Chapter 623: Chapter 405: Head-On Clash

"A Spirit Bone Celestial Pride is truly overbearing."

Someone whispered in front of the Battle Tower. Xiao Yun’s behavior was truly an eye-opener. Not only had he taken the woman Wu Xiuyuan had his eye on for a long time, but he even confronted him face-to-face. He completely disregarded Wu Xiuyuan, a genius ranked eleventh on the Lingyun List.

"That woman is petty and narrow-minded. She likely instigated this," Jiang Fan said via voice transmission.

Xiao Yun was certainly overbearing and arrogant, but the primary reason was likely Ye Qiuling’s desire for revenge. After all, following her falling out with Wu Xiuyuan, she had been ostracized for quite a while. It was worth noting that without Wu Xiuyuan, she never would have been able to enter the Celestial Strategy Academy. Beyond bringing her into the Academy, Wu Xiuyuan had constantly provided her with cultivation resources. After taking advantage of him and finding an even stronger backer, she immediately turned around to exact revenge on her former benefactor. Even if Wu Xiuyuan was wrong for lusting after her body, her actions were still incredibly unseemly.

"If you want to claim this cheap slut as your own, then be my guest," Wu Xiuyuan said through gritted teeth. He didn’t want to provoke a Spirit Bone Celestial Pride, but Xiao Yun was confronting him in front of so many people. If he backed down now, he would immediately become a laughingstock.

Ye Qiuling’s expression changed slightly.

Xiao Yun smiled coldly. "You have some guts. I’ll find an opportunity to play with you."

"I’ll be ready anytime!" With Xiao Yun pushing him again and again, Wu Xiuyuan’s fury was also ignited.

Xiao Yun didn’t say anything more. Even as a Spirit Bone Celestial Pride, he didn’t dare to casually attack a fellow student within the Celestial Strategy Academy. He turned and strode toward Xu Yang and Sun Tao, bringing Ye Qiuling along with him.

Everyone looked astonished. Did Ye Qiuling also have a grudge against Xu Yang and Sun Tao?

"They probably do. Ye Qiuling, Sun Tao, Xu Yang, and Jiang Fan are all disciples of the Purple Sun Sect from Fufeng County."

"I heard that when Wu Xiuyuan was targeting Ye Qiuling before, she went to them for help but was rejected."

"Xiao Yun is flying into a rage for a beauty. He’s going to beat down everyone who has offended Ye Qiuling."

Someone pointed out the relationship between Ye Qiuling and Xu Yang’s group, even recounting the previous incidents. At that time, Ye Qiuling was under heavy scrutiny, and her every move was noticed by observant individuals. Even though Xu Yang and Sun Tao hadn’t deliberately spread the word, people still found out about the matter.

"Look, Xu Yang looks like he’s scared silly. He probably never expected Ye Qiuling to latch onto Xiao Yun."

Not far away, Han Yingjie gloated. He hadn’t expected Ye Qiuling to hook up with a Spirit Bone Celestial Pride like Xiao Yun either. If he had known this would happen, he would have taken the initiative to offer Ye Qiuling his academic credits back then.

"Xu Yang, I told you that you would regret it."

Xiao Yun didn’t speak; instead, Ye Qiuling was the first to open her mouth. She still remembered the humiliation of being chased away by Xu Yang when she went to borrow credits. Despite coming from the same sect, not only did he refuse to help her when she was in trouble and being targeted, but he even insulted her. Now that she had latched onto a Spirit Bone Celestial Pride like Xiao Yun, Xu Yang was probably green with regret over his past actions.

"Regret?" Xu Yang scoffed. "You’re a scheming woman who wouldn’t hesitate to sell her own body for fame and fortune. I would only keep a respectful distance from someone like you. Where would regret even come from?

"If you think that your hooking up with a Spirit Bone Celestial Pride will make me regret not currying favor with you back then, you’re dead wrong. I am not a person like Lu Ren."

Since she didn’t want to maintain her dignity, he had no reason to be polite. If Ye Qiuling hadn’t provoked him, he wouldn’t have passed judgment on her. But since she had leaned her face in, he didn’t mind delivering a slap.

Ye Qiuling froze. How dare Xu Yang say that? Xiao Yun was a Spirit Bone Celestial Pride! Didn’t he want to curry favor with him? If he had pleased her and, by extension, Xiao Yun, his grudge against Huo Xiaochen could have been resolved with a single sentence.

Then, as realization dawned on her, her face filled with extreme embarrassment. Previously, when she refused to submit to Wu Xiuyuan, she could still use the excuse of being a person of true sentiment, pursuing pure love. But for her to hook up with Xiao Yun so quickly—even a fool would know she was using her beauty to climb the social ladder. It had absolutely nothing to do with love.

That animal Xu Yang had actually laid it all bare, explicitly calling her a schemer who sold her body. He had spoken such humiliating words without caring in the slightest about the Spirit Bone Celestial Pride standing right next to her. Even with her thick skin, she knew deep down that she was indeed such a person. At this moment, her face burned hotly, and her chest felt tight and suffocated.

"That dog!" Lu Ren’s eyes spat fire. He hadn’t expected Xu Yang’s mouth to be as toxic as ever. While mocking Ye Qiuling, he didn’t forget to throw a jab at him, too. Yet, he didn’t dare to speak up, terrified that Xu Yang might expose the scandalous things he had done back in the Purple Sun Sect.

"Well said, Brother Xu!" Wu Xiuyuan shouted. "I hate that I was so blind back then! I failed to see this slut’s true colors and was deceived by her for so long."

Since he was already at odds with Xiao Yun, he naturally wouldn’t continue to swallow his anger. If Ye Qiuling dared to flaunt her power after committing such shameful acts, then he would drag her reputation through the mud.

"He’s courting death! Refusing to bow his head at a time like this and mocking Ye Qiuling instead? Does he think he’s Wu Xiuyuan?"

"He didn’t even bow to Huo Xiaochen, so how could he bow to Xiao Yun? As far as Xu Yang is concerned, there’s no difference between Huo Xiaochen and Xiao Yun."

Xu Yang’s words caught everyone by surprise. No one expected that even in the face of Xiao Yun, a Spirit Bone Celestial Pride, Xu Yang wouldn’t show fear or yield. He mocked them without hesitation, his backbone even stiffer than Wu Xiuyuan’s.

"Truly courting death." Han Yingjie smiled broadly. He had genuinely been afraid that Xu Yang would cower.

"You... you bastard!" Ye Qiuling trembled with anger. What did he mean by "selling her body"? She was simply attaching herself to a strong expert. Why was it called a "marriage alliance" when people like Huo Xiaochen married legitimate daughters of Thousand-Year-Old Noble Families, but when she did something similar, it was called "selling her body"?

Ye Qiuling’s mind went blank with rage. She almost couldn’t resist lunging forward to tear Xu Yang’s mouth apart. Her last shred of dignity had been entirely stripped away by him.

The smile hanging on Xiao Yun’s face vanished. "Your mouth is truly foul. I really want to rip it apart."

"You can try." Xu Yang looked at Xiao Yun calmly. Xiao Yun had long since mixed with Huo Xiaochen. It was only a matter of time before they clashed, so there was no need to give this Spirit Bone Celestial Pride any face.

"You’re just an ant. If we weren’t in the Celestial Strategy Academy, I could crush you with a single finger. Having a slick tongue is useless; for Martial Artists, strength is all that matters." Xiao Yun naturally didn’t dare to make a move here, nor did he continue to tangle with Xu Yang. He was no match for Xu Yang in a war of words. Continuing the argument would only make Ye Qiuling more embarrassed, and he wouldn’t gain any advantage.

"Let’s go!" Saying that, Xiao Yun turned and left.

Ye Qiuling hurriedly followed. She didn’t dare say another word, terrified that Xu Yang would spit out more ugly insults. She regretted ever coming to show off in front of him. She hadn’t anticipated that even after she secured a Spirit Bone Celestial Pride, Xu Yang’s spine would remain as rigid as ever. Originally, she had planned to mock Sun Tao a bit, but now she didn’t dare utter a single syllable. The prestige of a Spirit Bone Celestial Pride was nowhere near as effective as she had imagined.

"Xu Yang is too tough. He isn’t even afraid of a Spirit Bone Celestial Pride."

"What’s the use of being tough? He’ll suffer for it eventually. Let alone Xiao Yun, Huo Xiaochen alone could crush him at any time."

Some were shocked by Xu Yang’s courage, while others scoffed in disdain. What good was courage? If they weren’t in the wrong place, Xiao Yun would have slaughtered Xu Yang long ago.

"You two are in trouble," Gu Qingfeng sighed. Ye Qiuling’s ability to whisper poison in someone’s ear was clearly formidable, otherwise, Xiao Yun wouldn’t have stood up for her. She was also incredibly narrow-minded. When someone helps you, it’s out of goodwill; when they don’t, it’s their right. Holding a grudge over a rejection clearly marked her as a bad seed. This matter definitely wouldn’t end with just a few exchanged words.

"We’ll deal with whatever comes our way!" Sun Tao said calmly. He hadn’t been afraid when he was struggling at the bottom rung of the Purple Sun Sect, much less now.

"I’ll be ready anytime," Xu Yang stated mildly.

To him, Xiao Yun actually wasn’t troublesome at all. In fact, Xiao Yun posed less of a threat than Fang Xu. Xiao Yun was a Spirit Bone Celestial Pride, but the faction backing him was even weaker than the Fang family. He was merely a disciple of some sect in the commandery city. Even with his status as a Spirit Bone Celestial Pride, he hadn’t aligned himself with any major family in Yunzhou City. Against Xiao Yun’s personal strength alone, Xu Yang had nothing to fear. Even if he might not be a match for Xiao Yun right now, he was confident that if they fought, Xiao Yun wouldn’t be able to kill him.

"A Spirit Bone Celestial Pride who doesn’t know how to conceal his strengths and bide his time will only die faster," Jiang Fan chuckled. He was just a Spirit Bone Celestial Pride who had yet to fully mature, after all.

In his eyes, Xu Yang’s talent wasn’t much inferior to a Spirit Bone Celestial Pride. Others didn’t know, but the Exotic Treasure on his body told him that Xu Yang had already broken through to the Celestial Essence Third Layer. Such talent—even Lu Wei couldn’t catch up to it. His breakthrough speed wasn’t much slower than a Spirit Bone Celestial Pride’s at all. Compared to a Spirit Bone Celestial Pride like Xiao Yun who made enemies everywhere, he favored Xu Yang more.

"Brother Xu clashed head-on with a Spirit Bone Celestial Pride. I truly admire you," Wu Xiuyuan said, walking over with a smile. He had almost chickened out just now, yet Xu Yang had faced Xiao Yun and retorted without batting an eye. Talent aside, just this level of courage left countless others in the dust. Of course, the main reason he was willing to come over and be friendly was that the two of them now shared a common enemy.

"You’re too polite, Brother Wu," Xu Yang said, clasping his hands in a salute.

After a while, it was finally Huo Xiaochen’s turn to enter the tower. Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, Huo Xiaochen’s figure disappeared into the Battle Tower’s entrance.

"Brother Du, may I ask if Huo Xiaochen’s Azure Dragon Dominating Body has broken through to the Second Layer?" Tu Gang looked at Du Ziming. If Huo Xiaochen had cultivated the Azure Dragon Dominating Body to the Second Layer, then he wouldn’t have any problem fighting his way through the Tenth Layer.

"A few days ago, Brother Huo’s Azure Dragon Dominating Body broke through to the Second Layer," Du Ziming smiled.

As soon as he said this, many people revealed looks of astonishment. To think that Huo Xiaochen had managed to advance his Azure Dragon Dominating Body to the Second Layer in such a short amount of time.

Xu Yang was also somewhat surprised. He had mastered the Azure Dragon Dominating Body even earlier than Huo Xiaochen, yet Huo Xiaochen’s breakthrough was only slightly later than his own. If it hadn’t been for consuming a Profound Water Spirit Loach and the Essence Blood of a Two-Horned Tiger, he might not have even broken through to the Azure Dragon Dominating Body’s Second Layer yet. Of course, this wasn’t because Huo Xiaochen had better talent than him, but because the Xiao family provided Huo Xiaochen with an abundance of resources.

"He’s at the Fifth Layer!" someone yelled out.

In an instant, Huo Xiaochen had fought his way up to the Battle Tower’s Fifth Layer. He advanced with unstoppable momentum, quickly fighting his way from the Fifth Layer to the Ninth Layer. Upon reaching the Ninth Layer, his speed noticeably slowed down. It took him about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea before he broke into the Tenth Layer.

The Tenth Layer was precisely where Huo Xiaochen had stopped last time. Fang Xu, Du Ziming, and the others all tensed up. Huo Xiaochen had created such a massive commotion; if he failed to beat the Tenth Layer, they would all become laughingstocks.

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