Two hours later!
"Junior Brother, I heard people say your cultivation realm has finally broken through?"
Su Changxi had changed back into a long white dress, a trace of a smile flashing in her charming eyes.
"Yes, I have already found the reason why I couldn't cultivate back then," Ye Feng said, looking at the beauty before him with a smile.
"That's truly wonderful. But you don't have to push yourself so hard with your cultivation; I will always be behind you, supporting you." A faint smile appeared on Su Changxi's face.
"Senior Sister, I have some business outside the sect, so you don't need to come by these next few days," Ye Feng said as he packed his things, remembering to give her a heads-up.
"Where are you going?" A hint of puzzlement appeared in Su Changxi's beautiful eyes.
"Hehe, Senior Sister, I'm heading back to the Ye Clan. Would you like to come with me?" Ye Feng turned back with a smile and teased.
"Maybe next time." Su Changxi gave him a playful, reproachful glare; she wasn't ready to meet Ye Feng's family just yet.
"Alright!" Ye Feng nodded in agreement, then finished packing his things and left the room.
Walking halfway, he suddenly remembered that he still had a duel scheduled with Wu Da, so he turned around and headed toward the sparring arena.
.......................
Yunhai Sect, sparring arena!
The sparring arena was currently surrounded by a crowd, drawn here by Lin Ruoxue's publicity to watch the spectacle.
Wu Da had originally thought that when Ye Feng said "in a moment," it would take at most a quarter of an hour.
Yet up until now, he had waited a full two hours, to the point where he suspected this kid was just messing with him.
"Why isn't this Ye Feng here yet? Could he be chickening out?"
"Hard to say. Lin Ruoxue said Wu Da and Ye Feng would be dueling at the sparring arena today, but I don't think she mentioned a time."
"I bet Ye Feng is just scared. If he can beat Wu Da, I'll eat shit right here."
Just as the crowd was buzzing with discussion, Ye Feng appeared in everyone's line of sight, looking spirited and energetic.
"Ye Feng is finally here. A good show is about to start."
"Hey, why did Senior Sister Su come too?"
Everyone cast their gazes in unison toward the two of them.
Although the two had arrived one after the other, it still managed to attract quite a bit of attention.
Ye Feng looked back and was somewhat surprised by Su Changxi's arrival.
Noticing Ye Feng's gaze, Su Changxi smiled playfully.
She had just been on her way back to her quarters when she overheard the surrounding disciples discussing the matter, which was how she ended up here.
It just so happened that she arrived right behind Ye Feng.
"The main event is here! Are there any more bets? If not, I'm closing the pool!" a bald disciple of the Yunhai Sect shouted to the surrounding crowd.
Hearing this, Ye Feng immediately walked over. "What are the odds right now?"
Seeing Ye Feng asking, the bald disciple explained, "Bet on Ye Feng to win, odds are one to fifteen! Bet on Wu Da to win, odds are fifteen to one!"
Hearing this reply, Ye Feng's eyes lit up. These odds weren't bad at all.
The only pity was that he only had five hundred Spirit Stones in his possession, and even these five hundred were the ones he had received upon becoming an Outer Disciple.
"I'll bet on myself to win, wagering five hundred Spirit Stones." Ye Feng took the Spirit Stones out from his Storage Ring and handed them over.
Hearing that Ye Feng was only wagering five hundred Spirit Stones, the bald man was momentarily speechless, but he still took the Spirit Stones.
"Ye Feng, you're only betting five hundred Spirit Stones? Do you have that little confidence in yourself?"At this moment, Lin Ruoxue stepped forward and sneered, "..."
Hearing this, Ye Feng cursed his bad luck inwardly. Just as he was about to retort, Su Changxi's voice echoed through the surroundings.
"I'll wager ten thousand Spirit Stones on Ye Feng to win."
As soon as these words were spoken, they instantly drew everyone's attention.
Ten thousand Spirit Stones were a mere drop in the bucket for Su Changxi, a Direct Disciple, but this represented her stance.
Seeing Su Changxi speak up, Lin Ruoxue swallowed back the sarcastic remarks she had been about to make.
She could look down on Ye Feng, but she could not afford to ignore Su Changxi.
Among the crowd stood a young man in black with a restrained aura. Upon hearing Su Changxi's words, his expression darkened instantly.
This man was Qin Beichen, a Core Disciple of the Yunhai Sect, whose cultivation had reached the Heavenly Martial Realm.
At the same time, he held another identity: he was the biological son of the Yunhai Sect's Vice Sect Master.
He had always been Su Changxi's most fervent pursuer, though unfortunately, she had never paid him any mind.
Even so, he had never given up the idea of winning her over; she was a woman he was determined to possess.
However, rumors from the past few days about Ye Feng and Su Changxi growing very close had filled him with a vague sense of unease.
Ye Feng glanced indifferently at Lin Ruoxue, then walked over to the edge of the sparring arena, leaped up, and landed on the stage.
"Ye Feng, you're finally here. I thought you were too scared to show your face."
Wu Da rubbed his hands together, burning with impatience to brutally beat Ye Feng in the sparring arena, or even cripple him entirely.
Suddenly, a thought struck him. He walked over to Ye Feng and said smugly, keeping his voice low enough for only the two of them to hear.
"Heh heh, Ye Feng, once I defeat you this time, Lin Ruoxue will truly become my woman. I wonder how that makes you feel?"
Wu Da spoke on purpose to enrage Ye Feng.
Yet, upon hearing this, Ye Feng remained completely calm, a rather bizarre expression crossing his face instead.
He hadn't even boasted about what had just happened between him and Su Changxi, yet this guy was already daydreaming about something that hadn't even happened.
"Wu Da, I hate to break it to you, but I wouldn't touch a woman like Lin Ruoxue with a ten-foot pole. Besides, that little fantasy of yours is probably only ever going to come true in your dreams."
With a look of disgust, Ye Feng used his spiritual energy to push the distance between them apart.
"Arrogant punk."
Wu Da's face darkened. Just as he was about to fly into a rage, he suddenly caught a faint fragrance unique to a woman.
It was a scent he would never forget in this lifetime, because he had once caught a whiff of it the fleeting moment he passed by Su Changxi within the sect.
Yet why was this exact scent coming from Ye Feng?
A sudden thought struck Wu Da: could the two of them be having an illicit affair?
"Are we going to fight or not? Stop dragging your feet."
Seeing the other man standing there in a daze, Ye Feng said impatiently.
Wu Da snapped out of it, the gaze he fixed on Ye Feng filled with deep jealousy.
Regardless of the details, the relationship between Ye Feng and Su Changxi was definitely extraordinary.
"Aah! Let's fight!"
Wu Da retreated slightly, and a powerful aura began to surge from his body.
Profound jealousy drove him to completely cripple Ye Feng.
"Talk too much."
Releasing the aura of the Mystic Martial Realm Level 3, Ye Feng took the initiative and charged at Wu Da.