C90 Dog Bite Dog

As they walked forward, they noticed a small crowd gathered ahead, all freshmen. Tiange, who never liked getting involved in such scenes, was about to leave when Su Hu pulled her over. "What's going on? Did someone get into trouble?"

Tiange chose not to comment on Su Hu's twisted mindset, which seemed to find comfort in seeing others worse off than herself.

In the center of the crowd, Ruxuan was knocked to the ground by two of her group members. One of them had their foot pressed firmly on her calf, applying pressure. "You still think you're in charge? You think you're still the prized daughter of some big shot? Look at yourself now! What makes you think you deserve to be the leader?"

The speaker was Zhanpeng, son of a captain in the Dragon Soul Camp under the command of the Marquis. In terms of skill, Zhanpeng wasn't particularly strong; otherwise, he wouldn't have needed help from his teammates to bring Ruxuan down.

"You all chose me in the first place!" Ruxuan retorted, her face smeared with dirt and blood trickling from her mouth. She lay on the ground, humiliated but with a fierce look in her eyes.

Zhanpeng spat on the ground. "That was because you had a dad who was a big shot in the Ministry of War. What do you have now? You're just a washed-up nobody. If I don't kick you out of this group, it's only because I'm feeling generous!"

"You scoundrel! I'll kill you—" Ruxuan's eyes burned with rage as she struggled fiercely, causing Wei Zhanpeng to stumble backward unexpectedly.

Wei Zhanpeng panicked and swung his sword with force.

Tiange hadn't planned to intervene; Ruxuan's earlier arrogance was on par with Wei Zhanpeng's. However, Ruxuan did have a sense of loyalty about her. On the other hand, Wei Zhanpeng's public attack on her vulnerability was quite dishonorable.

In a flash, Tiange moved swiftly, his sword striking down.

"Ugh..." Wei Zhanpeng dropped his sword, clutching his wrist tightly with one hand. He looked up, his face twisted with anger. "Tiange, what do you think you're doing?"

"Oops, my hand slipped," Tiange replied, his innocent and harmless expression only infuriating Wei Zhanpeng further.

Just as Wei Zhanpeng was about to speak again, Ruxuan, who had gotten back on her feet, suddenly attacked Tiange with a fierce swing.

The unexpected turn of events left everyone stunned. Tiange swiftly dodged, and at the same moment, a pebble from Su Hu's hand struck Ruxuan's wrist.

"Ruxuan, are you out of your mind?" Su Hu exclaimed, moving to stand beside Tiange, his face swollen with indignation.

"Tiange! This is all your fault! If it weren't for you... I wouldn't have ended up like this! I won't let you get away with it!" Ruxuan screamed, her voice filled with anguish and bitterness.

Faced with Ruxuan's accusations, Tiange just shook her head. This kid's mindset is so skewed that unless there's a complete overhaul, there's no way to set her straight.

Tiange admitted she had confronted Xie Jin, but his death had nothing to do with her.

"How clueless," Su Hu said, pulling Tiange away from the crowd. "Let them fight it out. We'll just watch from the sidelines."

Tiange wholeheartedly agreed.

However, Ruxuan suddenly blocked their path. "Tiange, one day I'll defeat you! One day I'll make you kneel and apologize!"

"Thanks, now please step aside," Su Hu said, gently moving Ruxuan out of the way and leading Tiange away.

As the academy's bell rang, the crowd dispersed.

Today's lesson from Feng Xuan was straightforward. Twenty people, five groups, round-robin style. Simply put, Tiange's group, led by her, would choose someone to go up first. The remaining four groups would draw lots to decide who faces off first. Losers step down, winners continue, following a sixteen-to-four principle.

Su Hu raised a hand with a question. If it's by drawing lots, why doesn't the first group have to choose?

Feng Xuan replied that the head instructor, Gongsun, was bored over at the Sword Holding Small Building, and if Su Hu didn't want to participate, he could go keep him company.

Su Hu decided to stay, figuring his chances of survival were better that way.

The match began with Feng Tiange sending Su Hu to face off against Hsiang Yan. Hsiang Yan was no pushover, managing to hold his ground against Su Hu for dozens of rounds before finally conceding defeat. Following him, three of his teammates took their turns, each meeting the same fate.

Recognizing that Su Hu was reaching his limit, Feng Tiange called him back and sent Jun Wushang into the fray. Unlike with Su Hu, Feng Tiange didn’t have Jun Wushang take on all four opponents consecutively. Instead, she rotated him with Guu Ruochen and herself.

After stepping down, Su Hu approached Feng Tiange, pulling her aside. “What’s your plan, wearing the kid out like that?”

“The essence of the Kunwu Sword Manual is to strike while the iron is hot. Your training in the Cool Heart Sutra doesn’t allow for quick recovery of inner strength. Trust me, stopping midway would have been worse,” Feng Tiange explained succinctly.

Su Hu was taken aback by her insight, eyes wide with surprise. “You know me so well... Are you falling for me?”

“No, falling for someone isn’t my style. I’m more of a hands-on person,” she replied.

Later, when Jun Wushang defeated Li Xingke, Feng Tiange demonstrated her “hands-on” approach with a well-placed punch, making it clear to Su Hu how she truly felt.

Now, standing in the ring was Xie Ruxuan, and it was Feng Tiange’s turn to step up.

The difference in strength was obvious.

Just as Tiange was about to step forward, Ruochen stopped her. "I'll handle this one."

Tiange paused, noticing Ruochen's slight smile and silent resolve. She understood his intentions and felt grateful. Considering Ruxuan's grief over her father's death, Tiange didn't want to embarrass her in the ring. Ruxuan's fiery temper meant she would fight fiercely, likely causing a chaotic scene. It would only entertain onlookers and leave Tiange with a reputation for being cold-hearted.

In the ring, Ruxuan was indeed defiant. "It should be Tiange up here!"

"Please," Ruochen said with a polite gesture as the drum sounded to start the match.

After about thirty rounds, Ruxuan was defeated. Tiange knew that with Ruochen's skills, he could have won in ten moves if he wanted. This was what she admired most about him—his kindness.

The next match was between Tiange and Wei Zhanpeng. Zhanpeng was dissatisfied and specifically wanted to fight Su Hu.

Su Hu was amused, thinking, "Even if I'm exhausted, I can still knock you down!"

"You don't get to decide," Tiange said calmly, raising her hand in a respectful gesture.

Zhanpeng turned his gaze back to Tiange. "Just so we're clear, if I make you beg for mercy, don't go crying to the South Suppressing Marquis!"

"I'm not going to," Tiange originally intended to give Zhanpeng three moves, but she changed her mind. "The academy's matters have nothing to do with the court; that's the academy's rule."

Zhanpeng had never really accepted Tiange. He believed that her top position at the Martial Academy was due to her looks and status, and everyone just went easy on her. Now, with a chance to prove his point, he was more than willing, especially since Tiange had just taken a cheap shot at him.

On the platform, Tiange was determined not to give Zhanpeng any advantage, but she also wouldn't make the first move. So, when Zhanpeng stepped forward, his sword aimed straight at her throat, Tiange finally sprang into action...

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