Qingxuang returned to the branch family courtyard in less than an hour and the made his way to his room. Walking through the meandering pathways and lawns, he felt stares on him.
Maybe it was because of the blindfold, or maybe it was the black and white hair, but everyone he walked past stopped to stare for a moment wondering who the mysterious youth was and why he looked so familiar.
He walked past one youth who suddenly paused and turned around with squinted brows.
"Qingxuan?! It's you?" Qingxuan merely stopped in his tracks, recognizing the voice. He didn't even need to turn around, and he made out the moron's ugly features. Tall and lanky, with a face covered in acne and a giant mole on his nose. He was one of the youths who had beaten him up and left him unconscious in that forest.
"What's with the blindfold? Are you trying to hide from us? And the hair. Hahaha. You even had time to dye your hair! Senior brother Jiang Bo would be more than happy to see you. His mood has been sour since this morning.." The youth, Mu Rong grabbed his abdomen and laughed excitedly.
Meanwhile, Qingxuan stood there calmly, and he took a deep breath to calm himself.
Mu Rong then scoffed. "You're not going to turn around to face me? Are you that scared?" He reached out his hand to grab Qingxuan's shoulder.
Mu Rong was a 3rd Layer Body Tempered Realm cultivator. The cultivation realm began with the Body Tempering Realm from 1st layer to the 9th layer. From the first to the fourth realm, every advancement in level could grant the cultivator an increase of more than 300 Jin in raw bodily strength and punching power.
That was the equivalent of 150kg in the modern world terms.
After the 5th layer, the cultivator would experience a qualitative increase in strength, since the cultivator would now be able to siphon tendrils of Yuan Power for battle.
This would grant more than 3000 Jin of pure attack power for an individual in the 5th layer with an exponential increase relative to increasing realms. A 9th Body Tempered Realm cultivator could punch with up to 10,000 Jin of raw bodily strength.
Mu Rong being in the 3rd layer of Body Tempering could attack with up to 900 Jin of pure force which would've been considered superhuman on Earth.
Qingxuan on the other hand who had just stepped into the second layer of the Body Tempered Realm could only explode with up to 600 Jin of force, a whopping 300 Jin difference in strength.
But…
Reality did not always conform to certain laid out rules. From behind, Qingxuan could see everything as if he was wearing a magnifier. Mu Rong's body enlarged in his vision, his heartbeat, breathing rate, the contraction and relaxation of his muscles and even the pumping of blood within his veins.
Qingxuan could see it all. The world itself seemed to slow to a crawl in his eyes, and it wasn't because he was affecting reality or anything of that sort. His reaction speed and perception had been boosted so much that the world seemed to have entered slow motion.
Mu Rong felt as if the entirety of his being had been laid bare by Qingxuan and he felt trepidation of some sort and confusion, because first of all, Qingxuan was blind and secondly he was even looking at him.
His lips thinned into a wicked smile and his fingers curled like talons and pincers that reached towards Qingxuan's shoulder.
But right in that moment, Qingxuan stepped back, shifting his figure from Mu Rong's area of attack, as he watched him move slowly and then he attacked.
BANG!
A punch crashed into the boy's ribs, then another one to the nose, shattering bone and then Mu Rong was sent flying with a kick to the guts that sent him crashing into a wall.
"W-what?! You..!!" Mu Rong coughed out blood as an intense pain wracked his senses. Qingxuan had moved so fast he hadn't been able to react. Since when had this blind waste been able to cultivate? Since when?!
Qingxuan finally turned to face Mu Rong and then he walked to the boy and squatted in front of him.
"Sigh. All I wanted was to cultivate in peace, but I guess that's not an option anymore. Tell Mu Jiangbo I challenge him to a battle on the arena. Does he dare to accept?" Qingxuan chuckled at the dumbfounded expression on Mu Rong's face and chuckled lightly before he turned around and walked off.
As he made his way to his room, Qingxuan let out a deep breath and calmed himself. He had dreamt of a thousand ways in which that would've played out. As for why he had challenged Mu Jiangbo, Qingxuan wasn't stupid.
After disgracing Mu Rong in such a fashion, the others were sure to come after him. At least, by challenging Mu Jiangbo off the bat, he'd prevent such circumstances. The battle arena was the place where disputes between branch disciples were settled through combat.
And it was opened in the third week of every new month. Meaning, Qingxuan had at least a month to prepare for the battle. Mu Jiangbo had already reached the fourth layer of tempered body and was nearing the 5th as rumors said, but Qingxuan was confident in himself.
With the door already unlocked, he grabbed the handle about to enter his room when he turned his gaze to the left. Right then, a figure came rushing towards him with worry etched all over her face.
"Qingxuan!" She called out and then she embraced him, as a tear slid down her face.
"Aunt Lin?" Qingxuan's brows raised underneath the blindfold and then sighed, allowing her to embrace him.
She was his Aunt, the person who had taken care of him since he was born till now and the person he was closest to.
"Are you okay, Qingxuan? Talk to me!" Aunt Lik grabbed his face, wanting him to talk, but Qingxuan only smiled. "Never been better Aunt Lin.." He embraced her back.
"Oh you poor boy. You've always been this way. Always keeping things to yourself. You're just like your mother. Forgive your Aunt for being so useless to not give you a good life Qingxuan.." Tears slid down onto his robes.
Aunt Lin was Qingxuan's mother's older sister. Both of them were daughters of one
Family elder until Qingxuan's mother fell in love with his father and bore a child with him. After he mysteriously disappeared, Qingxuan's mother, accused of having diluted herself with an outsider's blood, was banished to the branch family, but Aunt Lin no matter what couldn't watch her only sister get separated from her and followed her to the branch family.
Qingxuan's mother contracted an illness several months after died right after giving birth to him. Aunt Lin had taken care of him ever since. Even when Qingxuan tried to recall his birth mother, the only face he could remember was Aunt Lin's.
Even while knowing of the constant bullying Qingxuan faced, Aunt Lin was powerless to do anything since she could not cultivate. She had even once gone to their father to beg him to accept Qingxuan but was mercilessly thrown out of the main family's compound.
"It's alright Aunt Lin, I'm fine" He assured her and led her inside.
"Are you sure you're alright child? Your hair, it's different. You feel different.." She patted him up still with worry.
"I just got lost while playing in the bushes, I'm fine.." He couldn't tell her everything. Some things were better kept to himself.
"Mu Qingxuan!! Drag your blind sorry butt out here for this young master!!"
Suddenly, a loud voice rang out from outside the courtyard, scaring even Aunt Lin. Qingxuan only sighed and clenched his teeth and the walked out.
"Wait, Qingxuan where are you going?! You're going to get hurt!" Aunt Lin tried to hold him back, but her patted her shoulder and walked out slowly.
There, he saw them. Mu Jiangbo, his lackeys and then he defeated Mu Rong.
Mu Jiangbo was a tall muscly youth, dressed in beast skin.
About 4 youths stood around him, while he stood in the center with his arms crossed and a large condescending smile on his face.
Qingxuan stood on the balcony of his room, looking down on them, Aunt Lin standing behind him with her fists tightly clenched.
"I heard you challenged me to a battle on the arena?" Mu Jiangbo scoffed, while the others behind him laughed arrogantly.
Qingxuan let out a breath. "I was wondering when you'd show up.." His gaze sharpened to everyone down there and for a moment there, they felt it. As if his gaze could penetrate to the very depths of their souls. It was awfully uncomfortable and it made them even forget to smile for a moment.
But Mu Jiangbo stepped forward. "You seem to have gained the ability to cultivate. Not bad. But you clearly have no idea the immensity of Heaven and Earth. You're a frog in a well, and on that stage, I'll put you down once and for all.." Mu Jiangbo's face turned serious, as he fought back Qingxuan's stare.
"I see.." Qingxuan's eyes opened for a split second underneath the blindfold and right in that moment, Mu Jiangbo felt a foreign pressure lock onto his figure for a moment.
But Qingxuan closed them instantly and turned around, grabbed Aunt Lin's hand and walked off.
"I'll see on that stage in three weeks." He left these words and walked off. The moment he turned around, Mu Jiangbo and his lackeys felt the pressure disappear instantly.
"Boss, he's too arrogant let's deal with him right now!" Mu Rong clenched his teeth in anger. Qingxuan had disgraced him.
"Enough. Let's go!" Mu Jiangbo spoke and walked off with an unknown glint in his eyes. Fighting in the courtyard was forbidden, otherwise.
A/N: Anyways, you guys feeling this year's Christmas or nah?