CHAPTER 335: CHAPTER 289: CHEATING

The clouds that blocked the scorching sun drifted slowly away, sunlight basking the steel cladding of the Martial Arts Arena’s dome, reflecting a brilliant arc of dazzling golden light.

Li Ang walked slowly down from the arena. He stood on the grass, squinted, and gazed at the sky.

He won.

Despite his clothes being charred and tattered by fierce flames, waves of emptiness pulsing from his Qi Sea, his palms covered in bloody furrows left by the Mind Silk, and the skin at the edges of the wounds on his hands curled outwards where they had split open, he looked as miserable as one could possibly be.

But a win was a win.

THUD. THUD. THUD.

Footsteps approached from the distance.

His friends hurried over. Yang Yu took the Triangular Spear and the nearly wrecked Mechanical Crossbow from his hand.

Li Wei, without a word, pulled out a folding stool from behind him, placed it on the ground, and had him sit.

Li Leqing carefully wiped his palm wounds with a cotton swab drenched in iodine.

Chai Chai handed him the warm saltwater they had prepared in advance.

"Do you want to lie down and rest?"

Qiu Feng, who was also on the Mind Study Dao Path, used his Telekinesis to bring over more chairs and laid a soft cushion on top.

"I just fought in a martial arts competition; it’s not like I crawled out of a battlefield strewn with dead bodies."

Li Ang found his friends’ enthusiasm both touching and amusing. He waved his hands to show he was okay.

"This time, you fought very well."

Lian Xuanyao walked over slowly, a faint smile on his face.

"Mountain Master, you flatter me; I truly don’t deserve it."

Li Ang got up from the chair, paused, and joked, "I just don’t know if Mountain Master means I fought well during the match, or that I beat Bian Chenpei well in the end."

"Hahaha."

The Mountain Master shook his head and chuckled. "Probably both. To overcome an opponent on the verge of breaking into the Cloud Patrol Realm by two full cultivation ranks, while only at the Initial Stage of Rain Listening—such an achievement is rare, even in the history of the Academic Palace. If your teacher and senior brother were here, they would also be proud of you."

Yang Yu and the others were somewhat puzzled, not understanding Lian Xuanyao’s meaning. Only the informed Li Leqing and Li Ang knew that Lian Xuanyao was referring to Li Ang’s teacher in Yizhou, Pu Liuxuan.

"Mountain Master, my teacher..."

Li Ang hesitated for a moment before asking, "When can he return to Chang’an?"

Pu Liuxuan had once been forced to discard his Cultivation and depart for Yizhou due to his association with Jun Qianzi.

Just as he was preparing to return the year before last, he was delayed again due to Jun Qianzi’s reappearance in the human world.

Previously in Suzhou, Li Ang had heard the white-haired old man who caused the Suzhou Water Poison mention Zhao Ming. This made him worry about Pu Liuxuan’s safety.

Both Jun Qianzi and Situ Zhi were Candle Cloud Cultivators of Zhao Ming. Heaven knows what kind of old monsters were hiding in that organization.

Pu Liuxuan was once a life-and-death friend of Jun Qianzi. Even if Jun Qianzi wouldn’t hurt him, it was uncertain if the garrison’s men might use Pu Liuxuan as bait. They might do so to get information about Zhao Ming and entice Jun Qianzi to appear.

Lian Xuanyao paused, then said slowly, "It should be soon..."

An odd expression flashed across the Mountain Master’s face, a mix of melancholy and concern.

More hurried footsteps approached.

Yu Feiyu and several other leaders from Taihao Mountain also came down from the spectator seats, helping Bian Chenpei up from the arena floor.

"Don’t help me!"

Dishevelled, Bian Chenpei shook off the helping hands and staggered down from the arena.

Protected by the Arena Restriction, aside from his tear-stained face covered with purple bruises, his body hadn’t suffered any severe physical damage.

But for this favored son of the Judgement Court, being abused to such a state in front of students from all countries and tens of thousands of spectators was already the greatest harm.

"You!"

Bian Chenpei’s voice trembled slightly as he struggled to raise his arm and point at Li Ang, bellowing, "You cheated!"

As soon as these words were uttered, the distant audience could not hear them clearly. However, the nearby Academic Palace judges and Taihao Mountain team leaders all showed a sudden change in expression.

"Bian Chenpei!"

Yu Feiyu finally couldn’t suppress his anger. He placed a hand on Bian Chenpei’s shoulder and, using his Cloud Patrol Cultivation, forced him to lower his arm. "What nonsense are you talking about?!"

For Taihao Mountain’s elite disciple to be defeated by an Academic Palace student two Cultivation levels lower was embarrassing enough. To then rant and rave incoherently after defeat was even more dishonorable, threatening to completely tarnish Taihao Mountain’s reputation.

"I’m not talking nonsense!" Bian Chenpei said, his expression twisted as he ignored the dried tear streaks on his face. "There’s something wrong with this man! You couldn’t see it from below the arena. But just now, on the platform, when his Triangular Spear collided with my Telekinesis Dagger, he displayed strength abnormal for a Mind Study Cultivator! Even using Mind to simulate martial skills couldn’t achieve that!

"And furthermore!!" He spread open his palm, revealing the Mind Needle hidden there.

That Mind Needle was extremely thin and tiny, barely visible even under sunlight and only discernible up close.

"To enhance control precision, Mind Needles are always made with special materials, be it metal or Jade," Bian Chenpei continued, his voice rising. "The usual size and shape of Mind Needles are close to that of round chopsticks. Smaller Mind Needles, at most, can shrink to the size of a sewing needle.

"But this one"—he gritted his teeth—"is the Judgement Court’s specially made Wolf-hair Telekinesis Needle! While ensuring sensing accuracy, it’s as fine as a strand of hair and most suitable for covert strikes. Sometimes, the person struck by it doesn’t even realize they’ve been pierced by a Mind Needle!

"Just now, I used the Wolf-hair Telekinesis Needle to execute my Judgement Court’s secret Bee Sting Telekinesis technique on him. It couldn’t even penetrate his skin! Is this normal? He’s a Telekinesis Master, a Talisman Master, not a Body Refining Martial Artist!"

The people present couldn’t help but fall silent. A few Academic Palace judges frowned slightly as they took the Wolf-hair Telekinesis Needle from Bian Chenpei’s hand for closer inspection. Indeed, as he said, the tip of the Mind Needle was twisted and bent, as if it had collided head-on with a solid iron plate.

"Are you sure?"

Yu Feiyu’s tone became serious. "Perhaps when you were executing your Telekinesis, you accidentally hit Li Ang’s Triangular Spear, mistaking it for his body. Or maybe the Mind Needle struck his Alligator Armor."

"Impossible!"

Bian Chenpei yelled, "I’m on the threshold of the Cloud Patrol Realm! Can’t I tell whether the Mind Needle hit a weapon or a person? As for the Alligator Armor, everyone knows it can only defend against ordinary sword slashes; it can’t stop a Wolf-hair Mind Needle!

"His body isn’t normal! I grew up in the Judgement Court and have seen the demons confined in the Black Prison; I wouldn’t mistake it! He must have practiced a Demon Secret Technique or used some forbidden Alien! That’s how he could resist the Wolf-hair Mind Needle with his physical body!"

"Nonsense!"

An Academic Palace judge couldn’t hold back, slammed the table, and rebuked Bian Chenpei, "Our Academic Palace has Prohibitions at the gate, the supervision building has Prohibitions, and the arena also has Prohibitions! Are you saying that Li Ang was able to deceive so many layers of Prohibitions and fool so many Masters and Doctors to get onto the arena? Even delusions should have a limit!"