“Beat him, Junior Martial Brother Zhao!”
“Show him who’s boss, Senior Martial Brother Jun!”
“Don’t let the young ones push you around, Junior Martial Brother Jun!”
“Beat the oldies, Senior Martial Brother Zhao!”
“Winner stays, loser out. I’m going next!”
Cheers came from below the stage as the other disciples did not hide their anticipation for further exchange of moves between the two.
“Let’s not keep them waiting,” Jun Chuan said with a smirk.
“Never intended to. But why don’t you make the first move this time, Senior Martial Brother Jun?” Zhao Yunxiao answered.
“Be careful what you wish for, Junior Martial Brother Zhao,” Jun Chuan repeated Zhao Yunxiao’s earlier words to him.
With that, Jun Chuan dashed forward.
[Xuanwu Movement Art – Redrawing Neck]
Zhao Yunxiao immediately retreated when Jun Chuan approached, obviously unwilling to meet him in a frontal confrontation.
“Are you just going to keep running?” Jun Chuan taunted.
“Are you just going to keep refusing to suppress your cultivation level?” Zhao Yunxiao snapped back.
“That is part of who I am, why do I have to suppress it?”
Zhao Yunxiao: “...”
This was certainly not what he signed up for when he asked Jun Chuan for a spar.
Even so, he was not intending to go down without a fight!
He continued to retreat while Jun Chuan continued to give chase, the two of them skirting around the stage much to the boos from the crowd.
But what most of those in the crowd did not notice was that Zhao Yunxiao continued to watch Jun Chan closely throughout this entire process.
Zhao Yunxiao understood that he stood no chance in a direct contest of strength.
Therefore, he was looking for even the slightest of openings, anything that could give him a chance of turning things around.
“You won’t find it,” Jun Chuan’s confident words shook Zhao Yunxiao a little.
That was when Zhao Yunxiao realised that unlike those watching from beneath the stage, Jun Chuan had been well aware of his intentions all along.
“Do you have to be this careful against a junior martial brother?” Zhao Yunxiao asked indignantly.
“Against a scheming one like you, yes,” Jun Chuan answered without hesitation. “Why don’t you stop running now that you know I am already aware of your plan? You do know that you will be the first to run out of energy, don’t you?”
Zhao Yunxiao did not answer this time.
He knew just as well that him possessing a lower cultivation level naturally meant that he had a lower energy capacity, which in turn meant that he would likely be the first one to run out of energy if they kept skirting around like this.
Even so, what could he do about it?
He would just lose faster if he were to turn around right now to meet Jun Chuan in a reckless melee!
“Stop running and fight!”
“Catch him!”
The audiences shouted, simply having fun watching while remaining oblivious to the complex thoughts running through the minds of the two sparring partners.
“Hear that, Junior Mart-?” Jun Chuan was about to taunt again when he noticed the ground in front of him tremble.
Boom-!
Jun Chuan leapt backwards just before the ground in front of him erupted, sending pieces of debris flying in all directions.
Had he been just a second too late to react, he would have been caught in that explosion!
But unfortunately for Zhao Yunxiao, he had still reacted in time.
“Good idea, but poorly executed,” Jun Chuan remarked. “If you did it just half a second later, I might have been caught.”
“Why are you even being so alert when facing someone weaker?” Zhao Yunxiao complained. “And you might not be able to relate right now, but it’s not that easy to execute things perfectly when getting chased around!”
“Even so, are you just going to resort to trickery now?” Jun Chuan asked after stabilising his footing. “How is this still a spar?”
“And how is it a fair spar when you refuse to suppress your cultivation level? I naturally have to employ other means to obtain victory!” Zhao Yunxiao retorted.
At this moment, a third person suddenly joined their conversation.
“Bullying a junior martial disciple, how despicable.”
Zhao Yunxiao and Jun Chuan looked towards the source of the voice in surprise.
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And when they saw who was the one speaking, both of them frowned at the same time.
Sun Minhao – the inner disciple who got into a conflict with Jun Chuan two days ago.
There was another area in the Inner Grounds dedicated for sparring, so there was basically no reason for inner disciples to come to the Snow Moon Arena.
Yet not only had Sun Minhao appeared here, but he was also accompanied by a few other inner disciples.
It was not difficult to guess the reason why.
“You are mistaken, Senior Martial Brother Sun,” Zhao Yunxiao spoke up immediately. “Senior Martial Brother Jun and I are just having a friendly spar. In fact, I was the one who asked him to teach me a thing or two. What you heard was just us joking around.”
“Is that so?” Sun Minhao grinned while keeping his eyes fixated on Jun Chuan. “Why don’t I see it that way? Don’t worry, since I happened to pass by today, feel free to tell me about any grievances you have. I will help you uphold justice today.”
“You are truly mistaken, Senior Martial Brother Sun. The two of them are good friends,” one of the other disciples said.
“Am I talking to you?” Sun Minhao glared at him in response.
The disciple was shocked to have received such a harsh reaction, but knew better than to retort against an inner disciple.
At this point, some of the disciples present were starting to understand what was going on as well.
After all, most of them were either present or at least aware of what happened at the Clear Thoughts Pavilion two days ago.
“I appreciate the thought, Senior Martial Brother Sun,” Zhao Yunxiao clasped his fists towards Sun Minhao. “However, Senior Martial Brother Jun and I are indeed here just for a friendly spar. I am learning a lot from him.”
“Is that true, Junior Martial Brother Jun?” Sun Minhao asked. “Wait, don’t be too quick to answer. Remember, it is all good if you are not bullying your junior martial brother. But since your junior martial brother is so eager to learn, then how can I, as an inner disciple, just pass by without helping out?”
“Senior Martial Brother Sun’s words mean...” Zhao Yunxiao felt the corner of his lips twitch.
“If your junior martial brother is purely here to learn, then I will personally help him out since I am in the mood,” Sun Minhao said. “Since you guys are having a friendly spar. I shall let him have the honour of sparring with me instead.”
From the start, Sun Minhao had never looked at Zhao Yunxiao once.
He might be talking about helping Zhao Yunxiao learn, but every word he said was directed at Jun Chuan.
Sun Minhao was basically asking Jun Chuan to make a choice between two options.
One, admit that you are bullying your junior martial brother.
Two, I will bully your junior martial brother instead.
No matter which option Jun Chuan chose to go for, the result was unlikely to be pretty.
And if he were to choose option one, who knew what Sun Minhao would do to him then?
Even so, Jun Chuan had no intentions of implicating the innocent Zhao Yunxiao in this matter that he had no business being a part of.
“My apolog-”
“Thank you for the kind intentions, Senior Martial Brother Sun,” Zhao Yunxiao quickly interjected before Jun Chuan could speak further. “Unfortunately, Senior Martial Brother Jun and I have somewhere that we need to go, so we will have no choice but to pass on this precious opportunity to learn. Perhaps we can do this next time.”
“If the two of you are both busy, I guess I will just have to give this rare opportunity to the others present,” Sun Minhao continued to stare at Jun Chuan.
Zhao Yunxiao: “...”
He could understand Sun Minhao using him to threaten Jun Chuan since they were companions, but now he was even using every other outer disciple present to do so?
How shameless!
The other outer disciples caught the drift as well.
But at this point, the inner disciples who had come with Sun Minhao were watching them with hawk-like eyes.
They could not leave even if they wanted to, and all they could do was curse in their hearts.
Even though the sect prohibited fighting among sect members, it was not as though it had never happened before.
It was all a matter of whether the matter reached the upper echelons in the end.
However, not only could news of such incidents be blocked on the way up, but it could also end up getting buried at the top if the right strings were pulled.
In fact, it was largely known that inner disciples would not suffer any heavy consequences when dealing with outer disciples as long as they did not go overboard. This was part of the reason why most outer disciples were so afraid of the inner disciples.
Zhao Yunxiao stole a glance at Jun Chuan.
He could tell that the latter had already made up his mind.
However, Zhao Yunxiao was not intending to let him do so.
“It’s all right, Junior Martial Brother Zhao,” Jun Chuan said in a resigned manner. “Let me handle this.”
“How is it all right?” Zhao Yunxiao said with a frown. “Are you intending to deprive me of this rare opportunity to learn from Senior Martial Brother Sun?”
“Huh?” Jun Chuan blurted out in surprise. “What do y-”
“Since Senior Martial Brother Sun is in the mood, I guess I shouldn’t give up on such a rare opportunity after all. Other matters can be pushed to later, but this opportunity cannot be wasted,” Zhao Yunxiao said after turning back towards Sun Minhao. “Outer disciple Zhao Yunxiao, awaiting guidance from Senior Martial Brother Sun!”
Sun Minhao narrowed his eyes. “Are you an idiot?”
Did this clown really think he was going to teach him?
Or was he trying to be a hero in front of everyone?
Either way, he was nothing but a fool!
“Junior Martial Brother Zhao!” Jun Chuan shouted at Zhao Yunxiao in shock. “This is-”
“It’s all right, Senior Martial Brother Jun,” Zhao Yunxiao said. “Please go ahead first, and let the others know that I will be late.”
They had no plans after this, so there was no one to tell.
“But...” Jun Chuan could not help but worry.
Sun Minhao had been in the sect for years, and this was certainly not the first time that he was acting up in front of outer disciples.
Out of the many times that he had lost control in the past, there was even a victim of his who ended up bedridden for days.
In comparison, the punishment that Sun Minhao had received for that infringement could be considered a mere slap on the wrist – nothing worth mentioning at all!
That was enough to show that inner disciples really had nothing much to fear when manhandling outer disciples.
Or at the very least, Sun Minhao was not one who would fear the possible consequences.
“Trust me, I’ve got this,” Zhao Yunxiao answered with a smile.
Jun Chuan frowned.
Clap-! Clap-! Clap-!
Sun Minhao applauded while leaping up onto the stage.
“You don’t have to be envious of each other, for I am not one who discriminates,” Sun Minhao said with a smirk. “Junior Martial Brother Jun, to reward your helpfulness towards your juniors, I shall grant you the honour of learning from me as well. I will spar with both of you together.”
Upon hearing this, both Zhao Yunxiao and Jun Chuan furrowed their brows.
“And if you don’t take up my offer, I will just have to take it that you are giving your chance up to your fellow disciples beneath the stage,” Sun Minhao’s smirk slowly transformed into a grin of triump.
He knew that he had both of them caught.
In the end, neither of them would be allowed to escape this situation.