Chapter 48: A Test of Skill

  "And hurt these flowers and grasses." Shen Cong looked at the surrounding trees, which had already been emptied by Cao Yu's aura.

  Cao Yu still didn't make a move, if it were somewhere else, he would have taken care of Shen Cong with one move, and there's no way Shen Cong could still be standing. But now they're at the Jade Maiden Peak, all the disciples' eyes are focused on him and Shen Cong. If Shen Cong gets hurt for no reason, they'll definitely think it was him.

  Today, Luo Qianyun's attitude was strange. If she had been provoked to anger because of this, it would have been completely worthless. Thinking about this, Cao Yu could only swallow his anger. There were still many days ahead, and they were in the same school. Cao Yu had various ways to make trouble for Shen Cong, but now he couldn't let things go wrong because of Shen Cong.

  The two parties ended their first conversation in discord, and Shen Cong was very regretful. He was even more regretful about the surrounding flowers that had been destroyed. Walking back to his room, Shen Cong didn't mind what had happened earlier and sat down cross-legged again. If anything were to happen, it would be later on. As for what would eventually happen in the future, who could predict it?

  For three consecutive days, Shen Cong spent his time in the house. Since he had made up his mind to pursue Lin Liting, Shen Cong naturally had to make preparations. If he went out and flirted with other women, he would likely be thrown down the mountain by Luo Qianyun. But on the fourth day, Shen Cong left the house, not because of Lin Liting, but because Cao Yu wanted to compete with Li Muying.

  When Shen arrived at the martial arts arena, it was already packed with people. The eyes of all the disciples were focused on the two people in the arena. One was their senior sister Li Muying, and the other was their ideal partner Cao Yu. When Cao Yu expressed his affection to Li Muying, he unknowingly broke the hearts of many young girls.

  Luo Qian sat at the high place, today she was also idle, watching her most favored disciple being chased by someone, Luo Qian had a strange feeling in her heart. She actually hoped that Li Muying would defeat Cao Yu, to shake the prestige of Yujinfeng. But she also hoped that Li Muying could lose, and marry Cao Yu, which wasn't a bad thing either.

  Women can't be too proud, Luo Qianyun was harmed by this personality when she was young, so she naturally doesn't want her disciples to take the old path. Thinking of this, Luo Qianyun's eyes involuntarily looked into the distance, those clouds constantly changing, as if forming a human face, Luo Qianyun actually looked a bit infatuated.

  "Li Shimei, we can say anything to each other, why must we resort to violence here?" Cao Yu said with a suave smile, eliciting some shrill cries from the female disciples.

  "You are not the one I like." Li Muying said calmly, looking at Cao Yu.

  Cao Yu's eyes flickered slightly, but his smile remained unchanged. "It would be better if you told me, who can win your favor, I will go visit and learn from them!"

  "There may not be that person, perhaps never will be, or perhaps has yet to appear." Li Mianying's eyes seemed to have a hint of longing, but immediately retracted and rose, "You are not the one I like, but since Master has allowed you to pursue me, I also cannot refuse. Today, you only need to defeat me here, and we will spend some time together, whether it succeeds or not, depends on fate."

  Cao Yu's smile grew brighter, he was self-proclaimed extraordinary, and if he showed affection to any woman, they would eagerly come to him. But those women who took the initiative to approach him would soon become bored after playing with them for a while. On the contrary, Li Muyan's aloofness attracted him. The more difficult it was to get her, the more Cao Yu wanted to conquer her, only then would it be interesting.

  "Since you want to test your skills, I'll accompany you this time!"

  Li Moying looked at Cao Yu, "I hope Brother Master can use his full strength, no need to worry about how Sister will be. If really defeated, it can only prove that Sister's skills are not refined. But if Brother Master holds back and is won over by Sister, next time there will be no such opportunity, I hope Brother Master understands!"

  Cao Yu's expression solidified, and he had indeed wanted to show off his demeanor. Now it seemed that this joke couldn't be made. He pointed a finger at the sky, and what was originally a calm martial arts arena suddenly started to get windy. At first, it was small, but in just an instant, the wind and sand around him began to swirl, and even some of the weaker female disciples were having trouble standing upright.

  "Great cultivation, senior brother!"

  Li Muying's eyes lit up slightly, and a red glow flashed. A huge fireball had already fallen from the sky, violently crashing towards Cao Yu. Even though the surrounding wild winds responded to it, trying to block it, they were all crushed, but in an instant, it arrived above Cao Yu.

  In the midst of a deafening explosion, the spot where Cao Yu was standing suddenly shattered, sending various rocks flying in all directions. The female disciples around him let out a cry of surprise, worried about his safety. But upon closer inspection, there was only the charred ground, with no sign of Cao Yu's figure anywhere.

  Shen Cong raised his head to gaze at the sky, and Cao Yu was already there, with his hands behind his back. The clear wind blew by, and he looked effortlessly elegant. The female disciples also noticed Cao Yu up there and couldn't help but cheer and rise to their feet.

  Cao Yu listened to the cheers, his face showed no pride, but his eyes had a few more sparks. A ray of light appeared under his feet, and his body, which was about to land, stood directly on it. Seeing this scene, the cheers actually rose again.

  Shen Cong looked at the scene below, dumbfounded and lost in laughter. These female disciples were a bit like the die-hard fans of the previous generation, they were all so crazy about the people they liked. And Cao Yu indeed had that good-looking face, and he usually tried to avoid his own shortcomings, naturally making these young girls infatuated with him.

  Li Moying looked up at Cao Yu, his face expressionless. His hands moved in unison with the spell, attacking Cao Yu once again. If it were any ordinary warrior facing Cao Yu who was now standing in mid-air, they would probably be worried. But Li Moying himself was a master of magic, and this distance posed no problem for him, unless Cao Yu planned to continue rising, but at that point, Cao Yu's own magic would also lose its power.

  One person controls the wind, one person controls fire, and both are geniuses in their craft. This battle is indeed a spectacular sight. Cao Yu initially seemed to want to show some elegance, but as the fight progressed, he too gradually became serious. Li Muying was not just a pretty face, but the first disciple of Yunnan Peak, and compared to him, Cao Yu was only slightly inferior, no way to back down.

  Shen Cong's gaze was fixed intently on him, and the battle between a technician and a warrior was indeed different. It is said that thousands of years ago, the status of technicians far surpassed that of warriors, and with just a wave of their hand, they could move mountains and fill seas, and were even revered by ordinary people as superior immortals. However, this phenomenon gradually changed with the rise of warriors, and now they are completely equal.

  Cultivation of the nine stages, at the beginning, there may be differences between the Taoist and the warrior, and many talented Taoists far surpass the warriors in combat power. Challenging higher levels is a simple matter. However, after reaching the later stages, especially after the sixth stage, it's no longer that easy to challenge higher levels. By then, the warriors have acquired some long-range attack methods, and in close combat, they are even more unmatched by the Taoists.

  Naturally, these two methods of practice have no distinction in terms of high or low, good or bad; it all depends on the individual's innate ability and understanding of the secret teachings. Everything is dead, only the person is alive, and nothing can be directly defined.

  "Boom!"

  Suddenly, an explosion erupted in the arena, and two figures separated, observing each other from a distance. Li Muying's chest was slightly heaving, her face even more flushed, clearly she hadn't gained the upper hand in their previous collision. In fact, Cao Yu had the advantage thanks to his special treasure's protection.

  This advantage may not be very obvious, but as it goes on, this advantage will be amplified, and whether it will become a decisive force in the end is also uncertain.

  "Li Shimei is indeed well-cultivated, and within the sect, there are only a few who can stand shoulder to shoulder with her." With a hint of superiority, Cao Yu's face broke into a smile.

  "Senior brother is overpraising me, junior sister doesn't deserve such praise. On the contrary, senior brother's unorthodox skills are truly formidable."

  Cao Yu's eyes revealed a hint of pride, though not obvious, but also showed his current mood, very enjoyable. Pale blue light enveloped Cao Yu, these were the wind attribute spirit energies, which not only increased defense, but also accelerated the speed of spell attacks, and all of this was provided by the treasure underfoot.

  "Sister will be careful next time, brother must be serious."

  "Also, please ask Brother to make a move, and then Sister will follow!" Li Mò Yǐng's expression turned serious, and a fiery red light burst into the sky, his originally handsome appearance was set off by a sacred and inviolable aura.

  A glint flashed in Shen's eyes, and the two sides finally began to fight seriously. It was worth his trip here to see this. What kind of power did a 4th-stage Condensed Yuan cultivator possess? Would he lose if he went head-to-head with him? If he transformed into his Corpse Dryad form, what were his chances of winning?

  While the excitement was going on here, a secret room in the back of Jade Maiden Peak suddenly shook, and then the stone gate burst open with a loud noise. A clear whistle came from inside, and there was actually an atmosphere of thunderous movement within.

  "That's the voice of Lin Shijie, could it be that she has successfully advanced to the next level? Let's hurry over and take a look!" The Jade Maiden Peak disciples who were guarding the back mountain ran quickly to the front of the secret room, where someone was already standing. Who else could it be but Lin Liting?

  Warm light treasure jade, Lin Liting's skin tone at this moment is like the brightest gem under the sky, emitting a dazzling glow that makes it hard for people to look directly. The disciples who rushed over were overjoyed, this was clearly a sign of successful breakthrough, and because their cultivation had not yet been fully retracted, they would have that spiritual light shining through.

  "Congratulations to Lin Shijie on successfully breaking through the ranks!"

  Lin Liting woke up from her special state, looking at the few people below, and a joyful expression also appeared on her face. "Thanks to several sisters for waiting here, Liting did not disappoint everyone's hopes, and finally broke through successfully!"

  "It's really great, if Master knew this news, she would be overjoyed. Now, my Jade Maiden Peak finally has two disciples who have reached the fourth stage of Condensed Yuan cultivation, and we are already among the top in all peaks."

  Moreover, Lin Shi Jie specialized in Thunderbolt Techniques. Even those fourth-grade condensed Yuan peak masters didn't dare to guarantee a win against her. This was the most important thing, truly wonderful! The crowd's hearts were filled with joy and pride for the honor of their peak.

  Lin Liting's face wore a smile, "This time in seclusion, I don't know how many years have passed, I've been in this secret room for several days already?"

  "Not many, just right at eight, but it is an extremely smooth number."

  "Eight days? Has it been that long? Then I've missed Master's birthday." Lin Liting felt a bit regretful, "What happened on the day of the birthday, tell me about it."

  Five minutes later, a flash of lightning flashed from the back mountain.

  Several female disciples behind the mountain were looking at Lin Liting's disappearance in an incredible way. They had only said a few words, how could they leave so anxiously? They still wanted to say more and get closer to Lin Liting.

  "Isn't it because Lin Shijie heard that someone had come especially for her, so she's excited?" A female disciple suddenly giggled and said.

  "It's possible, but Lin sister's expression doesn't seem excited, instead it seems somewhat angry?" someone said uncertainly.