Book 1 - What Is A Genius - Chapter 39 - Suspicions

A figure of a man flickered in mid-air. At the edge of the arena, Xu Yude had leaped into the air. As if a dragonfly touching the surface of the water, he lightly touched the heads of a few people before gaining sufficient momentum to overtake Xu Yucai who was flying in the air.
He raised his hands high and gently welcomed his younger brother into his bosom.
In mid-air, he turned his head for one last time to glance at He Yiming before hurriedly leaving.
After experiencing He Yiming’s fist, he knew the disparity between them. He felt an immense pressure and even extreme dejection. Because, deep inside in his heart, he was faintly aware that he wouldn’t be able to surpass the youngster in front of him throughout his entire lifetime.
This was the reason he didn’t even say something before hurriedly leaving with his injured younger brother.
On the streets, people had their eyes opened wide as they watched this spectacle. They were astoundedly looking at He Yiming who stood on the arena with a faint, cold smile on his face.
At this moment, that small stature seemed to have unwittingly increased. No one dared to brush him off because of his small age anymore. All the visions on him had the shock of not believing one’s own eyes.
He Yiming’s gaze swept all around. His vision was not sharp like that of Xu Yucai. However, under his vision, everybody unwittingly bowed down a bit, not glossing over their apprehension and reverence in the slightest.
Though nobody could imagine the apprehension in his mind.
Upon sweeping his gaze once, he could tell that at least thousand people were present outside the arena. Even though he knew that these people basically didn’t possess any threat to him, the combined gaze of more than a thousand people still caused his heart to palpitate.
Previously, since he wished to regain the face of the clan, He Yiming was able to keep a steady heart while confronting Xu Yucai. However, currently, he was somewhat apprehensive.
Fortunately, he had gone through a similar experience during the new year’s Skill Competition. He had dueled with his eldest brother under numerous gazes at that time as well. If not for this experience, he actually might have escaped long ago with his face covered.
After all, prior to his encounter in the lake, he was but an ordinary youngster. Perhaps, in the future, after going through many such experiences, he might be able to remain calm and collected in front of thousands of people. However, at this moment, he couldn’t accomplish such a feat.
Slightly exerting his feet, He Yiming left the arena and arrived before his elder brother.
At this moment, He Yixuan had already recovered from the previous shock. His gaze on his sixth brother was a complicated one. Although he had thousands of questions he wanted to ask, he knew this was not the suitable time or place for it. He softly said:
“We are leaving.”
Two brothers left in large strides. People immediately opened up a spacious path leading directly to the outside.
After the two individuals left, countless voices and noises unbridled erupted.
The battle between the He and Xu family at the streets became the talk of the town. Furthermore, a single fight caused He Yiming’s name to be well-known, and he became the most illustrious expert within the young generation of all the three influential families combined. His limelight even surpassed that of He Yitian.
After leaving the street, He Yixuan’s footsteps were increasingly quickening. Although he had sustained injuries on his arm, under the healing of his sixth brother, it had basically healed already.
At a remote corner, he suddenly paused his footsteps before he looked at his sixth brother and asked in a lowered tone:
“Yiming, your Internal Energy has already attained seventh layer’s peak?”
The crowd of the ordinary people who had been excitedly watching the battle perhaps couldn’t discern, but He Yixuan understood quite well. While delivering that strike, He Yiming had not used any battle skill. He had purely relied on his Internal Energy to bring forth such a strong might.
Without using any battle skills and relying purely on Internal Energy, being able to attain such a level of might could only mean one thing. His Internal Energy had already attained the seventh layer’s peak.
This was because only if one possessed Internal Energy of the seventh layer’s peak could one, relying purely on Internal Energy, strike a cultivator who possessed the sixth layer Internal Energy and a peak sixth layer battle skill into flying.
However, according to He Yixuan’s knowledge, his sixth brother only attained the seventh layer at the beginning of the year. Currently, barely six months had passed. How could he have attained the peak of the seventh layer?
He Yiming sheepishly smiled and faintly nodded under the questioning gaze of his third brother.
He Yixuan sucked in a deep breath and forced his surging state of mind to calm down. He heavily patted He Yiming on shoulder and said:
“Good. Good, sixth brother,” He then pulled his sixth brother’s hand and dashed ahead.
He Yiming astoundedly asked, “Third brother, what are you doing?”
“What nonsense, of course, telling grandfather and the rest,” He Yixuan said in a slightly irritated voice, “If they find out that your Internal Energy had already attained the peak of the seventh layer, they would certainly be very happy.”
He Yiming muttered to himself, “If they were to find out that I have already attained the ninth layer, they won’t be happy, but scared instead.”
‘What did you say?” He Yixuan’s brows slightly creased as he turned his head and asked. Just now, He Yiming’s voice was too vague. He couldn’t hear anything clearly.
He Yiming promptly said, “Third brother, you just received an injury, walk a bit slowly.”
He Yixuan brightly smiled before saying:
“It’s fine. This bit of injury has more or less already been healed.”
The two individuals although were not too familiar with the roads of the county town, returning back through the roads that they had come was not difficult. Just after a short while, they arrived at the family’s courtyard.
The two exchanged a glance and promptly entered the main hall, where they saw that their eldest uncle, father, and the rest even including their mother and little sister, were already present.
Seeing that they had returned, He Yilong’s eyes slightly shined as she asked:
“Third brother, sixth brother, were the fights fun?”
The two brothers exchanged a glance before both bitterly smiled. Could today’s duels on the arena be described as fun?
He Quanming lightly snorted before saying:
“Here, competitions at the arena are nothing but duels between ordinary cultivators. A true expert would never be willing to participate. Since you have the time to go there, you might as well cultivate in the backyard. It would be much more beneficial to you.”
He Quanxin waved his hand, “Second brother, it’s hard for children to control their heart upon seeing something new and unusual. This kind of duels although do not hold much in terms of martial strength, they are in fact true battles. Having a look at these battles also had some advantage for them.”
He Quanming faintly nodded, glancing at them. However, he discovered that the two had quite strange expressions on their faces. He Quanming said in a lowered voice:
“What’s the matter?”
Helpless, He Yixuan recalled Xu Yucai mounting the arena and defeating him. Even though he had suffered defeat this time, he had no intention of covering it up.
He Quanxin and He Quanming’s brows slightly creased. Especially as they heard that final strike from Xu Yucai, they both had slightly astonished expressions on their faces. Evidently, they themselves had never heard of such a battle skill.
“Big brother, Xu family is Xu family after all. They were actually concealing such a ferocious battle skill. We have to report this matter to the old man as soon as possible.” He Quanming solemnly said.
He Quanxin faintly nodded. After a pondering for a few moments, he again shook his head, “Informing father is must, but we also need not make a fuss about it. I am certain that the Xu Yucai’s battle skill must be a high-level one. However, learning such a battle skill will inevitably hinder his Internal Energy cultivation as well. If this is truly the case with Xu family’s third generation, they might be able to suppress us for a while, but in future, they absolutely won’t be a threat to us.”
He Quanming patted his thighs. This was something he did habitually upon coming across something troublesome.
After a short while, he slowly said:
“Big brother, I am worried, could it be… Xu family have again joined with them?”
He Quanxin was slightly startled before he said with a slight hesitation:
“Impossible, unless a Xiantian cultivator appears in Xu family, such a thing cannot happen.”
He Yiming’s vision lingered on his two elders for a while as he obtained some clues from their words.
Apparently, Xu family’s history had some profound secrets. His father and eldest uncle were actually deeply afraid of this mysterious ‘them’.
Furthermore, from his own observation, the battle skill Xu Yucai used while delivering that final strike was although not as powerful as his Splitting Mountain Thirty Six Forms, it was far above an ordinary battle skill. Even though this battle skill might not be a Xiantian battle skill, it was certainly a peak battle skill among ordinary battle skills.
Xu family possessing such a battle skill evidently showed that the collection of their clan was a notch above that of the He family.
As He Yiming’s imagination was running rampant, He Yixuan continued, “Father, although this child lost, Xu family didn’t make a killing out of it.”
He Quanming suspiciously asked, “Could it be you injured him as well?”
“This child doesn’t have such an ability, but Yiming does,” He Yixuan slightly inclined his body and glanced at He Yiming before continuing, “Yiming saw me injured and acted out in anger. He struck Xu Yucai out of the arena with a single fist.”
“What are you saying?” He Quanming faintly started before his complexion changed, “Yiming, you used Splitting Mountain Thirty Six Forms?”
He Yiming faintly shook his head before he said:
“Father, I used pure Internal Energy only.”
He Yixuan further excitedly nodded, “That’s right. Father, Yiming’s Internal Energy has already attained seventh layer’s peak.”
Momentarily, a pin drop silence covered the entire main hall. Everybody’s gaze gathered on He Yiming.
Especially He Yitian. He deeply sighed in his mind, while his gaze turned extremely complex.