Chapter 51 : Chapter 51
Chapter 51. My Life Is Over!
“Borrowed? Randomly throwing it on?”
Xu Yuan was amused by that and shot him an annoyed glance. “I broke through to the Third Meridian by luck. I just received all of this.”
He had broken through to the Third Meridian!
He had broken through to the Third Meridian by luck?!
Wang Huan felt as if he had suffered a heavy blow, as though a bolt of thunder had struck him. His mind was thrown into chaos at once, and even his steps turned unsteady. His mouth hung open as he stared blankly at Xu Yuan. “Y-you…”
At that moment, he recalled how he had fought desperately in the Level Three zone, enduring hardship after hardship, all for the sake of gaining more tempering and more resources so that he could break through to the Third Meridian and return in triumph to wipe away his former humiliation.
And yet Xu Yuan had merely stayed in the residence, living at ease day after day, and had somehow broken through first?
‘You thieving old heavens, you have no heart at all!!’
Wang Huan roared inwardly, and his entire mentality collapsed.
But he quickly calmed down again and forcefully consoled himself. ‘No rush. A hero cannot be judged by a single victory or defeat. Xu Yuan only broke through by luck. I can definitely catch up!’
Wang Huan had already realized that his talent and comprehension were both inferior to Xu Yuan’s, but when it came to actual combat experience, Xu Yuan was far behind him.
Once he thought of it that way, Wang Huan regained his balance and still threw out a harsh remark as usual. “Xu Yuan, I’ll let you go first this time.”
With that, he turned and left.
But before he had gone more than a few steps, the corner of his eye suddenly caught sight of Gao Yuan walking over with two sets of blue robes in his arms…
Thud!
Wang Huan’s legs went weak, and he nearly fell to the ground. Then, at an even faster speed, he strode away in haste, his retreating figure looking thoroughly miserable.
‘What a pity. The step you gave up today will last a lifetime.’ Xu Yuan watched him go, shook his head, then turned back to exchange pleasantries with Gao Yuan and discuss the small gathering that evening.
…
Evening.
Training compound, martial instructors’ quarters.
Chen Sanli and Tian Yang were both somewhat surprised by Gao Yuan’s arrival, but after a few cups of wine, they quickly grew familiar with one another.
Chen Sanli and Gao Yuan also let bygones be bygones over their past grievances with a cup of wine. At least on the surface, they appeared quite friendly—at least that was how it looked to Xu Yuan.
“As expected of Brother Xu. We only just broke through to the Second Meridian, and you’ve already reached the Third Meridian. You’ve really left us far behind,” Chen Sanli said as he looked around the room and raised his cup to clink it against Xu Yuan’s.
Although they had already heard that Xu Yuan had broken through, when they saw him in his blue robe and this newly assigned room that was noticeably larger than before, they could not help sighing again and again, their voices full of envy.
“Not at all, not at all…” Xu Yuan waved a hand.
As they talked, everyone also spoke about their recent experiences.
After going to the Level Three zone, Chen Sanli had managed to do fairly well for himself by relying on his ability to read people and adapt accordingly. He too had now broken through to the Second Meridian.
Tian Yang was working in the medicinal fields, where the environment was comparatively peaceful. He had also broken through to the Second Meridian, and this time he had brought back some spirit beast meat, which he had cooked and shared with everyone.
Gao Yuan had never eaten spirit beast meat before, so he naturally had a great feast and praised it repeatedly.
After that, Chen Sanli brought up Wang Huan:
“I ran into him a few times in the Level Three zone. That guy really is ruthless. He charged to the very front in every fight like he didn’t care about his life. I heard his teammates all liked him quite a bit.”
How could they not like him?
With a fool like that rushing up every single time to draw the enemy’s fire, anyone with a scheming mind could practically worship him like a father.
Xu Yuan shook his head.
And after this latest experience, Chen Sanli had become even more attentive toward Xu Yuan. Xu Yuan’s talent was outstanding, and now that he had become a Third Meridian martial artist, he was already qualified to serve as their team leader.
If a few more months passed, would he not become a street guard?
He had to keep feeding this new stove and make the fire burn hotter and hotter!
Thus, at the wine table, Chen Sanli deliberately livened up the atmosphere, and the group drank and chatted merrily until deep into the night.
…
Early the next morning, Geng training compound.
Li Shun, who had only recently become a Formal Martial Artist, hurried out of his room after being reminded by his roommate.
Collective training was starting today. If he left a bad impression on the new martial instructor, that would be disastrous.
To be fair, Li Shun had been living quite comfortably these past few days. Once his family learned that he had become a martial artist, they had been extremely generous with financial support.
As a result, he had spent every day indulging in pleasure with his roommates, trying out everything he had never dared touch before.
That sort of unrestrained life had left him so dazed that even now, he had not fully come back to his senses…
On the training grounds,
more than twenty martial artists stood in gray robes, their expressions solemn and their ranks neat, like rows of gray banners planted upright.
When the first light of dawn had just spread,
at the hour of Si.
A rather tall martial instructor, dressed in a brand-new blue robe, strolled over.
He looked at the crowd with a calm expression, and an invisible pressure quietly spread out from him, making these young martial artists too intimidated to even breathe loudly.
After a moment of silence, the martial instructor finally spoke in a steady, clear voice:
“My name is Xu Yuan. I am your instructing martial instructor for this month, and I will be responsible for teaching Benlei Fist…”
Down below, Li Shun, who was standing amid the crowd and had still been somewhat listless a moment ago, suddenly jolted. His scalp tingled with numbness.
“This Xu Yuan… it can’t be…”
Li Shun looked up and immediately saw that familiar face. The other man seemed to have noticed him as well and gave him a rather kindly smile.
Li Shun’s expression instantly became extraordinarily colorful.
It was over!
My life is finished!