This heavy rain fell continuously for four days before it finally stopped.
The sun rose high into the sky, lifting this curtain of rain, as if unveiling the summer.
The breath of summer was already wafting over faintly.
The weather became increasingly clear, sweeping away the lingering and sentimental breath of spring, and the temperature gradually rose.
In the spring nights, the active Dragon Pill crickets exited the stage, lurking deep underground to lay eggs. The unique green spear bamboo on Qing Mao Mountain began to grow wildly, with a noticeable increase in height almost every day.
The vegetation and leaves began to transition from emerald green to dark green. The green mountains stretched endlessly, looking even more lush and luxuriant.
The clear sky stretched for ten thousand li, blue as crystal.
Pow pow pow.
In the academy's martial arts arena, a burst of sounds of fists and feet exchanging blows rang out.
After exchanging over ten moves, Gu Yue Mo Bei was kicked in the abdomen by Fang Yuan, staggering back five or six steps, exactly stepping out of the circle drawn on the ground.
The martial arts instructor stood below the arena, having been presiding over the scene the whole time. Seeing this sight, he immediately announced: "Gu Yue Mo Bei has been knocked out of bounds, Gu Yue Fang Yuan wins thirty-three consecutive matches!"
"Hmph, I lost to you again this time." Gu Yue Mo Bei gritted his teeth, his eyes staring fixedly at Fang Yuan, "But don't be arrogant. One day, I will defeat you. And I already feel that this day is getting closer and closer!"
Fang Yuan looked at him expressionlessly, then lowered his eyelids: "That kick just now already caused you internal bleeding. You better heal your injuries first before talking."
"What does this minor injury count for?" Gu Yue Mo Bei had just rebutted half a sentence when his expression suddenly changed, his throat couldn't help but roll, and he vomited a mouthful of fresh blood.
His face abruptly turned pale; this was his first time suffering such an injury! A look of panic and fear inevitably revealed itself in his eyes.
The martial arts instructor hurriedly walked over and consoled: "It doesn't matter, this bit of injury will be fine after treatment and quietly resting for a few days. It's just that you have to pause practicing martial arts for these few days and cannot engage in strenuous activity anymore."
As soon as the voice fell, two healing Gu Masters waiting outside the arena hurried over and carefully supported Gu Yue Mo Bei out.
Gu Yue Mo Chen did not dare to say anything more, he took a deep look at Fang Yuan, his gaze full of annoyance, resentment, regret, and unwillingness.
"Although Mo Bei's martial arts are very good, he still can't beat Fang Yuan."
"Fang Yuan is too amazing, there's simply no one who can beat him!"
"Mo Bei was actually beaten to the point of vomiting blood, truly terrifying. I don't want to fight this guy."
"Sigh, but the instructor said that today is actual combat practice, an arena fight! Everyone must go up and fight once."
The students stood outside the arena. Some looked at Fang Yuan revealing expressions of shock and fear, some sighed and groaned, some had pale faces, and some were on tenterhooks.
Among them, there were also quite a few who were injured. Some covered their bruised and swollen faces, some pressed their arms, drawing in sharp breaths of cold air. There were also some directly lying on the ground, massaging their thighs.
"Next!" Seeing that no one had gone up for a long time, the instructor shouted.
But no one answered. The only ones who normally had the courage to challenge Fang Yuan were Gu Yue Mo Bei, Gu Yue Chi Cheng, and Gu Yue Fang Zheng, these three people. But these three had all already been beaten down.
The students were dead silent, and some even shrank back slightly.
The instructor looked at the timid and cowering expressions of the students, his brows furrowing tightly together.
He couldn't help but recall the words the academy elder had instructed him: "These days, Fang Yuan's limelight is too strong, he must be suppressed. All the other students are being utterly suppressed by him, unable to lift their heads. If this continues for long, the courage in their hearts will also be worn away. What our academy is cultivating are tigers and wolves that dare to fight powerful enemies, not lambs that are afraid to fight."
"What's wrong with all of you? No matter how strong Fang Yuan is, he is just fifteen years old, your peer! He is the same age as you, eats the same food as you, and drinks the same water. He didn't grow three heads and six arms, he is not a monster! Pick up your courage and let me see the pride of the Gu Yue clan buried in your hearts!" The instructor roared, doing his utmost to agitate the students off the stage.
"But he really is too strong, we simply can't beat him at all."
"The classmates who fought him are all so miserable. Mo Bei was even beaten until he vomited blood."
"Fang Yuan's strikes are getting heavier and heavier, Instructor, we are afraid to fight him."
The students rebutted in soft, cowardly voices.
The instructor was so angry he almost stamped his foot. This bunch of ignorant children!
He saw it very clearly from off the stage. Fang Yuan had fought thirty-three consecutive wheel battles without getting any rest at all. Although Fang Yuan had been constantly adjusting his breathing, his physical strength was already almost entirely depleted.
Fang Yuan's strikes becoming heavier and heavier proved this even more: he was no longer as fully capable as before, and he had gradually lost control over the situation.
If they just pushed a bit more, they could force him to reveal fatigue. With a few more people going up, they could knock him down on the spot!
Once Fang Yuan was knocked down, his deterrence factor would plummet, the courage of the students would be stimulated, and the goal of suppressing Fang Yuan would be achieved.
But right now, the students were all bluffed by the tiger skin Fang Yuan had propped up.
Sometimes, what defeats a person is not a strong enemy, but their own heart.
The instructor was anxious in his heart and continued to agitate them.
But this person was not good with words. The previous words he said were exactly the same, which had triggered the hot blood of the youths and provoked some challengers. But now these words had been spoken too many times, and the youths had grown numb to hearing them.
Fang Yuan crossed his arms around his chest, watching all this coldly from the sidelines. Although he stood in the very center of the arena, at this moment he seemed like a completely unrelated outsider.
The instructor agitated them for a long time, but the students still looked at each other in blank dismay, not a single person moving.
The martial arts instructor couldn't help but feel both angry and helpless. He turned around to face Fang Yuan and reprimanded in dissatisfaction: "Fang Yuan, you are also at fault. Your strikes are becoming increasingly ruthless. When classmates spar with each other, it should be gentle and friendly. How could you lay such a heavy hand? Moving forward, you need to pay more attention and strike carefully. If you beat a classmate to the point of vomiting blood again, I will declare you the loser and make you step down!"
"Instructor, you are wrong."
Fang Yuan sneered, his gaze not showing the slightest weakness, meeting the martial arts instructor, "When sparring and fighting, naturally one has to go all out, otherwise how can it serve the purpose of training? Could it be that when fighting in the future, we can also ask the enemy to be gentle and friendly?"
The martial arts instructor was furious: "Hmph, your strikes are vicious, hurting classmates, and you still dare to use lame arguments!"
"Instructor, you are wrong again."
Fang Yuan sneered: "You are the one who arranged this sparring, and raised the first-place reward to the point of twenty primeval stones. Without your instigation, would these people get hurt?"
"Bastard!" The martial arts instructor was not good with words. Pointing at Fang Yuan, he roared, "Do you still want the first-place reward? If you quibble again, even if you get first place, I will declare you the loser! Being so un-united and unfriendly, and also arbitrarily talking back to your teachers, how can you be qualified to receive the twenty primeval stones reward!"
Fang Yuan laughed heartily: "Merely a win or loss, twenty primeval stones, you think I care about that?"
Saying so, he turned around and left, walking out of the central arena under the astonished gazes of everyone.
Although the shadow wall wasn't sold, Fang Yuan had several hundred primeval stones in his hands. Moreover, his taking the stage this time wasn't for the primeval stones either.
"You!" Seeing Fang Yuan really walk off the stage, the instructor couldn't help but stare wide-eyed on the spot, revealing a look of shock and confusion.
Shouldn't fifteen-year-old youths all be full of hot blood and eager to fight and win?
With such battle talent, Fang Yuan's temperament should be even more so. How could he just directly exit the stage?
Furthermore, without financial support, Fang Yuan's primeval stones should be very tight. How could these twenty primeval stones fail to attract him?
For a time, the martial arts instructor was stunned in place, not knowing what to do.
Fang Yuan didn't enter the urn, directly stepping off the stage.
The instructor suddenly found out: he really had no way to deal with Fang Yuan. With his status, he couldn't just blatantly pick a fault and force Fang Yuan onto the stage, right?
The surrounding students successively retreated, keeping a distance from Fang Yuan. Fang Yuan stood off the stage, with no one beside him. With him as the center, a circular blank area appeared within five steps around him.
A pity.
If they had stood beside Fang Yuan, they would have heard Fang Yuan trying his utmost to suppress his panting.
"My physical stamina is running out." Fang Yuan sighed in his heart. On the surface, he looked full of energy, but in fact, his body hidden under his clothes was trembling slightly.
His body was ultimately only fifteen years old, completely lacking the assistance of relevant Gu worms. Fighting thirty-three consecutive matches was already approaching its limit.
Although he had abundant combat experience from his previous life, during this period of time, the other youths' martial arts had improved significantly. From them, Fang Yuan already felt an increasingly strong oppressive force.
This pressure was directly reflected in Fang Yuan's strikes. His strikes became heavier and heavier, gradually unable to hold back. During previous spars, the students were too weak, so he could handle them with flair, and the youths at most only suffered bruises and sprains. But now, his degree of control over the situation was becoming weaker and weaker; he had to lay heavy hands to stabilize the scene.
"Experience is not omnipotent after all. Any power in one's mind requires a material foundation and a medium to be exerted." Fang Yuan narrowed his eyes. In fact, he had long seen through the martial arts instructor's intentions.
He wasn't surprised, and had long anticipated that there would be suppression from the academy's side.
Ever since he killed Gao Wan, the people who dared to challenge him became fewer and fewer. When extorting, more people were forced by his imposing aura, not daring to resist, obediently contributing primeval stones.
If this continued long-term, Fang Yuan's invincible image would be established. It would leave a lingering shadow in the hearts of the other youths, making them lack confidence in their own martial arts from the very beginning. This was something the academy elder absolutely did not want to see. He needed Fang Yuan to propel the students' progress, but he didn't want Fang Yuan to completely wear away the students' passion for combat.
He wanted to see Fang Yuan fail.
Once Fang Yuan failed, the invincible image he established in the early stages would collapse and be destroyed.
Simultaneously, the fighting passion of the other students would be awakened. And after facing setbacks, it would better mold their unyielding will to fight.
But for Fang Yuan, he needed such a deterrence to make his actions of extorting primeval stones more convenient.
If he lost, the youths would realize his weakness and attack him en masse. Although Fang Yuan had quite a few primeval stones on hand, robbing and extorting was his main source of primeval stones. Losing this source, he would become water without a source.
Therefore, Fang Yuan went on stage, fighting thirty-three battles consecutively. The true goal was not the reward of twenty primeval stones, but to maintain deterrence.
If he avoided fighting from the very beginning, it would only let people see his weakness. But if he kept fighting, he would probably be exposed.
"What are you all standing around blankly for, whoever hasn't been in the arena, continue going up. The first place gets a reward of twenty primeval stones, do you guys not want it anymore?" The martial arts instructor stood blankly for a long while before roaring out loud.
The remaining students instantly became enthusiastic.
Fang Yuan had already stepped off the stage, and it was as if an invisible boulder had been lifted from their hearts.
"I'll go up!"
"I'll do it!"
Two youths scrambled to be the first, jumping into the arena and engaging in combat with pow pow pow sounds.
"Sigh, if I knew this would happen, I would have waited too, not having to rush onto the stage and end up being blasted off the arena by Fang Yuan."
"What a pity, I didn't expect Fang Yuan to step down."
"He's truly daring, look, not even the instructor can do anything to him."
…
Hearing the whispers behind him, the instructor instantly felt his prestige dropping continuously. He felt extremely irritable in his heart, truly wanting to ruthlessly punish Fang Yuan. But Fang Yuan had not committed any faults at all; stepping down on his own initiative was an allowed action.
Depressed and helpless, the instructor ultimately looked at Fang Yuan and fiercely glared at the latter.
The corners of Fang Yuan's mouth curled up slightly, thinking to himself: "With such superficial methods, this instructor is actually somewhat cute."