A Renowned Mentor Breeds a Traitor

On the arena stage.

Xiao Ruohan stared disdainfully at Liu Weiwei, her voice icy as she sneered,

"Liu Weiwei, never thought you'd see this day, did you?"

"That useless trash everyone looked down on has now become this strong."

The two had once been classmates.

Xiao Ruohan had been the untouchable ice queen of their school.

But when their martial roots awakened, she became a laughingstock.

Their fates couldn’t have been more different—one soared to the heavens, the other plunged into the dirt.

On the day of their awakening at eighteen,

Liu Weiwei’s superior martial roots were revealed, her leg meridians fully unlocked.

She was immediately recruited by Jiangcheng’s top-tier War God Dojo, offered a generous scholarship.

Xiao Ruohan, however, was diagnosed with poor roots—her arm meridians thick and blocked, deemed unfit for martial arts.

She would never forget that moment.

Nor the mocking whispers of their classmates.

Liu Weiwei caught her breath, offering a gentle smile.

"Xiao Ruohan, I’m genuinely happy to see how far you’ve come."

Xiao Ruohan scoffed.

"Cut the act. Don’t play the saint with me."

"You must’ve been thrilled when you saw my diagnosis."

"The top beauty of Jiangcheng, always one step ahead of you—only to end up with inferior roots. Bet you couldn’t stop gloating."

Liu Weiwei quickly shook her head.

"Ruohan, how could you think that?"

"I felt bad for you back then—"

She didn’t understand. They’d barely interacted in school, never clashed.

She’d never mocked Xiao Ruohan during the awakening.

So why did the other girl harbor such hatred?

But to Xiao Ruohan, that day was a humiliation burned into her soul.

The sight of Liu Weiwei, bathed in admiration, had filled her with a jealousy so fierce it still gnawed at her.

"Shut up!" she snapped.

"Stop pretending!"

"Today, I’ll show everyone who the true genius of Jiangcheng is!"

Liu Weiwei hadn’t expected her old classmate to misunderstand her so deeply.

She wanted to explain, but Xiao Ruohan was already attacking.

And the sheer force behind that strike—Liu Weiwei knew she couldn’t withstand it.

Yet surrendering without a fight? Unthinkable.

She unleashed her strongest technique—

Gale God Legs.

Her long legs became a whirlwind, lashing out dozens of times in rapid succession, each kick slicing through the air toward Xiao Ruohan’s palm.

Xiao Ruohan’s lips curled into a sneer, her eyes cold.

"A mantis trying to stop a chariot. Pathetic."

With a single palm strike, a golden dragon’s phantom surged forth, crashing into Liu Weiwei.

The impact sent Liu Weiwei flying, her body slamming against the arena’s edge. Blood sprayed from her lips, her aura collapsing.

To any observer, the fight was over.

Liu Weiwei was defeated, powerless to continue.

But Xiao Ruohan wasn’t done.

She leapt into the air, striking again—this time with lethal intent.

"Dragon Emerges from the Earth!"

Liu Weiwei cried out, "Ruohan! I yield!"

Xiao Ruohan ignored her.

But Chen Feng, their instructor, stood at the arena’s edge.

He heard Liu Weiwei’s surrender clearly.

His brow furrowed as he roared,

"Xiao Ruohan! What are you doing? Stop!"

A second later, a scream tore through the arena.

Xiao Ruohan’s palm struck, leaving a meter-wide crater in the stage.

Liu Weiwei had tried to dodge, to flee—but she was too slow.

Her legs took the full brunt of the blow.

The sickening crunch of shattering bones echoed.

A bloodcurdling shriek followed.

Her once-sleek legs were now mangled, flesh torn, bones grotesquely twisted.

The crowd fell silent, stunned.

No one had anticipated this brutality.

Xiao Ruohan ignored Liu Weiwei’s agonized cries, turning to bow at the judges’ panel.

"The fight was intense. I couldn’t hold back in time."

"Besides, I never expected her to be so weak."

With that, she calmly walked off the stage.

The judges’ faces darkened.

They weren’t fools—they saw through her lies.

Liu Weiwei’s surrender had been audible.

But the decision wasn’t easy.

By the rules, intentionally crippling an opponent meant a lifetime ban.

Yet this was the city finals.

Xiao Ruohan was Jiangcheng’s hope for the provincial and national tournaments.

Banning her would doom the city’s chances.

In the end, they prioritized the bigger picture.

Liu Weiwei’s injuries were ruled an "accidental combat wound."

Chen Feng’s expression was stormy.

He knew the truth—Xiao Ruohan had done this deliberately.

Watching Liu Weiwei writhe in agony, a fury burned in his chest.

He’d seen her potential—a rare talent with a bright future.

But her gentle nature had left her unprepared for the world’s cruelty.

Now, her legs were ruined.

Her martial path—shattered.

She’d be left disabled, worse off than an ordinary person.

As Xiao Ruohan approached, Chen Feng confronted her, voice trembling with rage.

"Xiao Ruohan! Explain yourself!"

He’d never claimed to be a saint.

But cruelty like this crossed every line he had.

If she refused to repent, he vowed silently,

he’d never teach her the final move of the Eighteen Dragon-Subduing Palms.

Even if it cost him his reputation, his rewards—he wouldn’t bend.

His second disciple, Jin Youxi, stood frozen, too afraid to breathe.

She’d never seen her master this enraged.

But even she couldn’t deny—her senior sister’s actions were monstrous.

Xiao Ruohan met Chen Feng’s gaze, silent and cold.

Her parents rushed to her side, snarling at him.

"Chen Feng! How dare you shout at our daughter!"

"Xiao Ruohan is Jiangcheng’s rising star now!"

"She’ll represent the city in the provincial tournament in three months!"

"And starting today, you’re no longer her instructor."

"The War God Dojo has offered her a top-tier contract."

"You’re nothing to her now!"

Chen Feng stiffened.

The War God Dojo’s master stepped forward, smirking.

"Word is, you never signed a contract with your disciples."

"A rookie mistake."

"By the Martial Arts Guild’s rules, Xiao Ruohan is a free agent."

"She can join any dojo she chooses."

The War God Dojo was Jiangcheng’s strongest, its legacy spanning a century.

Liu Weiwei had been their brightest young disciple in the apprentice division.

Her loss today didn’t faze them.

After all, their War God Martial Arts School had never lacked city-level champions.

And this was merely a lowly apprentice-level competition.

The school's true goal this time was Xiao Ruohan and the martial arts techniques she practiced.

As for Liu Weiwei's injury—though unfortunate—it was inconsequential, and the War God Martial Arts School couldn't care less.

Chen Feng clenched his fists, staring intently at the senior disciple he had painstakingly trained for over two years.

He needed an answer from her.

Jin Youxi never expected things to turn out this way. After winning the championship, her senior sister had chosen to join another school.

Stealing a glance at her master’s darkened expression, she mustered the courage to confront the usually untouchable "ice queen" senior sister for the first time, her voice trembling with indignation:

"Senior Sister, are you really betraying Master?"

"Have you forgotten who trained you into the fighter you are today?"