Fantasy: Immortality Begins with Absorbing Demons

Chapter 460 Martial Arts Sparring (Part 3)

Sun Zheng was originally the son of the leader of a small sect, but his sect was defeated in the power struggle.

Left with no other choice, he fled in haste to Jingtian Manor to learn martial arts, hoping to acquire true skills and avenge his grievances.

When Han Yi had interacted with him before, he often heard him talk about how he was working hard to learn martial arts and how he wanted to avenge his father.

Although it had only been a short time since they last met, Sun Zheng's attitude seemed to have undergone some subtle changes.

He sighed a few times, shaking his head repeatedly: "Those matters still need to be considered carefully. Now that I'm stuck at the crucial juncture of true skill, I realize how absurd and laughable my previous goals were... They were nothing but arrogance, making me a laughingstock..."

His apparent recognition of the gap and understanding of reality left Han Yi at a loss for words to comfort him.

Han Yi found it hard to reconcile his current appearance with that of a man who, just over half a year ago, had delivered a passionate speech at a banquet and chatted and laughed with his fellow disciples.

After a short while, Sun Zheng recovered and said, "It's been a long time since I've seen Brother Han. I'm sorry you had to laugh at me. Let's not talk about such discouraging things."

Han Yi smiled, appearing completely unconcerned.

The two chatted for a while longer, and Han Yi also gained a lot of information from Sun Zheng.

For example, a while ago, after drinking, Senior Brother Xiao Zhong happened to see a young woman being threatened by thieves. He shouted loudly and drew his sword to help her out of injustice.

Unexpectedly, it turned out to be a honey trap.

Senior Brother Xiao, with good intentions, wanted to help, but was ambushed and seriously injured by the woman. He was also robbed of all his belongings and has not yet fully recovered. As a result, he was unable to attend the fight.

Another one is Fang Chengqi, the Fang family's prodigy who was once hailed as the future hope of Jiuqu Academy. For some unknown reason, he inexplicably withdrew from Jiuqu Academy and disappeared without a trace.

The rest are some recent events that have occurred at Jiuquyuan.

Recently, Jiuqu Academy has risen in ranking and status, and has recruited many promising talents. Several outstanding disciples have also risen to prominence and attracted attention.

A girl named Song Qiao'er was quite talented, had a combative personality, and a fiery temper like a chili pepper. In just a few months, she caused quite a few big incidents in the Nine-Bend Courtyard.

Alongside her, another disciple who rose to prominence at the same time was Zhou Qi, a male disciple. His personality was the complete opposite of Song Qiao'er's; he was gentle and refined, a graceful gentleman with an air of nobility, and was very popular among the female disciples.

He was also exceptionally talented; although he could not compare to Song Qiao'er, he far surpassed his peers.

For this reason, he and Song Qiao'er were hailed as the Twin Stars of Jiuquyuan and regarded as the leading figures of the next generation.

“Song Qiao’er, Zhou Qi…” Han Yi’s expression was a little strange. He seemed to have heard this name somewhere before.

After waving goodbye to Sun Zheng, he walked along the road, lost in thought for a while. Only then did he recall the two of them from the inconspicuous boundaries of his memory.

They seemed to be just two little guys who had asked him some simple cultivation questions a long time ago and regarded him as a senior expert.

"It's true what they say, the younger generation surpasses the older... I never imagined I'd already become a figure of the previous generation..."

As Han Yi walked along, he couldn't help but find it somewhat amusing.

Soon, he arrived inside the Nine-Bend Courtyard and found his master, Zhong Yunxiu.

Zhong Yunxiu seemed to have a lot on her plate, and her face showed more weariness and vicissitudes than before. Her overall appearance and demeanor looked much older.

"Master." Han Yi bowed respectfully.

"Xiao Yi, you're here..." Zhong Yunxiu looked up and saw Han Yi coming over, and gave a strong smile.

Then, things proceeded as usual.

She asked Han Yi about his recent daily life. Actually, there wasn't much to it. It was usually just various problems he encountered at work, various connections and relationships within the region, and various doubts and questions he had on his cultivation path.

Although she appeared to be the same as usual, Han Yi was still able to tell the difference.

Zhong Yunxiu's tone and demeanor were indeed not as energetic as before, and she seemed somewhat tired and sluggish.

Clearly, many recent events have put her under tremendous external pressure.

Seeing this, Han Yi also assessed the situation and got up to take his leave early so that his master could rest. However, as he left, he felt that Zhong Yunxiu seemed to want to say something to him, but the words never came out.

Respect for elders and juniors, and reverence for teachers and the Way.

Zhong Yunxiu was unwilling to talk about it, and he couldn't ask any more questions, so he had to give up.

However, Han Yi felt that Zhong Yunxiu's worries were most likely about tomorrow's competition and sparring.

Zhong Han is, after all, her daughter. To rashly send her to fight the daughter of someone with a bad reputation, a ruthless personality, extraordinary strength, and who is also one of the three top masters of the Three Mountains Sect…

It's normal to feel nervous and worried, and to be absent-minded, as a new mother.

Besides, although it was ostensibly a fair and square competition.

But what secret agreement was hidden behind the scenes was something Han Yi couldn't possibly know.

During his conversation with Sun Zheng, he noticed that many people in the Nine Bends Academy only regarded the competition between Zhong Han and Chen Lingmo as a friendly exchange between sects and didn't take it too seriously.

Only he received the intelligence that had been secretly delivered in advance, coupled with Zhong Yunxiu's hesitant expression before he left.

But he only vaguely sensed that there were some unknown secrets behind this seemingly ordinary sparring match. Perhaps only the two parties involved knew the ultimate truth of this sparring match.

"Well, it's still early, we can go ask the other senior students..."

Han Yi looked up at the sky.

In the afternoon, the sun hung halfway down in the sky, its golden rays shining through the gaps in the clouds, illuminating large areas of fog and dust, slightly dazzling.

Without further hesitation, he strode forward.

......

......

Jingtian Manor, Yangzhi Academy.

A strange bird with a black beak, pink eyes, and white feathers flapped its wings and flew lightly over the pale blue clouds, passing over the rooftops of black pavilions of varying heights, and gently landing on the tallest vermilion-roofed building.

On the top floor of the building, Fang Shouming, son of Fang He, and Chen Lingmo, son of Chen Ying, sat facing each other.

"Brother Lingmo, you've come all this way. Come, have a drink. I wish you all your dreams come true." Fang Shouming smiled and stood up, pouring wine for Chen Lingmo.

Chen Lingmo was tall and thin, with a gaunt face. He looked rather thin and ordinary, without any distinguishing features.

Besides that, what's most striking is his eyes. They are yellowish, with jagged edges around the pupils, like the eyes of a wild beast, devoid of any emotion.