Seeing his friend defeated, Li Zhiang was not sad or angry; instead, he beamed with a smile: "Steadfast and courageous, Gu Mingye will surely break through his bottleneck after this defeat, and he will advance even further. I reckon in a few more years, he might even reach the Master Realm."

"Indeed, it truly makes one envious."

Xiao Hongyi, Gu Mingye's long-time rival for three years, also noticed this point, but unfortunately, he couldn't take the path Gu Mingye took.

Moreover, losing to a high school student was truly embarrassing.

Gu Mingye, a battle fanatic, didn't care, but Xiao Hongyi couldn't overcome his inner turmoil: "Sigh, come to think of it, although I didn't lose to Ye Qingzhou, I still lost to Gu Mingye. It seems that in this last year, I won't be able to shake off the label of being second place."

At this moment, Yuan Zhiyi and Zeng Jixia, who were also watching from the sidelines, exchanged glances.

In their eyes, Gu Mingye was invincible.

But the invincible top martial artist of Zhongnan University Martial Arts Club was now defeated by a high school student, and it was in a direct battle, using all his strength, that he was beaten.

No matter how hard you try to find an excuse, there's none to find.

After the fierce battle, Ye Qingzhou's clothes weren't even torn, and he looked spotless, just like a high school student coming for a leisurely spring outing at Yuelu Mountain.

In contrast, Gu Mingye lay on the ground, limbs spread out, his clothes in tatters, and the sword wounds on his body were shocking.

Soon, Li Zhiang personally took Gu Mingye away for treatment.

And the principal of Zhongnan University, upon learning of this news, felt as if he had touched a live wire, his whole body went numb.

Wasn't this supposed to be a guiding battle?

Who was guiding whom exactly?

My ace from Zhongnan University just lost to a high school student?

......

Back in the team, everyone looked at Ye Qingzhou as if he were a monster.

Xu Yuebing was the first to come forward and asked with concern: "Ye Qingzhou, are you hurt?"

Leon, standing aside, couldn't help but jest: "Master Ye's clothes aren't even torn, getting injured would be bizarre. But the top of Zhongnan University's Martial Arts Club seems quite seriously injured. Master Ye, you really were ruthless, watching just made me feel pain."

Ye Qingzhou, however, was composed, as though he had done something trivial: "He wanted a challenge and he got one; he wanted to temper his Martial Arts Will through me, so he had to pay a certain price."

But in this battle, although Gu Mingye gained some benefit, Ye Qingzhou also didn't lose out.

From Gu Mingye, Ye Qingzhou learned many techniques for using the Fire Technique, especially the move Sparks Set the Prairie Ablaze, which was very intriguing.

"To release Martial Arts True Qi externally in the form of a fire seed, and then, when needed, ignite it with a technique—it's quite an ingenious approach."

Ye Qingzhou glanced at Zeng Jixia and Yuan Zhiyi, who were still dazed not far away, and called out: "Can we continue our tour?"

"..."

Zeng Jixia and Yuan Zhiyi were startled, but could only obediently continue as guides.

A Martial Arts Prodigy who could trample even Gu Mingye, just couldn't be provoked.

Afterward, Ye Qingzhou joined the group to tour Qingfeng Gorge.

Standing at the gorge's entrance, one could see the reflection of the verdant mountains and the turquoise lakes, with pavilions dotted among the lush greenery, creating a picturesque scene. Riding the cableway from Qingfeng Gorge to the mountain top offered a bird's-eye view of the autumn's fiery red leaves — a truly unique flavor.

This place, teeming with vibrant yet orderly flora, was indeed a great spot to comprehend the Forest Technique.

Crossing through Qingfeng Gorge, Ye Qingzhou followed the group to the Heart-Sealing Treasure Tower.

Zeng Jixia stood beside Ye Qingzhou, his tone becoming ingratiating as he enthusiastically introduced: "Here lie the relics of some enlightened monks from the Brahma Pure Sect. The original relics came from the Brahma Ancestor. Back then, when the Brahma Ancestor passed into nirvana, his disciple Anan and others cremated his body, and among the ashes were found bones like colorful beads, luminescent and durable, named 'Relic,' and thus a tower was built to house them."

Ye Qingzhou was very curious: "I heard that consuming Relic can dramatically increase one's power?"

Zeng Jixia's face twitched, forcing a smile and said: "Those are rumors spread by outsiders. These are remains, who in their right mind would eat them? However, the Relic indeed has some mystical qualities, mainly forming a special mental field that allows martial artists entering it to quickly enter Zen Meditation, enhancing their training efficiency."

"I see, so consuming them also has that effect."

Ye Qingzhou's words shocked Zeng Jixia half to death again, and hurriedly made an excuse to lead everyone to the next area.

In case Ye Qingzhou really wanted to forcibly open the tower and chew on the relics like candy.

"Up ahead is the White Crane Spring."

Zeng Jixia, acting like an entourage, introduced by Ye Qingzhou's side: "The mountain's lush forests, rich in groundwater, filtrated through sandstone, flow out here continuously, crystal-clear, sweet and cool, never running dry regardless of the season."

Then, everyone came to a spring, where the water was abundant in Primordial Qi and rich in Spiritual Charm, making it highly beneficial to drink.

"The ancients called this spring 'transforming between warm and cold with the seasons, remaining unchanged through droughts and deluges.' The steam from using its water to brew tea spirals around the cup as if white cranes are dancing, hence the name Luu Mountain's finest fragrant spring."

After explaining, Zeng Jixia served each student from Linjiang First High School and Zhicheng First High School a cup.

Ye Qingzhou drank it in one go, and as the Primordial Qi entered his body, he immediately absorbed it and refined it using Innate Wood Qi, cleansing away any residual conscious "toxins," making him feel more spirited.

"What a great thing, can I pack some?"

Zeng Jixia was speechless again; of course, that wasn't possible!

Yet faced with Ye Qingzhou's "sincere" gaze, Zeng Jixia thought perhaps principles could be adapted to local circumstances.

In the end, Ye Qingzhou left White Crane Spring, contentedly holding a two-liter mineral water bottle.

Next chapter will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.