Chapter 17: Not Pretending

Yang Kai's eyes widened in surprise. "Huh? Initial Element? Why are you even here at that level?"

Yan Xiu smirked. "Then what's the reason you're here?" he countered without hesitation. "Someone as strong as you shouldn't be here. I don't know what secret you're hiding by pretending to be so weak..."

The gathered disciples, who had been watching with mild interest, suddenly murmured among themselves.

"What's that punk saying? Is he crazy?" one whispered.

"Yeah, Yang Kai? Strong?" another scoffed.

Yang Kai's expression grew more puzzled. "Pretending?" he thought. "What is this guy saying?"

Yan Xiu took a step forward, his expression serious. "But if you don't bring out your real power against me, I'll make sure to cripple you!"

Without another word, Yan Xiu surged forward, his aura flaring with killing intent.

Yang Kai tensed instinctively.

Why? Did Yan Xiu really want to cripple him?

No. That wasn't it.

For someone as strong as Yang Kai had been in the simulation, being this weak now—only two months earlier—was simply impossible. He must be hiding his strength.

And Yan Xiu was certain… if he put Yang Kai under a real threat, then at least some of that power would surface.

But things didn't go as Yan Xiu had planned.

Yang Kai didn't dodge. He didn't counter.

He didn't even react.

Bam!

Yan Xiu's punch landed cleanly on Yang Kai's face, sending him flying backward like a ragdoll. His body crashed against the High Heaven Pavilion's outer walls with a heavy thud, leaving a faint crack on the stone.

For a moment, there was only silence.

Then—

"Hey... is Yang Kai... dead?" one of the disciples muttered, his voice uncertain.

"Well... with that kind of force..." another hesitated, swallowing hard.

A third disciple suddenly pointed at Yan Xiu. "Isn't that guy in danger then? Killing fellow martial brothers is strictly forbidden in the sect..."

At those words, a chill ran through the gathered crowd. The sect's rules were ironclad—injuries in sparring were common, but outright killing? One could consider himself lucky if he managed to keep his life.

"Hey, guys..." one of the disciples suddenly spoke up, his voice low. Everyone turned to look at him.

"Let's get away... If the Disciplinary Hall gets involved, they might suspect us too."

"Yeah!" another quickly agreed.

And just like that—

The entire crowd scattered like frightened birds, vanishing from the scene before trouble could catch up to them.

Meanwhile, Yan Xiu just stood there, staring at Yang Kai's unmoving form, his fists still clenched.

"Shit..."

"He wasn't pretending..."

Without thinking, he rushed over to Yang Kai's motionless body. The closer he got, the more he realized just how bad it was. Yang Kai's face was bloodied, his nose bent at an odd angle, and fresh crimson trickled down the corner of his mouth.

"Fuck... did I kill him?"

His heartbeat quickened as he knelt beside Yang Kai, pressing two fingers against his neck to check for a pulse. A few seconds passed, but then—

Ba-dump... Ba-dump...

A faint, but steady rhythm.

"Phew..." Yan Xiu exhaled in relief, his shoulders loosening. "He's still alive..."

For a moment, he just stared at Yang Kai's unconscious form.

"Damn... he really wasn't pretending..."

Yan Xiu scratched his head, feeling both regretful and annoyed.

"Sorry, Yang Kai... I didn't know you were this weak... you've helped me so much in the simulation and this is how I repayed you..." he muttered.

Then, he sighed.

"I don't even have any medicine or herbs to help you... well, not that I ever have any normally—"

But before he could finish, a powerful presence suddenly descended upon him.

Yan Xiu's instincts screamed at him.

Someone was beside him.

A beautiful young woman, clad in elegant violet robes with silver embroidery, her long, silky hair tied up neatly. A veil covered her face, but it was clear just from her piercing eyes—she was brimming with anger.

"You!" Her voice, filled with fury, was a stark contrast to the gentle features of her face. "How dare you kill one of your fellow martial brothers?"

Yan Xiu's eyes widened. "Wait—"

But before he could explain, an immense pressure crashed down on him.

It was suffocating.

His breath hitched, his muscles tensed, and his knees buckled under the weight of her aura.

Shit... she's strong...! Is she... of the Disciplinary Hall?

His body refused to move.

The gap between them was overwhelming.

And right now—

Her cold gaze bore into Yan Xiu as the suffocating weight of her aura pressed down on him.

"Talk," she demanded, her voice sharp as a blade. "Why did you do that? Why did you kill one of your fellow martial brothers?"

Despite the situation, Yan Xiu's lips curled into a small, almost amused smile.

Her eyes flickered with fury.

Boom!

The pressure on him intensified, making his bones creak under the overwhelming force.

"Why are you laughing?!" she snapped, her voice laced with disbelief and anger.

Yan Xiu's vision blurred slightly as he struggled to keep himself from collapsing completely.

"Did you enjoy killing him?!" she shouted.

This time, there was something different in her tone. It wasn't just the righteous anger of a senior sister enforcing the sect's rules.

It was personal.

Yan Xiu noticed it.

"Why? Why does she care so much about Yang Kai? Do they know each other?"

He struggled to move, even the simple act of breathing becoming a chore. Yet, that small smile never faded.

"Senior sister..." he finally managed to say, his voice hoarse yet oddly calm. "Do you know that... senior brother Yang is still alive, right?"

The moment Yan Xiu's words left his lips, her suffocating aura vanished like a dissipating storm.

Her eyes widened, her entire demeanor shifting in an instant.

"Really?" she asked, her voice no longer laced with anger, but filled with desperate hope. Her face lit up as if her entire world had just been saved.

Yan Xiu, still struggling to breathe, let out a few ragged gasps.

"Pant… pant… Yes, senior… sister…" he managed to say, trying to steady himself.

Before he could say anything more, she had already turned away. In a blur, she rushed over to Yang Kai's unconscious form, kneeling beside him.

Yan Xiu, rubbing his sore throat, couldn't help but smirk as he caught a glimpse of her expression in that brief moment before she turned.

So… she likes Yang Kai, huh?

To be continued...

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How was this chapter? Liked it?

Also, did I make Xia Ning Chang too strong (Yeah, she is Xia Ning Chang, this chapter corrisponds to the manhwa's first chapters, so she was observing Yang Kai)? I mean, there are almost three major realm of difference between them and Xia Ning Chang has the Sacred Spirit Medicine Body, so it should be alright. Tell me what you think.

Be sure to check out my original novel Hyperborea!