Chapter 117 – Do You Like Him?
Luo Sheng’s cheeks were studded with sweat, while his nervousness was visible on his face.
All that cheering was beginning to get to him, as he wasn’t as seasoned as Jing Feng and Mo Nan, and simply couldn’t stand up under so much pressure.
“Boy, come and fight me. If you get distracted again, I’ll kill you.” Jing Feng sneered.
Jing Feng had taken out his weapon for this fight, and was now holding a Spear in his hands. The Spear’s entire body was made of gold; it looked very heavy and very domineering. Jing Feng liked calling it the ‘Hegemon Pike’.
The Hegemon Pike stood tall next to Jing Feng, and its gleaming and glittering texture exposed the underlying threat it carried.
Although Luo Sheng was also using a good quality magic weapon, he simply couldn’t stand up to Jing Feng’s might.
As the battle progressed, Luo Sheng started falling under the wind, and the outcome had become quite obvious.
“Get out of here!” Jing Feng swept his spear directly at Luo Sheng, and pushed him out of the ring.
Even though Jing Feng was far stronger, he made sure that Luo Sheng wasn’t hurt too badly, since he wanted Luo Sheng to continue fighting in the tournament.
After he was done with Luo Sheng, Jing Feng looked over at Bi Fan. The look in his eyes was clearly saying, ‘I’ve kept my promise’.
Bi Fan nodded, and looked over at Luo Sheng, and sneered.
Jing Feng’s victory was obviously followed by a burst of cheers, as the females in the arena went wild only again.
As for the boys, well, they were mostly jealous of Jing Feng, which is why they mostly jeered at him.
Jing Feng smartly walked off the stage; his face was as calm as ever. He had gotten used to this over the years.
Mo Nan registered his victory pretty soon as well, and won his fight with absolute supremacy.
There were a few other fighters who had already stepped into the ‘transformation’ layer, and they too won their fights quite conveniently.
Yu Qing Yang watched the proceeding in silence, and would occasionally nod his head.
Yan Yu Si had no interest in any of the fighters, and was only present to watch Bi Fan in action; why? Even she, herself, wasn’t sure.
Of course, Yan Yu Si was certain that she didn’t have any feeling for Bi Fan; in fact, she had never even considered the aspect.
Yan Yu Si was always in pursuit of finding an extraordinary genius, so much so, that she had completely forgone of her personal feeling, and had already shut out all suitors.
Even though Shaui Ying Tian had tried to use his proximity and influence to impress her, he had never managed to succeed. Yan Yu Si had never given him any kind of importance.
Bi Fan on the other hand was faring much better in comparison, since he was at least able to get her to guide him.
Of course, Bi Fan didn’t know this, which in one way, was a good thing. If he found out at this time, then he may not even be able to sleep properly, out of sheer excitement.
After an hour’s rest, the tournament proceeded to the third round.
Up until now, Bi Fan had won each of his fights with exceptional ease.
In this round however, Bi Fan was matched against a ‘transformation’ layer opponent; so naturally, things were bound to drag on a bit this time.
He was a seasoned disciple, and his name was Ji Ying Lan. He was Yu Qing Yang’s direct student.
Ji Ying Lan was also quite young, and had already entered into the ‘Transformation’ layer; so obviously, he was also regarded as a genius. However, he still wasn’t considered at par with the likes of Jing Feng and Mo Nan.
Now that Ji Ying Lan was to face Bi Fan, Yu Qing Yang was obviously quite concerned with the output of the match.
Yu Qing Yang said: “Ji Ying Lan is a very season fighter, and even though isn’t exceptional, he’s always been very hardworking, and he’s very persistent. He’s only ever practiced the ‘Fufeng Double-edged Sword’, but his knowledge of the technique is very profound. He’s ‘The’ expert when it comes to this technique, and is more skilled than any man Bi Fan has met so far. On top of that, he has a layer’s advantage over Bi Fan. Who do you think will win this time?”
“Bi Fan. Bi Fan’s certainly going to be the winner.” Yan Yu Si was very positive, and firm. She sounded extremely confident of Bi Fan’s ability.
“Oh, you’re that confident?” Yu Qing Yang was a little surprised.
In reality, even Yu Qing Yang could sense that Bi Fan was the stronger fighter, but he wasn’t very optimistic about Bi Fan’s chances, since Ji Ying Lan had a much deeper understanding of his martial skills.
“Father, let’s make a bet. If Bi Fan wins, then you promise me that no matter what happens in the future, you will always use your position to back Bi Fan. Even if Bi Fan makes an enemy with an elder like Luo Xiao Tian, then you will support Bi Fan wholeheartedly.” Yan Yu Si said.
Yan Yu Si knew that it wasn’t possible for her to be present in the Quinyang Mountains throughout the year, which is why she knew that she wouldn’t be able to protect Bi Fan from Luo Sheng properly. She needed to provide Bi Fan with a backer who could; someone who had real control, and power.
If Bi Fan had a falling out with Luo Xiao Tian, then he would surely abandon the Quinyang Sect. Yan Yu Si wanted to ensure Bi Fan’s immunity to such a situation; not for her sake, but for that of the Sect.
“Good! I’ll take that bet. But if Ji Ying Lan wins, then you will stay in the Quinyang Sect for another month, and you will spend time with your old father.” Yu Qing Yang smiled.
“It’s a deal.” Yan Yu Si exposed a pleased smile.
The contest between Bi Fan and Ji Ying Lan started. Since the opponent was a ‘transformation’ layer fighter, Bi Fan couldn’t give him too many chances, so he finally drew his purple-feathered sword.
Bi Fan stood in the ring, with his purple-feathered sword in hand, in a posture that almost resembled that of a hero.
His opponent, Yu Qing Yang’s student, Ji Ying Lan, was using a greenish colored magical weapon; a bamboo sword.
This sword is made out of a special kind of bamboo, which only grows in the Quinyang Mountains. Only one amongst a million Bamboos has the right composition to be used for the making of such a sword.
These Bamboo swords are very elegant, tenacious, and durable. They are perfect for Quinyang’s skills set, and are great for casting out the ‘Fufeng Double-edged sword’ technique.
With his feather-light sword in hand, Ji Ying Lan elegantly casted out the ‘Fufeng Double-edged Sword’ from the start. His movements were clean, and looked rather casual, but were concealing a murderous strength within.
This was the first time that Bi Fan had ever come across someone who had such a sophisticated knowledge of the ‘Fufeng Double-edged Sword’ technique. Bi Fan had always considered himself to be good at the skill, but now that he saw Ji Ying Lan in action, he realized that he had a lot to learn.
Bi Fan wasn’t anxious about winning, and started casting out the same skill in return, and was hoping to rely on the ‘Rainy-fly Sword’ and ‘Floating Sword’ techniques for a.s.sistance, if things got out of hand.
Bi Fan continued to memorize his opponent’s movements, and couldn’t help but admire the man’s exquisite knowledge of the technique, as he praised: “Amazing power. I never thought that the ‘Fufeng Double-edged Sword’ could be used to such an effect. The power he can produce is significantly higher than anything I’ve ever seen before.”
Bi Fan had already forgotten that this was a contest, as he was completely engrossed in learning from his opponent. Whilst continuing to observe his opponent’s movements, Bi Fan started making changes to his own. Even though the changes that he made were quite subtle, he was somehow able to oust even Ji Ying Lan in some steps.
It turned out that Bi Fan wasn’t just trying to memorize the skill; he was also prioritizing in making changes to suit his own style.
No matter how fiercely Ji Ying Lan attacked, Bi Fan was always able to parry his attack.
In contrast, Ji Ying Lan was completely taken aback, as he was beginning to realize that Bi Fan’s movements were beginning to get more and more subtle, and his opponent had even started out doing his own moves, in some places.
Ji Ying Lan had been practicing the ‘Fufeng double-edged sword’ for over a decade, before he had been able to achieve this level of expertise, and he had always been proud of his accomplishment.
At the start, Bi Fan was casting out the ‘Fufeng Double-edges sword’ like any other ordinary disciple, and wasn’t even able to make any clever movements with it either.
But as the fight wore on, Bi Fan’s sword-play continued to improve, and started becoming more and more sophisticated, and gradually, he was even able to match up to Ji Ying Lan’s expertise.
Ji Ying Lan was horror-stricken; he simply couldn’t believe his eyes.
Yu Qing Yang and Yan Yu Si’s eyes reflected the splendor they were witnessing in action. Yan Yu Si smiled: “I never expected that Bi Fan would have such a strong learning ability. He’s far too perceptive. He’s even capable of learning a new skill in the middle of a fight.”
“This child is really extra-ordinary, and worthy of being trained vigorously.” Yu Qing Yang said.
At this moment, Yu Qing Yang had finally recognized Bi Fan’s talents, and had already decided that he would wholeheartedly support Bi Fan in the future.
Yan Yu Si could see that Yu Qing Yang had finally approved of Bi Fan, which is why she was quite happy, as revealed a rare, and a beautiful smile.
Yu Qing Yang noticed the change in her facial expression: “Yan Yu Si, ah, do you like him?”
“What?” Yan Yu Si reacted as if someone had stepped on her tail: “Father, how could you even think that? I don’t bother myself with feelings; I solely focus on my training.”
“Not a very good thing!” Yu Qing Yang swiveled his eyes, as he really didn’t know what to say, or think.