Chapter Thirty-Six: Duel with Yu Zhisha

All eyes were upon him!

Three months ago, Su Ye was the laughingstock of the academy—a good-for-nothing. Yet now, standing tall at the center of the dueling platform, he had become the challenger to the academy’s foremost prodigy, Yu Zhisha.

Even the mentors watching from afar, along with many students who had previously looked down on him, found themselves awed by the aura he now radiated.

“That dazzling genius from three years ago—he’s really back!”

“Yes! All those years of grudges between the House of Yu and the House of Su, it seems they were never meant to be avoided. Even Jin Canjie was sent flying with a single punch—Su Ye’s cultivation is already beyond anything the other students can match.”

The instructors’ faces shifted through a spectrum of emotions. They had long been under pressure from powerful families and superiors, so even as the dueling tournament descended into chaos, not one dared step forward to intervene.

It wasn’t just the mentors and students who were unsettled—Su Ye’s enemies found their hands trembling uncontrollably. What appeared to be a simple duel was, in truth, the battlefield for countless families maneuvering behind the scenes. This was a contest that would subtly determine the rise and fall of the great clans of Yang City.

Cai Weisong’s plump face quivered as he muttered, “Impossible… He’s been useless for three years—I saw it with my own eyes. Wasn’t he destined to be a failure for life? How could he possess such strength after only three months?”

Song Chenxin, Jiang Chengzhi, Song Dahai, and the others were sweating through their palms, their complexions pale, scarcely daring to breathe.

Chen He turned to Yu Zhisha with a smile. “It seems his fire is burning fiercely. Shall I intervene if the occasion demands?”

Within the formation, Yu Zhisha’s mentor, Zhou Jinghao, ground his teeth. “He’s overestimating himself. Does he think three months of training can let him challenge Zhisha? These past two years as an exchange student have honed her skills far beyond his reach. He’s about to learn the meaning of disparity.”

Jiang Liuying, forming a megaphone with her small pale hands, called out from the sidelines, “Yu Zhisha, if you don’t have the guts to come down, you’d better just admit defeat! After today, the legendary Azure Skylarks of the Yu family should call themselves ‘Drenched Chickens’!”

Yu Wenhuan, grinding his teeth in fury, cursed, “Shut up, you wretched woman! Who do you think you are? Whether my sister takes the stage is her own decision. The Jiang family thinks it can pressure the Yu family? You have no idea what you’re up against!”

Yu Zhisha seemed to hear nothing. She calmly removed her wristwatch and handed it to her younger brother, then stepped forward. With a sudden leap, her body sprang through the air, covering several meters in a heartbeat.

With a crackling sound, Yu Zhisha landed directly on the dueling platform.

The moment her foot touched the stage, a heavy silence fell over the entire arena. Everyone’s hearts tightened—no one dared make a sound.

Su Ye’s eyes were as sharp as blades, fixed on Yu Zhisha. Three years of hatred and rage threatened to erupt in that instant. In a low, resonant voice, he declared, “The wheel of fate turns! Just as you once took everything from me, today, I’ll make you pay back tenfold!”

Yu Zhisha’s lips curled into a faint, mocking smile. She answered in a clear voice, “Su Ye, I once thought of letting the past be, letting you live an ordinary and peaceful life. But you insist on courting death! Everything I have now, I won by my own hand. If you dare stand in my way, then I’ll—”

Her body twisted, fingers curled into a half-fist, driving a punch straight at Su Ye’s throat.

With a sharp tearing sound, wind howled from her fist before it even landed. Wisps of white smoke, visible to the naked eye, began to rise from her body, drifting upwards before dissipating some two or three meters above her head.

An outcry swept the crowd. “What? Is that the ‘Hundred Acupoint Guard’? How can that be?”

“I thought Yu Zhisha had only broken through sixty-seven acupoints! How can her hidden points emit smoke? This Azure Skylark’s power is far beyond the rumors!”

Even the mentors were left speechless. Possessing the Thunder Meridian had made her terrifying enough—none among them had reached such a level! Soon, perhaps, there would be few families in all Yang City capable of matching the Yu clan.

With a roar, Su Ye clenched his fists and met her blow head-on.

Their fists collided with a thunderous crash. Su Ye’s body shuddered violently; the Qilin blood within seemed to awaken, surging through his veins. He couldn’t help but let loose a furious roar.

He felt a surge of thunderous power flood into him, threatening to shatter the acupoints of his entire body.

“Su Ye, the gap between us is insurmountable! For three years, I have trained relentlessly, while you were nothing but a cripple!”

On the platform, Yu Zhisha seemed transformed. She spun her hand, gathering the white smoke, and even her footwork traced patterns through the mist. With another sweeping motion, her fist struck out again.

Su Ye activated the latent force within his acupoints. The thunder in his body flared, and arcs of lightning crackled from his fist.

Their blows met with a deafening explosion, sending a gale blasting outward from the epicenter. The students crowded around the stage shrank back, shielding their eyes.

When they dared look again, they saw the white smoke surrounding Yu Zhisha had been dispersed, just a few wisps lingering about her. Her expression was grave, her gaze toward Su Ye colder than ever.

Su Ye had been knocked back more than ten meters, cracks spider-webbing beneath his feet—a testament to the force he had withstood.

“So, you’ve recovered your Thunder Meridian—but it’s pointless. Even with it, you haven’t the slightest hope of victory! What you’ve seen is only thirty percent of my power.”

Yu Zhisha swept her right hand to the side. A dull boom sounded, and her hair rose around her head, though there was no wind.

Faint lights appeared all over her body, glowing from her acupoints. From a distance, she looked both otherworldly and awe-inspiring.

Outside the ring, Jiang Liuying shouted, “Su Ye, be careful! That’s ‘Hundred Acupoint Lanterns’—whatever you do, don’t take it head-on!”

The ‘Hundred Acupoint Lanterns’ was a technique marking the true entry into the ranks of martial artists—only with mastered acupoint control could one manifest it. When a warrior pushed their acupoint power to the limit, the points would shine, even lighting the night like lanterns.

The mentors in the stands exchanged looks of astonishment, shaking their heads in secret.

“It seems we should never have competed for first place. Compared to Yu Zhisha, our so-called prodigies are far too ordinary.”

Zhou Jinghao laughed with pride. Having accompanied Yu Zhisha on her two-year exchange, he claimed her as his own disciple. “Zhisha may not have reached the Qi-Gathering Stage, but she already possesses qualities most warriors lack! What does Su Ye have to compete with my student? And what does the Jiang family have to rival the Yu family?”

Yu Wenhuan, Jiang Chengzhi, and the rest finally regained their composure, pride once again showing on their faces.

Cai Weisong sneered coldly, “Let no one else step onto that stage! This duel—they chose it themselves. Whatever happens, they have only themselves to blame. If one of them dies, so be it!”

Now, every eye turned to Su Ye. Everyone wanted to see how he would respond.

“‘Hundred Acupoint Lanterns’—I taught you that technique three years ago. And now you use it against me!” Su Ye clenched his fists, his feet stomping hard onto the stage.

“That only proves you’re obsolete!” Yu Zhisha’s glowing acupoints pulsed even brighter.

“Is that so? Then witness my new strength!”

Su Ye forced the energy through his acupoints, and white smoke began to rise as well. But unlike before, these wisps joined together, slowly forming the savage visage of a monstrous beast.

With a thunderous roar, a colossal phantom beast—three or four meters tall—materialized above Su Ye’s head.

A wave of terror swept through the arena.

“What is that? My god, is that also ‘Hundred Acupoint Guard’? How can it manifest as a beast?”

“Just now, Yu Zhisha’s smoke was impressive, but how could it gather into such a monstrous head? What has Su Ye learned?”

“What in the world is that? It’s so lifelike—is it a Qilin?”

“A Qilin! An enraged Qilin!”