"I overslept!"
The simple sentence carried a hint of laziness.
And yet, this utterly ordinary phrase instantly silenced the bustling Task Hall. You could have heard a pin drop.
The crowd resentfully parted, clearing a path from the hall's entrance.
Before the towering doors of the hall, a young man with a handso face and sharp features strolled in, chewing on a blade of grass. He wore a simple Outer Disciple's Sword Robe and had his hands laced behind his head. Hong Yu only ca to a slow stop when he was about four or five ters from Chen Xing.
The two stood facing each other, their eyes locking.
Gleams of light like crackling Thunder danced in their eyes, as if clashing in the empty space between them and striking brilliant sparks.
The two had never t, but each knew the other's na.
On behalf of Hong Long, Chen Xing had been plotting how to torture and punish Hong Yu for a month now. anwhile, Hong Yu had long since heard that this Chen Xing before him was trying to cook up so vicious punishnt to use against him. Naturally, they were hostile toward each other from the bottom of their hearts. How could they possibly be cordial upon eting?
Chen Xing snorted, his voice as cold and hard as a blade of ice. "How bold of you, Hong Yu. Today is the grand assembly for new disciples to turn in their Sect missions. You dare to be late?"
This reprimand was sothing Chen Xing had planned for a long ti.
He had once cultivated an obscure Martial Skill that condensed one's Montum and sound waves. His voice was like thunder, deafening and capable of fundantally unsettling a person's state of mind. If an ordinary person were to stand here and endure this shout, not only would their eardrums rupture, but their mind would be shaken into a state of utter confusion and panic.
Chen Xing had devised this malicious trick back when he sent people to find Hong Yu.
He was confident in the wondrous effects of his sound wave Martial Skill. Caught off guard, Hong Yu would surely be so scared his expression would twist in terror. He might even lose control of his bowels and utterly disgrace himself. He recalled Hong Long's promise that day: as long as he tornted Hong Yu to the point where he couldn't survive in the Outer Sect, Hong Long would help him enter the Inner Sect!
Just the thought of it sent a small thrill through Chen Xing, and a smug sneer spread across his face.
"Hey, you. Excuse !"
When the lazy voice sounded again, the smug smile on Chen Xing's face instantly froze, replaced by sheer disbelief. He stared blankly as he lowered his gaze, only to see Hong Yu standing there completely unfazed, digging in his ear with his pinky. Hong Yu looked at him with an expression of disgust. "Don't you know that shouting in a public place is what mad dogs do?"
"You..."
Chen Xing's face went pale, then red. 'He actually called a mad dog? This damn bastard...'
Rage flared in Chen Xing's eyes, and he almost attacked. But then his eyes darted around as a thought struck him. 'This kid provoked the mont he arrived. Sothing's fishy!'
'That's it! He must not have completed his mission. He's trying to provoke into attacking him. If I injure him, he'll have an excuse for his failure. That has to be it!'
'This cunning little bastard, I almost fell for his trick. But you're still too green to plot against ...' Chen Xing gloated to himself, convinced his quick wits had foiled Hong Yu's sche.
In reality, Hong Yu had no such complicated thoughts at all!
He had co here today simply to slap so faces!
But since his repeated provocations hadn't managed to make Chen Xing strike first, Hong Yu was getting a little frustrated. He prayed inwardly, 'Attack ! Just fucking hit already! Then I'll have an excuse to fight back. Co on, hurry up and do it, won't you?'
Of course, Chen Xing was oblivious to Hong Yu's thoughts. He sneered and bellowed, "Insolent Hong Yu, don't think your sharp tongue will save you. Today is the final deadline for new disciples to turn in their Sect missions. The results for all the other new disciples have already been tallied, yet you alone failed to show up. This is a slight against the Sect's dignity and a defiance of its rules."
"If I may ask, Senior Brother Chen, has today ended yet?" Seeing that Chen Xing was still refusing to make the first move, Hong Yu asked listlessly, a hint of disappointnt in his voice.
Chen Xing paused, then subconsciously replied, "No."
"Well then, there you have it," Hong Yu said with a shrug, his tone casual. "The Sect rules clearly state that we only need to turn in the mission before sunset today. It doesn't specify the exact minute or second!"
"You..."
Chen Xing was speechless.
Instead, his newly acquired lackey, Li Que, stepped forward to help his master out of the predicant.
Li Que placed his hands on his hips, his disdainful and mocking gaze fixed on Hong Yu. "It's true that turning in the mission before sunset doesn't count as late. However, who doesn't know that you, Hong Yu, have been slacking off for the entire month? You haven't even chopped down a single Beard Iron Tree."
"That's right, Hong Yu. Don't think you can confuse the issue and get by. A degenerate like you will only bring sha to all of us new disciples..." Zhao Lin also jumped out in a tily display of loyalty.
As expected, Chen Xing looked at the two with a gaze full of approval.
The two were ecstatic. It was like a shot of adrenaline, making them even more zealous.
Li Que put on a pained expression. "Oh, Hong Yu. Even though your mission was a bit difficult, you can't just give up and throw your future away. You should know that Senior Brother Chen is magnanimous. As long as you tried your best, I'm sure he wouldn't punish you too severely. But you..."
Zhao Lin chid in with perfect timing, "Unfortunately, you didn't cherish the opportunity. For a whole month, you didn't even seriously attempt the mission. You've disappointed us all so much. How can you face Senior Brother Chen? How can you face the Sword Sect that nurtured you?"
"..."
Hong Yu's eyes widened. He was rendered speechless.
If he hadn't been the person they were talking about, and if he didn't know the whole story, he might have actually believed their emotionally charged performance. He might have thought he really was a problem disciple who only knew how to be lazy and didn't appreciate his opportunities.
He rubbed his nose and said with a playful smile, "Who said I didn't complete the mission?"
"Sigh, are you still trying to lie at a ti like this?" Li Que shook his head, looking at him with the disappointnt one shows for a hopeless case. "You really are beyond saving!"
Zhao Lin echoed the sentint, "You've disappointed us too much."
Hong Yu glanced around at the crowd and smiled. "So, you all think I failed to complete the mission?"
"I... I believe you!"
Liu Liyun raised her hand without hesitation.
Looking at Liu Liyun, who stood unwaveringly by his side, a wave of warmth washed over Hong Yu's heart.
But Li Que and Zhao Lin looked at Liu Liyun as if she were an idiot. "Only a fool like you would believe he could complete that mission."
Chen Xing's brow furrowed slightly. "Hong Yu, you'd better be ready to take responsibility for your words!"
Hong Yu spread his hands. "Of course I am!"
"Hmph, I refuse to believe it. That's one hundred Beard Iron Trees! Even soone at the Late-stage Earth Soul Realm would find that difficult to complete..."
"Besides, you've been lazing around every day for the past month. We never saw you seriously chopping any Beard Iron Trees. How could you possibly have finished?"
Li Que and Zhao Lin sneered relentlessly.
Hong Yu's gaze toward the two suddenly turned sharp. His eyes, as keen as a blade's edge, stung them so much that they couldn't help but lower their heads. His tone also changed, shedding its laziness and gaining a cold edge. "Whether I completed the mission or not can be easily verified by sending soone to the Ironwood Forest. But you two, slandering again and again... that makes very unhappy."
"Wh-what do you want?"
Both Li Que and Zhao Lin took a few steps back. Hong Yu's frigid glare sent a chill through their hearts.
Hong Yu sneered. "Since you're so certain I failed the mission, do you dare to make a bet with ?"
"A bet? What kind of bet?" the two asked, confused.
Hong Yu said, "If I truly didn't complete the mission, I will submit to any punishnt from Senior Brother Chen. On the other hand, if I did complete it, it ans you two have spread rumors and slandered . In that case, all the points you earned from this Sect mission will belong to . How about it?"
"This..."
The two hesitated. Hong Yu's firm attitude made them uncertain, and they couldn't make up their minds.
"Ahem!"
Chen Xing grunted softly and gave the two a slight nod.
Seeing this, the two cursed inwardly but didn't dare to disobey. Steeling themselves, they said, "Fine, we'll take that bet!"
"Since both parties agree, I will have a disciple from the Task Hall go and verify the mission's completion."
Chen Xing said self-righteously, dispatching soone to go.
About ten minutes later, the person hurried back and whispered a few words in Chen Xing's ear.
Chen Xing's expression flickered. He waved the person away and glanced at Hong Yu with a profound look in his eyes. "Good. Very good. I never expected Junior Brother Hong Yu to possess such extraordinary ability, managing to chop down one hundred Beard Iron Trees within a month. I am truly impressed by your thods!"
"You're too kind, Senior Brother Chen!"
Hong Yu gave a noncommittal smile, completely ignoring Chen Xing's cold glare. He turned to the pale-faced Li Que and Zhao Lin. "You two, do you have anything to say for yourselves now?"
"N-No, impossible..."
"How could you have possibly completed that mission? We were watching you in secret! You never even started chopping the Beard Iron Trees, how could you..."
In their panic, the two spoke without thinking and let the cat out of the bag.
Hong Yu's eyes turned cold, his formidable aura flaring. "Hmph. I sensed soone was spying on long ago. I just didn't think it would be you two."
"You bastard, you knew we were there all along?"
"You damn son of a bitch, so this bet was a trap you set from the start?"
Zhao Lin and Li Que exchanged a glance, their sha turning to fury. The thought of handing over the points they had worked so hard for fanned the flas of their anger. A vicious glint flashed in their eyes. "Fuck it! I'll fight you to the death!"
One on the left and one on the right, they attacked simultaneously.
Their cultivation levels were similar; both were at the Peak of Essence Realm.
Under normal circumstances, even an ordinary Half-Step Earth Soul Realm expert would struggle to deal with two Martial Artists at the Peak of Essence Realm attacking in unison.
Both of them unleashed High-Tier Martial Skills. One was wind, the other fire. They swirled together and fused into an even more powerful Martial Skill, its might rivaling that of a Top-Level Martial Skill. The sheer Montum of this combined punch made the onlookers gasp in amazent. To have stood out from the martial competitions of the major cities, none of them were truly weaklings!
"Hmph, so what if he has Five Talent Markings? So what if he's at the Half-Step Earth Soul Realm?"
"He's still going to fall to our combined attack!"
Sinister, vicious smiles appeared on Li Que and Zhao Lin's faces.
The attack struck Hong Yu dead-on!
"We did it?!"
Joy surged in their hearts, but the triumphant expressions that had just ford on their faces instantly froze.
The "Hong Yu" that had taken their fierce attack slowly dissipated—it was just an afterimage. 'Shit!' they thought, but it was too late. A disdainful snort ca from behind them. With a SWOOSH, two fists ca crashing down. The triumphant looks for their successful sneak attack were still on Li Que and Zhao Lin's faces as they were smashed to the ground with two loud THUDS.
"Damn it..."
They felt as if their internal organs had been shattered. Overwheld by pain, they struggled to get up.
However...
STOMP! STOMP!
They had barely pushed themselves halfway up when a heavy foot descended on each of their backs. It was Hong Yu, pinning them under his feet. Caught off guard, their faces t the ground in an intimate collision. Blood stread from their noses, and their faces, covered in dust, were a pathetic sight. With their teeth shattered, they spat out a venomous Curse, "Hong Yu, may you die a horrible death! Let us go, now!"
"Still talking tough?"
Hong Yu's gaze turned cold, and he put more force into his legs.
With two dull THUDS, their bodies arched backward from the force, convulsing as they suffered another heavy blow. Their voices trembled as they cried out to Chen Xing for help, "S-Senior Brother Chen... save us..."
Chen Xing cursed "Useless trash" under his breath, but he had no choice but to speak up. "Hong Yu, even when you beat a dog, you should consider its master. Aren't you showing a little too much disrespect by doing this?"
With one foot on each of them, Hong Yu glanced sideways at Chen Xing, his eyes narrowed to slits. A grin spread across his face as he slowly began to speak...
"Sorry, but when I, Hong Yu, beat a dog, I never look at its master!"
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