If I become a saint, a celestial official will summon me to raise horses.

Chapter 256 Vulnerable

Gu An and Yang Ni, who were walking ahead, could hear the tension in Yang Jian and Li Lingtian's tone.

Gu An didn't care. After all, it was Li Lingtian who provoked Yang Jian first. Although he taught Yang Jian to be humble, he couldn't let him become a coward who would be bullied by others.

Yang Ni hadn't expected Gu An's apprentice to have such a strong personality, since in her memory Gu An was a very gentle person.

However, being too stubborn is not a good thing when facing Li Lingtian.

Although Yang Ni disliked Li Lingtian, she had to admit that the boy's talent was indeed ridiculously strong, almost like a celestial being descended to earth.

After a while, the group of four arrived in the woods.

Without Gu An and Yang Ni needing to speak, Yang Jian and Li Lingtian had already set up their battle formation.

Li Lingtian asked, "What rules do you need?"

He could tell that Yang Jian's cultivation level was lower than his own, so he wanted Yang Jian to set the rules.

Li Lingtian never liked bullying people!

Yang Jian looked at him calmly and said, "Just fight. I'll go easy on you."

Although he didn't know Li Lingtian's identity, Yang Ni and Gu An were chatting and laughing, so he had to give Gu An face.

Li Lingtian was taken aback when he heard Yang Jian's words.

This guy is really stubborn!

Li Lingtian didn't think much of it; this was his first battle since he started cultivating, and he had been looking forward to it for a full ten years.

"Then let's fight!"

Li Lingtian laughed loudly, took a step, and a strong wind burst forth, scattering the surrounding leaves. He rushed to Yang Jian's side like lightning, and swept his leg out like a long whip, which was extremely fierce.

Yang Jian reacted just as quickly, raising his leg almost instantly to block Li Lingtian's whip kick with his knee.

Li Lingtian's eyes widened, and the smile on his face turned ferocious. Yang Jian's strength made him instantly excited.

"Such a quick reaction." Yang Ni commented, standing next to Gu An. Yang Jian surprised her.

Whether it's Li Lingtian or Yang Jian, their speed and reaction alone have surpassed those of Foundation Establishment cultivators. Yang Ni even felt that she didn't have such strength when she was forming her core.

It turns out Gu An really had the confidence!
Li Lingtian used the momentum to leap backward, his body stretching out in mid-air. He threw a punch, and his spiritual energy transformed into a golden dragon phantom that charged towards Yang Jian.

A dragon's roar exploded and echoed through the forest.

Instead of dodging, Yang Jian advanced, waving his hand to disperse the golden dragon phantom, and took a step to kill Li Lingtian.

Li Lingtian's pupils suddenly contracted.

boom!
Yang Jian struck him in the abdomen with his elbow, causing his eyes to pop open and his mouth to spit out blood.

Immediately afterwards, Yang Jian unleashed a barrage of punches and kicks, striking him with lightning speed, causing his body to deform violently like a sandbag, unable to land.

"How can it be!"

Yang Ni stared wide-eyed, her face showing disbelief.

She was well aware of Li Lingtian's strength. Although he had never sparred with anyone, Li Xuandao had prepared many puppets for him as whetstones.

In her opinion, Li Lingtian had already surpassed the Foundation Establishment Realm. If he didn't have to spend time cultivating spells and supernatural abilities on a regular basis, his cultivation would have reached the Core Formation Realm long ago.

How could such a monstrous genius be beaten so badly that he couldn't fight back at all?
Yang Jian's punches and kicks were so fast that even she, a Nascent Soul cultivator, was somewhat alarmed.

As Yang Jian engaged in battle, she even sensed an extremely dangerous aura emanating from him. She had never felt this way before. Although Yang Jian's cultivation level posed no threat to her, she inexplicably felt awe towards him.

Just as Yang Ni was about to intervene when Li Lingtian was about to be beaten to death, Gu An stopped her.

"Don't worry, Jian'er knows what he's doing. This is a good opportunity to temper this prince's character, so he won't become arrogant and offend too many people when he ventures into the cultivation world in the future," Gu An said with a smile.

Yang Ni glanced at him, looking at his profile, and felt somewhat dazed.

Why was he so calm?
She suddenly realized that Gu An must have gone through a lot in the years she had been gone.

The most crucial question is: how did such a brilliant genius end up becoming Gu An's disciple?
Yang Ni turned her gaze to Yang Jian. She had to admit that at this moment, Yang Jian truly seemed like a genius, while Li Lingtian was utterly helpless in front of him, showing no talent whatsoever.

Soon, Yang Jian landed, raised his right leg, and used his foot to catch Li Lingtian's body.

At this moment, Li Lingtian's clothes were tattered, his hair was disheveled, his face was covered in blood, and his body appeared extremely weak.

Yang Jian gently put Li Lingtian down on one foot. Throughout the entire battle, his expression remained unchanged, as if this battle had brought him no sense of accomplishment.

Li Lingtian lay on the ground, struggling to open his eyes.

Yang Jian stood in front of him, looking down at him.

This was the first time Li Lingtian had ever seen someone from this perspective, and he was on the verge of a breakdown.

He had never imagined the battle would turn out this way...

Yang Jian was faster, his punches and kicks were heavier, and his cultivation level was lower...

He could sense that Yang Jian hadn't even used his spiritual power; he was beating him up entirely with speed and strength...

Why is this happening?

Could it be that I am not the most talented person in the world?
Li Lingtian's eyes lost their luster, he buried his face in the ground, and his shoulders trembled.

He cried.

He couldn't accept his failure.

Gu An approached, and Yang Jian quickly bowed to him.

Seeing Yang Jian's respectful attitude towards Gu An, Yang Ni's expression became even more peculiar.

Gu An knelt down beside Li Lingtian and said softly, "Your talent is indeed unparalleled, but you must always maintain a sense of awe for heaven and earth. You must know that there are always people better than you and heavens beyond heavens. No one is the strongest. If your opponent today were your enemy, you would already be dead."

Li Lingtian clenched his fists, his body trembling even more violently. Yang Ni remained silent; after the initial shock, she even felt a hint of schadenfreude.

Along the way, Li Lingtian's arrogance was simply unbearable for her, and it was good that someone could teach him a lesson.

Anyway, she disliked Li Lingtian and was even more annoyed by Empress Yang.

Yang Jian didn't speak. He felt he wasn't qualified to teach Li Lingtian. The only reason he was stronger than Li Lingtian was because he had a master that others didn't have.

Gu An took out a pill and fed it to Li Lingtian.

Li Lingtian slowly got up. He turned to look at Yang Jian. Although his face was covered in blood and gore, his expression still showed stubbornness.

"I refuse to accept this, and I will win back my victory in the future," Li Lingtian said through gritted teeth.

Yang Jian raised his hand, startling Li Lingtian, who quickly retreated and hid behind Gu An. But upon closer inspection, he saw that Yang Jian was actually bowing to him with clasped hands.

Li Lingtian breathed a sigh of relief, but was also extremely embarrassed, wishing he could disappear into a crack in the ground.

Yang Ni laughed and said, "With your abilities, you still dare to challenge others? You should think about how to become stronger."

Li Lingtian took a deep breath, looked at Gu An, and whispered, "Senior Brother Gu, can I stay in your Medicine Valley?"

He wanted to see how Yang Jian usually cultivated.

From childhood to adulthood, he had almost never slacked off, and he didn't even have any friends. He devoted himself wholeheartedly to cultivation, and the result of such a complete failure was something he found hard to accept.

“No problem. If you need anything in the valley in the future, just ask Jian’er. He’s still your junior.” Gu An said with a smile. Hearing this, Li Lingtian immediately beamed.

Yang Jian, on the other hand, felt a headache.

Ten years ago, he had heard Gu An mention Li Lingtian, and he had felt pressured because of it. Now, it seems that Li Lingtian is nothing special.

His real rival was that senior brother he had never met.

And so, the four of them left the woods and returned to the Third Medicine Valley.

The disciples in the valley were all curious about what had just happened when they saw Li Lingtian, who had been so spirited just moments before, now in such a miserable state.

Yang Ni didn't stay long. After chatting with Gu An for a while, she flew to the inner sect, seemingly with a mission.

After handing Li Lingtian over to Yang Jian, Gu An went upstairs to read.

Until evening.

After changing into clean clothes, Li Lingtian walked out of his courtyard. He didn't see Yang Jian, so he wandered around.

Soon, he was drawn to the disciples playing chess and went over to watch.

Unfortunately, he wasn't interested in either Go or chess.

His gaze was drawn to the passing Blood Prison Great Sage.

The Great Sage of Blood Prison grumbled and cursed. He had just chased after the White Spirit Rat but failed to catch it, and was feeling quite depressed.

Li Lingtian stepped forward and asked, "Your bull-headed creature is quite unique. What's its name?"

The Great Sage of Blood Prison rolled his eyes at him and said, "Have you heard of the Bull Demon King?"

After saying that, the Blood Prison Great Sage continued forward, ignoring Li Lingtian.

He remembered Li Lingtian. Ten years ago, he thought Li Lingtian might be someone important, but he never expected that Li Lingtian would be completely powerless against Yang Jian.

waste!

Li Lingtian stood there, stunned, and muttered, "There's Yang Jian, there's the Bull Demon King, could there be Bodhi Patriarch here too?"

If it weren't for Patriarch Bodhi, how could Yang Jian have been so powerful?

However, he did not think of Gu An as the Bodhi Patriarch, because Gu An did not seem strong.

……

It was a sweltering summer day in the Imperial Study.

Li Xuandao sat at his desk, looking at the letters on it with a furrowed brow.

After a while, a figure strode in, came to the table, and bowed. This person was wearing exquisite armor, had a dignified bearing, a resolute face, and eyes that revealed a fierce intent.

This person was Ye Yan, a disciple whom Gu An had taken in Xuan Valley.

A century has passed, and Ye Yan is no longer the mediocre youth he once was, but a general with the imposing presence of a valiant warrior.

Li Xuandao asked, "How much do you know about your master?"

Ye Yan frowned and asked, "My master? What happened to him?"

He didn't answer immediately. Although he hadn't seen Gu An for a long time, he still remembered that kindness. Even when facing Li Xuandao, he wanted to protect his master.

Li Xuandao waved his hand, handing the letter on the table to Ye Yan, who raised his hand to receive it and read it carefully.

His expression suddenly changed, and he looked shocked.

"How is this possible... His Highness the Crown Prince is no ordinary person, yet he was beaten so badly by a Foundation Establishment cultivator? Yang Jian... Master's disciple?" Ye Yan muttered to himself.

He had met Li Lingtian and even taught him marksmanship.

Li Lingtian's talent once made him lament the injustice of fate, and he even suspected that Li Lingtian was an immortal descended to earth.

When I met Li Lingtian last year, he had already demonstrated strength comparable to that of a Core Formation Realm cultivator.

How could such a genius be defeated by someone in the Foundation Establishment stage?
Li Xuandao asked, "With Gu An's abilities, he certainly couldn't have taught such a disciple. Do you think there might be a powerful figure behind him?"

Although he often felt a headache because of Li Lingtian's arrogance, he never expected Li Lingtian to suffer such a defeat, which made him feel very bad.

Thank you to the Heavenly Dragon King for the 500 Qidian Coins reward!
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(End of this chapter)