The Deterrence of the Undefeated

It rained for three days before stopping.

The sun rose high into the sky, tearing away the rain curtain, seemingly like it was unveiling summer itself.

The breath of summer had faintly started to come around.

The weather became increasingly hot and humid, sweeping away the sentimental breath of spring, and the temperatures slowly rose.

In the night of spring, the lively Kriketot crickets had retreated, cowering away into the deep ground to lay eggs. The green sword bamboo specially found on Bao Mao Mountain had started to grow wildly, and nearly everyday it would show an obvious increase in height.

The grass and the trees began to change from emerald green into a dark green colour. The neverending green mountains started to look even more verdant and lush.

The weather was clear for thousands of miles, blue like a crystal.

Bang, bang, bang.

At the training grounds in the academy, sounds of punches and kicks could be heard.

After exchanging over ten blows, Mu Mo Chen was kicked right in the chest by Di Lan, taking five to six steps backwards, leaving the designated circle drawn in the arena.

The martial arts instructor stood before the stage and evaluated the situation. Seeing this, he immediately declared, "Mu Mo Chen has exited the stage, Mu Di Lan wins for the 31st consecutive time!"

"Hmph, I lost to you again." Mu Mo Chen gritted his teeth, his eyes staring right at Di Lan, "But don't be arrogant. One day, I will defeat you. I can already feel it, that day is nearing!"

Di Lan looked at him with nonchalant smile, and then his expression became concerned. "That kick earlier caused you to have internal bleeding. I'd advise you to treat that injury first."

"This small injury is nothing!" Mu Mo Chen was retorting halfway, when suddenly his expression changed and his throat gulped, vomiting a mouthful of blood.

His face was pale, this was the first time he suffered this level of injury! His eyes could not help but show signs of fear.

The martial arts instructor hurried over and pacified him. "Don't worry about this level of injury, you just need to rest for a few days. Just stop practising your punches and do not do vigorous exercises during this period."

The moment he finished saying so, two healing Spirit Masters who were waiting outside rushed over and meticulously helped Mu Mo Chen out.

Mo Chen did not dare to say anything else, but he looked at Di Lan deeply in his eyes, filled with anger, hatred, regret and indignance.

"Mo Chen has good martial techniques, but he couldn't beat Di Lan."

"Di Lan is too good, basically no one can beat him!"

"Mo Chen actually vomited blood, how scary. I don't want to fight a guy like this."

"Sigh, but the instructor said today is practice combat, up on the arena! Each of us needs to go up and fight once."

The students stood outside the arena, some looking towards Di Lan in fear, some sighing non-stop, some were pale while others felt trepidation.

Among them, some were injured. A few held their bruised faces, some held their limbs, gasping for breath. Others laid on the ground, rubbing their thigh.

"Next!" Seeing that there were no challengers coming up, the instructor yelled.

However, no one answered. Usually those who were courageous to challenge Di Lan were only Mu Mo Chen, Mu Shi Cheng and Mu Di Lang. But these three were already beaten.

Silence swept across the students as others even retracted their steps slightly. The instructor frowned on seeing their fearful expression.

He could not help but think of the academy elder's words: "These days, Di Lan has gotten too dominant, we have to suppress him. The other students cannot even raise their heads under his pressure, and if this goes on, the courage in their hearts will be simmered. Our academy nurtures courageous tigers and wolves to fight enemies, not fearful sheeps and lambs."

"What's wrong with all of you? No matter how strong he is, Di Lan is only fifteen years old, he's one of your peers! He has the same age as you, eats the same food as you and drinks the same water. He does not have three heads or six arms, he's not a monster! Pluck up your courage and show me the pride of the Mu clan within you!" The instructor yelled, trying his best to motivate the students.

"But he is too strong, we cannot beat him."

"The classmates who fought him are in such a pitiful state. Mo Chen got beaten until he vomited blood."

"Di Lan is getting more ruthless with his strikes, instructor, we do not dare to fight him."

The students spoke softly, weakly retorting.

The instructor was stomping with anger. These ignorant youngsters!

He was clear as a bystander. Di Lan had gone through thirty-three consecutive fights without any rest in the middle. Although he was constantly adjusting his breathing, his stamina had already depleted.

Di Lan's attacks getting merciless proves this fact even further: He could no longer take it easy like before, he is losing control of his strength and the situation.

If someone tries harder, his fatigue will be revealed. With just a few more people, he could be defeated on the stage!

Once Di Lan is beaten, his dominating presence will be reduced sharply, the students courage ignited and the motive to suppress Di Lan achieved.

But now, the students were deterred by Di Lan's tough front.

At times, what defeats a person is not a strong enemy but one's own heart.

The instructor was anxious in his thoughts, and continued to motivate them.

But he was not good with his words. In the beginning he said these same words to ignite the hot-bloodedness in the youngsters and stirred up some challengers. But now that he had said this so many times, the youngsters are all numb already.

Di Lan folded his arms and stared at this with interest. Although he was standing in the center of the stage, he was acting like a complete bystander.

The instructor encouraged for ages but the students were still looking at each others, not one had moved.

The battle instructor could not help but be angry and helpless. He turned to Di Lan, unhappily chiding, "Di Lan, you're also at fault. Your blows are getting more vicious among classmates, you should be more gentle and friendly, how can you deal such vicious blows? Be careful from now on and attack carefully. If you cause another classmate to vomit blood, I will declare your loss and evict you from the stage!"

"Instructor, you are wrong."

Di Lan sigh, his gaze not showing any weakness, looking right at the instructor, "Practising and fighting, we naturally have to give it our all, otherwise how can it achieve the aim of training? Don't tell me that when we are in battle, we also have to request our enemies to be more gentle and friendly?"

The instructor flew into a rage, "Hmph, your attacks are vicious, you are harming your classmates and you dare to use twisted logic!"

"Instructor, you're wrong again."

Di Lan softly chuckled, "You arranged this practice match and raised the winning prize to twenty primeval stones. Without your encouragement, would these people have gotten hurt?"

"Bastard!" The martial arts instructor was not good with words, and he pointed at Di Lan and scowled, "Do you still want the prize or not? If you argue any further, even if you get first place, I will declare you a loser! You are so uncooperative and antisocial, and you dare to argue with your teachers, you have no rights to claim the twenty spirit stones as reward!"

Di Lan laughed heartily. "Fine, fine. I'll be more lenient from now on."

The battle instructor stood on the spot, he was caught off guard with Di Lan's action, unsure of what to do for a moment.

The instructor suddenly realized: There was nothing he could do to Di Lan. With his status, he could not find problems with Di Lan directly, the kid knows how to step back without leaving a way of being taken advantage.

Di Lan stood on the battle grounds, with no one around him. With him as the center, the radius of the stage around him became a vacuum, the surrounding students retreated, maintaining a distance away.

This kind of pressure reflected in Di Lan's attacks. His attacks got tougher as he gradually lost control of his strength. Compared to the past, when they were still too weak and he could defeat them easily, the youngsters would only end up in minor injuries. But now, his control over the arena was getting weaker, thus he had to strike harder to maintain his image.

After a long period, Di Lan's unbeatable image have formed. This would leave some psychological trauma in the youngsters and make them unconfident in their martial arts techniques. This was what the academy elder did not want to see. He needed Di Lan to motivate and force the students to improve, not to completely extinguish their passion for battle.

He wanted to see Di Lan's defeat.

Once Di Lan was defeated, the image of invincibility that he had erected would be instantly destroyed.

At the same time, it would awaken the students' fighting spirit. After some setbacks, it would mould their wills to be indomitable.

Di Lan narrowed his eyes. In actuality he had long seen through the martial instructor's thoughts. He was not surprised, as if he had expected this from the start, the academy elder's pressure on him.

But to Di Lan, he needed this form of pressure so that he could extort primeval stones with greater ease.

If he was defeated, the youngsters would realize his weakness and attack together at once. Although Di Lan had ample of primeval stones in his hands, extortion was his main source of income. Without this source, he would be digging into his reserves.

Thus, Di Lan's appearance in the arena and thirty-three consecutive victories was merely to maintain his deterrence towards the students, and not just for the twenty spirit stones reward.

If he avoided combat from the start, it would show his weakness, and if it raged on, he would expose his weakness.

"What are you all waiting for, why is nobody getting up on the stage, go on! The first prize is twenty primeval stones, you all don't want it anymore?" The instructor yelled after snapping out of his thoughts.

The rest of the students still remained quiet.

"Sigh, if I had known this, I would have waited and not rushed up the stage. Then I would not have been throw off the stage mercilessly by Di Lan."

"But still, who would want his ass just to get kicked?"

"He's really daring, see even the instructor is at a lost for what to do with him."

Hearing their whispers, the instructor felt his reputation crumbling. He was extremely agitated in his heart and wanted to punish Di Lan thoroughly. However, Di Lan had done nothing wrong, and even compromised.

The instructor was both helpless and moody. Finally, he looked at Di Lan and stared angrily at the latter.

Di Lan's lips slightly curled up into an angle as he thought, "Such boorish methods, this instructor is a little cute."