Chapter Thirty-Six: A Half-Year Promise

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  Su Che didn't want to get entangled with Song Baozi and the others anymore, so he bowed to the cold and proud woman and said: "Sister, I'm going back to the sect, farewell."

  "It's not that easy to leave!" Jiang Chen shouted in a sharp voice: "Today you must return the Ling Stone to me, otherwise don't even think about leaving."

  It's not easy to find an opportunity to make things difficult for Su Che, and he can't bear to let go easily.

  Song Pangzi also added fuel to the fire: "Su Che, escaping is not a solution, what you owe others, you must pay back. This matter, you must come up with a reasonable explanation."

  The two of them performed very convincingly, with all the right expressions and mannerisms, so much so that the cold and proud woman and the other two had completely believed them, really thinking that Su Che had owed Jiang Chen a debt of one hundred spirit stones.

  "Alright then." Su Che remained calm and unhurried, pointing in a certain direction within the city: "Let's go to the Law Enforcement Hall. Our Tian Xuan Sect is not lacking in places where reason can be spoken. Even if it ends up at the Heavenly Punishment Hall, I'll request that the Heavenly Punishment Elder preside over justice. I, Su Che, am not afraid!"

  "Tian Xing Tang?" Song Paozi and others burst out laughing: "A fart-sized matter, can it be worthy of Tian Xing Tang? Someone will reason with you, how ridiculous!"

  Only the cold and proud woman slightly frowned, feeling that Su Che's momentum didn't seem like he was telling a lie... However, she still didn't believe that Song Baozi and Jiang Chen had the guts to deceive her, so she said to Su Che: "There's no need to go to Tian Xing Hall, you're not returning to Shan Men, are you? Alright, we'll accompany you on a trip to Xuan Ji Peak, let Yu Qing give me an explanation."

  Su Che immediately understood, she wanted to take advantage of this matter to embarrass Yu Qing Shixiong, even if it was just to sarcastically mock him a few times, it would make her feel much better...

  "One man does a thing and one man bears the responsibility. Even if he suffers from false accusations and is splashed with dirty water, it's still his own business and there's no need to implicate Master Yu Qing."

  Forced to this point, Su Che's mentality was good, but he couldn't hold back the fire in his heart, and his face finally fell. He asked the cold and proud woman, "May I ask how to address you, Shifu?"

  "You're really ignorant, you don't even recognize Zhen Lan!" Song Pangzi and the others sneered.

  "Tian Wu Feng Zhen Lan." The cold and proud woman actually gave a direct answer.

  "Zhen Lian, whether you believe it or not, I have to say that the so-called debt of one hundred spirit stones is purely a frame-up by Jiang Chen and this Song brother against me." Su Che's face turned serious: "I also know that right and wrong can't be clearly stated here, but since someone has intentionally found fault and bullied me, I should take on this matter completely."

  "You're quite bold!" Zhen Lan sneered and asked, "I'd like to know, what do you plan to do next?"

  "A cultivator's strength is supreme. Since words can't get through, let's use force to make our point!" Su Che's icy gaze locked onto Jiang Chen's face, his tone slow and heavy: "I want to set a battle agreement with Junior Brother Jiang and Senior Brother Song. Half a year from now, we'll compete on the Peak of Trials. The winner can dictate terms, but the loser will have only one outcome: voluntarily renounce their status as an outer sect disciple and leave Tian Xuan Sect!"

  "What?"

  Jiang Chen and Song Paozi were shocked by the words, even Zhen Lan's expression changed slightly.

  Isn't this gamble a bit too ruthless? Once defeated, it would be a complete downfall!

  "Faced with other people's provocation and slander, in order to defend my own reputation and dignity, I am willing to stake my life and future. Su Che's icy sharp gaze swept across Jiang Chen and Song Gongzi's faces, asking loudly: "Jiang Shidi, Song Shixiong, it's just unknown whether you two have this kind of courage?"

  Su Che's loud voice attracted the attention of many people on the street, including some formal disciples of Tian Xuan Sect wearing white Taoist robes.

  Inside the Xuanji City, private fights are not allowed, mainly to protect the self-cultivating disciples with low strength from being bullied. However, formal disciples of the Tianxuan Sect can go to the 'Competing Peak' inside the mountain gate to spar with each other.

  At the top of the arena, there are senior members of the sect who take turns to preside over and maintain order. They also bear the responsibility of notarization and arbitration. Relatively speaking, the smaller characters like Su Che, Jiang Chen, and Song Paozi can get more just and fair judgments because their identity background is not high enough to make the senior members of the sect bend the law for personal gain or manipulate things behind the scenes.

  Facing Su Che's duel, Jiang Chen's face turned pale, his heart was in a state of panic, and his breathing had lost its stability. He didn't know why, but since Su Che's "resurrection", every time he faced him, Jiang Chen felt extremely guilty, so he hated him even more, to the point where he couldn't coexist with him between heaven and earth.

  Song Baozi is naturally much better, after all, he has already reached the third layer of Qi refining, which is a big step higher than Su Che. He smiled and said: "Su Shidi, since you initiated the challenge, why wait until half a year later, we can do it now."

  "Not now!" Su Che said calmly: "The gap between our strengths is too great, you are at the third layer of Qi training, I am only at the first layer, and I just became a formal disciple, not even learning the most basic spells. Fighting with you would be a certain defeat. With a half-year buffer period, wouldn't our sparring be more interesting? Song Shixiong, you won't think that after half a year, you won't be my opponent anymore, will you?"

  "This..."

  At this point, Song Paozi was somewhat speechless, because Su Che said it with reason and emotion, leaving no room for argument. The disparity in strength made the competition unfair, that's not a test of skills, that's suicide. Anyone with a bit of intelligence would think that Su Che's request is very reasonable, half a year's deadline is not excessive at all...

  Song Pàngzi was not willing to give Su Chu a six-month growth period, although in theory, he would grow and so would he himself. In just half a year's time, it was impossible for him to surpass himself.

  But the stakes were too high, and the loser would have to leave the Tianxuan Sect, ruining their future. Song Baizi weighed his options back and forth, but still felt that he shouldn't agree to it, and couldn't give him another chance to grow, not even for half a year!

  Under the gaze of everyone, Song Pingzi hesitated and thought hard about a good strategy to resolve Su Che's attack... but unexpectedly, his own senior sister from behind spoke up and gave Su Che a definitive answer.

  "Alright!" Zhen Lan's voice was crisp and clear, her dark eyes staring at Su Che: "Your character isn't great, but your courage is not bad. I'm accepting this bet on behalf of Jiang Shidi and Song Shidi! In a few days, I'll confirm the details with Yu Qing, and in half a year, you can go to the Competition Peak to decide who wins."

  "Huh?"

  Jiang Chen and Song Huanzi were stunned, but as soon as Zhen Lan Shijie opened her golden mouth, the matter was irreversible. The two of them did not have the courage to go against Zhen Lan Shijie's will.

  "Go away!" Zhen Lan turned around and didn't look at Su Che again.

  "Thanks, sister." Su Che nodded slightly and stood up straight, giving Jiang Chen a cold glance as he did so, the implication clear: in six months, we'll settle the score!

  Jiang Chen couldn't help but shiver, his face turning even uglier. Although, at the moment, their cultivation and strength were on par with Su Che's, both being at the Qi Refining stage, he just felt a sense of emptiness in his heart, without any confidence whatsoever.

  "Why? Why did this guy become so terrifying after he came back to life, like his own arch-nemesis?" Jiang Chen couldn't understand himself why he was so afraid of Su Che. He had clearly killed him once with his own hands, couldn't he just kill him again?

  Su Che looked straight ahead, walked steadily and quickly left this place of right and wrong.

  "Haha, master, this is it!" In the Xian prison, Old Black pounded his chest and loudly roared with anger, as if he had finally vented: "Half a year later, I'll crush them to death like an ant... No, no, no, can't kill them directly. Should catch them and let me, Old Black, thoroughly trample them. Eighteen martial arts, three thousand torture methods, let them experience it all... After one round, there will be a second, third round, haha!"

  "Lao Hei, where did you get such confidence?" Su Che thought to himself: "Don't tell me, you never thought I'd lose?"

  "It's impossible!"

  Lao Hei suddenly jumped up, lifted one foot and kicked Han Youming who was crouching beside him to the ground. He trampled on his back and shouted loudly: "Look, master! This is just a small role in the third layer of Qi practice. It's not worth mentioning that after half a year, or even now, we have already trampled them under our feet."

  "Half a year later, fair competition, under the gaze of many eyes, you can't show your face, and can only rely on my own skills." Su Che lightly shook his head: "Psychologically, you can look down on your opponent; in action, however, you cannot be careless. You should know that Song Huanzi and Jiang Chen have 'Zhen Lan' backing them up, and they also have some foundation."

  "This is indeed." Lao Hei kicked Han Youming to one side, and then sat down on the ground with a thud, scratching his head as he began to ponder: "We still need to think of a way to quickly increase your cultivation speed..."

  A gem cannot be polished without rubbing, and Su Che's initiative to propose this battle half a year later is also to force himself, to give himself more urgency.

  "People won't become talented unless they are forced to be, it's necessary to be strict with oneself."

  Su Che strode swiftly, having already left the Xuanji City behind. At this moment, he gazed out at the towering mountain range of Tianxuan that seemed to touch the sky, thinking to himself: "Becoming a true disciple in five years is merely the beginning; my goal is far beyond that..."