“Song Qiqi, if you had even the slightest sense of shame, you wouldn’t say something like that! She has a non-elemental spiritual root. What are you, a five-element spiritual root, bullying her for? If you really want a fair competition, fight me!”
Lu Aoshuang held her sword and stood in front of Shen Yuexi like a Mother hen protecting her chick.
“What’s the point of fighting you? Do you have a token? I’ll only fight Shen Yuexi.” Song Qiqi’s face was nearly livid with anger. She had been spoiled rotten in the Jiuyang Sect—when had she ever suffered the humiliation of being criticized by everyone?
But she did not dare duel Lu Aoshuang either. Lu Aoshuang had a five-element spiritual root like her, but her cultivation was much higher. She was already a fifth-tier Spirit Warrior and one of the best among them.
Before Shen Yuexi could say anything, Lu Aoshuang shielded her and said worriedly, “That token should have been yours in the first place. Don’t agree to this, whatever you do. She’s clearly bullying the weak because she thinks you’re good-tempered, your spiritual power is weak, and you’re easy to bully.”
Song Qiqi looked at Shen Yuexi and provoked her. “Shen Yuexi, don’t tell me you’re afraid?”
“Sure.” Shen Yuexi agreed readily.
Song Qiqi had already lost once, yet she still dared to challenge her again. Shen Yuexi wanted to see what new tricks she had come up with.
Besides, Shen Yuexi intended to enter the Lingyun Sect. Song Qiqi could forget about getting in!
When Lu Aoshuang heard her agree, she worriedly caught Shen Yuexi by the sleeve and shook her head.
“Don’t worry.” Shen Yuexi gave Lu Aoshuang a reassuring look, then stepped toward Song Qiqi.
She and Lu Aoshuang had only just met, but the concern in Lu Aoshuang’s eyes was so genuine that Shen Yuexi found it deeply heartwarming.
The duel began.
Song Qiqi summoned a third-grade Blazing Snake and spoke with contempt.
“I only let you gain the upper hand last time because I was careless. I absolutely won’t lose this time! And don’t even think about entering the Lingyun Sect!”
With that, she circulated all the spiritual power in her body, condensing it into an increasingly enormous fireball that shot fiercely toward Shen Yuexi.
Shen Yuexi touched the ground with the tips of her toes, her figure moving like a ghost as she dodged the fireball at incredible speed.
Water-type spiritual power circulated through her hands, rapidly freezing into ice. A rain of ice, wrapped in spiritual power and astral wind, came crashing down on Song Qiqi.
“Do you think I’m still the same person I was before?” The third-grade Blazing Snake blocked all the attacks for Song Qiqi. With a disdainful sneer, Song Qiqi said, “You were too careless. Immortal-Binding Rope!”
While Shen Yuexi was distracted by attacking her, Song Qiqi swiftly used the Immortal-Binding Rope.
Lu Aoshuang’s expression changed drastically when she heard this, and she hurriedly warned her, “Dodge!”
The Immortal-Binding Rope was a third-grade spirit artifact. Even a Spirit Master would be completely unable to move once bound by it. If Shen Yuexi were caught, Lu Aoshuang could not bear to imagine the consequences.
But as soon as she finished speaking, Shen Yuexi was bound by the Immortal-Binding Rope.
Song Qiqi flew over and leaned close to her, laughing wildly. “How does it feel to be bound by the Immortal-Binding Rope? I specifically begged Brother An to give it to me so I could deal with you.”
Shen Yuexi looked at her coldly, her expression remaining impassive. “So you rely on men for everything. You think that’s something to be proud of?”
“So what? A vase like you couldn’t find a man willing to support you even if you wanted one! But I have to admit, your five-element spiritual root is quite useful.” Greed filled Song Qiqi’s eyes. In a voice only the two of them could hear, she said, “Oh, no—it’s mine now!”
“My five-element spiritual root has only been in your body for a few days. How did it become yours?!”
A cold voice filled with biting frost rang out. Shen Yuexi slightly curled her fingers, continuously absorbing and condensing the spiritual power around her. In an instant, she broke free of the Immortal-Binding Rope!
The next moment, she struck Song Qiqi with her palm, injuring her and sending her crashing to the ground.
A terrible pain tore through Song Qiqi’s stomach. She vomited a mouthful of blood and curled up on the ground, clutching her abdomen.
“Do not take her life.”
A warning from the disciple in charge rang out from the air.
Shen Yuexi walked over to Song Qiqi and stomped on her glass sphere, crushing it beneath her foot. Her red lips curved into a faint smile.
“Song Qiqi forfeits.”
Song Qiqi’s eyes widened in terror, filled with both fear and hatred. “Shen Yuexi, you—”
But before she could finish, the disciple in charge took her away.
In the Chasing Sun Forest, everyone fell utterly silent.
The Assembly Hall was even quieter. Not a single person spoke.
After a long while—
“She’s a second-tier Spirit Warrior. She can cultivate!”
“The strength of a non-elemental spiritual root is actually greater than that of a five-element spiritual root?”
“Who said she couldn’t cultivate? Get your ass out here!”
Shock swept through the entire hall. No one cared in the slightest that they had lost a five-element spiritual root disciple. Only the First Peak Peak Master and Ning Xingzhi were grinning from ear to ear.
After taking a moment to recover, the Sect Master said solemnly, “This was our oversight. The possibility of a non-elemental spiritual root cultivating spiritual power is indeed exceedingly small, but it is not impossible.”
The moment they learned that Shen Yuexi could cultivate, several Peak Masters began fighting to claim her.
Beast tamers were the rarest cultivators on the continent, and those with a talent for beast taming were one in ten thousand.
The Second Peak Peak Master immediately joined the scramble, completely disregarding what he had said before. “Since she can cultivate, she can practice dual cultivation of body and spirit. If she diligently studies the Beast-Taming Art, she’ll have a bright future ahead of her. Our Second Peak has always ranked among the top three in the sect tournament. Under my guidance, she will surely have a splendid future!”
The Third Peak Peak Master immediately objected. “You said before that she was lazy and refused to take her in. Now you want her to join your Second Peak, and you even said you wanted to accept that five-element spiritual root girl. You can’t take every advantage for yourself!”
“In my opinion, this girl is so young and already knows beast taming. She is clearly a heaven-chosen disciple for our Fourth Peak! Other than our Fourth Peak, which peak has a beast tamer capable of teaching her more powerful beast-taming techniques? With her talent in beast taming, proper guidance might even allow her to become an exceptional beast tamer.” The Fourth Peak Peak Master decisively brought out his own advantage to win her over.
“Our Fifth Peak comes in first in the tournament every year. Could we really not find a beast tamer to teach her the Beast-Taming Art? Everyone has seen the disciples I’ve trained. Each and every one of them is the strongest of their generation. If this girl doesn’t join my Fifth Peak, it will be a terrible waste of her talents.”
As the Fifth Peak Peak Master joined the fray, Ning Xingzhi stood behind them, wanting to speak but unable to get a word in. He was frantic.
The First Peak Peak Master could no longer sit still. He let out a cold laugh. “A bunch of two-faced old monsters. Don’t forget what you said before. Besides, the Sect Master already agreed that if she passed the examination, she would become a disciple of my First Peak.”
“You mistakenly thought she couldn’t cultivate before. Now that you know she can, sending such a beast-taming genius to your First Peak would only give you another incompetent disciple who neglects her proper duties. She would eventually fade into mediocrity, and you would have to answer to your ancestors,” the Second Peak Peak Master retorted. Though he had many disciples under him, not one was a beast tamer. Even if he had to throw away what remained of his dignity, he was determined to seize her.
Seeing this, the Third Peak Peak Master reminded them, “You’re all thinking too optimistically. Even if she can cultivate, she still has a non-elemental spiritual root. Her cultivation speed will be less than one-tenth that of an ordinary person, and she will also advance extremely slowly in the Beast-Taming Art. Without a tenacious and enduring Dao heart to support her, she will likely never accomplish anything great. At best, she’ll be better than those below her but inferior to those above her.”
The Peak Masters instantly fell silent. The Third Peak Peak Master was right. They had indeed failed to consider the matter properly and overlooked the fact that even if someone with a non-elemental spiritual root could cultivate, their progress would be extraordinarily slow.
The Sect Master could only pinch the bridge of his nose and say sternly, “Moreover, cultivation requires one to preserve one’s original heart. As for which peak she chooses, let her decide for herself after the examination.”
Hearing this, Ning Xingzhi hurried forward and said quietly, “Master, it’s settled, it’s settled. Little Junior Sister has already accepted the meeting gift, so she’ll definitely come to our peak.”
He finished speaking and waited for praise, only to hear the First Peak Peak Master’s secret voice transmission.
“You brat, you’ve finally gotten clever for once. You actually know how to lure a Little Junior Sister back.”