Xia Ning Chang, perched elegantly in a tree like a mysterious figure straight out of a wuxia drama, was diligently recording the battle's outcome in her small book.
Yang Kai—Victory.
Wait. What?
For two whole years, Yang Kai had participated in one hundred and forty-seven fights. And do you know what his record was?
0 Wins. 147 Losses.
He was basically the living definition of a tutorial boss—easy EXP for everyone who challenged him. And yet… today…
Today, history was rewritten.
Her usually calm demeanor cracked, and in her shock, she momentarily forgot an important detail:
She was standing on a very, very high branch.
Before she could register her mistake, gravity did its thing.
"Ai~ya!"
A masked female figure could now be seen plummeting from a thirty-foot-high tree. Her robes fluttered wildly as she tumbled, her descent neither graceful nor dignified.
At the last second, she channeled her energy, cushioning the fall so she wouldn't end up as a Xia Ning Pancake. However… her landing gear—aka, her butt—took all the damage.
Smack!
She hit the ground, her entire soul vibrating from the impact.
For a brief moment, she just sat there, staring at nothing. Her bottom burned like she'd just sat on a hot wok, and she swore she could see steam rising from her robes.
Xia Ning Chang looked around nervously, but realised there was nobody present and released a sigh of relief.
If anyone had seen that, she would have to change her name, move to another sect, and live in exile for the rest of her life.
Quickly, she activated her internal energy to dispel the pain.
This was all Yang Kai's fault.
How dare he win a fight so suddenly that it caused her, a proud disciple of the Dark Hall, to lose her balance?!
Her eyes narrowed. Something didn't add up.
Xia Ning Change could not wrap her head around Yang Kai 's strength. He was just gone for a few days, so how did his strength increase this much?
Those people who had witnessed the scene naturally could not be compared to Xia Ning Chang. Their cultivation was far lower than hers, so they couldn't see the truth of the matter.
In that moment when Yang Kai had struck out, Xia Ning Chang clearly felt the atmospheric energy within Yang Kai 's channels had been aroused. This clearly demonstrated that he was at least at the tempered body fourth stage, additionally it even looked like his actual strength surpassed this stage.
But wasn't he only at the tempered body third stage a few days ago?
This damn disciple.
Not only had he lied about his strength, but he also had the audacity to shock her so badly that she fell out of a tree.
Unforgivable.
Unconsciously, she clenched her fists. If Yang Kai thought she would let this go, he had another thing coming!
.......
Meanwhile…
Yang Kai casually glanced toward the area Xia Ning Chang had just fallen from.
For a second, he thought he heard something—a short scream, a thud, and what sounded suspiciously like someone cursing him under their breath.
He squinted into the distance.
Nothing.
Huh. Must have been his imagination.
Shrugging, he turned back to Su Mu, who had finally recovered from the shock of watching his minion get rag-dolled across the battlefield.
"You… you cheated!" Su Mu pointed dramatically at Yang Kai, his voice filled with righteous indignation.
Yang Kai blinked. Then blinked again.
"...Excuse me?"
Su Mu stomped his foot. "You heard me! There's no way you won fair and square!"
Yang Kai sighed, rubbing his temples. "Su Disciple, listen. You can eat whatever you want, but you can't just spew nonsense. When did I cheat?"
Su Mu opened his mouth… then closed it.
That was a very good question.
Under hundreds of watchful eyes, how could Yang Kai have cheated?
Zhou Hu had literally announced, "I will take three strikes!" and then proceeded to get obliterated in exactly three moves.
Even Su Mu's own lackeys were starting to look awkward. One of them leaned over and whispered:
"Uh… Master Su… I think we miscalculated. This brat isn't at Tempered Body Third Stage anymore. He's definitely ranked up. Otherwise, there's no way he could have beaten Zhou Hu."
Su Mu twitched.
"Brother Yang Kai," he said, forcing his tone to remain cold and measured. "You've done well to hide your strength."
Yang Kai shrugged. "You never asked."
Fine. Fine! He would let this go for now.
"Let us settle this score later," Su Mu declared. "Next time, you won't be so lucky."
Then, with a dramatic wave of his hand, he turned on his heel and stormed off. His remaining minions rushed to pick up the unconscious Zhou Hu before following their boss, muttering amongst themselves.
Meanwhile, in Yang Kai's Head:
Young Master provokes me? Check.
Young Master gets humiliated? Check.
Young Master vows revenge and leaves dramatically?Double check.
Yang Kai exhaled deeply.
This was so predictable it almost felt scripted.
Still, he wasn't complaining. Su Mu's constant challenges meant more sparring opportunities. And sparring was exactly what he needed to gauge the true extent of his growth.
Today's battle had ended too quickly.
Yang Kai clenched his fist, his expression contemplative.
He still wasn't satisfied.
With Su Mu and his lackeys gone, the crowd slowly dispersed, but many of them left with one thought:
Yang Kai, the two-year losing streak trial disciple… had actually won.
And not just won.
He dominated.
For the first time in forever, the underdog had bitten back.
And somewhere in the distance, a certain masked female sat on the ground, still rubbing her sore butt, glaring in Yang Kai's direction.
This was not over.