Chapter 3: The Man Who Lost 147 Matches in a Row

Every year, quite a few Lingxiao Pavilion disciples died in internal struggles. However, as Zhou Dingjun looked at the senior brother before him—who charged forward courageously without shrinking back in the slightest—he couldn’t help but feel slightly moved. Putting himself in the other’s shoes, Zhou Dingjun knew he couldn’t achieve this level of tenacity; he probably would have conceded the moment he realized he was outmatched. "As long as Qingshan remains, there will be firewood." This was the worldly philosophy. But to stubbornly push forward until hitting a dead end—that was a kind of persistence! Seeing Yangx Kai’s battered state, yet noticing the ever-growing battle intent in his eyes, Zhou Dingjun knew that unless he knocked him out, this affair wouldn’t end today. With this thought, Zhou Dingjun swung his hand, chopping a palm blade against the neck bone of the charging Yangx Kai. Yangx Kai’s fierce momentum instantly dissipated. His eyes lost their focus, and his body went completely limp as he collapsed to the ground.

Seeing this scene, a figure standing on the canopy of a large tree over thirty feet away pulled out a small booklet. Flipping to a random page, they wrote: Trial Disciple Yangx Kai vs an ordinary disciple, Zhou Dingjun. Zhou Dingjun wins. The person standing atop the canopy had a graceful figure, clearly a woman. Although a black veil obscured her true face, her elegant eyebrows indicated she was quite young. Furthermore, the fallen leaf armband worn on her shoulder revealed her identity: a Dark Hall disciple of the Lingxiao Pavilion! The Dark Hall of the Lingxiao Pavilion was a special organization under the jurisdiction of the Sect’s Third Elder. The disciples within the hall were responsible for recording all matters within the Sect, big or small, including the outcomes of duels between disciples. Therefore, when issuing a challenge within the Lingxiao Pavilion, one didn’t need to worry about winning but not receiving Contribution Points. The hidden Dark Hall disciples would definitely record the battle results and tally them up at the end of each month.

After the Dark Hall woman finished recording the outcome of this battle, she retrieved another, even smaller booklet from her waist. She opened it and glanced at the entry, which read: May 7th, the 14th year of Ji He, Yangx Kai’s 147th battle, defeated! Aside from this newly added line of text, the pages were densely packed with the results of all of Yangx Kai’s past battles. They uniformly recorded the time and battle number, and the outcome was always a single word: defeated! A streak of 147 consecutive defeats without a single victory was simply an unprecedented record since the founding of the Lingxiao Pavilion. This record was astounding enough to shock the world and weep the heavens, never seen before and never to be replicated. Yet, the creator of this very record was currently lying quietly on the ground, his fate unknown.

Yangx Kai had never challenged anyone else; in all 147 battles, he was the one being challenged. This meant he had been challenged once every five days, and this kind of life had already lasted for over two years. Looking down at Yangx Kai, Xia Ningshang slightly furrowed her beautiful brows. She wondered why he persisted to such an extent. Having already been demoted to a Trial Disciple of the Lingxiao Pavilion, even his basic survival and meals were a problem. Why did he still stay in the Sect? If he left, his life would undoubtedly be much better. What kind of obsession drove this frail-looking boy? It allowed him to suffer 147 consecutive defeats while remaining completely undeterred. Perhaps this was just the foolishness of men. Her noticing Yangx Kai had been a mere coincidence. As a Dark Hall disciple, Xia Ningshang was assigned to monitor this area. She had watched every time he was challenged and every time he was knocked unconscious. Once or twice was nothing, but as the number grew, she began to pay attention to this boy who was only at the Third Level of Body Tempering. She was very curious to know how long his sheer willpower would keep him going before he finally left the Lingxiao Pavilion. With such aptitude and such a slow Cultivation speed, he was fundamentally unsuited to remain in the martial world. The realm of ordinary people was where he truly belonged.

The crowd below had dispersed, leaving only Yangx Kai unconscious on the ground. As time passed, people came and went. With a flicker of her figure, Xia Ningshang vanished from the tree canopy.

When Yangx Kai woke up again, the sun was already high in the sky. There wasn’t a single spot on his body that didn’t ache. Staggering to his feet, he looked around and realized he was no longer where he had collapsed. Instead, he was resting under the shade of a nearby large tree.

"How strange. Did one of my fellow disciples have a sudden burst of kindness and carry me over here?" he wondered. This had never happened before. Frowning and scratching his head, Yangx Kai vaguely recalled a blurry figure moving before his eyes while he was semi-conscious. However, the memory was too hazy; no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t make it out clearly.

But between where he stood now and where he had passed out, there was a very obvious drag mark on the ground. The trail was clearly caused by the friction of a person being dragged across the dirt. Feeling his back, a fiery, searing pain suddenly flared up.

Yangx Kai froze for a second before flying into a rage. The tiny shred of gratitude he felt for this anonymous benefactor instantly vanished. This person must have dragged him all the way here! Otherwise, how else would the skin on his back be scraped bloody? "They should have just left me there to begin with!" he thought angrily.

Just as he was feeling frustrated, he suddenly noticed that his right hand seemed to be gripping something. Glancing down in confusion, he saw a finely crafted small porcelain bottle resting in his palm. He wondered what this could be. The porcelain bottle was definitely not his. Yangx Kai had no valuable possessions; besides his clothes and a broom for sweeping the floor, he had absolutely nothing. Where would he get something like this?

There was a label stuck to the small bottle with words written on it. Squinting at it, he muttered aloud, "Blood Coagulation and Bruise Removal Ointment!" He was well aware of what the Blood Coagulation and Bruise Removal Ointment was.

It was a healing salve for external injuries used in the Lingxiao Pavilion. While not some peerless miracle cure, it had a remarkable effect on wounds. Most ordinary disciples carried a bottle with them just in case of emergencies. Yet, even a simple bottle like this was sold at a hefty price in the Sect’s logistics department—ten Sect Contribution Points per bottle!

How many Contribution Points could Yangx Kai earn from sweeping the floors for a month? A measly ten points. In other words, the value of the ointment in his hand was equivalent to a whole month of his labor! He wondered who could have done this. At this moment, a fierce wave of gratitude washed over his heart, and the pain in his back abruptly lessened. He had been in the Lingxiao Pavilion for three years. In that time, he had grown accustomed to the fickle and heartless nature of the Sect’s disciples and the coldness of the world. Yet today, someone had actually left behind a bottle of Blood Coagulation and Bruise Removal Ointment after he was injured. This gesture touched him deeply.

It turned out that not all disciples in this Sect were cold and uncaring. Perhaps a bottle of healing salve meant nothing to that person, but to him, it was exactly what he needed the most right now. There was a saying: Even a drop of kindness given in need is never forgotten; should one rise to greatness, it will be repaid with a gushing spring!

Feeling deeply moved, Yangx Kai tried hard to recall that figure, but the memory only grew blurrier. Instead, a faint, lingering fragrance hovered around his nose, refusing to dissipate. "So this medicine is actually fragrant?" he remarked, his horizons broadened. Calming his emotions and straightening his clothes, he carefully tucked the bottle of Blood Coagulation and Bruise Removal Ointment into his robes. Picking up his broom, he went back to his sweeping duties.

He swept inside and out, keeping busy until around noon when his work for the day was finally finished. Dragging his exhausted and hungry body, he returned to his small cabin. The injuries he sustained from his morning fight were still untreated. Although ravenous, he had no choice but to endure the hunger and tend to his wounds first.

Taking off his Qing robes, Yangx Kai brought over a basin of clean water to wash himself. If anyone were beside him to see the state of his body, they would undoubtedly be shocked. His physique was incredibly weak and gaunt. The ribs on his abdomen were clearly visible, and it looked as though there was barely any flesh on his entire body. Yet, this malnourished frame was covered in bruises and scars; there was hardly a single patch of intact skin left. Challenged every five days, defeated every time, and knocked out every time. Before his old injuries could fade, new ones were already added. If it were anyone else, they probably wouldn’t have been able to endure such agony. But Yangx Kai endured it. Not only did he push through the pain, but he also went about his Cultivation and sweeping every day, completely unfazed by his wounds.

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PS: Why is Yangx Kai frequently spied on by her in secret? What is her purpose for peeping at him? Follow the WeChat Official Account "Mor Mo" and reply with the keyword "Peep" to see the beautiful and cute Senior Sister! The Official Account regularly updates with various beauties every day—welcome aboard!