Dominating Martial King

Chu Xisheng practiced a few sword moves and felt the effects of virtual training before he realized he had woken up late today.

He had been too engrossed in the virtual training and hadn't controlled the timing of his waking up.

Chu Xisheng hurriedly wiped his face with a towel, then brushed his teeth with a willow branch while rushing towards the big gate of the cluttered courtyard.

When he "squeaked" open the gate and took a big step out, he saw a beautiful girl in a green shirt leaning against the door.

With her hands folded in front of her chest and leaning on the right door frame, her toes were kicking the threshold somewhat impatiently, as though she was waiting for someone.

Chu Xisheng glanced at her and kindly reminded her, "Junior Sister, the morning practice is about to start, you—hiss—"

He recognized who she was. Wasn't this the lily girl from yesterday?

She had just changed her outfit, her black hair done up in a wild bun, skewered with a rose-shaped hairpin. The floral ornament on her forehead had also been switched to a rose gemstone, and even the pattern on her clothing mixed lotuses with roses.

Although it was the same brows and features, she gave Chu Xisheng a completely different impression.

Great, she had become the rose girl.

"Junior Sister Lu?" Chu Xisheng was a little surprised; he had finally found the right person.

Chu Xisheng instinctively reached out to grab the girl's wrist. "Junior Sister, I've been looking for you with great difficulty. Come, I'll take you to find our Coach Ye—"

Carrying the blame for yesterday's event was not a good thing; it was a matter of life and death.

There's an owner for each grievance, a debtor for each debt; it's better to let the girl shoulder the troubles of the Blood Wind Thieves herself.

Chu Xisheng had just reached out his hand when he realized it was inappropriate.

This was ancient society, where it wasn't acceptable for men and women to touch each other lightly. Could a girl's hand be touched carelessly?

Chu Xisheng was about to pull back his hand when he saw the girl grab it and cover his mouth with her soft and fragrant little hand.

"Shh!"

The rose girl put her index finger to her lips, signaling Chu Xisheng to be quiet, then forcibly pushed him inside the gate.

She looked around, and upon seeing nobody else, she entered the gate and slammed it shut with a "bang."

"Don't talk nonsense," the rose girl warned, glaring at Chu Xisheng with her clear black-and-white eyes. "You were the one who killed that sorcerer yesterday, what does that have to do with me? Don't you dare keep spreading rumors, understand?"

At first, Chu Xisheng had his arms crossed, worrying about his own chastity.

After all, since his transmigration, his appearance could indeed rival the ancient beauty Pan An.

A boy traveling alone had to be extra careful.

When the rose girl finished speaking, Chu Xisheng couldn't help but frown, "What do you mean by this, Junior Sister?"

The rose girl's pretty face turned slightly red, seemingly somewhat guilty as she avoided Chu Xisheng's gaze, stuttering, "I mean about yesterday's sorcerer incident, you better not mention it to anyone else. It has nothing to do with me, I've never been to the scene, nor have I been to the Library."

Chu Xisheng's expression darkened slightly, and he looked askance at the girl with a trace of displeasure, "Junior Sister, do you realize that the Blood Wind Thieves were openly declaring they wanted my life yesterday?"

"What are you afraid of? The second-in-command of the Blood Wind Thieves saw me slaughter that sorcerer, they will only come for me. If they dare come looking for you, I'll help you out," she said.

As the rose girl spoke, she suddenly realized something was off.

Being a Seventh Rank expert herself, why was she feeling so timid in front of a boy who hadn't even reached the Ninth Grade in cultivation?

She crossed her arms, adopting the demeanor of an expert, "Anyway, that's that. You'll have to own up to the sorcerer's matter whether you like it or not, don't involve me. I killed, and you earned the fame and rewards, isn't that mutually beneficial?"

Chu Xisheng's expression changed slightly, "Are you trying to hide your identity? Do you want to continue lurking in the Martial Arts Academy? Is it also for the Rebellious God Flag of Qin Muge?"

The rose girl was taken aback, then jabbed Chu Xisheng's chest with her tender finger, "Why are you meddling in so much? Just listen and obey, or else—"

She tried to appear fierce, opening her eyes wide like a little tiger, and making a slicing motion across her neck with her thumb, "I'll slaughter you!"

Chu Xisheng felt that the rose girl's threat carried no weight at all.

Nonetheless, he was wise enough to keep silent, meeting the girl's gaze with clear and innocent eyes.

The rose girl glared at him one more time as a warning, then turned and left.

Chu Xisheng waited a moment before stepping out of the door. He followed the girl at a distance of about twenty yards, heading towards the large training ground one after the other.

Upon arrival, they realized there were less than half of the usual number of people there.

Only one-third of the newly-promoted Inner Sect Disciples had shown up, and there were only a few Martial Arts Instructors present, making the entire training scene chaotic and disorganized.

Chu Xisheng was late when he arrived, but none of the instructors said anything.

A group of Inner Sect Disciples even bowed to him, to express their gratitude.

They believed that if Chu Xisheng hadn't killed the sorcerer yesterday, most of the people in the building wouldn't have survived.

Chu Xisheng's expression was embarrassed.

It wasn't him who killed the sorcerer, but the rose girl.

With the responsible party right next to him, Chu Xisheng felt quite awkward, and to make things more difficult, he couldn't explain it.

The rose girl didn't mind it at all, and she just stood behind Chu Xisheng, pretending to join the morning exercise.

It was at this moment that Chu Xisheng saw Ye Zhiqiu.

She was late, too, with droopy eyelids, her expression listless as she walked into the training ground.

Chu Xisheng remained impassive until Ye Zhiqiu approached, then suddenly raised his hand, "Coach Ye——"

Before he could finish speaking, he felt a fierce wind rush into his mouth, blocking his words from coming out. His raised right hand involuntarily fell.

Was this magic?

Chu Xisheng rolled his eyes, unfazed.

With so many instructors and coaches around, someone would eventually notice something was wrong with him.

However, the rose girl leaned over, her voice urgent and annoyed, "You dare report this? Do you have a death wish?"

Chu Xisheng's lips curled in a cold smile in response.

"What do you want?" the rose girl asked, noticing martial masters around looking over with suspicious expressions, a hint of panic in her voice.

The girl then realized that Chu Xisheng couldn't speak and, suppressing her anger, said, "I'm just looking for the clue to Qin Muge's treasure, I mean no harm to Zhengyang Martial Arts Hall, so why are you meddling?"

Treasure?

Chu Xisheng's eyes flickered, wondering, now where did a treasure come from?

"Don't push me, or we'll both go down, and that won't be good for you!" the rose girl said, and then she noticed that Chu Xisheng's left hand was making a beckoning motion.

She stood stunned for a moment, her eyes widening as she realized, "Are you asking for a bribe?"

The rose girl was immediately infuriated, "Didn't you offend the Long Family in the Inner City? I can help you with that. The head of the Long Family is just a mere Sixth Grade, no match for me. And the Blood Wind Thieves, I promise they won't implicate you."

Seeing Chu Xisheng's hand still beckoning, she gnashed her teeth in irritation, "If I stay in the Martial Arts Academy for a day, will 300 cents be enough?—500 cents! That's the most I can give; my money doesn't come from the wind."

After a moment of contemplation, Chu Xisheng finally nodded his head.

The girl was filled with hesitation, worried that Chu Xisheng might go back on his word.

But at this time, Ye Zhiqiu's gaze had already swept over in their direction.

Reluctantly, the girl lifted the magic spell.

Feeling his right hand restored, Chu Xisheng flexed his arm while curiously asking, "Junior Sister, what's your name? Coach Ye and the others checked all the disciple records last night and couldn't find you."

"Lu Luanti!" While practicing the Chasing Wind Saber, Lu Luanti replied, "I was promoted to the Inner Sect as a Wuye Disciple three months ago. Naturally, they wouldn't think of me."

"Luanyi?" Chu Xisheng was slightly taken aback, "That really is a good name."

He found it hard to compliment; what kind of parent would give their child such a name?

"Laugh if you want to," said Lu Luanti with a discontented look, casting Chu Xisheng a sidelong glance, "A fortune-teller once told me I have the 'Life Chart of a Lonely Star after Dawn,' destined for family chaos and a life of solitude and wandering. After hearing that, my father laughed and named me Lu Luanti."

Chu Xisheng knew the common meaning of the term 'Lonely Star after Dawn'—it was used to describe an unfortunate girl.

Just as he was about to reply, he noticed Ye Zhiqiu coming over with a yawn.

Lu Luanti tensed, and the Sword Force in her hand suddenly became three times more fierce.

Ye Zhiqiu didn't notice Lu Luanti's abnormality; she asked Chu Xisheng, "Were you about to call me? What's the matter, you were looking for me?"

Under Lu Luanti's threatening gaze, Chu Xisheng managed a slight smile, "No problem, I just saw Coach Ye looking somewhat haggard and got a little worried."

"I've been busy; I didn't sleep all night."

Ye Zhiqiu touched her face, then sighed, "As students, you can just walk away, but we have a pile of things to deal with. Just yesterday, over twenty Martial Arts Instructors inside the Light Tower died, and the Martial Arts Academy has to notify their families and handle their affairs.

There are also those classics in the tower that need to be reorganized. Plus, more than fifty rooms in the academy were burned down; so many walls and floor tiles need repairing. It's such a hassle."

Ye Zhiqiu, grinding her teeth with frustration, continued, "That Cao Xuan, I bet he did it on purpose. How could it be that he only tracked down the Blood Wind Thieves right before the incident? Who does he think he's fooling?"

Chu Xisheng also suspected that the Blood Wind Thieves' strike on the Zhengyang Martial Arts Hall's Library was a result of Cao Xuan's willful negligence.

However, he was more concerned about another matter.

"Instructor, may I ask, when will the Library reopen?"

He was waiting to study the Vengeance Map.

"It definitely won't reopen soon; all you new Inner Sect Disciples will have to wait," replied Ye Zhiqiu, shaking her head with a wry smile, "The books and classics inside are still being counted, and they even burned four of the Ten External Skills, which must be requested from the Main Mountain of the Formless Divine Sect. Also, we'll have to allocate new instructors for the duty shifts in the tower."

Just as Chu Xisheng was feeling disappointed, Ye Zhiqiu's tone shifted, "But before it reopens, I'm temporarily in charge of the Library."

She winked at Chu Xisheng, "I call the shots in there for now."