Chapter 50: A Hard Lesson

She knew Ye Shiyuan was strong, but she had never imagined that he would be this strong.

By the tenth move, as she watched Ye Shiyuan’s sword thrust toward her, her nearly numbed hand could no longer lift itself.

She closed her eyes in fear.

But Ye Shiyuan’s sword did not fall upon her.

"You’ve lost."

Those three indifferent words drifted into her ears.

Only then did Su Yuluan open her eyes.

Ye Shiyuan was standing beside her, already having declared the result of the match.

Beneath her veil, Su Yuluan’s expression had turned extremely unsightly.

She turned around and left in irritation.

Only after Su Yuluan stepped down did Ye Shiyuan walk off the arena and return to Bai He’s side.

"Master, I won."

For him, it was an ordinary occurrence, something he was long accustomed to. Yet he still took the trouble to inform Bai He.

His master should be happy, shouldn’t he?

There was still a smile on Bai He’s face.

It simply was not very obvious, much like the other elders.

After all, he was an elder as well.

He could not be overly expressive.

And as Ye Shiyuan’s master, while praise was appropriate, excessive praise was not.

"Mm, very good. I have already checked for you. If nothing unexpected happens, your opponent tomorrow should be Xue Yanming."

Whether it was coincidence or not, Xue Yanming’s opponent today was clearly no match for him.

He would be able to continue to tomorrow’s competition.

After a while, it would be Xu Feng’s turn.

This time, however, his opponent was clearly not on the same level as yesterday, it’s much stronger.

It was Xie Yunliu, the senior disciple of Qixiu Valley.

Among all the disciples participating in this competition, Xie Yunliu’s strength ranked within the top five.

He was not to be underestimated.

Three rounds later, it was finally Xu Feng’s turn.

With yesterday’s experience behind him, Xu Feng appeared far less nervous today.

"Master, Senior Brother, I’m going."

"Mm. Don’t get hurt," Bai He instructed.

"I know, Master."

Xie Yunliu had already looked into his opponent for today.

Although he too came from Baize Peak, in terms of strength he was nowhere near comparable to Ye Shiyuan.

His chances of winning today were actually quite high.

As the match began, the Blue Lotus Sword immediately appeared in Xu Feng’s hand.

Although Xu Feng was highly talented, he had not been cultivating for very long.

At the beginning, he could still rely on the treasured sword in his hand to gain a certain advantage or more accurately, they were evenly matched.

However, as time passed, the significant gap in cultivation levels gradually revealed itself.

Moreover, although the opponent’s sword was not as fine as his, it was not far inferior either.

His advantage in weaponry slowly began to diminish.

Xu Feng gritted his teeth and exerted all his strength to block Xie Yunliu’s strike.

In truth, he had no possibility of winning.

A normal person, at this moment, would have chosen to concede.

Otherwise, if he continued the match, he might get seriously injured.

This was a competition, not a life-or-death fight.

There was no need to push himself so recklessly.

Yet Xu Feng...

Bai He glanced at Yao Xiangli, then at Zhou Yifei, but neither of them showed any sign of calling the match off.

Suddenly, Bai He stood up with a hint of worry in his expression.

Xu Feng’s lips were already streaked with blood, he could not continue.

What a foolish disciple.

"Wait a moment. This match, we forfeit."

Bai He’s voice was loud and carrying a slight high pitch, almost like the sound of a young boy’s.

Still, both competitors stopped.

After all, Xu Feng was his disciple and Bai He was an elder of the Lingguang Sect.

Since they conceded, Xie Yunliu was declared the winner.

Xie Yunliu had no reason to continue fighting either.

Bai He’s gaze was slightly stern as he looked at Xu Feng.

Xu Feng slowly stepped down from the arena and returned to Bai He’s side.

He spoke softly, "Master."

"Shiyuan, take Xiao Feng back and rest."

"Yes."

Ye Shiyuan’s match for today had ended.

He had little interest in the remaining competitions; if Bai He were not present, he would not have stayed at all.

However, Bai He could not leave.

As an elder of the Lingguang Sect, he had to remain until all competitions for the day concluded.

Inside, he was already furious.

He had repeatedly instructed them: "Do not get injured! Do not get injured!"

Yet Xu Feng had ignored these warnings.

He had been struck hard enough to cough blood, did he think that was admirable?

Sometimes, persistence is necessary.

But sometimes... this kind of reckless stubbornness had no clear purpose.

Bai He did not know what it achieved.

...

On the way back, Xu Feng remained silent.

It seemed he realized he had made a mistake.

"Senior Brother, is Master angry?"

"Junior Brother, Master has repeatedly said the most important rule: you must not get injured. You should also be aware that there is still a gap between you and your opponent."

Xu Feng clenched his palms, his voice tinged with frustration. "I don’t want to just lose like this."

"You have only recently entered the sect and already participated in such a competition, that alone is remarkable. Moreover, you have already won one match. In the hundred-year history of the Lingguang Sect, since its founding, no one besides me has ever achieved what you have."

Ye Shiyuan was undoubtedly the most outstanding.

Xu Feng, of course, was not jealous of Ye Shiyuan.

"Senior Brother, should I have apologized to Master just now?"

"Wait until Master returns. You can apologize then, it won’t be too late."

Xu Feng finally understood his mistake.

He lowered his head and remain silent.

Bai He, however, was still anxious and hurried back to Baize Peak.

Xu Feng was already waiting at the door to his room.

The injuries had been treated and bandaged.