The woman's real iion was to get my dual cultivation teiques.

  Uanding the situation, Lin Hao mocked, "What? Not satisfied with the current state and want to experienething more fulfilling?"

  Shui Ling'er raised her delicate eyebrows and bit her lip, "Lin, we've already discussed this. Let go of me."

  "Who told you we had an agreement?" Lin Hao tightened his grip on her wrist, leaving a red mark on her fair, smooth skin.

  "Lin, don't go too far!"

  "Is this too far?"

  "Then you haven't seen anythi."

  Lin Hao was almost face to face with her.

  "I'm curious, how did you sneak into my cave dwelling without a sound? You must have cultivated some stealth teiques."

  "Here's the deal, I'll give you two choices."

  "Either hand over the teique or face my judgment right here."

  "Heh, I hope you choose the tter."

  Lin Hao's lips curled into a wicked smile.

  Sensing that Lin Hao was serious, Shui Ling'er was frightened. Despite her charm teiques, she was still a maiden at heart.

  Her face turned pale, "Lin Hao, don't act recklessly. We talk this out."

  "Don't test my patience. Make your choice quickly," Lin Hao said impatiently.

  Realizing she had no choice, Shui Ling'er regretted provoking this sdrel. Now she was trapped.

  Today wouldn't end well, she sighed heavily.

  pared to her own purity, she could only choose to offer the escape teique, though she felt unwilling.

  She had paid a great price to obtain this teique.

  But as she felt his hand nearing the forbidden, she cried out sharply, "Stop!"

  With a thought, a jade slip taining the teique appeared.

  "Here it is."

  Lin Hao drew the jade slip into his hand a a strand of his sciouso exami, immediately captivated by the intricacy of the escape teique.

  This teique could hide one's aura and quickly escape or approach a target.

  Seeing Lin Hao's eagerness, Shui Ling'er was filled with rese. This sdrel was overly cautious, fearing she might deceive him.

  Lin Hao only needed a brief look to realize the teique's profoundness, clearly not a fery. He then recorded the tents onto a bnk jade slip.

  After rec the teique, Lin Hao released her hand.

  "Go on, why aren't you leaving?"

  Seeiill there, he urged her to leave.

  "Return the jade slip to me."

  "That's not possible," Lin Hao said nontly, pying with the jade slip.

  "I'll keep this jade slip temporarily to prevent you from acg me of attag a fellow disciple and stealing teiques."

  "…"

  Shui Ling'er eechless.

  She left in a huff.

  ...

  During the Lesser Heat, the air was steaming, and the rare herbs on the mountain were wilting.

  Disciples of Little Bamboo Peak rode flying swords, casting water spells t down rain and drive away the summer heat.

  Their graceful figures brought ess but also stirred the hearts of many male disciples.

  With nothier to do, they looked up at the sky, hoping to enter a generous fairy, but luck wasn't on their side.

  After looking up for a long time, they didn't see the se they wished for.

  Among the crowd were young men in white robes with the character "Xuan" embroidered on their chests. They were elite inner disciples, usually out on missions, earning tribution points and seizing opportunities, fearing to fall behind on the Immortal Path.

  But with the inner sepetition approag, they had all returo prepare for it.

  Seeing the gawking male cultivators, the elite disciples felt disdain. A bunch of lustful fools, didn't they know that desire was a stumbling blo the path to immortality?

  However, they weren't there to s the fallen male cultivators but to gather news.

  To see if any rising stars had emerged and prepare termeasures in advance.

  "Rising stars? I'm not sure, but there's a fiere from Great Bamboo Peak," said a burly male cultivator, rubbing his sore neck.

  "A fiere from Great Bamboo Peak? Tell us more."

  "This fiere is named Lin Hao. He was unknown ier sect but rose powerfully during the outer sepetition, g the top spot."

  "Heh, is that all?" A young man with a jade-like fad disdain in his eyes asked. Which elite disciple hadered the inner sect as the top of the outer sect?

  Could this be called fierce? It seemed the newers weren't very strong.

  "Hey, don't be hasty. I haven't finished yet!

  This fiere colluded with a female demon cultivator and released a thousand great demons!"

  "Oh my, itting such a heinous crime, wasn't he stripped of his cultivation and expelled from the sect?"

  "No…"

  "Lin Hao is Master Feng's st disciple, you should know…" The burly cultivator lowered his voice.

  "Everyone in the Xuan Yi knows Master Feng is fiercely protective.

  Not to mentio disciple, even if an ordinary disciple made a mistake, she would defend them."

  "Didn't the Discipline Elder seek justice?"

  "He did, but Master Feng spped him away."

  "…"

  The person rubbed his , feeling bitter. This was indeed a fiere, not to be provoked, especially not the disciple of that person.

  ...

  Leng Feng sat at the mountain peak, the strong wind making her clothes flutter, a long sword resting across her knees.

  A high-grade yellow-tier magical treasure, Wenxin.

  Since her defeat by Lin Hao ier sepetition, she had been practig swordsmanship atop this thousand-foot-high peak.

  Everything that happened on that stage was etched deeply in her mind.

  She started cultivating at six, practiced swordsmanship at eight, and joihe Xuan Yi, fighting all the way without ever losing.

  Lin Hao was the first to defeat her, so she gave him her previous sword.

  Her goal was to surpass him in their duel and recim her sword!

  For this, she practiced swordsmanship day and night against the fierce winds, her uanding of the sword path growing ever deeper.

  Aunt Xue said her sword skills were no weaker than a mid-Foundatioablishment cultivator, but she felt it wasn't enough.

  "To ease the obsession in my heart, there's no choice but to train diligently!"

  "I hope to face Lin Hao again in the inner sepetition!"

  Standing at the mountain peak, Leng Feng's eyes shone like stars, a faint smile on her heroic face.

  Peerjun