"So Song Zimiao is part of the Hundred Flowers Sect"

"I didn’t expect that such a honest and upright man like Song Zimiao was from such a place…"

"I don’t think that Song Zimiao is a traitor"

The audience began to murmur. Song Zimiao did not feel mad about the rumours, but instead chuckled lightly. "You really have made a lot of effort to cause chaos."

"Let’s fight then. Let me see if you are really worthy of the Martial Lord position." Lu Song smiled menacingly at Song Zimiao. He swept his robes [1] to one side and stepped forward, raising his palms up to the sky before dropping his hands down, beckoning Song Zimiao.

A voice came out of nowhere. "Let me show you a taste of my skill first."

There was a swift gush of wind and the audience was pushed back a couple of steps. Suddenly, there was another man in the ring. His hair brushed across his shoulders and it would’ve been a picturesque scene if not for the deadly aura emanating from his body. A chill radiated from his purple eye and his hands were raised, ready to fight.

Lu Song steadied himself and glared at the man. "You vile man, tell me what sect do you come from?"

The man looked at him calmly. "I do not belong to any sect. Why, are you scared?" He laughed arrogantly, his laughter piercing the sky.

Lu Song had a murderous expression on his face and his piercing red eyes were filled with bloodlust. "You arrogant child. Since you are seeking death, let me help you."

Lu Song withdrew a step and began to prepare his move. The audience gasped when they saw what he was doing. The scripture that Lu Song was practicing… it had been a forbidden scripture, thought to have been banned a long time ago. All of the remnants had long been burnt because of the evil intent that it had supported. The practitioners had murdered their opponents without a care and the deadly techniques were cruel and inhumane.

Xiao Yixuan had a solemn face when he saw it. Situ Xin and Song Zimiao both stared at Lu Song grimly, a little surprised that he was in such a wicked scripture.

"Old man, don’t you know that young people are arrogant? You wouldn’t understand though, being so old." The man with purple eyes did not even flinch. He smiled uncaringly and continued to ridicule Lu Song. The man seemed to be inviting himself through death’s door.

Lu Song’s face had become red in anger and a blinding red light shot out from his palm, shooting straight towards the man. Situ Xin and Bai Ying hurriedly dragged Huo Yan away and Xiao Yi Xuan and Song Zimiao withdrew from the centre of the stage. The audience leaned back, bracing for the impact.

Lu Song continuously shot his red light towards the man, but they mysterious man dispelled them with a touch, leaving only a white light. If it had been anyone else, it would’ve been a fatal strike but Lu Song attacked many times to no avail.

The audience saw none of their moves, only a faint burst of light could be seen from time to time.

Lu Song began to tire and sent a trembling gasp. The man simply stood there watching Lu Song stagger. Then, out of the blue, there was a ‘bang’ sound a fierce light shot out into the sky and Lu Song collapsed to the ground, blood slowly dribbling down his cheek.

"You." Lu Song barely choked the word out.

The man smiled enchantingly. "You still want to fight?"

Lu Song rested his head on the floor and the man looked away disinterested. He turned around, his eyes resting on Situ Xin.

Situ Xin felt the mysterious man’s searing gaze. She was a little confused but stubbornly raised her head and glared back, only to see the corner of the man’s mouth move to reveal a captivating smile. Xiao Yixuan quickly moved in front of her to block the man’s line of sight.

From the other side of the arena, Song Zimiao walked forward and said humbly "Sir, your martial art skills are superb. I believe that you are the one most deserving of the Martial Lord title."

"Oh." The man snorted a little. "Have I ever said that I want to be the Martial Lord?"

From the beginning, the man had not even cared about the position of Martial Lord. He stepped closer to Situ Xin and looked over their little group.

"You… even if you sent somebody to hell, you would still smile" Bai Ying muttered under her breath. Bai Ying did her best to let Huo Yan lie on her shoulder. It had said that this man… Xuanyuan Xiaoqi had been raised by a wild wolves so nobody knew where he had learnt martial arts. If he wanted to kill anybody, nobody would be able to survive.

The two men were standing so close to each other. The man smiled easily but his stare was provocative. Xiao Yixuan did not back down either. He glared at the man, ready to fight.

Lu Song, who had been lying on the ground, seemingly almost dead suddenly leapt up, grabbed Situ Xin’s hand and disappeared into thin air.

Footnotes:

[1] Lu Song was wearing a Zhidou (直裰), a common Chinese robe during the Yuan and Ming dynasties. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zhiduo_(clothing)