Chapter 018: The School Authorities Will Never Allow It

Unexpected! The outcome of this battle was beyond everyone’s expectations.

Especially for the scions from the great families of the Magic City—they were utterly dumbfounded, each one of them staring in disbelief. The new student commentator who had been narrating the match looked as though he had just seen a ghost.

In everyone’s eyes, Xiao Yang was a martial arts student of entirely ordinary background, status, and talent—mediocre in every way. He was considered nothing more than a lucky fellow who had stumbled upon a variant Fiery Cloud Fruit and become a martial artist by sheer chance. Without that fruit, they all believed there was nothing remarkable about him.

Thus, on the one hand, they envied Xiao Yang; on the other, they looked down on him, thinking his current success was simply a fluke of luck.

Ling Dufei, however, was different. He hailed from a top martial arts family, steeped in generations of martial tradition. He himself was exceptionally gifted, regarded as a leading talent even in the first-tier city of the Magic City. Without the variant Golden Pomegranate, he was already on the verge of becoming a first-rank martial artist—among nearly twenty-eight thousand freshmen, he could easily rank in the top ten.

He was someone others had to look up to, and the rare heavenly fruit had only elevated his status further. No one could feel disgruntled about that. But when someone originally supposed to look up to you suddenly surpasses you by fortune and becomes the one you must look up to, it’s only natural to feel a sense of discomfort.

Ling Dufei was the former; Xiao Yang, the latter.

So, even though some freshmen disliked Ling Dufei’s domineering nature and sympathized with Xiao Yang, no one truly expected Xiao Yang to win this battle.

Deep down, they all secretly wished to see Xiao Yang knocked down from his pedestal by Ling Dufei, to witness his fall into mediocrity, so their hearts could regain balance—see, you were never that impressive; don’t dream of soaring to the heavens just because you stumbled upon a rare fruit.

But now—all those hopes were shattered.

They looked at Xiao Yang and were forced to face reality once more, to acknowledge with due seriousness that Xiao Yang truly stood above them, someone they must look up to.

Many girls found their hearts fluttering as they gazed at him.

Some of the young women from martial families had initially looked down on Xiao Yang because of his humble origins. But now, they realized that with such abilities, Xiao Yang could disregard background altogether; his future achievements would be limitless—he could single-handedly establish a new martial arts family.

With this realization, their prejudices fell away, and they were startled to discover just how handsome Xiao Yang was, his aura ethereal and utterly captivating.

Some of the women from the top families even mused: to marry such an outstanding genius would not bring shame to their family at all; their families would surely support such a match.

Many girls gazed at Xiao Yang, their eyes bright with possibility, thoughts stirring restlessly.

At that moment, none shone brighter than Xu Ruqing.

She looked at Xiao Yang, overwhelmed with unprecedented joy.

When Xiao Yang had suddenly appeared before her yesterday as a specially recruited student at Jiangnan Martial University, she hadn’t felt such delight.

Though she had never forsaken him, even when she learned he might never become a martial artist in this life, still—what woman doesn’t wish for her man to be accomplished, exceptional, and outstanding?

Now, Xiao Yang was the perfect hero in Xu Ruqing’s heart.

Filled with excitement, she rejoiced for him and felt fortunate for herself—that in this vast sea of people, she had chosen him early on to be her man.

A good while passed before Ling Dufei, who lay on the ground, finally caught his breath and slowly rose.

“Well, well… you’re quite something.” Ling Dufei stared at Xiao Yang, spitting out each word through gritted teeth.

Those words were not praise but laced with venomous resentment and fury.

Xiao Yang looked at him coldly. “Now will you admit defeat?”

Ling Dufei was silent.

Xiao Yang continued, “If you won’t admit it, we can fight again—until victory is clear!”

A muscle twitched at the corner of Ling Dufei’s eye. He had already lost enough face; to fight again would only mean being beaten to a pulp once more.

“Fine, I concede.” Ling Dufei snorted coldly.

Xiao Yang said, “As a martial artist, remember your promise.”

“I’ll surpass you. I’ll master the martial heritage before you, enter the Seven Institutes before you, and graduate before you. This life—I will surpass you in every way. Today will be my only failure!” Ling Dufei spat out the words through clenched teeth, then strode away, his face ashen.

Xiao Yang gave a chilly smile. With the Meta Book in his possession, he truly didn’t regard Ling Dufei as a rival. But since Ling Dufei was so determined to see him as one, so eager to compete, he would have to live in Xiao Yang’s shadow for the rest of his days.

As Ling Dufei departed, the crowd of students began to disperse, and the instructors left as well, though their hearts remained unsettled for a long time.

Some students lingered, watching Xiao Yang with complicated expressions.

Xu Ruqing came forward, took Xiao Yang’s hand, and said, “Thank you.”

Xiao Yang smiled gently, brushing aside a lock of hair from her forehead. “There’s no need for thanks between us. Protecting you is my duty—otherwise, what kind of man would I be?”

Xu Ruqing smiled back and said, “Right now, I feel as if I’ve won the lottery. You’re like a great treasure.”

Xiao Yang pinched her soft cheek. “That just means you have good taste. Now all those other girls look at me with stars in their eyes—they’re after my glory and potential. Only you weren’t; you stayed by my side at my lowest point. I’ll always protect you, for a lifetime, forever.”

Xu Ruqing was both happy and a little anxious. “I’m a bit afraid,” she murmured.

“What is there to be afraid of?” Xiao Yang asked.

She bit her lip. “You’re too amazing—so talented, so handsome. So many outstanding girls will be interested in you. I feel like I don’t deserve you; you’re too good to me, and I’m afraid I’m not worthy of such happiness.”

Xiao Yang patted her shoulder. “Don’t say such silly things. As long as we love each other, no one is unworthy. No matter how many other women there are, I only like you. I don’t care for any of those so-called prodigies. If you ever feel insecure, I’ll train you to be a super expert yourself. Whoever dares to gossip, you can deal with them.”

Xu Ruqing’s smile blossomed like a flower.

Not far away, a few new students watched them hesitantly.

They were Xu Chao and others from Yuezhou, who had once been Xiao Yang’s classmates. They had been close, even singing and drinking together at KTV after the martial arts exams.

That night, Chen Wanglong and Lin Meifang had wept openly, having failed the exams, and later… Xiao Yang too was left off the list, while the others all entered Jiangnan Martial University.

They had thought from then on, Xiao Yang would remain in the world of ordinary people while they became martial artists, never expecting that he would appear at the freshman welcome ceremony as a specially recruited student—now a member of Jiangnan Martial University.

They were even more surprised to discover that Xiao Yang was not only a martial artist but one of exceptional strength—stronger even than Ling Dufei of the top martial family.

The current Xiao Yang shone with dazzling brilliance. Xu Chao and the others looked at him and felt an inevitable sense of inferiority.

They wanted to approach and speak, but felt it would be presumptuous, so they hesitated.

As Xiao Yang spoke with Xu Ruqing, he noticed them and waved. “Xu Superman, Zhong Bo, Luo Bing…!”

Seeing Xiao Yang greet them, they walked over.

Xu Chao smiled sheepishly. “Don’t call me Xu Superman anymore. Since entering Jiangnan Martial University, I’ve realized my scores are nothing special—not even excellent. You’re the one who should be called Xiao Superman now.”

Back in Yuezhou, Xu Chao had always been top of Class One, and during the martial arts exams too—so full of youthful pride.

But just a few days at Jiangnan Martial University had smoothed some of his edges; he was no longer so brash, much steadier now.

Jiangnan Martial University gathered the brightest talents from nearly a hundred cities south of the Yangtze. Xu Chao, who ranked first in Yuezhou, couldn’t even crack the top thirty among the seventy third-tier cities.

Compared to candidates from first- and second-tier cities, third-tier scores were lower still; including the twelve second-tier cities, he didn’t make the top three thousand.

If one counted the two first-tier cities, his rank dropped beyond four thousand.

The same age, the same entrance exams, and over four thousand ahead of him—and this was just at Jiangnan Martial University, drawing only from the south of the Yangtze.

Across the entire Dragon Nation, with four Martial Universities, his national rank would be at least beyond ten thousand, if not twenty thousand.

Once, Xu Chao’s world was limited to Yuezhou. Now at Jiangnan Martial University, his vision had broadened nationwide, and he realized how narrow his past perspective had been.

He had loved to boast in Yuezhou, proud of his achievements, but now saw how laughable that pride was. No longer would he brag as before.

If even Xu Chao felt this way, the others, whose scores were lower, were naturally even more aware of their place among so many talents.

After greeting Xiao Yang, Zhong Bo said, nearly in tears, “If you’re ordinary, what does that make us? Utterly insignificant.”

Ding Huai added, “Exactly. If we hadn’t come to Jiangnan Martial University, we’d never have realized how many geniuses are out there. We used to be frogs at the bottom of a well, smug that we’d become martial artists, not knowing that true geniuses aim to become grandmasters. We can’t compare.”

Xiao Yang laughed. “Don’t be so modest—there are plenty of failed candidates in Yuezhou who envy you to death. If I hadn’t had a stroke of luck, I’d still be back there, staring at you all with envy.”

Everyone laughed. Xiao Yang was still the same as always, not putting on airs despite his new status.

They had been friends—he would never look down on them for trailing behind, chatting and joking as before.

Still, no matter how Xiao Yang tried to behave as usual, he sensed the newfound respect in Xu Chao and the others, an unspoken deference that made it hard to jest and boast as in the past.

…

That evening, Xiao Yang sought out Director Lin Shaofeng.

His public duel with Ling Dufei had been witnessed by many—Lin Shaofeng must have heard, but Xiao Yang felt it necessary to report in person.

Also, as a special member of the Celestial Tactics Martial Pavilion, there were matters he needed to discuss with Lin Shaofeng.

Lin Shaofeng greeted him warmly, praising him repeatedly. “Very good, very good! I thought we’d have to wait for you to master a martial heritage before you could surpass Ling Dufei. Ha! Who would have thought, barely your second day at school and you’ve already suppressed Ling Dufei with your strength. When I got the news today, we directors were in a meeting. Heh heh… Lu Zhenyu’s face was as dark as the Mariana Trench! Ha ha…!”

Because of Ling Dufei, Lin Shaofeng had suffered quite a bit under Lu Zhenyu. Now, with Xiao Yang suppressing Ling Dufei, leaving Lu Zhenyu sullen, Lin Shaofeng was truly delighted.

But Xiao Yang’s concern was not about Lu Zhenyu’s mood, but rather whether the Ling family of the Magic City—a top martial arts clan—might retaliate because of Ling Dufei’s defeat.

Ling Dufei had lost, and by the rules of martial artists, he should honor his promise—not to approach Xu Ruqing again, nor threaten her or her family by any means.

Xiao Yang could not rely solely on Ling Dufei’s word; what if he broke his promise?

As a special member of the Celestial Tactics Martial Pavilion, Xiao Yang could only depend on its power to deter the Ling family from acting rashly.

He said, “Ling Dufei is defeated, but that brings trouble. I’m not sure whether you know the whole story, Director Lin: he forced me into a martial duel through my girlfriend Xu Ruqing, hoping to step on me to boost himself, but ended up losing instead. As for his promise, I don’t trust him, so—”

Before Xiao Yang finished, Lin Shaofeng raised his hand, indicating he understood.

With a serious air, Lin Shaofeng said, “You need not worry about that. On campus, we don’t interfere with student competition—whoever has the ability stands on top, that’s normal. But the university will never allow anyone to use outside forces to influence campus competition.

“I’ve already spoken as the Celestial Tactics Martial Pavilion’s representative to the Ling family of the Magic City, and informed the president as well. Neither the Pavilion nor Jiangnan Martial University will allow the Ling family to threaten any student’s family.”

Xiao Yang nodded, relief spreading across his face. Now he could rest easy—the Ling family, however powerful, could not overpower Jiangnan Martial University or the Celestial Tactics Martial Pavilion.

After all, Jiangnan Martial University boasted two ninth-rank grandmasters.

The Celestial Tactics Martial Pavilion even counted Martial Kings among its ranks. No matter how influential the Ling family was, before such giants, they would have to restrain themselves and not dare act recklessly.