"Uh... Yan, you give me too much credit."

Chu Lingguang said, his expression awkward.

"Mr. Du, you were asked to place in the top ten of the Provincial Examination to repay your time in the Trial Ground. Chu Lingguang, given your current strength, I’d say even if you don’t make the top ten, you’ll come very close. I eagerly await the chance to face you in the Martial Arts Examination."

Yan Zhen said, his voice ringing with conviction.

"That’s... Yan, I’m no match for you. If it weren’t for you, I would’ve been killed by the Little Prince."

Chu Lingguang said, scratching his head.

His words were heartfelt. He had always known Yan Zhen was strong, but he never imagined *how* strong. Even the Little Prince couldn’t gain an advantage against him and ended up with a broken arm.

"You aren’t now, but that might not be the case in the future."

Yan Zhen’s tone was profound. Chu Lingguang’s strength had been soaring. Ever since he left the academy, he had been keeping an eye on him. He had considered him a rival for a long time.

He yearned for a breakthrough and for an opponent who could match him. The Little Prince alone was not enough.

So he turned to Chu Lingguang and said with the utmost seriousness, "I hope we can have a real, no-holds-barred fight in the Martial Arts Examination. I’ll be clear with you: I have waited four years for this. My goal is to win the title of Jie Yuan, to bring glory to the Yan Family and to make my master proud!"

"Chu Lingguang, I may have saved your life, but I expect nothing in return. If you avoid me in the Martial Arts Examination, or worse, concede the title of Jie Yuan to me because of what I did, it would be the greatest possible insult to me. My master would find no honor in such a victory, and I would even come to regret saving you."

"This..."

Chu Lingguang’s expression froze.

"Chu Lingguang, I know you are a man of loyalty and gratitude. If you truly wish to repay my kindness, then you must promise me this: give it your all and meet me in the final round of the Martial Arts Examination. I want to fight you, a true battle, for the title of Jie Yuan!"

Yan Zhen’s eyes blazed with fighting spirit, and his every word was resolute.

Everyone was stirred by his passion. They wished they could take Chu Lingguang’s place and battle it out with Yan Zhen in the Martial Arts Examination.

Chu Lingguang’s heart pounded in his chest. A true man couldn’t live his life forever in another’s shadow. Yan Zhen was forthright and honorable, a prodigy of the highest order. To face him in the Martial Arts Examination, win or lose, would be the honor of a lifetime.

Besides, Yan Zhen so desperately wanted him to be there. If this was the best way to repay the debt, then he would do it without a second thought, holding nothing back.

His gaze shifted to Guo Wei and saw him smiling, his eyes filled with anticipation. Clearly, he too was captivated by Yan Zhen’s magnanimous and heroic spirit.

So, Chu Lingguang clasped his fists in a salute and made a solemn vow. "Yan, I can’t guarantee that I can make it to the end. But from this day on, I will train relentlessly, putting everything I have into improving my cultivation so that I might face you in the Martial Arts Examination. If I have the honor of competing against you, I swear I will hold nothing back and use every move in my arsenal to defeat you!"

"Excellent! Remember your words. I’ll see you there."

Yan Zhen was overjoyed. His greatest fear had been that the life debt would make Chu Lingguang hold back against him.

"Yes, I’ll see you there!"

Chu Lingguang nodded firmly. Their pact today, made in the presence of Guo Wei, Wei Tu, and the others, was sincere and heartfelt—a promise for all to witness.

Chu Lingguang now had a new goal. He had to make it to the final round of the Martial Arts Examination, no matter the cost, to honor his promise to Yan Zhen.

The onlookers’ hearts swelled with emotion as they watched Yan Zhen and Chu Lingguang with immense envy. On the path of Martial Arts, the greatest fear is having no rival to push you forward.

Better yet, neither Yan Zhen nor Chu Lingguang was blinded by fame or profit. They sought only to defeat their opponent and surpass themselves!

Guo Wei was full of praise as well.

Of the three brothers of the Yan Family, aside from Yan Yusheng, who was lost to a life of debauchery, both Yan Zhen and Yan Chengdu were men of outstanding character. Yan Zhen, especially, was ambitious and honorable. He was destined for greatness.

Chu Lingguang was fortunate to have met someone like him. Regardless of who won or lost the Martial Arts Examination, simply making it to Yan Zhen’s side would be a victory in its own right.

Guo Wei felt truly fortunate that Chu Lingguang had encountered Yan Zhen. In his mind, whether Chu Lingguang won the title of Jie Yuan was unimportant. The most important thing was for him to reach Yan Zhen.

Master and disciple were in perfect agreement, engraving Yan Zhen’s act of kindness in their hearts.

Afterward, Yan Zhen told everyone about his two-day, two-night battle with the Little Prince Andenuk in the Hundred Thousand Mountains.

From Yan Zhen’s description and powerful aura, everyone could sense the battle’s overwhelming, earth-shattering intensity. They clapped and cheered at all the most thrilling moments of the tale.

Upon hearing how the Little Prince’s fingers could effortlessly pierce Yan Zhen’s Qi Phase Scale Armor, shatter his Divine Image Small Vortex, and even break through his Qi Sea Gang Shield, everyone was on the edge of their seats for Yan Zhen. They were simultaneously shocked and intimidated by the prince’s power.

When they heard how Yan Zhen had broken through the Little Prince’s defenses and broken his arm—all while taking two direct hits himself—the crowd gasped in amazement.

When they learned that both fighters had exhausted their Qi Sea Power and were forced to retreat because of the Demon Beasts roaming the Hundred Thousand Mountains, everyone felt the story had ended too soon.

They couldn’t help but think that if Yan Zhen’s Qi Sea Power had been just a bit greater, he might have been able to defeat the Little Prince by continuing the fight.

Finally, upon learning that the two had agreed to face each other again in the same spot one month later, everyone was filled with anticipation. They all hoped Yan Zhen would make a huge breakthrough in the coming month, increasing his strength enough to defeat the Little Prince in their next encounter.

Everyone both admired and respected a man like Yan Zhen. Even Chu Lingguang and Hei Hu’s eyes were shining with excitement, eager for the day they could witness Yan Zhen display his might and tear the Turkic Prince limb from limb.