Ye Chen sheathed his sword and looked up at the group standing before him.
Before he could speak, Ye Long took the initiative to cause trouble.
“Ye Chen, why are you still lingering around the martial arts arena practicing your swordplay? You've been loitering here for two years, yet your cultivation hasn't budged a single bit. What's the point of wasting your time?”
His lackeys chimed in, tossing one mockery after another to fuel the fire.
Ye Chen's expression remained calm. His hand holding the sword hilt didn't tremble in the slightest, as if he hadn't heard a word.
The commotion drew the attention of the swordplay instructor, who was guiding the other disciples.
He walked over quickly, stepping between the two of them, and said in a low voice, “Stop this. The martial arts arena is a place for cultivation, not for causing trouble.”
Although Ye Long and his group were reluctant, they did not dare to openly defy the instructor. They could only wipe the smirks off their faces and pretend to practice their punches nearby.
Ye Chen's expression remained cold and indifferent, showing no signs of agitation.
He stood quietly for a moment, then gripped his longsword tightly once more and resumed his practice.
He knew very well that Ye Long was a petty and vindictive person; today's matter would not end so easily.
Ye Long was only wary of the instructor's presence right now and didn't dare to act rashly. Once the practice session ended and everyone dispersed, this group would undoubtedly target him again.
By then, there would be no one to stop them, and the instructor would have no reason to intervene.
“But it doesn't matter. I've long since grown used to this. If they want to wait, let them.”
He continued to swing his sword, each move steady and resolute, as if everything around him had nothing to do with him.
Not far away, Ye Long and his lackeys were quietly keeping an eye on Ye Chen.
The anger that had been suppressed by the instructor was hidden deep within their eyes, replaced by a mixture of amusement and malice.
They were in no hurry; they would simply wait until the practice session was over.
Watching this unfold, the instructor sighed inwardly.
He knew better than anyone that his responsibility only extended to this martial arts arena.
As long as the practice session was ongoing, he could maintain order within the grounds.
But once they dispersed and the disciples stepped out of these gates, whatever happened outside had nothing to do with him.
He could block a temporary provocation, but he could not protect Ye Chen forever.
For now, he could only keep the peace here. As for what happened after they dispersed, even if he saw it, he had no authority to interfere.
Just then, a figure stepped into the martial arts arena.
It was Ye Ling.
The girl wore a neat, form-fitting set of green robes, simple and devoid of any flashy decorations.
A longsword hung at her waist, its scabbard simple and unassuming.
Her pitch-black hair was tied up in a high ponytail, revealing a smooth forehead and delicate, elegant features. Her expression was calm and indifferent.
When the instructor looked up and saw her, a hint of approval flashed in his eyes, and he nodded slightly.
Ye Ling was the most talented and diligent disciple he had ever taught.
In the entire younger generation of the Ye family, there was not a single person who could compare to her.
Though she was not yet fifteen years old, her cultivation had already reached the Houtian Fifth Layer, and she had not slacked in her martial techniques either.
Having trained two martial techniques to Mastery, she was considered a rare and promising seed within the clan.
Looking closely, the instructor noticed that the spiritual energy around her was even more condensed than before, possessing less youthful awkwardness and more steady composure.
It was clear at a glance that her recent hard work had borne fruit.
Staring at the increasingly outstanding Ye Ling, an idea suddenly popped into the instructor's head.
Ye Long was merely at the Houtian Fifth Layer, yet he acted like a tyrant just because of that bit of ability, constantly looking for trouble with Ye Chen.
Since he loved fighting so much, the instructor would satisfy him by letting him fight Ye Ling.
With Ye Ling's current strength, dealing with a restless, shallow-rooted fellow like Ye Long would be more than enough.
This was the perfect opportunity to fiercely crush Ye Long's arrogance and let him taste what it felt like to be stepped on.
Once his arrogance was suppressed, he would no longer have the face to show off and would be forced to focus on honest cultivation, naturally leaving him with no time to trouble Ye Chen.
The instructor raised his hand, calling out to Ye Long, who was still pretending to practice his punches nearby.
“Ye Long.”
Ye Long stopped and turned his head to look over.
The instructor said calmly, “I will make an agreement with you. You will have a public sparring match with one of my disciples.”
“If you win, I will never interfere with you in this arena again, and you can do whatever you want.”
“But if you lose, do not set foot in this arena again unless you have proper business. Do you dare?”
Ye Long lowered his head, calculating in his mind.
Among the instructor's regular disciples in the arena who were also at the Houtian Fifth Layer, Ye Ling was the only one.
He had heard that Ye Ling had only broken through to the Houtian Fifth Layer a few months ago, whereas he had been at this realm for a year. Furthermore, his Wild Bull Fist had recently reached Mastery.
“What kind of capability could a little girl have?”
He sneered, raising his head. “This disciple agrees. However, if I win, you must keep your word, Instructor.”
Ye Long had broken through to the Houtian Fifth Layer a year ago, but once his realm stabilized, he grew too lazy to cultivate and rarely came to the martial arts arena.
On the rare occasions he did show up, it was not to practice, but purely to find trouble with Ye Chen for his own amusement.
He only knew that Ye Ling had advanced to the Houtian Fifth Layer a mere two or three months ago, and that she was still young.
So, he took it for granted that her foundation was shallow and her strength was lacking.
As for the fact that Ye Ling had already trained both the Wild Bull Fist and the Breeze Sword Technique to Mastery, and that her cultivation was incredibly solid, he had absolutely no idea.
Deep down, he looked down on the young girl and did not take this sparring match seriously at all.
The instructor walked over to Ye Ling's side, turning slightly to whisper in a low voice, “Ye Ling, I would like to trouble you to fight Ye Long later as a favor to me. Once it's over, I will give you a Yellow-grade mid-tier sword technique as a token of my gratitude.”
Ye Ling's eyes shifted slightly as she quickly calculated the benefits in her mind.
“A favor? Sure.”
For one, by helping with this, Ye Chen would technically owe her a favor, which might prove useful in the future.
Secondly, she had been practicing bitterly every single day. Last night, her cultivation technique and martial techniques had all reached Great Perfection, and she was just worrying about having no one to test her skills against.
This was the perfect opportunity to test her current strength.
According to the clan's rules, after a disciple broke through to the Houtian Sixth Layer, they could go to the Martial Arts Pavilion to select two more Yellow-grade mid-tier martial techniques.
She was already entitled to this benefit. Now that the instructor was offering an extra one, she would have an even wider range of choices, which was excellent.
“A good deal.”
She nodded expressionlessly.
“Then I'll play around with Ye Long.”
News of the sparring match quickly spread.
The people in the martial arts arena gradually gathered around, whispering to one another.
“Ye Ling is going to fight Ye Long?”
“Ye Long is at the Houtian Fifth Layer and has been training at it for over a year.”
“Isn't Ye Ling at the Houtian Fifth Layer as well?”
“She only broke through not long ago. Can she really do it?”
The chatter rose and fell continuously.
Ye Ling only found it a bit noisy.
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