Splitting the Heave

Revealing a smile, Shang Xia realized that there were many people who enjoyed his play on words.

With the disciples of the Protection Division as an example, it seemed as though the members of the inner division were all pretty easily amused.

Their reactions didn’t just affect Guo You. Even Shang Xia forgot what he wanted to say.

“Zhang Wei has always been a man of few words. If not for Seniors Brother Guo’s instructions, he wouldn’t dare to offend his fellow disciples.” Shang Xia quickly calmed himself and said with a serious face. “From what I can see, you were the one who started it all.”

As his expression darkened, Guo You growled, “Nonsense! This has always been according to the rules set by the Protection Division. Why would I be at fault?”

“Oh really? Why are you the only one standing out here talking to me then?” Shang Xia raised an eyebrow craftily. 

That’s because they’re afraid that your grandfather will make things difficult for us! Guo You nearly cursed out loud, but he was smart enough to swallow his words. If he were to speak his thoughts out loud, the disciples of the Protection Division would go crazy.

Even though it was true that they were afraid of offending Shang Xia because of his grandfather, Guo You couldn’t say that out loud!

Guo You didn’t dare to piss off his fellow disciples from the Protection Division. If they turned against him, he would be left alone to offend Shang Xia!

Seemingly able to guess his thoughts, a smile formed on Shang Xia’s lips. “Are you not afraid of offending me then?” 

Without waiting for a reply, Shang Xia continued, “Are you thinking of saying that you will never bend to power? Looks like you’re a real manly man… Look at yourself. Do you think they’ll believe you?” 

Guo You opened his mouth slightly, but he failed to utter a single word. That was indeed what he planned to say.

Too bad for him, his instincts told him that he would only turn into a laughing stock if he tried something like that.

Shang Xia’s gaze turned to Zhang Wei who was trembling slightly and asked again, “Of course Senior Brother Guo isn’t willing to offend me. Why else will he force this pitiful kid to take the bullet for him?”

“Senior Brother Guo, even if you wish to kill with a borrowed blade and hide in the shadows, you have to choose a better knife! Your mistake this time forced you to stand against me. I bet you’re feeling all sorts of helpless now, right? I wonder… Who’s the one behind this? Who turned you into their scapegoat?” 

Guo You’s expression started to flicker and no one knew if it was because Shang Xia was right.

“Senior Brother Guo, if you refuse to admit that you were made use of, I guess you should be flying into a fit of rage right now. Shouldn’t you teach me, your junior brother, a lesson I’ll never forget?” Shang Xia muttered nonchalantly.

“It is as the rumors say… Junior Brother Shang really has a way with words.” Glaring at Shang Xia, Guo You forced the words out of his mouth.

A shit-eating grin was plastered on Shang Xia’s face.

In stark contrast to Shang Xia’s expression, Guo You growled angrily, “I’ll teach you a lesson. A lesson to uphold the rules of our institution! Since you insist on going against the regulations, others will look down on us if we don’t stamp this behavior out!”

Guo You was trying to force the members of the Protection Division to take his side. Now that he used the ‘regulation’ as his reason, they couldn’t allow anyone to be an exception.

Shang Xia had long since expected things to reach that point and he snickered, “Since you were going to do this anyway, why waste all our time?” 

Guo You felt his eyelids jumping and he suppressed his urge to pummel Shang Xia. Even he became slightly surprised by his self-control.

“I have been wanting to exchange pointers with disciples of the inner division for a long time. I didn’t have a reason to do so in the past, but now it seems like you can fulfill my wish.” Shang Xia turned serious and he clasped his hand behind his back. “Please.”

The moment the words left his lips, the atmosphere changed.

The disciples of the outer division started to discuss among themselves.

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“Chief Shang is actually challenging the members of the Protection Division!”

“Don’t you realize that there was a scheme behind it all? Chief Shang managed to reveal their hidden intentions!” 

“Can Chief Shang win?”

“This… He’s up against disciples of the inner division…”

“Didn’t Zhu Ying, a cultivator at the Martial Extremity Realm, lose to Chief Shang?”

“We can’t compare Zhu Ying to disciples in the inner division! Zhu Ying barely broke through before the battle, but Senior Brother Guo seems to have already consolidated his foundations! He’s definitely much more difficult to deal with than Zhu Ying!”

“Regardless, Chief Shang is standing up for us! We have to support him somehow!” 

“I really wish Chief Shang can teach them a lesson… However, the difference in strength is too large! It’s a gap that cannot be bridged because we choose to root for him…”

The disciples of the Protection Division were much quieter compared to the sixteen disciples from the outer division.

From the look on their faces, it seemed as though they were pretty interested in Shang Xia who had already comprehended martial intent.

Their discussions were much more discreet compared to the sixteen disciples.

“Do you think Guo You can win?” 

“Of course! Guo You entered the Martial Extremity Realm half a year ago and his foundations are solid. Do you really think that the kid can defeat Guo You just because he managed to comprehend martial intent?” 

“Hehe, of course not. Let’s see how long it takes for Guo You to win!” 

“Speaking of Guo You, he’s actually a little pitiful. He should be able to enter the upper division with his strength.”

“Right… Wasn’t his place taken over by someone else?”

“Not really. The other person is comparable to Guo You in strength, but his network in the institution is slightly better. That is also the reason behind Guo You’s hatred of those who rely on their background.”

“Heh, it’s no wonder Guo You chose to offend him. Here I was thinking that he went crazy.”

“Enough. The battle is about to begin…” 

Even though Guo You was embarrassed by Shang Xia’s verbal assault, he didn’t lose the demeanor of a disciple from the inner division. With a swing of his sleeve, he became serious. “Junior Brother Shang, you can make the first move.” 

“Alright.” 

Shang Xia didn’t plan to stand on ceremony as he accepted the advantageous offer instantly.

Guo You’s lips twitched once when he heard Shang Xia’s reply. He was merely trying to act courteous, as he thought that Shang Xia would forgo the chance of making the first move. After all, his pride as someone from one of the four great clans should prevent him from openly taking advantage of others.

That would be true if the original Shang Xia was still alive.

The current Shang Xia was much more practical than the original owner of the body. He would take every edge he could get!

Even though Guo You wasn’t feeling happy that he made things easier for Shang Xia, he forced a smile and got ready for battle.

Soon, his expression sank.

A bolt of lightning tore through the skies as he was blinded by a white flash.

“I… You…” 

He couldn’t be bothered with his own image any longer.

He fell to the ground and rolled in an attempt to avoid any strike he couldn’t see. When he got to his feet a second later, a look of trepidation could still be seen on his face.

All of a sudden, a scream from the side. 

“What the f… That was too dangerous!” 

“He didn’t even bother testing out his opponent! He released his ultimate move the moment the battle started!”

“Who the hell does that?! Is he crazy?”

“,,,”

Since Guo You yielded the chance to make the first move, Shang Xia didn’t waste any time and he unleashed his strongest move, the Chaos Essence Lightning Palm, instantly.

Looking at the shattered ground below, a cloud of dust filled the air.

Guo You didn’t disappoint. Like a true cultivator who managed to enter the inner division, he managed to avoid the most dangerous region affected by Shang Xia’s Chaos Essence Lightning Palm. Even so, he was still struck by the leftover lightning in the air. One side of his body went completely numb.

Rage filled his heart. Who would have thought that someone of Shang Xia’s status would resort to cheap tricks like that?

Even before he could scold Shang Xia for being shameless, the second attack came. A terrifying pressure surrounded him.

The First Move of the Chaos Essence Palm: Fusion of Heaven and Earth

Swallowing everything he wanted to say, Guo You felt extremely disgusted. Even so, he didn’t dare to be careless when facing Shang Xia’s powerful strike. He could only try his best to nullify the attack.

As a thud rang through the air, a grunt left their lips as Shang Xia wobbled slightly. Guo You took half a step back in retreat.

Shards of rock flew everywhere, and it only stopped when it crashed into the wall surrounding the area. Tiny holes could be seen where the shards struck.

“No way… Is Guo You at a disadvantage?”

“Heh, there’s no difference between what he did and a sneak attack.” 

“His Chaos Essence Palm focuses on brute force. The martial intent he comprehended also increases the force behind his moves, it’s amazing that Guo You only took half a step back.”

“Yeah! Without the Chaos Essence Lightning Palm’s focus on explosive strength, Guo You will be gaining the upper hand now!” 

“I’m afraid Guo You is about to break through…”

“The standard to enter the upper division is getting way too high!” 

Before the battle, Shang Xia knew that his martial intent wouldn’t be able to bridge the gap between their difference in cultivation level.

Estimating Guo You’s strength the best he could, Shang Xia gained the upper hand because of a bunch of reasons.

He didn’t push his advantage in the following exchange. Eventually, Guo You gained the upper hand.

After entering the Martial Extremity Realm, a cultivator’s qi would experience another round of transformation.

Shang Xia’s foundations might be stable, but Guo You had much more inner qi than him! The quality of inner qi was also better.

That wasn’t all. Guo You’s techniques weren’t weak at all. Having gained exceptional control over his strength, Guo You managed to suppress Shang Xia with his own strength!

In terms of speed and power, Shang Xia fell to a disadvantage!

“How did someone like that fail to enter the upper division?”

Shang Xia cursed silently and his emotions fluctuated slightly.

The change was quickly discovered by Guo You.

“Heh, the leader of the outer division isn’t that impressive after all!” 

A sneer soon formed on Guo You’s lips. “If you admit defeat right now, I’ll stop.”

With victory at hand, the grin on Guo You’s face grew wider.