Chapter 107 : Chapter 107

Chapter 107. When It Comes to Romance, You Have to Look to the Warrior of Pure Devotion

“Brother Yichen, we’re heading out. We’ll continue tomorrow.”

It was close to midnight. Tang Long and Chu Xingchen had finished a full day of training and were packing up to go home.

Jiang Yichen yawned and gave a slight nod. “You two really don’t have to push yourselves this hard. Sleep God is still there to cover for you.”

But Chu Xingchen shook his head without hesitation. “All the great heroes in wuxia novels are powerful and train like their lives depend on it. I can’t be any different.”

Uh...

As expected of a wuxia-obsessed dreamer.

Jiang Yichen stopped trying to persuade him. “All right then. Go back early and get some rest. Relax properly. Your mindset matters more than your strength.”

“Got it, Brother Yichen. We’re off.”

Tang Long waved, then left the base with Chu Xingchen.

“Boss, about this morning... I’m sorry. I didn’t think about it from your perspective.”

Lei Zhen and Sleep God walked over and apologized for bringing the Thunder Team and the Phoenix Team to offer their apology that morning.

Jiang Yichen shook his head slightly and smiled. “It’s fine. I’m very lenient with people who know how to be grateful.”

Lei Zhen and Sleep God both froze for a moment.

That sounded even more like a warning.

If they had acted like the Phoenix Team and the Thunder Team, they probably would have ended up the same way.

They could only be thankful that they had not chosen to leave back then.

Lei Zhen and Sleep God returned to their rooms at the base to sleep. Neither of them had anything that could truly be called a home.

Lei Zhen had served in the military for twenty years. His parents had died young, and he had neither wife nor children.

As for Sleep God, Jiang Yichen had practically picked him up from the street.

In a sense, this base was their home.

Jiang Yichen tidied up a little as well, then went to the training ground. There, he saw Su Linyu cultivating the Sacred Art of Radiant Flame beneath the moonlight, and he suddenly felt that this girl was working far too hard.

“Training’s over for today,” he reminded her.

“I’m still practicing—”

“But if that means the dinner I promised to treat you to doesn’t count anymore—”

“Brother Yichen, let’s go.”

Su Linyu changed her expression in an instant, her smile unbelievably sweet, as though this were the most wonderful thing in the world.

Jiang Yichen blinked and smiled, then took Su Linyu to the most luxurious restaurant in Central China.

After all, eating out really did feel different from eating at home.

Inside the lavish private dining room, Jiang Yichen actually found it rather plain.

The villa had simply been renovated too perfectly.

Well, it would do.

“Order whatever you like,” Jiang Yichen said.

Su Linyu bit her lower lip lightly and looked at the waiter. “Do you have a candlelight dinner setup?”

Jiang Yichen: ?

The waiter shook his head awkwardly. “Miss, you could try the new set menu our restaurant just launched. It’s quite good too.”

A trace of disappointment flashed through Su Linyu’s eyes, but she did not dwell on it. Instead, she took out two silver candlesticks from her Spatial Bag and set them on the dining table.

“Then bring us the set menu. I’ll handle the atmosphere myself.”

The waiter froze. It was his first time seeing a customer like this, but he could only nod and agree.

Su Linyu carefully adjusted the position of the candlesticks and then lit the candles. The flames danced in her eyes.

Jiang Yichen stared for quite a while before asking, “What are you doing?”

“Brother Yichen, doesn’t eating like this feel much more romantic? I knew you hadn’t prepared anything, so I got everything ready in advance.”

She clasped her hands together, her eyes filled with nothing but him.

Jiang Yichen was stunned, then could not help but laugh.

So romance could actually be provided by the girl too.

In his previous life, he had always been the one creating romantic moments for others. He had never imagined that one day, a girl would create them for him.

“It really is romantic.”

Jiang Yichen gazed at the candlelight, the corners of his lips lifting slightly.

Not long after, the dishes were served.

Su Linyu excitedly took pictures and posted them to her social feed.

Caption: Oh my god! Brother Yichen prepared a candlelight dinner for me. I’m so happy!

With his powerful spiritual perception, Jiang Yichen could only smile with a trace of shame.

When it came to romance, you really had to look to the warrior of pure devotion.

The candlelight flickered, illuminating the genuine smiles on both their faces.

...

Seven days remained until the finals. At the Zhou family residence—

“Jiang Dongnian, you wanted the league rules changed, and I helped you change them. But even now, your son’s Thunder Team still can’t beat the Spark Team.”

“And now you’ve come to ask me for help again. Are you doing this on purpose just to toy with me?”

Zhou Mingyuan gripped his teacup, his brows drawn tightly together, clearly displeased.

Every time it came to dealing with Jiang Yichen, everything on his side had been arranged just fine, yet Jiang Dongnian kept being the one to cause problems.

He was practically the worst possible teammate.

“Brother Zhou, calm down first. Don’t we still have the finals?” Jiang Dongnian quickly tried to soothe him.

Zhou Mingyuan let out a cold laugh. “At this rate, you’re still counting on the finals? What if you lose? We’ve been planning this for so long, and every single time, you drop the ball. What exactly have you been doing?”

Jiang Dongnian sighed. He understood Zhou Mingyuan’s reproach.

“You watched the Thunder Team’s match against the Spark Team too, didn’t you? Over the past three days, Feng’er and I have thoroughly analyzed the replay, and we’ve already found a way to defeat the Spark Team.”

A look of disdain appeared on Zhou Mingyuan’s face as he said coldly, “Then tell me. What brilliant idea do you have this time?”

Jiang Dongnian pondered for a moment before slowly saying, “I heard the Zhou family has a high-grade Earth-rank Cultivation Art called the Blood-Burning Secret Art. It can temporarily raise a martial artist’s strength and allow someone at the peak of the sixth realm to reach the seventh realm, Martial King.”

Zhou Mingyuan narrowed his eyes. “Why are you asking about that? The family head has already classified that cultivation art as a forbidden art.”

“The moment someone uses the Blood-Burning Secret Art, it inflicts tremendous damage on a martial artist’s potential. They will never break through to another realm again for the rest of their life.”

A smile appeared at the corners of Jiang Dongnian’s lips. “Since the Spark Team took advantage of a loophole in the competition rules and used a Ninth-rank Magical Artifact to win all the way into the semifinals, then we might as well exploit a loophole too.”

Zhou Mingyuan was still somewhat confused. “How?”

Jiang Dongnian explained, “The league rules state that a seventh-realm Martial King is not allowed to participate in the competition. But if we let the Yanhuang Team break through to the seventh realm, Martial King, during the match itself, then that wouldn’t violate the rules.”

Hm?

Zhou Mingyuan thought it over in silence and began to guess what Jiang Dongnian was planning.

“And for this to work, the Yanhuang Team must cultivate the Blood-Burning Secret Art. Just think about it, Brother Zhou. How easy would it be for a seventh-realm Martial King to crush two sixth-realm fighters and three fifth-realm fighters?”

Zhou Mingyuan’s eyes lit up slightly.

The gap between a fifth-realm Grandmaster and a sixth-realm Great Grandmaster was actually not that vast.

But once one reached the seventh realm, Martial King, their strength underwent a qualitative leap. It was absolutely not something the sixth realm could contend against.

If the Yanhuang Team could use the Blood-Burning Secret Art to reach the seventh realm during the match, then the Spark Team would have no chance of winning at all.

“It is a good idea,” Zhou Mingyuan said, voicing his doubt, “but you want every member of the Yanhuang Team to stake their martial path on cultivating the Blood-Burning Secret Art. Do you really think that’s possible?”

Jiang Dongnian smiled. “The Yanhuang Team is nothing more than a group of lowborn commoners. If I don’t tell them, how would they know it’s the Blood-Burning Secret Art?”

“The Yanhuang Team is just a tool for carrying out our plan. Why should we care about their martial future?”

Zhou Mingyuan tapped his fingers lightly against the tea table. After thinking it over for a while, he gave a faint nod.

“Fine. I can give you the Blood-Burning Secret Art. But let me make one thing clear—if you still lose this time, I will not let you off easily.”

After all, he had leverage over Jiang Dongnian.

Jiang Dongnian smiled. “Brother Zhou, rest assured this time. A seventh-realm Martial King completely crushes the sixth realm. There is no way the Spark Team can win.”

“Feng’er will definitely take the position of heir!”