The two opponents faced each other in the arena, ready for battle.

　　Linlang tightly clenched her fist as she saw Gu Ling who was standing in front of her. At this moment, all his past insults suddenly appeared in her mind’s eye, giving further resolve in her obstinate little face.

　　If I lose the battle today, she thought, I’ll probably never be able to recover from the reality of it all!

　　Especially this grudge that I’m holding, that I can never get over. 

　　“Linlang.” Gu Ling raised his chin arrogantly, coldly fixing his attention on the petite yet exquisite girl before him, “I don’t want to hurt you. How about this – you admit defeat and I’ll let you off. What do you say?”

　　Linlang raised her head and stared with full determination at Gu Ling in front of her.

　　“Gu Ling, I’ve been waiting for this fight for a very long time! This is a rare opportunity. So even if you kill me, I’ll never admit defeat.”

　　“You fail to appreciate my kindness!”

　　Gu Ling laughed coldly then slowly raised his hand. With one gentle wave, he raised a catastrophic storm and directed it straight towards Linlang.

　　Linlang failed to dodge in time and was hit by the violent storm squarely on her chest. Her body was slammed a few steps back and stopped in a screeching halt at the edge of the arena.

　　She wiped off her bloodstains before charging quickly at Gu Ling. Her eyes were filled with such resolve that it was hurtful to watch.

　　Before Linlang could even reach Gu Ling, the man suddenly lifted his leg and directed it at Linlang’s chest. Blood sputtered from Linlang as her body was flung high up into the air. Then, with a sudden leap, Gu Ling landed his fist onto Linlang, slamming her onto the ground.

　　Thump!

　　Her body landed heavily on the ground and smashed through a layer of wooden planks in the arena. The amount of force that Gu Ling had used in this one attack was clear for all to see.

　　“Linlang!!!”

　　The disciples of the Dongfang family began to panic as they screamed wildly with concern.

　　Even Dongfang Changjin felt her heart fill with worry. After all, the contrast in the level of strength between both parties was far too great. She didn’t know if allowing Linlang to go into battle was the right decision…

　　“Cough, cough!”

　　Linlang coughed and spat out a mouthful of fresh blood. She wiped away the blood from her lips and staggered to her feet.

　　“I must not lose!”

　　I refuse to lose! She thought as she tightened her resolve.  Not only for the sake of shaking off the shadows of my past but also because I refuse to betray the hopes of those who believe in me!

　　“Such extreme stubbornness!” Gu Ling stared mockingly at the faltering woman and exclaimed with a disdainful look on his face, “Linlang, I’m the sun and moon, you are but a single grain of rice. Your light can never eclipse me. Everything that you will suffer today was brought upon yourself by your own doing. If you had only obeyed my wishes like a good little girl, wouldn’t things have turned out better?”

　　Bang!

　　Then, with a single wave of his hand, he raised a storm of dust and nearly caused Linlang’s staggering body to topple over once more. Luckily, she drew her sword and blocked his attack in the nick of time, digging her heels into her stance.

　　However, it became very obvious that Gu Ling has no intentions of letting Linlang off so easily. His attacks landed like a thunderstorm on Linlang, coming at her one after another — mercilessly.

　　This was clearly a case of one-sided abuse. Many in the audience had to turn away as they were unable to continue watching the fight.

　　Linlang raised her hand to shield her head, forcibly stiffening her dainty little body to resist the merciless attacks as blood trickled endlessly from her mouth. However, she never begged for mercy the entire time nor did she make a single sound.

　　“That’s enough, Linlang. Admit defeat now! You’re no match for him!”

　　Dongfang Changjin’s expression changed greatly as she screamed in panic.

　　Admit defeat? Linlang smiled bitterly, I’ve waited far too long for this day. How could I give up just like this?