Chapter 89: Five Elements Steps

The whispers from the people around her dug into Li Haiying’s heart like bone-eating insects, making her feel so pained she could barely breathe. She had not meant for things to turn out this way. If she had known Jiang Xincheng would rise to success, she would never have left him. She would have stayed by his side.

With just two or three more months of patience, she could have become the girlfriend of Jiang Xincheng, this promising Pride of Heaven. Jiang Xincheng had treated her so well before. He would surely have married her, and she would have been his wife.

Jiang Xincheng had an annual salary in the hundreds of millions. He had status, standing, and power, far surpassing Liu Ping. If she had become Jiang Xincheng’s wife, she would have leaped into the upper class, enjoyed a rich and noble life, become a gentle and virtuous wife and mother, and lived the life she had always dreamed of.

Moreover, as the woman who had stood by Jiang Xincheng through his toughest times, he would have treated her exceptionally well. People around her would have respected her, praised her foresight, said good deeds bring good rewards, and admired her loyalty… but she had destroyed everything with her own hands.

With a single wrong decision, she had left Jiang Xincheng. She had betrayed him in such a cruel way, making him the laughingstock of the College of Computer Management and Science. Then, she happily threw herself into the arms of that good-for-nothing Liu Ping, every day playing along to avoid letting him take advantage and losing one of her most prized assets.

But the Liu Ping she had paid such a high price to follow only lusted after her body. He was indifferent to her, quick to scold or hit her at the slightest provocation. He even sweet-talked her, trying to trick her out of her first time.

As for whether he would marry her, that was still uncertain. So far, Liu Ping had not even publicly acknowledged her as his girlfriend. Compared to Jiang Xincheng, Liu Ping was definitely a scumbag.

Yet for this scumbag, she had given up a promising Pride of Heaven. She became the laughingstock of everyone instead of enjoying glory and being praised as a good woman.

Li Haiying was filled with regret and pain, almost fainting from the agony. Watching Jiang Xincheng on the stage, basking in the cheers of the crowd, she felt suffocated. She quickly stood up and ran out of the stadium, shedding countless tears along the way.

Jiang Xincheng, standing on the high platform accepting the cheers, naturally did not see Li Haiying’s tears. To him, Li Haiying was already a woman so distant she might as well be a stranger. After more than sixty years, Jiang Xincheng had forgotten many people. Li Haiying, the woman who had brought him shame and pain, was long discarded in some forgotten corner of time, left to rot.

Even if Li Haiying jumped off a building now, Jiang Xincheng might not pay any attention. At most, if someone mentioned it, he would express mild surprise, nothing more.

Just as Jiang Xincheng was preparing to challenge a senior student, something unexpected happened. A student ranked tenth among the juniors actually challenged Jiang Xincheng. Jiang Xincheng knew this junior student—he was the dark horse of the All-School Martial Examination in this lifetime.

Lü Fang!

He was in his twenties, looking somewhat gloomy with a dark face. He came from a mountain village and was said to be very poor. Previously, he was just an ordinary junior student with a strength at the Tendon Training Realm.

To everyone’s surprise, during this All-School Martial Examination, Lü Fang suddenly revealed a strength at the Middle Bone Training Stage. He swept through his opponents like a hot knife through butter, defeating strong foes one after another, smoothly advancing into the top ten and becoming one of the top ten strongest juniors in Tianhai University.

If not for Jiang Xincheng, Lü Fang would have challenged the higher-ranked junior students next, defeating three in a row to become the Chief Student of the junior class. Then he would challenge senior students, again defeating three consecutively, reaching the second rank among seniors and shocking the entire Tianhai University, becoming a legendary genius admired by millions.

Lü Fang’s true strength was not at the Middle Bone Training Stage but at the peak of the Bone Training Realm, just one step away from the Cloud Condensation Realm. The main reason for his huge improvement was the same excuse Jiang Xincheng had used—Lü Fang had accidentally consumed a Mutated Yuan Crystal.

Unlike Jiang Xincheng, Lü Fang really had mistakenly taken the Mutated Yuan Crystal. Thus, misfortune turned into blessing, and he received a great opportunity. Jiang Xincheng’s opportunity, however, was fabricated. If Lü Fang hadn’t already taken that Mutated Yuan Crystal before Jiang Xincheng’s rebirth, Jiang Xincheng might have tried to steal Lü Fang’s chance.

But in this reborn life, Jiang Xincheng and Lü Fang crossed paths. Lü Fang did not challenge other junior students but directly chose to challenge Jiang Xincheng while he was at the peak of his glory. He wanted to step on Jiang Xincheng’s head to reach the top of the junior class and become the most eye-catching figure among the juniors.

When facing Lü Fang, Jiang Xincheng had almost no chance of winning. The Mutated Yuan Crystal Lü Fang had taken not only allowed his Primordial Force cultivation to advance by leaps and bounds within a year but also greatly increased his speed. It far surpassed that of other Primordial Warriors at the peak of the Bone Training Realm, even reaching the level of a Great Yuan Warrior in the Cloud Condensation Realm.

This was an extremely tough opponent, the one Jiang Xincheng least wanted to face. Unexpectedly, just as Jiang Xincheng was about to advance further, Lü Fang came for him. According to the rules, Lü Fang had the right to challenge Jiang Xincheng because he was the current Chief Student of the junior class.

Lü Fang appeared before Jiang Xincheng, a mocking smile flashing across his face. “One trick pony, thinking you can conquer the world. Relying on your nimble footwork, a mere freshman like you has come this far—that’s quite an achievement. But from now on, with me here, your path ends.”

Lü Fang’s words made Jiang Xincheng raise an eyebrow, but he did not argue. To be honest, although his Five Elements Steps were exquisite, he had only reached the beginner level. It might work against ordinary Primordial Warriors at the late Bone Training Realm, but it wouldn’t be effective against a Primordial Warrior like Lü Fang, who had top-tier movement skills.

However, during this time, besides diligently cultivating his Primordial Force, Jiang Xincheng had also mastered a new Origin Force Combat Skill, again in the area of movement and footwork.

Five Elements Steps!

A Mysterious Rank low-grade Origin Force Combat Skill. Though it consisted of only five steps, they contained infinite variations, allowing him to dodge within a very small space and avoid enemy attacks. It was truly a gem among close-quarters footwork techniques.

After his strength reached the peak of the Tendon Training Realm, with Jiang Xincheng’s overall ability and physical condition, he was finally able to grasp this exquisite footwork. It ultimately shone brilliantly in the Challenge Tournament, helping Jiang Xincheng defeat powerful opponents one after another. He became one of the most dazzling stars in Tianhai University, winning the absolute favor of the Flourishing Tang Empire’s assessors and the admiration of countless factions.

Unfortunately, Jiang Xincheng had only reached a proficient level in the Five Elements Steps. Compared to Lü Fang’s explosively increased speed after consuming the Mutated Yuan Crystal, it still fell short. After all, Lü Fang was a Primordial Warrior at the peak of the Bone Training Realm, and with his formidable speed, it would be very, very hard for Jiang Xincheng to win. Only, the audience in the stands did not share Jiang Xincheng’s pessimism.