68: Chapter 65: Defection Strategy 68: Chapter 65: Defection Strategy Time flew by, half a month in the blink of an eye.
The crowd under the stage was dead silent.
The battle on the stage between Xu Yuan and the Eighth Grade martial disciple had reached a fever pitch.
The dull thuds of fists and feet striking flesh resonated one after another.
Amidst the rolling and dodging, Xu Yuan suddenly swung his hand-as-blade through the air.
A blade-like ripple of blood-red energy instantaneously sliced through the air.
The burly man’s pupils shrank, and he hurriedly ducked to evade it while simultaneously launching a powered punch towards Xu Yuan’s face.
The gust of wind from the fist grazed his cheek, and as the punch passed by, the burly man’s side ribs were exposed in front of Xu Yuan.
Seeing this, Xu Yuan changed his palm to a fist; his cultivation technique activated and blood-red flames instantly covered it as he threw a powerful uppercut towards the man’s side ribs.
The man before him seemed to have anticipated Xu Yuan’s intent, and the calloused palm of his hand blocked in front of his ribs just before the punch made contact.
The tremendous force of the upward strike sent the burly man soaring through the air.
Xu Yuan quickly followed up with another punch, but the burly man had already shielded his front with his muscular, twisted arms.
Another thud of fist meeting flesh.
Even with protection, the burly man who was helpless in midair was sent flying off the stage by the powerful force.
After landing, he steadied himself with two steps back, rubbed his somewhat numb arms, sighed regretfully, and bowed with a fist in palm:
“Third Young Master, I admit defeat.”
Standing atop the stage, Xu Yuan took a long breath.
For the first time in half a month, he had won.
Although it was by using the powerful force of the Blood Essence Meteoring Art to forcibly knock the opponent off the stage, he had finally won a match.
Xu Yuan glanced sideways at Zhou Chen standing beside the stage.
Seeing this, Zhou Chen nodded to Xu Yuan, bowed, and said with a beaming smile:
“Third Young Master, he didn’t hold back.”
Assured by the professional’s affirmation, Xu Yuan directly leapt off the stage, pointed to the burly man, and instructed:
“Give him a Bone Tempering Pill, that’s enough for today, let’s go.”
Zhou Chen chuckled at the words, casually tossed a Bone Tempering Pill, and followed Xu Yuan out of the Wuxuan Institute.
Walking on the path back to his room, Xu Yuan moved his sore body with some difficulty.
The punches he had taken to his body, despite being shielded by the Blood Essence Meteoring Art, still left him feeling quite battered, and he estimated that come nightfall his body would be covered in bruises once he took off his clothes.
Xu Yuan touched his cheek, a sharp pain emanating from his cheekbone, and said somewhat helplessly:
“These Protectors are really letting loose.”
Zhou Chen, following behind, laughingly replied:
“Young Master, your combat skills have improved significantly, and if these Protectors dare not give their all, they will miss out on their daily Bone Tempering Pill.”
Xu Yuan smiled at the comment, but his smile quickly faded.
He was in no position to be proud at the moment.
Although his combat strength had indeed improved rapidly, it was largely due to the overwhelming attributes the Blood Essence Meteoring Art provided.
His speed and strength were far superior to the opposition’s vein-tempered martial disciples, and only with such an advantage had he managed to fight to a draw—that was hardly something to be proud of.
What’s more important,
The Blood Essence Meteoring Art was a cultivation technique of qi pathways, meant for spellcasters.
It was all about attacking the enemy from a distance.
Yet he was still stuck at the most basic level of hand-to-hand combat, not able to unleash the true power of the Blood Essence Meteoring Art.
Thinking this, Xu Yuan sighed softly.
In the end, it all came down to his insufficient proficiency in the Blood Essence Meteoring Art.
Combat in this world was complicated—it wasn’t about just shouting a name and the skill would come out.
To use a corresponding move, one must channel the cultivation technique through specific meridians.
In previous battles, he had only used the most basic techniques, and those with significant power could not be unleashed in real combat.
Every time he channeled the cultivation technique to conjure a skill, it would be interrupted halfway due to the various assaults of the opponent, and his own need to move and dodge bodily.
According to the description in the Blood Essence Meteoring Art, as long as all techniques are skillfully applied, one should be invincible among peers of the same level.
Only through experience will one discover inadequacies.
This world is not just about cultivation; there are many, many other things he must learn.
These Protectors indeed were the one in a hundred elite among their peers, but it’s worth noting that even they were no match for the protagonist, Qin Mo, in just one round.
Silently, he walked a great distance away,
Accompanied by a series of hurried breaths, a fair-faced maid ran from a distant courtyard, gasping for air as she approached:
Looking at her face, Xu Yuan raised an eyebrow.
He remembered she was the servant assigned by Manager Li to attend to Su Jinxuan’s daily needs.
The maid was breathless:
she says she wishes to see you, Third Young Master.”
While Xu Yuan was engrossed in actual combat these days, Su Jinxuan had been holed up in her chamber without leaving, tirelessly scrutinizing the ledgers of the Konghua Chamber of Commerce.
To her, to deny Qin Weijiu was akin to denying her own beliefs of more than a decade, so she desperately sought to find flaws within these ledgers.
Upon learning of this, Xu Yuan had the counterfeit ledgers of the Konghua Chamber of Commerce printed out and sent to Su Jinxuan’s room for her to cross-reference and examine.
And so Su Jinxuan examined them, for a good half a month.
Approaching the chamber, Xu Yuan entered alone through the door.
As expected, various ledgers were stacked like mountains throughout the room.
On the bed, the floor, the tables, the windowsills.
Some were opened, some were closed, even some torn to shreds.
Gazing around the cluttered room, Xu Yuan’s gaze finally settled on the woman sitting on the cushion.
Su Jinxuan was kneeling on the cushion beside the tea tray, her complexion wan, but her eyes no longer held the bewildered look of before.
Xu Yuan stepped over various ledgers to sit opposite her, poured himself a cup of tea, and asked,
“Have you finished, Miss Su?”
Su Jinxuan’s voice was soft and somewhat hoarse; she must have cried quite a bit during these days:
how did you obtain them?”
Su Jinxuan’s gentle voice echoed in the silent chamber.
Xu Yuan replied naturally:
“They were naturally obtained by the Black Scale Guards; not continuing to look through them?”
Su Jinxuan placed the ledger in her hands on the wooden table, her beautiful eyes downcast, as she softly said:
“There’s no need to continue…
“Randomly selecting so many, I’ve already verified the authenticity of these ledgers.”
Xu Yuan turned back to sit near the woman, smiling as he said:
“So, have you come to a realization now?”
“….” Su Jinxuan fell silent.
Xu Yuan spoke in a gentle tone:
“I realize this might be difficult for you to accept all at once, but since you called me here, you must have made up your mind, right?”
Su Jinxuan’s eyes were lowered, her long eyelashes trembling slightly, her voice steady:
“Yes, what do you want me to do?”
Xu Yuan, upon hearing this, smiled slightly and said softly:
“First, tell me everything you know about that Qin Weijiu.”
“Second, follow my instructions to deliver false messages to Qin Weijiu.”
help me with my cultivation.”