Chapter 118: Su Yubai's Murderous Intent

Liu Ruoshui went 'mad' and was forcibly sent out of the academy by Su Yubai's orders.

Once outside the academy gates, Liu Ruoshui became a wandering soul, aimless and lost.

Once she had been full of ambition, believing she could rise above others; once she had been as delicate as a flower, pursued by the crowd.

But now, Liu Ruoshui was nothing but a cripple, a walking corpse, not even worth a glance from passersby.

A day later, an assassin who had been tailing her all day stabbed her in the back, ending the life of this once-beautiful young woman.

In fact, many had guessed this outcome, but no one cared about Liu Ruoshui anymore.

Liu Ruoshui's current fate was her own doing; who would sympathize with a venomous woman?

After this incident, Ye Yuan, having read the technique jade slip brought by Feng Ruoqing, inscribed a jade slip himself and gave it to Feng Ruoqing.

Feng Ruoqing had initially worried that selecting a technique from the Sutra Library would take time, but Ye Yuan casually tossed her a technique.

She swept her divine sense over the technique Ye Yuan had given her and was shocked beyond words.

This technique was practically tailor-made for Feng Zhirou! The only difference was that it was an extreme yin technique!

This made Feng Ruoqing once again marvel at the power of Ye Yuan's master.

After finishing Feng Zhirou's matters, Ye Yuan went straight into seclusion, no longer paying attention to academy affairs.

As for the duel with Wu Luochen, both parties agreed to postpone it until after the Boundless Trial.

Wu Luochen also realized that although Ye Yuan's strength far exceeded those of the same rank, he was still a major realm behind, making the duel premature, so he let it go.

With Ye Yuan in seclusion, the academy seemed to return to its usual calm.

However, on the third day after Ye Yuan's seclusion, another event set the entire Danwu Academy abuzz!

Following Ye Yuan, Long Tang, the number one on the Martial Rankings, challenged the Nine Heavens Path!

The Nine Heavens Path was notoriously fearsome; often years or even decades passed without anyone daring to challenge it.

Now, within three days, two students had consecutively challenged the Nine Heavens Path—this was truly explosive news.

Although Long Tang was first on the Martial Rankings, few were optimistic about his chances on the Nine Heavens Path.

The Nine Heavens Path was too difficult!

If Long Tang had been confident, he wouldn't have waited until now to attempt it.

Thus, most believed that Long Tang was challenging the Nine Heavens Path because he was spurred on by Ye Yuan.

Undoubtedly, Martial Rankings experts were extremely proud, let alone Long Tang, who stood at the pinnacle.

If a previously unknown student could pass the Nine Heavens Path, wouldn't Long Tang, as the number one, be overshadowed?

After all, although the Martial Rankings number one was called a genius, compared to Ye Yuan, who had passed the Nine Heavens Path, he was far inferior!

Only by passing the Nine Heavens Path could he prove that his genius was no less than Ye Yuan's!

This was a high-stakes gamble! If he lost, Long Tang might not even keep his life!

In such circumstances, many students felt that Long Tang lacked magnanimity and didn't have the demeanor of a Martial Rankings number one.

In fact, in many students' hearts, Ye Yuan's talent had already surpassed Long Tang's, making him the undisputed number one in the academy!

But Long Tang himself couldn't accept this fact and was betting his life for reputation.

It wasn't worth it! It wasn't grand!

Only Zuo Bugui understood Long Tang's thoughts, though he didn't fully grasp them; it was definitely not impulsive.

On the contrary, Long Tang was calmer than ever! So calm that even Zuo Bugui couldn't fathom his depth!

In just a few days, Long Tang had changed so much. Had he truly attained enlightenment?

"Old Long, are you really going?" At the foot of Nine Heavens Peak, Zuo Bugui and Long Tang stood side by side.

"Naturally," Long Tang said calmly.

"Sigh, I know I can't talk you out of it, so I won't try. I wish you success."

"Mm, I will succeed."

Long Tang was always so composed, as if merely stating a fact.

Zuo Bugui had been Long Tang's rival for so long and knew he was never arrogant. But where did his confidence come from?

Just because Ye Yuan had passed? Long Tang wasn't that shallow, was he?

Long Tang went to the stone tablet, made a Heavenly Dao oath, and resolutely stepped onto the Nine Heavens Path!

...

At the residence of the Punishment Hall's Grand Elder in the back mountain, Su Yubai looked grimly at Su Yishan.

"Yishan, you are the future head of the Su family. How can you act so recklessly? This matter has disappointed me greatly!" Su Yubai reprimanded without mercy.

Su Yishan broke out in a sweat and bowed, saying, "Second Uncle, I was wrong."

"Do you know where you went wrong?"

"I shouldn't have provoked that crazy woman!"

Speaking of Liu Ruoshui, Su Yishan was also gnashing his teeth. That woman was a troublemaker who had brought him immense trouble.

"You're wrong! A woman is nothing. With your status and position, what kind of woman can't you have? Your mistake wasn't provoking that woman, but provoking Ye Yuan! You knew she came to you to escape Ye Yuan, yet you still took her in! And not only that, you even became enemies with Ye Yuan over her beauty!" Su Yubai spoke rapidly, his words like pearls.

Su Yishan gritted his teeth and said, "Who would have thought that a nobody like Ye Yuan could make Wu Luochen fight for him? Otherwise..."

"Otherwise what? Kill him? If I hadn't arrived in time, even if you killed Ye Yuan, you would have died yourself! Although the upper sect hasn't come to confirm Ye Yuan's status, his identity as a core disciple is already irrevocable. Killing a core disciple of the upper sect—have you considered the consequences? You are the next head of the Su family; how can you act without thinking?" Su Yubai interrupted sharply.

Su Yishan shuddered. He had been furious at the time and hadn't considered that at all.

Now that he thought about it, he felt a lingering fear.

Seeing Su Yishan's expression, Su Yubai snorted, "Do you understand now?"

Su Yishan took a deep breath and nodded, "Thank you for your guidance, Second Uncle. I understand."

"What do you understand?"

"Killing Ye Yuan must be a one-hit kill; otherwise, if you fail to strike the snake, you'll suffer its bite! Since I can't kill him in the academy, I shouldn't have provoked him, only to bring trouble upon myself! Second Uncle, I underestimated Ye Yuan. His growth rate... is too fast!" Though reluctant to admit it, Su Yishan had acknowledged Ye Yuan's strength.

The anger on Su Yubai's face finally dissipated, replaced by satisfaction.

"Good! You are the young master of the Su family. You can toy with women as you please, but never let women hinder important matters. Why did I try to kill Ye Yuan publicly? Because I saw the threat he would pose in the future! Though I failed, that was just an accident. Since it's not feasible, we'll wait. With the Boundless Trial such a good opportunity, why not make good use of it? The Boundless Trial is our best chance, and also our last! So, Ye Yuan must die in the Boundless Forest!"