Chapter 72: The Third Battle

Yesterday’s transmission was rushed, and I forgot to mention it—once again, thank you to “Death Is the Reward” for the reward! Your support is my motivation to keep writing!

Chapter Seventy-Two

In the end, the Situ family did not fall beneath the might of the tornado.

No matter what, the members of the Situ family could not simply watch as their ancestral home was destroyed. So when they saw the situation turning dire—and since Mei and the others showed no intention of intervening—Situ Lin immediately stepped forward to concede on behalf of his disciple.

With the opponent admitting defeat, the match naturally had to end. Yet the tornado showed no sign of stopping, and Mei suspected that Lin Shaojie’s powers had run out of control.

Making a gesture to the others, Mei’s entire body shone with white light before she swiftly entered the heart of the tornado.

Soon, the tornado gradually dissipated, leaving behind only Mei, supporting Lin Shaojie, who was nearly a head taller than she was.

“Are you alright?” Ye Jingxuan and the others hurried forward to catch the barely-standing Lin Shaojie, asking anxiously.

“I’m fine, just out of energy! Luckily, this idiot suddenly leveled up, or he’d have been sucked dry by that tornado! If you can’t control it, why make such a big scene? Are you trying to get yourself killed?” Mei glared at Lin Shaojie, scolding him in a low voice.

The moment she had approached the tornado just now, she’d been startled—the energy within was far greater than Lin Shaojie’s current level should allow. She quickly found him and, seeing that he was exhausted but alive, finally relaxed.

Lin Shaojie didn’t mind Mei’s scolding, grinning silently. Having finally reached level four put him in excellent spirits. Moreover, though things had been perilous just now, he had ultimately won the match, which made him even more excited than leveling up itself.

His efforts had not been in vain, after all.

Seeing that Lin Shaojie was unharmed, the others helped him aside to rest.

The ground of the training arena had been utterly devastated by the combined forces of the earth element and the tornado; it was unrecognizable. The luckless earth element user, having lost the match, now had to clean up, using his powers to restore the ground to its former smoothness.

Once the field was set right, the competition continued.

This time, Mo Chen stepped into the arena first. On the Situ family’s side, after seeing whom the opponents sent out, they discussed and chose another family member with special abilities.

Mo Chen’s opponent was a woman, holding a long sword, her entire demeanor exuding a cold chill. After entering the field, she gave Mo Chen only a single glance before focusing her attention on her sword.

The sword was three feet long, the blade gleaming coldly. Its razor-sharp edge made it clear this was no decorative piece but a weapon built for killing.

Mo Chen raised an eyebrow at her reaction, drew his Tang blade, and pointed the tip diagonally at the ground, waiting for the match to begin.

“Senior Sister, please go easy on me!” Situ Lin was about to declare the start of the match, seeing that neither side intended to salute, when a voice interrupted him. Such a breach of etiquette should have drawn rebuke, but none came—the speaker was none other than Situ Qing, the most talented and beloved member of the Situ family’s third generation, who had just arrived.

At the sound of her voice, Mo Chen’s face darkened. Upon hearing her words, his expression grew even gloomier.

Fortunately, Mo Chen’s opponent merely glanced at her junior sister without responding, sparing Mo Chen from further irritation.

It seemed Situ Qing did not notice Mo Chen’s anger, nor did she sense anything amiss in her own behavior. She had missed the first match, but she had absolute faith in her family’s martial arts; she did not believe they could lose. Moreover, the senior sister now in the ring was second only in skill and power to her own elder brother among their generation, though she was the most aloof of them all. Naturally, Situ Qing worried for Mo Chen, fearing he might be injured, so she couldn’t help but speak out.

“Qing’er, no shouting in the training arena,” Situ Lin said coolly, giving Mo Chen a meaningful look before officially starting the match.

Mo Chen, furious, nevertheless calmed himself, his face returning to normal and his lips curving into a faint, ambiguous smile.

Situ Qing’s senior sister noticed and was momentarily surprised, but then she spun her sword in a flourish and lunged at Mo Chen.

Mo Chen swept his blade sideways, deflecting her sword, and immediately launched a series of swift, practical attacks—chopping, slashing, thrusting, and slicing—pressing the assault relentlessly.

His opponent countered with her sword. Neither used their supernatural abilities; it was a contest of pure technique, and they were evenly matched.

Mo Chen’s style was fast, precise, and ruthless, while his opponent’s swordplay was versatile and ever-changing.

Back and forth they went, locked in a fierce struggle, neither gaining the upper hand.

But once his opponent adapted to his routines, Mo Chen abruptly changed tactics. His blade work, no longer straightforward, became unpredictable and varied.

Caught off guard by the sudden shift, the woman’s rhythm faltered. Before she could recover, a blur of blade flickered before her eyes, and when she came to herself, Mo Chen’s blade was at her throat.

Feeling the cold steel against her skin, the woman, though unwilling, conceded defeat.

Only then did Mo Chen withdraw his blade, casting a disdainful glance at the Situ family before returning to Mei’s side.

Situ Lin and the other members of the Situ family trembled with anger at that look. As soon as Mo Chen left the field, Situ Lin himself stepped forward, clearly determined to win back a round for his family.

“Shall I or will you?” Mei asked, tilting her head at Ye Jingxuan upon seeing their opponent’s level rise.

“I’ll go!” Ye Jingxuan replied, stepping into the arena.

“Situ Lin!”

“Ye Jingxuan!”

They announced their names to one another.

At the sound of Ye Jingxuan’s name, a flicker of seriousness appeared in Situ Lin’s eyes. He didn’t know Ye Jingxuan’s true strength, but he knew that another member of the Ye family, Ye Jingnan, was a match for his third uncle, Situ Hai. Rumor had it Ye Jingxuan was the Ye family’s next head, so he could only be stronger.

But what of it?

The Situ family had already lost two rounds. If they lost again, the ancient martial arts families would lose all face—this was a match they could not afford to lose.

With that thought, Situ Lin assumed a stance. He excelled at palm techniques and wielded water elemental powers; even before the match began, a faint blue glow shimmered on his hands.

Ye Jingxuan, seeing this, also infused his hands with his powers, a metallic sheen making it seem as if he wore steel gauntlets. Unwilling to waste time on posturing, Ye Jingxuan launched the first attack.

His moves were fierce and direct, each one aiming for a vital spot.

Situ Lin countered hardness with softness, his water abilities making Ye Jingxuan’s blows feel as though they landed on cotton—completely ineffective. Waves of water, guided by Situ Lin’s movements, spread around Ye Jingxuan, threatening to drown him.

Ye Jingxuan shifted from fists to palms, sharp air slicing through the water with the power of his metal ability, breaking free of the watery trap. Yet even so, his attacks only allowed him to escape; against Situ Lin’s deft redirection, he could not cause any real harm.

Suddenly, he retreated two steps, raised his right hand, and his metal powers formed several throwing knives that shot toward his opponent.

Situ Lin drew circles with his hands, enveloping the knives in swirling water. But at that moment, something unexpected happened—the knives exploded, blasting away all the water. Before Situ Lin could react, a massive fist, brimming with power, stopped a centimeter from his nose.

The gust from the punch stung his face. No matter how unwilling, he had to admit defeat.

With three consecutive losses, the faces of the Situ family members darkened.

Situ Qing, seeing her senior sister and uncle both defeated by outsiders, was filled with fury. She snapped her whip and, before anyone could react, leapt into the arena.

“I’ll take the next round. Who’s coming to face me?”

Mei was about to step forward, but someone beside her caught her arm.

“Yuan, what is it?” Mei looked at Qu Wenyuan, puzzled.

“Could I try this round? I may not win, but I want to see just how far I can go. May I?” Qu Wenyuan was nervous, but her eyes were steady, mingling apprehension and hope as she looked at Mei.

Of the six of them, she had the weakest powers, and she’d always thought her ability was the most useless. Beyond supplying everyone with fresh water, she couldn’t match the attack power of lightning, the defense of metal, or the speed of wind.

But after watching Situ Lin’s use of water powers, she finally understood why Mei always said she was too rigid in her approach. She’d confined herself to her own boundaries and blamed her powers for being useless. How laughable!

There’s no such thing as a useless ability—only an unused one.

So Qu Wenyuan wanted to try, to find her own way of using her powers in real combat. She knew she probably wasn’t a match for her opponent, who had practiced martial arts since childhood, whereas she herself had been an ordinary person just two months ago. If she remembered correctly, Situ Qing’s fire ability was already at the peak of level three, about to advance to level four.

Feeling a little embarrassed for insisting on fighting when she knew she would lose, Qu Wenyuan was about to speak again, but Mei had already patted her shoulder. “Alright, you take this round! Good luck, Yuan. Winning isn’t important—just do your best!”

Qu Wenyuan glanced at the others, finding no objections among them. A simple “Good luck” from each filled her with both reassurance and a sense of recognition.

With that feeling, Qu Wenyuan stepped into the arena. She faced Situ Qing—the second female lead of the novel—took a deep breath, and steadied her nerves.

So what if she was the second lead? So what if she was the heroine’s best friend? Now, so much of the story had changed. Although Xiao Keran’s healing powers still made her important, her situation was nothing like the book described. In these circumstances, could the second lead still seize her own opportunities?

There was nothing to fear. Today, she would see for herself the gap between them, and one day, she would surpass her.