Wuhun: Desert Death on the left hand, the world on the right hand

The noise in the martial arts arena receded like a tide, leaving Yun Fei standing alone in the middle of the empty arena. The afterglow of the setting sun cast a golden gauze over him, but it could not hide the loneliness and unwillingness in his eyes. He clenched his fists, his knuckles turned white, and his heart was like a raging sea, unable to calm down.

"Senior Brother Yunfei."

A cold voice came from behind him. Yun Fei knew who it was without turning around. He took a deep breath, calmed his surging emotions, and then turned around.

Li Chen, dressed in black, stood behind him. The setting sun cast a layer of gold on his back, making him look even more cool and elegant.

Normally, Li Chen always looked indifferent and didn't like to talk, but today he took the initiative to comfort him, which surprised Yun Fei.

"Junior Brother Li Chen." Yun Fei nodded slightly, with a hint of bitterness in his tone, "I'm sorry to have embarrassed you."

Li Chen shook his head and walked to his side, his eyes fixed on the martial arts arena, as if recalling the previous competition, "You have done very well. Xue Yi's 'Bloodlust Frenzy' is inherently strange and unpredictable. It is not shameful for you to lose to him."

"But I..." Yun Fei wanted to refute, but he didn't know where to start. It's not that he couldn't accept failure, but losing to Xue Yi made him feel humiliated and unwilling.

"You are not reconciled in your heart." Li Chen seemed to see through his thoughts. His tone was still calm, but it had a strange power to calm the surging emotions in Yun Fei's heart. "You are extremely talented and have practiced hard. There are few rivals among your peers. Now that you have lost to Xue Yi, you must feel unfair."

Yun Fei remained silent, which was considered as his agreement with what he said.

"But you have to understand that victory and defeat are common in the military. You may be defeated by Bloodthirsty Madness today, but you may be able to defeat it someday." Li Chen turned to look at Yun Fei with a hint of encouragement in his eyes, "What's more, what you really have to defeat is yourself."

Yun Fei was shocked. Li Chen's words were like a revelation, which made him sober up instantly. Yes, what he really had to overcome was the cowardice and hesitation in his heart. If he had acted decisively at the beginning, how could he have ended up in such a situation?

"Thank you for your guidance, Junior Brother." Yun Fei took a deep breath and bowed deeply to Li Chen, his tone full of gratitude and admiration.

Li Chen smiled faintly and accepted his gift calmly. He knew Yun Fei was very talented, but sometimes he was too obsessed with winning and losing, and lost his way. Today's speech was also a way for him to get rid of his inner demons as soon as possible.

"I'm glad you understand." Li Chen retracted his gaze and looked at the distant sky. The sunset had already set over the mountain, leaving only a gorgeous sunset glow. "Although you lost in this sect competition, you can still be ranked in the top 50."

Yun Fei was stunned when he heard this. After he lost to Xue Yi, he became disheartened and stopped paying attention to the rankings. He didn't expect that he could still be ranked in the top 50.

"Top 50?" Yun Fei was a little confused. "What's the meaning of this ranking?"

Li Chen turned his head to look at him, with a mysterious smile on his face, "Of course it is meaningful, and of great significance. But..." He paused deliberately, and when he saw Yun Fei looking at him curiously, he continued, "This matter is of great importance. I can only tell you that as long as you can rank in the top 50, you still have a chance. As for what kind of chance it is, I can't say more."

Yun Fei was even more confused. Li Chen had always been steady, but today he was acting strangely and was speaking in a mysterious way. Could there be some hidden secret? He was about to ask, but saw Li Chen shook his head, obviously not intending to reveal more.

"Okay, it's getting late. I'll go back first. Don't think too much. Have a good rest, adjust your state, and prepare for the next challenge." Li Chen patted Yun Fei's shoulder, turned and left, leaving him with only a handsome back.

Yun Fei looked at Li Chen's departing back, his heart full of doubts and expectations. He knew that Li Chen would not say these words for no reason, and he specifically mentioned "opportunity". What was this opportunity? Could it be related to his master who was the deputy hall master?

Nasus, Bai Yun and Bai Zhaoyun stood side by side by the window, from where they could overlook the entire scenery outside the palace. The verdant mountains in the distance and the sparkling lake nearby formed a beautiful picture.

Nasus looked at Li Chen's receding back and smiled with satisfaction. He had only given a few pointers at the beginning, but the child was able to comprehend the deep meaning and draw inferences from one instance, which showed how sharp his mind was. He nodded with satisfaction. His training over the past few days had not been in vain.

"Is that your new disciple?" Bai Zhaoyun asked with interest, his eyes falling on Li Chen. "He really looks like you, and has a calm temperament. He's a good candidate."

Hearing this, Bai Yun laughed and punched Bai Zhaoyun, "Don't take advantage of your age, Li Chen is already over 20 years old this year, you might not even be as old as him!"

Bai Zhaoyun was not happy when he heard this. He blew his beard and glared, "What do you mean I am not as old as him? How can you speak so unpleasantly? I am his uncle!"

Bai Yun laughed so hard that he fell backwards. "Yes, yes, Uncle Master, please don't bother with the younger generation."

"What do you mean by a junior with limited knowledge? I am very optimistic about this kid Li Chen. He is so young but has such a good character. In time, he will become a great man!" Bai Zhaoyun said, unable to hide his admiration for Li Chen in his tone.

Bai Yun shook his head helplessly. Bai Zhaoyun was good in every way except that he liked to act like an elder. From the first time they met, he insisted that he and Nasus call him "brother", and until now... It's true that it's hard to change one's nature!

“Besides, Nasus is not older than him, and he is his master! Why do you have objections when it comes to me, your uncle?” Bai Zhaoyun raised his eyebrows and looked at Bai Yun. His eyes seemed to say, are you not convinced, kid?

"This..." Bai Yun had been so used to bickering with Bai Zhaoyun in the past two days that he was unable to refute. He calmed down, looked at Bai Zhaoyun's intimidating gaze, and said slowly: "Nasus, he lived for thousands of years in his previous life. How about you? How long did you live in your previous life?"

"Eighteen years old!" Bai Yun gave the answer without waiting for Bai Zhaoyun to reply, and then continued: "Eighteen years old, not even an adult yet, you want to take advantage of your age?"

"You..." Bai Zhaoyun was choked by Bai Yun's words. He opened his mouth and wanted to refute, but found that he was speechless.

"Hahaha..." Seeing Bai Zhaoyun's deflated look, Bai Yun couldn't help but burst out laughing.

"You...you are making excuses! This life must be better than this one!" Bai Zhaoyun said excitedly, his face flushed red, like a cat whose tail was stepped on.

On the other side, Xue Yi returned to his residence. Several disciples who were on good terms with him immediately surrounded him, flattering and congratulating him with smiles on their faces. "Senior Brother Xue, you are so amazing! You actually defeated Yun Fei. You really made us outer disciples proud!"

"Yes, yes, let's see who dares to look down on us outer disciples!"

"Brother Xue, you are my idol. From now on, you are my big brother. I will follow you!"

……

Xue Yi listened to these compliments, but he did not feel as happy as he had imagined. He waved his hand, sent everyone away, and sat alone in the room, recalling the scene of the competition just now.

He admitted that in the state of "bloodthirsty frenzy", he was blinded by anger and hatred and only wanted to kill Yun Fei to vent his hatred.

However, when he saw Yun Fei lying in a pool of blood, with no fear or resentment in his eyes, but instead a hint of relief and liberation, he suddenly felt an inexplicable panic and uneasiness in his heart.

He recalled how three years ago, he, Yun Fei, and Shangguan Yanran had traveled through mountains and rivers together, going through untold hardships, before finally arriving at Baiyun Palace and becoming its disciples.

At that time, they were full of vigor and as close as brothers. There was no hatred or calculation between them. They only had the determination and courage to fight side by side and advance and retreat together.

But when did the relationship between them become so tense and hostile?

Is it a fight for cultivation resources?

Is it for Shangguan Yanran’s favor?

Or is it for the ridiculous self-esteem and pride in your heart?

Xue Yi didn't know. He only knew that at this moment, in addition to the joy of victory, he also felt an indescribable feeling in his heart, as if he had lost something important, which made him feel empty and confused...

The night was terribly quiet, with only the occasional chirping of insects echoing in his ears. Xue Yi tossed and turned, unable to fall asleep. He simply sat up, walked to the window, and let the cold moonlight shine on him. Under the moonlight, his face looked particularly pale, and his eyes were full of fatigue and confusion.

"How on earth did I end up like this?" He covered his forehead in pain, scenes from his past with Yun Fei flashing through his mind, from the high spirits when they first met, to fighting side by side, to now becoming enemies with swords drawn against each other... The past was like smoke, but it left scars in his heart that could never be erased.

"Is there really no chance of turning back between us?" Xue Yi's heart seemed to be tightly grasped by an invisible hand, and the pain and struggle almost swallowed him up. He wanted to go back to the past, back to the innocent days when there was no hatred, no suspicion, only brotherhood.

At this time, Yun Fei was resting under a big tree. His injuries were not too serious, but he felt a little dizzy due to excessive blood loss. The situation of the Golden-winged Thunder Eagle was not optimistic. It lay on the ground dying and let out a low whine.

Yun Fei looked at the bright moon in the sky, his thoughts drifting. He recalled the scene of the decisive battle with Xue Yi. In addition to the murderous intent, Xue Yi's eyes seemed to hide some other emotions, like pain, struggle, and more like... reluctance. He knew that Xue Yi was not a naturally cold-blooded person, but was blinded by hatred and lost his way.

"Perhaps, there is still room for improvement between us." Yun Fei thought to himself, "Perhaps I can try to talk to him and resolve our differences."

Thinking of this, Yun Fei felt a glimmer of hope in his heart. He decided to find an opportunity to have a good talk with Xue Yi and try to restore their brotherhood.