either. We’ve examined it closely, and it poses very little threat. You just have to do this…”

… 

In the dueling ring, Zu An yawned in boredom. “Are you done discussing yet? Is this duel on or not?”

However, halfway through his words, he suddenly froze. 

This sounds oddly familiar. Isn’t this what Yuan Wendong said earlier, before I entered the dueling ring? Oh shit, am I going to walk in his footsteps too?

Pui, pui, pui! How can I be compared to him? That man doesn’t even have a hundredth of my suaveness! Even the Goddess of Luck will take special care of me after seeing my handsome face!

“Since you’re in such a hurry to court death, I’ll fulfill your wish!” Yuan Wenji leaped into the dueling ring, dark clouds brewing on his face.

“Don’t be like your cousin, who keeps prattling off but ends up disappointing everyone,” replied Zu An calmly.

“You resorted to despicable means to assault Brother Wendong earlier on! I’ll make you pay for what you did to him!” Yuan Wenji drew his sword and pointed the tip at Zu An.

Yuan Zhengchu’s angry reprimand almost made him jump. “What did I tell you earlier? Don’t even talk to him! Put on your earmuffs!”

Yuan Wenji’s face reddened. He quickly put on the earmuffs that had been given to him. 

Somehow, this guy’s words seem to carry some sort of sorcery. I just can’t help wanting to refute whatever he says.

Across from him, Zu An was a little disappointed to see the earmuffs. The ‘Whatcha Starin’ At’ skill had been unexpectedly useful in the earlier battle. While it had only caused Yuan Wendong to be distracted for a split second, the opening it had created was more than enough to make a difference in the midst of a heated battle.

But if all of my opponents were to cover their ears when up against me in the future, wouldn’t that skill be practically useless from now on?

However, Zu An soon put that depressing thought aside. After all, there was no way everyone would be constantly wearing earmuffs. Yuan Wenji was only wearing them because he was afraid of being distracted like Yuan Wendong. There was no way he knew about the effects of the ‘Whatcha Starin’ At’ skill.

“Die!” Yuan Wenji sneered coldly as he drove toward Zu An with the point of his blade. While his proficiency in swordsmanship was beneath that of Yuan Wendong’s, he had at least managed to fully grasp the basics, which granted him formidable prowess.

As soon as Zu An and his opponent crossed several blows, he noticed that something was amiss. His movements were being predicted!

Having guessed Zu An’s thoughts, Yuan Wenji burst into hearty laughter. “Hahaha! That lousy movement skill of yours might look scary at first sight, but it only has those few maneuvers.” His words did nothing to hinder his movements, as he continued slashing ferociously at Zu An.

Seething, Zu An inwardly berated Old Mi for imparting to him a flawed movement skill. What’s the use of it if it can be deciphered that easily?!

To be fair, Zu An was using the revised Sunflower Phantasm that Old Mi had only recently developed. He had been afraid that someone would see through the real one, and had hastily fashioned this version. However, he hadn’t had time to properly think it through, and this left it riddled with openings. With several experts analyzing it simultaneously throughout the course of the earlier battle, it was inevitable that they would have found a way to curb it.

If Old Mi had been given more time, even the weaker, revised version would have been strong enough that those present wouldn’t be able to easily see through its openings.

With Zu An distracted, Yuan Wenji made use of the opportunity to press his attack. His lips curved upward in a gleeful smile, and he slashed his sword downward with a force great enough to hack a leg into two.

My luck isn’t bad today. With Yuan Wendong crippled, no one in the younger generation of the Yuan clan will be able to compete with me anymore. On top of that, I’d even be able to exact vengeance for Yuan Wendong, which will be a huge contribution to the Yuan clan. With this, I should be next in line as the successor of the Yuan clan!

It seems I really need to thank Chu Second Miss for this. Even though you bullied me ever since I was still young, you’ve finally made up for it by sending such a huge gift my way.

Hahaha, just wait till I become the successor of the Yuan clan. I might just be able to have the Chu clan betroth you to me, so that I can bully you everyday. Just thinking about it makes me excited!

Yuan Wenji’s vicious slash passed through Zu An’s legs, but surprisingly, his blade met no resistance. He had slashed through a mere afterimage—the real Zu An was already nowhere to be seen.

He saw a glint of light in his peripheral vision, and his heart jumped with fright. He hurriedly tried to sidestep away, but it was already too late.

A cry of utter misery echoed around the dueling ring. An arm flew through the air in a graceful arc, a sword still gripped in its fist, all five fingers twitching nonstop. It was a hair-raising sight.

Zu An foot smashed into Yuan Wenji’s abdomen, sending him crashing heavily to the ground with a pathetic whimper. Yuan Wenji tried to rise back up, but his injuries were too severe for him to move. He stared at Zu An, his eyes quivering. “Y… You’re vicious!” he cried.

You have successfully trolled Yuan Wenji for 1024 Rage points!

Losing his arm was one thing, but the follow-up kick had smashed his ki core, crippling his cultivation for good. Just a moment ago, he’d been dreaming about rising to greater heights, only to fall back into the dust in the next. The sudden nosedive in his emotions left him on the verge of a mental breakdown.

Zu An walked over and gazed down at him from above. “I’m not a big-hearted person. If someone treats me well, I might still irk him with my words. However, if someone treats me badly, I’ll return it to him tenfold. I had planned just to fracture your arm and injure your abdomen to exact vengeance from Huanzhao. But since you tried to sever my legs, you shouldn’t blame me for returning the favor.”

From the sidelines, Hong Xingying swallowed in fear as a chill ran down his spine. He’s too vicious!

The Yuan clan contingent erupted in an explosion of fury. “Zu An, you’re courting death!”

You have successfully trolled Yuan Zhengchu for 1024 Rage points!

You have successfully trolled Yuan XXX for 444 Rage points!

You have successfully trolled Yuan YYY for 444 Rage points!

… 

How could Yuan Zhengchu remain calm after two of his clan members had been crippled before his very eyes? He led the experts of his clan into the dueling ring, intent to get back at Zu An.

However, Chu Zhongtian was well-prepared, striding into the dueling ring with the experts of the Chu clan backing him up. “Yuan Zhengchu, have you no sense of shame? After all your preaching earlier on, you’re trying to interfere in a duel between the juniors now?”

Yuan Zhengchu knew that he was no match for Chu Zhongtian, so he turned to Sang Hong and cried, “Governor Sang, this man is too cruel! Please redress the grievances of our Yuan clan!”

With the members of the Chu clan flanking him, Zu An felt more confident than ever. So, he spoke out loud, “Uncle Yuan, I don’t understand what you’re saying. We agreed beforehand to fight it out to settle our grudges, but you’re back to whining right after the duel is over. Isn’t this the attitude of a sore loser?”

Yuan Zhengchu choked upon hearing those words. Who is your uncle? If I had a nephew like you, I would have drowned you in the toilet by now!

You have successfully trolled Yuan Zhengchu for 999 Rage points!

Sang Hong’s frustrations almost boiled over. The Yuan clan is more useless than I expected. They keep slipping up time and time again, and then expect me to clean up their mess.

Instead of addressing the matter, he turned to Jiang Luofu and said, “Principal Jiang, I didn’t expect the Thirteen Forms of Elementary Swordplay to harness such great prowess. I must say that I’m impressed.”

Zu An’s earlier strike was obviously one of the forms of the Elementary Swordplay. However, for some reason, Yuan Wenji had been unable to avoid the attack despite his higher cultivation.

Jiang Luofu replayed the final moments of the duel in her head. To be frank, she couldn’t understand how Zu An was able to bring forth such prowess with a relatively straightforward move. Some bits of his swordplay seemed slightly different from the Elementary Swordplay, but she couldn’t put her finger on exactly what.

“The Thirteen Forms of Elementary Swordplay is the crystallization of centuries of the academy’s wisdom, so it does have its strengths. It’s a pity that our lack of talent prevents us from comprehending the deeper intricacies lying within,” replied Jiang Luofu.

Xie Yi also spoke up. “Governor Sang, no matter how we look at it, Zu An’s earlier strike was surely the most normal Elementary Swordplay of the academy. If Yuan Wenji isn’t even able to dodge such a strike, there’s no way to accuse Zu An of not holding back.”

Sang Hong nodded in agreement. The circumstances made it hard for him to side with the Yuan clan this time. “Patriarch Yuan, we’ve agreed not to pursue the results of the duel no matter who wins or loses. You’re putting me in a tight spot.”

His words swiftly brought a chorus of agreements from the crowd.

“Indeed! We heard it too!”

“The Yuan clan are sore losers!”

“Just how lousy must he be if he can’t even deal with the Elementary Swordplay?”

… 

Zu An heaved a sigh of relief. He had executed the Sunflower Phantasm for an instant there, and fortunately, no one had seen through it. All they had seen was the ordinary Thirteen Forms of Elementary Swordplay from the academy, oblivious to the fact that it had been augmented by the Sunflower Phantasm to become the legendary ‘Bixie Swordplay’. This sword art was bizarre in the sense that only those who faced it would be able to feel its prowess. Onlookers would only be baffled by how easily and inexplicably his opponents fell for his attacks.

However, unbeknownst to Zu An, a pair of eyes in the crowd was staring at him intently. That sword art he executed earlier… Why does it bear such resemblance to that man’s? No, this won’t do. I need to report this upward!