Zang Feng felt completely numb.
In fact, from the moment he heard that their lord had entered the Training Guard Office, he already had a bad feeling.
The moment he saw their lord in the training grounds, that premonition instantly became reality.
When he sensed their lord’s gaze land on him, his body stiffened in place as he silently prayed to all the gods and buddhas above not to choose him.
But perhaps because he usually never worshipped Guanyin, last-minute prayers were of no use at all.
Because immediately after, he heard their lord casually point at him and say: “Then him.”
Zang Feng’s hanging heart finally died.
For him, one of the most terrifying things in the world was sparring with their lord.
He had followed their lord very early on. Back then, only he and Shen Xian were by their lord’s side.
Shen Xian, due to frail health and being a scholar, could still escape this fate, but he had no such luck.
Even though their lord at that time was just a youth, his martial arts were already beyond comprehension.
At first, he could not even touch the corner of their lord’s clothes. Later, he could—but the outcome did not change.
In simple terms: he got beaten.
It was only after Frost Blade, Qingli, and Songlü joined that more people started getting beaten, and he finally got a chance to breathe.
Especially after he entered the Crimson Halberd Guard, their lord became busy, and he finally enjoyed a few peaceful days.
But he never expected that, after so many years, the nightmare would return.
Zang Feng looked calm on the surface, but inside he was already gone.
The Training Guard Office was in high spirits.
They assumed Xie Yi had picked Zang Feng because he only had one arm and was choosing an easy target.
They had done the same thing when Zang Feng first transferred in.
But Zang Feng, with one arm, had beaten half of them into submission.
Being defeated yourself is humiliation and anger.
Watching someone else be defeated, however, is pure satisfaction.
Especially with Xie Yi’s casual pointing just now—it wasn’t even provocation, it was outright disdain.
No one could tolerate that.
Even Zang Feng’s expression had turned cold.
He was definitely going to beat him hard.
The entire training ground immediately grew excited, and the Training Guard Office people cheered for Zang Feng.
Zang Feng remained expressionless, but internally he felt like dying.
As the only person on the field—besides the parties involved—who knew the truth, Lin Zhiji was laughing so hard he nearly fell apart: 【Hahahahaha Zang Feng looks like his life is miserable hahahaha…】
Xie Yi also showed a faint smile and walked onto the training ground first.
“Please.”
Zang Feng: !!!
The lord smiled!!!
I am doomed!!!
But at this point, he had no choice but to grit his teeth and step onto the arena as well.
Xie Yi smiled and said to Zang Feng: “Since I was the one who chose you, you decide the rules.”
Lin Zhiji muttered: 【Looking at Zang Feng’s expression, this sounds like: ‘Now you may choose how you die.’】
Zang Feng already felt cold sweat on his back and could only force himself to say: “Then let’s spar with fists and kicks.”
The crowd immediately erupted in an uproar.
Lin Zhiji asked in confusion: 【Host, why are they reacting like this? Is Zang Feng’s fistwork not good?】
Xie Yi said calmly: 【On this training ground, sparring is usually life-or-death, injury is normal. But choosing fists and kicks means stopping at the point of contact—pure sparring.】
【Oh, I see.】 Lin Zhiji realized, 【So Zang Feng is actually very careful about his life.】
But to everyone else, it was not seen that way.
Bai Xingmao frowned slightly.
His first thought was that Zang Feng was giving Xie Yi face.
Zang Feng did not know the Crown Prince’s orders; now Xie Yi was officially a deputy guard. With Zang Feng’s steady personality, this made sense.
Xie Yi raised an eyebrow and took his “arrogant persona” to the end: “In that case, I will not take advantage of you either. I will use only one hand.”
With that, he placed one hand behind his back.
The crowd erupted even louder.
Bai Xingmao, however, relaxed slightly.
He thought: as expected, Xie Yi is young and reckless. Even if he does nothing, Zang Feng will be enough to teach him a lesson.
Ge Changshi had worried too much.
Xie Yi and Zang Feng stood on opposite sides of the arena.
When Bai Xingmao announced the start—
Zang Feng moved.
His expression changed instantly as he struck first.
His fist came like a storm, but Xie Yi merely tilted his head lazily to avoid it, appearing to retreat but actually advancing.
In an instant, they exchanged dozens of moves.
This was Lin Zhiji’s first time seeing Xie Yi fight anything other than killing techniques, and it was dazzling—far more exciting from a first-person view.
He couldn’t help but gasp softly despite himself.
While dealing with Zang Feng, Xie Yi even had time to glance at the bouncing little ball in his mind space.
Zang Feng suddenly felt it.
Their lord’s aggressive pressure… had slowed.
Not only slowed, but became somewhat flashy and ornamental, completely unlike his usual lethal, no-wasted-movement style.
If the opponent wasn’t their lord, Zang Feng would have thought he was performing for someone.
But that idea was absurd.
Zang Feng only assumed their lord was concealing his true strength.
So the two continued exchanging blows evenly, a dazzling match.
But to the spectators, it was shocking.
They had assumed Xie Yi would be knocked down in a few moves.
Yet not only did he not fall, he was even faintly gaining the upper hand over Zang Feng.
Bai Xingmao saw even more.
What was truly frightening was not that Xie Yi could match Zang Feng.
It was that his techniques were utterly ordinary—basic fist and kick forms.
It was like one man wielding a peerless blade, while the other only held a tree branch.
This was returning to simplicity, mastery through refinement.
Bai Xingmao did not know it was intentional; he assumed it was Xie Yi’s talent reaching such a level that even basic techniques had become extraordinary.
But even so, he felt troubled.
After over a hundred moves, Xie Yi suddenly revealed a flaw. Zang Feng seized the opening—
Only to realize it was a trap.
Xie Yi’s finger lightly touched his throat.
“Yielded.”
Zang Feng quietly sighed in relief.
At least the lord had spared him face and did not kick him off the stage.
He maintained a neutral expression and cupped his hands: “I have learned.”
As he stepped down, the entire arena fell silent.
No one expected Zang Feng to lose.
But they had to admit—if any of them had been in his place, the result would have been the same.
Not because Zang Feng was weak.
But because Xie Yi was stronger.
Xie Yi stood in the center of the arena.
“Anyone else?”
No one answered.
What a joke—he had only used one hand against Zang Feng. If they went up now, it would just be humiliation.
Strength rules the martial world.
Bai Xingmao’s expression darkened.
This was not what he intended.
Instead of making Xie Yi lose face, he had allowed him to dominate the Training Guard Office.
If the Crown Prince learned of this, he would be the one to suffer.
At this point, he could only step forward.
“Then I will personally test you.”
Bai Xingmao was also very helpless.
He originally had no intention of stepping in himself, only planning to let the others crush Xie Yi’s arrogance. Who could have expected Xie Yi to be such a monstrous prodigy?
Now he was like a rider on a tiger’s back—he had no choice but to act.
Xie Yi smiled faintly: “Most welcome.”
Lin Zhiji also got excited: 【Host, all those setups you made earlier… was it to force him into action, right?!】