Chapter 54: Wuhu, Take Off!

Nan Xi’s heart softened in the end.

He didn’t put too much distance between himself and Xia Xia.

If she ran a few steps forward, she would find him waiting for her by the roadside, his Flying Sword parked and ready.

And sure enough,

he greeted her as if nothing had happened—

“Hey, little miss. Want a ride on my sword? I’ll charge you ten yuan, just for show.”

He really did look like some sleazy black-market cab driver.

“Yes!” Xia Xia didn’t hold back.

She jumped onto the sword and wrapped her arms tightly around Nan Xi’s waist. “Master, Master, if I give you twenty yuan, can I go twice?”

“You little rascal. You’ve got your own secret stash now.”

Nan Xi teased her, then grabbed her by the scruff of her collar and lifted her from behind him to in front, so she lay sprawled against his chest.

A Flying Sword wasn’t like a Heaven-Patrolling Flying Boat. It was still somewhat dangerous.

With Xia Xia in front, if she accidentally fell, he could still catch her.

Hehehe~

Xia Xia giggled foolishly and hugged Nan Xi’s chest with satisfaction.

For her, as long as Nan Xi was by her side, there was probably nothing left to be afraid of.

That’s right. As long as Nan Xi was still here!

A tipsy smile curled at the corners of her mouth as she pressed her cheek tightly against his chest.

“You silly girl. What are you giggling about now?”

Nan Xi flicked her forehead playfully.

But after being flicked so many times, Xia Xia had developed a thick skin. She lifted her face from his chest and grinned goofily.

“Master, take off! Take off!”

Nan Xi rolled his eyes, but his hands didn’t stop moving.

He formed a Sword Art, and under his control, the Flying Sword lifted off smoothly, speeding toward the Martial Arts Field.

The Flying Sword was incredibly fast.

Even though they had wasted time messing around, Nan Xi still overtook the main group and was the first to cross the entire Daye Village School and arrive at the Martial Arts Field.

He had his good memory to thank for that.

After all these years, the Martial Arts Field hadn’t moved. It was still beside the Rear Lake—the very same lake where Nan Xi had once grilled fish.

Judging by the noise coming from inside, the event there didn’t seem to be over yet.

Nan Xi quietly looked away and stayed at the entrance, waiting for the rest to arrive.

That wasn’t surprising.

After all, they had caused quite a scene back at the Lecture Hall, nearly tearing it down. It made perfect sense that the presentations there had ended early.

Another reason was that Nan Xi didn’t want to run into that girl named Huazhu just yet.

Whenever those two met, nothing good ever happened.

“Peak Master Nan Xi! I didn’t expect you to still be here!”

A surprised voice rang out nearby. Nan Xi turned and saw the Elder of Daye Village School who had guided them at the Lecture Hall earlier.

Now, he had finally led the main group across the entire school to the Martial Arts Field.

“We all saw you up in the air. I have to say, as expected of Peak Master Nan Xi, your Sword Kinesis skills are truly masterful. We can’t help but admire them.”

“Just a few simple tricks. Nothing worth mentioning.”

Nan Xi waved it off, not taking it to heart.

“Not at all, not at all. If our disciples could learn even a fraction of your techniques, they’d probably be able to hold their own in the martial world.”

The Elder was a professional flatterer, that was for sure.

Besides…

Judging by the exhausted, panting disciples behind him, their journey here hadn’t been easy.

Nan Xi could guess why he was laying it on so thick.

He sighed and said casually,

“Sword Kinesis isn’t some profound skill. Just pay attention to the flow of Spiritual Power and concentrate it on your Spirit Sword. Start with basic telekinetic control, then gradually move to low-altitude flight…”

“Oh, and if you haven’t reached the peak of Foundation Establishment or the Golden Core Stage, don’t try flying too high. Otherwise, you might run out of Spiritual Power and fall. That would be quite dangerous.”

His tone was calm, as if he were explaining something completely ordinary.

Then the Elder suddenly smacked the back of one disciple’s head.

“What are you standing around for? Take notes!”

“Oh! Right!”

The disciples were stunned for a moment, then nodded frantically and hurriedly pulled out paper and brushes to write down Nan Xi’s words.

The Elder looked at them with a mix of frustration and disappointment, then turned back to Nan Xi with an apologetic smile.

“Please forgive them.”

“No harm done.” Nan Xi shrugged and turned his gaze toward the tall Martial Arts Field. “By the way, Elder, do you know what format the event in the Martial Arts Field is taking?”

Even though the Lecture Hall event had ended early, given the time it took for the main group to walk here, the Martial Arts Field event should have been nearly over.

But from the lively noise inside, it seemed to be reaching its peak instead.

“Ahem…”

The Elder coughed awkwardly, then spoke with some embarrassment.

“To be honest, our original plan was for different sects to take the stage in the Martial Arts Field and demonstrate their unique martial arts and techniques. That way, everyone could learn about each other, and the disciples of Daye Village School could choose a sect that suited them.”

“Original plan?” Nan Xi caught the keyword. “What about now?”

“Well, it started off smoothly.” The Elder sighed helplessly. “But halfway through, the lead Elder from Sword-Seeking Villa suggested that continuing like this was a bit boring. He proposed that the disciples compete against each other instead, as a better way to show the true strength of their sects.”

He then leaned in closer and whispered so that only Nan Xi could hear.

“You know how those Sword-Seeking Villa folks are. They’re martial fanatics. Everywhere they go, their hands itch for a fight.”

Martial fanatics? That sounded a bit like one of the disciples Nan Xi had brought today.

Nan Xi’s mouth twitched.

But as the Elder said, while a competition format might better showcase a sect’s real power, it was unfair to those sects that excelled at things like alchemy or sword forging.

“We don’t have a choice.” The Elder made a bitter face. “I just received word myself that the Martial Arts Field event has been changed to a disciple tournament on short notice.”

“According to the new rules, each sect will send one disciple to compete against the others… However, under the newly made plan, your Tianhe Sect doesn’t have to fight in the earlier rounds. You’ve been fast-tracked to the later stage.”

“Fast-tracked!?” Nan Xi blinked. He hadn’t been too surprised when he first heard about the tournament.

He had thought it would be a good chance to give the disciples he brought some experience.

But if they were fast-tracked now… that only left…

He turned his head to look behind him.

Behind Nan Xi, there was only one person left.

“Huh?” Xia Xia tilted her head blankly, not understanding why her master was suddenly looking at her.

Was it because she was so cute?