Chapter 53: One Must Uphold Virtue—Conquering Others with Moral Integrity, Do You Understand?

Young master? The onlookers whispered among themselves—since when did the capital have some young master like this?

But looking at Xiang Nan standing before them, with his tall, slender figure, skin like flawless jade, and features as perfectly sculpted as a statue, he did have the bearing of a young master.

Even Lu Yu felt a flicker of doubt in his heart. Yet, no matter what, he was always the high and mighty Young Master Lu, a prodigious youth who had inherited the martial prowess of his ancestors. After a summer of training and the nourishment of the spirit pearl, his cultivation had already risen to the first rank, five stars. He refused to believe that any freshman could surpass his level.

The crowd had already cleared out a large space, and some even helpfully moved aside the tables and chairs. Xiang Nan appeared calm and at ease, one hand behind his back, the other palm extended in front of him.

“Please,” he said.

Just this gesture, this aura, was enough to send many of the girls swooning, their hearts pounding in their chests. Secretly, they all cheered Xiang Nan on.

Su Yao sat off to the side, thoroughly enjoying the spectacle.

On the other side, Lu Yu’s lip twitched as he settled into a solid martial stance, fists as big as bowls cutting through the air with force. As a martial champion descended from warriors of old, his strength lay in external techniques and domineering moves.

With a tiger’s stride, he charged forward, launching a fist straight at Xiang Nan’s face.

The classroom for spirit warriors was spacious, and the air whistled with the force of his strike. The girls couldn’t help but worry for Xiang Nan—if that fierce punch landed, wouldn’t that impossibly handsome face be ruined?

Oh no! Please don’t!

Only Su Yao snorted softly, utterly unconcerned. Xiang Nan could easily handle even a third-rank high-level fighter; a first-rank, five-star nobody was hardly worth mentioning.

And sure enough—

Lu Yu’s fist bore down, perfectly on target, while Xiang Nan remained rooted to the spot, not moving an inch.

Yet, just as the fist was about to connect with his face, Xiang Nan somehow, with a light, effortless shift, perfectly dodged to the left.

At the same time, his right hand took advantage of the momentum of Lu Yu’s punch, pulling and guiding it aside.

Not only did Lu Yu’s powerful blow hit nothing but air, but with Xiang Nan’s pull, all the strength in his arm was neutralized.

This kind of fierce, forceful external technique emphasized power, speed, and precision, leaving no room for recovery. Now, having missed and had his force dissipated, Lu Yu’s own vulnerability was entirely exposed, with no time to defend.

His opponent was right at his left side—there was no way to recover in time.

At that instant, Xiang Nan hooked his right foot behind Lu Yu’s, and with a gentle tug of the hand still holding Lu Yu’s fist, Lu Yu lost his balance and fell flat on his face. The pose was particularly undignified.

Satisfied, Xiang Nan remarked, “There’s a rule among martial artists—don’t hit the face. But you clearly lack martial virtue. This is the first lesson I’ll teach you: a man should have martial virtue, and convince others with virtue. Do you understand?”

Lu Yu scrambled up from the floor, his face full of disbelief.

Impossible. This guy’s moves were too uncanny—it must have been his own carelessness that let him fall for them.

But that’s the courage of the ignorant—they never know fear and always brim with confidence.

Lu Yu composed himself and looked at the tall, relaxed, infuriatingly nonchalant Xiang Nan.

Clenching his fists with all his might, he vowed to reclaim his dignity and honor.

“To hell with your 'convincing others with virtue'—I’m going to make you pay today!”

As a renowned young lord of the capital, Lu Yu had never suffered such humiliation or been made such a fool.

Enraged, he charged again, this time with even greater ferocity.

But just like before, his attack hit nothing but air. Instead, he felt a sudden blow to his back—a sharp elbow that made his spine crack.

Once again, Lu Yu found himself face down on the floor, so angry his ears seemed ready to smoke.

“You do talk tough,” Xiang Nan said with a playful smile, still not taking him seriously. “But you do admit your mistakes quickly—so sincere, you’re already flat on the ground. Maybe I could try forgiving you.”

Lu Yu refused to accept defeat. The humiliation only made his anger burn hotter.

“I don’t need your forgiveness—I want your life!”

Abandoning all pretense, Lu Yu rolled on the ground and swept his leg at Xiang Nan, revealing a three-inch blade hidden in his shoe, aiming for Xiang Nan’s legs.

But Xiang Nan always managed to evade just in time, and with what appeared to be effortless ease, he stomped down hard on Lu Yu’s kneecap.

A crisp, brutal crack sounded.

“With skills like yours, you’re far from taking my life,” Xiang Nan said with a light laugh as he withdrew his foot.

“Sorry, I didn’t control my strength well enough. With that knee, you won’t be walking right for at least ten days, maybe half a month.”

Lu Yu clutched his knee, drenched in sweat from the pain.

In just a few exchanges, the surrounding students were left dumbfounded.

“Damn! How did he do that?”

“Is this... is this that legendary Tai Chi?”

“Looks like Young Master Lu finally met his match. He’s done for.”

Su Yao, casually nibbling her kitten-shaped snack, said offhandedly, “He’s not done for—our Xiao Nan isn’t that cruel. At most, he’ll just leave him half-paralyzed.”

At this remark, the sycophants who followed Lu Yu turned pale.

They had always relied on Lu Yu for protection—if he ended up half-crippled before the semester even started, what would they do?

Lu Yu still showed some spine. Despite his crushing defeat and nearly crippled knee, he stubbornly refused to yield.

Gritting his teeth through the pain, he kept trying different moves, pressing the attack on Xiang Nan.

But in the next second, no matter what Lu Yu did, Xiang Nan effortlessly used his strength against him, redirecting force with minimal effort, making defense and offense seamless—no gaps, no openings.

And when Xiang Nan struck back, his blows were more than ten times as powerful as Lu Yu’s.

To the onlookers, the whole fight looked like Xiang Nan was toying with a bull—no matter how fiercely Lu Yu attacked, he couldn’t even touch Xiang Nan’s sleeve, and only made himself look more ridiculous and battered.

After dozens of moves, Lu Yu finally realized that his opponent wasn’t winning by luck or by catching him off guard. Xiang Nan was simply outclassing him in every way.

But he realized it too late. By now, there wasn’t a single uninjured spot left on his body.

Though neither had used weapons, the savage blows were enough to bruise muscles, break bones, and even make his internal organs tremble with pain.

Only when Lu Yu lay on the ground, coughing up blood and unable to rise no matter how he tried, did the fight finally come to an end.

Two male students helped the battered Lu Yu to his feet.

At that moment, the freshmen’s teacher, Mr. Xie Lun, happened to walk in. Seeing the chaos in the classroom, he was completely stunned.

“Can someone tell me what happened here?”

Su Yao stepped forward with a mischievous smile. “Oh, it’s nothing serious. This student Lu thought highly of himself and wanted to spar with our Xiao Nan, so Xiao Nan reluctantly obliged. That’s not against the rules, is it, Teacher?”

Mr. Xie stammered, “Well... it’s not against the rules per se... but Xiang Nan, your strikes were a bit too heavy-handed, don’t you think?”