The previously boisterous crowd was dead silent right now.

It was not that they did not want to stand up for Jun Chuan and Zhao Yunxiao, but because they understood that there was simply no point in doing so.

Even if they were to step forward and take the beating for Jun Chuan and Zhao Yunxiao this time, there would be nothing stopping Sun Minhao from doing this again in the future anyway.

If anything, it would just be getting a beating and offending Sun Minhao for no good reason.

Rather than that, it might even be a good thing for Jun Chuan and Zhao Yunxiao to just accept their fates and take the beating. Perhaps that could at least appease the fury in Sun Minhao’s heart and let matters end here.

After all, while Sun Minhao was a vengeful person, he was still an inner disciple as well.

It was not as though he had nothing better to do than to look for trouble with outer disciples all day long!

Zhao Yunxiao understood this as well.

Had he been in Jun Chuan’s shoes, he would have simply stepped forward and accepted the beating right from the start.

However, that was not what was happening right now.

Instead of coming at him, Sun Minhao was using him to threaten Jun Chuan, and Zhao Yunxiao was unwilling to be used as a chip against his friends.

No, it was probably more accurate to say that he hated being a burden to others.

When asked what his main weaknesses were, Zhao Yunxiao would say that apart from his lack of cultivation talent, his irrational reluctance to become a burden to others was probably the most striking one.

Zhao Yunxiao would usually think things through over and over, only making his move after ensuring that he had a certain degree of control over the situation.

However, when it came to a situation where his companions could suffer because of him, Zhao Yunxiao would become far more willing to take risks if it meant that he could resolve the situation sooner.

That was why he had accepted the ‘spar’ against Sun Minhao initially.

Wasn’t it just a short beating?

No matter how he thought about it, it was better that he took it instead.

After all, it was not like there was some deep grudge between them and Sun Minhao, so Sun Minhao was unlikely to go too hard on them.

As long as the beating was unlikely to result in any permanent injuries, it was still something that Zhao Yunxiao could endure.

In addition, Jun Chuan might still have to leave for another one of his regular trips soon.

Even as a cultivator, travelling alone had always been a risky endeavour, so it would not be too convenient if he got injured here.

Unfortunately, all that was no longer possible.

“Come,” Sun Minhao smirked. “You don’t want me to be the one making the first move.”

“I’m sorry for dragging you into this,” Jun Chuan said apologetically.

“One free item the next time you return. How does that sound as suitable compensation?” Zhao Yunxiao asked.

“You wish,” Jun Chuan answered without hesitation.

“How insincere,” Zhao Yunxiao took a quick glance at his halberd that was lying by the side of the stage, but turned back immediately.

It was bad enough to spar with their fists.

If they were to add weapons into the mix, wouldn’t they just get even more badly injured?

After all, there was no way they could beat Sun Minhao. This fight would just be about trying to reduce the level of injuries at the end.

“Just support me,” Jun Chuan said before dashing forward.

Zhao Yunxiao did not answer but followed immediately.

“That’s more like it!” Sun Minhao laughed as he welcomed the duo with open arms.

He did not bother getting into a battle stance, simply because there was no need to do so.

At the Primary Origin Core realm, Sun Minhao was a full cultivation level above Jun Chuan, and almost two full cultivation levels above Zhao Yunxiao.

Not just that, but the gap between an Essence Physique realm cultivator and an Origin Core realm cultivator was like that between heaven and earth, far greater than that of cultivators at the Essence Gathering and Essence Physique realms.

That was because to enter the Origin Core realm, a cultivator had to overcome the deadly heavenly tribulation!

It was a process that could take the life of a cultivator, but once overcome, could provide tonnes of benefits as well.

In the eyes of Sun Minhao who had already successfully broken through to the Origin Core realm, this spar was akin to an adult playing around with kids!

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

[Xuanwu Movement Art – Snapping Burst]

Jun Chuan arrived before Sun Minhao in an instant, with Zhao Yunxiao following right behind.

Bang-!

Zhao Yunxiao widened his eyes in shock as he watched Jun Chuan flying through the air to land on the other end of the stage.

Everything happened in an instant.

It was as though the world had slowed down the moment they entered Sun Minhao’s striking range.

He could see Sun Minhao’s leg moving towards Jun Chuan, but it was simply too fast, making it impossible for him to react to it!

With Jun Chuan out of the way, Zhao Yunxiao could see Sun Minhao’s gaze slowly turn towards him.

Damn it.

Bang-!

Zhao Yunxiao was barely able to put his arms up in time to guard against the kick, but it was still not enough to nullify the impact.

Just like Jun Chuan, he found himself facing the sky as he flew through the air.

“Argh,” Zhao Yunxiao groaned in pain as he landed not far away from Jun Chuan.

“Get up and come at me again,” Sun Minhao said while slowly walking towards them.

“Tch!” Jun Chuan slowly got up.

As Zhao Yunxiao tried to do the same, he could feel his arms trembling in numbness.

It was just a single kick, but it would appear that it had already done its fair share of work.

Even so...

Zhao Yunxia raised his trembling arms once more.

When Jun Chuan gritted his teeth and charged forward, Zhao Yunxiao naturally followed.

[Xuanwu Movement Art – Shifting Sands]

Jun Chuan immediately tried to change directions the moment he entered Sun Minhao’s striking range, but that was not enough to throw off the inner disciple who had his gaze fixed on him all along.

Bang-!

It was as though history was repeating itself as Jun Chuan received yet another kick from Sun Minhao.

If there was something different about it, it was that the kick this time connected with the side of his torso instead of going straight to his abdomen.

Of course, the result was similar as it sent Jun Chuan flying through the air.

The very next moment, Sun Minhao kicked out with the same leg towards Zhao Yunxiao.

[Xuanwu Movement Art – Snapping Burst]

Instead of dodging, Zhao Yunxiao charged in even faster in response.

[Xuanwu Fist Art – Invisible Snap]

Before Sun Minhao’s leg could gain momentum, Zhao Yunxiao’s fist struck it right above the knee in a bid to stop it in its track.

However, it was almost akin to a mantis blocking a carriage.

Sun Minhao’s leg barely slowed a beat, continuing forward on its original path to send Zhao Yunxiao flying into the air once more.

And this time, he did not have his guard up.

Pu-!

Zhao Yunxiao spat out a mouthful of blood as he landed hard on the ground.

“You are already done, so just stay down and watch,” Sun Minhao commented coldly after seeing this. “As for you, Junior Martial Brother Jun. Let’s continue to have some fun.”

Since Jun Chuan had a higher cultivation level, he was able to mitigate much more of the incoming damage with his essence energy.

That was why while he was also on the losing end of the earlier two exchanges, Jun Chuan was at least in a much better state than Zhao Yunxiao.

“He’s right, just stay down, Junior Martial Brother Zhao,” Jun Chuan said while slowly climbing back to his feet. “Leave the rest to me.”

“You must be joking,” Zhao Yunxiao refused as he slowly got to his feet as well. “How can I miss this opportunity to learn from Senior Martial Brother Sun?”

With more people to beat up, Sun Minhao’s anger would probably subside faster.

That was better than having him concentrate all his rage on Jun Chuan alone.

Besides, he had already decided to take the beating for Jun Chuan earlier, so how could he stay out of it after receiving a measly two hits?

A real man would go to the bitter end with his comrades!

At the same time, he could not help but think over the previous exchange.

Even though he had somehow managed to predict Sun Minhao’s move in advance and acted accordingly, it was still not enough to stop the earlier kick.

Indeed, there was an insurmountable difference between them, brought about by the gap in their cultivation levels.

Strategies and tactics could only bring one so far.

In the end, the most decisive factor was still one’s cultivation level!

“If you are going to keep coming at me, I won’t be holding back next time,” Sun Minhao frowned at Zhao Yunxiao.

“Thank you in advance for your guidance, Senior Martial Brother Sun,” Zhao Yunxiao clasped his trembling fists towards Sun Minhao.

“Not knowing your limits!” Sun Minhao sneered.

Jun Chuan took another glance at Zhao Yunxiao before turning back towards their opponents.

At this point, he knew better than to continue trying to persuade Zhao Yunxiao otherwise.

“Go!” Jun Chuan shouted as he dashed forward once more.

Zhao Yunxiao did the same.

But at the same time, he could not help feeling a sense of déjà vu.

What was happening right now seemed rather familiar somehow, as though he experienced it not too long ago.

It was then that a familiar scene flashed in his head.

In a world of light, a certain female silhouette kept rushing at another male silhouette despite being manhandled every time she entered his attacking range.

That’s right.

His current situation was similar to the scene that he had pictured during image training previously, only that the roles were now reversed.

He was no longer trying to learn about refining his ability when dealing with a zombie-like opponent.

Instead, he had to learn how to become the zombie-like opponent and break through the opponent’s defence.

Of course, he was not truly a zombie, and naturally could not afford to keep rushing at his opponent in a thoughtless manner.

Instead, what he needed to do was to attempt to overcome whatever was being thrown at him, so that he could eventually get to this insurmountable opponent before him.

Bang-! Bang-!

Once again, both of them were sent flying through the air.

However, this time Zhao Yunxiao stood right back up without letting out a single groan.

A determined light could be seen in his eyes even as he used his trembling hands to wipe away the trace of blood that was flowing down the corner of his lips.

His legs were going soft, his body was aching all over.

He even had to suppress the urge to vomit out more blood.

But still, Zhao Yunxiao gritted his teeth and forced himself to remain standing.

Unlike geniuses who could just breeze through the entire cultivation path, those with mediocre talent like him had to grasp every opportunity that came their way if they wanted to improve, even if these opportunities were not exactly the most comfortable.

To Zhao Yunxiao, the goal had changed.

This was no longer purely a meaningless spar where he just had to take a beating, no longer purely about helping out Jun Chuan.

More importantly, he now had an objective in mind.

And if he really managed to do it, that would take him yet another small step closer to his ultimate goal of achieving freedom!