Villainous Master (11)
During this period, the experience of facing Ning Jingyu as an opponent had almost been ingrained in Song Xuyi’s bones.
The moment the opponent attacked, Song Xuyi almost instinctively dodged, unconsciously imitating Ning Jingyu’s way of countering opponents, pinpointing the enemy’s weaknesses and striking back.
The opponent did not expect Song Xuyi to be so cunning and straightforward, making an unsuccessful move and hastily avoiding the attack. The opponent’s eyes, which had initially held a bit of contempt when looking at Song Xuyi, instantly changed.
Song Xuyi didn’t expect to counterattack successfully either.
Apart from the initial shock due to not reacting in time, as the fight went on, Song Xuyi found herself extremely well-suited to this fighting style. She was almost fighting on instinct, seemingly able to subconsciously predict the opponent’s moves and react ahead of them.
Even though the opponent’s spiritual power foundation was far superior to Song Xuyi’s, once up against Song Xuyi, they had no room to exert their spiritual power. Song Xuyi used extremely cunning movements to entangle the opponent tightly, leaving no room for them to even counterattack, like a bird trapped in a cage.
Song Xuyi was fully immersed in the match, while the spectators erupted in an uproar.
Ning Jingyu’s name had been silent for so long, like a meteor streaking across the night sky, shining for a moment before completely disappearing. Many had heard of Ning Jingyu’s feats, but no one had seen Ning Jingyu in action for years.
Therefore, when Ning Jingyu proposed to place her disciple in the most competitive group for the match, everyone thought Ning Jingyu was joking. However, out of respect for Ning Jingyu’s reputation and a subtle desire to see a spectacle, the organizers agreed to Ning Jingyu’s request and even deliberately scheduled Song Xuyi’s match as the first one.
No one expected Ning Jingyu not to be blindly arrogant.
On the martial arts stage, Ning Jingyu’s disciple displayed fierce moves, executing an extremely simple sword technique to its fullest potential, resembling a sharp sword with unparalleled momentum, sweeping everything before her. The sight made people shiver and wonder: how much chance would they have against this disciple?
And this was merely a disciple who had been under Ning Jingyu’s tutelage for less than ten years. In just a few years, the disciple had become so outstanding—how powerful must Ning Jingyu herself be?
After about a hundred moves, to everyone’s surprise yet not unexpectedly, Song Xuyi placed her sword against the opponent’s neck.
Facing the opponent’s incredulous gaze, she sheathed her sword, bowed, and returned to the Xuanshu Sect’s ranks.
The entire hall fell silent, then erupted into thunderous applause.
Throughout, she remained extremely calm, neither arrogant nor impatient, displaying the demeanor of a true disciple from a prestigious sect, earning admiration from the spectators.
Ning Jingyu, however, slightly frowned.
Song Xuyi had not returned to her side; even after winning, she didn’t smile…
Ning Jingyu glanced at Song Xuyi, who lowered her head slightly, avoiding Ning Jingyu’s gaze.
Was she…
Holding a grudge against her?
Realizing this, Ning Jingyu sneered inwardly, feeling she had spoiled Song Xuyi too much, allowing her to develop such a temper.
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Reminding herself not to take her disciple’s behavior to heart, Ning Jingyu found herself distracted for the rest of the day, unable to focus, and couldn’t help but glance at Song Xuyi several times, never once meeting her gaze.
Ning Jingyu felt inexplicably agitated, suddenly not wanting to stay in this place any longer.
After witnessing Song Xuyi’s remarkable performance of defeating a stronger opponent, the subsequent matches, which relied on magical tools and spiritual power, seemed less impressive in comparison.
Leaving the audience’s reactions rather lackluster until Zhao Wuyou took the stage.
Zhao Wuyou’s equipment was astonishing: her clothes were made of celestial silk, impenetrable by weapons, her bracelets were famous protective magical items, the necklace she wore could enhance her speed, and the sword in her hand was a legendary priceless artifact.
Naturally, Zhao Wuyou won the match.
However, Zhao Wuyou showed no joy after her victory. She almost injured her opponent during the match, which diminished her grace considerably.
Listening to the whispers around her, Zhao Wuyou’s face darkened, and she couldn’t help but look at where Ning Jingyu had been seated—
The Xuanshu Sect had left before Zhao Wuyou’s match.
Zhao Wuyou had intentionally arranged her match to be later, hoping to impress Ning Jingyu with her strength, only to find that Ning Jingyu had left with the other disciples right after their matches…
Ning Jingyu felt she should say something.
Back at the Xuanshu Sect’s courtyard, the disciples returned to their rooms, leaving Ning Jingyu alone with Song Xuyi.
Song Xuyi still had that submissive demeanor, head down and silent.
Ning Jingyu initially wanted to encourage Song Xuyi, but seeing her silent and downcast, Ning Jingyu felt her own irritation grow stronger, forcing herself to speak stiffly:
“In your fifth move today, you could have attacked the lower body, and in the twelfth move, you could have used your right hand to strike the back…”
Ning Jingyu analyzed Song Xuyi’s fight while secretly glancing at her.
Song Xuyi kept her head down, responding softly, “Thank you for your guidance, Master!”
No smile, no playfulness, only detachment and politeness… She didn’t even look at Ning Jingyu with her starry eyes anymore.
Wasn’t this exactly what Ning Jingyu wanted?
However, just after resolving to distance herself from Song Xuyi, seeing her disciple’s aloof and silent demeanor now, Ning Jingyu felt something was amiss.
Her rational mind told her not to speak, but before she realized it, Ning Jingyu found herself explaining—
“I- I switched your position the day that junior surnamed Zhao harassed you,” Ning Jingyu said stiffly. “With your skills, defeating that junior would have been easy, but she has many magical tools. I feared you’d get hurt, so I had you train for three more days. Then, I was busy training you and forgot to inform you—”
Ning Jingyu had never said anything close to an apology before. She felt uncomfortable after speaking, grateful that her hair bun hid her reddening ears from Song Xuyi’s view.
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“You said,” Song Xuyi looked up, her eyes returning to that familiar star-like brightness, and Ning Jingyu felt a breath of relief. “If there’s a misunderstanding between two people, they should clarify it. Next time, if something like this happens—”
Ning Jingyu met Song Xuyi’s gaze: the girl’s eyes were clear, with a hint of hope and encouragement, respectful yet innocent.
Ning Jingyu was stunned, suddenly feeling a bit hot, struggling to resist the urge to pat Song Xuyi’s head, and quickly turned away.
She swallowed the words “I’ll remember to inform you next time,” and dryly changed to, “Next time, I’ll remember to ask for your opinion before making a decision.”
She didn’t know why she said that, only that her little disciple finally smiled.
Even without turning her head, she could imagine her little disciple’s pleasing expression, eyebrows arched and dimples shallow.
“Master,” when the little disciple unconsciously acted coy, her voice carried a hint of sweetness, like a feather tickling Ning Jingyu’s heart, “I never thought Master would say these things to me.”
“Thank you, Master, for being considerate of my feelings. I am very happy in my heart…”
Song Xuyi’s eyes curved into a smile, and she inexplicably felt a strange satisfaction, like a parent seeing their child finally grow up. Having experienced Ning Jingyu’s awkwardness, to prevent Ning Jingyu’s hard-won change from reverting, Song Xuyi continued her gentle persuasion—
“Master, you don’t know, I was so sad when I first heard the news. I thought you despised my weakness and wanted to use someone else’s hand to teach me a lesson…”
“Nonsense!” Ning Jingyu’s eyes moved, turning to look at Song Xuyi: “Why would I need to use someone else’s hand to deal with you?”
She couldn’t bear to harm her little disciple, how could she let anyone else touch even a hair on her head?
“I knew Master cared for me!”
Song Xuyi’s smile deepened, and she grabbed Ning Jingyu’s somewhat stiff arm. Ning Jingyu symbolically struggled twice but didn’t pull away. Song Xuyi understood Ning Jingyu’s contradictory behavior and her smile grew wider: “But even knowing Master wouldn’t harm me, I still felt wronged: I couldn’t understand why Master didn’t tell me about such an important matter. Even though my skills are low, I still want to know the truth when things happen, so I can think of ways to face them together with Master. After all, I want to be Master’s disciple for life…”
Ning Jingyu’s lips noticeably curved up, as if she were a beast shedding its claws and fangs, appearing unexpectedly reserved and gentle.
Seeing Ning Jingyu like this, Song Xuyi felt even happier: she knew Ning Jingyu better than anyone. When Ning Jingyu was in a good mood, she became very approachable.
“I understand.”
Sure enough, as soon as Song Xuyi finished speaking, Ning Jingyu’s voice carried a rare solemnity: “I promise you, in the future, I will discuss everything with you.”
For the next few days, the two resumed their training.
Although the Xuanshu Sect didn’t stay at the venue until the end, other spectators recorded the whole event with memory stones and edited highlights of the outstanding disciples.
Since she was now in the strongest group, Song Xuyi decided to fully participate in the competition.
After the preliminary rounds, there were daily elimination matches, giving Song Xuyi enough time to study her formidable opponents.
Song Xuyi bought a memory stone for analysis, and her worst fears were confirmed: her toughest opponent in this group was indeed Zhao Wuyou.
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It wasn’t that Zhao Wuyou’s skills were particularly strong, but her abundance of magical artifacts made her formidable.
If it were anyone else, Song Xuyi might have remained calm, but having already clashed with Zhao Wuyou, and for the honor of the Xuanshu Sect, she couldn’t afford to lose this match.
Song Xuyi began to train with Ning Jingyu daily.
Ning Jingyu was surprised by Song Xuyi’s effort. In her view, Song Xuyi was already more than capable of defeating Zhao Wuyou. Initially, she wanted Song Xuyi to rest, but Song Xuyi knew her weakness. A single sentence, “I don’t want to lose to Zhao Wuyou, I want to prove that you’re the best Master and I’m the best disciple,” appeased Ning Jingyu, who then focused on enhancing Song Xuyi’s abilities…
As time passed, with the competition progressing, more disciples were eliminated, and Song Xuyi made it to the top four.
The further the competition went, the harder it became to defeat opponents, making Song Xuyi work even harder: training her swordsmanship and speed while continuously studying Zhao Wuyou’s combat footage, looking for flaws.
Half a month passed quickly.
Song Xuyi was now eighty percent confident she could defeat Zhao Wuyou, feeling relieved. She originally thought she would face Zhao Wuyou in the finals, but unexpectedly, Zhao Wuyou, accompanied by her mother Zhao Lin, came directly to confront her—
LP: Re-translated on May 29, 2024