Chapter 28 Cao Youqian: 'Master, I Want to Cultivate!”

Chapter 28 Cao Youqian: "Master, I Want to Cultivate!" "Senior Brother!" Cao Youqian burst into tears of joy the moment he heard that voice from the heavens. Across from him, the faces of the Wendao Academy disciples turned pale. Each of them looked at Xiao Chen as if they had seen a ghost. Especially Ma Bin and the others who had stirred up the trouble—cold sweat dripped down their backs and their legs trembled uncontrollably. Their minds were filled with only one thought: run. But their legs felt as heavy as lead—they simply wouldn't move. Only Lin Ping'an stood there glaring at Xiao Chen with defiance. One day, I'll defeat this bastard surnamed Xiao. Xiao Chen landed beside Cao Youqian and asked, "Junior Brother, what's going on here?" Cao Youqian recounted the whole story as briefly as he could. As Xiao Chen listened, his brows furrowed. He had always hated injustice and had no tolerance for it. "Junior Brother Cao, you're sure you're not lying to me?" "How could I dare lie to Senior Brother?" Cao Youqian answered sincerely. Xiao Chen nodded slightly and turned to look at Lin Ping'an. "Junior Brother Lin, if my junior brother was in the wrong, how do you want him to make amends?" At those words, Lin Ping'an's lips curled into a mocking smile. "The great outer court champion really is fair and righteous, huh? So if I say something, will that trash Cao Youqian really follow through?" Xiao Chen disliked the tone Lin Ping'an was using, but still replied, "As long as it's not excessive, I'll make sure Junior Brother Cao agrees." "Hmph!" Lin Ping'an sneered. "Cut the false kindness, Xiao Chen. I can forgive Cao Youqian—but only if he crawls between my legs. Otherwise, the next time I see him, I'll tear him to pieces! You can protect him today, but you can't protect him forever!" The moment those words left his mouth, even the disciples beside Lin Ping'an looked dumbfounded. Has this guy lost his mind? He actually dares to talk to Senior Brother Xiao like this? Does he want to die? We don't, thank you very much. Even though Wendao Academy prohibited internal conflict, if Xiao Chen beat them up right now, and they brought it up later, no one in the academy would side with them. After all, they were the ones who started it. Xiao Chen narrowed his eyes. A cold gleam flashed in his gaze. For the past half year, he had survived through countless life-and-death battles. His sword had claimed many lives. That was how the name "Black-Robed God of Slaughter" came to be. With just a single look, the crowd felt their hair stand on end. "Are you provoking me?" Lin Ping'an said with disdain, "I'm only stating the facts. If Senior Brother Xiao wants to bully the weak, I'll accept it." He couldn't beat Xiao Chen now, but he had his own trump card. Three months ago, during a training trip, he had found a ring. Inside that ring dwelled a supreme existence. After receiving guidance from that being, his cultivation had improved rapidly. With such a master backing him, he was confident that even if Xiao Chen attacked, he could escape safely. As long as he made it back to Wendao Academy, Xiao Chen wouldn't have a chance to lay a hand on him. As for the group who came with him? He didn't care. Lin Ping'an wasn't an idiot—he knew these guys were just fanning the flames. If they got beaten up, that was their own fault. "Hmph!" Xiao Chen let out a cold snort. "I, Xiao Chen, never draw my sword against the weak. Today you have two choices: take your sword and leave, or defeat me and I'll let Cao Youqian be handled however you wish." I bet right. Lin Ping'an breathed a long sigh of relief. This Xiao Chen really was like the rumors said—a man who cared about his reputation. "Senior Brother Xiao, I admit I'm no match for you. Today, I concede. But would you dare give me two years? Two years from now, I challenge you to a duel." "You're not qualified to challenge Senior Brother Xiao. One year—one year from now, the two of us will have our battle. Win or lose, the grudge ends there!" Cao Youqian stepped forward from behind Xiao Chen, his expression firm. As the saying goes: If this can be tolerated, what can't be? He had always wanted to be a lazy good-for-nothing, living life without stress. But after everything that had happened, he understood—without power, you'd be bullied wherever you go. He didn't care if people insulted him. But he couldn't accept anyone insulting his senior brother and his master. And today, all because of him, his senior brother was repeatedly provoked by this arrogant fool. All because he was weak. All because he was in the wrong. If he had been strong enough, these people wouldn't have dared provoke him. Hearing this, Xiao Chen's lips curled into a faint smile. He was very satisfied with this outcome. Liu Yu'er saw the smile on Xiao Chen's face and suddenly realized the truth. I knew it—there's no way someone called the Black-Robed God of Slaughter would tolerate so much just for the sake of a mere outer disciple. So that was it—he had planned all this to ignite Cao Youqian's fighting spirit and help him stand back up. Cao Youqian's words left the opposing disciples dumbfounded. Even Lin Ping'an was caught off guard. His original intention was to step on Cao Youqian to boost his own reputation and use the chance to challenge Xiao Chen, hoping it would earn him a spot in the inner institute sooner. "Fine. You said it. One year from now—on the Life-and-Death Platform!" "Deal!" Cao Youqian clenched his fists tightly. "We're leaving." Now that Cao Youqian had accepted the challenge, Lin Ping'an couldn't push further, nor did he dare provoke Xiao Chen again. The outer disciples behind him quickly followed after him. Once they were gone from Xiao Chen's view— Ma Bin finally spoke. "Junior Brother Lin, you really opened our eyes today. You actually dared to go head-to-head with Senior Brother Xiao." Lin Ping'an smiled faintly. "I only stood for justice. Senior Brother Xiao isn't the kind of person to act unreasonably." Everyone had different expressions upon hearing this. In their hearts, they were already thinking about how to spread what happened today far and wide. "Senior Brother, I'm sorry. I made you lose face in front of outsiders." Cao Youqian looked deeply ashamed. Xiao Chen patted his shoulder. "Don't worry about it. As long as you pick yourself back up, I couldn't care less about that. Once we're back, focus on cultivating." Upon hearing the word "cultivate," Cao Youqian gritted his teeth. "Then I'll be relying on you for guidance, Senior Brother." Xiao Chen shook his head. "No. I'm still not strong enough to teach you. Go to Master—he'll tailor a cultivation method that suits you best." Hearing that, both Cao Youqian and Liu Yu'er looked at Xiao Chen in surprise. Xiao Chen smiled. "Junior Brother Cao, once you witness Master's strength for yourself, you'll understand what I mean." "Alright. Let's go back." Even though he was full of questions, Cao Youqian followed Xiao Chen back to Wendao Academy. ——— "You're all back together?" In the Miscellaneous Dao Institute— Chu Feng looked at the trio with surprise. "Reporting to Master..." Xiao Chen told Chu Feng everything that had happened. After hearing the story, Chu Feng muttered under his breath, "Why do the two of you suddenly sound like villains?" Fiancée stolen, suffering in silence, returning for revenge, blocked by the powerful senior brother, agreeing to a future duel— This plotline was way too familiar. Looks like things were only going to get more entertaining from here on. Still, Chu Feng wasn't worried. After all, Xiao Chen was a man with a protagonist template. Just go all in and win. Xiao Chen and the others looked confused. Liu Yu'er said, "Senior, please enlighten us?" Chu Feng smiled. "Let me guess—was Lin Ping'an a nobody until recently?" "How did you know?" Liu Yu'er was stunned. Lin Ping'an had indeed been a background figure in the Sword Dao Institute. People even mocked him over his fiancée. But then, in the recent outer court competition, Lin Ping'an shocked everyone and became a seed-level disciple, a strong contender for Sword Dao Institute chief in three years. Chu Feng spoke slowly, "Looks like I was right. That guy is the same type as Chen'er—a son of fate. Chen'er, looks like you've found your future whetstone." "That's impossible..." Liu Yu'er was still stunned. In her eyes, Xiao Chen was the strongest. How could Lin Ping'an compare? Xiao Chen asked, "Master, then how should we deal with Lin Ping'an?" "If you get the chance, kill him. Remember—sons of fate are incredibly hard to kill. If you want to do it, you need to be fully prepared. Best case scenario: sever his fate entirely." Chu Feng spoke as if killing a son of fate was as trivial as brushing dust off his shoulder. Xiao Chen hadn't expected his master to hold such strong hostility toward Lin Ping'an, but since his master said it, he'd follow through. He was now the senior brother of the Miscellaneous Dao Institute. It was his duty to protect his fellow disciples. Just then, Cao Youqian suddenly stepped forward and said loudly: "Master, I want to cultivate! Please grant me a cultivation method!" ==================================================================================== Get access to 20 chapters in advance and enjoy 2 daily updates by supporting the series. Available on Patreon: /Alex_Cruise or Ko-fi: https://ko-fi.com/anish_44