Translator: Atlas Studios  Editor: Atlas Studios

Qiu Jingfeng opened his eyes wide. He had joined Heaven Dao Pavilion since a long time ago, and he was a senior brother to most of the disciples.

However, he had never attracted too much attention in Heaven Dao Pavilion, until a while ago when Mu Qingfeng suddenly summoned all the disciples below 30 years old.

At that point in time, Qiu Jingfeng knew that the opportunity he spent so many years waiting for had finally arrived.

It was time for him to s.h.i.+ne.

Not everyone could do it even if they were given the chance. It required day after day and year after year of hard work and perseverance. Qiu Jingfeng was the best at doing that.

Although he was unheard of, he had never given up on entering Sage State even when he faced despair.

On that day, all his hard work paid off.

Mu Qingfeng chose him.

He was chosen out of almost 100 genius disciples, and he didn't let Mu Qingfeng down. He eventually succeeded and entered Sage State, a feat that most of the people could never achieve.

He thought he had made it. At the very least, he felt like he could finally be proud of himself when he became a Sage.

However, now…

As he gazed at the longsword in front of him, he could no longer hear anything. He couldn't hear the wind or the snowflakes falling, or even Mu Qingfeng yelling at him.

He could only hear his own heartbeat.

Thump, thump…

It sounded a little rapid and panicky, but it was mostly fear. The fear of helplessness and unwilling to accept his fate. He truly wasn't able to accept this outcome.

“Ahh!!!” Qiu Jingfeng screeched and stabbed at Nangong Mu with the short blade in his left hand.

Mutual a.s.sured destruction!

This wasn't the move of a calm man. However, it was indeed the best way for someone to release his pent-up emotions.

Slas.h.!.+ Blood gushed out as the sword entered his chest.

Time seemed to have stopped.

Qiu Jingfeng stood there quietly. There was a sword on his chest which was exuding a faint, snow-white aura.

It was cold.

It was so cold that his hand turned rigid.

Clang! The sword in his hand fell to the ground.

The short blade stopped in mid-air and didn't advance any further. It was stopped by a crystal-clear flower which as pure as snow. Its petals were intoxicatingly beautiful.

“You've lost.” Said Nangong Mu. Then, Qiu Jingfeng felt the sword in his chest being pulled out rapidly, accompanied by a sharp and intense pain.

“Yeah… I've lost…” Qiu Jingfeng replied softly and fell onto the ground.

“My sword was at half an inch above your heart. Your Small Dimension is sealed for… Seven days!” Nangong Mu spoke again, and his voice was emotionless just like before.

“Half an inch? Seven… Seven days…” Qiu Jingfeng was startled before he felt pleasantly surprised. However, that was replaced by disbelief very quickly.

That was right, he couldn't believe it.

It wasn't because he didn't trust Nangong Mu.

He simply didn't think that Nangong Mu was able to control the position of his sword so precisely in such a heated battle.

Unless Nangong Mu was so much stronger than him that he could defeat him so easily and even manage to control his attacks precisely even though he was aiming for mutually a.s.sured destruction.

“Why?” Qiu Jingfeng didn't understand why Nangong Mu spared his life because he didn't think that he was worth it.

“I think that you'd know about a person.” Nangong Mu raised his head a little.

“Who?” Qiu Jingfeng asked without thinking.

“Fang Zhengzhi.”

“Fang Zhengzhi?! Yeah… I know about him, but we are not acquainted, and I've never spoken with him before…”

“He's my friend.” Nangong Mu didn't wait for Qiu Jingfeng to finish his sentence.

“Friend?!”

“Yup. This friend of mine has always said that he isn't a killer, especially during a martial arts compet.i.tion. That's because he believed that a compet.i.tion is nothing but a compet.i.tion. Everyone is simply fighting for his own personal gain rather than settle a grudge. Hence, you just have to defeat your opponent. Isn't that a hilarious ideal?”

“Hilarious…” Qiu Jingfeng was dazed before he smiled bitterly.

If someone told him about this ideal 15 minutes ago, he would have scoffed at his naiveness.

In this world where strength was respected, the powerful people were in charge of everything.

On the other hand, the weaklings…

Their fates lied in the hands of the powerful ones.

However, it was this naive man and his hilarious ideal who managed to change Nangong Mu, and in turn, save Qiu Jingfeng's life.

“I owe him my life…” Qiu Jingfeng clenched his fists and something light up his eyes. It was way too complicated to be described by words.

“Yup. Actually, I owe him something too, something which I feel is more valuable than life.” Nangong Mu nodded and took five steps back before he went silent again. He just stood there and waited.

The disciple hosting the compet.i.tion finally reacted and bolted towards Qiu Jingfeng and carefully helped him up.

“Senior brother Jingfeng, he…”

“I'm fine. I'd just lost my strength temporarily for seven days.” Qiu Jingfeng shook his head.

“Seven days?” The disciple was a little puzzled, but he reacted quickly and looked at Nangong Mu with a complicated expression. After a brief moment, the disciple paid his respect to Nangong Mu and said, “Thank you.”

Nangong Mu didn't say a word or respond to that disciple. He was like a tree that grew in the snow and wind. He was so calm and collected that no one could tell what he was thinking.

“The victor of the first round between Heaven Dao Pavilion and Nangong n.o.bles is… Nangong Mu!” The result was quickly announced because it was so obvious.

However, all the disciples went silent from shock because they couldn't see the last attack clearly.

‘Why was it so fast?'

‘Why was Nangong Mu, a completely unnoticeable young man, so powerful?'

‘What state was he in? What was his true strength?'

These questions were running through all the disciples' minds. At the same time, Mo Shans.h.i.+, Mu Qingfeng, and the elders standing behind them knitted their brows tightly together.

At this moment, someone walked out from Heaven Dao Pavilion's section. She was wearing a pink dress with a snow-white fur belt hanging around her waist that showed off her beautiful figure. The skirt of her dress swayed gently with the wind.

Her beauty was above all living things. She walked slowly into the ring and stopped in front of Nangong Mu, before tying her hair up.

It was a simple movement…

However, it shocked all the disciples of Heaven Dao Pavilion, because they knew that Chi Guyan would only tie her hair if she was absolutely serious.

“Chi Guyan! It's Chi Guyan!”

“Is Heaven Dao Pavilion finally going to send Chi Guyan?”

“I don't think that's the case… I think it's because they have no choice, right? After all, Nangong Mu is too powerful. Even Heaven Dao Pavilion wouldn't be able to find another Sage below 30 years old.”

“Yeah, but from what I know, Chi Guyan is only 17 years old. Furthermore, I've heard that she has yet to enter Sage State. I wonder what will be the outcome of this fight?”

All the other disciples were startled when they saw the person who walked out, but they quickly understood the situation.

Mu Qingfeng gritted his teeth tightly at this moment.

Just as the other disciples had mentioned, he wasn't willing to send Chi Guyan out in the first round. However, he didn't have a second choice at the moment.

Chi Guyan walked out.

She didn't ask or seek his opinion.

That was because Chi Guyan already knew the answer and the dilemma he was in. Therefore, she made her own decision.

“Guyan, you must be careful…” Mu Qingfeng reminded her and then sat down again quietly.

The atmosphere turned quiet and almost depressing.

However…

This depressing atmosphere didn't last too long, because an untimely yet crystal-clear voice interrupted the silence.

The voice completely disregarded the current situation.

“Do your best, sister Yan! Beat this stupid man to a pulp! Nangong Mu, if you dare to fight back, I will… Will… Oh yeah, Nangong Mu, when are you going to return the money you owe me?”

“…”

“…”

All the disciples felt like they were waking up in a different world. It was a heartfelt speechlessness.

‘Return your money?'

‘Is this really the time for that?'

Of course, that wasn't the issue. The issue was the fact that they couldn't do anything about it even though they knew that this was a distraction technique. That was because the person who said that wasn't just Great Xia Dynasty's emperor's most beloved princess, she was also Ling Yun Tower's young master. Furthermore, she was a 16 years old Sage.

“Nangong Mu, when you were at Flame Capital City, I paid for all your food and accommodation. Even if I give you a discount, shouldn't you pay me 100,000 silver coins at the very least? Return me my money now or else you'd be a sc.u.m that doesn't pay back his debt!” Ping Yang seemed to be oblivious to the thoughts of the disciples around her and continued talking.

“…” All the disciples were left speechless again.

Nangong Mu just stood there quietly and motionlessly as if he didn't hear Ping Yang.

“Nangong Mu, don't play deaf. If you dared to borrow my money, you better man up and return…”

“Ping Yang, stop it.” Chi Guyan's voice interrupted Ping Yang's words. Then, she looked up at the sky and spots of starlight started appearing in her eyes.

“Sister Yan…” Ping Yang seemed obviously upset, but she didn't say another word. She just glared at Nangong Mu angrily.

Although it was Fang Zhengzhi and her who invited Nangong Mu to stay in Ping Yang Residence, it was true that Nangong Mu didn't pay for food or accommodation.

Even though they were partners in crime who burned down Eastern Palace's Crown Prince Residence, but it wasn't too difficult for Ping Yang to make a choice between Nangong Mu and Chi Guyan.

“Let's begin.” Chi Guyan retracted her gaze and her eyes were glowing brightly as if there were stars s.h.i.+ning in her eyes.

“Wait, before we begin, I have a few questions for you.” Nangong Mu shook his head.

“Sure.” Chi Guyan nodded, but she seemed surprised. After all, Nangong Mu was acting abnormally.

That was because anyone who knew Nangong Mu knew that he hardly answered other people's questions, not to mention asking them.

“Why didn't you stop Fang Zhengzhi from going to Yin Yang Hall?” After Nangong Mu said that, he subconsciously held his Green and Blue Dual Blade tightly.

“If you were there, would you have stopped him?” Chi Guyan didn't answer his question. Instead, she replied with another question after a short silence.

“I… Wouldn't,” Nangong Mu shook his head, then, he suddenly declared with determination, “But I'd have stopped Nine Pinnacles Mountain from taking him away!”

“Do you think that he's dead?” Chi Guyan paused for a long time before she replied.

“No one could survive that, not even if he was the Fang Zhengzhi that created countless miracles. There's no way he could have survived that…”

“What if he was chosen?”

“Chosen?”

“Yup, chosen!”

“Chosen… Hahaha, the chosen one… The Double Dragon Roll Champion would shock the world, and bring peace to the world, huh? Chi Guyan, do you know that it was actually us, the Nangong n.o.bles, that…” Nangong Mu was startled for a moment, and his expression became mad all of a sudden.

“Mu'er!” Someone interrupted Nangong Mu at this moment and exuded a vast and mighty aura.

It was Nangong Tian, the current head of the Nangong family.

“So powerful? Nangong Tian… Had concealed his true strength as well?”

“Why did the Nangong n.o.bles hide their true strength?”

“Hiding their strength… Is a thing of the past. What's more important now is finding out why the Nangong n.o.bles are showcasing their strength, isn't it?”

All the disciples were stunned and confused when they felt Nangong Tian's aura.