Lei Yong Chun smiled as Bai Ning Xue strode forward. Ignoring her first senior, Bai Ning Xue quickly knelt down by Zhu Jiao"s side and touched his neck. When she felt his pulse, she sighed in relief. Then she straightened up and glared at Lei Yong Chun.

"How scary," he mocked her, and glanced at Zhu Jiao. "I see…if I recall, that boy must be your childhood sweetheart. He has a lot of potential. If I got hit by him, I would have been badly injured."

"You"ll regret hurting Zhu Jiao," Bai Ning Xue promised, her expression ominous. Clenching her fists, she drew her sword, raising it in a fighting stance. "Tell me, First Senior. Why did you betray the White Tiger Sect?"

"I didn"t betray the White Tiger Sect. You know as well as I do that many of the elders support me. Father might disagree, but I have the backing of Grandfather."

"Even so, why? Why are you attacking Wu Ling Academy?"

"Do you really not know?" Lei Yong Chun laughed at what he thought was Bai Ning Xue"s naivety. "It"s not just the White Tiger Sect, you know? Many members of the other sects have also gathered to discuss the elimination of Wu Ling Academy. They think artificial qi is an abomination, and they fear that Xiao Zhang is getting way too ahead of himself. If left unchecked, his ambition might grow and he"ll cause a ma.s.sive upheaval in the Great Zhou Empire."

"What are you talking about?" Bai Ning Xue demanded, her expression remaining impa.s.sive as ever.

"You"ll see what I mean. The Martial Arts Alliance has begun moving against Wu Ling Academy and the so-called Experimentalists. It"s a pity…but you kids will end up as a sacrifice." Lei Yong Chun was shaking his head theatrically.

"I asked what you are talking about?!" Bai Ning Xue snapped.

"Ah…I might have said a bit too much. Forget what I just said."

Lei Yong Chun chuckled. Bai Ning Xue gave him a cold, murderous stare, but she didn"t probe further, knowing that it would be useless. Instead, she rose to her feet and stood protectively in front of Zhu Jiao"s p.r.o.ne body.

"Don"t throw away your position as the next successor of the White Tiger Sect," she told her first senior calmly. "You still have a bright future ahead of you. If you"re willing to walk away now, I will convince Master that you were not involved in this."

"My dear junior…" Lei Yong Chun sighed. "You really don"t know anything, do you?"

Bai Ning Xue tensed, but her first senior continued.

"Doing this won"t cause me my position as the next sect leader. In fact, I"ll gain support from the majority of elders and masters."

"…what?"

Bai Ning Xue stared at Lei Yong Chun in disbelief. He chuckled and shrugged nonchalantly.

"Did you not know? How all the elders, masters and disciples who are not from Wu Ling Academy hold resentment against the students from it? It"s not just our sect. almost every sect in the Martial Arts Alliance is hostile against Wu Ling Academy."

"Why?" Bai Ning Xue asked dumbly, doubt surfacing on her pretty face.

"Blame your school princ.i.p.al for monopolizing and h.o.a.rding the secrets of artificial qi. No, scratch that. We don"t want his filthy artificial qi. It"s an abomination." The smile widened on Lei Yong Chun"s handsome face. "Blame him for creating such a monstrous thing in the first place."

"W…what?" Bai Ning Xue was numb. I didn"t blame her. I was having trouble believing what I was hearing either.

And having seen the way Lei Yong Chun dispatched the student council members so easily, I realized that it would be foolish to jump out of my hiding place and challenge him. I would just get knocked out immediately. For now, it was best to leave the situation to Bai Ning Xue and see if she could get it sorted.

"A storm is coming, and I fear Wu Ling Academy and its forbidden technology and research won"t stand for much longer. You guys have p.i.s.sed off a lot of grumpy ancient people who value tradition more than progress."

"What about you, First Senior?" Bai Ning Xue asked evenly, her glacial eyes still hard and skeptical.

"Me? Well…I don"t believe in artificial qi. I believe we can still fight without artificial qi – look at your friends. Even though they have so much artificial qi, they couldn"t even beat me despite ganging up on me." Lei Yong Chun waved his hand dismissively. "How pathetic. You guys have become so reliant on artificial qi that you"ve allowed it to cripple you. You"re too obsessed with all these levels and quant.i.ty of qi that you forget about quality and purity."

"I didn"t receive artificial qi either…not much, anyway."

"And I admire you for it," Lei Yong Chun raised a hand toward his junior. "Join me, Ning Xue. And together we"ll reform the White Tiger Sect and make it stronger than ever. But first, we will need to crush Wu Ling Academy."

"Dream on." Bai Ning Xue snorted. "Wu Ling Academy is my school. I won"t allow anyone to hurt it, even if it"s you, First Senior."

"Ah…how romantic and sentimental. Well, I guess I understand. You were a Wu Ling Academy student first before you"re a White Tiger Sect disciple. And your childhood sweetheart is part of this school as well. It can"t be helped." Lei Yong Chun shook his head in mock resignation. "I really loathe to bully my cute junior, but…well, orders are orders."

"You were ordered?" Bai Ning Xue asked with an incredulous expression. Lei Yong Chun c.o.c.ked an eyebrow.

"Weren"t you listening?"

"Yes, but…" Bai Ning Xue seemed a little pale now. She clenched both her fists. "If you"re telling the truth…"

"I a.s.sure you, I most definitely am."

"!!"

Bai Ning Xue stared at Lei Yong Chun for a moment, and then she lowered her head, grief and hurt in her eyes.

"It can"t be. The elders…"

"…have made their choice. And while I don"t always agree with them, I personally think Xiao Zhang must be stopped. And while I am impressed with the abilities of your friends – no doubt inflated because of their artificial qi – I can"t afford to go easy on them. The true enemy is Wu Ling Academy. Especially your princ.i.p.al and the staff running it. I"m going to stop them." Lei Yong Chun"s voice hardened for the first time. "No one has the right to play G.o.d. And if he continues his research at this rate, he"ll tear apart the laws Nature has set for us."

"Do you really believe that?"

"Yes." Lei Yong Chun turned to look at Bai Ning Xue seriously. "Are you sure you don"t want to join me?"

"This is my school," Bai Ning Xue repeated firmly. "And progress is necessary. If you and the elders are so intent on living in the past, then it"s my job to drag you guys to the present and force you to look at the future."

"Then why haven"t you accepted any artificial qi?" Lei Yong Chun asked, a knowing smile spreading across his good-looking features. "Do you really think I don"t know? You"re just as uncomfortable with using artificial qi as we are."

For the first time, Bai Ning Xue smiled, amused by her senior"s a.s.sumption. "You don"t know anything about me, First Senior. Or my reasons."

"Why, then? Why would you refuse such a gift if you think it"s the future?"

"I don"t necessarily agree with the methods, and I have my own way of cultivating which is similar to yours…that"s why we"re from the same sect. however, that does not mean I will selfishly deprive others of the chance to develop and benefit from this."

"How generous," Lei Yong Chun sneered. "We"ll see if you will be saying the same thing after your friends leave you far behind while they grow unimaginably strong."

"Ah…" Bai Ning Xue actually giggled. "So that"s what you"re afraid of. You don"t care about tradition. You fear change because you think we will threaten you. You"re scared of us because of the rapid pace of our growth. The elders are jealous that the students of Wu Ling Academy will achieve in a few years what they took decades to attain."

"…"

Lei Yong Chun was silent for a moment, and I could tell that Bai Ning Xue had clearly hit the nail on the head. He eventually took a step forward, gesturing dismissively.

"I guess this means we can"t come to an agreement then?"

"There was never any room for negotiation to begin with," Bai Ning Xue replied firmly. "This is the territory of Wu Ling Academy. You"re trespa.s.sing on our premises, entering our grounds without permission. You will leave or I"ll kick you out myself."

"Can you?" Lei Yong Chun grinned. "I would like to see you try. I wonder how much you"ve grown over the last year, my dear junior."

"More so than you imagine."

At least Bai Ning Xue doesn"t have an elder sister who looks exactly like her or we would be ripping off a certain martial arts manhwa…

To be honest, I was surprised that the entire conversation took a different turn. I had somewhat expected a complete copy of Veritas, but it seemed that Lei Yong Chun wasn"t in any mood to play the role of Lightning Tiger Yoo Chun, and Bai Ning Xue clearly was no Vera Linus. She was more concerned with Zhu Jiao"s wellbeing than in engaging in any sort of flirtatious behavior with her first senior, who she obviously didn"t have a crush on.

Lei Yong Chun stepped away from her friends, rubbing the back of his head.

"Well, this was just a greeting because I heard that your princ.i.p.al is away on a conference today. But I really ought to get back before he finds out about this and rushes back. Still, even if he found out long ago, it"ll take him hours to return…"

Bai Ning Xue gripped her sword tightly as a bead of perspiration ran down her cheek. For all of her earlier bl.u.s.ter, she didn"t seem very confident when her first senior bore down on her. She raised her sword and pointed at him, her arm trembling faintly.

"What? Are you getting tense?" Lei Yong Chun looked down on her with a mischievous smirk. "Don"t worry. As long as you don"t make the first move, I won"t attack you. I"m not the type to raise my hand on kids unless absolutely necessary."

Seeing that she made no move, Lei Yong Chun stepped past her and waved dismissively. He didn"t even spare her wavering blade a single glance.

"Your friends are not that injured either. They"ll recover after some rest. Like I said, I don"t feel comfortable hurting children. I"m just here to disrupt your school."

"Wait, First Senior."

Despite being so pale and nervous, Bai Ning Xue refused to back down.

"You trespa.s.sed on Wu Ling Academy territory, destroyed school property and hurt my friends." Dspite the faint trembling in her voice, Bai Ning Xue was firm and resolute. "Do you think you can just walk away?"

The next second, she flashed forward, swinging her sword. Lei Yong Chun barely intercepted it, catching the blade with her fingers, but a silver blast of lightning streaked forward, causing him to skid backward.

"Wow…you really haven"t changed, even after three years. I thought your role as the student council president would have tempered you somewhat, but you"re still as feisty as ever!"

Gritting her teeth, Bai Ning Xue swung her sword again, unleashing a second bolt of lightning that scorched the ground.

"Oh, you seem pretty confident," Lei Yong Chun marveled as he stepped to the side, completely evading Bai Ning Xue"s attack. "Are you perhaps thinking that you"ve finally caught up to me? Hmm, when was the last time we sparred?"

"A year ago," Bai Ning Xue replied before striking out with a riposte. When Lei Yong Chun dodged that, she followed up with a vicious kick that almost caught him the face, only for the first disciple of the White Tiger Sect to slightly move his head to the side and avoid it.

Flipping her body upward, Bai Ning Xue thrust her sword and slashed almost wildly, but Lei Yong Chun casually dodged every one of her strikes, moving with the practiced ease of a seasoned veteran used to life-and-death combat.

"Haaah!"

With her other hand, Bai Ning Xue struck, forcing Lei Yong Chun to parry her hand with his forearm. However, Bai Ning Xue suddenly smirked and channeled her electric qi in a single, enormous blast.

"Lightning Fist!"

"!"

Boom!

Lei Yong Chun was sent skidding backward from the tremendous force, his arms raised.

"Are you seriously using Lightning Fist against me?" Lei Yong Chun scoffed as he lowered his guard. His arms didn"t even smoke despite the electricity crackling around them. No, he was actually incorporating Bai Ning Xue"s lightning into his own qi. "Have you forgotten who taught you the basics of that technique?"

He then shook his hand and grinned.

"Still, I"ve to admit, you"re better than me when I was your age. You"ll eventually surpa.s.s me, if given enough time. As expected of someone with a Five Star Const.i.tution, I suppose."

"Is that why you"re doing this?" Bai Ning Xue growled as she charged forward. "To eliminate any threats to your position as the next sect leader?"

"No, not really. I would be happy if you can succeed me as the next leader, actually. But you"ll have to agree to help me eliminate Xiao Zhang and his Wu Ling Academy."

"Do you really think I"ll help you with such an absurd crime?!" Bai Ning Xue swung her sword as hard as she could, only for Lei Yong Chun to deftly dodge it. "I"ll stop you before you can destroy the academy!"

"Ah…while I did praise you for your talent, to be honest, you still aren"t quite there yet." Lei Yong Chun reached out and flicked Bai Ning Xue in the forehead, causing her to recoil in shock. "Don"t get too ahead of yourself, my cute junior. Do you really think you can stop me?"

"Don"t underestimate me!"

Bai Ning Xue jumped up, shaking her head to clear then blow, and then gripped her sword with both hands before swinging it down to execute a Lightning Tiger Sword Strike.

"There is no point in dragging this out." Lei Yong Chun sighed as he glanced up at her. Raising a lightning wreathed fist, he smiled. "Let"s finish this."

He struck her sword with a Lightning Fist, halting her in midair. Bai Ning Xue"s eyes widened when she saw that.

"This is how you use Lightning Fist," Lei Yong Chun smirked. Before Bai Ning Xue could react in time, he swung his other fist and struck her unguarded side.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

Lightning exploded upon physical contact, silver electricity surging through Bai Ning Xue and causing her to convulse violently. She shuddered uncontrollably and collapsed onto the ground, smoke rising as her body went into spasms, electricity dancing across her clothes and skin. She tried to get up, only for the lightning to flare up and sent her toppling over once again.

"Ugh…ugh!"

"You can"t use your qi for a while, but don"t worry about it. You"ve learned Thunder Break, so you probably know the effects. Master should have taught you. It"s only temporary, just like with your friends. So just obediently stay down for now."

He then turned away, his left hand inside his pockets. Cupping his chin with his right hand, he glanced around the academy grounds.

"Now then…let"s head to the laboratory. I"ve got to destroy the stock of artificial qi they keep in there."

"Do you think I"ll let you…?" Bai Ning Xue growled.

"Do you think you have a choice?" Lei Yong Chun retorted. Glancing at her, he then grinned. "I don"t suppose you"ll tell me where the lab is?"

"Dream on!"

"Just as I thought." Shaking his head in mock disappointment, Lei Yong Chun proceeded to stroll away in a relaxed manner.

"Ugh…!"

Bai Ning Xue forced herself to sit up and glared at her first senior venomously. She clenched her fists and raised her sword, pointing it at the departing Lei Yong Chun. It was clear that she thought this match far from over.

"Focus on the point between a void and a void."

"Hmm?"

Lei Yong Chun noticed that she was chanting something.

"Sense the type of elemental energy the point belongs to, and adjust accordingly. Move the surrounding qi not belonging to me to collide with the qi in that point."

Raising to her feet, Bai Ning Xue continued muttering her incantation, her voice steadily growing stronger and her sword pointed unwavering at Lei Yong Chun.

"Then ignite the combustible elements between the point and its surrounding and create a spark…"

Silver lightning qi surged to life all around her, cladding her in some sort of divine aura. Her features fierce and beautiful, Bai Ning Xue glared at Lei Yong Chun.

"You know this technique, don"t you, First Senior?"

"That"s…!" Lei Yong Chun"s complexion had turned ghastly pale when he recognized the incantation.

"Then you know you won"t be able to defend against this attack."

A lightning bolt blasted out of her sword and arced toward Lei Yong Chun before he could react, striking him cleanly on the chest.

"This is the Heaven"s Void, Lightning Style!"

"ARRRRRGH!"

Blood spurted from Lei Yong Chun"s mouth as he fell to a knee. He swayed and panted, blood dripping from his chin, and stared at Bai Ning Xue incredulously, as if he couldn"t believe what had just happened.

"When did you learn that?!" he demanded.

"Surprised, First Senior?" A smile crept across Bai Ning Xue"s pretty face. "I"ve just recently learned it from Master. A highly advanced technique that took you years to master, I learned it in a few months."

She kept her sword pointed at Lei Yong Chun.

"And I"ve somewhat predicted your pattern of attacks. Lightning Fist and Thunder Break…you"ve only used these two techniques against my friends. I thought you would do the same against me, so I waited for you to let down your guard. You were becoming somewhat predictable, First Senior. You might be powerful, but as long as your fighting style is within antic.i.p.ation, I can come up with any number of countermeasures."

Her smile widened.

"This is something that you taught me well, First Senior."

"d.a.m.n it!" perspiration soaked Lei Yong Chun"s good looking features, blood dribbling from his mouth. "You"ve grown beyond my expectations! As I thought, you really are…"

Bai Ning Xue unleashed a few more blasts from her sword, the lightning bolts striking the now injured Lei Yong Chun and sending him crashing back helplessly. He landed on his back, seemingly unconscious.

"I have you now…"

She glanced back.

"Teacher Lian, you guys can take him into custody."

Our alchemy teacher, Teacher Lian Jin Shu, emerged from the shadows, accompanied by a large posse of men in suits and sungla.s.ses. I gaped at them. Where the f.u.c.k did they come from?

"You took an unnecessary risk. You should have allowed us to fight him instead of taking him on a one-on-one duel."

Teacher Lian was looking at Bai Ning Xue in disapproval.

"Teacher Lian, I know that combat is not your speciality. And none of the staff here is a match for First Senior. I told you, didn"t I? That I am the one most familiar with First Senior"s fighting style and attacks. I will stand the highest chance of winning against him."

"That you did," Teacher Lian conceded.

Bai Ning Xue then staggered and stumbled, falling over and dropping her sword. Teacher Lian quickly caught hold of her before she could hit the ground.

"You really are too reckless."

Bai Ning Xue smiled, exhausted. "But like I told you, I won. The rest is up to you."

"We should get you treated…"

"I"m fine. I"m not hurt. More importantly, the rest of the student council members…"

Sweat was pouring down her face as she glanced at Zhu Jiao and the rest, concern visibly written across her features.

"I"ll detail some of our men to bring them to Teacher Yi shortly after we apprehend Lei Yong Chun," Teacher Lian promised. "But are you sure you don"t need to go to the infirmary?"

"I"m just…unable to use qi for a while after First Senior hit me. Even though I was prepared for it, I guess I reached my limit. But thanks to that, First Senior is now in our hands…"

As usual, she spoke too soon. Why does everyone love to tempt fate so much?

A silver flash of light burst from the courtyard, illuminating the school grounds and almost temporarily turning night into day.

"Thunder Break!"

With a yell, Lei Yong Chun smashed his fist into the ground, sending tremendous torrents of thunder and electricity spiraling out and electrocuting every suited guy in the vicinity. Dozens of them were thrown into the air, singed and convulsing as lightning crackled around their smoldering bodies. The air began to stink of ozone.

"You"ve gone and done it now," Lei Yong Chun snarled as he forced himself to his feet amidst the smoke and lightning. "p.i.s.sing me off like this…should I teach you what happens if you corner a wounded tiger?"

"Impossible!" Bai Ning Xue shook her head in denial. "I hit him directly in the heart, bypa.s.sing his defenses and even his skin! How is he…?"

She couldn"t help but falter.

"How is he still able to stand?"

Gritting his teeth, Teacher Lian rose to his feet and planted himself protectively between Bai Ning Xue and Lei Yong Chun (d.a.m.n, I almost called him Lightning Tiger. I must have been reading way too much manhwa).

"Don"t let Lei Yong Chun approach the students! Protect them at all costs!"

The remaining men in suits quickly spread out and placed themselves between Lei Yong Chun and the unconscious student council members. To be honest, I doubed that was necessary. Lei Yong Chun had shown no sign of wanting to hurt them.

"Don"t falter! Don"t fear him! Lei Yong Chun is injured! Keep your distance and wear him down!"

Lei Yong Chun stood up and reared up to his full height, smiling despite his injuries.

"You really have surpa.s.sed my expectations, Ning Xue. To be honest, I am really proud of you. To have learned Heaven"s Void, Lightning Style at such a young age. As you said, I took years to learn that, so you"re definitely more talented than me in terms of mastering new skills."

"We have to retreat!" Teacher Lian growled as he helped Bai Ning Xue up and escorted her away. "This way!"

"A pity, though…"

Lei Yong Chun shook his head.

"…you"re using Heaven"s Void, Lightning Style wrong."

That caught Bai Ning Xue"s attention and she spun around to stare at him in shock.

"What do you mean?" she spluttered.

"You see…Heaven"s Void, Lightning Style isn"t supposed to be a lightning bolt you just fire off your sword. Otherwise it"s no different from Thunder Crash or Heavenly Thunderbolt. Yes, you partially got it right, which is why you managed to penetrate my defenses."

"That"s…"

Bai Ning Xue swallowed. Lei Yong Chun"s smile widened.

"Shall I teach you the correct way of using Heaven"s Void, Lightning Style?"

Bai Ning Xue"s eyes widened. Teacher Lian and the men in suits misinterpreted her panic, all of them crowding around in a ma.s.s to block Lei Yong Chun"s view of her. However, he merely chuckled and shook his head.

"Do you think you"ll be able to protect her by blocking my line of sight?"

"So is this Heaven"s Void, Lightning Style a barrage weapon or something?" I muttered under my breath.

"Focus on the point between a void and a void."

Bai Ning Xue"s already widened eyes widened further and she stopped to turn around and stare in the direction of her first senior in fear. Then she tilted her head in confusion.

"How is that different?"

Lei Yong Chun replied by continuing.

"a.s.similate your qi with the surroundings and balance the yin and yang around the point."

"That"s…"

Your answer, lady. You asked how it was different. It certainly sounded different to me, even though I was an outsider.

"Heaven"s Void, Lightning Style."

Raising his hand, Lei Yong Chun swung it down. A lightning bolt blasted not from his hand but from above, crashing down from the heavens and striking Bai Ning Xue with pinpoint accuracy.

"Kyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!"

Screaming, Bai Ning Xue went into spasms, the electricity surging through her body and electrocuting her mercilessly.

"Ning Xue!"

Teacher Lian tried to step forward, but he was blasted back by the sheer force of the lightning descending upon the helpless Bai Ning Xue.

Stumbling on the ground, he spun around to glare at the remaining men in suits.

"What are you waiting for!?" he bellowed. "Kill that b.a.s.t.a.r.d!"

"You can all come at me at once." Lei Yong Chun beckoned all of them with a hand. "I don"t have time to waste on fighting you guys one at a time."

As one, the crowd of men in suits sprinted toward the waiting Lei Yong Chun, who dropped to his knees again.

A second Thunder Break blasted all of them into oblivion or unconsciousness. Even Teacher Lian, who had joined the reckless charge, was thrown across the courtyard, smacking the wall of the main campus building with an audible thud and sliding downward.

"Ugh…"

Bai Ning Xue struggled to her feet. Her body smoldering and wracked in pain, she was barely able to sit up, never mind stand. Gritting her teeth and wiping the blood from her mouth, she tried to forcibly discharge the lightning flowing through her system by pressing her hand against the ground. Heaving and wheezing, she glanced up…

…only to see Lei Yong Chun standing right in front of her.

"You"re right, though. Your growth is so frightening fast that I can"t help but shudder at imagining what kind of monster you would become in future. You will certainly pose a big threat to the Martial Arts Alliance if I don"t eliminate you here and now."

"Martial Arts Alliance? But…"

"Oh, you might be part of the Martial Arts Alliance for now, but if you continue to stand by Wu Ling Academy"s side, I can"t guarantee that state of affairs will continue." Lei Yong Chun paused. "What say you? Want to change your mind now?"

Bai Ning Xue gritted her teeth and glared at her senior defiantly. "Like h.e.l.l I"ll join someone who hurt my friends and attack my school!"

"A pity, then." Lightning ignited to life around his fist and Lei Yong Chun raised it to punch a hole in Bai Ning Xue"s face. "Them I have no choice but to eliminate you."

Holy…how the f.u.c.k did things develop this way!? I thought Lei Yong Chun had no intention of harming the kids!?

Lei Yong Chun drove his fist forward. Bai Ning Xue closed her eyes and recoiled, partially resigned to her fate.

The White Tiger Lightning Fist never reached her.

"??"

Opening her eyes slightly, Bai Ning Xue glanced up and caught sight of Lei Yong Chun"s astonished expression.

"You…" he began.

"Uh…mind backing off for today?" I asked as I struggled to shove his fist away from Bai Ning Xue"s face, having caught it with my right hand before it hit its intended target.