Translator: Exodus Tales Editor: Exodus Tales

Translated by XephiZ

Edited by Aelryinth

“Isn’t…isn’t that man He Yao?” Zhong Li was quite short, but he kept jumping up in the crowd.

Many people had gone up to the stretcher. Fanxue Mountain’s security had to step in to maintain order.

He Yao had bruises all over him inflicted by Ice Magic. He seemed quite miserable, mainly because Mu Bai had broken the joints of his limbs, preventing him from walking on his own.

The injuries were quite painful, but it would not take long for him to recover. He would be able to move freely again in a week after being treated by a Healer who was a specialist in orthopedics.

“What happened? Didn’t you only go up there a moment ago? How did you end up like this? Did the people of Fanxue Mountain all attack you at once?” Li Ting stepped forward and asked.

“No… it wasn’t Mu Ningxue that I fought,” He Yao answered in an ugly voice.

“Humph, as I thought!” Li Ting harrumphed coldly. He pointed at Fanxue Mountain’s servants and snarled, “I knew you guys would cheat! You have set up the duel behind closed doors because you didn’t want everyone to witness your shameless acts. He Yao properly challenged Mu Ningxue to a duel, yet you’ve beaten him up like this before the duel even started. So this is how Fanxue Mountain handles it? Aren’t you ashamed of yourself!?”

“How shameless, she’s acting so full of herself when she isn’t even that strong, that Mu Ningxue shouldn’t be trusted!”

“This is insane, to think that Fanxue Mountain will do this just to preserve their reputation…”

The crowd’s emotions were easily manipulated by Li Ting. The people were so angry that they were on the verge of rioting!

“What’s with the fuss here!?” Shao Yu showed up.

Shao Yu was a reputable member of Fanxue Mountain. The people immediately gathered around her, demanding an explanation.

“Let’s go and take a look too,” Zhong Li told the rest of the Foehn Hunter Squad.

“So she’s Shao Ru, she’s a celebrity among Hunters!” Gu Ying quickly went closer when she saw Shao Ru, but there were just too many busybodies around her. She ended up being squeezed to the back.

Li Ting scoffed at Shao Yu, “What now? Fanxue Mountain has done such a shameless act, yet it won’t let people scold it?”

“He Yao was being disrespectful to Fanxue Mountain, so Mu Bai accepted his challenge on behalf of Mu Ningxue. His current condition is the outcome of the duel you’ve been waiting for. If you don’t believe it, you can ask the man himself,” Shao Yu replied serenely.

“Who the hell is Mu Bai?” Li Ting snapped.

Shao Yu did not answer. Li Ting turned to He Yao on the stretcher instead, “He Yao, did they send someone to take care of you before you even saw Mu Ningxue, so you wouldn’t be able to fight anymore?”

He Yao nodded strenuously.

Li Ting grinned. He continued to ask, “Is the guy called Mu Bai responsible for it?”

“Ye…yes,” He Yao replied.

“How many people did they send?” Li Ting asked.

“Just…just him,” He Yao replied.

A huge crowd had gathered around them, thus the people could clearly hear Li Ting’s questions. They completely lost their mind after the news spread among them!

Zhong Li, Gu Ying, Xie Hao, and the others were in the middle of the crowd. They received the news fairly quickly too.

“Who’s Mu Bai?” Zhong Li asked.

“I never heard the name before, but how is that possible? He Yao is the winner of the contest, yet how long has it been since he went up the mountain and lost to the man named Mu Bai?” Gu Ying was in disbelief.

“Speaking of which, Mu Ningxue didn’t really say she’s going to be fighting the duel herself when she accepted the challenge,” Xie Hao mentioned.

—

He Yao was just laying there on the stretcher. He did not expect everything to end up like this.

That Mu Bai was younger than he was, around Mu Ningxue’s age. If Mu Ningxue was indeed the strongest young adult of Fanxue Mountain, wouldn’t that imply he had no right to challenge her?

He Yao broke down mentally after losing to Mu Bai. He was ashamed to see so many people had gathered around him.

“He Yao, don’t be scared, Fanxue Mountain must have set you up. There’s no such person with the name Mu Bai. Mu Ningxue must have used a dirty trick to injure you so she could preserve her reputation. You can just tell us the truth, we’ll serve justice for you,” Li Ting said.

“I…I indeed lost to the man named Mu Bai. Let’s call it a day… it was I who was too full of myself. Mr. Li, I promised to join the Dali Clan after I was done with the duel, but I feel like I must train harder to become stronger. I’m nowhere close to their level,” He Yao said dispiritedly.

He was so confident when he went up the mountain. He would be acknowledged as the strongest young adult Mage in their country after defeating Mu Ningxue! However, his heart had almost burned to ashes after being carried down the mountain in such a humiliating manner…

A man who did not have any reputation, calling himself a mere member of Fanxue Mountain, and was only in his twenties, had defeated him so easily. What right did he have to call himself the strongest young adult of Fanxue Mountain!?

“Brother He Yao, don’t be like that, you must have fallen for their trick! Fanxue Mountain purposely set up the duel behind closed doors because they didn’t want us to watch the duel. They have lured you to a place with no eyewitnesses. They must have done something inhumane to you,” Li Ting tried to prod him.

“That’s not true, I’m willing to admit my defeat. That Mu Bai defeated me fair and square…” He Yao turned his head to Shao Yu, “I believe Fanxue Mountain is only setting up the duels behind closed doors because they didn’t want to let others see how bad the challengers lost against them, right?”

“Mm,” Shao Yu nodded.

That had always been Mu Ningxue’s intention. After all, those who dared to challenge Fanxue Mountain usually had a certain reputation. Since it was just a friendly duel, there was no reason to treat the outcome of the duels so seriously.

He Yao endured the pain he was under and asked, “May…may I ask, who’s stronger between that Mu Bai and Mu Ningxue?”

“Mu Bai dueled Mu Ningxue before he went into seclusion. He did mention that just now. It sounds like he lost that duel,” Shao Yu said.

He Yao gasped. He almost choked himself when taking a deep breath.

The crowd burst into an uproar!

He Yao had lost to Mu Bai, who was no match for Mu Ningxue. Wouldn’t that mean Mu Ningxue was at least two levels stronger than he was!?

He Yao had already won the Young Adults Contest in a one-sided manner, apart from the prolonged match between him and Bai Hongfei…

It turned out that the organizer had made the right call by not letting Mu Ningxue take part in the contest. Was there any point to hold the contest if Mu Ningxue was a participant?