‘That finger…’
Li Changshou felt helpless. He was sitting in the shadows and was practically invisible at this point.
Why was this world so cruel to him?
There were nearly 8,000 cultivators present. Of the younger disciples, his cultivation level was neither high nor low. After all, some disciples from the minor sects had yet to attain the Void Refinement Realm.
Why would the Second Prince choose him out of so many people?
Li Changshou could not understand, no matter what. However, he knew that it was not the right time for him to be lost in thought. He needed to do something to extract himself from this sticky situation.
Numerous gazes landed on him, and multiple spiritual and immortal senses probed at him.
Fortunately, so long as no one took Li Changshou’s hand to check his body, his true cultivation level should not be revealed.
However, this did not guarantee that Li Changshou’s cultivation level remained hidden from the elders sitting on the suspended platform.
At this very moment, Li Changshou was really tempted to press that little dragon called Ao Yi onto the floor, force open the dragon’s mouth, and stuff some Immortal-Melting Pills and Demon-Subduing Bone-Corroding Pills inside!
“Martial Nephew Changshou? Martial Nephew Changshou?”
A female immortal of the Immortal Du Sect anxiously sent a voice transmission to him. Li Changshou immediately collected his thoughts, lifted his head, and looked over.
“Ahem!”
A male Perfected Immortal from the Immortal Du Sect cleared his throat, stood up, bowed towards Ao Yi, standing proudly on the square, and said with a smile, “Your Highness, you wish to exchange pointers with our Martial Nephew Changshou here?”
“That’s right,” Ao Yi replied impatiently. “I choose him.”
The moment he completed that sentence, a few voice transmissions entered his ear.
“Your Highness, you’re mistaken. That person is just in the Second Stage Void Return Realm.”
“Your Highness! Please choose that lady in red! She is in the Eighth Stage Void Return Realm!”
The edges of Ao Yi’s lips twitched slightly, but he remained unmoved.
Li Changshou stood up, cupped his fists at the Perfected Immortals from his sect, bowed, and said, “Uncle-Master, my cultivation level is still low, and my ranking in the sect is not in the Top 100. I’m afraid that I will not be the prince’s match and will bring shame to our Immortal Du Sect’s name.
“Why don’t we let the prince choose from the Immortal Du Sect’s disciples present once more? An inner sect disciple in the Top 10 would be a better candidate…
“I shall not disgrace myself and the sect.”
The other 10 Immortal Du Sect disciples stood up as well. Youqin Xuanya even stepped forward and stood in front of Li Changshou.
Ao Yi frowned. This cultivator was weak and cowardly.
The Second Prince of the Dragon Palace declared, “I am not changing my mind!
“Why? Does the Immortal Du Sect look down on the East Ocean Dragon Palace so much?”
Li Changshou immediately frowned. Was this fellow still intent on exchanging pointers with him?
Where did it go wrong?
At the same time, on the suspended platform, the nearly 300 human Heaven Immortals looked down and stared at the situation below. The close-to-100 dragon experts observed the scene with a frown.
The old Dragon King was the only one still smiling on the suspended platform, as though he had fallen asleep. He did not seem to care about what was going on below, seemingly having predicted this situation.
As Li Changshou hesitated, an Uncle-Master of his turned and smiled helplessly at him.
“Martial Nephew Changshou, why don’t you exchange some moves with the prince?”
The male Perfected Immortal was also afraid of putting Li Changshou on the spot, so he went straight to the point. “The original intention is to let you broaden your horizons. Unexpectedly, the prince chose you as his opponent.
“Just showcase what you have learned. There is no need for you to go for the win. Simply make sure to not let the prince feel bored about it, that’s all.”
Then, another Uncle-Master sent a voice transmission to him. “Don’t worry, Martial Nephew Changshou. Go ahead and exchange some pointers with him. We will keep our eye on the situation.
“This little dragon is a prince of the Dragon Palace. He is quite capable. If you feel that the tides are not in your favor, admit defeat immediately. Remember, safety always comes first.
“Given your low cultivation level, it is okay if you lose. There is no need for our disciples to sacrifice themselves for the sake of the sect’s pride!”
Li Changshou silently sighed, gave a small smile, and cupped his fists at the elders and peers looking at him with concerned gazes. Then, he walked briskly down the stairs and headed towards the square.
He decided to do whatever he could accomplish as a Second Stage Void Return disciple.
The star today was Ao Yi. Li Changshou assumed that the dragon chose him intending to secure a win.
He shall fulfill this wish then. After a few moves, he would admit defeat, preferably in an elegant way.
“Changshou! Martial Nephew!” Jiu Jiu suddenly shouted from the side. She removed the large gourd she was carrying on her back, blinked rapidly at Li Changshou, and hollered, “You forgot to take your Evil-Vanquishing Ruyi Sword with you! I am almost finished with comprehension. Let me return this to you.”
Li Changshou momentarily was caught between laughter and tears, but he felt the care and concern this Aunt-Master of his had for him.
The Evil-Vanquishing Ruyi Sword was a supreme-grade Dharma treasure refined by Exalted Wang Qing. It was said to possess the potential to transform into a powerful numinous treasure.
This was Aunt-Master Jiu’s natal Dharma treasure. She actually used such an excuse to lend it to Li Changshou…
“I’m heading over to exchange pointers with the Second Prince.” Li Changshou replied gently, “This exchange is not a life-and-death battle, so there is no need for a deadly Dharma treasure like this.”
With that, Li Changshou stepped onto the square, choosing not to accept Aunt-Master Jiu’s gourd. Then, his gaze locked with the Second Prince’s.
The edges of Ao Yi’s lips lifted, his eyes burning with desperation.
‘Very good. Come.
‘Defeat me, the Second Prince of the Dragon Palace, head-on!
‘Use your full strength to throw a Dharma spell or a kick and punch at me! I will definitely vomit blood like a fountain!’
Li Changshou felt uneasy instead, for that look in his opponent’s eyes…
‘What is he trying to do? Why is his gaze so intense?
‘Is this Second Prince of the Dragon Palace truly trying to kill me, an Immortal Du Sect disciple, here?
‘Can it be because I am not an immortal seedling, so the Immortal Du Sect will not react badly even if I am to die? This way, the Dragon Palace can exact some revenge as well.
‘Yes, this should be the plan.
‘I need to exercise caution.’
Thus, Li Changshou became even warier.
The immortal armor Ao Yi was wearing let out a bright gleam. He took one step forward with an explosive amount of aura.
Li Changshou was around 300 feet away from him, and the former could already sense that Ao Yi’s lifeforce had locked onto him.
He immediately activated his Dharma powers, concealed his aura, and focused on circulating his self-created Qi-Calming Turtle Breathing Mantra. This way, his Dharma power fluctuations were completely in tandem with when a Second Stage Void Return cultivator exerted their full strength.
Then, he took half a step forward. The lifeforce of one man and one dragon clashed!
‘Come!’
A streak of light flew across Ao Yi’s blue eyes. He gave up on using the Dharma treasure to initiate a ranged attack and was about to charge forward with the intention of placing his own face in the direct line of punches the weakest disciple of the Immortal Du Sect threw!
“Hold on!” Li Changshou hollered.
Ao Yi lost his bearings and almost fell face-first onto the clean stage.
What was wrong?
Ao Yi looked over with a frown. The rest of the spectators were puzzled as well.
The fight was about to start, so what was that about?
Li Changshou explained, “Since we are exchanging pointers, we need to set some ground rules first. There should be a righteous and reputable referee to determine the results. We must also create a boundary, where we cannot step out of. Without any rules in place, it does not seem to fit into the Dragon Palace’s way of treating matters seriously and fairly!”
‘Why is this person so troublesome…’ Ao Yi felt resigned. However, the Turtle Minister standing at the side felt that Li Changshou’s suggestion made sense and could not be refuted.
Indeed, the Dragon Palace failed to make sufficient preparations for this segment.
The Turtle Minister came forward immediately and personally took on the role of a ‘referee’ as it used its immortal power to draw a circle with a 2,000-feet circumference.
“For this battle between the prince and the Immortal Du Sect’s talent, both parties should not overdo it. The usage of killing Dharma treasures is not allowed…”
The boundary was drawn, and the rules were established. The battle suddenly became much more official.
Li Changshou and Ao Yi looked at each other again. While standing 300 feet apart, their lifeforce clashed again.
Ao Yi stood rooted to the spot as some withered snowflakes appeared and floated around him. There was a flickering flame within each snowflake.
‘My aura must be strong, and the defeat needs to be extremely tragic!
‘Breath in and hold the breath.’
Ao Yi steadied himself once more and was about to charge forward!
“Hold on!” Li Changshou hollered once more.
Ao Yi’s feet slipped, and he hopped forward twice.
This fellow would always shout ‘hold on’ just as he was about to circulate his Dharma powers!
Li Changshou said, “Your Highness, why don’t we battle with our wits instead—”
“So noisy! Here I come!” Ao Yi growled, ferociously charging forward!
His body was like an arrow being fired as the ice flare around him shone brightly, leaving a mirage of him at the original spot. However, his front had a glaringly obvious flaw!
Li Changshou tightly clutched a stack of talismans in his hand. In the very instant Ao Yi came dangerously close to him, he swayed, evading to the side in a shagged yet graceful fashion.
The Dragon Swimming Across Clouds was a superior-class movement technique that he had revealed to the Immortal Du Sect before. However, this was only a movement technique and not some formidable mystical ability.
While brushing past Li Changshou, Ao Yi frowned as he stared at Li Changshou’s panicked expression.
Ao Yi silently thought, ‘What’s going on? Is it so difficult to attack head-on? Perhaps I’m too ferocious and scared him away. Don’t be afraid and hit me directly! I will make you win fabulously!’
After running for 200 feet more, Ao Yi suavely somersaulted in the air and stabilized his footing before charging at Li Changshou once again.
Li Changshou took out six talismans and made some Dharma hand seals. The talisman patterns on the talismans shone, sprouting a number of fire snakes at the opponent!
Ao Yi did not evade but lunged forward, the fire consuming his body. In the next moment, however, he dashed through the ordinary fire!
Ferocious and unstoppable!
Li Changshou completed some abstruse footwork easier this time round, but he was still a little flustered. He evaded Ao Yi’s attack once more and even threw two talismans at Ao Yi.
Ao Yi sneered and immediately changed his attack method. He closely tailed after Li Changshou but willingly charged straight into all talisman flames!
Li Changshou executed the Dragon Swimming Across Clouds with the Dharma powers of a Second Stage Void Return cultivator. As he went into offense and defense, alternatively, he quickly fell into a disadvantageous position and ‘fortunately’ managed to get to the spot he had chosen.
In the blink of an eye, the two of them had exchanged more than 10 blows!
Ao Yi’s frown deepened. Making use of his ‘superior’ strength, he continuously delivered flaws and his own face to his opponent to target.
However, perhaps his opponent was purposely avoiding his vital parts and did not dare to attack a prince of the Dragon Palace, or the opponent’s strength was truly too weak, and he could not grasp the opportunity offered to him on a platter.
His opponent simply refused to make use of the flaws offered!
Fortunately, although their talisman techniques were not strong, he had already suffered from numerous fire attacks.
In just a moment, he could directly enact the scene of a live dragon ‘exploding’!
Finally, Li Changshou and Ao Yi had the very first body-contact…
Thirty feet behind Li Changshou was the boundary, having been ‘forced’ to that position. His eyes gained a determined gaze. He threw out a dozen talismans, Dharma powers gathering at his palm and transforming into thunder streaks!
Daybreak Five-Thunder Technique!
This was considered a slightly advanced Dharma spell of the Immortal Du Sect. Most Void Return disciples had already mastered this technique.
Thunder flashed, and fire sparks burst!
Ao Yi charged within the resulting cloud of thunder and fire. His fist finally smacked onto Li Changshou’s palm!
‘Eh?’
Ao Yi frowned. His innate sensitive battle instinct sensed danger the moment this clash happened.
‘Eh?’
At the same time, Li Changshou was a little befuddled.
This punch was thrown without any strength behind it.
Even so, Li Changshou still followed with the script he curated. His body tilted backward as he staggered a few steps back. After using some hand movements to shift Ao Yi’s fist to the side, Li Changshou continued to move backward.
Ao Yi seized this opportunity as well and purposely slipped a little. Stumbling, he made some steps to the left as he mused, “This should be enough!”
At that very moment, Ao Yi heard a cough coming from the side. His sapphire eyes shifted to the side, and he looked from the corner of his eyes.
Li Changshou lowered his head and coughed a few times, his fingertips covered with some blood. Then, he looked towards the sky, let out a long sigh, and murmured with a despondent expression, “Forget it, I still lost. My capabilities are insufficient. I need to head back and cultivate more.”
He took half a step back, coincidentally crossing the previously drawn boundary.
The various immortals, cultivators, and members of the dragon and ocean race on the lotus platform looked on with pity.
The movement techniques, talisman techniques, and thunder techniques Li Changshou just exhibited were quite impressive for a Second Stage Void Return disciple.
‘Admit… He admitted defeat!?’
Ao Yi was stunned for a moment. He looked down and saw the shimmering border in front of Li Changshou, unable to process it immediately.
‘Why in the world did you admit defeat? Why did you admit defeat first? Did you not wish to win? Aren’t you a cultivator of the human race?’
Then, he heard the Turtle Minster at the side shout, “For this battle, the Second Prince…”
Ao Yi’s eyes widened as his face contorted.
‘How can this be allowed!? My perfect plan! The most important step of the plan to wake up the dragon race! How dare you admit defeat!? I even volunteered to be hit! This, this!’
The Second Prince’s face suddenly became flushed.
The Turtle Minster’s announcement was still at: “…is the…”
“Ah!” Ao Yi tilted his head up suddenly and gave a deep roar.
At the same time, pale-gold dragon blood suddenly started sprouting from his surroundings, while even cracks appeared on his immortal armor.
The Heaven Immortal Turtle Minister was frightened.
Ao Yi stared at Li Changshou and said with a trembling voice, “Such powerful… talisman… technique…”
As he spoke, his body started falling backward and landed on the ‘blood pool’. The surrounding dragon experts swarmed into the square. The whole venue descended into utter chaos!
Li Changshou was rendered speechless.
‘The acting skills of this little brother from the dragon race are impassible and at a newbie level.’
A few Perfected Immortals from the Immortal Du Sect rushed from the sides, stood in front of Li Changshou, and protected him.
