Volume One: The Path Begins Chapter 121: Confrontation with Yun Tianhan

As Lei Fan finished speaking, the students, already connected by the light emanating from their jade slips, witnessed another marvelous sight.

Lei Fan formed hand seals, performing an unknown technique. The jade slips, which had been emitting blue light, suddenly glowed with an intense, radiant azure hue. This light expanded and shifted, eventually weaving into transparent blue barriers that encased each pair of students. Within moments, every pair across the classroom was enclosed in their own individual blue light shield. Ye Junze and Yun Tianhan, having identified each other as opponents, found themselves similarly encased.

Once the entire classroom was filled with these shimmering barriers, Lei Fan nodded with satisfaction and ceased his movements. Looking at the bewildered faces of the students, he spoke slowly: "The arenas for your combat are now prepared. The primary purpose of this is to prevent your skirmishes from damaging the classroom or its public property. With these protective arrays, you can fight at full strength without any worries. Of course, do not forget what I said earlier: do not harm the foundation of your opponent's cultivation."

The students nodded in sudden realization. Lei Fan waved his hand and said, "That is all. I wish you all success in passing the second stage!"

As his voice faded, the students within the blue barriers grew tense, casting cautious glances at their classmates and opponents standing before them. Some, like Ye Junze and Yun Tianhan, were close friends who had been paired together, leading to an awkward atmosphere. Only moments ago, they had been chatting and laughing, yet now they were forced to face each other in actual combat.

"Buddy, I’m sorry. Even though we’re close, since fate has brought us together, I won't be holding back in this fight. Get ready to face the full force of my fists."

"You’re right, but it won't be as simple as you think. You’re strong, but I’m no slouch either. Let’s see what we’ve both got."

"Agreed. Fighting is one thing, but win or lose, we’re still friends afterward."

"That goes without saying. Come on, let me see your skills."

With that, the two closed the distance and began to grapple. Similar exchanges were playing out all over the classroom. After all, they were classmates who spent every day together; a bit of courtesy before the fighting started was expected. As for whether their fists would remain courteous once the fighting began, that was another matter entirely. Most held the mindset of keeping the verbal pleasantries brief before diving in.

Yun Tianhan looked at the silent Ye Junze and said impatiently, "I say, Ye Junze, why are you just standing there? What are you looking at?"

"Nothing," Ye Junze replied, withdrawing his gaze to look at Yun Tianhan.

Yun Tianhan curled his lip, his eyes darting away before he exclaimed, "Hey, wait! Look over there. Is that Lu Renjia and Big Sister Fan Yan?"

Ye Junze was already aware; he had noticed earlier that Fan Yan’s opponent was indeed Lu Renjia. He nodded and replied, "Looks like it’s them."

Yun Tianhan clicked his tongue in amazement. "Good grief, I thought we were the only ones unlucky enough to be paired up, but they are too. This should be a good show. I wonder if Big Sister Fan Yan can take down Lu Renjia."

Ye Junze rubbed his brow helplessly. "Alright, let’s not worry about other people’s business. Let’s finish our fight so we can get it over with."

Yun Tianhan immediately put on a look of feigned terror, casting a wronged look at Ye Junze. "I say, Ye Junze, that’s not kind! You’ve got 'I want to beat you up' written all over your face right now! Why are you clenching your fists? Don’t come over here, keep your distance!"

Listening to this, Ye Junze’s helplessness deepened. He waved his hand and said, "Are you done? Let’s start. Take this seriously. I don’t want to waste this rare opportunity to spar just because one of us isn't focused. Give it your all."

Hearing this, Yun Tianhan dropped his playful demeanor, his expression turning solemn. His entire presence shifted, becoming sharp and focused. Ye Junze nodded in satisfaction. "That’s better. Now you look the part."

A focused Yun Tianhan waved his hand and said, "It’s not like I wanted to fight, but since you insist, I’ll take it seriously. But let’s set the rules: martial arts are for friendship, so pull your punches. Don’t damage my cultivation foundation. I can handle minor injuries, but don't hit too hard; my fragile body can’t take it."

Just when he thought Yun Tianhan was being serious, he started rambling again. Ye Junze smiled helplessly. "Of course, let’s just have a proper fight."

Yun Tianhan looked slightly wounded, his voice dropping. "Fine, if you’re that eager to fight, I’ll risk my life to keep you company. But we’re still friends after this."

"Of course we are. Come on, bring out your full strength and let me see it." As Ye Junze spoke, he channeled his spiritual power and lunged toward Yun Tianhan. Yun Tianhan turned and met him head-on.

Watching the classroom filled with sparring pairs, Lei Fan nodded with satisfaction. His gaze wandered across the room, observing the movements within each protective array. When he spotted particularly intense or skillful bouts, he would linger on them for a long time. Soon, he directed his attention toward the fight between Ye Junze and Yun Tianhan.

Inside the barrier, the two were locked in an intense exchange, trading blows and demonstrating their abilities. Spiritual power flowed around them, churned by their movements. Ye Junze was pleasantly surprised to see that Yun Tianhan, despite his previous joking, was treating every attack with complete seriousness. Sometimes, Yun Tianhan even managed to gain the upper hand, which spurred Ye Junze to fight back with even greater intensity.

Seeing the techniques he had just taught being utilized in their movements, Lei Fan could not help but smile. "I didn’t expect them to put those small tips into practice so quickly. Not bad at all," he thought to himself.

Ye Junze had indeed intended to apply the techniques immediately, but he was surprised to find that Yun Tianhan had the same idea. As they traded blows, Ye Junze noticed Yun Tianhan using the very methods Lei Fan had just explained. Ye Junze smiled, and Yun Tianhan, understanding the look, chuckled and shouted, "Don’t get distracted! I’m about to get serious!"

"I wouldn’t have it any other way," Ye Junze replied with a grin.

Yun Tianhan stepped back and formed hand seals, mobilizing the spiritual energy in his dantian and the surrounding air. Ye Junze felt a surge of mysterious energy fluctuations from him and became instantly alert, his own hands moving in response.

Moments later, Yun Tianhan stopped his movements, and a small, inch-wide black fish symbol manifested before him, floating slowly in the air. "This is a Great Dao Law I realized during the Enlightenment Class. Be careful," Yun Tianhan said.

Ye Junze recognized the symbol immediately from the Enlightenment Class—it was the same one he had seen then. He realized this was the Law of Yin that Teacher Yin had mentioned. "In that case, I won't hold back either," Ye Junze said. He changed his hand gestures, and a small, purple lightning bolt crackled into existence in his palm. "Just like you, this lightning is the Law of Thunder I realized in the same class. Be careful yourself."

Yun Tianhan smiled without a word, flicking his fingers to send the black fish toward Ye Junze. Ye Junze channeled his spiritual power, causing violet arcs of electricity to spark from his palm, and launched the purple bolt toward the black fish.

The black fish and the purple thunder collided in an instant.