Chapter 89

Chapter 89: Confrontation.

"Is this for me?" Ye Shi asked, holding a stack of rune papers.

"Yes!" Mu Chen confirmed as if it were the most natural thing.

"Why give this to me?" Ye Shi questioned.

"The next stage of your 'Hundred Tempering Body Technique' requires the aid of flames. The flame in this rune paper lasts about the time it takes to burn an incense stick. You can use it directly for cultivation or try to absorb it. Although the flame is weak, its quality is good," Mu Chen explained.

Carefully storing the rune papers, Ye Shi grinned, "Understood."

Ye Shi, arm-in-arm with Mu Chen, headed towards the academy.

"How has Elder Jing been treating you?" Mu Chen asked nonchalantly.

Ye Shi nodded and responded, "He's been good to me! Except..." He's always vying with me for the cakes made by Mu Chen. That part isn't great.

His master always complained about the low spiritual energy in the cakes, commenting that Mu Chen should use better ingredients.

"Except for?" Mu Chen looked puzzled.

Shaking his head, Ye Shi replied, "It's nothing, really! Master is great, just a bit... gluttonous."

Rolling his eyes, Mu Chen thought: 'And Ye Shi dares call Jing Chiyan gluttonous?', "As long as he's good to you."

…………

"Ye Shi, you've crossed the line!" Zhuang Yu stood at the academy's entrance steps, her eyes burning with indignation.

Ye Shi clenched his fists, his face darkening immensely. Zhuang Yu, that scoundrel, always seemed to challenge his limited patience by continuously provoking him, despite Ye Shi's attempts to avoid him.

"Zhuang Yu, what are you trying to achieve?" Ye Shi glared at him, gritting his teeth.

Mu Chen squinted, standing beside Ye Shi, gazing at Zhuang Yu with confusion.

Zhuang Yu fixed his eyes on Mu Chen, holding his head high and puffing out his chest, indignantly declared, "Ye Shi, no matter what, Ye Rong is your sister! Even if you are now Master Jing's disciple, with an elevated status, you shouldn't forget your roots, nor should you look down upon or harm your sister!"

Ye Rong stood pitifully beside Zhuang Yu, surrounded by a group of her protectors. They all cast accusing glances at Ye Shi.

Ye Shi observed Zhuang Yu's self-righteous demeanor, grinding his teeth in frustration.

That woman! Ever since childhood, Ye Rong had set numerous traps for him. He'd been magnanimous enough not to retaliate, and now this Zhuang Yu, ignorant of their past, dared to criticize him?

Mu Chen's eyelids twitched. In the books, Zhuang Yu was depicted as a righteous youth who stood up for the weak. Was his sense of justice overwhelming him now?

Zhuang Yu stood on the steps, looking down at Ye Shi with an expression of pure righteousness on his handsome face.

Ye Shi lowered his head and then suddenly lifted his gaze, staring coldly at Zhuang Yu. He sneered, "Meddler! Mind your own business!"

Zhuang Yu stared at the mocking Ye Shi, his face contorting in anger.

Several students gathered around, eager for a show. Feeling the mocking glances from the crowd, Zhuang Yu's face burned with embarrassment.

"Ye Shi, you're beyond redemption," Zhuang Yu stated tersely.

Ye Shi chuckled coldly, retorting sharply, "Beyond redemption? Look who's talking! So protective of her, what's going on between you two? Seems you swing both ways, huh?"

Mu Chen: "..."

"You... you're talking nonsense!" Zhuang Yu responded indignantly.

"Nonsense? Why are you defending her so fervently? Look at you, so desperate for attention. How could you stoop so low?" Ye Shi exclaimed with widened eyes.

Mu Chen: "..."

Zhuang Yu's face reddened with anger as he glared at Ye Shi. This guy was always playing the victim, always blaming him despite his own misdeeds.

Zhuang Yu's gaze shifted to Mu Chen, noticing his concerned look towards Ye Shi, which agitated Zhuang Yu further.

Initially, Zhuang Yu thought that by defending Ye Rong, Mu Chen would see Ye Shi's true colors and leave him.

However, observing Mu Chen now, there wasn't a hint of disdain towards Ye Shi. What could possibly be so good about Ye Shi when he’s clearly malevolent?

With his gift of gab, "innocent and kind-hearted" Zhuang Yu was no match for Ye Shi.

"Ye Shi, you've crossed the line! I'm going to teach you a lesson today," Zhuang Yu proclaimed sternly.

Ye Shi scoffed, "Oh, I'm so scared! Come at me if you dare!"

Mu Chen: "..."

Though Zhuang Yu usually appeared aloof and refined, Ye Shi's taunts clearly affected him, darkening his expression.

"You..." Unable to hold back, Zhuang Yu swung a palm towards Ye Shi.

Ye Shi, noticing Zhuang Yu's move, felt a surge of excitement. He was waiting for Zhuang Yu to make the first move. Fighting was prohibited at school, but if Zhuang Yu struck first, any retaliation from him would merely be seen as defensive.

Eagerly, Ye Shi met Zhuang Yu's blow, and the two quickly became entangled in combat.

Jing Chiyang was known for his ruthless and domineering style. After training under him for a while, Ye Shi's moves were just as fierce.

Though Zhuang Yu appeared frail, as the main character with enhanced abilities and a third-tier martial artist status, his strength was undeniable.

"Boom!" Their hands clashed, causing an explosion that startled many bystanders.

Both Ye Shi and Zhuang Yu had entered the academy through the third-round exemption. Many had doubted their abilities, but witnessing this duel, all suspicions evaporated.

The surrounding spectators immediately began to whisper among themselves.

"Lan Shao, should we intervene?" One of Zhuang Yu's guards asked Lan Ruofeng.

Lan Ruofeng frowned, thinking it's a feud between Zhuang Yu and Ye Shi. If they intervened, it might make Zhuang Yu appear weaker than Ye Shi.

"Let's wait a little longer," Lan Ruofeng said.

"Ye Shi is so brash, striking with such ferocity," one of Zhuang Yu's bodyguards remarked.

"Indeed," Lan Ruofeng muttered, eyes narrowed.

Elsewhere, the spectating students eagerly watched the duel.

"Ye Shi, that was impressive!"

"Zhuang Yu looks so frail, but he's surprisingly strong."

"Both their abilities are on par with a three-star martial artist, but their combat strength is almost comparable to a five-star one..."

…………

As the battle intensified, Zhuang Yu, unable to gain the upper hand, grew increasingly impatient.

Ye Shi felt frustrated as he couldn't best Zhuang Yu.

As time progressed, the gap between the two became apparent. Zhuang Yu's elemental power was on par with Ye Shi's, but physically, he lagged behind.

Ye Shi always had better physical endurance than Zhuang Yu, and his consistent training regime set him apart.

Ye Shi believed others might not know Zhuang Yu's intention of defending Ye Rong, but he was sure of it. Despite Zhuang Yu's righteous façade, his sole aim was to make Mu Chen despise him.

Zhuang Yu, that scoundrel, with all his past and present affairs, still can't let go of Mu Chen.

"Lan Shao, it seems things aren't going well for Master Zhuang," remarked a man beside Lan Ruofeng.

Lan Ruofeng's brow furrowed as he silently observed the battle.

"Smack!" Ye Shi's slap landed hard on Zhuang Yu's face, drawing gasps from the crowd.

Ye Shi narrowed his eyes. He knew he couldn't kill Zhuang Yu, but he could certainly humiliate him.

Zhuang Yu felt a burning sensation on his cheek. Ye Shi's slap wasn't just on his face but felt deeper in his heart.

Seeing Zhuang Yu's swelling face brought a smirk to Ye Shi's face.

Ye Rong stood aside, panicking. She merely wanted minor revenge on Ye Shi and never expected things to escalate this way.

"You bastard..."

An overwhelming pressure descended on Ye Shi, immobilizing him.

A massive hand descended towards Ye Shi, who turned deathly pale.

"Shi Ziyu, you shameless bastard!" An enraged shout echoed.

In the blink of an eye, Mu Chen released hundreds of fire and explosive symbols to block the descending hand, then lunged forward, rolling away with Ye Shi in his arms.

"Boom!" The symbols clashed with the massive hand, resulting in successive explosions and leaving a three-meter deep crater where Ye Shi had stood.

Staring at Mu Chen, who was holding him, Ye Shi was deeply moved, especially when Mu Chen spat blood on his face.

Intense fighting noises erupted.

"Master Jing is fighting with Master Shi," someone shouted, drawing everyone's attention to the sky.

"Shi Ziyu, you shameless creature! It’s a youth's fight, and yet you dare intervene!" Jing Chiyue sneered at Shi Ziyu.

"Jing Chiyue, had your disciple not been so ruthless, I wouldn't have been forced to step in," Shi Ziyu retorted dismissively.

"Your disciple only got slapped, what's the big deal? Besides, when it comes to being ruthless, you far surpass him," Jing Chiyang said, eyes blazing, to Shizi Yu.

It was fortunate that Mu Chen reacted quickly. Otherwise, that strike from Shizi Yu would've gravely injured or even killed Ye Shi. A wound so severe would've hampered Ye Shi's innate potential.

Unexpectedly, Mu Chen, who often seems so leisurely and enjoys spending time in the kitchen, managed to block a blow from Shizi Yu.

The two clashed once again, the grandeur of their battle, as fighters at the Martial King level, was beyond imagination.

"Enough, all of you!" A furious roar rang out.

Mu Chen squinted, thinking: That's the dean's aura!

Ye Shi clung to Mu Chen anxiously, asking, "Mu Chen, are you alright?"

"I'm fine," Mu Chen said. He was only affected by the explosion's aftermath, nothing too serious.

"But you're spitting blood," Ye Shi remarked skeptically.

Silently, Mu Chen thought: Spitting out the blood is better. Holding it in might lead to internal injuries.

Zhuang Yu looked at Mu Chen, her face ashen. What spell did Ye Shi put on Mu Chen to make him risk his life to save him?

With his head lowered in deep thought, Mu Chen mused: In the original story, any disposable character who faced Zhuang Yu directly met a terrible fate.

By letting Ye Shi confront Zhuang Yu, he wanted to see if, now that the story had changed, Zhuang Yu would still be as favored as in the original. Turns out, Zhuang Yu indeed seemed to be the author's favored child.

Xie Danyan looked at Mu Chen, her eyes flickering with a hint of puzzlement.

"Danyan, what's wrong?" Cheng Wanbai inquired.

Xie Danyan shook her head, replying, "It's just that the explosion from the Fire Talisman earlier seemed to contain a distinct fiery aura."

"A unique flame?" Cheng Wanbai asked, puzzled.

Nodding, Xie Danyan replied, "Yes, like an otherworldly flame."

Cheng Wanbai chuckled dismissively, "Danyan, you must be mistaken. That's not possible."

Smiling, Xie Danyan said, "Perhaps I was mistaken."