Back then at the lakeside, Wei Xu did indeed ask Xie Nandu, but Xie Nandu's answer was straightforward: for Wei Xu not to do anything.
Not do anything, what did that mean?
It was actually quite simple.
Wei Xu said, "I don't think Junior Sister is right. But clearly, if I'm really wrong, it seems that you can only accept it."
Accepting Wei Xu's choice or accepting Xie Nandu's choice, these were different matters. That was why Wei Xu said that only when Xie Nandu made a decision, could it work.
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Chen Chao pondered for a moment and said, "She is right."
Yes, at that time, even if Wei Xu had made that choice, Chen Chao would not say anything, but he would probably feel a sense of discontent deep in his heart.
Even though he had already crushed the bamboo token back then.
Wei Xu looked at the young man before him and said, "At that time, I didn't do anything. Now, I won't do anything either. However, there are some things I need to tell you, for you to make a choice."
Chen Chao shook his head and said, "I don't want to hear it."
His words caught Wei Xu by surprise. Wei Xu looked at Chen Chao and asked, "Why?"
Chen Chao replied calmly, "Mr. Wei wants to talk about the bigger picture, the implications, and what my situation would be like if I kill Song Changxi, right?"
Wei Xu nodded and said, "Of course, if you kill him, the consequences will be severe. He no longer has the strength to battle. Why do you have to go this far?"
"He wanted to kill me earlier. Will this reason suffice?"
Chen Chao stared fixedly at Wei Xu, his eyes filled with complex emotions. "When I killed demons in the mountains, if a demon wanted to kill me, I would kill it first."
The logic was simple, but it would not work in the Divine Capital or the foreign lands.
"I understand this logic, but it doesn't work well here."
Wei Xu looked at the surface of the lake and said softly, "I tried reasoning with them before, but they didn't want to listen to me."
Wei Xu smiled and said, "But when I reason with you, you can only listen. Do you know what kind of logic this is?"
Chen Chao replied, "It's just the size of the fist."
Wei Xu nodded and said, "No one is born with an extremely large fist. If you want to grow little by little, you have to give yourself time. Don't underestimate the power of time, this word holds great magic."
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Chen Chao asked, "If I kill him, would I no longer be fated with time?"
Wei Xu nodded, "You can't stay in the Divine Capital forever."
"What if I cultivate to the level where they can't kill me and then leave the Divine Capital?"
Chen Chao looked at Wei Xu. He could really do something like that, if he really had to face such a situation.
Wei Xu shook his head and did not say anything.
Such debates were meaningless because no one had the real answer.
It was not meaningful for Chen Chao, and it was not meaningful for Wei Xu either.
After thinking for a moment, Chen Chao sheathed his saber, approached the lakeside, and stood next to Wei Xu. He said, "I can choose not to kill him today."
Wei Xu smiled when he heard this.
Chen Chao looked at Wei Xu and said, "Maybe if I don't kill him today, his entire sect will be cut apart by me with a single slash in the future."
Hearing this, Wei Xu thought of something.
He did not speak.
He just vanished from the lakeside.
The lake returned to normal.
Song Changxi fell heavily into the lake water, and quickly stood up, but blood was flowing from his glabella.
He looked up at Chen Chao, feeling somewhat dazed.
He was unaware that Wei Xu had come. At this moment, all he knew was that he had almost died at Chen Chao's hands. But for some unknown reason, that young man ultimately stopped.
"Why?"
Driven by great curiosity and confusion, he asked this question. He did not realize that he and Chen Chao were still on opposing sides at this moment..
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Chen Chao looked at him and said, "Someone protected your life."
Song Changxi fell silent for a moment, but still accepted this answer.
"I'll kill you someday."
Song Changxi shook his head, then reached out to touch the bamboo token at his waist, only to find it empty.
Chen Chao looked at him and said, "You, a Bitter Sea Realm, lost to me, a Divine Trove Realm. It's already something extremely humiliating in the first place. Did you really think that since I defeated you today, I'd lose to you in the future?"
Song Changxi shook his head and said, "The path of Dao is long, no one can predict what will happen in the future."
Chen Chao shook his head and said, "I know that one day, you'll die by my saber. If, before that day, you make your sect come to find trouble with me, then your entire sect will be cut apart by my saber."
Song Changxi spoke solemnly, "I won't let the people behind me come to find trouble with you. I want to engage in a fair and honorable fight with you on the path of Dao."
Chen Chao sneered and shook his head, "If it was fair and honorable, you'd already be dead now."
Song Changxi was very silent when he heard this, unsure of what to say.
Chen Chao could not be bothered to care about him anymore. He just reached out and crushed that bamboo token.
In the end, fate would only be interesting when held in one's own hands.
Song Changxi could not utter a word and vanished into a wisp of smoke by the lakeside.
……
……
At another lakeside, Song Changxi slowly appeared.
Upon seeing this daoist genius appear by the lakeside, someone exclaimed, "Senior Brother Song..."
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Then, the lakeside fell silent, and no one spoke again.
Everyone knew what this meant when they saw Song Changxi come out.
He was the person with the highest cultivation realm in the martial exam. If he had been eliminated at this moment, then it meant that Chen Chao's position in first place was further solidified.
Soon, someone noticed that Song Changxi's daoist robe had been torn open. The tear looked rather glaring.
Before anyone could ask about it, something flashed by the lakeside.
Then a figure appeared there.
Casually glancing over, everyone discovered that it was Liang Zhao.
He looked disheveled and appeared to be in a bad state.
Seeing him, the people fell silent once again.
In this martial exam, Song Changxi was naturally the most hopeful candidate for the top spot, followed by Liang Zhao.
Now that both of them had been eliminated, it meant that no one could threaten Chen Chao's position as the champion anymore.
It was almost certain that he would become the champion of the martial exam.
People really did not want to accept this result, but they realized that there was nothing more to say. Suddenly, everyone became strangely quiet.
Song Changxi looked at Liang Zhao in front of him and asked, "Was that demon difficult to kill?"
Liang Zhao nodded and said, "Indeed quite difficult to kill. I almost lost my life there. As a matter of fact, it's quite embarrassing."
Seeing how Song Changxi looked, Liang Zhao also asked with some puzzlement, "You couldn't beat that young man?"
Upon hearing these words, the others by the lakeside were stunned.
Who was this young man they were talking about?
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It was actually pretty clear.
Previously, seeing Song Changxi's current state, they had other thoughts, thinking that this Senior Brother Song might have faced some other problems. But now, with Liang Zhao's words, they understood. So, it turned out that Song Changxi had lost to that young martial artist.
This answer was the one they were least willing to accept.
Because... if Chen Chao became the champion, they could no longer attribute it to luck or anything else. He had defeated Song Changxi to claim the top spot, and that carried deep significance.
"Senior Brother Song, were you ambushed by that young martial artist?"
A cultivator looked at Song Changxi with a hopeful expression. His expression was rather ugly, but there was still a glimmer of anticipation in his eyes. He really wanted to know the answer.
Song Changxi shook his head and said, "It was a fair and square battle. I'm weaker than him."
This statement dropped like a thunderbolt, causing the cultivator's expression to turn ugly on the spot.
He looked at Song Changxi and murmured, "How is that possible?!"
Song Changxi also looked at him and said, "I'm sorry."
Back then at the lakeside, Wei Xu did indeed ask Xie Nandu, but Xie Nandu's answer was straightforward: for Wei Xu not to do anything.
Not do anything, what did that mean?
It was actually quite simple.
Wei Xu said, "I don't think Junior Sister is right. But clearly, if I'm really wrong, it seems that you can only accept it."
Accepting Wei Xu's choice or accepting Xie Nandu's choice, these were different matters. That was why Wei Xu said that only when Xie Nandu made a decision, could it work.
Ad
Chen Chao pondered for a moment and said, "She is right."
Yes, at that time, even if Wei Xu had made that choice, Chen Chao would not say anything, but he would probably feel a sense of discontent deep in his heart.
Even though he had already crushed the bamboo token back then.
Wei Xu looked at the young man before him and said, "At that time, I didn't do anything. Now, I won't do anything either. However, there are some things I need to tell you, for you to make a choice."
Chen Chao shook his head and said, "I don't want to hear it."
His words caught Wei Xu by surprise. Wei Xu looked at Chen Chao and asked, "Why?"
Chen Chao replied calmly, "Mr. Wei wants to talk about the bigger picture, the implications, and what my situation would be like if I kill Song Changxi, right?"
Wei Xu nodded and said, "Of course, if you kill him, the consequences will be severe. He no longer has the strength to battle. Why do you have to go this far?"
"He wanted to kill me earlier. Will this reason suffice?"
Chen Chao stared fixedly at Wei Xu, his eyes filled with complex emotions. "When I killed demons in the mountains, if a demon wanted to kill me, I would kill it first."
The logic was simple, but it would not work in the Divine Capital or the foreign lands.
"I understand this logic, but it doesn't work well here."
Wei Xu looked at the surface of the lake and said softly, "I tried reasoning with them before, but they didn't want to listen to me."
Wei Xu smiled and said, "But when I reason with you, you can only listen. Do you know what kind of logic this is?"
Chen Chao replied, "It's just the size of the fist."
Wei Xu nodded and said, "No one is born with an extremely large fist. If you want to grow little by little, you have to give yourself time. Don't underestimate the power of time, this word holds great magic."
Ad
Chen Chao asked, "If I kill him, would I no longer be fated with time?"
Wei Xu nodded, "You can't stay in the Divine Capital forever."
"What if I cultivate to the level where they can't kill me and then leave the Divine Capital?"
Chen Chao looked at Wei Xu. He could really do something like that, if he really had to face such a situation.
Wei Xu shook his head and did not say anything.
Such debates were meaningless because no one had the real answer.
It was not meaningful for Chen Chao, and it was not meaningful for Wei Xu either.
After thinking for a moment, Chen Chao sheathed his saber, approached the lakeside, and stood next to Wei Xu. He said, "I can choose not to kill him today."
Wei Xu smiled when he heard this.
Chen Chao looked at Wei Xu and said, "Maybe if I don't kill him today, his entire sect will be cut apart by me with a single slash in the future."
Hearing this, Wei Xu thought of something.
He did not speak.
He just vanished from the lakeside.
The lake returned to normal.
Song Changxi fell heavily into the lake water, and quickly stood up, but blood was flowing from his glabella.
He looked up at Chen Chao, feeling somewhat dazed.
He was unaware that Wei Xu had come. At this moment, all he knew was that he had almost died at Chen Chao's hands. But for some unknown reason, that young man ultimately stopped.
"Why?"
Driven by great curiosity and confusion, he asked this question. He did not realize that he and Chen Chao were still on opposing sides at this moment..
Ad
Chen Chao looked at him and said, "Someone protected your life."
Song Changxi fell silent for a moment, but still accepted this answer.
"I'll kill you someday."
Song Changxi shook his head, then reached out to touch the bamboo token at his waist, only to find it empty.
Chen Chao looked at him and said, "You, a Bitter Sea Realm, lost to me, a Divine Trove Realm. It's already something extremely humiliating in the first place. Did you really think that since I defeated you today, I'd lose to you in the future?"
Song Changxi shook his head and said, "The path of Dao is long, no one can predict what will happen in the future."
Chen Chao shook his head and said, "I know that one day, you'll die by my saber. If, before that day, you make your sect come to find trouble with me, then your entire sect will be cut apart by my saber."
Song Changxi spoke solemnly, "I won't let the people behind me come to find trouble with you. I want to engage in a fair and honorable fight with you on the path of Dao."
Chen Chao sneered and shook his head, "If it was fair and honorable, you'd already be dead now."
Song Changxi was very silent when he heard this, unsure of what to say.
Chen Chao could not be bothered to care about him anymore. He just reached out and crushed that bamboo token.
In the end, fate would only be interesting when held in one's own hands.
Song Changxi could not utter a word and vanished into a wisp of smoke by the lakeside.
……
……
At another lakeside, Song Changxi slowly appeared.
Upon seeing this daoist genius appear by the lakeside, someone exclaimed, "Senior Brother Song..."
Ad
Then, the lakeside fell silent, and no one spoke again.
Everyone knew what this meant when they saw Song Changxi come out.
He was the person with the highest cultivation realm in the martial exam. If he had been eliminated at this moment, then it meant that Chen Chao's position in first place was further solidified.
Soon, someone noticed that Song Changxi's daoist robe had been torn open. The tear looked rather glaring.
Before anyone could ask about it, something flashed by the lakeside.
Then a figure appeared there.
Casually glancing over, everyone discovered that it was Liang Zhao.
He looked disheveled and appeared to be in a bad state.
Seeing him, the people fell silent once again.
In this martial exam, Song Changxi was naturally the most hopeful candidate for the top spot, followed by Liang Zhao.
Now that both of them had been eliminated, it meant that no one could threaten Chen Chao's position as the champion anymore.
It was almost certain that he would become the champion of the martial exam.
People really did not want to accept this result, but they realized that there was nothing more to say. Suddenly, everyone became strangely quiet.
Song Changxi looked at Liang Zhao in front of him and asked, "Was that demon difficult to kill?"
Liang Zhao nodded and said, "Indeed quite difficult to kill. I almost lost my life there. As a matter of fact, it's quite embarrassing."
Seeing how Song Changxi looked, Liang Zhao also asked with some puzzlement, "You couldn't beat that young man?"
Upon hearing these words, the others by the lakeside were stunned.
Who was this young man they were talking about?
Ad
It was actually pretty clear.
Previously, seeing Song Changxi's current state, they had other thoughts, thinking that this Senior Brother Song might have faced some other problems. But now, with Liang Zhao's words, they understood. So, it turned out that Song Changxi had lost to that young martial artist.
This answer was the one they were least willing to accept.
Because... if Chen Chao became the champion, they could no longer attribute it to luck or anything else. He had defeated Song Changxi to claim the top spot, and that carried deep significance.
"Senior Brother Song, were you ambushed by that young martial artist?"
A cultivator looked at Song Changxi with a hopeful expression. His expression was rather ugly, but there was still a glimmer of anticipation in his eyes. He really wanted to know the answer.
Song Changxi shook his head and said, "It was a fair and square battle. I'm weaker than him."
This statement dropped like a thunderbolt, causing the cultivator's expression to turn ugly on the spot.
He looked at Song Changxi and murmured, "How is that possible?!"
Song Changxi also looked at him and said, "I'm sorry."
