I became a Sword Emperor in the Martial Arts World

Chapter 123: A student of Kongzi, proficient in the "Lunyu" (a collection of proverbs).

Afterwards, the martial arts exchange between the two schools continued, but this time, no one dared to challenge Ye Qingzhou.

Then, the martial arts upstarts from Yali High School discovered that, in addition to Ye Qingzhou, Linjiang No. 1 High School had several other powerful masters who gave them a real headache.

Zhu Jinfeng!

Leon!

Xu Yuebing!

Miao Yi!

Any one of these four people, taken individually, would be ridiculously strong.

In the entire Yali High School, only Wang Ao could rival these four; the rest were no match for these four rising stars.

In the fight against Zhu Jinfeng, Liang Jia was defeated in just one round, as the two were not even in the same league.

"So strong!"

"This year's students at Linjiang No.1 High School are all monsters."

"That's right. Apart from Miao Yi, who is already a senior, the rest of us are in our second year of high school. This means that for the next year, we will be competing head-on with a group of monsters like this."

"We can't even handle Ye Qingzhou alone, and the others are all so strong. It feels like the upcoming Phoenix Cup battle can be ended prematurely."

"Isn't that a bit much?"

"Yes, I've heard that Changjun High School, the High School Affiliated to National Taiwan Normal University, and Mingde High School have all produced many martial arts prodigies."

"Wang Ao is also a martial arts prodigy, yet he was utterly defeated by Ye Qingzhou, wasn't he?"

Upon hearing this, everyone fell silent, and the atmosphere became oppressive.

There's no way around it. No matter how strong the other martial arts prodigies are, even if they can't compare, they can at least understand the matches and occasionally learn some useful experience, skills, and insights.

Ye Qingzhou's strength, however, was something they couldn't understand at all.

Wang Ao exerted all his strength from beginning to end, but he couldn't even break through Ye Qingzhou's defense. Instead, he broke through his own defense.

Before the fight, who would believe such a thing?

Someone looked at Liang Jia: "Ye Qingzhou's strongest martial arts skills are mountain tactics and defense, right?"

Liang Jia shook her head and said, "During the Qinglan Sword Fighting Tournament, his strengths lay in wind power and speed."

"..."

Everyone gasped for breath and fell into a long silence once again.

"It seems that Ye Qingzhou has no weaknesses. No wonder Director Deng strictly forbade us from provoking Ye Qingzhou before the exchange match. It turns out he already knew we couldn't beat him."

Many people wore bitter smiles; no matter how unwilling they were, they were helpless in the face of such an absolute gap in strength.

During dinner time, several private rooms were specially set up on the second floor of the Yali Middle School cafeteria for the martial arts exchange team from Linjiang No.1 Middle School.

Among them, Ye Qingzhou and the other eight rookies dined in the same private room as Xu Lan.

"Hahaha, Master Ye, I feel incredibly strong right now."

Today, Leon defeated five promising young players from Yali High School in a row, making a name for himself and giving this perennial third-place finisher in the swordsmanship club a rare moment of triumph.

Ye Qingzhou calmly ate her food and casually replied, "Oh."

Zhu Jinfeng looked intently at Ye Qingzhou: "You've gotten stronger again. This morning when you fought Wang Ao, I couldn't even tell what martial arts technique you used."

Ye Qingzhou shook his head: "I didn't use any martial arts techniques."

"!!!"

Everyone was shocked: "You didn't just tough it out with your physical strength, did you?"

"Yes, is that not allowed?"

Ye Qingzhou wore a matter-of-fact expression. His golden body had been refined with a large amount of earth-treasure-level divine metal, and its strength was so high that it was basically impervious to swords and spears, and water and fire.

Most mid-level martial arts techniques, unless perfected, are unlikely to harm him in the slightest.

Miao Yi swallowed hard. He no longer knew how big the gap was between himself and Ye Qingzhou, and he didn't even dare to think about it.

He couldn't help but ask, "Ye Qingzhou, do you plan to focus on training your mountain-based martial arts skills to strengthen your defenses in the future?"

"No, being passively attacked is not what I want. I am constantly strengthening my physique because I want to further improve my sword speed."

Ye Qingzhou said this, and that was indeed what he thought in his heart.

Xu Lan asked in surprise, "Your sword speed should already be over three times the speed of sound, and you still want to increase it?"

"right."

Ye Qingzhou's answer was resolute: "Of all sword techniques in the world, none can withstand speed."

"The great sage Kongzi once said that at thirty one stands firm, at forty one is free from doubt, at fifty one knows the mandate of Heaven, at sixty one's ear is attuned to the truth, and at seventy one can follow one's heart's desire without transgressing the rules. His profound words have deeply moved me and allowed me to comprehend the highest mysteries of swordsmanship."

"Hmm? What profound truth have you grasped?"

Even Xu Yuebing couldn't bear to stay sulking with Ye Qingzhou any longer and couldn't help but ask.

Meanwhile, Leon, Zhu Jinfeng, and the others also pricked up their ears, eager to hear what insights this peerless genius had to offer from Ye Qingzhou.

Facing the expectations of the crowd, Ye Qingzhou spoke eloquently: "At thirty, one stands firm, which means that when the sword speed breaks through Mach 30, other countries will stand up upon seeing it."

"At forty, one is no longer perplexed" means that when your sword speed exceeds Mach 40, no country will confuse you.

"At fifty, one knows the mandate of heaven. This means that when your sword speed exceeds Mach 50, you will let other countries know who the true mandate of heaven is."

"At sixty, one's ears are attuned to the truth" means that when one's sword speed exceeds Mach 60, other countries will have to whisper words of obedience in one's ear.

"At seventy, one can follow one's heart's desires without transgressing the rules." This means that when your sword speed exceeds Mach 70, you can do whatever you want without anyone being able to overstep your boundaries.

"..."

Although Ye Qingzhou's words made a lot of sense, a sword speed of seventy times the speed of sound was still too outrageous; it was simply something that no human could do.

Leaving aside whether the sword could withstand it, the key issue is that a person certainly couldn't.

Ye Qingzhou, however, had a different opinion: "Right now, my body can't handle that speed, but as long as I keep strengthening my physique, one day I will be able to. When that time comes, my swordsmanship will be unparalleled and invincible."

Leon chimed in, "You're more than just invincible! I think even someone from the heavens wouldn't be a match for you, Master Ye. Mach 70! That's over the third cosmic velocity, isn't it?"

Other martial arts prodigies, at most, only dream of ascending to the heavens.

Ye Qingzhou is different; he not only wants to go to the heavens, but also to stand shoulder to shoulder with the sun!

If an object can reach a speed of Mach 49, it can fly out of the solar system.

And what about Ye Qingzhou?

He wanted to make his sword reach Mach 70!

Leon thought Ye Qingzhou was even more immature than him, since no normal person would think about flying out of the solar system in their own body.

As expected of my Master Ye!

After dinner, everyone started discussing the arrangements for the Phoenix Cup Martial Arts Tournament.

"This 'Phoenix Cup' is different from those private commercial competitions in the past. The participating teams are martial arts geniuses from all over Hunan Province. There will definitely be a gathering of strong people, and all sorts of strange tactics and routines will emerge. Everyone should be careful and cautious to avoid being caught off guard."

Xu Lan reminded everyone of something.

Private competitions like the Qinglan Sword Fighting Tournament and the Yunmeng Spear Tournament, while broadcast and attracting many viewers, are not as intense as the Fengchu Cup.

After all, the level of the contestants is different.

The participants in the Qinglan Sword Fighting Tournament are all primarily skilled in swordsmanship, while the Yunmeng Spear Fighting Tournament is a competition between martial artists who use long weapons.

Winning a championship at most only proves that one is the strongest in a certain field.

However, apart from being a student and being of a certain age, there are no restrictions on who can participate in the Phoenix Cup. This means that martial arts geniuses from all fields will gather together to compete for victory.

"This battle will include not only individual combat but also team combat."

Xu Lan began to introduce some of the competition rules of the Phoenix Cup, the most important of which were the three-on-three and five-on-five team battle modes.

When exploring secret realms within the cave, going it alone is often not feasible; it is necessary to form flexible teams of three or five people to conduct exploration activities.

Therefore, every National High School Martial Arts League has included team battle events, precisely to allow young martial artists to familiarize themselves with this combat mode in advance.

This time, Hunan Province clearly intends to introduce this competition mechanism in advance for the Phoenix Cup, to hold a province-wide competition, select the best team to compete in the national league, and compete with martial arts prodigies from other provinces for the final victory.

This is a completely new version that none of us have seen before, so it's essential to discuss tactics in advance.

Throughout Linjiang No. 1 High School, Ye Qingzhou is the strongest player and the absolute core of the team. Therefore, Xu Yuebing wanted to develop a tactical plan around Ye Qingzhou: "How do you think we should cooperate with you?"

Ye Qingzhou thought about it seriously for a moment, and finally replied, "I am invincible, you can do whatever you want."

"!!!"

Xu Yuebing sighed, "Ye Qingzhou, I know you're very strong, but there are always people stronger than you, and the sky's the limit. If you underestimate your opponents like this and lose, you'll regret it for the rest of your life."

Ye Qingzhou shook his head calmly: "If you knew how strong I am now, you would only feel sorry for the other contestants."

At this moment, Ye Qingzhou, whose mastery of the five elements of wind, fire, mountain, yin, and thunder had reached a transcendent level, revealed absolute confidence: "In this Phoenix Chick Cup Martial Arts Tournament, if a genius possesses maxed-out talent and maxed-out effort, and overcomes all obstacles along the way, they may eventually have the chance to become one of the background figures in my highlight reel."

"Damn it, Master Ye, I'll give you 500,000 yuan. Delete what I said above and let me say it, okay?"

Leon looked serious. He wanted to act cool too; it was just too classy.

Ye Qingzhou nodded: "That's possible, but I'm afraid you'll get beaten to death."

"Then let's forget about it."

Upon hearing this, Leon immediately backed down. Even someone as immature as him knew that just because Ye Qingzhou could say those things didn't mean he could say them too.

The exchange continued on the second day.

This time, however, even the experimental classes from the junior high school were present to listen to Ye Qingzhou's "sermon".

Some martial arts insights that Ye Qingzhou didn't take seriously were invaluable advice to the students of Yali Middle School, from which they benefited greatly.

Among the students in the experimental class, there was a bright-eyed girl who stared blankly at Ye Qingzhou's handsome face.

"Yingshi..."

"Yingshi?"

Called by her deskmate Ling Wei, Gu Yingshi finally snapped out of her daze. Trying to appear calm, she smoothed her hair, revealing her delicate, fair face beneath. "What?" she asked.

"Why are you asking me? You've been staring at Senior Ye the whole time, you're practically mesmerized! What's wrong, are you lovesick?"

"Are you trying to get yourself killed? Don't talk nonsense!"

Gu Yingshi put on a stern face, glared fiercely at her deskmate, and then revealed her worries: "He might be my brother."

"???"

Ling Wei was filled with questions: "What do you mean by 'possible'? Can you just randomly identify someone as your brother?"

"No, that's not it..."

Gu Yingshi then had no choice but to tell her deskmate and best friend the truth: "Before my mother remarried, she had another son..."

Ling Wei then realized: "You mean, Ye Qingzhou is very likely your half-brother?"

"Um."

Gu Yingshi nodded, somewhat flustered.

She had wanted an older brother since she was little, since many of her friends had older brothers, so why didn't she?

But her mother was always reluctant to talk about it, so all she knew was that she had an older brother named Ye Qingzhou who studied at Linjiang No. 1 Middle School.

Besides that, I know nothing else.

Upon hearing this explosive news, Ling Wei's eyes widened in surprise, her gaze sparkling with excitement: "From today onwards, I'm your sister-in-law."

"???"

I treated you like my best friend, and you actually want to be my sister-in-law!

As evening fell, the exchange concluded, and the Linjiang No. 1 Middle School team prepared to leave by bus.

Just as Ye Qingzhou lifted his foot, someone called out to him from behind: "Senior Ye Qingzhou."

"Um?"

Looking back, he saw a pretty little girl standing not far behind him.

Her figure hasn't fully developed yet, but with her red lips, white teeth, and bright, sparkling eyes, she's clearly a beauty in the making. In a few years, she'll probably be able to captivate everyone.

More importantly, the little girl's appearance and temperament are strikingly similar to Cheng Yurong.

Ye Qingzhou instantly guessed Gu Yingshi's identity, but he felt no emotion whatsoever: "You wanted to see me?"

"I want to...I want to ask my senior..."

Because she was too shy, Gu Yingshi, who was usually clever and quick-witted, became stuttering when she spoke.

Ye Qingzhou knew what the other party wanted to ask. After thinking for a moment, he finally chose to tell the truth: "Tell Cheng Yurong that her son is dead. But if she has any difficulties in the future, she can come to me. If I can resolve it, I will."

Ye Qingzhou didn't want to get involved in the entanglement between the original owner and Cheng Yurong.

But having taken over this body and received the original owner's kindness, Ye Qingzhou couldn't bring himself to repay the favor tenfold, but he wouldn't mind helping with small matters.

After saying that, without paying attention to Gu Yingshi's almost crying expression, Ye Qingzhou turned around and boarded the bus.

Finally, Gu Yingshi covered her face and ran away, tears streaming down her face like a broken string, covering the ground.

"Holy crap, that's ruthless!"

Leon was shocked by Ye Qingzhou's heartlessness and leaned over to complain, "Teacher Ye, the girl confessed to you, even if you don't accept her, there's no need to be so heartless, is there? Seeing her cry so sadly, even I feel sorry for her."

Ye Qingzhou closed her eyes, gently rested her head on the seat, and casually replied, "She didn't come here to confess her feelings."

"Then why did she come to see you?"

"Recognizing an older brother."

"!!!"

…………

The Gu family of Xingcheng.

Back home, Gu Yingshi was still crying very sadly.

When Gu Changqing returned home and saw his beloved daughter crying her eyes out, he thought she had been bullied at school.

Cheng Yurong said softly, "She met Qingzhou."

"..."

Gu Changqing remained silent. Back then, he and Ye Xiangyang were both rivals and friends. Although he was repeatedly defeated by Ye Xiangyang, he did not harbor resentment because of it. Instead, he was motivated by shame and worked harder to improve himself, thinking that one day he could win back his losses in a fair and square manner.

As Gu Changqing's contact with Ye Xiangyang increased, he also fell deeply in love with Cheng Yurong.

However, at that time, Cheng Yurong had already married Ye Xiangyang and given birth to Ye Qingzhou, so Gu Changqing could only bury his feelings in his heart.

Gu Changqing was unaware that the Gu family was planning to deal with Ye Xiangyang. He was busy cultivating and breaking through his limits at the time and was basically oblivious to what was happening around him.

It wasn't until he returned from his cultivation in the grotto that Gu Changqing learned everything, but by then the mistake had already been made.

Ye Xiangyang was devastated, and Cheng Yurong fell in love with someone else. Over the years, because of Cheng Yurong and because of his guilt towards Ye Xiangyang, Gu Changqing secretly provided protection for Ye Qingzhou and shielded him from persecution by the Gu family.

Otherwise, Ye Qingzhou probably wouldn't have been able to pass the high school entrance exam alive.

Even with legal constraints, it's still far too easy for a martial artist to kill an ordinary person.

"I'm the one who wronged Qingzhou, so it's understandable that he resents me."

Tears welled up in Cheng Yurong's eyes. Although she was over thirty, she was still as beautiful as ever, and even had more of the charm of a married woman, making her even more attractive.

Clearly, Cheng Yurong misunderstood what Ye Qingzhou had Gu Yingshi relay as Ye Qingzhou's dissatisfaction with her.

Gu Changqing wiped away her tears: "You just don't know how to face him."

After much difficulty, Gu Changqing managed to comfort his wife and daughter. Just then, his younger brother, Gu Changheng, rushed in frantically, shouting, "Second brother, something's happened!"

"What is it? Let's talk in my study."

In the study, Gu Changqing closed the door.

Gu Changheng then said urgently, "Something terrible has happened! Fourth Uncle has gone missing."

Upon hearing that Gu Guangqi had gone missing, Gu Changqing's expression changed: "He was perfectly fine, why would he disappear?"

"this……"

Explain yourself!

"Some time ago, Fourth Uncle took the Golden Scale Emperor's Token that you secretly brought out from Lingyun Cave, intending to assassinate Ye Qingzhou. After that, Fourth Uncle disappeared..."

As he said this, Gu Changheng dared not look into Gu Changqing's eyes.

Gu Changqing was furious at this moment, after all, the entire Gu family knew that Ye Qingzhou was someone he had protected.

But now that Gu Guangqi has disappeared, it's really not the time to be angry.

"The tree desires stillness, but the wind will not cease; what can be done?"

Gu Changqing didn't say much. He left the Gu family that night and went to Linjiang City alone.

…………

Jiangshan Dijing, No. 168.

In the quiet room, Ye Qingzhou, who had just returned home, suddenly opened his eyes. He first secretly signaled to Yingyue not to make any rash moves, and then looked out the window. Judging from the appearance and demeanor of the person who had entered, he identified him: "Gu Changqing?"

Where is Gu Guangqi?

Gu Changqing stood tall and elegant, resembling a refined scholar under the moonlight. However, the flickering true energy surrounding him made him appear as if a celestial being had descended to earth.

"He's dead."

Ye Qingzhou's answer was simple and easy to understand.

"You killed him?"

"Yes."

His candid response put Gu Changqing in a dilemma.

Ye Qingzhou's next words sent chills down his spine: "Thank you for your care over the years, so I'll leave it to you to decide which members of the Gu family should die and which shouldn't."

(End of this chapter)