The eastern courtyard of Mountain Sea Academy.

Luo Zuchen has been visiting Shen Ye daily these past few days.

Every time he recalls that day when the head of Tianyi Academy dared to strike at his beloved disciple, a hint of ruthlessness appears in his eyes.

"Ye'Er, are you feeling any better today?

Your mother is very worried, she even contacted me last night."

Hearing Luo Zuchen's words, Shen Ye immediately stood up.

"Mr. Luo, rest assured, Shen Ye is not just a decorative pillow without abilities.

Besides, I have a magical treasure to ward off sneak attacks, so it's nothing serious."

Shen Ye being unharmed put Luo Zuchen at ease somewhat.

However, there was still a hint of ferocity on his face.

"In all my years, it's the first time someone dared to strike at my disciple in front of me.

It seems I've been dormant for too long over the years, and those people have forgotten the glory of my past.

If I don't show them some color, they'll think I'm easy to bully."

Shen Ye, standing beside him, merely smiled at these words.

"They probably haven't forgotten; if they truly had, they wouldn't have held back when striking at me~"

In response, Luo Zuchen let out a cold snort:

"Holding back is still an attack!

I merely waved my hand, it was Shen Han's own lack of strength that left him unable to withstand it.

Had I known sooner, I should have been even harsher and eliminated him.

That would clear a path for you, Ye'Er."

The pen in Shen Ye's hand didn't stop, still writing away.

But he did not agree with these words.

"In my view, Shen Han is not really an obstacle.

It's just that hearing his name is annoying, like a pest buzzing around.

Even the sound of it is vexing."

Luo Zuchen nodded in some satisfaction at this remark.

"Indeed, Ye'Er, your sights should be set on the entire continent, not just limited to Great Wei.

Your cousin merely stumbled upon some luck.

When it comes to potential, he is far beneath you.

If he's truly that bothersome, I can take care of Shen Han for you.

That way, he won't disturb your temperament."

Shen Ye slightly shook his head: "After Mr. Luo took action at Tianyi Academy, many powerful figures in Great Wei have been keeping an eye on it.

To move against him further would be troublesome, no need to waste thoughts on him.

Now, the opponents I focus on are the top prodigies from Qi Country and Yan Country.

Especially the one from Qi Country, rumored to be a year older than me but already in the Fifth Grade Fruit Realm.

His saber technique has the might to cleave mountains, and the stance of commanding an army on stage..."

Listening to his student speak this way, Luo Zuchen felt even he had been shortsighted.

Even having Shen Ye worry about Shen Han seemed trivial.

Someone like that is a speck of sand, merely an irritation when it gets in your eye.

But the impact is only that.

As he was about to leave, Luo Zuchen suddenly remembered something else.

"Ye'Er, regarding Jinyu, should we intervene...

You know, before the competition, your Miss Su made a bold claim, with considerable consequences.

Said she'd become a servant..."

As he spoke, Luo Zuchen couldn't help but sigh.

Shen Ye furrowed his brow slightly, thinking for a while before speaking.

"I think we should wait for news first, see what conditions Shen Han might propose, then consider our next steps.

I've heard recently that the Su Family has grown quite close with Shen Han.

Conversely, they seem to have some distance with our Shen Family.

If it truly turns out to be a rift, then my ties with Su Jinyu are naturally severed."

For someone who can ascend eighty levels on the Thousand-Autumn steps, their temperament should indeed be this detached.

Emotions, perhaps in Shen Ye's eyes, are merely items to exchange for benefits.

...

The sky was faintly bright, just reaching 7:00 AM.

Last night, after leaving Tianyi Academy, Shi Yuezhu did not immediately seek out Su Jinyu.

She only arrived at the Rain Listening Pavilion now.

Upon seeing Shi Yuezhu standing before her, Su Jinyu leaned over with an aggrieved look.

"Master... Jinyu was wrong..."

Shi Yuezhu didn't speak, only gave her a light hug.

"I've already talked with Shen Han, you should go see him yourself, he won't make it difficult for you.

He should only make a small request."

However, upon hearing this, Su Jinyu's expression still looked bad.

She really didn't want to see Shen Han, feeling she couldn't hold her head high in front of him.

Recalling that day, after he won against her, he said nothing at all.

This silence was more painful than any verbal mockery.

The maid Qingcao, standing not far away, also stepped forward a few paces.

Facing Shi Yuezhu, Qingcao was rather bold in speaking up.

After all, the Moon Bamboo Peak Master was always gentle, almost never seen angry.

"Moon Bamboo Peak Master, what exactly is the small request Shen Han wants to make...

Could it be he harbors some infatuation for my lady, wanting to use this..."

Before she could finish, Shi Yuezhu shook her head repeatedly.

"No need for wild guesses, Shen Han is likely just asking for something, not making any such requests.

Infatuations and such are merely outsiders' conjectures.

After the engagement between the Shen and Su families was annulled, the connection was already severed.

Such words should not be mentioned again in the future."

Qingcao nodded dumbly, rarely seeing Shi Yuezhu speak so sternly.

Hearing this, Su Jinyu also refrained from speaking further, knowing her master holds Shen Han in high regard.

Her maid's comments naturally wouldn't be well-received by her master.

After this encounter, even Su Jinyu no longer held the same prejudice against Shen Han as before.

Previously, Su Jinyu always felt a great distance between herself and Shen Han.

Even allowing him to see her was considered a grand favor to him.

Unexpectedly, Shen Han had merely been hiding his true abilities all along.

Her master, and even her father, had seen through it, while she remained oblivious.

Su Jinyu sent her maid off to rest.

She sat beside her master, recounting the exchange with Shen Han, analyzing it for Shi Yuezhu.

After all, being a Sword Dao genius, her memory and understanding of sword techniques were top-notch.

She even reenacted the moves in the courtyard for Shi Yuezhu to see.

After fully demonstrating the duel, Su Jinyu returned to sit beside her master.

"Master, this was roughly the situation at the time.

I thought about it carefully at night but couldn't grasp or clearly understand his techniques.

Especially those fierce sword shadows he summoned, they seemed endless, hard to fend off...

Master, how could I have won against him that day?"

Su Jinyu, being somewhat impatient by nature, had never had the thought of reconsidering and analyzing her matches.

Of course, in competitions, she rarely lost and so never needed to reflect.

Shi Yuezhu, sitting beside her, slightly furrowed her brows.

"Jinyu, from the situation you just reenacted...

No matter how hard you tried, you probably couldn't defeat Shen Han at that time.

His techniques were exceedingly restrained.

Shen Han was likely hiding his true strength..."

Shi Yuezhu spoke softly, not wanting to discourage her disciple greatly.

But judging from Su Jinyu's demonstration, it truly was the case...

Shen Han was not going all out.

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.