My Martial Arts Level Never Drops

Chapter 452: Chapter 207: Heart’s Desire?

The crowd chattered excitedly, their emotions running high.

...Clearly, word of Qin Fang’s return to the Sect had already spread.

Qin Fang, who was still debating whether to intervene, was momentarily stunned when he saw his excited junior brothers and sisters.

...In their eyes, he could see undisguised trust and expectation.

Something stirred in Qin Fang’s heart.

His Master had told him to follow his heart.

’My own... heart?’

’But... is it really a matter of what I want?’

’Someone from another sect is stirring up trouble within our own, oppressing my fellow disciples.’

’As the First Hall True Inheritance...’

’I enjoy an extremely high status and its benefits.’

’...And I’m supposed to just follow my heart?’

A light flickered in Qin Fang’s eyes.

’...What heart am I supposed to be following?’

”Alright, alright. Your junior brother just got back, what’s the big rush? Break it up, everyone.”

Senior Sister Wen’s gentle voice pulled Qin Fang from his thoughts.

The Inner Sect Disciples calmed down a bit when they heard their senior sister speak.

Though they backed away slightly, they still watched Qin Fang with eager anticipation.

Qin Fang let out a soft breath. After nodding to Senior Sister Wen, he said, ”I’m aware of the situation. Our visitor is a guest, after all. Does anyone know where this Senior Brother Zhao is?”

”I do, Senior Brother! I know where he is!” An Inner Sect Disciple’s eyes lit up as he eagerly raised his hand.

”Alright. Then I’ll trouble you, Junior Brother, to inform him. In three days, Qin Fang of the Guiyuan Lineage will await him at the Inquiry Platform to witness the swordsmanship of this member of the Golden Rainbow Seven Sons.”

Qin Fang said with calm decisiveness.

The faces of all the Inner Sect Disciples instantly flushed red with excitement.

That disciple bellowed, ”By your command, Senior Brother!!”

He turned and bolted.

Many other Inner Sect Disciples quickly shouted, ”Senior Brother Zhang, wait for me! We’ll go with you!”

In a great rush, most of the Inner Sect Disciples took off, eager to deliver the challenge.

A faint smile touched Qin Fang’s lips as he watched the excited Inner Sect Disciples.

”Junior Brother, that was too impulsive. That Zhao Yuanling is already at the True Essence Third Realm, a whole realm above you. I’ve seen him wield his sword twice, and he is truly impressive. You...”

Senior Sister Wen’s somewhat exasperated voice came from behind him.

Qin Fang smiled and turned back to her. ”The worst that can happen is I lose. But even if I lose, I can’t lose face for the Sect. He came all the way to our Sect to issue a challenge... I can’t just pretend I didn’t see him, can I?”

Senior Sister Wen was taken aback for a moment. Then, her gaze toward Qin Fang softened even more.

”Oh, you...”

She shook her head with a sigh.

”Senior Sister, I brought back some more Bee Meat and honey.”

Qin Fang changed the subject, patting Xile on the back.

Wen Suxin’s eyes brightened slightly... It had to be said, even she was completely won over by the taste of the Bee Meat.

And that was to say nothing of the honey.

The Bee Meat was savory without being heavy—a true delicacy.

Even for someone like her, who rarely indulged her appetite, she found herself craving it after a while without.

While Qin Fang chatted with his senior sister and shared the food, the news of his intent to ”witness Zhao Yuanling’s swordsmanship” hit the Heavenly Gang Wuji Sect like a drop of water in a searing-hot wok, instantly causing an uproar.

”Have you heard? Senior Brother Qin accepted the challenge!”

”In three days, at the Inquiry Platform! Senior Brother Qin is going to fight Zhao Yuanling from the Golden Rainbow Sword Sect!”

”This is great! Someone’s finally stepping up!”

The pent-up frustration and indignation of the past several months finally found an outlet.

The Inner Sect Disciples rushed to spread the news, their faces alight with excitement.

They had been stifled for months. The challenger’s conditions were rigid: he explicitly stated he would only face disciples under the age of forty.

This prevented many of the Heavenly Gang Wuji Sect’s True Disciples from participating.

The few disciples who did meet the criteria... were all defeated.

It was infuriating!

...The moment he set that rule, the first person everyone thought of was, of course, Qin Fang.

After all, it was clear the challenger was looking to fight a genius.

And when it came to geniuses... within the entire Heavenly Gang Wuji Sect, was there anyone more renowned than Qin Fang?

Unfortunately, Qin Fang had left the Sect six months ago and hadn’t returned.

Zhao Yuanling racked up victory after victory, even making some outrageously arrogant remarks that nearly made everyone’s blood boil.

But they couldn’t defeat him... so what could they do?

All they could do was swallow their anger!

And now, Qin Fang had finally returned and immediately declared his intent to ”witness” the man’s skill. How could they not be ecstatic?

Every last one of them was as excited as if a great festival had arrived.

It was as if they could already see Qin Fang emerging victorious.

”But, to be fair... Senior Brother Qin is only... what, twenty-three this year? And that Zhao Yuanling... he’s genuinely strong, and at the True Essence Third Realm... Can Senior Brother Qin actually win?”

But amid the excited atmosphere, a few of the more level-headed Inner Sect Disciples raised just such a question.

This brought the hyped-up crowd to a stunned halt.

”That’s right... Senior Brother Qin has only been in the Sect for... three years, hasn’t he?”

”He was at the First Realm when he joined... In three years, he could have reached the Second Realm at most, right? Zhao Yuanling is so much older than Senior Brother Qin... Can he really win?”

”It should be fine, right? After all... Senior Brother Qin is a genius!”

”...But Zhao Yuanling is a genius in the Golden Rainbow Sword Sect, too.”

”...Has anyone here ever actually seen Senior Brother Qin fight?”

”Come to think of it... no.”

”Well...”

Once the initial rush of excitement faded and they calmed down, everyone started to worry.

Before, all they could think about was getting Qin Fang to take action.

They hadn’t really considered whether or not he could actually win.

”Bah! Stop jinxing it, all of you! How could Senior Brother Qin possibly lose to him? His time in the Sect may be short, but when it comes to pure Talent, who can possibly match him? It’ll be fine!”

”Exactly! Stop singing his praises and putting us down! I believe Senior Brother Qin will beat that Zhao Yuanling so badly he’ll be looking for his teeth on the ground!”

”That’s right! Senior Brother Qin will definitely win!”