Chapter 2066: How to Tame the Rebellious Youth 15

Over the next three days, Ji Lai Zhi approached training and his daily seated circulation of inner energy with unprecedented vigor and focus.

Ji Lai Zhi originally wanted to ask Jin Chen about the No Delusion Gate's martial arts so he could specifically counter Xue Duan Ming's fighting style, but after pondering it all night he still didn't act on it.

Since he wanted to defeat Xue Duan Ming, he had to win fair and square; only then could he properly make that request of Jin Chen.

Three days later, at the Qing Yun Sword Manor training ground.

Not only the disciples training that day, but even Ji Yuan Shan and the four Guardian Elders came to watch, simply wanting to see the results of Ji Lai Zhi's recent training.

After all, if progress is too rapid, it becomes utterly uncontrollable.

The first to spar with Ji Lai Zhi was Ji Si Yao.

Even though he was reluctant to admit it, Ji Si Yao fully understood the gap between himself and Ji Lai Zhi; his plan was simply to drain Ji Lai Zhi's stamina as much as possible, leaving Xue Duan Ming ample room to win.

But reality did not comply with his wishes.

The fighting style Ji Si Yao was familiar with had long been abandoned by Ji Lai Zhi, who had instead established a whole new set of crafty techniques that would not backfire on himself.

Below the stage, seeing Ji Si Yao being brutally kicked off the platform within ten moves, the crowd's expressions varied.

Ji Yuan Shan nearly crushed the chair's armrest, his expression dark and terrifying; the Guardian Elders exchanged glances, shaking their heads and sighing.

They had poured almost all of their secret techniques and insights into cultivating Ji Si Yao, yet they still could not match Ji Lai Zhi.

Jin Chen curled his lips, nodded at Ji Lai Zhi who looked up hopefully, and transmitted praise through inner energy: "Excellent, very impressive."

Ji Lai Zhi felt even more exhilarated; a dab of vermilion at the corner of his eye glimmered translucently in the sunlight, his blazing gaze fixed on Xue Duan Ming as he leapt onto the stage, and he clasped his fists.

"Please instruct me."

As the drum sounded, the two figures blurred into afterimages.

Ji Lai Zhi turned his body to evade the scorching fist wind, suddenly changed his palm into a claw, his fingertips grazing Xue Duan Ming's neck side, pressing down deeply, leaving a dark imprint as they brushed past—evidence of his profound inner energy.

Xue Duan Ming secretly startled, the sensation of having his breath choked was truly unpleasant; he nearly broke his held breath, retreated a few steps to recover, then pushed off and leapt up.

In the exchange of moves, Xue Duan Ming was already at a disadvantage, though he also did not let Ji Lai Zhi gain much advantage.

But it was already enough to make Ji Yuan Shan feel deep apprehension.

Seeing Ji Lai Zhi… now in this guise, this same spirit and arrogance inevitably reminded Ji Yuan Shan of his mother—the woman he most admired and also feared most in his youth.

"How could this be," Ji Yuan Shan thought, "after eighteen years of painstaking suppression, overtly smothering him with praise while covertly exploiting and treating him cruelly, how did he still grow into this?"

Ji Yuan Shan suddenly sat upright, his gloomy gaze fixed on Jin Chen watching from not far away, and he understood.

That's right—ever since this person came to the sword manor and personally instructed Ji Lai Zhi, everything changed.

I had thought it was merely a trivial variable, never expecting it to stir up tremendous waves.

Jin Chen seemed to sense it, his expression unchanged as he looked back; the warmth in his eyes faded, leaving only a sheet of icy cold light.

In a daze, Ji Yuan Shan inexplicably felt that the lethal danger in that person's eyes was like a flood breaking through a dam; he hastily clenched his fist, averted his gaze, and deeply exhaled—yet even the inner energy cultivated over decades could not withstand it.

Jin Chen withdrew his gaze and continued to watch the stage.

Half an incense stick's time had already passed.

Ji Lai Zhi and Xue Duan Ming both grew a bit impatient; with their strengths evenly matched, the latter half of the match came down to stamina and temperament.

If it were the past, Ji Lai Zhi feared he would already have been unable to restrain his irritability, like that day's spar at the tavern.

But it is now obvious that the one who cannot stay calm is Xue Duan Ming.

In the exchange of palm strikes from a distance, Xue Duan Ming hurried to change his move, momentarily exposing a flaw; Ji Lai Zhi instantly seized it, tapped the ground with his toes, spun and launched a flying kick at the exposed waist and abdomen, then rapidly delivered dozens of successive kicks in midair—Xue Duan Ming had no time to dodge, could only retreat, and was finally knocked off the stage by a final sweeping kick.

Boom!

The drum sounded, and the match ended.

"Good!"

The disciples below, who had not been overthinking, burst into applause; regardless of their previous impressions of this Young Master, what moved them now was only admiration for the strong.

Ji Yuan Shan rose, flicked his sleeve coldly and departed, letting the four elders follow him to discuss solutions.

If we let Jin Chen stay any longer, Ji Lai Zhi will likely slip completely out of our control.

Ji Lai Zhi stood on the stage, staggered a few steps, nearly losing his balance; seeing Xue Duan Ming climb up, he swallowed his dry throat and said, "You lost."

Ji Lai Zhi said this, then wiped the sweat from his face, his expression resolute.

"You must keep your promise; from now on you may not compete with me for Jin Chen!"

Xue Duan Ming, his whole body sore, reluctantly clasped his fists and said, "I accept the loss."

Below the stage, Ji Si Yao saw this, his whole body tensed, his palms slowly pressing onto his thighs as he clenched his fists; the calm on his face was almost distorted.

Ji Lai Zhi hurried down the stage, stopped before the approaching Jin Chen, smiled at him, his whole body exuding arrogant abandon.

"I won! May I now make my request of you?"

Jin Chen gently wiped the sweat from his forehead with a handkerchief, "Of course, what do you want?"

Ji Lai Zhi felt an indescribable urge, the sensation too intense, his heartbeat racing as if it wanted to burst from his chest.

He turned his head to look at the people around, grabbed Jin Chen's hand and urged, "Let's go to the Observing Cloud Institute to talk."

Today the sun was also big; after the two matches, Ji Lai Zhi's face flushed with heat, and all the way back to the Observing Cloud Institute it did not fade.

Passing through the archway, Ji Lai Zhi grabbed Jin Chen in one sweep, his whole body rubbing against his embrace, not minding his overall fatigue as he lifted his head eagerly and said, "Really, any request at all is allowed?"

Jin Chen chuckled lightly, his fingertips lightly stroking the youth's nape, "This spoiled streak of yours really makes me reluctant to refuse."

Ji Lai Zhi did not deny it, holding back a breath as he asked, "Then can you not just look after me for six months?"

"After six months, will you still be able to keep managing me?"