Chapter 770: Chapter 770

A single sentence left everyone present dumbstruck, especially the members of the Southern Xingyi School.

The "Junior Brother" he mentioned was none other than Tie Yongwen's closed-door disciple, Du Tianyi. Among the members of the Southern Xingyi School, despite being the youngest, Du Tianyi had the strongest talents and the most powerful abilities. After all, Du Tianyi was the only one among the many disciples of the Southern Xingyi School who could perform Internal Energy Release. He was also the one whom Tie Yongwen focused on cultivating. His strength was recognized by everyone within the Southern Xingyi School, and they all deeply respected his abilities.

Earlier, their anger had left them no time to consider anything else. But now, this sentence immediately brought Du Tianyi to mind for everyone, and each person's expression varied. Just as this man had said, if Du Tianyi were here, there would indeed be no need to worry about this battle. However, Du Tianyi had been driven out of the Southern Xingyi School by Tie Weihua and many others. How could he possibly be here at this time?

Everyone fell into silence. Tie Weihua's complexion changed slightly too, his mood plummeting in an instant. He had managed to stay calm under the elder's pressure, but now, his heart was bleeding.

When he first took charge of the Southern Xingyi School, he was jealous of the abilities of Ye Qing and Du Tianyi, which led him to have conflicts with the two, and even to sever ties with them on behalf of the school. This was especially true for Du Tianyi, whom he had driven out. However, after experiencing some setbacks, he suddenly realized that his belief of being no less capable than Du Tianyi was his greatest mistake. He finally understood why his father, Tie Yongwen, had put so much effort into cultivating both Du Tianyi and Ye Qing: because his own abilities were far inferior to theirs.

Upon realizing this, Tie Weihua felt deep regret for driving Du Tianyi out of the Southern Xingyi School and for becoming Ye Qing's enemy. But regret was futile. All he could do was to exert himself to maintain the Southern Xingyi School. Yet today, he couldn't even maintain the school any longer. At this moment, how he wished Du Tianyi could come back to help.

It wasn't just him; everyone in the Southern Xingyi School, whether they had opposed driving Du Tianyi away or had sided with Tie Weihua to expel him, were now all hoping for Du Tianyi's return. After all, their grievances with Du Tianyi were merely internal disputes between fellow disciples. However, the people from the Northern Xingyi School were a different story!

Although everyone in their hearts longed for Du Tianyi to return, they all knew it was virtually impossible. The news they had received indicated that Du Tianyi had gone to Xi Hang and was staying at the Shen Family Manor. The Shen Family Manor was a Martial Arts Holy Land of the Southern Six Provinces, a place where every martial artist aspired to be. Du Tianyi's acceptance by the Shen Family Manor alone demonstrated his capabilities. Having gone there, how could he possibly return? Thus, everyone knew that hoping for Du Tianyi's assistance was nothing but a fantasy.

"Junior Brother? What Junior Brother?" The elder did not know Du Tianyi's name and looked at the Southern Xingyi School members in surprise, saying, "What, not all of you from the Southern Xingyi School have arrived? Is there still a 'Junior Brother' missing? Humph, you senior brothers are all useless, expecting a junior to turn the tables? Ridiculous!"

"You named Du, don't be too arrogant!" A man at the front couldn't hold back any longer and angrily shouted, "If our Junior Brother were here today, none of your disciples would be a match!"

The elder had initially been greeted with much respect upon entering the Southern Xingyi School, as he was considered Tie Yongwen's junior brother and their elder. But now, they were enraged and spoke without politeness.

Upon hearing this, the elder furrowed his brows and glanced at the man coldly before suddenly stepping forward and reaching out to grab him.

"What are you doing!" The man roared with anger, lifting his hand to block. But his strength was far less than the elder's. With a twist of his wrist by the elder, his wrist broke instantly. The elder, without any pause, slapped the man several times across the face, causing him to be disoriented and fall onto the ground with a thud.

"Ninth Junior Brother!" Another man hurriedly tried to help him, but before he could reach him, the elder grabbed his shoulder and restrained him.

This man immediately attempted to block with his other hand, but he was not much stronger than the first one and was slapped by the elder on the shoulder, dislocating his entire right arm and eliciting a muffled cry of pain.

Seeing this, the members of the Southern Xingyi School could no longer restrain themselves and immediately rushed forward, surrounding the elder.

The people from the Northern Xingyi School, upon seeing this, also charged in, confronting the Southern Xingyi School members. Both sides were in a standoff, with the Southern Xingyi School particularly incensed, almost ready to fight to the death with the elder.

"Everyone, don't be impulsive!" Tie Weihua quickly stood up and loudly tried to stop the members of the Southern Xingyi School. But by now, what he said had little effect. His earlier refusal to fight the Northern Xingyi School had left the members of his own school dissatisfied with his perceived cowardice, and none listened to him anymore.

"What's the matter? Preparing for a group fight?" The elder glanced at the Southern Xingyi School members disdainfully and sneered, "Is this how Tie Yongwen's disciples behave? Bullying by might, using the majority against the few? What, you see the Northern Xingyi School brings fewer people, so you want to use swarm tactics against us?"

"Senior Du, don't worry, we support you!" The man in the Taekwondo uniform who was walking beside him immediately stood up and said loudly, "Humph, people from the Southern Xingyi School have been used to throwing their weight around in Shenchuan City. It's unexpected that with Tie Yongwen gone, these people are still so domineering. Damn it, I just don't accept this behavior. Senior Du, my Taekwondo Gym supports you!"

"Our Sanda gym also supports you!"

"Our Judo gym people support you too!"

The people called by the elder stood up one by one to express their support for him. Within a short time, their numbers had actually surpassed those from the Southern Xingyi School, and their momentum had grown much more formidable. These people were actually the type to sway with the wind; seeing the elder's strength and knowing the Southern Xingyi School was unable to resist, they naturally came out in support of the elder!

"Thank you, thank you all. You truly have the hearts of chivalrous warriors!" the elder laughed heartily as he clasped his hands in thanks to the crowd, then turned to Tie Weihua and said, "Nephew Tie, is the Southern Xingyi School planning to completely lose face this time? Relying on large numbers, do you intend to detain our people from the Northern Xingyi School? Hmph, but justice lies within the hearts of the people present. Everyone here has clear eyes; they can distinguish right from wrong. Nephew Tie, I advise you to restrain yourselves. It wasn't easy for Tie Yongwen to establish the reputation of the Southern Xingyi School; don't waste it so quickly!"

Tie Weihua's brows furrowed deeply. In fact, he was the most irritated of all, but ironically, he couldn't show his anger. As the sect leader, he had to act with composure; otherwise, the Southern Xingyi School would be utterly ruined.

"Brother disciples, don't be impulsive!" Tie Weihua clasped his hands and said, "We are the hosts of the Southern Xingyi School and cannot give others a reason to criticize!"

"Tie Weihua, didn't you see him beating up our Ninth Junior Brother and Fifth Senior Brother just now?" A man shouted out in anger, calling out Tie Weihua's name directly, his rage and distrust towards Tie Weihua reaching the extreme.

Tie Weihua felt somewhat awkward and was about to speak when the elder said coldly, "My beating him is there for all to see. But, you need to understand why I had to hit him. After all, I'm a contemporary of your master, Tie Yongwen. At the very least, you should address me as Uncle Du. What do you mean by calling me 'that Du'? Hmph, is this the attitude of respect for one's masters and the way of the Dao that Tie Yongwen has taught you? It seems that not only has he failed to teach you martial arts, but he has also failed to teach you manners. Since he hasn't done a good job, I shall have to do it myself. What, can't I, as your uncle, discipline you a bit?"

"Even if you were disciplining, wasn't Uncle Du's approach too heavy-handed?" Tie Weihua said gravely.

"You can't blame me for that!" the elder waved his hand and said, "I originally only wanted to give a slight punishment, but he dared to strike at me, which is outrageously disrespectful. Besides, if he dares to attack me, and I don't defend myself properly, I would likely be the one at a disadvantage!"

"Senior Du, why waste words with these people?" the man from the Taekwondo gym shouted indignantly, "What kind of crap is this Southern Xingyi School? It's all just hearsay. Tie Yongwen, and his so-called heroic deeds, all nonsense. The Southern Xingyi School is nothing compared to the Northern Xingyi School, and there's no need for it to exist anymore. From today on, the only Xingyi School in my eyes is Senior Du's Northern Xingyi School. The Southern Xingyi School no longer exists!"

This man's words immediately set off a tumult among the people of the Southern Xingyi School. As for the man's response, it was simple; he spread his hands and said, "Don't waste your breath on me, don't make a fuss. If you're really capable, why don't you fight with the people from the Northern Xingyi School? What's the use of shouting at me? What, did Tie Yongwen only teach you how to talk, not how to fight?"

The members of the Southern Xingyi School were furious, but at that moment, strength was all that mattered, and who among them could fight with the Northern Xingyi School?

Just as the atmosphere had become extremely awkward, and the people of the Southern Xingyi School were nearly driven to despair, suddenly, a hearty voice came from outside the door.

"By that logic, are you implying that you're very skilled in fighting? How about we spar a bit first?"

The voice wasn't loud, but it was just loud enough for everyone to hear. Upon hearing this voice, the people of the Southern Xingyi School were first stunned, then overcome with joy.

"It's Junior Brother!"

"Junior Brother is back!"

The crowd nearly went wild, all shouting at once as they turned their heads toward the direction of the door. Excitement was written all over their faces, and indeed, some began pinching their legs, wondering if they were dreaming or seeing an illusion.