Proud Sword Soaring Clouds

Before a crowd of onlookers, Isabella, the shy beauty from the Imperial Academy’s Beauty Ranking, walked toward Ling Xiao and opened her arms. As everyone watched, dumbfounded, she threw herself into his embrace and hugged his waist tightly. Then, as if she had used up all her courage, she began to sob softly in his arms.

"Brother Ling Xiao, Yisha was so... worried about you! This is wonderful! Yisha just knew it, you... you would definitely come back!" As if aware of the many eyes on her, Yisha’s delicate, jade-like face was already flushed crimson. Even the tips of her ears were a startling red, as if about to drip blood.

Shangguan Yutong’s mouth fell open in surprise. She looked like she wanted to say something but held her tongue. Instead, she said quickly, "Ling Xiao, I’ll go handle her paperwork. You two talk!" Then, in full view of everyone, the academy’s glamorous teacher beat a hasty retreat. She cursed inwardly, ’You little brat, you’re quite the player, aren’t you! Hiding one at home, and now you have another one at school... What a womanizer!’

Teacher Shangguan’s departure barely registered with the crowd. They all just stood there as if petrified, and that included Xie Xiaoyan and her companions.

It wasn’t until Shangguan Yutong’s figure had vanished from sight that someone finally snapped out of it. They rubbed their eyes furiously and asked the person next to them, "Am I seeing things? Tell me, what did I just see?"

"I think... you saw correctly? Either that... or my eyes are playing tricks on me too!" the person beside them stammered.

"Damn it. I must have been training too hard lately and haven’t gotten enough sleep. My eyes are playing tricks on me! That has to be it!" a muscular guy declared confidently before turning to leave. "I’m going back to sleep. I promise I won’t sleepwalk again!"

The moment Yisha threw herself into Ling Xiao’s arms, Xie Xiaoyan was struck by an indescribable feeling. ’It’s... jealousy? Why? Why would anyone like a waste like him? And of all people, a girl who’s practically my equal on the Beauty Ranking!’

"Let’s go!" Xie Xiaoyan snapped at the girls beside her, her eyes filled with resentment.

The other girls were still in a daze. ’Has Isabella lost her mind?’ they thought. ’How dare she get involved with someone like that in broad daylight? Any other woman would want to stay as far away from Ling Xiao as possible, not get closer! Didn’t she see Teacher Shangguan sneak away?’

Qin Kang felt his heart bleed as he watched the girl he liked throw herself into another man’s arms. The shattering feeling filled his entire being, and he wished he could kill that infamous waste with a single slash of his sword. He could even feel the undisguised schadenfreude in the gazes of the onlookers.

’Yes, anyone could see that Yisha had arrived with him. But the moment she saw Ling Xiao, she threw herself into his arms without any regard for my pride. And what’s worse, that guy Ling Xiao... he’s a complete waste.’

Their gazes made Qin Kang feel like he was even lower than a waste. Inside his sleeve, his hand clenched into a fist so tight his nails dug deep into his palm.

Qin Kang told himself, ’Calm down. You must remain calm. It’s beneath my dignity to stoop to the level of a waste. Yisha is mine. She has to be. I just have to believe in my own charm! I will win her back from him!’

Despite constantly trying to reassure himself, the sight of Yisha embracing Ling Xiao still made Qin Kang feel as if he’d swallowed a fly. His face turned pale, and a cold, sinister light flickered in the depths of his eyes. He slowly walked over, forced a smile befitting a nobleman onto his face, and said gracefully, "Hello. My name is Qin Kang, a Tier Six Sword Master!"

A collective gasp came from the crowd. The way they looked at Qin Kang had already begun to change.

A Tier Six Sword Master!

Judging by his age, Qin Kang was only sixteen or seventeen, yet he had already cultivated to the rank of a Tier Six Sword Master. This was an incredible achievement. Were geniuses a dime a dozen these days? Or was this simply an age teeming with heroes?

At this, many people turned to look at Xie Xiaoyan. Rumor had it that in her assessment two months from now, she was expected to break through the Tier Six Sword Master rank and enter the realm of a Great Sword Master. Now *that* would be truly stepping one foot through the gateway of the Sword Dao.

Yisha lifted her head from Ling Xiao’s embrace. No one noticed the sly smile in her eyes. ’This should get back to Grandpa’s ears now, right?’ she thought. Yisha was extremely unhappy that her grandfather had arranged for Qin Kang to follow her around, but she had no one on her side. Even her best friend, Mary, had deliberately vanished after meeting Qin Kang to give him some time alone with her. For the normally clingy Mary, this was something next to impossible.

In truth, Mary had wanted to tag along, but after Qin Kang generously gifted her a beautiful, expensive silk scarf and a fee of ten Silver Coins, she had magnanimously agreed to "lend" Yisha to him for the day.

Ling Xiao looked up. Seeing the intense hostility in Qin Kang’s eyes, he suddenly smiled. He had originally thought of Yisha as just another little girl, like Yun’Er. Ling Xiao’s emotional intelligence wasn’t particularly high, but even he understood that throwing herself into the arms of someone as infamous as him in front of a crowd required immense courage. That wasn’t something a mere little girl would do.

Besides, Ling Xiao could sense Yisha’s intense dislike for Qin Kang. ’Since she doesn’t like him,’ he thought, ’why should I care about this guy at all?’

"And who are you? What does that have to do with me?" Ling Xiao asked, looking at Qin Kang with a blank expression. His vacant stare was utterly convincing.

Although the students watching the spectacle disliked Ling Xiao, the Imperial Academy had a deep-rooted tradition: students could fight amongst themselves, they could cause trouble—there were even designated arbiters for duels—but when an outsider showed up, they had to present a united front.

This unwritten rule, though not part of the official school regulations, was something everyone had diligently followed for years.

True, Qin Kang was handsome—not the least bit inferior to Ling Xiao—and his strength was clearly immense, having already reached the rank of a Tier Six Sword Master. By all accounts, he was a more impressive figure than Ling Xiao. But simply because he was not a student of the Imperial Academy... although many inwardly wanted to support him, no one let it show on their face.

So, when Ling Xiao said what he did, many students’ faces twisted into odd smirks, as if they were trying to suppress their laughter but failing. Even many of the boys who looked down on Ling Xiao gave him a silent cheer in their hearts. ’Aside from being a waste when it comes to strength, this guy really isn’t half bad in other areas,’ they thought. ’At least his words are sharp enough!’

Qin Kang laughed in fury. "Ling Xiao, I originally felt some pity for you, but now I see you’re not just a waste, you’re an arrogant fool! HAHAHA! With the Imperial Academy producing a student like you, I doubt anyone here feels particularly proud!"

Upon hearing this, the expressions of the surrounding students immediately soured. No matter what they thought of Ling Xiao, he was still one of their own—a member of the Imperial Academy. That was an undeniable fact. To be so thoroughly insulted by an outsider, none of them felt the least bit proud.

Even Xie Xiaoyan, who had been about to leave, couldn’t help but stop and watch from the side, curious to see how Ling Xiao would handle this.

Ling Xiao gestured for Yisha to stand to the side, then looked at Qin Kang with an expression of deep sympathy. "Are you a pig?"