Chapter 432: Taking a Disciple!

Ye Yuan's face was twisted in pain; he showed no reaction to Xiao Ruyan's words.

Xiao Ruyan was frantic, at a loss, and hugged Ye Yuan, weeping bitterly.

"Junior apprentice brother!" Shi Haoran, also alarmed, rushed to Ye Yuan's side.

Shi Haoran quickly felt Ye Yuan's pulse. Only after confirming that Ye Yuan was merely unconscious did he breathe a sigh of relief.

"Don't worry, junior apprentice brother just suffered a massive shock and passed out," Shi Haoran said to Xiao Ruyan.

Love clouds judgment. Xiao Ruyan herself was an alchemist, but in her panic, she had forgotten to take Ye Yuan's pulse.

"N-not... not serious? That's wonderful!" Xiao Ruyan wept tears of joy.

But Shi Haoran frowned and said, "Not serious? Does he look not serious to you? With injuries like these, he'll be bedridden for a while!"

Ye Yuan looked utterly miserable at the moment. Not to mention his external injuries, his internal organs had also suffered a tremendous shock.

Without the aid of medicinal pills, he might well lose his life. How could it be considered not serious?

Shi Haoran's gaze turned hatefully toward Zhao Chengqian, who was also staring fixedly at Ye Yuan, his face devoid of any joy of victory.

"Alas... Ji Qing still lost after all! I thought the throne of the city's number one would change hands today, but who knew the Seventh Prince had already grown so powerful."

"Ji Qing ultimately couldn't create a miracle! But to have come this far is already extraordinary! Give him another year or two, and he will surpass the Seventh Prince completely!"

"Though defeated, Ji Qing is honored in defeat! The Seventh Prince's final blow was something even a Soul Sea realm martial artist might not withstand! Ji Qing, only a seventh-level Crystal Core martial artist, fought the Seventh Prince to this point! In my heart, he is the victor!"

The strong always command respect. Ye Yuan's performance had earned the recognition of most present.

In their eyes, Ye Yuan, fighting an opponent a full major realm above him and barely losing to the seventh-level Transformation Sea Zhao Chengqian, could hardly be called a failure.

Xiao Changfeng approached, looked at the severely injured Ye Yuan, then at Zhao Chengqian, and for a moment didn't know how to announce the result.

"In this duel, the Seventh Prince..."

"Cough, cough, cough..."

Xiao Changfeng's words were cut short by Ye Yuan's violent coughing.

Xiao Ruyan was overjoyed and said, "Ji Qing, you're finally awake! You... you scared me to death!"

As she spoke, she began to cry again.

Ye Yuan gave a dry laugh. "G-good disciple, d-don't cry. Crying makes you less pretty! Y-your master has done everything he promised!"

Xiao Ruyan looked puzzled. "Ji... Ji Qing, you clearly lost!"

"Ha... haha, I said I would give him a good beating. How could I lose to him?" Ye Yuan's laugh pulled at his wounds, making him wince in pain.

Before Ye Yuan's words faded, Zhao Chengqian across from him suddenly changed expression, spat out a large mouthful of blood with a "pfft," and fell backward!

The scene was so sudden that everyone was caught off guard!

"Wh-what's going on?"

"Didn't the Seventh Prince win? This plot twist is too fast!"

"Could it be... Ji Qing really created a miracle and has become the number one young expert in the city?"

"My god! At his current level, who can ever surpass him?"

At this, the entire square erupted in an uproar, exclamations rising one after another.

This scene was too unbelievable!

Clearly, Ye Yuan had been beaten to the brink of death, but in an instant, the Seventh Prince was down, while Ye Yuan was chuckling. Though he looked terrible, he was not in mortal danger.

And if Ye Yuan won this match, he would be the undisputed number one in the city!

In the future, the position of Wind Emperor would be his for the taking!

Such glory meant nothing to Ye Yuan, but to the martial artists of the Hurricane Realm, it was supreme!

In everyone's understanding, the Wind Emperor would surely be either Shangguan Lingyun or Zhao Chengqian.

But now, Ye Yuan had emerged from nowhere, disrupting all the established patterns!

With Xiao Ruyan's help, Ye Yuan took a pill he had refined himself, and his condition quickly improved.

Though he still couldn't stand, his complexion had become ruddy, and his yuan power was gradually recovering.

Such a recovery speed drew another round of astonishment from the crowd.

"Patriarch Xiao, announce the result!" Ye Yuan urged.

"This..." Xiao Changfeng looked at Zhao Chengqian lying on the ground, momentarily at a loss.

Ye Yuan panted slightly. "His dantian has been damaged by me; he will never make further progress in this life. So... you can announce the result now!"

"What! Dantian damage!" Xiao Changfeng nearly jumped.

Another thunderbolt from the blue!

The arrogant Seventh Prince had become a cripple?

Once the Wind Emperor learned of this, how furious would he be!

"Ji... Ji Qing! You... you are leading me into disloyalty, leading the Xiao family into disloyalty!" Xiao Changfeng stormed.

But Ye Yuan was completely unconcerned. "With my Qixia Mountain backing you, what's there to fear? Oh, and there's one more thing I forgot to tell you."

With that, Ye Yuan looked at Xiao Ruyan and said with a faint smile, "Good disciple, come... I, Ji Qing, today, in front of all the city's talents, accept you as my disciple! Perform the apprenticeship ceremony!"

"What! B-become your disciple!" Xiao Changfeng felt his mind couldn't keep up.

Wasn't this supposed to be a martial arts contest for marriage? How had it suddenly turned into taking a disciple?

Xiao Changfeng stared at Ye Yuan, trembling with rage.

With this move, Ye Yuan had completely severed the Xiao family from the imperial clan!

From now on, the Xiao family had to rely on the Qixia Mountain lineage, or they would be utterly destroyed!

"What? Patriarch Xiao doesn't think I, Ji Qing, am qualified to teach your daughter?" Ye Yuan said calmly.

Xiao Changfeng looked at Ye Yuan, long silent. Finally, he waved his hand and said, "Enough, enough! My Xiao family has served the Wind Emperor for generations, yet in my hands, it has come to this! What more can I say? The die is cast. Ruyan... perform... perform the ceremony!"

Xiao Changfeng gave his daughter a deep look, his emotions mixed.

He had never imagined that today's martial contest for marriage would end like this.

With her father's permission, the last shred of hesitation in Xiao Ruyan's heart vanished. She bowed gracefully to Ye Yuan.

"Master above, please accept your disciple Xiao Ruyan's bow!"

Ye Yuan laughed heartily. "Haha, good disciple! I never thought my first disciple would be a beauty! Your master is weak now and has nothing to give you. Take this jade slip as your apprenticeship gift!"

With that, Ye Yuan handed a jade slip to Xiao Ruyan.