Chapter 187: Xu Caichen: To see propriety before departing west— who could say I am not a gentleman?

"Thank you, Brother Chen, for letting me win."

Xu Caichen's voice was the first to break the silence on the arena.

"I... I lost..."

Chen Zhuang felt a slight pain in his throat and spoke while drenched in sweat, looking at Xu Caichen as if he were some kind of monster.

People from the Miscellaneous Dao Institute really shouldn't participate in this kind of preliminary round—aren't you just making things hard for me, Chen Zhuang?

The audience below the arena was stunned once again. Before they even had a chance to settle in and enjoy the match, the fight was already over.

These two had exchanged blows for less than three breaths—were you two messing with all of us?

At that moment, the referee's voice sounded from atop the arena.

"Xu Caichen wins this bout!"

Xu Caichen promptly put away the short sword in his hand, saluted his opponent, and walked off the stage.

Whew...

After stepping down from the arena, Chen Zhuang finally let out a long breath. That last sword had made him feel as if he'd been only a hair's breadth away from death.

The fellow disciples from the Body Cultivation Institute gathered around at this moment, all talking at once.

"Senior Brother Chen, are you okay?"

"Senior Brother Chen, how come you only lasted three breaths just now?"

"..."

At the mention of "three breaths," Chen Zhuang's expression changed immediately. He turned angrily to glare at that person and said, "Hmph! You think I'm weak?"

"If you went up there, you wouldn't last even a single breath! Before the top hundred, if anyone can last five breaths against Senior Brother Xu, I'll call him a real man."

Five-breath real man?

Everyone's faces took on odd expressions, but seeing Senior Brother Chen's flustered appearance, no one pressed further.

Meanwhile, Xu Caichen flew over toward the spectator stands. As soon as he landed, Ye Beixuan and Nie Xiuyuan came over to greet him.

"Congratulations, little junior brother, for taking the lead."

"Congratulations, Senior Brother Xu, on your triumphant start."

Xu Caichen smiled and said, "Just testing the waters, nothing much. When I actually make it into the top hundred, it'll be time for you, Uncle-Master and Senior Brother, to congratulate me."

Ye Beixuan saw that Xu Caichen was still as modest and gentlemanly as ever, so he spoke up:

"Junior Brother Xu, you may have won, but revealing your moves before the fight even started isn't what a wise person would do."

The surrounding institute elders and disciples all nodded slightly at these words. In their eyes, Xu Caichen's earlier behavior was indeed too pedantic.

Xu Caichen didn't argue. He cupped his hands and said, "You are right, Senior Brother. But this is just the outer sect competition, and we're all fellow disciples. I didn't want to harm anyone, so I gave a warning on purpose."

Halfway through, he paused, then continued, "Of course, if I were facing an enemy, I definitely wouldn't give any warning, nor would I let them strike first. As they say: if I can exchange salutes before sending someone to the afterlife, who could say I'm not a gentleman?"

As soon as he said this, everyone in the stands turned their eyes toward Xu Caichen.

"..."

Ye Beixuan was left speechless. He'd just thought his little junior brother was an overly bookish scholar, someone who insisted on formality even in a martial arts match.

But now, with that twist at the end, Xu Caichen had completely caught him off guard.

In his mind's eye, he could already see his junior brother cupping his hands and bowing, only to unleash a sword from his sleeve the next instant, striking straight for the opponent's life.

That mental image was too much; Ye Beixuan felt a chill all over.

"Well said—if you can exchange salutes before sending someone to the afterlife, who could say you're not a gentleman."

Elder Bai's voice came from not far away. He said with a laugh, "Nephew Xu really has the demeanor of an ancient gentleman. Even before killing, he insists on observing propriety. It's been a long time since we've seen such a talent in our Wendao Academy."

A few elders nearby echoed their agreement.

"I never expected the Dao of Literature could be played like this. Nephew Xu, you've really opened our eyes."

"I can already imagine how despairing your enemies will feel in the future, right before they die."

"I suggest from now on, we call Nephew Xu the 'Gentleman Sword'!"

Xu Caichen: "..."

He looked completely baffled. 'Is there something wrong with what I did? I just learned this from the Analects. Why does it feel like everyone's compliments sound a bit strange?'

——

The outer sect tournament was in full swing.

Xu Caichen defeated every opponent with a single sword strike. Even though everyone knew exactly what he was going to do, his sword was simply too fast—no one could defend against it.

What Chen Zhuang didn't expect was that his casual complaint actually came true.

Not a single one of Xu Caichen's opponents lasted more than five breaths.

With no suspense at all, Xu Caichen made it into the top hundred. After a day's rest for all the disciples, the top hundred elimination matches officially began.

Ye Beixuan was also about to have his first match of this tournament. The moment he saw his opponent's name, he smiled and muttered to himself, "Is this fate?"

Xu Caichen and Nie Xiuyuan both turned to look at Ye Beixuan when they heard this.

"Suqing," Nie Xiuyuan read out Ye Beixuan's opponent's name, then seemed to remember something and asked, "Junior Brother Ye, did this young lady also ask you to break off an engagement?"

???

Ye Beixuan looked at Nie Xiuyuan, bewildered, "Uncle-Master, what do you mean? There's nothing between me and her."

After hearing this, Nie Xiuyuan showed a disappointed expression. "I was hoping for a bit of drama—some deep-seated grudge or love-hate story to enjoy with my wine. Turns out it's just an ordinary match. Boring, truly boring."

"..."

Ye Beixuan was left speechless, a black line forming on his face. 'Uncle-Master Nie is just as hard to please as in my previous life!'

Before long, it was time for the tenth top hundred match: Ye Beixuan versus Suqing.

Expressionless, Ye Beixuan stepped onto the arena, hands behind his back, his posture lofty and detached as he looked coldly at Suqing.

That gaze, that demeanor—without question, it cut deep into Suqing's heart.

Disregarding her usual image, she spoke out, "Ye Beixuan, wipe that disgusting look off your face. Today I'll make sure you understand that someone like you will only ever be able to look up to me for your whole life!"

Her words stunned the entire crowd!

Everyone watching the match was shocked, and when they looked at Suqing, it was as if they were looking at someone with a mental affliction.

Many people began discussing heatedly.

"Does this Junior Sister Suqing have something wrong with her head?"

"Seems like it. I've never seen anyone provoke a disciple from the Miscellaneous Dao Institute like this. The last guy who did that, Senior Brother Bafist, had his Dao heart shattered."

"…"

Ye Beixuan smiled playfully and said, "Suqing, looks like the one who's lost her mind is you. Even now, you don't understand the gap between us. Fine, today I'll help you wake up. Show me—let's see what you've learned in Wendao Academy these past three years!"

"Then watch closely!"

Suqing shouted in anger, her aura erupting like a volcano.

Clang!

With a clear sword ring, the long sword in Suqing's hand released a sharp sword energy, thrusting straight toward Ye Beixuan's heart...

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