Great! I'm surrounded by villains!
Chapter 104 - 24: An Upright Battle

Chapter 104: Chapter 24: An Upright Battle

Chen Chou insisted that the youth, Duan Mingyuan, had only managed to defeat him yesterday by taking advantage of a sneak attack; he simply had not had the chance to display his true abilities.

It is well known that sneak attacks are scorned by the world, and victory through such means does not count as the deed of a hero.

If both sides had fairly set up their barriers and taken their stance, he and Duan Mingyuan should be evenly matched; if his understanding of Tricky Art and their respective ages were taken into account, he should have a slight advantage.

The older, the stronger, Chen Chou believed that Duan Mingyuan must also recognize this old saying.

"Mingyuan you brat, I’ll speak plainly, what happened between you and me yesterday was just an accident."

Before the official start of the duel, Chen Chou crossed his arms over his chest, completely forgetting the sneak attack plan he had researched throughout the entire night.

The original plan had been for him to arrive in the classroom five hours early, extending his barrier before Duan Mingyuan’s arrival. When class time came, he would launch a surprise attack, giving that shameless youth a taste of being ambushed.

But now the situation had changed.

Although Duan Mingyuan was exceedingly shameless, he had an eye for quality and knew him to be the North Star of the educational world, and the gaze of the academy students towards him was full of admiration.

Could the North Star stoop to the disgraceful act of a sneak attack?

Of course not!

He was not only going to compete with Duan Mingyuan in an upright manner, but he also intended to spare no effort and concede the moment victory was assured so as to truly exhibit the demeanor of a master.

Thus, Chen Chou felt it necessary to remind Duan Mingyuan, "Don’t underestimate me, thinking you can defeat me with just any peach wood sword intended for warding off evil."

The books in the library indeed mentioned that peach wood swords have the properties to ward off evil, but in a battle of barriers between North Stars, such methods are utterly ineffective, and only a novice would foolishly rely on a peach wood sword to stab people as the classics describe.

Chen Chou said coldly, "The youngsters are still watching on the side. Since we’re going to duel, let’s do it with all our might and in an upright manner. Don’t look for excuses after losing, claiming to have been careless or slander others with accusations of sneak attacks, inviting ridicule!"

?

Duan Mingyuan could not make out Chen Chou’s expression at that moment, shocked by how the other could shamelessly utter such words.

This was only his second encounter with Chen Chou, and the old gentleman had already directly and indirectly accused him of sneak attacks several times.

However, he kindly explained, "This isn’t just an ordinary peach wood sword."

He was seriously beginning to wonder whether, if Chen Chou lost to him again, he would trot out a set of theories like "There is a high wall between fighting unarmed and with a weapon."

Duan Mingyuan had not intended to use a weapon originally, but this particular barrier class was put on specifically for Ning Ruyue. In his view, the abilities passed down from the Prime Monarch simply couldn’t be as rudimentary as poking people with a flying sword.

"Oh? Does this peach wood sword have a story?"

Chen Chou asked, his curiosity piqued, as he took another few glances at the peach wood sword in Duan Mingyuan’s hands.

Truth be told, he couldn’t see anything special about it.

Its material was just the common peach wood from the mountain behind the academy, and it had not been imbued with any Mysterious Techniques.

"This sword was personally crafted by the lady early this morning from peach wood she found on the mountain behind us," Duan Mingyuan looked down at the peach wood sword in his hands, his gaze turning much softer, as this sword shared a deep connection with the Ruihu clan—a connection documented in the "Auspicious Fox Cultivation Notes." "The lady’s ancestors were Ruihu, and when my father-in-law was traveling down the mountain, he would craft swords from peach wood, aiding the villagers he passed by. Hence, there arose the legend that peach wood swords can ward off evil—"

"You’re courting death, are you sick in the head!"

Chen Chou suddenly erupted in rage, initiating an attack, with dark fog swirling with the aura of death.

This represented the ability bestowed upon the people of the Ghost Prison through blood sacrifices—the stripping of life, deadly upon touch, symbolizing their hatred for the Extraterrestrials and the traitors in the Imperial Court.

This hatred was incredibly profound, and yet here was Duan Mingyuan, this shameless wretch, shamelessly discussing matters of love and affection right in front of him!

Chen Chou’s eyes became bloodshot, his joy at being called the North Star overwhelmed by the hatred in his heart.

He had been imprisoned in the Ghost Prison for hundreds of years, and now he had finally managed to break through the seal. Was this what he had done it for?

Ning Ruyue and the others all had their eyes wide open as they witnessed the rising black fog set off a storm, drawing all the white of the world into it.

Even the figure of the teacher was swallowed by the darkness in an instant.

Apart from the open space where they stood, there was no longer any light to shine into this world.

The students could hardly believe that the old senior who had acted like a prickly monster was actually so powerful!

"Be careful, I will attack from the left,"

came a very calm voice from the depths of the darkness.

Chen Chou sneered disdainfully and immediately channeled his Life Energy in the opposite direction, assuming a defensive stance, "Ha, Mingyuan, stop using these low-level tricks—ouch, damn it!"

The speeding Peach Wood Sword, like a flaming arrow breaking through the darkness, struck Chen Chou squarely in the back of his unguarded head.

Ning Ruyue couldn’t help but cover her mouth and giggle at the sight.

She found it very hard to imagine how this Mr. Chen Chou managed to be both powerful and comical.

But immediately after, her smile froze on her face.

She rubbed her eyes vigorously, to confirm she wasn’t seeing things—she saw not just one Peach Wood Sword!

Countless swords were suspended around Duan Mingyuan, and the wall made by the strong winds drove away the black fog.

This was... The Sword Control Technique passed down to her by her father!

Chen Chou, clutching his forehead, also recognized the Mysterious Techniques used by Duan Mingyuan; an almost crazed smile appeared on his face, as he cast the pain aside and said in a daze, "So that’s how it is, that’s how it is! That explains it! It must be that impudent brat who claims to be the Prime Monarch who sent you!"

As a comrade who had fought against the Extraterrestrials together in the past, how could he forget this mastery of Sword Control?

"The next hit is coming from above."

This time Chen Chou did not hesitate, looking up as a giant hand constructed from black fog reached for the sky, and almost at the same time, Peach Wood Swords like torrential rain tore through the darkness of the clouds.

Ning Ruyue and the others looked up to see the "sky" riddled with holes, and at this moment, they finally understood why their teacher had chosen to conduct the duel within a scroll.

If this duel were to take place outside, the entire academy would likely be destroyed in an instant by the aftermath of the two’s Barrier clash.

She couldn’t help but stand up, her heart surging with emotion, her fists clenched tight, yet still shaking uncontrollably.

As a child, Ning Ruyue had read about the Sword Control Technique in an ancient text within the Imperial Court. This Mysterious Technique was incredibly profound, and her father was one who had mastered it to great success—his peak performance was unleashing a thousand swords simultaneously, with the Flying Swords descending enough to tear the heavens asunder.

"Well done!"

Chen Chou roared in anger; at this moment, he truly regarded Duan Mingyuan, who was controlling the Flying Swords, as the Prime Monarch.

They hated the Extraterrestrials, even more so those who betrayed them, offering everything up with both hands to the traitors.

The hand constructed from black fog shattered under the impact of the Flying Swords but still provided him with some protection.

The combination of new grudges and old hatreds meant he no longer viewed this as a simple demonstration of a Barrier match.

But Duan Mingyuan didn’t think so, asking with concern, "Mr., do you need to take a break?"

"Take a break?"

Chen Chou, with a Peach Wood Sword sticking out of both his forehead and shoulder, let out a cold laugh, "Perhaps it’s you who are running out of Energy? It seems that impudent Prime Monarch’s skills are just so-so after all! Come, fight for your life!"