Chapter 96 – You Son of a B!%#@

  In the world of cultivation, the difference between stages was not a matter of skill; they were a chasm that even talent could never cross. The progression from one stage to the next did not simply grant a cultivator more Qi; it multiplied their strength, speed, and endurance, which made crossing such a gap in combat nearly impossible.

  A 7th Level of Qi Condensation cultivator facing someone at the 8th Level would find themselves at an almost insurmountable disadvantage. The higher-level opponent would be able to sustain their techniques longer and with greater force.

  Even the most refined techniques would crumble against the raw, overwhelming pressure from a higher realm’s spiritual energy.

  But it was possible, under radical circumstances, for a lower-level cultivator to defeat a greater.

  Jun De himself had defeated an opponent that was a level higher than him in the Qi Condensation stage. That was an exception to the rule, however. Jun De’s Qi was extremely robust and stable, while his opponent had used a demonic technique that made his foundation unreliable.

  That had only been a single level. When it came to the difference between entire stages, such as Qi Condensation to Foundation Establishment, it was impossible.

  This was an established fact and was why you rarely heard of someone of a lower cultivation level challenging a greater unless they had a hidden method to increase their own power, or the gap between them was small.

  Which is why everyone in the plaza was shocked when Zhao Wuxian pushed his way forward and directly challenged the most powerful Inner Sect Disciple present, the young woman at the peak of the 10th Level of Qi Condensation.

  “I challenge you!” Zhao Wuxian’s voice cut through the air like a thrown dagger.

  Every set of eyes shot from the arrogant and muscular Zhao Wuxian to the end of the line of Inner Sect Disciples, where the tall, platinum-haired young woman stood. Her eyes were staring off into the distance with disinterest when she seemed to suddenly notice that Zhao Wuxian had been speaking to her.

  The words seemed to hang in the silence of the plaza for a moment, as if everyone who heard them needed a moment to process how outrageous they were.

  When the silence broke, it was like a dam bursting.

  “Is he insane?”

  “She’s at the peak of the 10th Level, he’s asking for death!”

  “Even someone at the 9th level would be crushed by her, let alone Zhao Wuxian, who is only at the 7th Level of Qi Condensation.”

  This wasn’t going to be a duel or a contest, but a public execution. The difference in Qi between Zhao Wuxian and the woman was so vast that it was like comparing a candle’s flame to the sun blazing overhead!

  No amount of talent or secret techniques could bridge the gap between them.

  But Zhao Wuxian’s face was the very picture of arrogance. His lips were curled into a smirk, and his eyes held a gleam of someone convinced the world would make an exception for him. It was clear to everyone watching that Zhao Wuxian was hoping that his ‘bravery’ would pierce that icy mask the woman wore and that she would be impressed by his fearlessness.

  Jun De had to resist putting his hands over his eyes and shaking his head.

  ‘I don’t want to watch this.’ Jun De said, knowing that he was about to witness a murder. He didn’t know who that young woman was, but Jun De was sure that she wasn’t going to respond well to Zhao Wuxian.

  The young woman turned her gaze to Zhao Wuxian, and her expression was unreadable. There was a faint trace of surprise in the way her eyes widened, and when she spoke, there was a doubt in her voice.

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  “You want to challenge me?” She asked as if she were weighing whether Zhao Wuxian had made a mistake or was a complete and utter moron.

  ‘He’s a moron, don’t let his arrogance fool you into thinking he’s planned anything out!’ Jun De thought.

  Zhao Wuxian straightened, and his muscles bulged as he projected all the confidence he could muster.

  “Yes! I’ll show you that my talent can overcome the space between us!” And the crowd could hear the double meaning in his words. He wasn’t just referring to their difference in cultivation but was using his talent to attract her as a companion.

  The crowd exchanged uneasy looks at his display. To everyone watching, it wasn’t a question of if Zhao Wuxian would lose, but whether he would be able to walk afterwards or even survive.

  The Plaza fell into a tense hush as the challenge was accepted.

  The other five Inner Sect Disciples stepped back to give the platinum-haired young woman space as Zhao Wuxian strode forward, radiating confidence. His robes still hung around his waist in order to show off his body, and he carried himself like a man who was already certain of the outcome.

  “I am Zhao Wuxian, soon to be the number one Disciple in the Inner Sect!” Zhao Wuixan announced, and his voice easily carried across the entire plaza.

  The young woman standing opposite him looked relaxed and casual, and she stared at Zhao Wuxian as if he were a child boasting about a contest that he could never win.

  She didn’t provide her name, making it clear that she wasn’t taking her opponent seriously at all. Instead, she exhaled slightly through her nose, and a faint scoff escaped her lips.

  “Don’t regret underestimating me!” Zhao Wuxian warned as he planted his feet and let his Qi surge. A faint reddish-orange aura shimmered around him as his bloodline provided him with additional strength.

  The young woman’s own Qi began to rise, silent and effortless. It wasn’t loud or showy, but its oppressive weight made the closest onlookers step back. If Zhao Wuxian’s aura was a bright fire, then hers was a deep, crushing ocean that was threatening to swallow everything in its path.

  “Begin.” The Inner Sect Elder said, and his tone made it clear to everyone that he didn’t expect much of the duel about to take place. He waved his hand as if it were a forgone conclusion.

  Zhao Wuxian didn’t have the chance to even move before the young woman launched a wave of crushing Qi with a flick of her sleeve.

  None of the Outer Sect Disciples could see what happened, but the impact of her Qi sent Zhao Wuxian flying backwards across the plaza, skidding across the stone until he slammed into one of the pillars ringing the courtyard.

  Zhao Wuxian collapsed onto the ground, and only the movement of his chest showed that he was still alive.

  The young woman lowered her arm and brushed imaginary dust from her robes before going back to stand with the others.

  “Winner: Inner Sect Disciple Bai Xuelian.”

  A low murmur rippled through the crowd, and no one who was watching held the slightest bit of surprise at the outcome. No one had expected Zhao Wuxian to win, not against Bai Xuelian, who was at the peak of the 10th Level and had trained in the Inner Sect.

  The result had been decided the moment he had opened his mouth to issue the challenge. What they had all been interested in was how quickly and in what manner he would be crushed.

  And Zhao Wuxian hadn’t disappointed them.

  The dull scrape of clothing against stone drew their attention back to where Zhao Wuxian had collapsed against the stone pillar. He was laughing as he pulled himself upright. One hand used the pillar to prop himself up, and everyone could see how shaky he was from the effort to remain standing.

  But Zhao Wuxian was laughing, and the grin he wore was sharp, ugly and taunting. For some reason, Jun De felt a shiver run down his spine at the sight.

  “Ha ha, Senior Sister Bai!” Zhao Wuxian said, his voice was hoarse but loud enough for everyone to hear. Bai Xuelian frowned at him with displeasure while she stood with her arms crossed.

  “You may have defeated me, but Senior Brother Jun De will never fall to you!”

  The muttering from the crowd flared again, much sharper this time, as all eyes swivelled toward Jun De.

  For a heartbeat, Jun De just stared at Zhao Wuxian as he let the words roll over him like cold water. He had thought that Zhao Wuxian was just a loud, reckless brute who was too arrogant to know his own limits.

  But this was a trap, laid with just enough cunning to make it dangerous and using Zhao Wuixan’s confidence as cover so that Jun De would never see it coming.

  Zhao Wuxian straightened as much as he could, and his eyes flicked between Bai Xuelian and Jun De with hunger for the spectacle he was trying to create and the thought of revenge that was just within his reach.

  The sly curve of Zhao Wuxian’s mouth said it all. He had no intention of winning against Bai Xuelian. His goal had been to challenge her and then shove Jun De forward, forcing him into a duel that Jun De couldn’t possibly win.

  There was no way in hell that Jun De was going to be able to fight against someone at the peak of the 10th Level of Qi Condensation. It was Zhao Wuxian’s hope that Bai Xuelian would be so annoyed and angry at the challenge that she would go all out against Jun De, crippling his cultivation or even killing him outright.

  Although that was unlikely, at the very least it would cause Jun De’s reputation to plummet in both the Outer and the Inner Sects when he was soundly defeated.

  ‘Zhao Wuxian, you son of a bitch!’