Chapter 14: A Contest of Lightness Skills

"It's like this, Senior Sister..."

Led by Ling Fei, the group began to chatter incessantly about what had happened earlier.

Of course, the sequence of events as told by these people was naturally subject to artistic embellishment.

After all, they were no strangers to twisting the truth; for them, this was an old trick.

"Is that so?"

Ling Yixue asked, looking at Ling Xiao with indifference.

Ling Xiao wanted to explain, but the words died in his throat.

He should handle his own affairs; what kind of man would he be if he relied on a woman? Moreover, if he spoke up and she didn't believe him, wouldn't that just be embarrassing?

Thinking of this, he remained silent.

"See that, Senior Sister? He's already admitted it by his silence," Ling Fei said loudly.

"Ling Fei, are you even a man? You know exactly what happened just now. What, are you trying to drag Senior Sister Ling Yixue into this now?" Ling Xiao suddenly sneered.

"You brat, say that again!"

As the saying goes, "A fair lady is a gentleman's ideal."

In the Ling family, Ling Yixue was the object of many secret crushes, including Ling Fei's. Therefore, he had no desire to lose face in front of her.

"I'm just stating the facts. Why shouldn't I?" Ling Xiao said calmly.

"Fine! Since Yixue is here today, I won't bicker with you. However, you will pay his medical expenses, and you will apologize to him in front of everyone."

Ling Fei had truly wanted to give Ling Xiao a beating, but with Ling Yixue present, he couldn't act out lest he be accused of bullying someone with superior numbers. Thus, he played the role of the righteous hero.

"An apology? Heh, you want me to apologize to a despicable, shameless schemer? Ling Fei, has your brain gone soft?"

As soon as Ling Xiao spoke, even Ling Yixue couldn't help but frown.

She simply felt that Ling Xiao was being overly overconfident.

A person who had just promoted to the second level of the Martial Vein dared to challenge Ling Fei, who was at the third level—wasn't that purely seeking death?

In Ling Yixue's view, having strength was called backbone; having no strength was called being suicidal.

"Senior Sister, you heard him. This person injured one of our own and refuses to apologize. As his Senior Brother, I have no choice but to teach him a lesson."

Ling Fei looked toward Ling Yixue, searching for a justification to strike.

"Family members... fighting and killing will always damage harmony. I heard you say just now that Ling Xiao's lightness skill seems quite good. Why don't you two compete in lightness skills? If you win, I will make him apologize," Ling Yixue said indifferently.

"I'll follow Senior Sister's words. What do you say, Ling Xiao? Do you dare to compete with me in lightness skills?"

Although Ling Fei had witnessed Ling Xiao's lightness skill, he was not afraid. Firstly, he was more confident that he was superior to Ling Xiao; secondly, Ling Xiao had clearly exhausted most of his true qi just now, so competing now would actually give him an advantage.

"Why wouldn't I dare!"

Ling Xiao sneered inwardly. *You want to show off in front of Ling Yixue? Fine, then I'll make you lose face completely!*

He had seen Ling Fei's lightness skill, and it didn't seem particularly extraordinary. Of course, if it were based solely on the "Leaping Tiger Descent Step," he might not be able to beat Ling Fei.

But he had the Mountain and River Martial Soul. The analysis and practice capabilities of the Mountain and River Martial Soul allowed him to seize the initiative in any contest. This was an advantage—an advantage that Ling Fei did not possess!

"Fine, you have some guts, but I fear it's just foolish bravado!"

Ling Fei sneered, then looked at Ling Yixue and said, "Senior Sister, please act as the witness, so that no one refuses to admit defeat after losing."

"Very well."

Ling Yixue was somewhat interested in the duel between Ling Fei and Ling Xiao. In the Elite Hall, Ling Fei's lightness skill was definitely among the top three. In the upcoming annual grand competition, Ling Fei might become a formidable opponent, so observing him now had no downside.

After all, as an outer disciple, Ling Yixue could only obtain significant rewards through various clan martial arts competitions; otherwise, she could never compare to the direct clan disciples. She was a practical person and wouldn't spout nonsense about "winning dishonorably." When the direct disciples secretly practiced high-level techniques, no one ever complained about unfairness.

Of course, Ling Yixue had zero interest in Ling Xiao. The only reason she was willing to help was that they were all outer disciples, and she didn't want to see Ling Xiao being bullied too severely. Her original thought was that Ling Xiao would simply admit defeat and apologize, and then it would be over.

Who knew Ling Xiao would be so ungrateful as to agree to a lightness skill competition with Ling Fei? Even she was no match for Ling Fei's lightness skill, and Ling Xiao had only promoted to the second level of the Martial Vein a few days ago—how could he possibly win? This was a mismatch where the outcome was already decided.

By now, the crowd of onlookers had grown. Many had come specifically to see Ling Yixue, and upon hearing that Ling Fei was going to compete with Ling Xiao, they looked on with disdain. It wasn't that they looked down on Ling Fei, but rather that they found the duel utterly boring. A speed race between a hawk and a turtle—where was the suspense?

"Ling Fei always says he'll save his trump card for the annual grand competition, but today, in front of Senior Sister Ling Yixue, he'll probably use every trick in the book to show off."

"Hehe, there's a show about to start!"

The crowd smiled while admiring Ling Yixue's beauty, watching Ling Fei warm up. As for Ling Xiao, who would care about a man destined to lose?

"How will they compete?" someone asked.

"The old rules. We'll follow the three standard items for our lightness skill contests."

"What are the three items?"

"The first is 'Void Crossing.' A line is drawn as the starting point. Once airborne, we measure the distance without the feet touching the ground! This represents—Distance!"

"The second is 'Ascending the Heavenly Ladder.' Without using any external objects, we see who can reach the highest altitude! This represents—Height!"

"And the third item is a test of movement speed. A hundred-meter round trip; whoever is faster wins!"

The three items were simple, and the judging criteria were straightforward. The simpler the competition, the more it revealed a person's true strength, as the possibility of cheating was low.

"Junior Brother Ling Xiao has already used his lightness skill and likely exhausted himself. As his Senior Brother, I'll give him a chance and go first!"

Ling Fei assumed that Ling Xiao's true qi could not recover in such a short time. That was why he did this—not only would it make him appear fair and noble, but it would also make him look good in front of Ling Yixue.

However, if he knew that Ling Xiao's Qi Recovery Technique could fully restore his true qi within fifteen minutes, he likely wouldn't have made such a foolish decision.

"Senior Brother Ling is truly worthy of his name. Unlike some people who injure others and refuse to apologize—they don't deserve to be part of our Ling family."

"Alright, stop talking. Regardless, once Senior Brother Ling wins, Ling Xiao will still have to apologize."

Hearing the discussions, Ling Fei felt extremely satisfied. He stood at the starting line, preparing to leap.

"Begin!"

At Ling Yixue's command, Ling Fei's body soared into the air like a swallow, suddenly flying forward.

"Incredible!"

"That must be at least fifteen meters! Another record broken!"

(End of Chapter)