61-70

Chapter 61 Goodbye, Bella

"Okay."

A cold and short reply hit him as if Bella was completely done with him. She ignored him afterward, looking like she was preparing for a battle.

Why did it have to end up like this?

Why?

They have been so good with each other, cuddling and enjoying. Suddenly, it was all gone, with just a few words influenced by anger. He was trying to provoke her into an argument, so they can finally squish this beef yet it backfired at him.

'She was right. I'm stupid…' Drakos declared in his mind, unable to explain his current behavior. He was acting like a total jerk and douche.

How was that supposed to work on a woman like Bella?!

Arrrgghh!

Drakos grunted at his stupidity and bit on another Fate Stone sticking out from the pile. It would be best if he slowly absorbed the Fate Qi from it but he didn't really have much time to spare. If he wanted to redeem himself and help her, that was the only chance they had.

He couldn't just hate Bella, even after she rejected him, but his hurt ego ruined everything for them.

Crushing Fate Stones into small chunks, Drakos swallowed them all while digesting them in his stomach to speed up the process. His Cultivation was growing steadily, but it was still too slow than what he wished for. Recalling the last time he sneaked into the Dwarf Kingdom to steal Fate Stones, the King of Dwarfs mobilized his force in less than thirty minutes.

He unconsciously gazed at Bella and his heart broke again, seeing her sitting on one of the Fate Stones Ore mountains while staring at the entrance.

'Damn it! Damn it!' Drakos cursed as his claws shining with golden light. He smashed the gigantic chucks first, searching for the biggest Fate Stones.

He had to make it! He didn't want to live through that again.

Back when he got caught by Dwarfs, he spent years being used by them until he finally found a way to escape. They will not let him go this easily for the second time.

When Drakos told Bella of any possible ways out, he lied. There was one more way and that was teleporting away using a special Artefact that could break through all restrictions. Unfortunately, he only had one of them.

If he could reach the Celestial Stage, there was a chance both of them could escape, even if he had to sacrifice his Celestial Body.

After ten minutes and one mountain, Drakos' stomach already hurt, filled with a lot of dirt left on the Fate Stones, but the effort paid off.

Immortal Stage!

His Dragon body grew in size with each minute, his scales becoming more blue and sturdy. With his Fate Qi body, as long as he consumed enough Fate Stones, he could raise in cultivation when he wished. There were enough Fate Stones in this storage to even push him beyond the Celestial Stage but he didn't have that much time.

He was about to fly over to the next pile when the entrance door suddenly creaked, beginning to open.

"So soon?!" Drakos cried out. He needed more time to save them! "Bella! Stop them from entering! We need more time!"

The call to Bella came on instinct, as that was their only hope. Too bad, Bella was completely ignoring him.

"Bella! This is serious! I can save us if you give me more time!" Drakos called out again and only then did Bella turn around, gazing at him with dead eyes.

"You talking to me? I thought you want me to be a slave for the Dwarfs so I decided I will just wait and give myself to them. It's exactly what you wanted. You should be happy."

Drakos' heart stopped at that comment, especially when she spoke in her serious tone.

"You can go escape on your own with your soul as you said. I don't mind. We are just strangers now so you shouldn't worry about me," Bella added, deepening Drakos' depression.

He momentarily dropped all the acts.

"Nooo! I didn't mean it! I never wanted you to be hurt! I was just acting like a sore loser who got rejected! Please, trust me this one last time. I can save us both! Stop them for ten minutes and we will escape!"

He ignored her right after, rushing to the next pile of Fate Stones. He didn't hesitate and bit on the shiny golden crystals, swallowing them whole. If he didn't speed up, there was no way he could make it in time.

Their fate was entirely in Bella's hands. If he didn't reach the Celestial Stage, which allowed him to create a human form, he wouldn't be able to destruct his body and escape with his soul.

Drakos was worried she wouldn't listen once again when he heard an explosion.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Heatwave spread even to his side but compared to Bella's direct flame, it was nothing to him. The entrance door that opened inward was shut by her fireballs, but the Dwarfs didn't give up, raging from the other side.

The opening mechanism of the doors combined with the strength of the Giant Dwarfs was enough to create an opening in the door, gaining an advantage over her.

"DRAKOS! YOU DARE COME BACK AND STEAL AGAIN! YOU WILL NOT ESCAPE THIS TIME, YOU THIEF!"

A loud bellow broke through the Dwarfs' shouts, making Drakos shudder. The King of Dwarfs wasn't someone to mess with, especially when he moved with his army.

Putting all faith in Bella, Drakos continued to cultivate and observed the ongoing battle with one eye in case he had to use his last resort to save her.

"YOUR FLAMES WILL NOT STOP M—" King of Dwarfs called out dominantly but his words were cut off by a sea of flames that escaped through the entrance, spilling like a tsunami on the army of Dwarfs.

Even after everything that Drakos said, she still trusted him for the last time.

'Do I even deserve her?' Drakos couldn't help but ask himself an important question. Even he would hate himself for the words he said.

'At least I can save her to pay her back… It was never her fault… I created the problem from nothing. Damn it!'

One minute, two minutes, five minutes.

The King of Dwarfs was getting pissed off at the constant flames that burst out from the Storage, so he eventually brought a gigantic shield, blocking the flames as they pushed inside the Storage.

"PUSH FORWARD! PREPARE THE NETS! HE CAN'T PRODUCE FLAMES ENDLESSLY!" King of Dwarfs shouted commands as they pressed through the gap in the door when Bella changed her tactic.

Pa!

A flaming chunk of Fate Stone Ore smashed against the shield, exploding upon impact.

Pa! Pa!

Two more followed suit until Bella blasted the whole mountain of ore at the door, burying them completely. She didn't stop at one but flew to another pile and covered the doors with another layer. If they wanted to get to them, it would take them a while to uncover the entrance.

He didn't see when but Bella suddenly appeared above him, gazing at him coldly.

"I gave you one last chance. If you betray me again, you and I are done forever," Bella announced. "Even if you save us, we will still not return to how we were before. I might have been cruel by not considering your feelings but you should have known how I am from the start. I wanted to forgive you for leaving me but your words from earlier hurt me. I don't want to have a friend like this."

As she said so, Bella flew away, hovering between him and the entrance.

"Hurry up."

Drakos could only lament at his stupidity, but it was too late to change the history.

"I'm sorry I hurt you…" Drakos replied with a sigh of regret. "I understand your decision and I will not lose your trust again."

Drakos' body grew the more he ate, until eventually, it began to shrink, turning into golden light. His four legs turned into a pair of arms and legs while his long neck shortened into that of a human.

Black hair spilled from his head as his golden eyes snapped open. A robust man in his thirties quickly covered his naked body with a set of black clothes and flew up in the air where Bella was. The pile covering the entrance was already vibrating, showing Dwarfs were near.

"Bella…" Drakos muttered her name, his brows relaxing while his deep voice softened ten times.

She turned around, eyes widening at his new look, but they quickly returned to normal.

"How do we leave?" Bella asked straight forward.

"Can I approach you?" Drakos questioned, trying not to scare her away.

Thankfully, she nodded.

He pulled out a sky blue box from his Storage Ring as he stopped a meter away from her and explained, "This Spirit Artefact will transport us away. Please hold it. We don't have time."

"Can't you do it?" Bella wondered confused, not even reaching out for it, but Drakos insisted.

"No, you have to hold it else it won't work. Hurry!"

Bella knitted her eyebrows at his yell, but she still took the box. Only then did Drakos relaxed, taking a deep breath.

"How do I activate it?" Bella questioned as she observed the box, but Drakos suddenly distanced himself from her, replying, "You don't need to do anything. It will activate on its own."

Bang!

The chunks of ore burst from the pile in all directions as the King of Dwarfs' angry voice hit them.

"YOU CAN'T ESCAPE ME!"

Click.

Before Bella could speak, Drakos snapped his fingers, and the box in Bella's hand activated. It's corners expanded in eight directions and passed through her body, creating a giant cube of her size that swallowed her inside.

"You—" She wanted to question, yet Drakos cut her off.

"I'm sorry for everything… I don't deserve your trust. I lied to you again," Drakos muttered, his eyes gazing into hers as he placed his hand on the cube. "This Spirit Artefact has only energy to carry one person out of here, so I can't go with you. I also forgot that I can't escape with my soul as it still didn't heal enough from the last time. I guess I will have to suffer from the tortures."

Bang!

Bella smashed her first into the cube, but it didn't even leave a mark.

"It's useless. You can't break it. The box will soon teleport you away to a safe distance. You said that only someone ready to die for another person could love them. Let it be the proof of my feelings for you," Drakos muttered, bringing out a smile for her. "Too bad, I'm the worst of the sort. I tried to be good, but it seems I will forever be a degenerate. You deserve better than me, so please forget about me."

Bzzz!

The sky blue cube began to shine brightly right after his words, making Bella scream from the inside.

"No! Stop this! Let me out!"

Their hands touched from both sides of the glass-like box, yet he couldn't feel her warmth anymore.

"Goodbye, Bella."

Chapter 62 Scram!

"You promised! Don't break it again!"

"Let me help! We can defeat them together!"

"Drakos!!!"

No matter what she screamed, Drakos no longer spoke to her, turning his back to her as he hovered between her and the incoming army of Dwarfs. They already broke through the blockade by the entrance, spilling out from the hole endlessly. Even if Drakos tried to escape, there was no way out other than battling them all.

Bella watched his back with a mix of emotions troubling her mind. She was unable to avert her gaze away. No matter how angry she was at him, Bella just didn't want to leave him alone.

"Drakos! Let's see how much did your strength improve compared to the last time!" King of Dwarfs cried out happily as he swung a giant hammer the size of a house. His body was already five-meter taller than the other Dwarfs as well as bigger in size, both his arms and torso. He seemed old, his white beard reaching to his chest but the age didn't take his energy.

If it was just the King of Dwarfs, Bella believed Drakos could handle it, but the other Dwarfs in assistance made her worried.

'I'm worried… about him?' Bella questioned her confused feelings but she couldn't find a different name for what she felt.

From hate to trust, followed by disappointment, forgiveness, and finally worry. How could one dummy make her feel all those in such a short time?

Bang!

A sudden explosion caused Bella to jerk as her eyes focused on the scene. She saw Drakos dive into battle, his body shining with gold as he smashed into the King of Dwarfs with his bare fists alone. The physical power of the Dragon compressed in his human body was something anyone should fear.

Unfortunately, she didn't get to fully admire his prowess.

Ah!

Bella exclaimed when the two clashed yet her glass-like box began to blur. With each second, she saw less and less until only a little bit of sound was left.

"No, no, no, no, no!" Bella repeated as she smashed her fists against the glass but no matter how many times she hit, the box didn't even budge.

She hated being hopeless, unable to do anything.

"I HATE YOU!!!" Bella screamed on top of her lungs, her forehead struck the glass with her fists pressing strongly. "LET ME OUT!!!"

Bang!

She hit the glass once again, this time with little to no energy, knowing it was for naught.

"Let me out…" Bella muttered, her body sliding to the bottom of the box.

The sounds of battle slowly quietened as well until her box was filled with complete silence, leaving only the sound of her rigid breaths and hurried heartbeat.

"Why…? Why did you leave me again…?"

Bella's words were quiet as a mouse, to the point she didn't even know if she even spoke them or just thought in her mind.

"Why…? If that is love, I don't want it… I hate love…"

Drip.

A single drop of a liquid fell from her chin, breaking on her knee. She reached out to touch it, wondering what it was but then two more drops followed, alarming her. Bella touched her face and discovered both her eyes and cheeks were all wet.

She looked up, checking her reflection.

"Am I crying…?"

Her eyes were reddened and tears didn't even threaten to spill, falling uncontrollably. Her lip trembled, forcing her to bite on it to stop. It was her first time experiencing it but she still didn't know why.

Weren't the tears caused by sadness? Was she really sad right now?

"Ah! Watch out!"

"What is this?"

"Everyone stay away!"

Just as Bella wondered, the silence in the box was broken by sudden cries, screams and loud chatter. She frowned, forgetting about the tears as she looked around. The blur began to clear up, displaying tens of silhouettes before the glass became completely clear, vanishing into thin air.

Bella appeared in the middle of the crowd, surrounded by confused humans that circled her in the middle of the street. She was kneeling on the cold street, looking like a desperate beauty that needed help.

"She is crying…" A young man noticed her state and approached boldly, crouching next to her. "Miss, are you okay?"

"DON'T TOUCH ME!"

The moment his palm touched her shoulder, Bella moved unconsciously, punching forward with her fist covered in flames. The man's body launched like a cannon, smashing at the nearby building.

Bang!

His whole body pierced through the wall with no one knowing if he was dead or alive.

"Ahhhh! She is a killer!"

Panic engulfed the space as people started running away but Bella ignored her. The crowd pulled her away from the situation at hand but her thoughts quickly returned to Drakos and his battle.

'I need to get back there and save him,' Bella thought, scanning her surroundings for a way out. She didn't question her gut feeling, nor why did she want him safe. Maybe it was guilt or she just didn't want to owe him anything.

One thing Bella knew for sure, if he is going to suffer, it would be from her hand.

She dashed to the closest human who happened to be the bold man's buddy, checking out if his friend is alive.

"Fuck! Let go of me!"

He cursed when Bella lifted him up by the shirt with little to no effort and pulled out a sword from his Storage Ring, slashing at Bella's head without hesitation.

Too bad, he didn't know he was facing a Celestial Stage Phoenix.

She caught his sword with bare hand and it instantly melted as her hand burst with colorful flames. He was so shocked his fist released, dropping the handle of the sword to the ground.

"What is this city? Where am I?" Bella questioned as she created a fireball on top of her free hand and displayed it in front of the man.

His eyes immediately widened and face paled.

"P-please… D-don't kill me…" the young man begged, but Bella quickly shook with his body.

"Answer my question!"

Seeing the flames get even closer, burning on his face, he didn't stall anymore.

"Spirit Land Capital!" he exclaimed, pulling his head away. "I will tell you anything!"

"Where is the Dwarf Kingdom?" Bella continued the questioning.

"D-dwarf Kingdom? It's in the Metal Land…"

"In which direction is the Metal Land?"

It's north-west from the Capital."

Swoosh!

Before she could end, two Spirit Qi arrows suddenly struck the ground next to her feet. Bella gazed at the sky and saw multiple cultivators in white uniforms with an eagle on their chests, aiming their bows at her.

"Let the boy go or we will shoot!"

The young man trapped in Bella's claws brightened when he saw the men come to save him. Too bad, Bella wasn't done with him. She ignored the guards and asked, "Which way is that?"

The young man gazed at the guards but still replied, not risking his life.

"Yhmm… It's best to take the West Gate. If you follow this road, you will eventually reach it… There are many signs."

Thud!

His body got tossed to the ground right after he answered and Bella didn't wait, flying to the sky without bothering with the guards. They were on her way but she simply dodged them.

"Stop!" They blocked her way, looking ready to release their arrows at any time. "We are from the City Guard! You are under arrest for hurting citizens in the safe zon—"

"SCRAM!" Bella cut them off, throwing a fireball at them. It traveled right at them forcing them to move out of the way. All the arrows were released at the same time but Bella only waved with her hand, making a wall of flames that blocked them all.

She didn't have time to bother with them!

Swoosh!

Bella passed through the blockade and finally decided to change back to her normal form, knowing it was much faster. Her body lit up, colorful flames covering her until she couldn't even be seen. She was like a flaming meteor, but instead of burning out, it grew bigger with each meter.

SCREEEEE!

———

Even though the Spirit Land Capital was so big, one needed more than two days to travel from one end to another, the news traveled instantly. On one of the main mountains in House of Dragons territory, a maid was knocking on the mansion door, calling for her miss.

"Miss Liu! Miss Liu! Quick, wake up! There is a Phoenix in the Capital!"

She didn't hear anything for a while until the doors finally opened.

"Miss Liu! You are finally here! Look! There is a Phoenix in the sky!" The maid called out excitedly, pointing at the sky but Miss Liu didn't seem to be interested.

It was clear that she just woke up as her long black hair was all over the place. She was yawning with her eyes still closed.

"Gosh, why are you using the same method to wake me up? Do you think I will fall for it once again?" Miss Liu asked as she rubbed on her eyes while flipping her hair back.

When she finally looked at the sky just to be sure, her eyes snapped open.

"A Phoenix!"

Chapter 63 Miss Liu

A large flaming bird with colorful feathers skimmed through the sky, heading straight in Miss Liu's direction. Her mansion was close to the top of the mountain, giving her a close look at the fascinating creature.

"How is this possible?" Miss Liu questioned in wonder, her eyes brightening as she admired the beast. "She is so fast!"

It was well known that all Phoenixes were females with no male representatives. This was probably the main thing why Miss Liu loved them. No annoying males bothering them while they can live in peace.

"She must have somehow sneaked inside the Capital in her human form," the Maid suggested, sharing Miss Liu's excitement.

Miss Liu forgot about her unpresentable appearance and flew up, ready to meet her Phoenix.

"Miss Liu! Wait!"

Too bad, her maid quickly jumped and caught her naked foot, pulling her down to the ground.

"Miss Liu, look at your state! You can't show yourself like this to the public!" the maid scolded. "Please, wear some proper clothes."

Only then did Miss Liu look down at her attire, realizing her maid was right. She only wore a black nightgown to sleep that barely covered her body. Even if it was laid loose, one could see all her curves at the first glance. Not only that, but it was also slightly see-through so she definitely couldn't go out like this.

If her father learned about that, she would be confined in her room and forced to cultivate, so it was better to comply. Miss Liu quickly pulled out a random black dress and wore it on top of her nightgown. Her hair was too messy to fix it in time so she only tied it in a ponytail while already raising in the air.

This time her maid didn't stop her but still followed closely behind.

"Whoa!"

Both of them exclaimed when they saw the Phoenix shoot past them. They were a bit late but still got close enough to feel the warmth of the Phoenix's flames.

"It's so cool! Why can't I become a Phoenix?" Miss Liu lamented, hovering in the sky while gazing at the Phoenix from the distance. Miss Liu didn't even try to chase after her as the Phoenix was just too fast. Even the fastest Flying Ships were nowhere close to her speed.

Huh?

A moment later, something disturbed her space. It turned out it was a group of City Guards, chasing after the majestic Phoenix. Miss Liu instantly frowned and launched herself to block them.

"Halt!" Miss Liu called out.

When the guards saw her blocking the path, they initially tried to bypass her without care, but when they got a closer look, the City Guard Captain with his signature red eagle painted on his chest immediately ordered a sudden stop.

"Everyone stop!"

The fierce face of the City Guard Captain swiftly changed into a docile one as he flew forward, bowing his head.

"Miss Liu! Is there anything we can help you with?" the Captain asked politely, not daring to look straight into her eyes.

"I forbid you from chasing after this Phoenix! From now on, she is under my protection!" Miss Liu commanded, shocking the City Guards.

"B-but Miss Liu, that Phoenix hurt two people in the safe zone. It needs to be stopped before it can hurt anyone else!" the Captain reasoned, causing Miss Liu to knit her brows.

"Did you just disobey my order?" Miss Liu questioned sternly. "Firstly, she is a woman. Secondly, do you think you can face a Celestial Phoenix with your pitiful strength? She will sweep you all with just one swing of her wing. Her flames are not something a God or Immortal Stage Cultivators like you can handle."

Gulp.

The City Guards swallowed their saliva, no longer as brave as before. It was obvious they were just following the protocol. Even if they didn't fight, they could simply monitor the situation and act as a backup while waiting for the big shots to arrive.

"Cough, I will report your decision to the headquarters…" The captain replied as he cleared his throat.

The silent maid hovering next to Miss Liu finally spoke, adding to the case, "If the chase is not stopped, I will report it to Sect Master Liu."

The City Guards immediately panicked as their Captain quickly waved with his arms to stop her, "Please, don't! We will remove the hunting order!"

"Thank you, Mia," Miss Liu thanked her maid and began flying back to her mansion, pulling Mia with her.

Mia was around her age, looking more like her twin sister than her maid. Although there were some differences in their faces, both their figures and hair were similar, equally long and black. If not for her known status and servant clothes, one would for sure made a mistake.

Mia was with her for a long time, longer than she could even remember. She knew very well when was the best time she should speak. It would look bad on Miss Liu if she used her father's name but Mia didn't need to worry about it.

They gazed in the distance to catch the last glimpse of the escaping Phoenix but she was already gone, looking like a small red dot on the horizon.

"Sigh, it's such a shame it was just passing by… I wish I could befriend her. I would do anything," Miss Liu muttered, imagining herself flying in the sky with the Phoenix. She blushed and smiled lovingly as if she was lovestruck.

"Well, at least Miss Liu's wish came true and you finally met one," Mia said, sharing Miss Liu's happiness.

"Yeah, I will definitely find her and befriend her," Miss Liu nodded, descending on their mountain when she stopped, noticing they had a guest waiting for them by the door.

It was one of the House of Dragons' Elders.

She could recognize him by the special attire Elders wore which not only looked grand but also had amazing defensive properties. There was only one reason why would an Elder come over to her mansion. Either it's to contact her father or to announce some important news.

Knowing her father couldn't be disturbed, she bet on the latter.

"Elder Yang!" Miss Liu called out as she landed. "Why are you here?"

"Miss Liu! I'm bringing important news!" Elder Yang said as he bowed with a smile. "Do you have a moment to talk?"

"Actually, I don't," Miss Liu replied shortly. "As you can see, my hair is a mess as I just woke up so I'm not really ready to accept any guests. I need to go back and go through my morning routine. If you want, you can wait until I'm done or if you are in hurry, you can share it with Mia and I will listen to it later."

"Cough," Elder Yang cleared his throat. "I'm sure Miss Liu will want to learn about it immediately. It's about Sect Master Liu's personal disciples."

Miss Liu was on her way to her to enter the mansion when she stopped at Elder Yang's last words.

"Huh? What about my father's personal disciples? Tell me," Miss Liu ordered curiously.

"We got the news that two new personal disciples of Sect Master Liu appeared in the Water Land. Have you heard of it already?" Elder Yang asked cautiously while glancing at her expression.

Miss Liu didn't hesitate and put on a poker face, realizing immediately what he was doing. She spent so much time with the Elders that she already learned their tactics, trying to get information about her father from her. Mia was similarly silent, not showing any emotion on her face.

"What about them?" Miss Liu questioned calmly on the outside, but internally, she was ultimately confused. There were no new personal disciples! If there were any, she would know about it for sure. Especially since it had to be her who handed the tokens as her father locked himself up at the top of the mountain.

"Hmm, they displayed Sect Master Liu's personal disciple tokens and we confirmed they were real," Elder Yang revealed. "We were a bit taken aback because there wasn't any report and they were not registered, so I came here to ask you about them."

'Impossible!' Miss Liu cried out in her mind but none of that leaked outside.

"Yes, I gave them the tokens when I traveled to find a certain Spirit Herb for my father. I saw they have potential and told them they can come to the Capital and get tested. As I didn't have normal tokens, I gave them my father's tokens. Is that a problem?" Miss Liu spoke as if nothing serious happened. "I was too busy to report it to the management so if you can be so good and report it for me, that would be great."

Her story worked perfectly as she just happened to return back home from traveling yesterday night. That didn't change the fact that she still had no idea what was going on.

"Oh… So it was Miss Liu in the end…" Elder Yang muttered. "Just as I thought. It is indeed impossible to forge Sect Master Liu's personal disciple token."

Miss Liu finally frowned.

"Of course it is impossible. Who do you think my father is?"

Hearing her sudden burst, Elder Yang paled, stepping back while bowing, "I apologize, Miss Liu, I didn't mean to offend anyone."

"You are forgiven," Miss Liu said sternly. "Now tell me, what happened? You said they displayed their tokens?"

Chapter 64 Interest

"Actually, they had a conflict with Trade Union experts. They tried to escape through the Safe Zone barrier but the boy called Liu Xuefeng, only cracked it with his strike, unable to go through," Elder Yang explained, causing Miss Liu's purple eyes to narrow.

If they couldn't even break the Safe Zone barrier, they were for sure not qualified to be her father's disciples. What worried her the most was the fact they had the tokens. There was no way they could have gotten them.

"They were caught by the Trade Union's experts and the battle broke out," Elder Yang continued, not aware of her own battle in her mind. "From what I have gathered, the two just ascended yesterday and were still in the Pseudo-God Stage but Miss Liu should know that already."

"Yes, I know," Miss Liu agreed blindly, her art of bullshitting mastered to perfection. "It doesn't matter they just ascended. What matters is their potential. I immediately noticed they were special the moment I saw them."

Elder Yang nodded in awe.

"Miss Liu indeed has an eye for talent. Those two seem special indeed. I didn't see the full battle yet but from what I have heard, they were not only heavily outnumbered by the Trade Union experts but also City Guards who came to arrest them as well. They were facing a few Immortal Stage Cultivators from which one even had a Four Elemental Core, yet they still came out on top."

"Huh?" Miss Liu and Mia got surprised at the same time. "Go on. Tell me the details."

She would understand if they beat another peak God Stage Cultivators but to even defeat Immortal Stage experts? Just after ascending to Heaven Realm? It was definitely a sign of geniuses.

"The woman that accompanied him seemed to be a support, boosting his strength with her arts but even with that, I'm sure he would have won anyway on his own. He used a powerful Forbidden Art, creating a giant vine that destroyed everything on its way. No matter what Trade Union did, the vine absorbed all their attacks and killed them all with just one slap. Even when they tried to escape, the vine chased after them, killing them one by one," Elder Yang described excitedly. "Only those who kneeled on the ground were spared."

This time the two girls were in shock, calling out at the same time.

"Judgment Vine!"

"Oh, Miss Liu knows it?" Elder Yang asked in surprise.

"Was the vine stuck in one place, unable to move its base while that Xuefeng was controlling it?" Miss Liu questioned without replying.

"I think that was the case," Elder Yang nodded. "Is it really a Forbidden Art?"

"Yes. Father was teaching me about various Forbidden Arts that once dominated the Heaven Realm. I still remember most of them," Miss Liu replied. "To think he knew that Forbidden Art and didn't tell me?"

"Hehe," Elder Yang giggled. "Maybe he was too scared to reveal it, knowing it was a Forbidden Art, but after being cornered by Trade Union, he had to use it to escape."

"Maybe," Miss Liu agreed lightly, her mind already thinking on how to exploit this information. "What happened next?"

"Well, after defeating the Trade Union's experts, he collected all the loot from the corpses and distributed most of it to the public. He even apologized for imparting them with his conflict. Only then did he use the Judgment Vine to break through the Safe Zone barrier, leaving right after," Elder Yang finished, pulling out a projector from his Storage Ring. "I have a short video if Miss Liu wants to see them once again."

Miss Liu's eyes brightened.

"Give it to me," Miss Liu said hurriedly as she grabbed her projector from Elder Yang's palm. She could no longer hide her interest.

Not only did he have the Forbidden Art but wasn't greedy, one thing she hated the most. She received the known look from Mai, one that showed her worry but Miss Liu just smiled.

She swiftly activated the projector and a scene of two young adults displaying her father's tokens played out. Miss Liu's gaze immediately fell on Xuefeng's body, checking him out.

'An elf?' Miss Liu was pleasantly surprised. 'White hair, smart golden eyes, pointy ears, and such smooth skin… Not bad.'

Then, she saw the woman standing by Xuefeng's side. She already expected her to be a beauty and indeed wasn't disappointed.

"Those are indeed Sect Master Liu's Personal Disciple Tokens," Mia pointed out, pulling Miss Liu out of her thoughts. She completely ignored the scene, focusing on inspecting their looks first.

"Yes, yes. Those are the tokens I gave them," Miss Liu added with a nod. "Do you maybe know their full names, so we can register them? I forgot to ask them earlier."

Miss Liu went so far already so there was no way she could avoid continuing her lie. She was bothered earlier, but now she didn't even mind it. The guy indeed looked interesting. She didn't return the projector when the scene ended but instead kept it without permission.

"Yes. As I said before, the man is called Liu Xuefeng while the woman is Xiao Tianshi. They introduced themselves to the public, so soon, everyone should know their names in the Water Land. It would be a shame for House of Dragons if they turned out to be impostors, so I had to confirm it with Miss Liu," Elder Yang replied. "I'm glad we have two more talented experts in our Sect."

"Oh, right. He has the same last name as me, but I don't think we are related. Did you do a background check? Do you know anything about them? How about that girl? Are those two together?" Miss Liu questioned, getting a sudden glance from Mia. It was a clear warning not to get too invested, but Miss Liu brushed it off. She was just curious, that was all.

Elder Yang scratched his head seeing her enthusiasm but still replied, "Actually, he called her his wife, so I'm sure they are together. If Miss Liu wants to listen, I do have some spicy information about them, especially that Liu Xuefeng."

Clap.

"Perfect," Miss Liu called out as she clasped her hands. "What about him?"

The day didn't even start properly and it was getting better and better. First, it was her first meeting with a Phoenix, and now this.

"I got to learn about this whole news from President Wu of the Trade Union as I attended his granddaughter's Celebration Party. He was naturally the first to be notified once his Experts were killed," Elder Yang began, catching her interested from the very first moment.

"President Wu has a granddaughter? Is there some kind of connection between Xuefeng and her? It seems like Xuefeng has some conflict with the Trade Union," Miss Liu noticed.

"Bullseye. Miss Wu announced she is married to Xuefeng and I think that was the reason President Wu sent experts after him. I don't want to speculate but I don't think the two like each other. When President Wu found out Xuefeng became Sect Master Liu's personal disciple, he asked me if I can confirm it. I guess President Wu will receive some bad news," Elder Yang explained while stroking his chin.

"Wait, wait," Miss Liu froze, not expecting that. "So he has two wives…?"

"Oh, actually, he has three. There is another one called Queen Nuwa. She is the Queen of Forest Elves race and extreme beauty. Just based on her attitude, I can confirm she has the bearing of the Queen, so I wouldn't doubt it. Even her daughter seems to be a Master Tamer who apparently tamed a Celestial Dragon and a Phoenix." Elder Yang answered in a gossipy manner. "It seems they all ascended together so they must have met in the lower realm."

"Oh!" Miss Liu exclaimed when Elder Yang mentioned a Phoenix. She was about to speak when Mia cut her off, ending the conversation.

"If that is everything Elder Yang, we will excuse ourselves. Please perform your duties and register those two. We will do the rest once they arrive in the Sect. Thank you."

She didn't give Miss Liu a chance and pulled her into the mansion, closing the door behind her.

"Miss Liu," Mia said with her brows knitted while staring into her Miss' eyes.

"What? Why are you looking at me like this?" Miss Liu asked with a playful smile, pretending she was innocent.

"Because I know you very well. Whenever you are interested in something, you will go through fire to get it," Mia remarked. "You don't really plan to befriend them just so you can meet the Phoenix?"

"How did you know? I was going to do exactly that," Miss Liu replied with a shrug before swiftly running away from Mia.

"Miss Liu!" Mia called out as she chased after her.

Miss Liu didn't really plan to escape far so Mia quickly caught her, causing Miss Liu to laugh, "Haha, okay, meeting the Phoenix is not really my main goal. Aren't you also interested in meeting a man who stole the hearts of so many high profile beauties? How good of a man he has to be for them to willingly agree to share him? I'm just curious, okay?"

"They are scammers. They found a way to forge Sect Master Liu's tokens. It's obvious we didn't give them any," Mia reasoned.

"Right, so we need to go find them and investigate, isn't that right? It would be really bad if people found out that my father's tokens were fabricated. We need to either silence them or pull them to our side. Knowing he is President Wu's son-in-law, we can only do the latter," Miss Liu explained, entering into her spacious bathroom.

She didn't mind Mia's presence and began stripping off her clothes, ready to take a morning shower.

"…"

Mia was lost for words, unable to refute her reasoning.

"Go find out where he is right now. We will travel to the Water Land today," Miss Liu ordered, no longer acting playful. It was a serious command.

"Yes, Miss Liu," Mia replied with a bow and left, having no other option.

Miss Liu smiled and slid her nightgown to the floor, entering under an elegant wooden shower that began pouring hot water as soon as she approached it. When hot water splashed on her face, Miss Liu couldn't help but imagine Xuefeng's handsome face.

'What do you have that made all of those beauties fall for you…?'

Chapter 65 Missed Meeting

"Ahh… I slept so well today~"

Yiren moaned with pleasure as she sat up to stretch her arms before rubbing her sleepy eyes. The room they were given was spacious and the bed couldn't be comfier. She was drowning into the soft feathers inside her pillow while covering herself with the fluffiest quilt.

Looking around, Yiren's gaze immediately fell on the beauty sleeping next to her, causing her to grin right after. She sneaked back under the quilt and traveled under it, straight above the soundly asleep Lisa.

Yiren didn't hesitate and laid on Lisa, hugging her tightly while pressing her cheek into Lisa's soft breasts. She would always receive a morning hug from Xuefeng so it became a habit of hers to hug after waking up.

"Huh?"

Too bad, she was quickly discovered by Lisa as she pulled up the quilt to see her.

"Good morning, Lisa," Yiren said happily while looking up to face her.

"Good morning… What are you doing?" Lisa asked sleepily, her mind seemed like it was still rebooting.

In response, Yiren rubbed her cheeks against Lisa's chest and replied boldly, "I'm enjoying your soft breasts first thing in the morning. They are so perky even when you lay down. I am jealous."

Lisa instantly blushed and grabbed Yiren's shoulders, pulling her away.

"Stop! You are naughty so early in the morning," Lisa scolded but Yiren counter-attacked without my care.

Ha!

Yiren reached forward and squeezed the two peaks in front of her with hands too small to embrace the whole. Only a white nightgown separated them which was so thin that it couldn't even be considered a barrier for Yiren.

Ah!

Lisa squeaked softly, receiving more teases from Yiren.

"Hehe, are you shy? Didn't we already shower together?" Yiren questioned playfully, knowing Lisa wasn't really good with games like those. "It seems like they got bigger and firmer from the last time I remember. Xuefeng's massages indeed create wonders for all of us."

"You are like Nuwa, so naughty!" Lisa commented and suddenly rolled with Yiren on the bed, getting on top of her while pinning Yiren's wrists.

Knock, knock.

Just as Lisa was about to fight back, they heard a knock to the door, putting halt to their games.

"Yes?" Lisa called out.

"Miss Yiren, Miss Lisa, I don't want to wake you up but we need to depart early, so we are pressed on time," Village Leader informed from the other side, not daring to enter the bedroom. "The earlier we leave, the faster we can arrive at the place and finish our mission during a single day."

"Okay! We will get ready!" Lisa replied only to get struck by Yiren's blows into her ear. Lisa gazed back at Yiren who pretended to be innocent and finally broke.

"Now you have done it," Lisa muttered sternly and attacked, tickling Yiren on the belly.

"Hahahaha!"

They only stopped after Yiren begged for forgiveness, breathing heavily. As they already showered the night before, it didn't take them long to get ready by getting dressed and combing their messy hair. Unfortunately, they were still late.

"Is it okay if we eat on the way? My wife prepared some food supplies for us."

The Village Leader was waiting for them in the hallway, already wearing his hunting leather gear.

"Sure, no problem," Yiren nodded indifferently, actually preferring to eat with her hands.

"Please, follow me then. The rides are already prepared."

Sure enough, right outside the Village Leader's mansion stood two large birds with seats fastened to their back. Though, it wasn't the main thing that caught the girls' attention. It was the crowd who gathered around the entrance, cheering the moment they left.

"Goddess! Good luck on your mission!"

"Good morning, Goddess! Please accept our best wishes!"

"Awe Goddess!"

Many cheered, raising gifts in the air for her to accept, overwhelming her. She was used to the public as she was a Princess but this time there were just too many people calling out her nickname.

"Don't worry, Goddess. They are just trying to be nice. When everyone heard about our trip and its goal, they were naturally ecstatic. This Celestial Beast was causing us problems for a while, so they are happy you will help solve it," the wife of Village Leader explained as she approached. "If you accept even one gift, it will show you accepted their wishes."

"Oh, I see," Yiren nodded and stepped forward to greet the people. "Everyone! Thank you for the best wishes! I will make sure to not disappoint you and return soon!"

"Also," Yiren continued as the crowd quietened down and approached a little girl with a ring made from flowers. She let her place it on top of her head and smiled at the crowd.

They immediately exploded with cheers once again.

"Goddess!"

———

At the same time as Yiren and Lisa were departing, Xuefeng was already up, walking towards the Teleportation Station with Tianshi by his hand. Thanks to the kindness of the locals, they easily got their directions and since it wasn't far from their inn, they decided to take a walk instead of getting a Beast Taxi.

'Do you think we will be like them one day? Living in a Safe Zone while getting a stable job and living a happy life together? We could buy one big house and share it with everyone,' Tianshi wondered in Xuefeng's mind as she looked around the street, hugging onto Xuefeng's arm. 'I honestly don't mind anything as long as I'm with you.'

'It is a possibility that we will eventually settle for a while but I doubt it will happen any time soon. Knowing you all, you are not the types who would like to stay in one place for an extended period of time,' Xuefeng replied, reaching out to caress her cheek in the middle of the crowd. 'I'm the same. I want to travel around and visit all Realms I can before it's too late. It's been less than four years before we got to this world, so we still have a lot to discover.'

'I know, I know. I was just thinking. Look at everyone's faces. Doesn't they look happy?' Tianshi pointed out, making Xuefeng take a closer look at the people around him.

It was indeed strange that most of the people were either smiling or simply chilling, walking while chatting with their friends or family. The whole scenario looked extremely similar to the previous city they visited. He saw wide roads with pedestrian walks on both sides filled with relaxed people doing their daily tasks.

'They look like life in the Save Zone couldn't get any better,' Tianshi added.

'Well, that's true. They don't need to worry about any threats of the Cultivation World so they live carefreely. Unfortunately, our fate is already sealed so we can't allow that. Either we step on the top of the world or we die trying,' Xuefeng informed of the obvious.

Tianshi squeezed his arm, knowing exactly what he meant. Although the Elemental Bracelet gave him extreme power, it was a curse. Once he started gathering the Elemental Stones, he could either get them all or die. If not the other experts, it would be the bracelet itself that would kill him.

'I want to see my Xuefeng on top of the world,' Tianshi muttered in response, finally pulling away from him as they stopped in front of a big queue.

"What is happening here? Why is everyone blocking the way?" Xuefeng questioned out loud.

His question made two of the last people in the queue turn around and say bitterly, "It's a queue to the Teleportation Station. Today it is exceptionally long but it shouldn't take more than five hours. It's going to be a long wait till we can get in."

"Oh! Thank you," Xuefeng acknowledged the answer and pulled Tianshi to the side. The queue was in the middle of the pavement while the side near the buildings was almost empty.

Xuefeng obviously wanted to skip the queue, but the two guys called out after them, warning friendly, "The left side is reserved for very important experts. If guards see you two walking there, they will think you want to skip the queue. If you want to get to the other side, you need to go to the right side and use the intersection to—"

Xuefeng cut him off, not wasting any more of his time, "Actually, we are two of those important experts. We want to use the Teleportation Stations as well."

Smiling at their surprise, Xuefeng and Tianshi walked away, moving along the queue. They naturally got some curious looks but they simply ignored them. It was natural that everyone would wonder who they were but Xuefeng knew it was impossible the news spread this fast.

He got proved wrong very quickly.

"I know those two! I saw the video from my cousin! They were the ones who used Forbidden Art to escape from the Safe Zone!"

A loud cry from a youngster revealed their identity.

"Oh!"

"Oh!"

"Oh!"

Multiple people around him exclaimed in excitement but Xuefeng didn't slow down to face them. He sped up instead.

'How do they all know after just one day? I thought it would take a few days for that to happen,' Xuefeng wondered, planning on reaching the station as soon as possible.

For them to be recognized so fast, it would only let their pursuers track them more easily. They could avoid that by simply wearing their cloaks but at the same time, he didn't want to hide anymore.

They reached the Teleportation Station much faster than they normally would and it turned out to be just a plaza with four narrow stone towers that emitted large amounts of Ether Qi. It turned out to be a mass teleport Station who teleported tens of people at the same time.

"Sir, madam, did you come to use the Teleportation Station? Can I see your permit?"

The moment they reached the front of the queue, they were approached by the Staff Member who seemed extremely polite the moment he saw them.

"Those should be enough, right? We are Sect Master Liu Personal Disciples," Xuefeng introduced them as they pulled out their tokens before keeping them, not even displaying the Golden Dragon imagine. "Keep it a secret though. We don't want too much publicity."

For the Staff Members, it seemed to be enough as their eyes quickly widened and they gave way.

"O-of course! Please, tell us your destination!"

———

"So he has not appeared in the Capital yet…" Miss Liu muttered after receiving a report from the Leader of the Teleportation Station.

They rushed all the way to the Water Land Capital only to find out he wasn't even there.

"I guess we were too rush," Miss Liu said with a sigh and pulled on Mia's hand while leaving one last order. "Inform me once they appear. They are very important to me."

She didn't wait for the reply, already considering it done, and left with Mia.

"Let's find out a nice restaurant to eat. I forgot we didn't eat anything yet."

A few minutes after they left, the Teleport Station suddenly acted up ahead of the scheduled time, which surprised the Staff. They only relaxed when they saw it was just two silhouettes. It could only mean one thing which wasn't that rare anymore that day.

Another V.I.P Teleport!

Chapter 66 Qualification Test

"Welcome to the Water Land Capital!"

Right as their bodies came out of space, Xuefeng and Tianshi were greeted by multiple Staff Members who came up to the platform. Being quite dizzy from the extreme speed they traveled, he quickly grabbed Tianshi, supporting her up so she wouldn't trip.

"Are you okay?" Xuefeng questioned as he held onto Tianshi's face, completely ignoring the Staff. He quickly channeled his Fate Qi through her body, helping Tianshi handle the dizziness.

"Yes, thank you… I'm better now," Tianshi nodded, finally standing on her own.

The Teleportation Station worked in a similar way as normal teleportation but on a much bigger scale. They were coated with a thick layer of Ether Qi and sent flying through space in the next Station direction. The next Station worked like a net inside another dimension, slowing them down which allowed them to return to the outside world.

"Sir, Madam, don't worry. You will return to normal after a short walk," the Staff Member assured brightly.

The Teleportation Station was much bigger in the Capital but also more private, without any onlookers watching them arrive. It was more like a temple with one big hall. It was better than nothing.

"We are better already. Thank you," Xuefeng finally replied as they walked down the platform, gazing at the talking Staff Member. "Are there any fees for the service? I forgot to ask before we were sent here."

"Oh! No need, no need," the Staff Member shook his head hurriedly. "Only common Citizens are required to pay. Almost all high-status Sects have a deal with us to exempt their disciples from the pay. It will be covered by the Sect on the later date. I just need identification to note down your arrival in the report."

"I see. Is this enough?" Xuefeng asked as they pulled out their disciple tokens and channeled their Qi through it, activating the Golden Dragons.

Roar!

Two miniature Golden Dragons danced above their heads before returning to the tokens, shocking the Staff Members. It wasn't often that Sect Master Liu's token made an appearance in the Teleportation Station.

"Yes, yes! More than enough," the Staff Member called out ecstatic. "Please enjoy your stay in the Capital. If you need anything else, don't hesitate to ask."

Xuefeng only replied with a nod as he pulled Tianshi to the exit before asking, "Do you know about the Tournament that will happen any time soon? I would like to know some details about it."

———

"Oof… That was a stressful hour…"

Right after Xuefeng and Tianshi left, the Staff Members sighed in relief, finally able to relax a bit. First, it was Miss Liu and then another two disciples of Sect Master Liu. Their faces were hurting from forcefully smiling for such a long time.

"It seems like those two plan to join the Tournament. I guess we already know who will be the winner of this year's competition. Water Land Sects will be for sure pissed off," the Staff Member commented after explaining all the details about the incoming Tournament.

"I doubt it," his work buddy replied with a shrug. "Didn't you feel their cultivation stage? The pressure of their souls is that of a Pseudo-God Stage. It will be hard for them to win anything. They will be competing against strongest Immortal Stage Cultivators after all."

"Pfft," the Staff Member immediately snickered. "Do you think they would become Sect Master Liu's Personal Disciples if they were weak? Anyway, those two should be ones that Miss Liu was searching for. I think we should report it to her."

"Agree."

It wasn't like Sect Master Liu had tens of disciples, so it was a simple deduction, especially after Miss Liu said she is looking for them and a moment later, they appeared. Even their description matched. A handsome man of white hair with a beautiful brown-haired woman. There was no way they could make a mistake there.

Xuefeng and Tianshi were not aware of that exchange, casually flying towards the main arena in one of the Beast Taxis. The capital was indeed a Capital, overwhelming other cities with its size. Unless they had their own flying ship, they couldn't travel without a Beast Taxi or a permit.

Naturally, being two impostors, they wouldn't even think about the latter.

"Looks grand," Xuefeng commented as he gazed at the distant arena from up in the sky. "I expected it to be gigantic but this is really an overkill."

'It is like a football stadium from Earth,' Tianshi pointed out in their connection. 'Just ten times bigger.'

The Beast Owner seemed to be a chatty type as he quickly called out to them, overhearing Xuefeng's comment, "You are new to the Water Land? This is indeed one of the biggest arenas. It can fit more than a million people. When the Tournament starts, this place will be filled with crowds. Right now only participants gather to qualify for the tournament. Are you going to participate as well?"

"Yes," Xuefeng replied shortly but the Beast Owner didn't mind, continuing to talk.

"I wonder what will be the record for this year's qualifications. Last year it was almost eight million Units."

Xuefeng wanted to chat with Tianshi but this information intrigued him. They already knew about the qualification for the main event from the Staff Member of the Teleportation Station. It was quite common to test the strength of the participants before they were allowed to join the tournament. After all, no one wanted to watch some weaklings battle it out.

It was also a crucial part as only a thousand and twenty-four people could qualify for the tournament. A certain number of spots would be filled with known experts while the rest would be determined by the Qualification Test. One would be required to unleash a powerful attack at the testing machine which would determine the strength of your attack.

The only thing Xuefeng didn't know was how.

"Units? How much power are eight million Units?" Xuefeng questioned curiously.

The Beast owner was naturally happy to be given attention so he quickly replied.

"Boy, let this old man teach you. One unit is the equivalent of an adult human punch without any enhancements or special training. The Testing Machine calculates the strength of the attack based on how many times stronger it is than a basic punch. Eight million Units means that the strongest attack was eight million times more powerful."

"I see…" Xuefeng nodded in understanding before questioning in his mind. 'What do you think about my Sword Arts? How many Units of power could they have?'

'Based on your current stage…' Ming paused as if she was counting. 'Your stronger attacks should have around a million Units.'

Huh…

Xuefeng didn't know why but he was disappointed. Only a moment later did he figure out the reason.

'Is it because of the Refinement?' Xuefeng guessed.

'Yup,' Ming agreed. 'The Judgment Vine should have around ten million Units of power, even without any refinement, but you have too little Qi to use it frequently. You focus on refining your elements while we focus on your cultivation. Your strength will increase with just a little effort.'

'We already started working on it earlier this night,' Ling called out, causing Xuefeng to smile. Maybe for others Cultivation was boring but for him, it was pure pleasure. Being connected with Ling, their cultivation speed multiplied so he could enjoy his night activities with his wives while progressing in his cultivation.

Though, because there was only Water Qi in the Water Land's air, they would have to Dual Cultivate in every Land to cultivate all the elements. Naturally, no one objected to that, looking forward to every night.

The Beast Owner dropped them by the main entrance of the Arena and they immediately got overwhelmed by crowds. There were just too many young Cultivators trying to enter the Arena and participate in the Qualification Test. Even if they didn't qualify, it was still a nice way to check their current strength, an opportunity that didn't happen often.

Looking at the long queue quickly gave Xuefeng a headache, forcing them to skip another line once again, under everyone's gaze. Even though Xuefeng didn't wish to be arrogant, the queues for normal people were just too much to handle. The shorted queue by the side had just a few people waiting which was exactly what they needed.

The lady by the entrance only checked them once and she frowned, definitely not recognizing them.

"Name, age and show the Disciple Token of your Sect," she said casually while looking down at her list.

"Liu Xuefeng and Xiao Tianshi. Both Nineteen years old and Personal Disciples of the Sect Master Liu," Xuefeng introduced them both, making the lady freeze on the spot.

She looked up to take a second look at them and opened her mouth to speak when she was cut off by a male voice coming from behind.

"Huh? The rumored Sect Master Liu's Personal Disciples? Interesting."

Chapter 67 Friendly Banter

"Young Master Bai!"

The lady staff exclaimed happily the moment she saw the man, causing Xuefeng and Tianshi to turn around curiously. It was definitely someone different from what they expected.

It was a blond shorty who didn't even reach Xuefeng's chest yet his head was enormous compared to the rest of his body. If not for his adult-like facial features, Xuefeng would bet he was still a teen.

Their gazes locked and Xuefeng almost burst out laughing, trying to stop himself by biting on his lips. His body was just too comical. With all the handsome girls and beauties around, he was there, short and square-faced.

Young Master Bai frowned when he saw that and flipped his shoulder-length hair to the side in a fabulous fashion.

"What? Have you never seen such a beautiful person like me?" He asked seriously, causing Xuefeng to break.

"Hahahaha, he can't be serious," Xuefeng called out in laughter as he looked at Tianshi, unable to hold back anymore.

Pa!

Tianshi hit him on the shoulder, so he would behave but she was also trying hard not to laugh.

"Okay, okay," Xuefeng forcefully calmed himself down and greeted the man casually, "Nice to meet you. We would talk more but we are in a hurry, sooo…"

He didn't finish and turned around to the lady staff instead, asking, "Can we enter already? We want to quickly qualify and be done with it."

"O-of course. Can I see your Tokens…? I can't skip the procedure…" The lady staff questioned cautiously, already sweating. The pressure seemed to be too much for her.

"Sure, but I will quickly hide it. I am getting annoyed by the Golden Dragons flying out of the tokens," Xuefeng replied, pulling out his token once again. Two seconds later, he kept it and Tianshi followed suit. Just a glimpse was enough to act as proof.

He was earlier wondering why didn't the House of Dragons denounce them yet, announcing they were impostors but then he realized they couldn't. It would not only ruin their name but also their Sect Master as well. They probably couldn't even reach him to confirm his story so everything worked out perfectly for them. Xuefeng already expected they would be approached in private to solve this issue, so until then, they could use their personal disciple identity.

"Thank you, Sir, Madam," the lady staff acknowledged as she bowed deeply. "I will note down your names but there is something you two need to know. With your background, House of Dragons can apply to put you both in the seeded spots. You don't need to go through the Qualification Test."

"Oh, no worries. It's not a bother. We actually want to test our strength first, so this Qualifier is perfect for us," Xuefeng replied while waving his hand not to worry about it.

In reality, they just couldn't ask the Sect because they didn't even join it yet. All they can do now is build the hype around them to sneak their way into the side door.

The lady staff nodded firmly and gazed at Young Master Bai who already walked up next to them, "You too, Young Master Bai. I already saw you in the seeded spots list through. There is no need to attend the Qualification Test."

"Of course I am. After all, I'm representing the Water Eagle Sect as their top seed. I didn't come here for the test but rather to watch others and check their strength. After all, I plan to win this whole tournament," Young Master Bai replied casually with another flip of his hair and walked past them with his head high.

Xuefeng thought he didn't mind them laughing, acting like a chill dude but then he heard a bullet fired at him, ruining the image Xuefeng built about him.

"I'm especially curious about the strength of a certain newbie who only became Sect Master Liu's personal disciple because of his Forbidden Art. I will definitely laugh my ass off if he can't even reach five million Units in strength. It would be a real shame to Sect Master Liu and House of Dragons."

Xuefeng frowned initially as the Young Master Bai walked into the arena without turning back, causing the lady staff to panic. She bowed deeply, trying to salvage the situation.

"Young Master Xuefeng… I apologize for Young Master Bai. He is—"

"Hahahaha! Good!" Xuefeng burst out laughing, cutting her off. "Don't worry, I'm not mad. That's just friendly banter."

How could he get mad at that? He was the first one to laugh at him, so it was only natural to receive a shot back. As long as Tianshi wasn't affected by it, Xuefeng didn't mind a little challenge.

"Let's go inside and see what experts the Water Land has to offer," Xuefeng called out as they walked into the arena only to be stopped by the lady staff.

"Young Master! Please, take those two tokens I prepared. You won't be able to take part in the Qualifier without them. Pass them to the trainer when you go up the stage please," the lady staff informed while giving them two round memory slips. When Xuefeng touched them, their information and pictures appeared in his mind.

"Thank you, Miss," Tianshi replied on their stead and pulled Xuefeng towards the entrance.

'What's up?' Xuefeng questioned in his mind, seeing something was off.

'I don't have any offensive arts. How will I reach five million Units of strength?' Tianshi asked worried only to be pulled into Xuefeng's embrace with his arms wrapped around her waist.

'Aren't you the best Support in the world? Don't worry, I have a plan,' Xuefeng assured, kissing her deeply before taking her inside, keeping her close to him. He could already hear a loud noise coming from the arena, so he had to be sure everyone knew Tianshi was his. He already expected people to stare at them, especially at her.

They walked in a narrow corridor leading to the arena and the closer they got, the louder was the noise. At the other end, they passed by two security guards who let them go in after seeing the memory slips and finally saw the gigantic arena.

BOOM! BANG!

The sounds of explosions filled the main floor as experts unleashed their abilities. Cheers and cries of approval followed right after, making the noise unbelievably annoying.

Tap.

He didn't hesitate and tapped both of their ears, putting on a small background silencer that eased their eardrums.

From what they could see, none of the viewing seats were taken as all participants surrounded a hundred stages spread all over the field. The field alone was gigantic. If he wanted to guess, it was around five kilometers in diameter. Even walking from one end to another took some time which was why the few arenas at the front were occupied the most. The ones at the back only had a few hundred people around each stage, making it less crowded.

Xuefeng didn't even hesitate and walked towards the closest arena with the largest number of people. If he wanted to be recognized by the House of Dragons, he had to become even more famous, making it impossible to silence them anymore.

Unfortunately, the crowd was so dense, it would be really hard to squeeze themselves to the front. The Cultivators by the entrance only gazed at them, hovering on Tianshi a bit more, but when they realized they didn't know them, they quickly looked back at the stage, not wanting to miss anything. As Xuefeng didn't plan on pushing through himself, he smiled and suddenly four identical copies of him appeared around them.

As they walked forward, four clones surrounded them and pushed the people out of the way, creating a narrow path.

"Hey! What do you think you are doing?!"

People called out angrily after being pushed away but Xuefeng didn't care much. It was better this way than letting other guys touch his Tianshi when they try to break through the crowd. Xuefeng kept his poker face and didn't even look at the other people, acting as if nothing happened.

Eventually, the public outcry caused more people to notice them and move out of the way willingly. Naturally, they weren't exactly happy to see being pushed around by some nobodies who no one knew.

"What the fuck? Who are they to be so bossy?"

When they reached the front of the stage, almost everyone was looking at them instead of the stage where one of the participants was ready to display his talent. Even the trainer on the stage was distracted by the commotion, checking Xuefeng out.

The space in front of the stage was more empty so they had more space for themselves. Xuefeng was focused on the stage instead, observing the black wall on the stage. It seemed to be the testing Spirit Artefact that the Beast owner was talking about.

'Interesting. They are using a Black Dragonic Stone with an integrated Spirit Array as a measuring tool,' Ming explained. 'Not bad but I expected more. If you want, you can even break it.'

'Huh? Really?' Xuefeng questioned surprised, quickly getting intrigued.

"Yeah, it's possible. Give me some time to calculate,' Ming replied, turning silent.

Xuefeng didn't mind, having a special talent of stalling for a time no matter what happens.

He wondered where was the shorty Bai only to see him appear, walking at the front towards him with his group of friends that followed closely behind.

"Everyone! If you wonder who they are, let me tell you! He is Liu Xuefeng and the beauty by his side is called Xiao Tianshi! Both of them are the rumored personal disciples of Sect Master Liu! I am really curious about what is their strength! Care to enlighten us with your brilliance?"

Chapter 68 Challenge

Oh!

Everyone exclaimed when they heard Sect Master Liu's name and the anger momentarily vanished from their eyes. Even if they were upset, it would be stupid to offend two personal disciples of the strongest expert in the Heaven Realm. Instead, they became more curious and interested, especially after hearing Young Master Bai's words.

It was obvious that the two had a beef with each other as the Shorty Bai wouldn't go out of his way to challenge Xuefeng. Too bad, no one really cared about their conflict. As long as they could benefit from it, everyone would be happy.

How often would anyone get a chance to compare their strength with Cultivators of such status? If they happened to be stronger than the two personal disciples, wouldn't that mean they could also join the House of Dragons in the future? It would be an amazing flex as well, so who would want to miss it?

All eyes were on Xuefeng when he finally showed some reaction, smiling at the shorty Bai.

"Thank you for the introduction. I would do the same for you, but I already forgot who you are," Xuefeng replied with a shrug. "I will just call you Shorty."

Pfft…

The crowd snickered. The exchange was getting more and more interesting. The two definitely had a feud between each other! To everyone's surprise, Shorty Bai didn't get angry at all but instead embraced his imperfections.

"Sure! You can call me Shorty Bai! I'm proud of my height and my beautiful hair!" Shorty Bai called out while brushing through his blond hair.

"Hahaha!"

The crowd couldn't handle it anymore and burst out laughing. The sheer act wasn't that funny but the smug on his face showing he wasn't lying at all was what cracked them up.

When it came to Xuefeng, he gazed at Tianshi with his own smile, showing he won.

'See?! I knew its not just me!' Xuefeng called out in his mind to which Tianshi only pursed her lips, still resisting her own urges.

'If I was him, I would also accept myself. It's not like we can completely alter our looks. This is how we were born, so we can only learn how to accept it. If he focused on his appearance then he would not enjoy his life and it seems he knows it. There is always another person in this world who will like the way you are just like I love my dummy Xuefeng,' Tianshi explained her point of view. 'But I still don't like how petty he is and challenge you repeatedly just cause you laughed. It seems like he still cares about how people view him. He is just hiding it well.'

'I think so too. He started going after me after just a single laugh,' Xuefeng agreed before giving her a subtle hug, rubbing her side with his thumb. 'Thank you for staying so down to earth and keeping me in check.'

'Of course. Always,' Tianshi nodded lovingly, leaning against his arm. 'You are my husband. Forever.'

"Anyway," Xuefeng began out loud as he looked at the stage and the frowning Trainer. "I just came here so I have no idea what the Qualifier looks like. Before I take part in the test, I will take a look at others first."

He then nodded respectfully at the Trainer and apologized, "Sir, I'm sorry for disturbing the Qualification Test. Please continue."

"Mhmm, as expected of Sect Master Liu's disciple. At least you are sensible," the Trainer nodded back. "I will forgive you this time."

'To think the Trainer in the Qualifier would be a Celestial Stage Cultivator while pretending to be an Immortal Stage one. I think something sketchy is going on,' Ming pointed out suddenly, causing Xuefeng to observe the Trainer closely.

The Trainer didn't even notice as he focused back at the Participant on the stage. As the tournament had the limit of thirty years, all participants were young, mostly in their twenties.

"You can continue. Right now, the lowest ranking to qualify is around six hundred thousand units. I suggest crossing one or two million to be safely qualified," the Trainer advised.

"Yes!" the young man on the stage exclaimed excitedly and stared at the black wall in front of him. He pulled out his sword from the Storage Ring and it immediately shone with Water Qi, giving out a blue-colored aura.

"Aaaa!" the youngster shouted loudly to hype himself up and rushed at the wall with his sword by his side. He aimed the tip at the wall and after gathering enough power, he stabbed the wall.

Thud.

Compared to all the explosions from the other stages, this one was quite boring, only giving out a single dull sound. But, contrary to everyone's expectations, the counter next to the wall just kept going up.

Five hundred thousand…

One million…

One million and five hundred thousand…

"Not bad. One million and five hundred fifty-five thousand Units," the Trainer praised as he noted down the youngster's name on the memory slip. "Even though your Art is quite weak, your Water Qi is refined to a Sixth stage, am I right?"

"Yes, Sir!"

"Do you have any other stronger Offensive Arts?" the Trainer questioned.

"No, Sir! I only managed to buy this one. I used all the other Water Element Upgrade Fragments I found to refine my Qi!" the youngster replied honestly.

"Mhmm," the Trainer nodded as he rubbed his short, classy beard while scanning the youngster in front of him. He looked like he just stepped into his thirties yet the clear maturity coming out from his voice and demeanor was too weird. Even Xuefeng noticed something was sketchy about him.

'Do you think he altered his appearance?' Xuefeng guessed.

'It's possible but I doubt it. He just advanced to the Celestial Stage in his thirties and his appearance stayed this way for a long time. He is using a Spirit Artefact to contain his Soul Pressure which makes him look like he is an Immortal Stage Cultivator,' Ming replied with her thoughts to which Ling added, 'He might be a high ranked expert overseeing the Qualifier or maybe one of the top experts looking for a Disciple. What is a better place to find one than here?'

Xuefeng didn't comment on that as the Trainer suddenly pulled out a palm-sized memory slip and passed it to the youngster.

"This Sword Art should better for you. You should go home and test it. I hope you can master it before the tournament starts. You have two days," the Trainer said with a smile. "Don't disappoint me."

Ahh!

The crowd instantly exploded with chatter as jealous gazes fell on the youngster. Everyone knew that Offensive Arts were extremely expensive. To get a hand on one, you could either buy one for tens of Upgrade Fragments or join a Sect, yet the youngster was getting a Sword Art for nothing. Even if he sold it after the Qualifier, he would be rich within seconds.

The boy was literally speechless, his eyes unable to believe it but when he touched the memory slip, he quickly bowed. "Thank you, Sir! I will not disappoint you!"

"Good. You should get one of the spots with your score so focus on mastering the new art now," the Trainer nodded in approval and ignored him, turning to the crowd. "Next!"

Shorty Bai seemed to be waiting for that moment as he immediately fired at Xuefeng.

"Young Master Xuefeng? Are you ready to show us your strength? I think everyone is waiting for that. We all want to see if there will be a new record for the Qualifier round. Shouldn't that be easy for Sect Master Liu's disciple?"

"Actually, I want to watch some more, so anyone who wants can go ahead. If I attempt the test, I would be leaving right after so I would prefer to watch more," Xuefeng replied with a shrug but Shorty Bai didn't give up.

"Come on! Will Young Master Xuefeng make everyone wait like this?" Shorty Bai questioned before turning to the crowd. "Do we want to see Young Master Xuefeng go first?!"

Instantly, people began to chant.

"Go first!"

"Go first!"

"Go first!"

Xuefeng had to admit that Shorty Bai knew how to manipulate the crowd.

'Don't worry, I'm almost done with my calculations. Just touch the wall beforehand so I can know how old the rock is. After we are done, it should crumble with just a bit of strength,' Ming informed just in the right time, giving him more freedom.

"I honestly don't mind, but," Xuefeng paused as he sighed. "I just worry that I might destroy this wall and everyone will have to move to another stage. Wouldn't it be a pain for you all?"

The way he talked, it felt as if he was doing them a favor. The crowd, Shorty Bai and even the Trainer was taken aback.

"Hahaha, I'm willing to bet all my money you can't even crack it!" Shorty Bai called out as he burst out laughing. Others wanted to laugh as well but knowing Xuefeng's status, they only chuckled.

Xuefeng raised his eyebrows when he heard the proposal, extremely tempted.

"Okay, deal. How much is it in Upgrade Fragments? I am willing to bet however much you want with Sect Master Liu as my backing," Xuefeng announced, making Shorty Bai freeze.

"You serious? I'm in! I can bet a thousand Upgrade Fragments that you can't break the wall!" Shorty Bai called out boldly.

"I thought I can't crack it? Are you scared to lose?" Xuefeng bantered.

"I changed my mind. You have to break it else it doesn't count," Shorty Bai replied with a shrug.

Before Xuefeng could say anything else, the Trainer snapped at them, "Stop wasting time! We don't have all day."

He glared at the Shorty Bai and then turned to Xuefeng, his black pupils sharp as if he tried to see through his body.

"You are Liu Xuefeng, right? Come up on stage now," the Trainer ordered. "If you can break the wall, I will add another thousand Upgrade Fragments as your reward and make sure Young Master Bai keeps his promise."

"Haha, alright!" Xuefeng agreed eagerly and turned to Tianshi, kissing her for goodbye. "Wait for me, I will be back soon."

He smiled and suddenly Golden Wings burst from his back.

"You will regret betting with me."

Chapter 69 It"s a Human!

Xuefeng left Tianshi with his clones as he launched himself in the sky, flying all the way to the top of the arena with just one swing of his wings. Not only the crowd around the first arena was amazed but all others on the field also raised their eyes, observing the sudden golden light.

He was like a sun with flames bursting out of his limbs and Golden Wings illuminating with its own light.

"What is it?"

"Is that a Spirit Art or a bird?"

"It's a human!"

Swoosh!

With another swing of his wings, he shot forward along the seating area and made few swift circles to test his speed. He needed as much power as he could get if he wanted to break through the Black Draconic Stone.

'It should be okay. Go and touch the wall,' Ming ordered, causing him to head back towards the stage.

Thud!

He stomped loudly as he landed but the Stage only shook a bit, displaying its sturdiness. Though, the Trainer didn't seem happy with his actions, showing a frown on his face.

"I'm sorry, Sir. I noticed that the usage of the Qi is allowed in the arena so I couldn't help but take advantage of it," Xuefeng apologized as he landed. "I also needed to calculate the speed required to finish my challenge."

Compared to everyone's expectations, the Trainer didn't scold but instead praised him.

"Your wings are quick. I like them. Can I ask if you made this Art yourself or did you learn it?"

Oof!

Make an Art himself? Isn't that a bit overboard to ask? Everyone got weirded out by the Trainer's question as it was obvious Xuefeng either found it or learned it from someone.

"The latter," Xuefeng replied simply. "It's a unique Wind Element Art that I learned after visiting the Hidden Realm of my Wives' Race."

"Forrest Elves Race?" the Trainer guessed, surprising Xuefeng.

"Don't worry," the Trainer assured immediately. "I just remember this Wind Element Art because I once visited them. I even tried to learn it but it's too hard. Only by having a Forest Elf Bloodline can one actually perform such Elemental Arts. I asked you because I was checking if you will be honest."

"Well, the previous answer should be both actually," Xuefeng corrected. "I improved the Art by myself so it's currently the fastest in the world and I'm the only one who has it."

He spread the Golden Wings to display the flexibility of movements he had.

"I thought so. Now I'm looking forward to your test," the Trainer nodded and extended his hand. "Your token."

Xuefeng passed the memory slip with his information and walked up to the Wall.

"How many Units of strength can the wall handle before breaking?" Xuefeng questioned as he gave Ming time to calculate.

"Around ten million Units if I remember correctly," the Trainer replied. "I registered you already so you can start. One strike or one art. Your choice. Multiple strikes will disqualify you."

"So if I destroy it, how will we test my real strength?" Xuefeng asked casually, buying even more time.

"We can't. I will just note that you exceeded ten million Units. The record is around eight million so you would be the first under thirty years old to break a Black Draconic Stone wall," the Trainer explained. "Ready? Many are waiting."

At that moment, Xuefeng felt a surge of Fate Qi flow through his arm before entering the wall.

'Okay, I'm done. I planted explosions in a few spots. When you strike, I will lower the durability of the wall by ten times so you can break it. Just one million Units of strength should be enough to break it,' Ming informed.

Xuefeng acted normal, patting the wall as if he was bidding farewell to it and finally walked away.

"I'm ready."

Bang!

Xuefeng launched himself in the sky once again, this time more firm and explosive. Fire Qi burst from his legs while the Wings swung in quick succession.

'Are you sure he won't notice?' Xuefeng questioned as he sped up, doing circles in the sky.

'He will if he touches the wall. Let's hope he won't,' Ming called out casually but it seems her confidence jinxed it.

The Trainer gazed at the wall as if he noticed something and began walking to it with a frown.

"Fuck!" Xuefeng cursed and didn't wait anymore.

Time manipulation!

Pulling out his Dragon Edge sword, he began gliding towards the stage with extreme speed, gathering power.

"Taste my Nuke!"

From the side, he looked as if he teleported from the top of the arena straight to the stage, but in reality, he just sped up time around himself.

Before the Trainer could reach the wall, Xuefeng was already there, his sword piercing through the wall.

BANG!

The shock-wave covered the whole stage, with light blinding everyone's vision. The wall cracked and black fragments shot it all direction, striking the invisible barrier around the stage.

"…"

When people opened their eyes again and the dust lessened, they saw the wall was already gone with black chucks laying all over the stage floor. There wasn't anyone who wasn't speechless, opening their mouths in shock.

"HOW?!" Shorty Bai cried out in disbelief, being the one who lost big time. "Sir! He must have cheated! It's impossible with his stage and not even the First Qi Refinement!"

The crowd cringed at the Shorty Bai's words. In the world of Cultivation, nothing was impossible. Even his small group followers stepped back, not wanting to associate themselves with a sore loser. Xuefeng did what he promised but Shorty Bai immediately called him out for cheating as if he couldn't accept losing.

Only the Trainer could confirm this claim so the crowd looked at him. He was standing right there when the explosion blinded them, but nothing happened to him. Even his clothes were intact.

Even Xuefeng waited for the Trainer's opinion as he placed the side of his sword on the shoulder.

"Does this count?"

The Trainer gazed at Xuefeng while squinting his eyes and eventually nodded.

"I saw it clearly. Liu Xuefeng indeed destroyed the wall on his own."

Chapter 70 Reward

"Impossible!"

Shorty Bai didn't seem to believe it even after the trainer confirmed it, but the Trainer didn't stop there.

"As I said before, the wall could withstand ten million Units of strength, so I will use that as the final result," the Trainer announced.

"I really thought this wall will be more sturdy. I even used my weakest Art," Xuefeng commented with a sigh and turned to the Shorty Bai with a smile. "I won the bet. Pay up, bitch."

Xuefeng knew he wouldn't be a friend with a shorty who was so adamant on going against him, so he didn't mind offending him. Even if he didn't have the strength to actually break the wall, no one needed to know that.

Only he could see what exactly happened.

When his sword was closing, golden lines spread throughout the wall. It was caused by Fate Qi which exploded in ten different spots. Weakened by Ming, Xuefeng could break the wall with just a bit of force. He used his strongest offensive Sword Art yet he still only managed to reach a million Unit of strength. Just this alone showed how important Qi Refining was.

Not only that, how strong was a person who reached eight million Units? If even his Judgment Vine which was known for its offensive properties could only reach ten million Units, does that mean this person also used one of the Forbidden Arts?

Shorty Bai opened his mouth to speak but the Trainer cut him off, reminding, "I am a witness of this bet. If Young Master Bai doesn't respect the deal, I will use my ability and remove him from the Tournament."

Shorty Bai finally showed frustration on his face, a noticeable difference from his calm attitude.

He forcefully swallowed his anger and called out, "Of course, I will respect the bet! I just don't like the way he speaks with curses. It doesn't suit the disciple of Sect Master Liu. Even if he won, it doesn't mean he can curse people freely."

"Who cares? Just give me my Upgrade Fragments. We don't have all day to listen to your bullshit," Xuefeng countered before gazing at the crowd. "Who likes to listen to the shit he says? Raise your hand for me."

"…"

Xuefeng waited five seconds and seeing no one raised their hand, he pointed at the crowd.

"See? No one cares."

Who would dare to side with the loser after Xuefeng just destroyed the wall and showed why he was the Sect Master Liu's personal disciple? Shorty Bai wasn't worth enough to offend him and Xuefeng knew it very well.

"Stop stalling!"

"You lost so give him the Fragments!"

People from the crowd shouted to hurry Shorty Bai and he finally gave in after a simple hateful gaze.

Thud.

A sack full of round objects fell on the ground next to the stage. Shorty Bai simply threw it on the ground without even giving Xuefeng a Storage Ring.

Thud. Thud. Thud.

One by one, the sacks fell in front of everyone, and eventually, all ten sacks were stacked as if on display. How could the crowd resist staring at the Upgrade Fragments? For some, it was the most fragments they saw in their whole lives.

Swoosh!

Xuefeng didn't mind at all and quickly collected the sacks from afar. As he expected, the Fragments were all mixed, almost even in number. He got a hundred plus of each element, which wouldn't allow him to improve any of his Elements to a high level.

"Thanks! Now please, don't talk to me ever again. I don't like you," Xuefeng called out while waving goodbye. "And don't use my name so lightly or you will end up like that wall. Only my friends can call me by my name. For others, I'm a Young Master Liu."

After the threat, Xuefeng no longer looked at the shorty and gazed at the Trainer while waiting patiently. He was shameless enough to ask for his won fragments, especially after knowing how much value they had.

"Ehem," the Trainer cleared his throat and announced, "As the testing wall is broken, this stage will be closed. Please move on to the next stage. Remember, the Qualifier will end today. Whoever doesn't test himself will lose their chance to participate in the Tournament."

Ah!

Many exclaimed and suddenly, the crowd began to move. Although flying was possible, it was still forbidden so everyone had to move on foot. Even though he lost the bet, getting humiliated, Shorty Bai didn't follow the rest, staying on his spot while glaring at Xuefeng.

They simply ignored him as the Trainer questioned, "What Element of Fragments you want? I can bet he gave you all different Elements so it won't help you much."

"Sir is right. If I can choose, I wish I receive Upgrade Fragments of Wind Element," Xuefeng replied, choosing to boost his strongest element first. If he could control Air Qi of higher refinement, not many would be able to stop him.

"Sure," the Trainer nodded as if it was nothing and threw a Storage Ring at him right after, treating the Fragments so casually.

'He is definitely not normal. He must be someone of high status,' Ling pointed out, confirming Xuefeng's guess.

"I thought Upgrade Fragments were hard to come by but wherever I go, everyone has so many of them," Xuefeng probed and immediately saw a shake of the Trainer's head.

"They are rare. Extremely rare. A thousand Upgrade Fragments per day in the whole Water Land is too little, knowing how much cultivators need them. I just have a few spare after my travels so I can allow myself to bet on talent," the Trainer explained with a shrug. "You are indeed skilled. If not for Sect Master Liu, I would ask you to be my disciple."

"You flatter me, Sir," Xuefeng replied humbly, bowing lightly.

Being done, the Trainer waved with his hand.

"Alright, go away. I need to clean up the mess you created."

"Actually, my wife also wanted to get tested," Xuefeng mentioned and without calling for her, Tianshi flew onto the stage, greeting the Trainer.

He seized her with his gaze before pointing behind them.

"You need to use another Stage now. This one is broken."

"Actually, she is not skilled in offense but instead a defense. She specializes in boosting the strength of others as well as defending them."

"Oh?"

"Yes. How about she creates a defensive armor around me and Sir will try to break it, using about two million Units of strength? This way she can also qualify for the Tournament," Xuefeng proposed.

"Sure. It shouldn't be allowed but I'm intrigued," the Trainer agreed, preparing to strike with his fist. "Whenever you are ready."

At his call, Tianshi approached Xuefeng and placed her hand on his back, channeling Qi into his body. A moment later, a thick armor coated his body. Xuefeng could feel it was much stronger and sturdy than usual.

After Tianshi stepped to the side, Xuefeng called out in readiness.

"Ready."

Bang!