Tang Fei entered and immediately knelt down in front of Xuanyuan Mingjing with a thud.
Si Yinchuan was greatly startled and hurried forward to help him up, saying, "The Dean hasn’t agreed to be your mentor yet, he just called you here to chat... Stand up and speak first."
"It doesn’t matter." Tang Fei remained kneeling, his face earnest as he replied, "Even if he is not my teacher, he is still my elder. Isn’t it only right to kowtow a few times?"
The bolder a person is, the greater their achievements.
Someone once said, give me a lever and I’ll move the Earth.
Tang Fei was not as boastful as a physicist, but give him a pair of knees, and he could kneel before a row of masters.
Tang Fei was also a man with a very strong desire to win, matching others in their strengths and weaknesses.
Your parents are both gone, my entire clan was annihilated; you have it bad, but I have it worse...
Little Fatty had Dean Shang as his teacher, Shen Xinglan had Xuanyuan Mingjing, even the most unimpressive old man wouldn’t take him as a disciple saying you shouldn’t call me ’master’ because I have nothing to teach you...
Teacher Ran Ran was also very good, possessing a crisp personality, attractive appearance, and a stunning figure, truly diligent, hard-working, and responsible towards herself.
However, in terms of cultivation realm, fame, and teaching standards, she still slightly lacked when compared to Dean Shang and Xuanyuan Mingjing.
Tang Fei had two purposes for coming to White Crane Academy: one was for self-improvement, the other to kill Shen Xinglan.
Self-improvement naturally required finding the strongest person as a mentor for faster progress. Within the entire White Crane Academy, could there be a better choice than Xuanyuan Mingjing?
As for killing Shen Xinglan, that was an incredibly difficult task.
If there wasn’t such deep hatred, and without the old man’s insistence at his side, he would want to be friends with Shen Xinglan or even become an adoring supporter by his side...
With wealth, power, and strength, who would want such a person as an adversary?
Tang Fei had never crossed swords with Shen Xinglan, but he was clearly aware of the vast gulf between them.
That was the terrifying thing about Shen Xinglan; he was never eager to show himself, yet he made everyone regard him as an exceedingly fearsome person.
To achieve the second goal, he similarly needed a strong cultivation realm to support him.
So, Tang Fei wanted to strive for it.
If a mentor was arbitrarily assigned, with the resources and cultivation realm he could attain later, he feared the gap with Shen Xinglan would only widen.
Since Shen Xinglan could get Xuanyuan Mingjing to willingly take him as a disciple, why couldn’t he take the initiative to have him as his master?
Shen Xinglan stopped picking grape worms and watched the scene before him with great interest.
Xuanyuan Mingjing was still leisurely eating grapes, consuming them skin and all, wasting nothing.
Expressionlessly observing Tang Fei, he showed no surprise or astonishment at his act, calmly asking, "Why do you want me to be your mentor?"
"I want to improve," Tang Fei said candidly and directly, "I want to become stronger."
Tang Fei glanced at Shen Xinglan and replied, "As strong as Shen Xinglan."
He didn’t say he wanted to be as strong as Xuanyuan Mingjing, for Great Grandmasters were rare in this world, and reaching such a level required perfect conditions—claiming one wants to become a Great Grandmaster so easily just made someone sound unreliable...
He said as strong as Shen Xinglan, giving himself a more immediately achievable goal.
Moreover, by comparing himself with Shen Xinglan, wouldn’t Xuanyuan Mingjing be a bit curious?
After all, Shen Xinglan was the proud protegee whom he had personally invited from the Shen Family. What right did this fellow from Old Land have to be mentioned in the same breath as Shen Xinglan?
Xuanyuan Mingjing looked at Tang Fei and said, "Courage and wisdom I have seen, and he has a bit of quick wits... but I’m not too familiar with his strength."
His gaze shifted to Si Yinchuan’s face as he asked aloud, "How about, we give him a chance?"
With a chuckle, Si Yinchuan said, "Such matters still require the dean’s sole discretion... After all, he’s asking you to be his mentor. If he had come to me, I would have agreed..."
Si Yinchuan could see that Xuanyuan Mingjing was a bit more flexible in his stance.
If he had no interest in Tang Fei at all, he wouldn’t have let Si Yinchuan bring Tang Fei over...
If students were calling out to meet the dean and asking him to be their mentor, and Xuanyuan Mingjing agreed, wouldn’t that make the dean’s job overly taxing?
Thus, he deliberately left a good impression in his words for Tang Fei.
If he is asking me to be his mentor, then I have agreed... This already highlighted Tang Fei’s excellence and his favorable view of Tang Fei.
As for whether the dean wishes to mentor others, that is still up to you to decide.
But if you don’t find him satisfactory, wouldn’t that imply that your own judgment is lacking... even if just by a little?
Tang Fei naturally understood his implication and responded with a grateful smile, not hiding their understanding.
The more one tries to conceal something, the more it provokes speculation.
"Since Dean Si has spoken in your favor, I will give you a chance. Compare yourself with Shen Xinglan... let me see what your strength is like," Xuanyuan Mingjing declared.
"Disciple is willing," Tang Fei promptly agreed.
He had no choice, but he was willing to accept all arrangements.
As long as the end result was leading in a direction beneficial to him.
Shen Xinglan, holding a small box filled with grape worms, asked, "What kind of competition?"
"A life-and-death struggle," Xuanyuan Mingjing declared.
"Dean..." Si Yinchuan became anxious.
Both Shen Xinglan and Tang Fei were the school’s finest students. Having them fight a life-and-death battle could be disastrously costly for the academy if they were injured or crippled.
Moreover, given Shen Xinglan’s special status, what if someone killed him with a sword? How would they explain to the Shen Family?
"How can depth of strength and adaptability be seen in mere light touches?" Xuanyuan Mingjing retorted, saying, "I will be watching; it won’t be a problem."
Si Yinchuan thought so too. With Great Grandmaster Xuanyuan Mingjing present, even if they wanted to kill each other... it would likely be very difficult.
"Have your match here in my grape courtyard," Xuanyuan Mingjing pointed to a nearby open space and continued, "However, I have one requirement; neither of you may damage my grapevines. If a single fruit falls or a leaf is injured, that person loses..."
Tang Fei and Shen Xinglan both felt the pressure.
His courtyard wasn’t large, and a slight overflow of Sword Qi or excessive movement could easily damage the vines and fruit.
Thus, the competition required full effort and utmost control.
Of course, ultimately, this was more advantageous for Tang Fei.
If they were to fight a life-and-death battle without any restraints, he truly wouldn’t be able to defeat Shen Xinglan...
With this restriction added, the one proficient in Yin Yang Qi and exhibiting greater strength had to be extra careful.