C11 The Furious Ye Tian

Du Chun decisively turned down Murong Xue's request, unable to conceal the smug look on his face.

He knew he couldn't let this golden opportunity slip by. With Gu Kun as his pawn against Ye Tian, it was a sure bet that Ye Tian would end up at a disadvantage, or even injured. The thought filled Du Chun with glee.

"Ye Tian, come on down and let me show you a thing or two about cultivation. You can't keep making such slow progress!"

Gu Kun called out to Ye Tian, who was observing from the stage, gesturing to him with a casual wave and an easy smile.

The moment Ye Tian stepped down, Gu Kun was ready to give him a hard time. Though a direct kill was off the table, incapacitating Ye Tian for a good year or so was well within reach.

Aside from Murong Xue, the rest of Class Three reveled in Ye Tian's predicament. From his vantage point on the stage, Ye Tian could clearly see their glee and knew exactly what was on their minds.

He understood Gu Kun's intentions all too well, but he had no interest in stooping to the level of such a petty upstart.

It wasn't that Gu Kun was stronger; rather, Ye Tian had far more significant matters to attend to than these trivial skirmishes.

"Oh, Kun, why waste your breath on such a loser? If he were to face you in combat, he'd probably wet himself from fear," Lin Zhilan taunted, clinging to Gu Kun with feigned affection, showing no mercy in her words about Ye Tian.

To a lady of her standing, strength was the ultimate badge of honor, and Gu Kun was clearly superior to Ye Tian in her eyes.

"Haha, well, if even you say so, I won't bother with the kid," Gu Kun chuckled, clearly enjoying Lin Zhilan's adulation.

"Ye Tian, Zhilan has interceded for you. I won't make it tough for you. Just come down and shout three times that you're worthless, and I'll let you go," Gu Kun challenged, brandishing his sword and standing with a commanding presence in the center of the martial arts field, pointing at Ye Tian above.

Ye Tian had no intention of engaging with someone so inconsequential, but Gu Kun's outrageous demand was more than he could stand.

"What's the big deal with a simple sparring match, anyway?"

Ye Tian offered an indifferent smile before rising to his feet. With a slender frame, he descended the stage gracefully and approached Gu Kun.

"If you're intent on striking me, I'll gladly oblige."

Ye Tian remained composed, utterly indifferent to the crowd's anticipation of his defeat at Gu Kun's hands. To him, Gu Kun, while not without talent, was still leagues behind. Handling a youngster like him was far from an impossibility.

"Haha, Ye Tian, you really are full of yourself, you little runt. Once you're bedridden and immobile, you'll realize just how foolish your confidence was today!" Gu Kun burst into laughter upon hearing Ye Tian's words, while Lin Zhilan scoffed derisively, convinced that Ye Tian was out of his depth.

With a nonchalant wave of his hand, Gu Kun signaled the students to clear the area, reigniting the spar that was on the verge of ending.

"Ye Tian, I'll show you with my strength that you're less than dirt in my eyes!"

Gu Kun's gaze was icy as he suddenly drew his sword, the blade slicing through the air with a whoosh.

He refrained from using his signature Spirit Cloud Nine Swords, opting instead for a basic sword technique to launch his assault on Ye Tian.

Despite his millennia of experience, Ye Tian took no chances. His current body was frail, and any lapse in attention could spell disaster.

As Gu Kun's sword neared, Ye Tian deftly sidestepped, narrowly evading the blade with a simple dodge.

The gap was minuscule, yet Gu Kun's strike failed to touch Ye Tian.

"This kid's luck isn't half bad..."

Gu Kun wasn't fazed by his initial miss, dismissing it as a fluke that anyone could have avoided.

But he gave Ye Tian no respite, twirling the sword hilt in his hand and launching another sweeping blow.

"Deng! Deng! Deng!"

Ye Tian retreated step by step as the blade bore down on him, threatening to leave a gash. He retreated, a bead of sweat glistening at his temple, his movements growing increasingly desperate.

Murong Xue was filled with worry, while Du Chun could barely contain his smugness. The only reason Ye Tian was still standing was that Gu Kun hadn't unleashed the Spirit Cloud Nine Swords yet.

Should Gu Kun go all out, Ye Tian would undoubtedly end up the most pitiful figure in the arena.

In the midst of his retreat, Ye Tian seized an opportunity. With a desperate twist of his body, he managed to land a solid kick on Gu Kun's sword blade.

The deflection of the weapon opened a window for Ye Tian, and Gu Kun's gaze shifted, now seeing Ye Tian in a new light.

Gu Kun had underestimated him, thinking Ye Tian lacked the strength to even withstand his basic sword techniques. Now, it was clear he had oversimplified the situation.

"Ye Tian, I must admit, I never expected you to advance to the third level of the Qi Profound Stage. Your remarkable progress means I can now take you on for real!"

It was common knowledge that even Du Chun, at the eighth level of the Qi Profound Stage, couldn't withstand Gu Kun's might.

Gu Kun's words were merely a pretext for his next move, a justification that left no room for criticism.

Upon hearing Gu Kun's declaration of using his true skills, Ye Tian understood that the Spirit Cloud Nine Swords were coming into play, which actually put him more at ease.

After all, the Spirit Cloud Nine Swords were the creation of Ye Tian's own disciple, the Spirit Cloud Ancestor. No one was more intimately acquainted with the technique than Ye Tian himself.

For Gu Kun to show off his skills before Ye Tian was as futile as flaunting a sword before Guan Yu.

"Just make sure you're not the one kneeling and pleading for mercy later!"

Gu Kun advanced, sword in hand, and with no restraint, he executed the Spirit Cloud Nine Swords, starting with the Floating Character Technique.

Ye Tian, with an air of ease, spun around. As Gu Kun made contact, Ye Tian was already behind him, lightly tapping Gu Kun's back with a fingertip.

Gu Kun, renowned for his mastery of the Spirit Cloud Nine Swords, found himself faltering from such a simple touch.

Had he not been on guard, he might have taken a humiliating tumble.

"Flying Technique!"

Enraged by Ye Tian's unexpected strike, Gu Kun charged forward, his sword slicing through the air like steel wings, its edge razor-sharp.

Ye Tian simultaneously ducked and evaded Gu Kun's airborne strike, then in the same fluid motion, he launched a kick that landed squarely in Gu Kun's midsection.

"This can't be!" Du Chun exclaimed involuntarily as he watched Gu Kun nearly get sent flying by Ye Tian's kick, his eyes wide with astonishment.

He wasn't alone in his disbelief; students from both the second and third classes were wearing expressions of utter shock. Some even speculated that Ye Tian must be possessed by a deity!

Gu Kun's prowess was well-known, and his skilled mastery of the Spirit Cloud Nine Swords was unmatched by nearly everyone present.

None of the students could withstand more than a few exchanges with Gu Kun, yet Ye Tian, the one they had most underestimated, had just successfully parried two strikes of the Spirit Cloud Nine Swords!

Lin Zhilan's face was a mask of dark clouds; she was still struggling to come to terms with the reality that Ye Tian had managed such a feat.

"This Ye Tian kid is becoming more enigmatic by the minute..."