Noble Aspirations Episode 8

ep 8 spoilers ahead

1.Our drama opens with Xiao Fan (rather cutely) practicing giving a pastry he made to Lin Er. He spends so much time practicing that the girls dorm opens and the very serious/stoic Xue Qi (?) comes out and judges him for not concentrating on the competition (well, she is right, but she didn't have to trample over his feelings..). Xiao leaves, eats the cake, and thinks of everyone in his life who has essentially said the same thing. Unable to finish eating, he flings it away.

2.We go to the competition: everyone thinks they are being supportive but they don't realize that their words are only making him feel worse (for ex, winning doesn't matter! come on guys). The moment he produces his weapon, the crowd laughs. After all, yesterday, somebody used a dice, today its a torch...

3.After he is knocked down, Xiao begs senior to 'give it his all' i.e. he knows he has been fighting him half heartedly. Now the real fight begins! Xiao wins overwhelmingly so, causing all the students to accuse him of cheating and using demonic magic (it should be noted that the torch emanated power after he was cut but it is not clear if it is blood or hate that empowers it). The students back off when Senior tells them to but even the leaders ask Xiao what kind of demonic treasure he holds--but Xiao defends it and calls it his 'treasure'

4.Zheng Shu Shu (goofy guy, in love with Xue Qi), Xue Qi, and Xiao hang out for a bit as they are teaming up to look for the thief who attempted to steal the treasure (the competition prize: Nine Rights Cauldron)

5.Later, as they wait for the thief, Xue Qi and Xiao are alone. Noticing that her eyes keep following him, he asks her why, and she admits he is 'full of tyrannical aura' and that he should be careful :/

6.Of course there plan is to use a decoy Nine Cauldrons. OF COURSE the thief sees them switch it out, doing all the hard work for him. Naturally he steals it from them. Now they have to chase it down. They manage to get it back, but still get into trouble. Not being idiots, the sect leaders knew someone tried to take it. They placed a spell on it so that when the thief tried again, they could track him down. Unfortunately, the students foiled this by interfering. They get yelled at.

7.Everyone continues to underestimate Xiao Fan's ability (with reason) (I kind of feel bad for him, having to bow his head constantly) (I mean no one has any confidence him to the point that they are all watching Lin Er, the only other student to move forward besides him)

8.Now Xiao Fan is stuck wondering if he is winning (because he continues to win) because of his own skill or because of the torch he has (also, he can't even remember the move he used to win...is he the re-incarnation of somebody?)

9.Jung Yue (his best friend!) confronts him alone, challenges him to a fight, even though he does not want to, and essentially challenges him until he fights him. Jung Yue wins, but Xiao does not use his 'special move' i.e. no magic etc. Yue accuses him of using evil magic, and asks him how he came by the torch, and accuses him of lying (!) this seems a bit over the top. I think Yue is jealous.

10.We later learn that anybody who learns martial arts from two sects is breaking a big rule, gets expelled, martial arts broken (Xiao dejectedly asks this of a friend)

11.Not only does he win (and only after he was yelled at for not fighting back), but his win infuriates other sect members who are convinced he is using demonic magic. Even a 'friend' punches him in the face. Only his sect brothers defend him.

12.After sect leaders arrive and break up the fight, the students under Tian are lectured. When his shifu asks him, Xiao admits he is able to be so skilled because of a magic treasure matched to him. His teacher says that only someone who has mastered level 4 magic can be matched like that, which would mean that he learned magic behind his back (he has only been taught up to level 2 magic). In truth, Lin Er has been teaching him the third level. However, he doesn't sell her out, but punishment could be to reflect for 10 years or exile....

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