In the depths of a dense primeval forest, an open space a few dozen meters across lay between two opposing groups.
On one side stood Xiao Minghuang and the people of Beiyang City.
On the other side were the yellow-robed elders and warriors of the Golden Elephant Kingdom.
At that moment, a young man in yellow stepped out from among the Golden Elephant crowd. He clasped his fists and called out:
“Golden Elephant Kingdom, Chen Tao. Who dares face me in battle?”
Seeing that the Golden Elephant Kingdom had sent someone onto the field, Xiao Minghuang turned to Lin Wanqiu beside her, a smile in her eyes.
“Wanqiu, how about you take the first match?”
Lin Wanqiu bent slightly, gaze firm.
“Your Highness, rest assured. I will win from the very start.”
Once she entered the arena, Lin Wanqiu exploded with shocking strength. With a single punch, she sent her opponent flying, slamming him out of the ring.
The impact of that scene left everyone present dumbfounded.
Especially the people of the Golden Elephant Kingdom. They had never expected that the petite, seemingly delicate Lin Wanqiu could unleash such terrifying power from that slender body.
The first bout was over.
The victor: Beiyang City.
Lin Wanqiu walked back to stand before Xiao Minghuang, her red lips slightly parted, breath coming fast and shallow.
That fight had looked easy—one punch and done—but it had consumed seventy to eighty percent of her strength.
“Your Highness, I did not fail your trust.”
Xiao Minghuang reached out to rub her head, then took a pill from her bosom and placed it between Lin Wanqiu’s lips.
Her mouth was suddenly stuffed with something, and Lin Wanqiu’s eyes flashed with surprise. But in the next instant, joy lit her gaze. She quickly circulated her cultivation technique to refine the medicine. In just a few breaths, she had already returned to peak condition.
After adjusting her breathing, Lin Wanqiu bowed slightly, her voice soft.
“Many thanks for the pill, Your Highness.”
Xiao Minghuang shook her head with a small smile.
“That pill was from Ruoshui. She said it was to thank you for guiding her in martial arts.”
Hearing this, Lin Wanqiu turned her eyes toward Ye Ruoshui, a gentle smile blooming on her face.
“Thank you for the pill, Miss Ye.”
“It’s just a little pill. I can casually refine a furnace and get dozens. You don’t need to think anything of it.”
Ye Ruoshui turned her head away as if careless, but the quick flash of a smile on her lips and the faint blush at her ears betrayed her.
Catching Ye Ruoshui’s tiny expressions, Xiao Minghuang couldn’t help a knowing smile. She leaned toward Lin Wanqiu’s ear and lowered her voice.
“Wanqiu, don’t believe her. That pill is a top-grade Yellow-rank elixir. Ruoshui stayed up all night refining it. It’s extremely precious.”
Lin Wanqiu’s expression softened, deeply moved.
All she had done was give Ye Ruoshui a bit of casual instruction in martial skills—something any ordinary martial artist could have done. Yet Ye Ruoshui had taken out a top-grade Yellow-rank pill, such a rare treasure, to repay her.
That act alone made Lin Wanqiu reevaluate this little girl called Ye Ruoshui.
Moreover, for someone as young as Ye Ruoshui to be able to refine a top-grade Yellow-rank pill… with such talent, it was doubtful the entire Great Xia could produce a second like her.
Some rejoice, some despair.
The Golden Elephant Kingdom had lost their very first match. The four young warriors remaining all drooped their heads, their fighting spirit completely drained.
“Third Senior Brother lost the first bout… That girl in the red dress is at the fourth level of Qi Refining. How could we possibly be her match… Unless Senior Brother Wang Bao steps in, we’re doomed to lose today.”
The yellow-robed elder’s expression shifted uncertainly. He kept glancing toward Wang Bao, who leaned against an ancient tree with eyes closed in thought, as if struggling with a difficult decision.
In the end, he pointed at a disciple at the peak of Body Tempering.
“You. Go for the second match.”
In the blink of an eye, the Golden Elephant disciple entered the field.
On Beiyang City’s side—
Lin Wanqiu clenched her pale fists, battle intent burning in her eyes.
“Your Highness, I’ve finished regulating my breathing. I can fight again.”
Xiao Minghuang was still a bit uneasy and confirmed once more.
“You’re sure? Truly able to fight?”
Lin Wanqiu nodded hard, her beautiful eyes filled with steely resolve.
Seeing this, Xiao Minghuang could not continue to dissuade her.
“If you feel anything wrong, withdraw immediately. Leave the rest to me.”
Hearing that, a sudden sense of security rose in Lin Wanqiu’s heart. As if so long as Xiao Minghuang stood behind her, there was nothing she could not do.
But she knew that was only an illusion. After steadying her thoughts, she took a deep breath and stepped onto the battlefield.
The second bout held no surprises. Lin Wanqiu still emerged victorious.
Just like in the first fight, she sent the Golden Elephant warrior flying with a single punch, leaving him sprawled on the ground, unable to rise.
Seeing this scene, the people of Beiyang City all wore expressions of joy.
The Golden Elephant Kingdom’s crowd, in contrast, looked as if they were attending a funeral, their heads hanging in dejection.
“Master, please have Senior Brother Wang Bao take the field. Otherwise, we’re going to be completely wiped out today!”
The young warriors of the Golden Elephant Kingdom pleaded in unison.
The strongest expert on Beiyang City’s side, the Ninth Princess, had not even made a move yet, and they had already lost twice at Lin Wanqiu’s hands.
If the Ninth Princess herself took the field, wouldn’t they be utterly crushed?
Seeing that his disciples had completely lost the will to fight, the yellow-robed elder could no longer remain calm. He sent a voice transmission to Wang Bao.
“Junior Nephew Wang, today’s outcome rests entirely on you. If you are willing to lend a hand, I will give you eighty percent of the spirit vein’s income. In addition, this old man will gift you a Tiger Bone Body-Strengthening Pill as payment. What do you say?”
Wang Bao’s closed eyes suddenly snapped open, a flicker of surprise in them.
Tiger Bone Body-Strengthening Pill!
This was a secret pill of the Dragon Tiger Sect, capable of powerfully tempering the body and greatly enhancing physical strength. Even in the sect, not even core disciples could use it without limit.
He himself had only obtained one because of his close relationship with his senior brother, Xue Wushang.
Mere spirit stones meant little to him. But a Tiger Bone Body-Strengthening Pill was something he could not easily ignore.
“Are you serious?”
“This old man’s word is as good as nine bronze tripods.”
The yellow-robed elder gritted his teeth.
“I can agree to take action, but you must also help me with one thing.”
Wang Bao narrowed his eyes slightly, speaking slowly.
“Please speak, Junior Nephew Wang. So long as it’s within my power, I will agree.”
“I came down the mountain this time carrying my senior brother’s personal command token, to recruit a genius with Five Elements Spirit Roots into the sect. I’ve already found her, but she doesn’t seem willing to join us. As long as you help me capture her, everything else can be discussed.”
“If you accomplish this, when I return to the sect, I’ll speak well of you to Senior Brother. I’ll see you transferred back into the inner sect to hold a position there. How does that sound?”
At these words, the yellow-robed elder fell silent, lost in thought.
What had begun as an almost guaranteed contest over a spirit vein had somehow turned into a struggle over a genius young girl.
But now, he was riding a tiger—there was no getting off halfway. If he refused, he would offend Wang Bao, and might not even be able to keep his current post as an outer sect elder in the future.
If he helped, however, he might be able to return to the sect…
Thinking of this, his fear of that high-grade Yellow-rank spear weakened slightly. He hardened his heart and replied:
“Rest easy, Junior Nephew Wang. I will help you accomplish this.”
“Good. It’s a deal.”
45. In this tiny Xia Kingdom, there are actually three peerless beauties!
Wang Bao agreed readily, then strode into the arena.
As he came to a stop at the center of the field, the atmosphere instantly grew heavy. Everyone’s gaze focused on him, their wariness plain.
All at once, the aura of a seventh-level Qi Refining cultivator burst forth, sweeping across the entire arena. Even the air seemed to thicken under the pressure.
Wang Bao’s gaze locked straight onto Xiao Minghuang, who stood like the moon surrounded by stars. The corner of his mouth curved in a faint, mocking smile, clearly not treating her as an equal opponent at all.
“A genius girl with Five Elements Spirit Roots. Let’s see exactly how impressive you are.”
The Dragon Tiger Sect’s eldest true disciple also possessed Five Elements Spirit Roots.
But Xue Wushang was nearly thirty and already at the peak of the Spring of Qi realm. Though still counted among the younger generation, the gap in cultivation between him and Xiao Minghuang was enormous, incomparable.
The girl before him, however, a Five Elements prodigy, was only at the fourth level of Qi Refining. The gap between them was not dramatic.
But…
Wang Bao was an inner disciple of the Dragon Tiger Sect.
“Junior Nephew Wang cultivates our sect’s Earth-rank low-grade technique, the Dragon Tiger Body-Tempering Art. His physique is incomparably strong, allowing him to kill across realms… Little girl, I advise you to admit defeat early. Otherwise, if that pretty face of yours gets ruined, no one will want you in the future!”
The yellow-robed elder laughed loudly, brimming with pride.
Wang Bao’s appearance had swept away all his earlier frustration. In his mind, the outcome was already decided before the battle even began.
Faced with their taunts, Xiao Minghuang remained serene, her expression tranquil.
Lin Zhengquan, however, did not share such confidence. He knew very well how astonishing the Ninth Princess’s talent was.
But talent was only potential. Until it was transformed into actual strength, no matter how great the potential, it was meaningless.
He could not help but speak up in reminder.
“Your Highness, this fight is dangerous. If you are not absolutely sure, we can concede. There is no need to争 over this single moment.”
Hearing that, the corners of Xiao Minghuang’s lips lifted slightly, but there was not the slightest hint of a smile in her pupils. Instead, they held a trace of reproach.
“City Lord Lin, any who walk the martial path must possess a heart that seeks invincibility. Even if one cannot be invincible beneath the heavens, one must at least not fear any opponent of the same realm. Otherwise, how can one be called strong?”
Her words sent a tremor through Lin Zhengquan’s heart.
When he was young, he too had possessed an invincible heart, sweeping all opponents of his level. But ever since being stuck at the Spring of Qi realm without breaking through, that heart had gradually died.
Yet upon hearing Xiao Minghuang now, the long-stagnant bottleneck at his Spirit Sea realm seemed to loosen slightly.
Nor was he the only one affected. Everyone present turned to look at Xiao Minghuang, dressed in a bright red gown, noble and ethereal, her beauty peerless.
For such a young girl to speak with such domineering conviction was, without doubt, a lesson for them all.
Especially Lin Wanqiu.
From childhood, her meridians had been blocked. Her cultivation had been incomparably difficult: where others needed only one measure of effort to break through, she needed two or even three. The hardships and suffering involved were beyond outside imagination.
As the eldest young lady of the City Lord’s estate, she received greater glory than most—but bore correspondingly greater pressure.
The constant, ever-present mockery, though rarely spoken to her face, surrounded her in the form of gossip and whispers every single day.
Those years of experience had forged in her a character that bent without breaking, that yielded when pressed—but they had not given birth to a heart that feared nothing and no one.
Xiao Minghuang’s words struck precisely at the knot in her heart.
In that instant, a subtle, mysterious aura rose from Lin Wanqiu’s body. It flashed into existence and vanished just as quickly—but its impact was immense.
The spiritual energy in the surroundings surged like a hundred rivers flowing into the sea, madly rushing into Lin Wanqiu. In the blink of an eye, she had absorbed it all. In just a heartbeat, the aura within several hundred meters was wiped clean.
The sudden anomaly left everyone present in an uproar.
“What’s happening?”
“It’s the Young Lady! The Young Lady has entered enlightenment!”
Someone cried out in shock.
Just as Lin Wanqiu was about to break through into the Qi Refining realm, Xiao Minghuang hurriedly sent a voice transmission.
“Wanqiu, don’t break through yet. Trust me.”
Enlightenment was a once-in-a-lifetime stroke of fortune. Lin Wanqiu stood at the very edge of Qi Refining, just a single thought away from stepping across. If anyone else had said this, she would have ignored them. But if it was Xiao Minghuang…
That was different.
Lin Wanqiu drew in her aura, dispersing the spiritual energy that enlightenment had drawn to her side. She exhaled deeply and began circulating her technique to smooth her chaotic meridians.
Forcing herself back from the edge of a breakthrough did little harm to her body, but she needed to recuperate. For the moment, she was unable to use any spiritual power.
At this moment, Xiao Minghuang walked over to her side and bent close, whispering a few words into her ear. Lin Wanqiu’s pale face brightened at once with delight.
What Xiao Minghuang spoke of, naturally, was the matter of the final three stages of body tempering.
If one wished not to lag behind others on the path of cultivation, one had to complete body tempering to the absolute limit.
Next, Xiao Minghuang handed Lin Wanqiu a storage pouch containing the body-tempering chapters of the Purple Tenuity Imperial Dao Scripture.
Aside from these small, private movements between the two, everything that had just happened fell clearly into Wang Bao’s eyes.
He had never imagined that in this tiny Beiyang City of the small Xia Kingdom, there would be two such astonishingly talented girls—and both devastatingly beautiful.
One possessed Five Elements Spirit Roots, and the other had triggered enlightenment while still in the Body Tempering realm.
Such qualifications were rare even within the Dragon Tiger Sect. Once discovered, such disciples were always taken as true inheritors.
Yet now, he had encountered two at once.
This thought sent Wang Bao’s mind racing.
If he could capture both of them and bring them back to the Dragon Tiger Sect, he could present the Five Elements girl to his senior brother.
As for the one who’d attained enlightenment, he could keep her as his own Dao companion.
How wonderful would that be?
Chitong’s monthly paid group: 6949 3 6 1 3 5?
In addition, he had noticed yet another figure among the Beiyang crowd—a girl with a sultry figure and seductive features, especially the full, round curves on her chest that stirred a sudden, inexplicable desire in him at a single glance.
“I don’t know about her talent, but just for her looks alone, she’d be more than enough to take as a concubine.”
Wang Bao couldn’t help swallowing. This trip down the mountain to this tiny Xia Kingdom had unexpectedly revealed three peerless beauties. He was about to hit the jackpot.
While his mind was busily calculating—
Xiao Minghuang’s figure flashed as she landed in the arena.
Her skin was like snow, her black hair cascading like a waterfall. Her sleeves fluttered as she descended, ethereal and untouched by dust. Her exquisitely perfect face was flawless, a beauty beyond mortal comparison.
Seeing Xiao Minghuang step forward, Wang Bao reined in his wandering thoughts, his gaze growing solemn.
Though his cultivation was several small realms higher than hers, from her earlier words he knew that despite her youth, this girl was no simple opponent.
The two stood at opposite ends of the battlefield. The atmosphere turned oppressive, and no one dared to speak. All held their breath.
Hands folded in her sleeves, Xiao Minghuang appeared calm, but her heart was anything but casual.
Since she had set foot on the path of cultivation, this was her first true battle against a genius of her own generation.
Before this, whether it was the Seventh Prince or those demonic cult leaders, they had all been mediocre. Beating them proved nothing.
But this time, her opponent was an inner disciple of the Dragon Tiger Sect, a man of outstanding talent and considerable strength.
If she won, it would be invaluable for forging her invincible Dao heart.
If she lost…
“In my vocabulary, there is no such word as ‘defeat.'”
The corners of Xiao Minghuang’s lips lifted slightly.
“I’ll give you the first move.”
