Provoking
Alright, everyone. To motivate you more about donating stones, how about setting up a milestone? I'll post an extra chapter on 100 Stones.
How about that? (This is only a one-time offer.)
***
Mo Qingkuang's words made Han Yan'er blush, fortunately her face was hidden behind her veil, otherwise, she might have been embarrassed by this guy's teasing.
Everyone was stunned by these words.
'You've seen my skills?' Why did it sound so ambiguous? Could there be some hidden relationship between them?
Especially Li Ang, who wished he could pop his eyeballs out and tear Kuang Qing into pieces!
Mo Qingkuang had thick skin; he had done this kind of thing countless times before.
Han Yan'er shot Mo Qingkuang a fierce look, "Hmph, do whatever you want! If anything is broken, be prepared to compensate."
Hearing Han Yan'er's words, Li Ang secretly breathed a sigh of relief. It turned out this Kuang Qing was just a smooth talker. The Ninth Princess, being of royal descent, had a strict upbringing, and she disliked such smooth-talking adventurers.
It seemed that Kuang Qing wasn't much of an opponent. Li Ang decided to go easy on him later; after all, he didn't want to cause too much damage.
"Rest assured, if there's any damage, I'll compensate personally," Li Ang smiled, behaving like a gentleman.
Ignoring him, Han Yan'er shot another glare at Mo Qingkuang and then walked away.
"Young Master Kuang, can we start now?" Li Ang looked at Mo Qingkuang, confident of his impending victory.
The two of them took their positions in the center of the hall, and the unexpected storm was finally about to unfold.
It was a duel between two martial prodigies and also a showdown among the suitors of the Ninth Princess!
"I, Li Ang, entered the first rank of Martial Artist at the age of seven, advanced to Martial Master at sixteen, and currently stand at the pinnacle of first-rank Martial Master. Please enlighten me!" Li Ang proudly declared.
"He's indeed a genius. Standing at the pinnacle of first-rank martial master, just a step away from the second rank. I wonder if this Kuang Qing can surpass him," someone remarked in surprise.
It's important to note that on the Tianhan Continent, cultivators go through various stages, and being in a martial artist realm is a crucial foundation. Cultivators refine their physical bodies, akin to building a foundation for a towering skyscraper. With sufficient talent, the more solid the foundation laid during the martial artist stage, the greater the likelihood of progressing to higher levels.
Hence, practitioners on the Tianhan Continent typically spend more than ten years, or even longer, honing their skills in the martial artist stage. However, as they advance to higher realms, the pace of improvement tends to accelerate.
Some supporters of Kuang Qing chimed in, "Kuang Qing can toy with second-rank martial masters, so what is the pinnacle of the first rank?"
"It's not necessarily true. Our young master can defeat second-rank martial masters as well. Moreover, Kuang Qing's playfulness didn't actually harm Song Qian. Our young master, on the other hand, genuinely defeated a second-rank martial master!" Li Ang's followers immediately voiced their discontent, refuting loudly.
"Hmm..."
"So, Young Master Li can already directly defeat second-rank martial masters. It seems that Kuang Qing might find it challenging to oppose him. On the Young Qilin Ranking, Young Master Li's ranking might be quite high, then."
***
For self-praising individuals like Li Ang, who boasted and arranged for his subordinates to act as supporters, these were just tricks that Mo Qingkuang had seen too many times.
Mo Qingkuang sneered at him and said nonchalantly, "Stop the nonsense; I'm in a hurry."
The proud smile on Li Ang's face gradually stiffened, and he sneered back, "I hope you can be just as tough later!"
He unclasped a silver-gleaming soft sword from his waist, with a sharp green light on the blade, swaying in the air like a probing serpent, aiming to stab at Mo Qingkuang.
'Is he also a wind attribute? But he had average speed, and it seems he is going for a pure attack route?' Mo Qingkuang squinted his eyes, watching the soft sword shake in the air and approach him with a tricky angle.
On the sidelines, Han Yan'er was secretly worried for him.
Although she didn't appreciate Li Ang, his strength was undeniable. Being a wind attribute and adopting a pure attack route, he sacrificed some speed advantages but compensated with a cunning soft sword.
If someone wasn't particularly familiar with a soft sword, even if their cultivation level was higher than Li Ang's, they would probably suffer significant losses.
In her memory, Mo Qingkuang rarely used offensive methods. Even when dealing with Song Qian, he resorted to despicable tricks, relying on speed to stand undefeated against the slow and heavy Song Qian.
Today, Li Ang, though still at the pinnacle of the first rank, was equally a wind attribute with good speed. Comparatively, he posed a more challenging threat than Song Qian.
Like a flash of lightning, the soft sword aimed directly at Mo Qingkuang's chest.
Li Ang had left some room, deliberately deviating a few inches from the heart. At most, Mo Qingkuang would suffer some injuries that would require some time to heal, but not fatal.
He also knew that killing Kuang Qing would have a significant impact on Tianxuan Empire.
Regardless of right or wrong, the hat of being jealous of the talented would be placed on Central Capital's head, discouraging anyone else from joining the royal family.
"I've already shown mercy. If you want to blame someone, blame yourself for climbing a branch you shouldn't have," Li Ang coldly smiled, seemingly envisioning Mo Qingkuang lying in a pool of blood, groaning in pain, and the stunning result of impressing Han Yan'er with his superior strength.
But Mo Qingkuang moved. In a flash, just as the sword edge almost pierced his chest, he suddenly disappeared.
In the blink of an eye, Mo Qingkuang appeared behind Li Ang.
*BANG!*
A sound that seemed painful exploded above Li Ang's head.
Li Ang let out an 'ai' sound, his momentum abruptly stopped. He held his head, grimacing in pain.
"Haha..." Han Yan'er couldn't help but burst into laughter at Li Ang's comical appearance.
This Kuang Qing, his speed was as sharp as ever, and his methods were as disgusting as ever.
The onlookers were also dumbfounded. They had heard that Kuang Qing was extremely fast, but they didn't expect him to be this fast!
The sword tip was only an inch away from piercing his chest, and in the blink of an eye, he vanished, delivering a blow to Li Ang's head.
Indeed, he was as despicable as the rumors suggested.
"Do you want to die?" Li Ang roared angrily. The shame that penetrated his heart was far more painful than the seemingly harmless headbutt.
'I spared your life out of kindness, and you dare to mock me! Do you really think I'm as worthless as Song Qian?'
"Fine, Kuang Qing, you forced me into this!" Li Ang's eyes turned red, and his true qi surged violently.
Mo Qingkuang looked innocent and said, "Weren't you the one pressuring me to fight you all along? If it wasn't my hand just now, but a dagger, you'd be dead by now."
The onlookers were stunned. Yes! Just now, Mo Qingkuang had already reached Li Ang's head. If he had murderous intent, with a dagger in hand, Li Ang would probably have met his demise.
Li Ang was both ashamed and furious, shouting loudly, "Enough of this dagger nonsense! Stop pretending! You don't even have any attacking techniques! If you dare, open up and face me with a real blow!"
He wasn't a fool. Mo Qingkuang had already attacked Li Ang's head just now. If he had murderous intent, stabbing him with a dagger would have been a piece of cake, and Li Ang would probably have died on the spot.
However, Li Ang certainly couldn't admit that he also had his own precautions. He understood that Mo Qingkuang indeed lacked attacking techniques. This recent incident confirmed his belief that Mo Qingkuang wouldn't have any attacking moves, even if he possessed the 'Flower Plucking Manual.'
Even if he had acquired the 'Flower Plucking Manual,' it seemed that he couldn't produce any significant results in these few days.
Mo Qingkuang's speed was truly astonishing, and if he could be provoked into a head-on collision, Li Ang believed he would have the advantage.
Hearing this, Han Yan'er stood up discontentedly and said, "His movement technique is your forte. Why should he give up speed and confront you head-on? Kuang Qing, don't agree to his terms."
"Yes, Kuang Qing must be specialized in speed. Confronting head-on might not be suitable for him!" Some supporters from Mo Qingkuang's side voiced their opinions.
Unexpectedly, Mo Qingkuang didn't reject Li Ang's provocation based on public opinion. Instead, he readily agreed, "Alright, then let's exchange a move!"