Chapter 69: Ye Linger’s Stubbornness

Countless gazes focused simultaneously on Ye Linger and Lu Yun, the air thick with the scent of gossip.

The Outer Sect Disciples of Primordial Holy Land craned their necks, their eyes wide like searchlights, their whispers sounding like boiling water.

"What’s going on? What’s going on? What untold story is there between Senior Sister Ye and this handsome young man from Fengyun Holy Land?"

"Judging by the sound of it, are they old acquaintances? Or rivals?"

"It must be a debt of love. Look at the way that young man Lu Yun looks at Senior Sister Ye—it’s as cold as ten thousand years of ice, but there’s definitely a story beneath the surface."

"Could Senior Sister Ye have borrowed money from him and not paid it back?"

Lu Yun ignored the surrounding noise, his gaze fixed on Ye Linger, his voice indifferent and devoid of any fluctuation:

"Ye Linger, when you came to the door of my Lu Family, haughtily proposing to annul the engagement with me, a trash who couldn’t Cultivate, did you ever consider this day?"

He paused, then his voice suddenly rose, clearly entering everyone’s ears:

"That day, you were short-sighted, recognizing only the rough stone before you, and failing to see the uncut jade of the future."

"I, Lu Yun, have come today precisely to shatter your ridiculous arrogance with my own hands, and to make everyone in Primordial Holy Land see clearly how blind you, Ye Linger, truly are."

Whoosh!

This statement, once uttered, was like a boulder thrown into a calm lake, instantly stirring up a thousand ripples.

"Annul the engagement? That’s huge gossip!"

"Senior Sister Ye actually annulled an engagement? And the object was him? Wait, did he just say he used to be trash?"

"Annulled the engagement because she disliked that her fiancé couldn’t Cultivate? What Senior Sister Ye did was a bit improper, considering it was a marriage contract."

"You can’t say that. Is it wrong to pursue happiness? Who wants to waste their life marrying someone who can’t Cultivate? I support Senior Sister Ye."

"Exactly! Freedom of marriage, reject arranged marriages. Senior Sister Ye, fly bravely, your sisters will always follow."

Listening to the surrounding discussion, Ye Linger’s pretty face flushed red then paled.

She suddenly lifted her head, stubborn light flickering in her eyes, and shouted:

"Lu Yun, stop trying to confuse the public. Before I, Ye Linger, annulled the engagement that day, I did not know you were unable to Cultivate."

"I hated having my life bound by Family interests, and I didn’t want my future forcibly tied to someone I had never met."

"I have the right to choose my own happiness, and I will never compromise with so-called Family alliances. I did nothing wrong in annulling the engagement."

Her words were forceful and immediately drew another wave of discussion.

"So that’s it—it was to resist an arranged Family marriage."

"That changes the nature of things. I support Senior Sister Ye; she should decide her own life."

"Exactly, why should she sacrifice her happiness for the sake of the Family? Senior Sister Ye is admirable."

"In that case, Lu Yun seems a bit petty. What’s wrong with a girl not wanting an arranged marriage?"

The direction of public opinion seemed to subtly shift back toward Ye Linger.

A cold arc curved on Lu Yun’s lips, and he paid no attention to the surrounding discussions.

He simply stared at Ye Linger:

"Silver-tongued. No matter what excuse you use, you cannot hide the fact that you were short-sighted."

"Today, I will use my strength to prove who is unworthy of whom!"

He spoke with extreme confidence, although no powerful Aura was released from his body.

But that certainty made the surrounding spectators feel a chill in their hearts.

"Whoa! What arrogance. He’s so confident, does he really have something to rely on?"

"He doesn’t look like he’s bluffing. Senior Sister Ye might be in trouble."

"No way? Senior Sister Ye is already in the Ming Quan Realm. Lu Yun was trash a month ago; how strong could he possibly be?"

"What do you know? The fact that he dares to come means he is confident in his own strength."

Chen Chuan listened from the crowd, his heart clear as a mirror: "This girl is going to suffer a loss."

He only hoped Lu Yun would show some restraint and not beat Ye Linger too badly.

Moreover, he knew he couldn’t convince Ye Linger; the girl had a stubborn temper.

In the field, Ye Linger felt Lu Yun’s near-contemptuous confidence, and her pride was fully ignited.

She responded defiantly: "Whether I’m worthy or not isn’t decided by words. Let’s settle it with our hands."

Seeing this, the Elders of Fengyun Holy Land exchanged glances, and playful smiles appeared on their faces, as if they already saw the outcome.

Xuan Jingru frowned deeply, attempting to probe Lu Yun’s background and strength.

However, he found that the opponent’s Qi was concealed, making it impossible for him to investigate.

Since Lu Yun dared to come, he must be absolutely certain of victory.

Ye Linger and Lu Yun moved to the spacious Martial Arts Arena in front of the mountain gate, standing opposite each other.

The atmosphere instantly became tense.

Lu Yun stood with his hands behind his back, his posture casual, and said indifferently: "Make your Move. If I strike first, you won’t have any chance."

"Arrogant!" Ye Linger shouted, no longer being polite.

Knowing that Lu Yun was definitely strange, she immediately attacked with full force.

The spiritual energy of the Ming Quan Realm surged within her, gathering onto the long sword in her hand. The sword hummed and emitted a sharp blue light.

"Azure Luan Sword Art: Cloud Breaker Style!"

Her figure was like lightning; she and the sword became almost one, transforming into a streak of azure light that shot straight toward Lu Yun’s chest, accompanied by a piercing sound of slicing air.

The onlookers held their breath, expecting a fierce Dragon-Tiger battle.

However, facing this fierce sword strike, Lu Yun’s eyes did not waver in the slightest.

He didn’t even use any weapon, merely slowly raised his right hand, slightly clenched his five fingers, and casually threw a punch.

There was no dazzling spiritual light, no complicated Move—just this simple, seemingly unadorned punch.

Buzz!

Where the fist passed, the air seemed to be compressed by an invisible massive force, emitting a dull sonic boom.

A terrifying power, vast as a mountain and reminiscent of the dawn of Chaos, surged forth vigorously.

The seemingly unparalleled sharp blue sword light shattered instantly, piece by piece, like paper upon contact with the force of the punch.

Ye Linger felt an irresistible massive force violently strike the sword body. The long sword flew out of her grasp, and the skin between her thumb and forefinger split open.

Immediately afterward, that force slammed into her body.

Pfft!

Ye Linger was struck as if by lightning. Her delicate body shook violently, and a mouthful of fresh blood sprayed out.

Her entire body flew backward over ten zhang like a kite with a broken string, crashing heavily onto the ground. She struggled a few times but could not stand up again.

Silence!

Deathly silence!

Everyone was stunned, as if their throats had been seized.

One Move?

No, it couldn’t even be counted as one Move; it was just a casual punch.

Ye Linger, a Ming Quan Realm expert, couldn’t even withstand Lu Yun’s casual punch.

After a moment of deathly silence, there was an uproar.

"Did I see that wrong? Senior Sister Ye was defeated by one punch?"

"One punch! Just one punch! What is Lu Yun’s cultivation level?"

"He is definitely in the Mountain Sea Realm! And it’s not just a simple entry into the Mountain Sea Realm, otherwise, he couldn’t be this strong."

"From trash to the Mountain Sea Realm in one month? What kind of monster is this?"

On the Fengyun Holy Land side, Xuan Yun’s smile fully blossomed.

He stroked his beard, speaking words that sounded like emotion but were actually intended to sting:

"Alas, it’s understandable for young people to act impulsively. But vision, sometimes, truly needs to be long-term."

"Brother Jingru, don’t you agree?"

"Temporary success or failure does not represent the future. It’s just a pity that some people fail to see this point."

The Red-Faced Elder also chimed in sarcastically:

"The Holy Master speaks wisely. Our Fengyun Holy Land has always advocated for education without discrimination, never looking down on a Disciple because of temporary difficulties."

"It seems that the vision for selecting Disciples and selecting a spouse is indeed a science, haha!"

The Elders of Primordial Holy Land had ashen faces, their chests heaving, yet they were unable to refute.

Facts speak louder than words. Ye Linger’s defeat was so absolute that any defense they offered seemed pale and weak.

Xuan Jingru remained expressionless; no one knew what he was thinking internally.

Ye Linger lay on the ground, her chest throbbing with pain, her Qi and blood turbulent, and bloody foam constantly spilling from the corner of her mouth.

She struggled to lift her head, looking at the figure standing like a God of War, her eyes filled with disbelief and immense frustration.

She had considered the possibility of losing, but never expected to lose so completely, so utterly lacking in dignity.

The gap was so huge it was despair-inducing.

Lu Yun slowly walked up to her, looking down, his voice still cold:

"Now, do you admit that you were short-sighted that day?"

Ye Linger bit her blood-stained lip, stubbornly meeting Lu Yun’s gaze.

Although her voice was weak, it carried undeniable conviction:

"I don’t admit it! I annulled the engagement because I didn’t want to be manipulated by fate."

"I lost because my skill is inferior, and I accept that."

"But my choice was not wrong. How can you call it short-sighted?"

She would rather admit her lack of strength than admit that her choice to pursue freedom was wrong.

This was her stubbornness.

Lu Yun looked at Ye Linger’s stubborn eyes, knowing he couldn’t make her yield on this point.

Losing interest in prolonging the argument, he suddenly changed the topic, his voice echoing in all directions:

"Heh, your persistence is meaningless. Ye Linger, tell your little lover to get out here."

His gaze was like lightning, sweeping across the Primordial Holy Land crowd:

"I came today not just to defeat you, but to personally shatter the arrogance of the man you rely on."

"I want you, and everyone else, to clearly see that the man Ye Linger chose is equally worthless."

"I want to prove that Ye Linger’s vision, from beginning to end, is utterly terrible."

Little lover?

Hearing Lu Yun’s words, the surrounding crowd immediately exploded.

"Holy crap! There’s a hidden plotline?"

"Senior Sister Ye has a sweetheart? Who is it? Who is it?"

"Shocking gossip! Did Senior Sister Ye annul the engagement because of a third party?"

"Who could make Senior Sister Ye fall for him? And who could Lu Yun care about so much? He must not be an ordinary person."

"Could it be a certain Inner Sect Senior Brother?"

"Exciting! Too exciting! There’s a lot of gossip today."

The spectators instantly erupted, even more excited than when they saw Ye Linger instantly defeated.

Pairs of searchlight-like eyes began scanning frantically through the crowd, searching for the mysterious little lover.

The air on site was thick with the rich scent of gossip.

Hearing this, Ye Linger was first stunned, then a flush of humiliation spread across her pale face.

She opened her mouth, wanting to refute something, but due to her injuries and agitation, she was seized by another violent fit of coughing.

Suddenly, someone thought of a person connected to Ye Linger.

And that person was Chen Chuan.

"Could it be Chen Chuan?"

"That’s right! Ye Linger accidentally let slip that her first kiss was given to Senior Brother Chen Chuan."

"I remember now, Senior Sister Ye and Chen Chuan left the Holy Land together a month ago. Were they going to the Lu Family to annul the engagement?"

"That’s possible."

In an instant, many gazes converged on Chen Chuan.

Meanwhile, Chen Chuan in the crowd felt the surrounding scrutiny, and the corner of his mouth twitched slightly.

Ji Siyu, standing beside him, looked at Chen Chuan with resentful eyes.

Chen Chuan guiltily avoided Ji Siyu’s resentful gaze.

"Damn it! I must arrange the Eternal Curse Card for you."

Chen Chuan knew that it was his turn to enter the stage next.

He was going to completely crush the Dao Heart of this Son of Luck.