"Wu Yang."
Zhao Luo screamed while his knees were still touching the ring platform.
In front of him, Wu Yang was standing as his purple robe was being colored red by his blood.
'Ba-dump.'
Zhao Luo could feel a sting in his heart as he saw the condition of Wu Yang.
'Cough.'
Wi Yang coughed as more blood came out of his mouth.
"Are you okay?"
Zhao Luo got up and rushed towards him as his condition looked more serious.
'Tap.'
But before Zhao Luo could reach Wu Yang, he stopped mid-way as Wu Yang had his palm facing Zhao Luo, gesturing him to not come any closer.
'ZzzzeeE.'
Wu Yang rubbed his face with the arm of his robe to wipe away the bloodstains around his mouth.
"I am okay."
"Come."
Wu Yang told Zhao Luo as he turned his palm towards himself and curled his fingers inward, actioning at Zhao Luo to come at him.
'Too stubborn.'
Zhao Luo shook his head as he advanced towards Wu Yang.
The fight continued but Zhao Luo wasn't giving his all.
'He isn't even able to fight at half of his strength.'
Zhao Luo realized as each of Wu Yang's strikes wasn't even worth blocking.
The earlier strength that he had shown had decreased devastatingly in just four clashes.
But that didn't mean Zhao Luo was in his best condition.
He was exhausted too but his exhaustion came from controlling his strength.
'Bang.'
'Dab.'
Wu Yang didn't even have enough strength to close his hand into a fist as his attack pattern only had palm strikes now.
Just a simple straight palm strike.
'Bang.'
Zhao Luo copied him and only used palm strikes as well.
Each collision of their palms ended in a draw.
Clap!
Clap!
Clap!
Every time their palms would meet a sound would emerge, which was like some giant was clapping.
After a while of clapping sounds going around in the training area.
The fight was close to ending as Wu Yang couldn't even control his weight and slipped many times.
Every time he would slip, Zhao Luo would catch him by his waist and then jump backward.
If someone else was spectating their fight they would have been disappointed.
The fight which started with a 'Bang' had turned into a hugging form of rumba dance.
But Wu Yang didn't give up till he had fallen unconscious and Zhao Luo had to catch him in his arms again.
"I won."
Zhao Luo mumbled as he looked at the blood marks that were still left around the mouth of Wu Yang.
"But instead of feeling happy, I feel sad."
He couldn't even smile when Wu Yang was in that shape.
Wu Yang was his first friend (male) that he had made after entering the sect.
Clap!
"Good."
"Amazing."
"Marvelous."
"The lover holds his loved one in his arms after beating the shit out of him."
"Fascinating."
Clap! Clap!
A sound entered Zhao Luo's ears. The taunt thrown by whoever spoke just now was so strong that Zhao Luo had unconsciously dropped Wu Yang.
His arms had gone numb as his lips trembled.
"I d-didn't beat the s-shit out of him. It wasn't me. He had challenged me. It was a CHALLENGE."
Zhao Luo started without making sense but then he got ahold of himself.
Just for a moment, for a few seconds, he had fallen in the voice's taunt.
"Hahaha."
A man jumped on the ring but there wasn't any sound of him landing except his laughing around.
"FACE ME."
Zhao Luo shouted as the laughing man had his back facing Zhao Luo and the unconscious Wu Yang.
The dark cloud covering the moon slowly moved on as the shine of the moon partially covered the man.
The man stopped laughing and started turning around but very slowly.
The man was now facing Zhao Luo, but he looked stunned as if the person in front of him had a shocking identity.
"That ugly hairstyle."
'Third elder, you.'
Zhao Luo had mixed his thoughts with what he was going to say.
Crack!!!
The square tile under the third elder's right foot broke and a crack went forward towards Zhao Luo.
The force from the elder's foot had passed under the tiles.
The tiles on the ring kept on popping out as the force of the elder continued towards Zhao Luo.
Boom!
Boom!
Boom!
Zhao Luo grabbed Wu Yang and dodged towards the right.
When he looked back the ring on his left side was missing all the tiles of the column where the third elder had kicked earlier.
'Moster.'
Zhao Luo thought as he turned his face to look at the elder.
In a matter of a few seconds, the moonshine had brightened the whole trainee hall.
"You have completed the fourth mission."
The third elder announced with a grumpy look.
"Why did you dodge all the tiles? You should have let at least a few hit you."
The third elder complained while walking towards Zhao Luo and Wu Yang.
Tap!
He took a step, just a single step to cover a distance of 15 feet.
Pop!
The third elder was standing next to Zhao Luo as he squatted down and took out a gourd and pulled the cork that was sealing it.
The third elder turned the gourd around and tapped it on his palm.
Only a single pill came out of it.
"A pill?"
Zhao Luo questioned as he saw the red pill that had come out of the gourd.
Steam was coming out of it as the elder hurriedly pushed it into Wu Yang's mouth.
"Just watch."
The third elder told Zhao Luo with a mysterious smile on his face.
'Nod', Zhao Luo who was holding Wu Yang looked at him.
'Hmm.'
Gulp!
Wu Yang made a sound while Zhao Luo could see the red shine of the pill even though it was going down Wu Yang's throat.
After the pill had settled in Wu Yang's stomach, he released a groan from his mouth.
"Ah."
"Let him go, fast."
The third elder warned Zhao Luo.
Zhao Luo didn't know why the third elder was telling him to let go of Wu Yang who was still unconscious.
"Ah."
Wu Yang let out a moan in pain again.
"Why should I let him go?"
Instead of letting Wu Yang go and removing his hands off him, Zhao Luo tightened his grip around Wu Yang's shoulder.
'ZZZZZZ.'
But soon a burning sensation started spreading over his hands and Zhao Luo had to let Wu Yang go.
"I have fed him a 3rd grade regeneration pill. Obviously, his body will be heating up so much that if you touch him with your hand now, you will just be burning it."
The third elder explained to Zhao Luo with an all-knowing look.
"3rd grade pill?"
"Obviously?"
Zhao Luo murmured as how could he know such things.
From the looks of Wu Yang's earlier injuries, he had broken half of his ribs and some of them may have even stabbed his other organs.
But now the complexion of his face which had gone dull before was returning.
"Miraculous."
Zhao Luo said in excitement.
"He did well. He saw the challenge till the end. He fought till he passed out. Good kid."
The third elder commented on Wu Yang who had started snoring now.
Wu Yang's injuries had healed and the pain had subsided but he was still not awake.
"Do you know what you have done?"
The third elder asked Zhao Luo with a curious look.
"I defeated him??"
"Hahahaha."
Zhao Luo replied with the only possible answer that he could come up with but he didn't know why the third elder had started laughing.
Let's go", the elder whose bald head shined brighter than ever under the full moon said to Zhao Luo as he grabbed Wu Yang and Zhao Luo.
'Tap.'
A step forward by the third elder took them from the training area to the hut zone.
The three were outside Wu Yang's hut.
"Put him down on the bed."
The third elder advised Zhao Luo as he passed Wu Yang to him.
Like a knight carrying his princess, Zhao Lio carried his sleeping friend and placed him on the bed before leaving the hut.
"Let's go."
The elder grabbed Zhao Luo's hand and took another step forward.
'Again.'
Zhao Luo screamed in his mind as the scenery changed around him and now he was standing inside..." a golden hall" Zhao Luo said as he looked around.
"I pay my respect to the Sect Leader."
The third elder after turning around went on his knees as he bowed to the person behind Zhao Luo.
An aura burst out from behind Zhao Luo while he was looking around the golden hall.
The moment the third elder's voice entered his ears and the aura of the person who was behind him covered him, sweat started flowing down his neck.
'The sect elder? Behind me?'
Zhao Luo was shocked.
'Why would the third elder bring me to meet the sect leader?'
Zhao Luo couldn't think straight as the aura that had enveloped him was overwhelming him in every way.
"This is the presence of a sect leader."
Zhao Luo mumbled while wondering about turning around to see him.
