Yan Xiao thought he was worried about Mingyi and couldn't help sighing: "You could've just stepped forward to stop her yourself instead of ordering me around."
Ji Bozhai replied indifferently, "Our acquaintance hasn't reached that level yet."
What did that mean? Yan Xiao was momentarily confused.
But when the fight broke out in the arena, he suddenly understood.
It wasn't that his acquaintance with Mingyi hadn't reached that level—it was his acquaintance with Liang Xiuyuan that hadn't.
Liang Xiuyuan's Essence Power was cyan-blue, his style sinister and unpredictable, his strikes so fast they caught people off guard.
But Mingyi...
This was the first time Yan Xiao had seen Mingyi like this.
Her wide sleeves were tightly bound at the wrists, and her usually charming phoenix eyes now calmly surveyed the scene with striking valor. Within a three-meter radius around her, cyan-blue Essence Power cascaded like a waterfall.
He had assumed this Nether Domain belonged to Liang Xiuyuan, but judging from Liang Xiuyuan's slightly stunned expression, it likely belonged to Mingyi.
Cyan-blue Essence Power?
He clicked his tongue. "For a woman to cultivate cyan-blue Essence Power is truly remarkable."
"Wrong." Shu Zhonglin, watching the Nether Domain with a grave expression, said, "Mingyi's Essence Power isn't cyan-blue. It's a disguise."
"You think so too, right?" Xu Tianji glanced sideways, feigning composure but unable to hide his resentment. "Her physique doesn't match someone with cyan-blue Essence Power. She must be disguising a lower-tier color to intimidate people."
The truth would be exposed the moment their Essence Powers clashed!
"No." Shu Zhonglin shook his head. "What I mean is, Mingyi's Essence Power surpasses cyan-blue."
Her move seemed learned from Ji Bozhai—using the opponent's Essence Power color to deceive them while concealing her true strength. Even her expression mirrored his during the welcoming banquet.
No sooner had he spoken than Liang Xiuyuan unleashed a twisting, coiling strand of Essence Power, darting toward Mingyi at an almost invisible speed. The attack followed the Serpent Trace Steps, swaying unpredictably, making it impossible to counter or block.
Mingyi didn't move. She stood her ground without even shifting her stance.
Opposite her, Liang Xiuyuan's face broke into a triumphant grin as he stared fixedly, expecting to see her torn apart. Instead, the cyan-blue Essence Power collided with her Protective Shield.
With a loud bang , the agile, shifting energy abruptly stiffened like iron before shattering into pieces like fragile Porcelain.
A Protective Shield was a Fighter's last line of defense for their physical body, typically only one-tenth the strength of their Essence Power. Only a Fighter four or five tiers above their opponent would disdainfully block an attack with just their shield.
The hall erupted in murmurs and exclamations. Liang Xiuyuan paled. "Impossible. You're deliberately humiliating me."
Mingyi replied gently, "How could that be? In a Fighter's duel, there's only superiority and inferiority, strength and weakness. Why would I humiliate you on purpose?"
As she spoke, she flicked out an identical strand of cyan-blue Essence Power, mimicking his earlier attack with the Serpent Trace Steps, and sent it streaking toward him at more than twice the speed.
Mingyi learned quickly, and her years of rigorous training had honed her speed and endurance. Before Liang Xiuyuan could react, the Essence Power shattered his Protective Shield.
The cyan-blue serpent's head loomed large in his pupils, carrying a razor-sharp gust of wind—undoubtedly about to tear his skull apart.At the critical moment, the cyan-blue snake head suddenly changed direction, avoiding his head and biting hard into his shoulder.
"Ah—" A scream pierced the sky, shaking dust off the beams overhead.
As the Nether Domain dissipated, Xu Tianji hurried forward to support Liang Xiuyuan, glaring furiously at Mingyi. "How dare you injure an inner court official in public?!"
Mingyi: "..."
Who was it that just said injuries were at one's own risk?
Moreover, Liang Xiuyuan wasn't much of a Fighter. Though his foundation was solid, he'd clearly neglected his training later on—he couldn't even handle his own technique. He'd learned the moves but never mastered them. Most Fighters would keep fighting even when injured, yet here he was, already collapsed and screaming.
These spoiled young masters, wasting their talents.
She couldn't help but shoot a sidelong glance at Ji Bozhai nearby.
Ji Bozhai: ?
Wait, why was he being lumped in with Liang Xiuyuan's lazy, incompetent lot? Sure, he drank and socialized too, but he never slacked on his training. He wasn't like them at all.
Yan Xiao snapped out of his daze and swiftly moved to stop Liang Xiuyuan's bleeding. Not wanting to appear weak before Xu Tianji, Liang Xiuyuan gritted his teeth and glared at Mingyi the moment the cyan-blue energy was withdrawn. "You stole techniques—this victory is dishonorable."
Mingyi nodded repeatedly. "Indeed, my lord spent years mastering this move, yet I grasped it in a glance. How vexing. Let me toast you as an apology."
Liang Xiuyuan: "..."
This was beyond endurance!
Enraged, he shouted to his attendants, "Seize her at once!"
"Xiuyuan!" Shu Zhonglin quickly intervened. "You're not thinking straight."
"She attacked a high-ranking official without issuing a Challenge Certificate—why shouldn't I arrest her?!" Liang Xiuyuan's eyes were bloodshot.
Ji Bozhai, who'd been watching the spectacle, rose to his feet.
Before Shu Zhonglin could dissuade him further, a black Challenge Certificate shot through the air, hovering before Liang Xiuyuan.
"Here's what you asked for," Ji Bozhai said, still slightly tipsy, smiling at him. "I'll only use thirty percent of my strength. We'll bear our own fates."
Liang Xiuyuan: "..."
He calmed somewhat but remained indignant. "After all our years as brothers, you'd turn on me for a woman?"
"And aren't you throwing a fit over a woman yourself?" Ji Bozhai's smile faded as he looked down at him. "She doesn't care for you—she's just using you. After all your conquests, to be capsized by such a woman—is it worth it?"
"Do you think Mingyi cares for you?" Liang Xiuyuan retorted angrily. "She refused to return with you earlier—does she hold you in her heart?"
Ji Bozhai faltered, frowning slightly.
But then Mingyi chimed in: "I do."
He started, turning to look at her.
The girl before him smiled sweetly, looping her arm through his as she addressed Liang Xiuyuan. "I believe Lord Ji is the most formidable man in the Azure Cloud Realm. If my heart belongs to anyone, it can only be him. And your Lady Tianji—does she think you're the most formidable man here?"
Xu Tianji was taken aback, wanting to retort to salvage Liang Xiuyuan's pride. But with Ji Bozhai present, she couldn't bring herself to claim Liang Xiuyuan was the strongest.
After much hesitation, she clutched Liang Xiuyuan's arm and fell silent.Liang Xiuyuan was utterly infuriated. He struggled free from Yan Xiao's bandaging hands and said coldly, "There's no need for this meal anymore, nor for our brotherhood. Let us part ways here."
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