"City Lord, Pavilion Master, it’s getting late. Shouldn’t we depart?" Li Yun turned calmly toward Bai Xueqin and Guan Long, as though nothing had happened.
Yet both Bai Xueqin and Guan Long were inwardly shaken.
They had anticipated that Zheng Tao wouldn’t be Li Yun’s match, but they hadn’t imagined the difference would be so overwhelming. Zheng Tao, supposedly a 5th-level Body Tempering Realm cultivator from Purple Moon Academy, had been reduced to a pitiful state, unable to retaliate even once.
Li Yun’s abnormality was frightening.
At Li Yun’s words, Bai Xueqin and Guan Long exchanged a glance.
"Alright. Let’s depart," Bai Xueqin said softly, her narrowed eyes lingering on Li Yun as though reassessing him once more.
"Go," Guan Long echoed with a single nod.
Zheng Tao stood stiffly, his gaze drifting toward Guan Ling, as though begging for some direction. But fear tied his tongue; he was terrified that if he dared speak, Li Yun would find another excuse to strike him.
Guan Ling felt his pitiful stare and turned her eyes on him. Once, Zheng Tao’s handsome face had carried pride and arrogance; now it was swollen grotesquely, resembling a pig’s head. A frown tugged at her lips.
"Zheng Tao, return to Hollow Mist City on your own. When this matter is resolved, I’ll visit Purple Moon Academy," she said coldly, her tone carrying neither comfort nor sympathy. Then, almost unconsciously, her gaze shifted back to Li Yun.
The events of today had shaken her. She finally understood why her father had praised this young man as Azure Wind City’s most outstanding cultivator.
"Mm..." Zheng Tao let out a miserable sound, standing there like a whipped dog. Pitiful now, hateful only moments ago. His humiliation was no one’s fault but his own, he had provoked Li Yun again and again, until the backlash crushed him. He had simply courted disaster.
Without sparing him another glance, Li Yun and the others boarded the Cloud-Soaring Carriage.
Inside, the carriage was luxuriously spacious, easily fitting five people without the slightest sense of crowding. Outside, Captain Bai Futian took hold of the reins, guiding the majestic Cloud-Soaring Horses.
"City Lord, are we ready?" Bai Futian’s voice came from beyond the carriage.
"Let’s go," Bai Xueqin replied.
The Cloud-Soaring Carriage shuddered, then surged forward smoothly, gliding across the air with impressive speed.
Within the carriage, Han Yun turned to Li Yun, his face lit with admiration. "Young Master Li Yun, I truly admire you!" He raised a thumb in approval.
For a long time, Han Yun had found Zheng Tao unbearable, but lacking the strength to confront him, he could only endure. Now, watching Li Yun thrash him so thoroughly was deeply satisfying.
And yet, beneath that satisfaction lay unease. Han Yun had seen Li Yun once before, at a small auction in the Treasure Pavilion. Back then, although Li Yun had been bold enough to clash with Zhao Xiaotian of the Zhao family, Han Yun hadn’t paid him much attention.
Who could have imagined that in such a short span, this "good-for-nothing" once mocked as talentless had grown into such a terrifying force?
Rumors truly meant nothing.
"Brother Han is too polite, just call me Li Yun," Li Yun said casually, waving his hand.
"Alright then, Brother Li it is. Straightforward enough!" Han Yun grinned, his tone as open as his personality.
An incense stick of time later, the Cloud-Soaring Carriage glided out of Azure Wind City.
While traveling through the city streets, its speed had remained restrained. But once it cleared the gates and entered the open wilderness, its pace surged dramatically. The spirit beasts pulling it, the majestic Cloud-Soaring Horses, moved like streaks of lightning, their hooves pounding the air as if riding the wind itself.
Despite the tremendous speed, the carriage’s interior remained astonishingly stable. It barely swayed, smooth as drifting on clouds. If not for the roaring winds tearing past outside, one might forget they were racing across the land at breakneck speed.
"Whooosh!"
"Hisss..." The Cloud-Soaring Horses let out sharp cries as they pushed forward, their speed unrelenting.
The scenery outside became a blur, towns, rivers, and stretches of wilderness flashing by in the blink of an eye.
In just a single day, the carriage carried Li Yun and the others across the breadth of Azure Wind City’s domain, arriving at its northern border with Water Cloud City.
This region was normally desolate and sparsely inhabited, but now it buzzed with activity. Crude yet sturdy structures had sprung up across the barren plains, and powerful cultivators could be seen stationed everywhere, their auras thick in the air.
At the largest tent-like hall, a black-armored guard sprinted forward, halting outside. He cupped his fists and shouted, "Report!"
"Enter," came the curt reply from within.
The guard stepped inside and bowed before a man in his forties, clad in a golden robe embroidered with swirling patterns of mist and flame. His presence was heavy, domineering, and his eyes glinted with cold authority.
"City Lord, the delegation from Azure Wind City has arrived."
This man was Hu Fu, City Lord of Water Cloud City. He had reached the camp just the day before.
"Oh?" A sly, dangerous smile curved Hu Fu’s lips. His eyes narrowed, sharp light flickering within.
"Let’s go," he said with a sneer, rising to his feet. "Let’s personally welcome Bai Xueqin of Azure Wind City."
The way he spat her name carried venom. Their feud was no secret.
Outside, the Cloud-Soaring Carriage gradually slowed, then stopped completely.
Bai Xueqin, Guan Long, Li Yun, and the others stepped down. The wilderness stretched endlessly around them, yet the place thrummed with the presence of cultivators.
Li Yun’s eyes swept across the encampment, quietly absorbing the scene. It was his first time venturing so far from Azure Wind City. Were it not for the Cloud-Soaring Carriage, this journey would have cost him half a month of exhausting travel.
"Hm?"
His sharp gaze quickly caught the sight of a group approaching from ahead.
Bai Xueqin noticed as well, her eyes narrowing slightly, her expression calm but edged with caution.
"Li Yun," her voice drifted into his ears, carried by sound transmission, "that man is Hu Fu."
Li Yun followed her gaze. The approaching figure radiated strength, every step echoing with authority. Like Bai Xueqin, Hu Fu was a Xiantian Realm powerhouse, a cultivator whose presence alone weighed on the air like a mountain.
"Hahahahaha..."
Before Hu Fu even arrived, his booming laughter rolled across the plains like thunder.
"Bai Xueqin, so you did come after all!" he jeered, voice dripping with mockery.
In a blur, his figure closed the distance, and in the next breath, Hu Fu was already standing before them, his grin sharp as a blade.
"Not come? How could I not?" Bai Xueqin’s lips curved into a soft smile, her pearly teeth gleaming. "Hu Fu, it seems you arrived quite early."
"Of course," Hu Fu replied smoothly, his eyes narrowing into slits. "I’ve been looking forward to honoring our agreement, Bai Xueqin."
As he spoke, his gaze swept across the group standing at her side, Guan Long, Guan Ling, Han Yun, and Li Yun. His eyes lingered on each of them only for a heartbeat, sharp and calculating, like a predator assessing its prey.
"Tell me, Bai Xueqin," Hu Fu said with a sly smile, "which one have you chosen to represent Azure Wind City? Surely not these few? They don’t quite look the part." His tone carried mockery. "Don’t tell me you’ve run out of people and are trying to muddle through with scraps?"
Hu Fu’s gaze drifted across them again. Guan Long he recognized well, a Xiantian Realm powerhouse, far beyond the scope of this contest.
Han Yun, he dismissed him instantly. Though talented, he was still only at the 3rd level of Body Tempering Realm, far too weak to serve as the city’s representative.
Then his eyes fell on Li Yun. Too young. Far too young. Sixteen, maybe seventeen at most. His aura placed him at the second level of Body Tempering Realm. Even if Bai Xueqin had lost her mind, she wouldn’t risk the honor of Azure Wind City on a boy barely out of childhood.
Which left only one option.
Hu Fu’s gaze settled on Guan Ling, and this time, it lingered. Yes, this girl was the likely candidate. Her cultivation was at the 4th level of Body Tempering Realm and Hu Fu could tell her foundation was steadier, more solid. If anyone among them could be chosen, it had to be her.
Still, Hu Fu was cautious. Realm alone did not determine victory. True combat strength also depended on weaponry, techniques, and comprehension. Especially martial arts, some cultivators, though low in realm, could wield a profound technique to overwhelm opponents a level higher.
But that required years of cultivation. Time to comprehend, time to polish, time to master. Even the most gifted prodigy would need at least five years of hard training to bring a high-grade mortal rank technique to perfection. For one so young as Li Yun? At best, he might have grasped a low-grade technique, and only on a superficial level.
Hu Fu glanced at Li Yun one last time, a flicker of recognition in his eyes. ’A 16 year old child at Body Tempering Realm already... his potential is rare. Perhaps the best I’ve ever seen. But potential is not strength.’ With that thought, he dismissed Li Yun entirely.
Just then—
Da-da-da!
The sound of armored boots pounded across the dirt.
Zheng Dongxue, the steward of Azure Wind City’s Lord’s Mansion, appeared at the head of a squad of guards, their armor glinting in the sunlight as they marched in perfect formation.
"City Lord!" Zheng Dongxue bowed deeply as he came to a halt before Bai Xueqin, his voice ringing with respect.
Bai Xueqin lifted her hand lightly, dismissing Zheng Dongxue’s report.
For the past several days, Zheng Dongxue had been leading the Azure Wind City Lord’s Mansion guards, holding their ground at the Mist Spirit Pond, locked in a tense standoff against the forces of Water Cloud City. Neither side dared to act recklessly. Until today’s duel between the chosen representatives, no one was allowed to touch the pond’s energy.

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