I Can Merge Techniques

At these words, Pei Yufeng fell silent.

He had intended to mediate, but he hadn’t expected Chu Fan to refuse the opening entirely and state his position so bluntly.

Seeing this, Tang Tinghua was inwardly delighted. He put on a cold, arrogant expression, stretched out a hand, and pointed toward the Demon Suppression Bureau’s Martial Arts Arena. "Since it’s come to this, how about a battle in the Martial Arts Arena?"

"Let’s see just what you, the ’genius,’ are made of!"

"No need to bother." Chu Fan refused flatly, his tone calm yet brimming with unshakable confidence. "To deal with trash like you, a few quick moves will be more than enough."

"This open space right here will do."

"What did you say?!" The sneer on Tang Tinghua’s face froze instantly, his expression turning livid.

He’d seen arrogance before, but never anything like this!

He had come prepared with a slew of taunts to provoke Chu Fan into a fight, but he never imagined the man would be so direct, so full of contempt that he wanted to fight right then and there!

’Arrogant...’

’He’s too damn arrogant!’

Pei Yufeng sighed again, a troubled look on his face. "Chu Fan, we’re all brothers here. Must you take it this far...?"

"Lord Pei." Chu Fan cut him off. His gaze swept over Tang Tinghua before returning to Pei Yufeng. "Since you said we’re all brothers here, what’s wrong with a bit of mutual sparring to ’strengthen our bonds’?"

He put a slight emphasis on the words "strengthen our bonds," his tone laced with sarcasm.

Pei Yufeng fell silent once more. This time, he didn’t try to stop them. Instead, he took a small step back, a look of resignation on his face.

Many eyes had already gathered near the main gate of the Demon Suppression Bureau.

A number of Demon Suppression Guards, either on break or having just returned from missions, began to crowd around, murmuring amongst themselves.

From the crowd, two Demon Suppression Captains with powerful auras strode forward.

One of them, a man with a stern face, spoke in a deep voice. "What’s all this commotion at the Demon Suppression Bureau’s gate? This is unseemly. Pei, what’s going on?"

Pei Yufeng threw up his hands in a gesture of helplessness. "It’s this young buck, Tinghua. He just got back from the Imperial Capital, full of pride and arrogance. He heard about Chu Fan’s reputation and couldn’t accept it, so he provoked him with a few words... Young men are hot-blooded. I couldn’t stop them."

He deftly shifted the blame onto "youthful impulsiveness."

Upon hearing this, the two newly arrived Captains looked at Tang Tinghua as if he were a naive child who didn’t know his own limits.

’Having just returned, Tang Tinghua probably doesn’t know that Chu Fan took a world-shaking sword strike from Princess Zhaohua head-on just a few days ago outside the city.’

’His strength is only marginally better than Wang Meng’s, yet he wants to challenge the man who could block a strike from the Commandery Princess?’

’He’s truly courting death!’

The Captain with the square-jawed face turned to Chu Fan, his tone much calmer. "Chu Fan, what do you want to do?"

Chu Fan grinned, baring two rows of white teeth, but his smile was chilling. "Pent-up frustration needs an outlet. Holding it in is bad for one’s cultivation."

His gaze swept over Tang Tinghua’s ugly expression. "For him, this is about sizing me up. For me, it’s about teaching him that there’s always someone better."

"That’s all."

The two Captains exchanged a look and nodded slightly.

They too had heard of Tang Tinghua’s usual arrogance. It wouldn’t hurt to let Chu Fan take him down a peg.

"In that case, keep it civil," the square-jawed Demon Suppression Captain said with a wave of his hand.

The onlooking Demon Suppression Guards understood immediately. They quickly backed away, clearing a wide open space. Every face was filled with curiosity and anticipation.

Seeing this, Pei Yufeng sighed once more and retreated to the edge of the crowd with the other Demon Suppression Guard he had brought.

He watched Chu Fan in the center of the clearing, his gaze calm and deep, his thoughts unreadable.

In the center of the field, only Chu Fan and Tang Tinghua remained.

The two Demon Suppression Captains stood on either side, their auras focused on the dueling grounds, acting as both referees and a fail-safe against any mishaps.

"Chu Fan, you’ve got a lot of nerve!"

With a CLANG, Tang Tinghua drew the standard-issue Long Saber from his waist, its blade glinting coldly.

He activated his Primordial Power, and his aura surged wildly, climbing straight to the Second Heaven of the Acupoint Realm. "Perhaps your talent really is exceptional, but combat experience isn’t something you get from talent alone..."

"You talk too much."

Chu Fan cut off his morale-boosting speech.

He stood in a casual posture, seemingly full of openings, as if he didn’t see his opponent as a threat at all.

Tang Tinghua’s mouth twitched violently, rage erupting in his eyes like a volcano. He gritted his teeth and roared, "Where is your saber?!"

Seeing that Chu Fan wore a saber at his waist but had no intention of drawing it, he felt utterly humiliated.

"You’re not worthy of me drawing my saber."

Chu Fan’s words were like an icy awl, and Tang Tinghua’s expression changed drastically!

Unexpectedly, Chu Fan added, his tone chillingly calm, "I killed a lot of people before returning to the Demon Suppression Bureau. It’s hard to suppress my killing intent."

He raised his eyes, his gaze as cold as ancient ice. "If I happen to strike too hard, don’t blame me."

"You’re too arrogant!" Tang Tinghua could no longer contain the rage and humiliation boiling in his chest. With a furious roar, he completely disregarded the etiquette of a friendly match!

The Long Saber in his hand quaked. A brilliant flash of light erupted from the blade as he shot toward Chu Fan like an arrow loosed from a bow!

But at the very instant he moved, he surreptitiously lifted his left hand. A black streak shot out from his sleeve, silent but fast as lightning, flying straight for Chu Fan’s face like a viper striking from its den!

A Sleeve Arrow!

’Despicable cur!’

’He’s using underhanded tricks in what was supposed to be a sparring match!’

’To use such a vicious move against a colleague...’

Though the onlooking Demon Suppression Guards didn’t voice their thoughts, they were all cursing him inwardly, their gazes toward Tang Tinghua filled with contempt.

Even the two Captains acting as referees frowned deeply.

It all happened in a flash!

The poisoned Sleeve Arrow reached him in the blink of an eye!

After firing the Sleeve Arrow, Tang Tinghua’s Step Technique suddenly accelerated. His body moved like the wind, and the Long Saber in his hand let out a sharp whistle as it tore through the air. Infused with Primordial Qi, the blade’s edge pulsed with a brilliant light as he brought it down fiercely on Chu Fan’s head!

The combination of the Sleeve Arrow sneak attack and a ferocious frontal assault was insidious and vicious, instantly putting Chu Fan in a perilous position!

Although the man had a vile personality, the fact that he had been sent to the Imperial Capital for training proved he had some real skill—his Step Technique was profound, his speed was incredible, and his Sword Technique was both exquisite and ruthless!