Chapter 59

After a moment, "Thunder King" Fang Jingshuo finally came to, still seeming a bit disoriented.

He looked around blankly, then saw a group of Inner Courtyard disciples with various expressions looking at him. Seemingly recalling something, he suddenly grabbed the robe of the nearby Inner Courtyard elder and urgently demanded, "Who won just now? Who won?"

Seeing this, the Inner Courtyard elder disdainfully brushed off his hand, not even bothering to respond. He then stood up, looked at the crowd below the platform, and loudly announced, "Fang Jingshuo is severely injured and unconscious, unable to continue the battle. I hereby declare that he is stripped of his qualification to challenge 'Snake Hand' Ye Guyu in the next round, and is temporarily ranked third."

"This match is won by Tang Gu, number fifty-nine. At one o'clock in the afternoon, the final decisive battle will still take place here, between number fifty-nine Tang Gu and number one Ye Guyu, to determine the final first place."

"Alright, the battle is over. Everyone, disperse and return to rest!"

With that, he jumped off the platform, his figure flashing into a faint green shadow, disappearing in an instant, not even sparing a glance at the heavily injured and bleeding "Thunder King" Fang Jingshuo on the ground.

Upon hearing the elder's words, Fang Jingshuo's eyes instantly widened. The answer was clear...

His eyes vacant, he muttered, "No... This can't be possible, this must be cheating... It must be cheating... I protest, I protest... I demand a rematch... Elder, you must have made a mistake, right? You all saw it, speak up, you all saw it, right?"

He turned his head, pointing at the crowd below the platform, his expression fierce. Seeing this, all the Inner Courtyard disciples lowered their heads, not daring to meet his gaze, even those who had previously fawned over him couldn't bring themselves to say a word against their conscience.

Seeing this, Fang Jingshuo became even more deranged. He leaped up, ready to fight again, but...

In his agitated state, his injuries flared up, and he only managed to rise halfway before falling heavily to the ground again, spitting out another mouthful of blood, his face turning pale.

"No, this can't be possible..."

Faintly, his low cries could still be heard. All the Inner Courtyard disciples shook their heads in sorrow, some unable to bear the sight, turning away.

Seeing this, Tang Gu felt a mix of pity and disdain, not wanting to deal with him any further. He leaped up and left. Seeing this, all the Inner Courtyard disciples burst into chatter.

"Amazing, Senior Brother Tang Gu actually has such sword skills, able to break through Senior Brother Fang's sword, it's almost unfathomable. I wonder what kind of sword technique it is?"

"Didn't you hear the elder say it's called the Lingfeng Heavy Sword? But I've never heard of this sword technique before, it's so strange."

"Hey... What does it matter? After today's battle, Senior Brother Tang Gu will surely become famous throughout the entire martial academy. I wonder who will win in the afternoon battle between him and Senior Brother Ye Guyu?"

"Shh—"

An Inner Courtyard disciple quickly put a finger to his lips, then pointed at the sullen-faced "Snake Hand" Ye Guyu nearby. The faces of the Inner Courtyard disciples changed dramatically, and they quickly dispersed, no longer daring to discuss the topic.

However, after this battle, the previously impossible idea of Tang Gu defeating Ye Guyu now seemed not entirely out of the question.

"Snake Hand" Ye Guyu, dressed in blue, walked past the disciples with a dark expression, then turned to glance at the disheveled "Thunder King" Fang Jingshuo on the platform, spitting out, "Waste of space."

After saying this, he didn't linger, turning and striding away. What had been a brotherly relationship just moments ago was now completely shattered.

Only after everyone had left did "Ice Maiden" Li Youxue, "Blazing Sun Fist" Yan Shan, and "Paper Scholar" Xiao Qingbi, who were still in shock, finally leave together, heading back to their residences.

The three of them were still in a daze from the rapid and intense battle between Tang Gu and Fang Jingshuo, their faces filled with shock.

"This Junior Brother Tang actually has such strength, it seems my two defeats were well-deserved," "Ice Maiden" Li Youxue muttered to herself.

"Blazing Sun Fist" Yan Shan shook his head, smiling bitterly to himself, "I underestimated this little Junior Brother Tang too much..."

Even "Paper Scholar" Xiao Qingbi, who had always been at odds with Tang Gu, couldn't hide his shock, finding it hard to believe his eyes.

"He... actually reached this level?"

After the three left, no one noticed two Du family disciples standing in a corner of the square, their faces pale and expressions shocked.

"Silver Sword" Du Zhongjing and "Iron Sword" Du Pengfei.

Their eyes were dark, and their hearts were cold.

The stronger Tang Gu became, the more resentful they felt, and the stronger their desire for revenge grew.

"It seems we need to go home and consult the patriarch. As long as the patriarch takes action, ten Tang Gus would be no match for him. Let him have his moment for now."

The two exchanged a glance, then quietly slipped away through another door. Once enemies, they now walked together for the first time, whether it was fortunate or tragic, they were now united in their goal.

At that moment, only the broken platform and the mad "Thunder King" Fang Jingshuo lying on it remained. Even "Silver Sword" Du Zhongjing and "Iron Sword" Du Pengfei, who were there to avenge him, felt disgusted and didn't bother to help him up.

...

At noon.

In the luxurious ancient pavilion where "Snake Hand" Ye Guyu lived, a humble gray-robed disciple presented a finely crafted crystal-blue wooden box and a piece of paper emitting a faint black aura to "Snake Hand" Ye Guyu.

"Snake Hand" Ye Guyu waved the gray-robed disciple away, tossing the paper aside and opening the wooden box first.

Instantly, a bright blue light burst out of the box, and before "Snake Hand" Ye Guyu's eyes, a dragon-eye-sized, luminous water-blue pearl lay on the soft cushion inside the box.

Ye Guyu's eyes flashed with excitement, his fingers trembling slightly, "It's a Water Essence Pearl!"

He finally picked up the paper with the faint black aura. There were only a few words on it.

"Tang Gu's hands."

"Snake Hand" Ye Guyu closed his eyes, falling into a deep silence. However, a more powerful aura suddenly surged from his body.

Then, he slowly opened his eyes, a piercing light flashing in them as he looked beyond the layers of the martial academy.

"Old Ancestor of the Du family, what a grand gesture!"

...

In the afternoon, at one o'clock.

The bell rang three times, signaling the start of the final battle.

Amidst the anticipation of the crowd, Tang Gu and Ye Guyu slowly stepped out from their respective doorways. At that moment, the entire martial academy square erupted in excitement!

The same Inner Courtyard elder who had presided over the morning match moved to a brand new, intact platform and raised his hand.

"Below, I declare that the final battle of this year's Inner Courtyard competition officially begins!"

"Tang Gu, Ye Guyu, come up to the platform!"

"Yes!"

With two soft responses, Tang Gu and Ye Guyu simultaneously floated up and stood opposite each other on the platform. The Inner Courtyard elder stepped back, leaving the space to them.

Facing each other, for some reason, Tang Gu suddenly felt a dangerous aura emanating from the other side.

This aura seemed even stronger than what he had faced from "Thunder King" Fang Jingshuo in the morning!

"What is this?"

He couldn't help but feel a bit surprised. The Du and Fang families being old acquaintances made sense, but he and "Snake Hand" Ye Guyu had no prior grudges or entanglements. Could it be just for the first place?

He shook his head, finding it hard to believe.

PS: Second update. New week, one recommendation ticket please.

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