Du Zihui was dressed today in five-colored cultivator robes, rather garish to look at. Yet he stood with his back straight, making a better impression than his usual behavior would suggest.
The moment he leaped onto the fighting stage, however, Qiu Ze, Long Xuan, and Yue Jun all turned to look at Luo Yao, concern plain in their eyes.
This fellow was forever causing Luo Yao trouble. How had they ended up facing one another in the sect tournament? What rotten luck!
Xu Ziqing knew a little of the history between Du Zihui and Luo Yao. Seeing everyone so apprehensive, he too became worried for his friend.
But they were not yet close enough for him to speak freely about certain matters. Instead, he studied Du Zihui in silence.
The more he looked, the more surprised he became.
At Xu Ziqing’s present middle-stage Foundation Establishment cultivation, if he could not clearly discern someone else’s level, there was only one explanation: the other person had advanced beyond him.
Du Zihui was rumored to be a spoiled playboy. When Xu Ziqing saw him earlier, he had indeed found his manner frivolous.
But his cultivation now appeared to have reached late Foundation Establishment.
Whether his foundation was secure was another matter. Had he reached this level by swallowing endless pills, or was there some other reason…?
Now Luo Yao was facing Du Zihui, and the two had a long-running grievance. The outcome was difficult to predict.
As it was Luo Yao’s private affair, Xu Ziqing merely increased his vigilance.
If Du Zihui attempted a treacherous strike against Luo Yao, Xu Ziqing would be ready to intervene and save him at once.
Everyone was worried for Luo Yao, but Luo Yao himself appeared remarkably calm.
It was not that he failed to understand the seriousness of the situation. Du Zihui had already threatened him before the tournament, declaring that “after the tournament, you’ll belong to the Du family.” Luo Yao had been preparing himself ever since.
Besides, during his earlier fighting-stage matches, he had faced one or two cultivators who normally followed Du Zihui. He had used his own methods to defeat them. It was hardly surprising that, after the lackeys failed, their leader had come to handle matters himself.
Thinking of this, Luo Yao sneered.
He did not know how Du Zihui had arranged for them to be matched, but considering his family background, it could not have been terribly difficult… Still, the tournament was relatively fair, and the sect’s rules stood above them. Du Zihui could only interfere with the choice of opponent; everything that happened afterward would take place openly.
If Luo Yao could not defeat him, then he would accept that his skills were inferior. If he won, no matter how many schemes Du Zihui devised, they would be useless!
Competitors could not delay once called, or they would be deemed to have forfeited.
Luo Yao said nothing more to his friends. He immediately leaped onto the stage and stood facing Du Zihui.
At the sight of him, Du Zihui snorted. “Luo Yao, I never imagined you’d manage to get this far. But this is where your luck ends.”
Luo Yao only smiled at the provocation. “If my strength is so poor, you needn’t keep troubling me. Why not leave an insignificant ant like myself in peace? With the Du family such a towering power, why waste your time on me?”
Du Zihui’s expression changed. “You refuse a gracious offer only to invite punishment! I ordered you to submit, but you wouldn’t. That’s disrespect toward me!”
Luo Yao’s expression did not change. “If apologizing and admitting my fault would persuade you to stop, then whenever Young Master Du gives the word, I’ll immediately arrange a banquet to beg your pardon. I won’t delay for a moment.”
Their verbal sparring continued. Luo Yao remained composed and spoke calmly, while Young Master Du, who had started the quarrel, became so furious that he nearly leaped out of his skin, his eyes burning with rage.
Watching from the viewing platform, Xu Ziqing and the others grew increasingly worried.
Luo Yao was being so blunt. What if Du Zihui became enraged enough to attack recklessly…?
Sure enough, Du Zihui’s face turned livid. He spat, “Don’t even dream of it!”
He bent his knees like a hunting leopard, every muscle tightening.
Luo Yao had at least vented some of his frustration. Knowing Du Zihui was about to attack, he calmly flicked his ten fingers in succession. A spirit talisman appeared at the tip of each one.
Prepared, he moved his fingers like someone plucking the strings of an instrument. Elegant traces appeared in the air, creating ripples of exquisite rhythm.
With several soft whooshes, the talismans began to move.
Du Zihui moved at the same instant. His figure became a streak of lightning as he charged straight toward Luo Yao!
But after a tremendous bang, Du Zihui collided with an invisible barrier and was stopped abruptly.
He straightened and saw ten talismans flying up and down in front of him, moving slowly according to some special pattern. It was their movement that had created that formidable barrier.
All trace of Du Zihui’s usual spoiled demeanor disappeared. His expression turned solemn.
His head seemed to be enclosed within the faint, transparent outline of a leopard’s head, as though the spirit of a leopard had possessed him, filling him with the ferocity of a wild beast.
In the next instant, he appeared to be acting on pure instinct. He roared from deep in his throat and charged the barrier again!
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
Du Zihui struck again and again. Ripples spread through the air around the ten talismans, and the barrier began to sway as though it might collapse.
Seeing this, Luo Yao flicked another talisman from his fingers.
It attached itself to the barrier and burst into golden light, coating the surface with a pale-gold sheen.
The barrier seemed to become several times harder. When Du Zihui struck again, it did not budge!
Having failed to break through after several more attempts, Du Zihui flipped backward. His body still retained its half-bestial posture.
He bent his right knee, curled his five fingers, and formed a transparent sphere of qi in his palm.
The sphere suddenly burst, spreading across his fingers and becoming an enormous claw that seemed to prop up the heavens, radiating terrifying pressure.
Du Zihui’s voice was hoarse, like a leopard’s roar. “Heaven-Rending Leopard Claw!”
With that shout, the enormous claw rose and tore the golden barrier to pieces!
Under the surging true essence, the fierce wind created by the claw ripped apart the talismans as well.
Luo Yao was exposed completely. As the claw’s remaining force swept toward him, his right hand drew a circle, and a talisman between his fingers ignited without flame. It transformed into a shield as tall as a man and forcibly blocked the claw.
By then, the claw’s allotted duration had ended, and it dissipated. The shield vanished immediately afterward.
Du Zihui’s half-man, half-leopard appearance showed that he had cultivated a martial art called Leopard Emperor Fist to a profound level. When he spoke now, he seemed even more imperious than usual, or rather, he bore the wild dominance of a mountain predator. “Luo Yao, no matter how many spirit talismans you possess, they’re still only a minor art. Unless you can refine treasure talismans, you’ll never be my match.”
A grave look entered Luo Yao’s eyes. In the past, he had only despised Du Zihui’s spoiled, obnoxious behavior. He had never imagined the man’s fighting ability would be so formidable.
His talismans had appeared to stop Du Zihui’s attacks, but the man had simply changed techniques and immediately destroyed them.
If this was how things stood, no matter how skillfully Luo Yao manipulated talismans, he would probably be unable to withstand a single strike from that Heaven-Rending Leopard Claw.
Unless… the technique consumed enormous amounts of true essence. If Luo Yao could exhaust Du Zihui’s supply first, he might have a chance of winning.
With that thought, Luo Yao began flicking his fingers even faster.
In a heartbeat, hundreds of spirit talismans appeared all around Du Zihui.
Luo Yao said coldly, “Try this talisman formation before you start boasting again!”
As soon as he spoke, five spirit talismans exploded, releasing an interwoven net of flames—
The two fought fiercely, and the spectators on the high platform watched without breathing.
Yue Jun frowned. “I always thought Du Zihui was merely a wastrel relying on his family. I never expected his foundation to be so solid. It doesn’t look like he forced his cultivation up with pills.”
Yue Jun was always observant and could see the situation more clearly than most.
Ever since watching Du Zihui use the Leopard Emperor Fist, Long Xuan had been filled with a desire to fight. “What a domineering fist art! And that claw! Incredible!” He added, “Luo Yao controls his spirit talismans exquisitely, but I fear they can’t match such overwhelming strength.”
Qiu Ze was even more worried. “Du Zihui’s cultivation is higher than Luo Yao’s, and his foundation is deep. I fear Luo Yao can’t win against someone of a higher level.” He sighed. “We always saw Du Zihui bullying Luo Yao with magical treasures. I thought that was the limit of his ability. Treasures might not cooperate with him so perfectly on the fighting stage, and Luo Yao could have found an opening. Who knew he wouldn’t even use a treasure, and that he had such a powerful fist art? It’s unbelievable.”
Xu Ziqing heard every word and understood more about the entanglement between Du Zihui and Luo Yao.
Yet he still could not understand why Du Zihui, possessing such ability, would repeatedly trouble Luo Yao. If it was merely because Luo Yao had wounded his pride, perhaps the dispute could be mediated.
From Xu Ziqing’s perspective, there would be nothing wrong with Luo Yao joining the Du family.
Luo Yao carried a hidden grievance and endured great hardship. His enemy must be extraordinarily powerful. Alone, it would be difficult for him to take revenge. Why not join the Du family and gain a backer?
Besides, Luo Yao wanted to study talismans. Earning merit points and buying resources through his own efforts consumed enormous amounts of time. Joining the Du family might provide him with support… If revenge was truly his goal, it could be an excellent option, although he would lose a little freedom.
In any case, no one in the world was truly free unless they reached the pinnacle of the immortal path. There was little point being overly concerned about it.
After thinking it through, Xu Ziqing voiced his confusion to the other three.
Yue Jun shook his head. “When Du Zihui first tried to recruit Luo Yao, he showed no manners at all. Luo Yao came from a distinguished family himself, so naturally he disliked that attitude and turned him down politely. But Du Zihui wouldn’t accept the rejection and kept harassing him, which provoked Luo Yao’s pride. He grew less willing to join each time. That’s how matters reached this point.”
The other two nodded and exchanged rueful smiles. “Thinking about it now, apart from repeatedly annoying Luo Yao, Du Zihui hasn’t actually done anything terribly excessive. If he’d shown us this kind of ability sooner, we might not have judged him so harshly.”
Xu Ziqing nodded. “In that case, perhaps you could persuade Luo Yao…”
Since he had not known Luo Yao for long, it would be awkward for him to raise the matter. Qiu Ze’s group had no such obstacle.
The three understood and nodded with quiet sighs.
After these few words, everyone’s attention returned to the stage.
In truth, ever since Du Zihui displayed the Heaven-Rending Leopard Claw, they had anticipated Luo Yao’s defeat.
Sure enough, although the interwoven fire net was powerful, Du Zihui did not move an inch.
The flames enveloped him, only to be completely absorbed by the garish cultivator robes he wore.
The hundreds of spirit talismans spun without stopping and unleashed attack after attack.
Endless flames, floods, lightning, blades of light, sword qi, even vortices of true essence rained toward Du Zihui from every direction.
Many spectators stared, dazzled and overwhelmed by the astonishing display.
Yet Du Zihui simply allowed the talismans to strike him. None had any effect.
When all the hundreds of talismans were exhausted, Du Zihui remained unscathed. He said, “These cultivator robes are a spiritual artifact. Any attack related to the five elements cannot harm me. Only someone whose true essence is more abundant than mine could possibly break through it. But my cultivation surpasses yours, and you’re no match for me!”
Luo Yao stopped attacking. Seeing that he could do nothing to his opponent, he would not waste any more spirit talismans.
Du Zihui had defeated him decisively with overwhelming ability. If he wanted to mock Luo Yao afterward, Luo Yao would simply listen. Mockery could not wound his flesh.
For the moment, Luo Yao had to admit that he might have misjudged the man.
He still disliked Du Zihui’s behavior intensely, but his skill was undeniable.
Seeing Luo Yao remain silent, Du Zihui became angry again. “You used to look down on me and refused my recruitment. Now I’ve beaten you fairly. What excuse do you have left to refuse me?”
Luo Yao stared. He had not expected Du Zihui to say that. His expression became rather strange. “You still want to recruit me?”
Du Zihui flew into a rage. “I’ve approached you ninety-two times! When was it ever for anything other than recruiting you?”
Luo Yao looked at Du Zihui silently for a moment. Then he said, “I surrender.”
Without offering another answer, he left Du Zihui standing alone on the stage and flew back to his friends.