Chapter 36: The Half-Year Agreement

Su Che didn’t want to get entangled with Fat Song and the others any longer, so he bowed to the aloof woman and said, “Senior sister, I need to return to our sect. I take my leave.”
“You want to leave? That’s not so easy!” Jiang Chen shouted sharply. “You must return the spirit stones to me today—or don’t even think about leaving.”
Having finally found an opportunity to trouble Su Che, he wasn’t willing to let it go so easily.
Fat Song also added fuel to the fire with a sly tone, “Su Che, running away isn’t the solution. What you owe others must be repaid. You must come up with a reasonable explanation for this.”
The two of them acted very convincingly, their expressions perfect, making the aloof woman and the other two fully believe that Su Che truly owed Jiang Chen a hundred spirit stones.
“Very well,” Su Che remained calm. He pointed in a certain direction in the city and said, “Then let’s go to the Enforcement Hall. Our Tianxuan Sect is a place where justice is upheld. Even if we go to the Heavenly Punishment Hall and ask the elders there to settle this fairly, I, Su Che, am not afraid at all!”
“The Heavenly Punishment Hall?” Fat Song and the others burst into laughter. “Such a trivial matter—does it even deserve the attention of the Heavenly Punishment Hall? No one will pay you any attention!”
Only the aloof woman frowned slightly, feeling that Su Che’s demeanor didn’t seem like he was lying… Yet she still didn’t believe Fat Song and Jiang Chen would dare deceive her. So she said to Su Che, “There’s no need to go to the Heavenly Punishment Hall. You want to return to the mountain gate, right? Very well, we’ll accompany you to Xuanji Peak so that Yu Qing can give me an explanation.”
Su Che immediately understood. She wanted to use this situation to embarrass Senior Brother Yu Qing. Even if no resolution could be reached, being able to mock and tease him a bit would surely make her feel better…
“One must take responsibility for their own actions. Even if I’m framed and slandered, it’s my own problem. There’s no need to drag Senior Brother Yu Qing into it.”
Pressed to this extreme, no matter how composed Su Che tried to stay, he couldn’t suppress his anger. His expression darkened, and he asked the aloof woman, “May I ask how you are called, senior sister?”
“How ignorant of me—not even recognizing Senior Sister Zhen Lan!” Fat Song and the others sneered.
“Zhen Lan from Tianwu Peak,” the aloof woman replied directly.

“Senior Zhen Lan, believe it or not, I have to say that the so-called debt of a hundred spirit stones is purely a slander by Jiang Chen and Senior Song against me,” Su Che said seriously. “I know it’s impossible to clarify right from wrong here, but since someone has deliberately targeted me, I should take full responsibility for this matter.”
“Bold words!” Zhen Lan sneered and asked, “I’m curious—how do you plan to proceed?”
“For those who cultivate, strength comes first. Since words won’t work, let’s use force!” Su Che fixed a cold gaze on Jiang Chen, speaking slowly and deliberately. “I propose a duel with Junior Jiang and Senior Song. Half a year from now, we’ll fight on the Competition Peak. The winner can do as they wish, but the loser has only one outcome: to voluntarily give up their status as outer sect disciples and leave Tianxuan Sect!”
“What?”
Jiang Chen and Fat Song were shocked by this, and even the usually aloof Zhen Lan showed a change in expression.
Wasn’t this stake too high? A loss would mean the end of their future!
“Faced with others’ provocations and slander, to defend my reputation and dignity, I’m willing to risk my life and future,” Su Che said, his sharp gaze sweeping over Jiang Chen and Fat Song. He then asked loudly, “Junior Jiang, Senior Song—I wonder if you two have the courage?”
Su Che’s loud voice attracted the attention of many people on the street, including several official disciples of Tianxuan Sect dressed in white robes.
Fighting privately was prohibited in Xuanji City to protect weaker self-cultivators from oppression. However, official disciples of Tianxuan Sect could compete with each other on the “Competition Peak” inside the sect gates.
On the Competition Peak, senior sect members took turns overseeing the area, maintaining order and acting as referees. Relatively speaking, lesser-known figures like Su Che, Jiang Chen, and Fat Song were more likely to receive fair judgments, as their status wasn’t high enough for senior members to manipulate outcomes in their favor.
Facing Su Che’s challenge, Jiang Chen’s face turned pale, his heart filled with anxiety, and his breathing became uneven. For some reason, ever since Su Che “came back from death,” Jiang Chen felt extremely guilty every time he faced him, which only deepened his hatred to the point where they could no longer coexist.

Song Fatso was of course much better, after all, he was already at the third level of Qi Cultivation, far surpassing Su Che. He said with a smile, “Younger brother Su, since you’ve taken the initiative to challenge me, why wait until half a year later? We can fight now.”
“I can’t now!” Su Che replied calmly, “There’s a huge gap in our strength. You’re at the third level of Qi Cultivation, while I’m only at the first. Moreover, I’ve just become a full disciple and haven’t even learned the most basic spells. Fighting you would mean certain defeat. With a half-year buffer, our duel will be more interesting, won’t it? Senior Song, you don’t think you’ll no longer be my opponent in half a year, do you?”
“Well…”
At this, Song Fatso was at a loss for words, as Su Che’s reasoning was sound and irrefutable. A fight with such a huge disparity in strength would indeed be unfair—it wouldn’t be a duel but rather suicide. Anyone with a bit of common sense would agree that Su Che’s request was entirely reasonable, and half a year wasn’t excessive at all…
Of course, Song Fatso wasn’t willing to give Su Che half a year to grow stronger. Theoretically, Su Che might improve, and so might he, but in just half a year, Su Che couldn’t possibly surpass him.
Yet the stakes were too high—failure would mean leaving Tianxuan Sect, ruining his future completely. After much deliberation, Song Fatso still felt he shouldn’t agree and couldn’t give Su Che another chance to grow; not even half a year!
Under everyone’s gaze, Song Fatso hesitated, desperately searching for a way to counter Su Che’s move… But unexpectedly, his senior sister stepped in and gave Su Che a definitive answer.
“Alright!” Zhen Lan’s voice was clear as she stared at Su Che with her dark eyes, “Your character isn’t great, but you do have courage. I’ll accept this bet on behalf of Junior Jiang and Junior Song! In a few days, I’ll discuss this with Yu Qing. In half a year, you two will settle this at the Competition Peak.”
“Huh?”
Jiang Chen and Song Fatso were stunned. But once Senior Zhen Lan made her decision, it was irreversible. They didn’t have the courage to defy her will.
“Go now!” Zhen Lan turned away, refusing to look at Su Che again.
“Thank you, senior sister,” Su Che said politely with a slight bow, then stood up and gave Jiang Chen a cold glance, making it clear: We’ll settle this in half a year!
Jiang Chen couldn’t help but shiver, his expression growing even darker. Although his current level of Qi Cultivation was the same as Su Che’s—first level—he felt uneasy and lacked any confidence.

“Why? Why does this guy become as terrifying as his natural enemy after rising from the dead?” Jiang Chen himself couldn’t understand why he feared Su Che so much. He had already killed him once with his own hands—couldn’t he kill him again?
Su Che stared straight ahead, walking steadily as he quickly left that troublesome place.
“Haha, Master, that’s right!” Inside the Immortal Prison, Lao He pounded his chest and roared loudly, as if he had finally gotten his revenge: “In half a year, crush them like ants… No, no, no—can’t just kill them outright. We should capture them and let me, Lao He, torment them thoroughly. Let them experience all eighteen combat techniques and the three thousand ways of torture… After that, there will be a second time, a third time—haha!”
“Lao He, where does such confidence come from?” Su Che thought to himself. “Have you never considered the possibility that I might lose?”
“Impossible!”
Lao He leaped up suddenly, kicked Han Youming, who was crouched nearby undergoing ‘treatment’, sending him to the ground, and stood on his back while shouting, “Master, look! Just a lowly character at the third level of Qi cultivation. Not to mention in half a year—even now, we already have them at our feet.”
“In half a year, it will be a fair competition under everyone’s eyes. You can’t show up; you can only rely on my own skills.” Su Che shook his head gently. “Mentally, you can look down on your opponents, but in action, you must not be careless. Remember, Song Pàngzi and Jiang Chen have ‘Zhen Lan’ backing them, so they also have some strength.”
“That’s true.” Lao He kicked Han Youming aside, sat back down on the ground, scratched his head, and began to ponder: “I still need to find a way to speed up your cultivation process…”
“A gem unpolished remains unrefined.” The reason Su Che proposed this duel in half a year was also to push himself and create more urgency for himself.
“One cannot become talented without pressure. One must be harsh on oneself.”
Su Che walked swiftly, already leaving Xuanji City. Gazing at the towering Tianxuan Mountain Range like a celestial wall, he thought to himself, “Becoming a true disciple in five years is just the beginning. My goals go far beyond that…”