Chapter 69 Challenging the Dojo!?

Chapter 69: Chapter 69: Challenging the Dojo!?

Since everyone was accounted for, Xiao Yu directly requested Simon to let them leave the island. Simon wouldn’t refuse, nor did he have any reason to.

Thus, Feng Yin and his party of eight went up to the rooftop helipad and smoothly boarded the helicopter. As for the other VIPs and the entourage that had accompanied Xiao Yu to Border Prison Island, they naturally had to wait inside the Death Madness Tower until the turmoil completely subsided, after which they would return on other ships in batches.

The helicopter ascended rapidly into the high altitudes.

Feng Yin and Xie Jingyuan sat on the outer seats, sandwiching Xiao Yu and Shen Jia between them. Opposite them, sitting with their backs to the pilot, were Xie Yanran, Hong Yuan, and Shen Jia’s parents.

Feng Yin looked out the small window at the receding Death Madness Tower. He had a vague feeling that he might cross paths with this Zero Point Consortium again in the future. However, he considered himself quite lucky. In the half month since he arrived in this world, not only had he established a foothold using the Golden Finger Armor, but he had also smoothly connected with Senior Sister Xie Yanran of the Gangrou Sect right from the start. Through her, he met the even more crucial figures, his master and Xiao Yu, gaining this opportunity to leave the island early.

Otherwise, he feared he would have ended up like Ya Lie or Saito Gaku, forced to participate in a hundred death madness duels. Border Prison Island was simply too dangerous and could hardly provide him with a stable environment for "grinding."

Come to think of it, that guy Ya Lie didn’t seem to have shown up during this entire turmoil. Logically, a master like him should have been protecting Simon the whole time, just like Felt. Could Ya Lie also be a key figure in this uprising?

Feng Yin’s mind was racing with countless thoughts when Xiao Yu, sitting beside him, nudged him with her elbow.

Seeing Feng Yin turn his attention to her, Xiao Yu grinned and said, "Hehe, Eldest Junior Brother, you have to practice your swordsmanship diligently once we return to Celestial Essence. I’ve already made the arrangements. As soon as your ID card is issued, I’ll sign you up."

Feng Yin looked at her in confusion. "Sign me up for what?" Then, realization dawned on him. "Are you talking about the Rising Star Ranking Tournament?"

"Hehe~" Xiao Yu smirked mischievously. "Exactly! You agreed to participate two days ago, so you can’t back out now."

Feng Yin smiled at her. "I wasn’t planning on backing out. Didn’t you say that if I get a good result, it’ll benefit both Master and the Gangrou Sect?"

Seeing Feng Yin’s smile, Xiao Yu’s eyes lit up, and she couldn’t help but praise him again. "Eldest Junior Brother, with a face like yours, it’s a real pity you aren’t an idol."

Suddenly, her eyes sparked with an idea. "Wait! Our Xuan Guang Group has a combat sports brand under its umbrella. We wanted to hire Ren Bai as our spokesperson last year, but unfortunately, we lost out to a rival company..."

She patted Feng Yin on the shoulder. "Eldest Junior Brother, aim for the championship this time! Not only will it bring immense honor to Master and the Gangrou Sect, but I can also have the group’s operations team promote you. We can make you a national idol on par with that guy Ren Bai, how about it?"

Without waiting for Feng Yin to reply, Xiao Yu continued chattering, "Then you can sign with our Xuan Guang Group’s sports brand as the spokesperson for our new generation of products. They will definitely sell like crazy!"

Her expression grew increasingly excited. "You have no idea how terrifying Ren Bai’s popularity is. Ever since he endorsed our rival, their product sales have absolutely crushed ours..."

Feng Yin interrupted her grand vision, chuckling awkwardly. "Xiao Yu, you’re saying too much. I didn’t understand half of it. Besides, I might not even win the championship, right?"

Sitting next to them, Xie Jingyuan leaned forward slightly, looking at Feng Yin with a smile. "Feng Yin, you can ignore all that nonsense Xiao Yu is spouting, but based purely on strength, you might actually have a chance to win the championship."

Feng Yin didn’t refute his master’s words; instead, he replied earnestly, "Since I’m participating, I’ll definitely go all out. However, I’ve only studied swordsmanship for half a month..."

He was quite self-aware. Putting aside the Manifestation Armor mode and considering only his human form, he had the foundation of half a Fierce Upper tier. He had less than the strength of four men and had only just learned three moves of the Fixed Form. Furthermore, he severely lacked real combat experience in his "normal" state. Could this kind of half-baked strength really win the championship of that Rising Star Ranking Tournament?

Xie Jingyuan simply shook his head. "Feng Yin, don’t belittle yourself. Trust your master’s judgment."

Seeing that Feng Yin still harbored some doubts, Xie Jingyuan asked gently, "Feng Yin, what do you think of Xiao Yu’s level?"

Hearing Xie Jingyuan’s question, Xiao Yu’s eyes lit up, and she instantly perked up. She thought, "Hehehe, we’re finally talking about this genius here."

Feng Yin glanced at Xiao Yu and pondered slightly before answering, "Quite good. Just slightly inferior to me."

"Hey, hey, hey!" Xiao Yu raised her eyebrows, looking thoroughly displeased. "What do you mean inferior to me? I’m a genius, okay!"

Feng Yin teased her on purpose. "You? A genius? Then wouldn’t I also be..."

"You are a super genius," Xie Jingyuan cut in directly.

"Huh?" Having his joke answered with such a serious tone by his master left Feng Yin momentarily at a loss for words. He asked in return, "Master, are you referring to the speed at which my physical fitness has improved?"

Xie Jingyuan smiled faintly and shook his head. "That aspect is very important, but it’s not just that.

"Xiao Yu has Innate Divine Power. She became my disciple at seventeen, and after practicing swordsmanship for just one year, she used the Rotating Dragon Breath to elevate her physique to the Fierce Lower standard.

"Now, she has also preliminarily mastered Dragon Transformation. Although she isn’t skilled at the Azure Dragon Shocking Horn, she managed to use the Soaring Dragon Sky-Piercing decently well in just two days. She is, without a doubt, a genius."

Xiao Yu immediately tilted her small face upwards, beaming with pride.

Feng Yin was thoughtful. If that was the case, then he really was...

Xie Jingyuan then pointed at Feng Yin. "And as for you, I’ve been watching your sparring sessions with Xiao Yu these past few days. You’ve been letting her win on purpose, haven’t you?"

Feng Yin said nothing.

Xiao Yu was the first to be shocked. She whipped her head to stare at Feng Yin. "You’ve been letting me win these past few days?"

After all, over the past few days of sparring with Feng Yin, based on a hit-based scoring system, she was basically the one winning every time. From Xiao Yu’s perspective, this was perfectly reasonable—Feng Yin had only just started learning swordsmanship. Aside from having a bit more strength, how could he possibly compare to the basic foundation she had spent a year building?

Feng Yin smiled, deflecting the main point. "I’m stronger than you, so of course I had to hold back my strength. Otherwise, it wouldn’t be fair to you."

"See?" Xiao Yu chuckled. "That’s perfectly normal."

Xie Jingyuan said leisurely, "Xiao Yu, you’re still too naive. It’s not just strength; Feng Yin was holding back in every aspect."

He looked at Feng Yin with clear, penetrating eyes. "Feng Yin, you can actually already execute the Azure Dragon Shocking Horn and the Soaring Dragon Sky-Piercing in actual combat, can’t you?"

Feng Yin paused for a moment before nodding slightly. He could hide it from Xiao Yu, but he certainly couldn’t hide it from his master.

Xiao Yu was dumbfounded. She glared fiercely at Feng Yin. "Well look at you! Since when were you so good at hiding things?"

Feng Yin felt a bit awkward. "It’s not... really hiding. I can’t exactly use lethal finishing moves during our sparring sessions..."

"Feng Yin, why are you so crafty?!" Xiao Yu puffed out her cheeks and reached out her small hands to pinch his arm.

Xie Jingyuan laughed. "That’s why I said it. Feng Yin, whether in terms of physique or technique, you are a true super genius.

"As for actual combat experience, that’s simple enough. Before the tournament begins, I will arrange plenty of daily sparring sessions for you. Just don’t complain about being tired."

"Actual combat sparring?" Xiao Yu’s puffed-up angry expression vanished instantly. She looked at Xie Jingyuan excitedly. "Master, how exactly are you going to arrange that?"

Feng Yin also looked at Xie Jingyuan with curiosity.

Xie Jingyuan smiled faintly and spat out two simple words:

"Dojo challenging!"