True Martial World - Chapter 115: Consecutive Victories

Lian Chengyu was carried out by the people from the Lian tribal clan's warrior preparation camp. The arena was filled with pools of blood.

Up in the sky in the airship, Old Man Su smiled at this scene.

"This kid sure is resolute! I like it!" Old Man Su may look gentle and friendly, but he was no benevolent monk; Yi Yun's actions suited his liking.

It was necessary to rid any possibility of any future threat. In fact, if Old Man Su had done it himself, he would have been even more ruthless.

Beside Old Man Su was Lin Xintong; she had seen the entire process of Yi Yun's abuse of Lian Chengyu.

She may be pure as she stood aloof from the world, but she was not a kind fairy who could not bear to step on an ant. On major issues, Lin Xintong had her own thoughts and principles.

Lin Xintong said, "Master, I sparred with Yi Yun again last night. He has high perceptivity and grows fast. His strength may not be a match against the Purple Blood realm, but he's not far from it."

"Oh, he's indeed pretty good considering his background. Let's watch on. In a few more rounds, he will battle with Tao Yunxiao. There might be a surprise waiting for us."

Under the flying boat, Tao Yunxiao watched gloomily at Lian Chengyu, who scarcely had any breath left.

At this point, everyone knew that in this contest of the Mortal Blood warriors, only Tao Yunxiao and Yi Yun were fighting for first place.

Tao Yunxiao had some idea of Lian Chengyu's strength. Although the members of Lian tribal clan warrior preparation camp were a bunch of trash, their master Lian Chengyu had some capability. But now, he had been beaten into such a sorry state. It was a devastation.

Even the haughty Tao Yunxiao felt the pressure from Yi Yun!

"Father, I request the use of the ancestral artifact!" Tao Yunxiao transmitted his voice to his father. Tao Yunxiao had originally planned on fighting unarmed to demonstrate his overwhelming strength.

But now, he needed the ancestral artifact to take down Yi Yun!

Tao Yunxiao's forte was in swordsmanship. By using the female-sword of the female-male sword pair with the 'Nine Mysterious Swords of Heaven', Tao Yunxiao believed that he could beat Yi Yun.

Even if he was no match against Yi Yun, Tao Yunxiao could still use the forbidden energy of the ancestral artifact!

Once he used that forbidden energy, he could fight someone much stronger than him!

Using the Tao tribal clan's ancestral artifact to obtain victory was not an elegant win but Tao Yunxiao could not care that much.

Tao Yunxiao's father went silent for a moment. He was negotiating with the Grand Elder silently.

After a long time, the Grand Elder transmitted his voice to Tao Yunxiao, "Yunxiao. Be warned that with the ancestral artifact used, you have to win and not lose!"

"Our Tao tribal clan's ancestral artifact has a thousand-year heritage. The ancestral artifact has the spiritual guardians of the Tao tribal clan protecting it. If you were to lose to a commoner from a small tribal clan with the ancestral artifact in hand, that will be the greatest insult to our ancestors. Even all the blessings within the ancestral artifact will be lost!"

The Grand Elder had debated on this topic for a long time before coming to a decision.

The Tao tribal clan's ancestral artifact was not only a protective weapon, it was also used in rituals. Many things were at stake.

In the vast wilderness, anything that had to do with the rituals was given special attention. To use the ancestral artifact in battle concerned the pride of the tribe.

Tao Yunxiao said, "Don't worry Grand Elder. With the ancestral artifact, my strength will increase several times, ensuring my victory!"

Tao Yunxiao said it as a matter-of-fact. He was sure that he would win the battle. He would not hesitate to use the forbidden energy!

...

After Yi Yun went onstage, the matches became much more peaceful.

Previously, Zhang Tan had given his blessings that people could settle any feuds in the arena and the Jin Long Wei would not interfere. But those without any enmity were not allowed to fight to the death. The Jin Long Wei would end the fight if necessary.

Although the elites of the Tao tribal clan fought with flair, compared to the visual impact of Yi Yun thrashing Lian Chengyu, there was still a large gap.

The people were anticipating the final battle between Yi Yun and Tao Yunxiao!

There were over twenty matches that day. Yi Yun had another round in the afternoon against an elite nurtured by the Tao tribal clan.

This man was well-built and he was in his twenties. His results in the preliminary and the semi-finals were not worse than Lian Chengyu’s.

The elites of the Tao tribal clan were all proud people. They would not pay a small tribal clan's heir no mind. A small tribe's heir? What's that!?

But today… on this stage, the tall youth had no such temper when facing Yi Yun.

He clearly knew that he was no match against this beast in human clothes. All the Mortal Blood warriors in the Tao tribal clan were no match against him, except Tao Yunxiao.

"The match begins!" Zhang Tan announced. Yi Yun did not get into any stance. The tall youth's heart thumped because the arena he was standing on still had the blood stains from Yi Yun’s last match.

The twelve-year-old, who was shorter than him by a head, was surely a demon. Against Yi Yun, his aura was much weaker. If he did not do well, he might end up like Lian Chengyu, losing his chances at the kingdom's selection.

But he could not admit defeat immediately. This was the Tao tribal clan's turf. As a member of the Tao tribal clan, he represented the tribe's glory. It was too embarrassing to flee without a fight.

The tall youth was irrevocably committed.

"Do you dare to take three hits from me?" He said with an idea lighting up within his head.

"Go ahead," Yi Yun said casually. Due to the difference in strength, he did not mind that his opponent would strike first.

The tall youth was careful and continuously used moves from the 'Dragon Rib Tiger Bone Fist'.

"Fierce Tiger Descends the Mountain!"

"Tiger Descends Flattening Dust!"

"Dragon Battles Tiger!"

The three moves were powerful with muscles and bones cracking. This tall youth was full of power!

But the three moves failed to do anything to Yi Yun. Yi Yun twisted and easily took on the attacks.

Initially, Yi Yun thought he could attack after the three moves, but the tall youth unexpectedly cupped his hands saying, "Your impressiveness in martial arts make me admit my inferiority. I concede defeat!"

Upon saying that, the tall youth turned and left the arena without delay.

This gave Yi Yun's mixed feelings. He understood that the youth knew that he was not his match, but he could not admit defeat immediately. So he went through the motion by attacking three times. Since Yi Yun had acceded to it, the youth did not need to worry about being wounded.

After three moves, he could openly admit defeat.

The person was truly sly.

Although the tall youth had admitted defeat. He had lost with dignity. The people of the Tao tribal clan did not expect him to win, so the result was as expected.

The many experts from the Tao tribal clan that later appeared used the same tactic as the tall youth. They went through the motions of attacking Yi Yun a few times before admitting defeat.

They were still competing for spots with others; knowing that they were no match against Yi Yun, there was no reason to waste their energy and court death.

As such, Yi Yun reached the finals without any resistance.

The other person that reached the finals was none other than Tao Yunxiao!

Tao Yunxiao and Yi Yun were the two starlets of the Mortal Blood realm and their clash finally came.

This battle was the focus of attention!

In the Tao tribal clan, the people that had gathered were numerous despite Tao Yunxiao having fewer supporters than Hu Ya. Many teenage girls had already treated Tao Yunxiao, who was the same age as them, as their idol.

This was the home ground advantage. Whenever Tao Yunxiao went onstage, there would be a myriad of cheers.

It was already late in the afternoon, with the sun setting in the west. The kingdom's selection final round for Mortal Blood warriors had taken an entire day.

"Do you need to rest?" Zhang Tan asked. They were originally planning to hold the final round over two days, so the battle between Yi Yun and Tao Yunxiao could be left to the next day.

"There's no need," said Tao Yunxiao while shaking his head. He had hardly used any energy in the previous matches since the Tao tribal clan's elites would immediately admit defeat against him. Not only had Tao Yunxiao maintained his optimal state, Yi Yun was also no different.

The Legend of Futian - Chapter 17: I Refuse to Accept This

When Yu Sheng arrived at the center of the gymnasium, the expansive space was once again filled with silence.

His fit physique made it easy to forget that he was merely a fifteen-year-old.

He walked into the matrix. Almost immediately, a bright golden light shone over his body. The intent of battle and his powerful aura embraced his entire being.

His perception of Metal Spiritual Qi was of the Sky level. He was in the eighth plane of Awakening, the Metamorph Plane, for both arts.

"Come here." Yu Sheng was pointing at the person who had clamored the loudest. They were now shaking, pale-faced, but he somehow still made his way forward.

He was gifted. His perception of Worldly Essence was of the second highest level, Earth Level. He was also in the Metamorph Plane, but he had no confidence standing in front of Yu Sheng.

"Are you ready?" asked Yu Sheng.

"Yeah...," the challenger's voice was shaking. Hearing his response, everyone in the gymnasium became riled up. Yu Sheng took a giant step toward his opponent.

"Let's go!" yelled the opponent. His jaw was clenched tightly, and he was ready to take on Yu Sheng, but his determination disappeared as soon as he saw the ring of golden light around Yu Sheng. It made Yu Sheng look like the God of War.

Boom! Everyone saw the challenger sailing through the air after one attack. Yu Sheng did not use any special battle tactics, nor did he use sorcery. He was able to send his opponent flying using the pure force of his body.

"Next, you," ordered Yu Sheng. The person at the other end of his pointed finger was another individual who had wanted to challenge Ye Futian. He was no longer interested in battle though. "I admit defeat!" he said in fear.

"You are still required to step into the matrix to show everyone your power ranking even if you forfeit," said an elder. They were not impressed by the cowardice of this student, though they were very impressed by Yu Sheng. He was indeed unique.

Ye Futian's challengers were not looking too good. Was Yu Sheng really going to fight all of them? If he did, they would have no chance in today's debate portion of the Fall Quarter Examinations.

"Ye Futian." The challengers were not too happy with him at the moment. They only stood up because they wanted to challenge him, but now Ye Futian has handed them all off to Yu Sheng. They felt scammed.

Ye Futian smiled as he watched the events unfold. His attention shifted to Yu Sheng who was still standing at the center of the gymnasium. He was the true star of this year's Fall Quarter Examinations.

Not surprisingly, all of Ye Futian's challengers were picked off by Yu Sheng one by one. None of them stood a chance against him, despite the fact that many of them were in the Metamorph Plane. There were even some in the ninth plane of Awakening, the Unmaker Plane.

All of these people could have been official disciples already. They purposely put it off to impress officials at the Fall and Spring Quarter Examinations in hopes that their brilliant performances would make their lives easier as official disciples. Furthermore, rumor had it that the top performing students from the Fall and Spring Quarter Examinations had a chance of being chosen as the disciple of very high ranked academy officials. It was because of this that many people participated in the exams to test their luck.

It was such a pity. All of their hard work only made Yu Sheng look better and shine brighter.

"He's not human," the people on the observation deck shared with one another.

Even General Qin Shuai of the Dark Qilin Knighthood saw Yu Sheng in a different light. This boy was naturally strong. His gifts in martial arts and sorcery were both of the Sky Level. If he became a knight, he would be a force to reckoned with on the battlefield.

"Yu Sheng, that's enough," Ye Futian finally spoke. Yu Sheng returned to his original position beside Ye Futian and a lot of people let out a sigh of relief.

Now, other people finally had a chance to show off their talents. Many students came forth and put their powers on display. However, no matter how interesting the duels got, nothing possessed the same shock factor as Yu Sheng's previous displays of power.

Time passed and it was finally time for Murong Qiu to step up. Things were finally going to get interesting. After he stepped up, Murong Qiu challenged numerous high-level cultivators. When he had defeated all the Unmaker Plane students, he moved down to the Metamorph Plane. He was in the spotlight.

He even looked over at Yu Sheng but gave up on the thought of fighting him. It seemed that Murong Qiu had no confidence that he would be able to beat Yu Sheng.

Ye Futian recognized the determination in his eyes. Of course, Murong Qiu was also aiming for first place. The only way for him to place first would be to get rid of his biggest obstacle, Yu Sheng. He did not do this, though, because he lacked the confidence.

Both Yu Sheng and Murong Qiu are on the List of Brilliance, and both have had excellent performances in today's exam; but in terms of age, Yu Sheng has the upper hand. First place will most likely go to Yu Sheng, Ye Futian thought to himself as he patiently waited for the exam to be over.

The sun was setting in the sky, but everyone in the gymnasium was still just as energetic as they had been at the beginning of the day. Hundreds of students did their very best to showcase their abilities and shine above all. Even though Hua Jieyu was not participating in the exams, she still stepped forth into the matrix to have her power ranking determined. Seeing her beautiful face, the hearts of her admirers began to ache. Please don't really be dating that shameless douche!

Finally, the debates had come to an end and everyone waited for the closing statements.

Eyes diverted to the front of the gymnasium where the academy's elders sat. When Cabinet Master Leng Qingfeng of the House of Swordsmen and Pavilion Lord Shi Zhong of the Earth Pavilion came to an agreement on the results of today's exams, this year's Fall Quarter Examinations would finally be over.

Leng Qingfeng and Shi Zhong were in a serious discussion about the results while someone stood beside them and kept a record of what they were saying.

An elder beside Shi Zhong took the recorded list and walked to the front of the stage. He looked at all the hopeful students and explained, "As usual, the results from both the written exam and the debate will be taken into consideration and the outcome will be the overall rankings for the entire Fall Quarter Examinations."

At the end of the Fall Exams, there would only be one list, the Ranking List. Similar to the written exam, only the top three would be informed of their placement on the list.

The top three garnered great glory and honor. In addition, everyone on the Ranking List would have the privilege to access the library's second floor.

Everyone waited excitedly for the results. Who were the top three going to be?

Ye Futian watched the elder with bright eyes. First place belonged to Yu Sheng.

"In first place, Murong Qiu," announced the elder. Ye Futian's gaze froze. He could not comprehend what had just been said.

First place? Murong Qiu?

Others were just as shocked but the shock dissipated quickly. After all, Murong Qiu was in the ninth plane of Awakening and his performance was quite outstanding as well. However, they still felt that it was a pity for Yu Sheng.

"Second place, Yu Sheng," the elder continued with his announcement.

"Why?" Ye Futian interrupted the elder as he prepared to announce third place.

Everyone waited for a response, feeling mixed emotions. The elder, as well as other academy elders, scowled in disapproval. Interrupting the result announcements was extremely disrespectful towards the elders.

"Why is Murong Qiu first and Yu Sheng second?" Ye Futian wanted to know.

"You're getting out of line here!" the elder scolded. "The results have already been decided and they are this way for a reason."

"I refuse to accept this," said Ye Futian.

"Murong Qiu, seventeen, Earth Elemental Sorcerer, Sky Level, cultivating in the ninth plane of Awakening. Yu Sheng, fifteen, cultivating in both arts, Sky Level for both. In comparison, Yu Sheng is obviously more outstanding. In the written exam they were both on the List of Brilliance and did not receive placement, so I can count that as a tie. However, in today's exam, Yu Sheng defeated cultivators in the ninth plane despite only being in the eighth. No matter how you look at it, Yu Sheng has the upper hand. So, why is Murong Qiu in first place?" reasoned Ye Futian.

He took a step closer to the elders on stage and bowed down. "Please reevaluate their performances and decide on the results carefully."

This guy... Qin Yi looked at Ye Futian. Even though, she objected the results as well, how could Ye Futian question the decisions made by the cabinet master and the pavilion lord? He was obviously a smart guy, but why was he acting so dumb now?

Outer sect disciples standing in the gymnasium were all watching Ye Futian, and began to whisper about him. Murong Qiu's face frosted over as he glared at Ye Futian.

The honorable guests sitting on the stage were all speechless as well. They too felt that it was a pity for Yu Sheng, but they would never have thought that a disciple would stand up to question the results.

"Stop talking! Do you know what you're doing right now?" asked an elder standing by the matrix. He liked Ye Futian, but it was also because of this, that he could not let him continue his outrageous actions. You may do crazy things in your youth, but you should know your limits.

Ye Futian knew exactly what he was doing. He also knew that his actions might not change a thing. His actions were not being made logically right now. He only knew that he had to speak up. If he had been in this situation, he would not have cared; but this was Yu Sheng's honor they were talking about. Why should he let Yu Sheng miss out on first place because of the judges' mistake?

The rankings for the Fall Quarter Examinations were based on the grades of both days. Just as he had said before, Yu Sheng did not lose to Murong Qiu in any aspect, so why was he ranked below Murong Qiu?

There really was not that much of a difference between first and second place, but to Ye Futian, first place could only be Yu Sheng. Why should it be taken away?

I know that what I'm doing may be disrespectful, but I really cannot accept these results. He was set on his decision, and he could not have been more serious. Ye Futian could handle being insulted by the world, but he could not and would not sit by and do nothing as they took what rightfully belonged to Yu Sheng away.

"Ye Futian," Yu Sheng called out to him. His hand was on Ye Futian's shoulder as he shook his head, trying to get Ye Futian to forget about it. noveltranslationweb.blogspot.com

Ye Futian looked right back at Yu Sheng and he shook his head as well.

"Continue announcing the results and cross his name off the list," said Shi Zhong coldly. They had anticipated some disagreements with the final results. However, they also thought that there would not be too much of a problem since Murong Qiu's performance was more than good enough. They never expected that Ye Futian would stand up and question the results in front of everyone.

The elder announcing the results nodded. He took a look at the name listed for third place and skipped over it. "Third place, Hua Jieyu," he announced.

Even though Hua Jieyu had not participated in the debates, she had ranked second in the written exam, possessed outstanding talents, and was in the Unmaker Plane. No one questioned the decision to give her third place, but everyone had assumed that third place would have gone to the stubborn youth, Ye Futian.

"I still refuse to accept these results," Ye Futian repeated himself once again, but his words were ignored as the elder went on to announce the next name on the Ranking List.

Then, for the first time ever, a great disturbance interrupted the announcements of the Fall Quarter Examinations' results. Yu Sheng stared at Ye Futian's small frame, clenching his fists tightly. His determined eyes now shone red.

BOOM! Yu Sheng took a step forward. No one could diminish Ye Futian's pride, not even Qingzhou Academy.

The Legend of Futian - Chapter 16: Young and Frivolous

Yang Xiu slowly walked to the matrix in the center of the stage. All of a sudden, he lit it up. Bright flames with strong fire-element power were raging all around him. He was at the highest level of fire-element perception; the seventh Awakening Plane, the Mystery.

It seemed that the surrounding flame aura was binding with Yang Xiu. The Spiritual Qi wrapped around his body, gradually converging on him. People were thrilled by the scene, as the flames turned into fire serpents. They spat out fire in the direction of Ye Futian.

Such strong spell power. People were staring at Yang Xiu. For a powerful mage like he was, it would be easy to absorb the elemental power from the universe and combine this power into spells to attack the enemy. In general, the power of spells was stronger than the techniques of a martial arts cultivator.

"Come on, prove yourself. You said the martial arts cultivators could prolong the fight to exhaust a mage and win. Now it's time for you to eat your words; I will make you suffer." Yang Xiu's pride was typical of almost all powerful mages.

"Yesterday on the written exam, I remember a professor told you that you need to respect the powers of others to become powerful yourself. I guess you just never learned that lesson," Ye Futian said, smiling gently at Yang Xiu. "What I said yesterday was for general situations. But I do not have to waste my time with you."

While speaking, Ye Futian stepped forward to Yang Xiu. He began to be surrounded by the power of martial arts warriors; the power seemed to combine into one form.

"He's going to clash head-on?" People were speechless at what Ye Futian said. This guy was in the Mystery Plane of martial arts, yet he had directly pounced on a mage who already had powerful spells?

"He is going to regret this ridiculous confidence," someone sneered.　　

Yang Xiu was also laughing, finding Ye Futian's comments amusing. He pounced on Ye Futian. All the fire snakes converged to create their final form, which appeared to be a giant fire python. This fire python was in such a frenzy that the space around Yang Xiu looked contorted, as the python would engulf everything in its way.　

Is he insane? Qin Yi realized how terrifying this spell was and looked nervously at Ye Futian. She knew that this spell could be lethal.　

"If that's the case, I'll teach you a lesson today," Yang Xiu said coldly as he began charging faster. Ye Futian also sped up with all the power surrounding his body. They were approaching the middle of the arena like two thunderbolts.

Right at that moment, the power around Ye Futian turned purple. Suddenly, this purple power formed into a new shape. It was a dragon!

Ye Futian's body was now cracking with the roaring sounds of a dragon. The crowd was stunned at what was happening right in front of them. The two finally reached each other and struck at the same time. Yang Xiu shouted with rage. The fire python charged right at Ye Futian.

With a roaring sound, Ye Futian became the incarnation of a dragon. He stretched out his arms and a purple dragon burst out of them, going straight into the fire python.

The thunder dragon and fire python crashed. The python could not handle this dragon power. It soon disappeared, but the thunder dragon still charged until it struck Yang Xiu's body. Yang Xiu was knocked backwards by Ye Futian's power.

"This is a technique of martial arts, Release of the Dragon Power! How could he ever manage to do that?" All the students were shocked. They knew Ye Futian had checked out the book yesterday, but they had thought it would mean nothing. They didn't believe that Ye Futian could ever learn the techniques, especially in just one day.

Now the joke was on them. Those who had sneered at Ye Futian now felt ashamed. Who had said the Release of the Dragon Power was beyond their abilities? Ye Futian proved to them that just because they couldn't do it, didn't mean no one else could.

"The Release of the Dragon Power, in just one day? What kind of joke this is?" The students still could not accept what was happening.

"The power of thunder is real. Not only is he a warrior, but he is also dominant in the power of thunder."

At this point most official students and professors were staring at Ye Futian. Ye Futian had combined the power of martial arts techniques and the thunder element. He had successfully fused the power of thunder into his moves as a warrior in the Mystery Plane.

"Why didn't you believe me?" Ye Futian sighed at Yang Xiu, who looked miserable. He stepped into the matrix, looked around the arena, then began to talk, saying, "Have I ever told you that I'm not only in the highest level of martial arts power, but that I'm also in the highest level of thunder-element power?"

As soon as he stopped talking, the matrix shined with thunder. Thunderbolts surrounded Ye Futian, making him look like Zeus.

People were staring at him in shock. To them, Ye Futian had been a symbol of youth and frivolousness. He had been the joke of the school for three years. Even though he had kept calm and acted like he was not mistreated, deep down, he had felt upset. Now, in the middle of the stage, he had broken the shackles that had been holding him back for three years.

Ye Futian was no longer the loser. Now, he was the champion of the written exam, had the highest level of perception in martial arts and thunder-element power, and was in the seventh Awakening Plane, the Mystery.

Feng Qingxue could not take her eyes off of him. She seemed gloomy. She finally understood that when Ye Futian had asked her to cultivate, he had only been trying to help her. He knew he could help her cultivation. Ye Futian hadn't been trying to hit on her. But how did she respond? She had let Murong Qing get between them, and told him to keep his distance.

All of a sudden, the image of Ye Futian leaving and sighing came into her mind. It gave her a feeling of sorrow. She kept asking herself, Have I really grown up? Will I ever regret my decision? She had been lying to herself.

Maybe she had kept a distance from Ye Futian only because she had thought she was out of his league, just as her father had said

"What a punk." Murong Qing looked dismal. She was also staring at Ye Futian, refusing to admit that she was wrong. However, these words sounded harsh to Feng Qingxue. She began to remember all the advice Murong Qing had given her, and now doubted why she had believed her unconditionally in the past.

While Ye Futian was still in the matrix, he turned around. His eyes were drawn to a beautiful girl.

Hua Jieyu noticed Ye Futian was looking at her. She faintly sensed that something was wrong behind that weird smile Ye Futian was giving her.

"Hey Fox, I didn't let you down, did I?" Ye Futian began to laugh again. His eyes seemed to speak to her. Suddenly, the crowd was silenced again.

Fox? What a flirtatious nickname that was. Plus, he had used the phrase "didn't let you down." People began wondering if something was going on between these two, especially when they also remembered that yesterday, after the written exam, Hua Jieyue had sat next to Ye Futian and smiled at him when she had left. She had said, "I have some expectations for you tomorrow." Now people were genuinely petrified. They were thinking, Come on, it can't be how it seems….

Being looked at in that way, Hua Jieyu became speechless, again realizing how shameless Ye Futian was.

The way she had spoken to Ye Futian had apparently made him public enemy number one, and now Ye Futian was getting back at her. He was doing it intentionally, of course; how could he stay silent when this girl had tried to set him up.

Now almost everyone was looking at Hua Jieyu. They waited to see if she would deny or ignore him.

Her eyes glittered. With all the attention on her, she suddenly smiled back at Ye Futian. The smile looked like the most beautiful star on a clear night.

"Yeah, I'm satisfied," she said.

Her voice was soft and gentle. This, combined with her perfect girlish smile, made the students' hearts melt. At that moment, they were falling in love. However, their hearts were bleeding, because that smile was not for them, but for another boy.

Hua Jieyu, the legend and goddess of almost all the students, had never been seen speaking or smiling to someone like this. They felt like Ye Futian was doing something unheard of. Yang Xiu and Murong Qiu had both failed to make her behave like that, yet Ye Futian was able to.

Looking at what was happening, Feng Qingxue became even more upset. She now knew that even though she was also a 15-year-old beauty of this academy, she had still been overshadowed by Hua Jieyu.

Ye Futian was also enamored by the smile Hua Jieyu gave him, as it was too perfect a smile for Ye Futian to keep his heart defiant. He was so overwhelmed and befuddled.

"Ye Futian, accept my challenge!"

"How dare you do this to my Goddess! Accept my challenge!"

Angry people were yelling at him from all over the place. It gave Ye Futian chills. Only a few of the participants today were in the eighth or ninth plane of awakening, but all of them were eager to kick his *ss now.

You are a bad*ss. Ye Futian said to himself as he looked at Hua Jieyu, still speechless. However, she kept smiling at him with that unique softness. This smile was making the crowd even angrier.

"This is the Fall Quarter Exam, be respectful and silent!" Ye Futian suddenly yelled at the crowd, turning back around to address them. People were shocked for a moment, then became silent, continuing to stare at him.

"Okay, now, who wants to challenge me?" Ye Futian began asking.

"I do, I do, and I…." Many people rushed to the stage and answered. Ye Futian looked at them, trying to remember their names.
　　
Ye Futian began talking again with his hands in his pockets, saying, "I have fought twice in a row. It's time to rest." He then turned around and left the arena.

"What, are you kidding?" People began swearing at him.

"You can run, but you cannot hide," a student in the eighth Awakening Plane started to say.

"Yu Sheng, it's your turn. Take care of them." Ye Futian had made the crowd speechless again.

Seriously, how could someone be that shameless…

The Legend of Futian - Chapter 15: Too Arrogant

Not even Ling Xiao himself knew why he hated Ye Futian so much. Maybe it was because Ye Futian did not seem to know just how much of a loser he was. He even had the nerve to tease the goddess lecturer, Qin Yi, in class and bickered daily with Feng Qingxue. These were all things that Ling Xiao would never be able to do. In addition, Ye Futian got to sit next to Hua Jieyu during the written exam. She even turned back to smile at him afterward.

All of these things added to Ling Xiao's hatred of Ye Futian. Just looking at that handsome and confident face of his was enough to start a fire in Ling Xiao's heart.

Perhaps this was jealousy. Ling Xiao was jealous that Ye Futian was confident enough to do all these things he never had the guts to do.

The good news was that the shameless bastard was about to crawl back down to where he came from and go back to being a loser. He was also going to be expelled from the academy.

Everyone watched with heated eyes as Ye Futian walked to the center of the gymnasium. They anticipated what was to come.

Ranked first in the written exams? That meant nothing in the world of cultivators.

"This rascal..." Qin Yi was speechless looking at Ling Xiao. He was purposely trying to make things difficult for Ye Futian by calling him out first. Ling Xiao was not going to show him any mercy.

She tried to hide her worry for Ye Futian. If Ye Futian was too afraid to accept the challenge and forfeited the exam, then being ranked first on the written exam was useless.

"I didn't think anyone was going to make a move for him before I did, but this is good, too. Let's see how he's going to try to keep up his façade," Yang Xiu said coldly.

"Watch closely, Feng Qingxue. You'll realize soon that your decision was correct. That disgraceful loser is not worthy of standing beside you," Murong Qing said to Feng Qingxue.

Murong Qiu was also looking ahead. He scowled at the sight of Ye Futian, as if he could not have cared less about him. However, it was also because of Ye Futian that Murong Qiu was pushed down from the List of Excellence, where he once belonged, onto the List of Brilliance.

The first round of the debate had already stirred up so much tension, but not because of how strong the competitors were; it was because of how "legendary" Ye Futian was.

Ye Futian walked to the center of the gymnasium step by step, finally stopping in front of Ling Xiao.

"Ye Futian, do you accept the challenge?" an elder questioned him. Everyone's eyes were frozen on Ye Futian, awaiting his response.

A huge smile spread across his face. Under the sun, his youthful face looked exceptionally appealing.

"I accept," he replied. A look of surprise immediately spread across the faces of many in the audience, but it quickly turned into amusement. Had he finally realized that there was no escape?

"When I was accepted into the academy, my perception ability was tested to be of the highest level, Sky. I am also about to participate in the debate. I should not have to go through the matrix inspections, then, right?" Ye Futian asked the elder. If he rejected the debate, he would have to go through inspections, and everyone would know what plane he was in; but, if he accepted the challenge, everyone would find out during the battle anyway.

"That is correct," the elder agreed.

Out of the blue, Ling Xiao laughed and said while looking at Ye Futian, "You're about to drop back into reality. How does it feel?"

"After the written exam, I asked you one thing. What are you going to do if the results turn out differently from how you imagined?" Ye Futian said, shaking his head at Ling Xiao. "If you forfeit now, maybe you won't have to experience the shock and humiliation that's to come. Otherwise, with your state of mind, I know you won't be able to withstand it."

Everyone was stunned. How could Ye Futian say something so absurd at a moment like this? Has he gone completely insane?

"How can you still be pretending when everything is about to end for you?" Ling Xiao's rage was through the roof. The Wind Spiritual Qi in his body was bursting at the seams. One foot landed on the floor ahead. His body was moving as fast as the wind as ran toward Ye Futian.

Ling Xiao was a Wind Element Sorcerer in the Invincible Plane. He was in front of Ye Futian in the blink of an eye. He could have easily used the Spiritual Qi within himself to cast a simple spell on Ye Futian, but he was not worthy enough for Ling Xiao to use sorcery. A simple punch would suffice.

"Look out!" shouted Qin Yi from afar. She could not help being nervous after seeing Ling Xiao's attack toward Ye Futian. If Ye Futian was really still in the Collection Plane, he would not be able to handle this punch. Ling Xiao was too much.

Even though almost everyone in the vicinity disliked Ye Futian, they could not help but feel pity for him. He was about to get seriously hurt by this single attack.

Murong Qiu, Murong Qing, and Yang Xiu watched without a worry in the world.

It was as if they had been waiting for this to happen.

There was a loud boom. An unexpected scene unfolded. Ling Xiao halted, his fist did not land on Ye Futian's body. Instead, it was engulfed by Ye Futian's hand.

"This...." Everyone's eyes widened and froze on the scene in the middle of the gymnasium. As Ling Xiao's fist had gotten close, Ye Futian had lifted his hand and stopped the powerful punch like it was nothing.

Could a complete loser in the Collection Plane do that?

Qin Yi, Feng Qingxue, Yang Xiu, Murong Qing, and countless others, all focused on Ye Futian. They were all so surprised and rendered speechless. To easily stop Ling Xiao's punch, Ye Futian had to, at the very least, be in the same plane as him.

That would mean that Ye Futian was a martial art cultivator in the Invincible Plane or higher.

"How...is this possible?" Ling Xiao looked ahead. The only thing he knew was that his fist had been stopped by a powerful force, making it nearly impossible to advance any further.

"I gave you a chance." Ye Futian looked at Ling Xiao. Afterward, a strong intent for battle emitted from his entire being.

The artistic conception of martial arts. He's in the seventh plane of Awakening, the Mystery Plane. Everyone watching Ye Futian shuddered at the sight of him. The infamous loser of the academy was actually a martial arts cultivator in the Mystery Plane.

Furthermore, his gift of martial art perception was of the Sky level and he also ranked first on yesterday's written exam.

He was without a doubt, worthy of being called a 'genius' at the academy.

How many people have mocked, laughed at, and insulted this genius in the past?

"Gosh, this guy really pisses me off!" Qin Yi was conflicted. On the one hand, she could not believe he had kept this from her. Thinking about the bet they made in the classroom, her face flushed red with rage. This rascal had always been shameless. What if he came up with an inappropriate request? Was she really going to have to accept it?

On the other hand, she felt happy. The boy she had seen at the entrance talent inspections all those years ago was still here; he had not given up on his wonderful gift.

However, it was still very puzzling When had he reached this plane?

Feng Qingxue was completely dazed by Ye Futian. She suddenly felt a little lost. A loser? She thought back to what her father had said. After hiding his abilities at the academy for three years, he had emerged from his shell despite all the negativity he had received. Ye Futian really was special.

Standing beside her, Murong Qing did not look too well. Neither did Yang Xiu. Everyone was completely focused on what was going on. Ye Futian looked at Ling Xiao with the slightest of smiles.

"What do you think?"

Ye Futian was repeating Ling Xiao's words back to him.

Ling Xiao broke through the shock and instantly retracted his fist, wanting to back away. Fighting close range with a martial arts cultivator really was a poor choice. He had to widen their distance. He still had a chance.

BOOM! Ling Xiao was not expecting an attack. The powerful force from Ye Futian's kick to the chest caused Ling Xiao to propel backward. He landed on the ground far away, groaning, with blood in his mouth. It looked like he was injured pretty badly.

Ling Xiao managed to pull himself up. He was as pale as a ghost. He glared fiercely at Ye Futian.

"This is what you've always wanted to do to me. How does it feel to get a taste of your own medicine?" Ye Futian did not pity him. He had never done anything to Ling Xiao, yet Ling Xiao had always seen him as an enemy. He was constantly looking for ways to insult Ye Futian. Ling Xiao had made it his goal to see Ye Futian be expelled. Plus, the punch he had delivered earlier had showed no mercy for Ye Futian, either.

Therefore, just as Ye Futian had said, this was simply to give Ling Xiao a taste of his own medicine.

"I'll get you back for this!" said Ling Xiao. He stood and walked toward the crowd looking dejected.

Everyone was still focused on Ye Futian. So, yesterday's written exam wasn't just a fluke.

"Even if you are in the Mystery Plane, do you have to be that arrogant? Aren't you thinking a little too much of yourself?" asked Yang Xiu. He stared right at Ye Futian and continued, "Plus, since you're a martial arts cultivator in the Mystery Plane and I'm a sorcerer in the same plane, this is the perfect chance for us to settle our little dispute from yesterday's written exams. I challenge you to a duel."

During yesterday's written exam, Ye Futian and Yang Xiu fought over the power of martial arts and sorcery cultivators in the Awakening Place. Ye Futian thought that martial arts cultivators had a higher chance of victory in a battle between the two and even the academy elder agreed. As Yang Xiu brought up, this would be the perfect chance to test out each of their theories.

"Do you accept?" Yang Xiu asked Ye Futian.

Ye Futian took a quick look at Yang Xiu. Calmly, he said, "You lost to me during the written exam, and you're definitely going to lose to me now. Haven't you been embarrassed enough?"

Isn't this guy being a bit too cocky? Everyone thought Ye Futian was crazy. How could a martial arts cultivator mock a sorcerer like this?

"Do you accept?" Yang Xiu asked once again.

"Why don't you guys ever listen to what I have to say?" Ye Futian was a little dispirited by this. He then shrugged his shoulders and said, "Fine. If you want it so bad, I'll have to comply."

"He really is crazy." Everyone in Qingzhou Academy was speechless at the Ye Futian's carefree attitude. Even if you were a genius, you still couldn't mock a sorcerer in the same plane! Since when had martial arts cultivators become so arrogant in front of sorcerers?

This boy is really asking to get beat. Even the special guests and instructors on the stage were speechless.

The Legend of Futian -Chapter 14: The Debate

The morning sun shined on Qingzhou Academy, giving the historic academy a golden glow. Outside the academy, a crowd began forming again. There were even more people today than there had been yesterday.

The Fall Quarter Examination was separated into two sections; one day for the written test, and the next day for the debate.

The written test examined the students' knowledge learned over the past year, while the debate tested their talents and planes. There would also be combat to evaluate their cultivation status. Although knowledge was essential for cultivators, power would be the primary texting criteria. Therefore, people considered the debate more crucial than the written test.

Boom, Boom… The ground outside the academy suddenly began to shake as a group of knights began approaching.

"Look! The Dark Qilin Knighthood!" The news quickly made itself through the crowd when everyone saw the knights. The knights were all riding on monsters, Dark Qilins. The monsters' bodies were completely dark, which gave them a very ominous vibe. Rumor had it that the Dark Qilins carried blood from the ancient Qilin, the true lord of the monsters in this world.

"It's General Qin Shuai!" When people saw the middle-aged general of the knights, they voluntarily cleared the way for the riders with ultimate respect to these knights.

The knights were the guardians of the city. People in Qingzhou respected the Knighthood even more than the Lord of the city.

"Did General Qin Shuai come here to see his daughter?" people asked each other. The fact that General Qin Shuai's daughter was an academy student was not a secret.

"No, he is here to check out the future talents of this city," someone said. Others nodded agreement. The young students in the academy would become the pillars of the city in the future, and some would even join the Knighthood. General Qin Shuai had actually once been a student here.

After drawing the attention from the crowd outside, the knights entered the academy. Soon, another group of people arrived with a well-decorated coach in the middle.

"The lord of the city is coming." Every year, the lord of the city would attend the Fall Quarter Exam in an effort to show how much he valued the school. This year was no exception.

"Looks like today more than half of the big chiefs in the city are coming."

"Yep. Today, some of the students will be noticed by them," people outside said to one another.

Meanwhile, inside the arena, the stands were packed to capacity. There wasn't a single empty seat. Most of the students were here, but many of them could only watch the debate. It was a strict rule at the academy that only those who had qualified on the written test could join the debate. It was designed to signify the importance of knowledge.

In the stands, Ye Futian found his father. He looked around and asked, "My godfather didn't come?"

Ye Baichuan shook his head. "He isn't here, but he had some words for you."

"What are they?"

"The first thing is that you have to stay calm under any possible circumstance; The second is not to show all your power until you are cornered into desperation," Ye Baichuan told him plainly.

"Okay, got it." Ye Futian nodded attentively, then looked at Yu Sheng, who was standing next to him. "Did godfather have any words for Yu Sheng?"

Ye Baichuan smiled at Yu Sheng and said, "After you become an official in the academy, you do not have to be stuck here and study all the time. We welcome you to come home often."

"Sure." Ye Futian nodded again, but he seemed a bit disappointed for a second.

"Let's go boys. It's your time to shine today." Ye Baichuan laughed and let them go. They left together for the arena. Seeing them leave, Ye Baichuan felt happy that they had finally grown up.

Feng Ruhai was also talking with his daughter. "You made it to the List of Brilliance on the written test, and you have the second highest level of perception over fire-element power. Besides, you are already in the sixth Awakening Plane, the Invincible. Don't be nervous; just fight for yourself."

"Okay, Dad." She nodded slightly and looked at Ye Futian from far away. As she started walking, she suddenly got a small feeling that Ye Futian was very different than he had always been. She thought some miracle would happen to him today.

The Murong family members were also sitting together. Murong Yunshan looked at the host of the debate and told Murong Qiu, "Few people in this debate have reached the Unmaker plane. If Hua Jieyu does not participate, you have to do your best and beat everyone else. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Father" he nodded. He was confident that he would win.

There were two hosts for this debate: Leng Qingfeng, the Director of the Hall of Swords at the College of Martial Arts, and Shi Zhong, the Director of the Hall of Earth Element at the College of Sorcery. They walked to the center and glanced around the crowd. Suddenly, Shi Zhong said, "Those who qualified in the written test will take part in the debate today. I believe you guys know the rules clearly enough. Now, all participants, please enter."

The students began to enter the arena from various directions.

When Hua Jieyu showed up, she automatically drew the attention of the majority of the crowd. She was so gorgeous and talented at the same time. Unfortunately, she always refused to fight in the Fall Quarter Exam. She only took the test on her talent and level, but never joined the combat.

"She had aced three straight years of written tests until her first failure yesterday, and she still refused to join the debate?"

"I guess she just believed she was too good to be challenged by the others. An incredible honor like the champion of the Fall Quarter Exam seemed to draw little interest from her. What arrogance."

Then many started to look at Ye Futian. Those who were not official students were expecting him to fail this time, believing he had no way of excaping.

Among those people, of course, were Ling Xiao and Yang Xiu. They both looked forward to his failure.

Feng Qingxue was standing next to Murong Qing. They also noticed Ye Futian, which made Murong Qing sneer at him. "Yesterday he was the champion with all the glory, but today he will be the failure again. How hilarious would it be if he got expelled from the academy for being stuck in a low plane even after acing the written test."

Most people were thinking the same thing Murong Qing was. They believed that even though Ye Futian had aced the written test, he was still useless because he had been stuck in the Collection Plane for three years. For a cultivator, their plane was almost everything.

Feng Qingxue remembered seeing Ye Futian at the library yesterday and how she had felt something strange about him. However, she pushed the thought out of her mind.

"Ye Futian, a little bird told me that you went to the library yesterday and checked out two books. One for martial arts, The Release of the Dragon Power, and another one for sorcery, Grand Meteor?" Ling Xiao said as he walked towards Ye Futian, laughing. In fact, the news of Ye Futian checking out these books had already spread around the academy.

"That's our champion of the written test. His taste is so distinguished." Some began to laugh with Ling Xiao. Students in both the College of Martial Arts and the College of Sorcery all sneered when they heard the names of these books. It would be impossible for Ye Futian to learn such profound material. What a fool!

"I would like to experience the power of these two books, but I'm afraid you will have to quit before you use them." Ling Xiao was cold because Ye Futian had aced the written test and humiliated him yesterday; but today, Ye Futian would be the one being humiliated.

Most of them were looking forward to Ye Futian quitting. How humiliating would it be for the champion of the written test to abandon the debate session; but what if he did not quit? It didn't matter regardless, as he would be defeated and expelled from the academy anyway. This meant that no matter what, this guy who had stolen the thunder yesterday was definitely going to be put to shame today. This ironic contrast would be inevitable.

"Ye Futian," someone called him with a cold tone. People looked towards the voice, finding that it was Yang Xiu.

Yang Xiu was also ashamed of what had happened yesterday. He was writhing in anger, and was ready to tear Ye Futian to pieces at any moment.

"Today people are going to know that you are nothing more than a daydreaming talker." Yang Xiu still sounded bitter about what had happened. In fact, many people were looking at Ye Futian with a combination of jealousy and viciousness.

Ye Futian knew how complicated his situation was and involuntarily looked towards the "fox." Almost all the hatred for him had come from the smile she had given him yesterday. In the past, people had only made jokes about him. Now, he was public enemy number one, and it felt as if everyone would spit on him if they had the chance.

"He was the champion of the written test yesterday, Ye Futian. Looks like he has earned all the hatred pointed at him." Some people in the stands were also looking at him with slight smiles.

"People say that he has been stuck in the Collection Plane for three years. He is talented, but has bad methodology. He skipped the last three Fall Quarter Exams, but suddenly aced the written test this year. How strange is that?"

"Yeah, he's good, but he's also in trouble. Other participants are going to kill him." People were still talking about how bad things would go for him. The pressure was pretty high.

Right in the middle of the stage, there was a Spiritual Qi testing matrix inscribed by the masters. It would accurately test the talents of the participants and their perceptions of Spiritual Qi. The students had already been put through this process before, but because their ability would change with cultivation, it was necessary to retest at the Fall Quarter Exam.

A master was standing beside the matrix. He said to the students, "You know the rules. Time for our first challenger."

"I'm ready," someone shouted, walking towards the matrix. It was Ling Xiao.

He stepped onto the matrix and closed his eyes. Soon, the matrix began to shine brightly with the wind whistling through his body. It was the intense power of wind-element flowing all over Ling Xiao. His shirt was drifting with the wind, which gave the audience a sense of his youthfulness and authority.

"Perception of wind-element at the second highest level and sixth Awakening Plane, the Invincible," the master announced, judging his ability. "Who will you challenge?"

"Ye Futian!" Ling Xiao said, looking directly at Ye Futian. He had only volunteered to be first because he wanted to humiliate Ye Futian!

The Legend of Futian - Chapter 13: Success in a Day

Qingzhou Academy was home to the largest library collection in all of Qingzhou.

After the written exam, Ye Futian returned to his dorm to cultivate. Sometime in the afternoon, he arrived at the academy library alone.

He only had access to the first floor of the library. On this floor were books and scrolls containing the most basic of martial art exercises, battle strategies, and simple divination spells. These books were perfect for outer sect disciples in the Awakening Plane.

The second floor of the library was only accessible to official disciples and outer sect disciples who ranked during the Spring or Fall Quarter Examinations. It was every sorcerer's dream to be able to view all these powerful spell books. Feng Qingxue was one of those dreamers and therefore it was her goal to be ranked at the Fall Exam.

However, the second level of the library was not the reason why Ye Futian was here today. He had begun properly cultivating. Aside from the Freedom Meditation, he had not done any martial art exercises, nor had he practiced any spells. Tomorrow's exam might require him to participate in a battle. If he showed up tomorrow with mediocre fighting skills, it would be a huge embarrassment. He could not let that happen; after all, he had ranked first on the written exam. Many people were waiting for him to make a fool out of himself.

The library was split in half, with a martial arts section and a divination arts section. Ye Futian made his way toward the martial arts section.

The sixth level of Awakening was a point of division. Before the Invincible Plane, martial and divination art cultivators had essentially trained in the same way. The difference was that one used Worldly Essence to enhance the body in order to break through the different planes and the other used Elemental Spiritual Qi. The planes were all the same until the division of the Invincible Plane.

When martial art cultivators were able to understand the artistic conception of the exercises, they could break into the Mystery Plane. Sorcerers, however, had to seek out hidden Elemental Spiritual Qi using their abilities to perceive these energies. They had to create harmony between these new energies and the Spiritual Qi they had previously collected in the Collection Plane. Then, and only then, were sorcerers able to break past the Invincible Plane.

Therefore, Qingzhou Academy had a requirement to become an official disciple. If you could make it into the Mystery Plane before your eighteenth birthday, you had the advantage of joining the school of your choice. Or if you were like Yu Sheng, capable of cultivating in both martial and divination arts, you could pursue both.

Even though there weren't many people in the library, there was the still a fair amount of attention on Ye Futian. His results from the written exam put him in the spotlight but in conjunction with the smile he got from Hua Jieyu, the amount of attention this ex-loser got was through the roof.

Rumor had it that he was stuck on the Collection Plane, so why was he here picking out books on martial arts exercises? Everyone was asking themselves this question as they observed Ye Futian quietly.

They watched him as he wandered around the library, stopping here and there. It looked like he was trying to find some suitable cultivation exercises for himself.

A while later, Ye Futian stopped again. He flipped through the book in his hands with great concentration.

The Release of the Dragon Power, studied by warriors, it was an exercise of immense power. The body of the cultivator became like that of a dragon, uncontrollably powerful and fierce.

"The exercise may be harsh, but also powerful." Ye Futian was satisfied with what he had found.

"This is it." He closed the book and was ready to leave.

"You're going to cultivate the Release of the Dragon Power?" an observer asked with a face ridden with curiosity.

"Is there a problem with that?" Ye Futian asked chuckling.

"No problem, it's perfect for you," said the observer, trying to hide their laughter.

Ye Futian could not be bothered. He turned to leave and a round of laughter and gossip ensued behind him.

"Did he come to the library just to put on a show for us?" people questioned his true intentions for coming to the library.

"What do you know, the Release of the Dragon Power is so domineering, fit for someone who ranked number 1 on the written test. Oh, how could I forget, that's Ye Futian!" said another person.

"That's right. First place really is different from the rest of us." The mocking comments and laughter came from behind Ye Futian. The Release of the Dragon Power was very well-known amongst the outer sect disciples. Indeed, it was a powerful exercise, but it required the cultivator to mimic the movements of a dragon, how could that be possible? There had been people who tried but none that had succeeded.

Since Ye Futian came all the way to the library just to take out the Release of the Dragon Power, it was only right to have a little fun.

Ye Futian did not care about what they said. He headed for the divination arts section of the library when he saw two figures headed in his direction, causing him to stop in his tracks.

After being scolded by her father, Feng Qingxue was in a sour mood. So, she decided to look around in the library to get her mind off of it. Plus, after the Fall Quarter hunting practice, she had officially stepped into the sixth level of Awakening, the Invincible Plane. She was finally ready to cultivate the divination arts properly, so it would be perfect for her to find something useful at the library. Feng Qingxue had not even thought about the possibility of running into Ye Futian here.

Her beautiful eyes shone bright, no longer avoiding Ye Futian. She looked right at him and said, "Are you here to pick out some exercise books?"

"Yeah," Ye Futian smiled and nodded lightly.

Feng Qingxue did not know what to say. The atmosphere had become awkward.

"Feng Qingxue, didn't you want to go look at the spell books?" Beside her, Murong Qing pulled Feng Qingxue into the divination arts section after glancing at Ye Futian.

Ye Futian walked in that direction as well. Seeing him in the same section of the library, Murong Qing furrowed her brows and whispered, "Feng Qingxue, I don't think he's given up on you."

Feng Qingxue froze. She then snuck a peek at Ye Futian, only to see him browsing through book labels.

"What a fake." Murong Qing could not help but call him out when she saw what Ye Futian was looking at. Even though he ranked first, it was just a written exam. What did he know about actual cultivation?

Even if he did cultivate, he should be in the martial arts section.

"Maybe he just wants to get an understanding of the divination arts," Feng Qingxue lowered her voice. Ye Futian's performance on the Fall Quarter Written Examinations had truly left an impression on her. To rank first on the written exam required a deep knowledge and understanding of every class in both arts.

"Martial Divination?" Murong Qing saw the book in Ye Futian's hands. Her sarcastic smile widened and unrelentingly opened her mouth, "If you're going to be a poser, can you try a little harder? You're not fooling anyone holding that baby book."

Everyone around heard her words and looked at Ye Futian. Most of them began to laugh when they realized what she said was true. He was, indeed, holding a book which contained the most basic of spells. Martial Divination were spells that you would only use to trick children.

Ye Futian closed the book and put it under his arms with the Release of the Dragon Power. He then turned to look at Murong Qing quizzically. "Do I even know you?" Ye Futian asked and walked away, not taking a second look at Murong Qing.

"You..." Murong Qing pointed her finger at Ye Futian's back, not knowing what to say, then she finally mustered, "Seems like you got quite cocky after ranking first on the written test. You even have the nerve to come to the library and try to look good in front of us while holding a book like Martial Divination. Forget the fact that you're a complete loser; even if you were a proper cultivator, a martial art cultivator like you would never be good enough for Feng Qingxue!"

Feng Qingxue was a sorcerer, as was Murong Qing. Sorcerers all think that they are better than martial art cultivators. After all, in some sense, all sorcerers had the innate ability to cultivate in martial arts. All they had to do was cultivate Elemental Spiritual Qi as they would Worldly Essence, but other than those who were truly gifted in cultivating both arts, no sorcerers would waste their time on martial art development.

Ye Futian did not want to be bothered with what she said, but nothing could stop Murong Qing as she went on, "Besides, you'll be back to where you started after tomorrow. First rank? What a joke. Once a loser, always a loser. I can't wait to see how you'll make a fool out of yourself tomorrow."

Ye Futian took his two books to be registered then left the library. Inside the library was overtaken by a wave of gossip. People mostly whispered about the two books he had taken out, the Release of the Dragon Power and Martial Divination. How ridiculous was that?

Feng Qingxue quietly listened on. She had nothing to say. Even though Ye Futian had smiled at her, she still felt an invisible line separating them. He did as she asked and kept his distance from her but Feng Qingxue did not know why there was discomfort in her heart.

......

"The Release of the Dragon Power and Martial Divination," Yu Sheng was surprised upon seeing the two books. He looked at Ye Futian. "Are you cultivating in both arts and starting with martial arts?"

"Yeah, Mandate Sorcerers are called sorcerers because we're innately gifted with the elements. However, Mandate Sorcerers are also extremely suited for the cultivation of the martial arts. Naturally, I can't put Heaven's gift to waste!" Ye Futian nodded and continued, "As for my reason for starting in the martial arts, that's because at my level the sorcery I can cultivate is still not powerful enough. It's all the basics. I can't unleash my full potential as a sorcerer yet."

"Then what about Martial Divination?" Yu Sheng was very curious.

"It's better to be prepared for everything." Ye Futian gave him a mysterious smile. "Besides, cultivation of Martial Divination is super easy, it won't take up much of my time."

Yu Sheng nodded his head, not having any more questions. Ye Futian spoke again, "That fox probably has no interest in the debate as usual and will not participate. If she doesn't then I will try to get ranked first in the Fall Quarter Examinations overall."

"Okay." Yu Sheng nodded, if this was what Ye Futian wanted, then this was what he was going to do. He had already gotten on the List of Brilliance; if he was able to stand out above everyone tomorrow, then he could definitely get first place for the entire exam.

"I'm going to cultivate," said Ye Futian. He then made his way to the designated cultivation area and flipped through the Release of the Dragon Power. Looking at the words and diagrams in the book, he closed his eyes. Seconds later, a rumbling noise began. He was surrounded by flashes of lightning, which intensified by the second.

The fearful lightning roamed across his body. Ye Futian observed the dragon in his mind as it roared and danced. Its aura was powerful.

In his body, the Thunder and Lightning Spiritual Qi slowly shaped itself until it was in the form of a dragon. It looked just like the dragon in his Life Palace, incredibly realistic.

Others who had tried to cultivate the Release of the Dragon Power failed to replicate the form of a dragon, but to Ye Futian, this was no problem at all.

Using the exercises from the book, the dragon formed by the thunder and lightning charged recklessly throughout his body. It passed through his nerves, organs, limbs, and bones. It was everywhere. Instantly, Ye Futian's face turned bright red, then white. It seemed like he was in great pain. A groan slipped out every now and then.

The Release of the Dragon Power was immensely powerful and took a huge toll on one's body. It was all to create the image of a dragon within one's self, allowing your own body to become like that of a dragon.

This one session went from day to night. When the sun rose the next day, a figure was dancing in the yard of the dorm. It was Ye Futian. He was still cultivating the tactics in the Release of the Dragon Power, his movements big and powerful. His surroundings were brightened with a curtain of light. Circling his body was a faintly formed dragon, at times it almost looked like a real dragon.

A loud roar sounded with a single punch from Ye Futian. It sounded like a dragon had broken free. Another loud noise sounded from a distance away; a wall had collapsed.

Someone ran onto the scene. It was Yu Sheng. Upon witnessing the crime scene, his eyes fell on Ye Futian.

"You've achieved the artistic conception of martial arts. You're in the Mystery Plane of martial art cultivation," stated Yu Sheng.

"The seventh plane of Awakening." Ye Futian smiled. "Looks like we'll have to get someone to fix that wall. Tell them you broke it while cultivating."

"You're throwing me under the bus?" Yu Sheng stared at him in disbelief.

"Of course!" Ye Futian laughed and headed back to his room. He was dripping with sweat and needed to shower in preparation for the beginning of today's Fall Quarter Examinations.

The Legend of Futian - Chapter 12: Fellow Brothers

Ye Futian was upset. The others were just jealous.

Was Hua Jieyu smiling at him? Did they already know each other?

It was impossible. How could this legendary loser have gotten the chance to know the real legend of the academy? It must have been that his performance on the written test had made her a bit curious about him. People tried to justify why Hua Jieyu knew none of them, yet she knew Ye Futian.

"Yep, that must be true. Ye Futian will fail tomorrow anyway. What happened today is just another part of his daydream."

The crowd was dismissed. Ye Futian and Yu Sheng walked towards the stands, where Ye Baichuan was waiting for them. When he saw the boys, he laughed. "Good job boy. You really are my blood."

"Good job? Who was gloating about having an excellent son minutes ago to everyone? Where are those big words now?" Feng Ruhai was also laughing. "You are impressive; congratulations."

"Sure, so is Qingxue. She made it to the List of Brilliance," Ye Baichuan said.

"Come here son, I have to ask you something." Ye Baichuan walked away, his son following him. Ye Baichuan stopped and showed a sly smile to Ye Futian. "Tell me, are you being mean to Qingxue because you are going after someone better? Be honest with me."

Ye Futian felt so awkward. It seemed that the smile Hua Jieyu had given him had also caused some silly misunderstanding for his father.

"This is really complicated. Leave me alone; I will deal with it." Ye Futian shrugged his shoulders.

Ye Baichuan gazed at his eyes and said, "Okay, you take care of this; it's none of my business anymore. Now that you have aced the written test, what about tomorrow?"

Ye Futian looked serious, and showed a curious face to Ye Baichuan. "In our family ancestry, were there any great Mandate Sorcerers with cultivation specialized in Freedom Meditation?"

"Of course. I take it you have awakened already?" Ye Baichuan immediately realized what had happened.

"Yes," Ye Futian nodded.

"Good!" Ye Baichuan suddenly slapped his son on the shoulder. He was so excited that his palm made a cracking sound when it hit Ye Futian's head. He retracted his palm when he saw the painful expression on his son's face.

"What are you doing, Dad?" Ye Futian stared at his father. "So, if we have great family ancestors, why am I the only one who awakened with that special talent?"

"That's definitely because of my efforts."

Ye Baichuan was taking this for granted. Ye Futian frowned. His father must have been even more shameless than he was at his age.

"I'll tell your godfather the good news. He will be so happy for you, son. Maybe he will come and watch tomorrow by himself," Ye Baichuan said. Ye Futian's eyes suddenly lit up with hope. Ever since he was a child, his godfather had told him that one day he would be awakened, and it had finally happened. He could not wait to see the happiness on his godfather's face.

As the two were talking, Feng Ruhai also began to speak with his daughter. He asked, "When did Ye Futian meet Hua Jieyu? Has he been mean to you since then?"

Apparently both fathers believed that Ye Futian had betrayed Feng Qingxue for another beautiful girl. Feng Qingxue realized the misunderstanding and shook her head to deny it.

"Then what's going on? Tell me the truth." Feng Ruhai wanted to know what was going on.

Feng Qingxue hesitated for a second, then slowly told her father the whole story.

"That is stupid." Feng Ruhai seemed angry about what she had said. "That's not how you deal with relationships. You have known Futian for years. You guys have been arguing and joking forever. There should be nothing that you cannot just sit down and talk about. How rude of you to let someone step in between that! It was not a rejection of pursuit, it was a farewell. Not to mention that this boy has always loved to joke. There is a clear difference between asking you to cultivate and asking you out on a date. As for Yu Sheng, how could he not be angry enough to be unfriendly to you in public? You even hung out with Murong Qiu after all this happened. Have you ever stopped to think about Futian? How is he supposed to deal with the aftermath of your inappropriateness?"

"Nothing is going on between Murong Qiu and me. We only went hunting together because of his cousin, Murong Qing. I needed some extra help from someone powerful." Feng Qingxue began to defend herself stubbornly. "I know he likes to make jokes, but come on dad; we are both grown-ups. He definitely crossed the line with a joke like that. I believe what Murong Qing said about keeping some distance makes sense."

"I know that nothing is going on between Murong Qiu and you, but hanging out with another guy after turning down Futian? That is humiliating. Can't you understand that?" Feng Ruhai sounded more serious as he stared at his daughter. "You have known each other since birth, and your Uncle Ye is my best friend. We respect your choices in handling the relationship between yourselves, but you have embarrassed me."

Feng Qingxue tried to be strong and keep herself from crying because she seldom saw her father being strict like this. She felt uncomfortable. She looked at her father and said, "I hope what I did is not getting in between you and Uncle Ye. We are both grown-ups, and we will never regret our choices."

"Come on, girl." Feng Ruhai shook his head. "Don't you realize that all you did was mask your feelings? You rejected him in such a terrible way because you think that you are way out of his league. You believe that you are mature enough to make these decisions, but a pure friendship without interest and calculation is the most beautiful thing in this world. You would not regret it if Futian kept being laid back as he has always been, but what about today? He just became the new star of this academy. Please tell me you don't regret your actions even a little bit now."

She reluctantly acknowledged to herself that she did regret what she had done, especially after seeing the new Ye Futian, but she remained silent.

"I have seen Futian grow up over the years. He looks lazy and casual, but deep inside, a tiger is waking up," Feng Ruhai continued, "He has been bearing the insults from others for three years at this academy. Can you think of anyone else with as much tolerance as he has? He is not just some normal guy that you'd never regret missing, trust me."

After his speech, Feng Ruhai shook his head and left, leaving Feng Qingxue dumbfounded.

A tiger…waking up inside. Her eyes turned to a figure in the distance. Soon she turned back and went to the dorm.

Ye Futian also said goodbye to his father. He looked towards the arena and found that Qin Yi was staring at him from far away.

He pointed his forefinger towards the sky and smiled at Qin Yi with a strong sense of confidence. This gesture conveyed a simple message: Just wait.

Qin Yi eyed him, then walked away. She was also disturbed by what he had done. She had never imagined that this guy could ace the written Fall Quarter Exam. She had a faint feeling that another miracle would happen tomorrow. Suddenly, she realized that she had a weird sense of hope and expectation.

The crowd was finally gone, and the arena became quiet. However, tomorrow this place would be even more busy. The Fall Quarter Exam had always been the annual focus of the city. After the lists had been announced, the crowd waiting outside the academy soon heard about what Ye Futian had done. It was absolutely fantastic for someone to win over Hua Jieyu and Yang Xiu on the written test. Those who knew this infamous boy before felt even more thrilled by this miracle.

......

During lunch, the restaurants of Qingzhou were full of customers. Inside a fancy restaurant next to Qingzhou Academy, a group was hatching a plan.

Murong Qiu, student of Qingzhou Academy, now sat in a private room. Beside him were the elders of the Murong family. They were led by the current head of this big family, Murong Yunshan, Murong Qiu's father.

"The Fall Quarter Exam today reminded me of our past, decades ago. Brother, we were both big shots in the academy, do you remember?" Murong Yunshan looked at the middle-aged man sitting opposite him, feeling a sense of nostalgia.

"How could I ever forget that you were the champion and I was in second place for so many years," the middle-aged man laughed.

"I can't believe you remember. It's been decades. Sometimes I still want to go back to being careless youth, but it's impossible now. I have been glued to mundane business, and the passion I once had is gone. Your life looks way easier than mine, I must say." Murong Yunshan laughed.

"Are you serious? You are the head of an influential family. Why are you so modest when you have so much power? Me? I just hang around in the academy and teach my students some spells to kill time. That's all." The middle-aged man shook his head. Actually, he did not just hang around. He was Shi Zhong, the director of the Earth Element Hall, which was one of seven branches in the College of Sorcery. He was one of the academy's true masters.

"Modest?" Murong Yunshan kept laughing, "Okay, let me be honest. I do have some business that I need your help with."

Shi Zhong got down to business. "Just lay it out."

"I am sure you know the situation of our family. Competition is fierce for the leader position. My son has so many of his own cousins and brothers competing against him that he cannot afford to lose the test tomorrow. He may not have performed well today, but I have to help him prepare better for tomorrow. You know that his talents and power are among the top," he continued, "He is already seventeen, and he is taking the exam after reaching the highest Awakening Plane, the Unmaker. Rumors and criticism will surround the family if he does not ace the test tomorrow."

Shi Zhong did not seem affected by what he said. He knew that Murong Yunshan was making the plea for his son's sake.

"You know that those who are in this exam have mostly been stuck under the seventh Awakening Plane. Just make sure Murong Qiu performs well enough in the debate tomorrow to beat the others. If he does, I might have some solid reasoning to persuade the panel to name him the champion."

"Hua Jieyu is too proud to attend the debate. If she does, she will do so well that she will be the champion and end the rumors anyway. If she does not show up, my son will have his best shot tomorrow. Then it is you who will decide his future." Murong Yunshan then tried to bribe him, saying, "If you need anything in the future for cultivation, and I mean anything, just tell me; I'll take care."

"Of course; your business is my business." Shi Zhong definitely understood what was going on.

"After Qiu enters your Hall, he's going to need a lot of help from my brother. Cheers! To our friendship!" Murong Yunshan took his cup and drank. A conspiracy was forming harmoniously inside this room.