Chapter 22: Youthful Charmer

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

Not only was Lu Yi bewildered, but even the disciples watching below were at a loss. Each male disciple looking at Lu Yi had a mix of envy, jealousy, and resentment in their eyes.

‘Damn it! Is it that impressive just to be handsome and talented?!’

‘Why is he even getting invitations during the grand competition?!’

Even the attendant who was acting as a referee was a bit dumbfounded. He twitched his lips and then cleared his throat, saying, “During the grand competition, let’s not engage in irrelevant conversations!”

Gu Mingxi’s face turned red, and she nodded repeatedly, “Oh, of course…”

“Let’s start the match!” The attendant felt a bit exhausted.

Gu Mingxi nodded eagerly, looking at Lu Yi, and said, “Lu Yi, please enlighten me!”

Lu Yi said, “Of course, Mingxi. Please enlighten me as well!” Lu Yi also felt a bit tired. Being handsome could sometimes be quite troublesome. However, it wasn’t his fault.

Gu Mingxi practiced sword arts too. She held a long sword in her hand and darted toward Lu Yi like a butterfly.

Lu Yi remained expressionless. After sizing up Gu Mingxi’s strength, he realized that she was slightly weaker than Lu Ling and Wang Wulian. She was probably not too strong within the Level 9 Qi Refiner stage.

Lu Yi could end the match with a single move if he wanted to. However, considering Gu Mingxi’s discerning eye, he felt a bit reluctant.

Also, Lu Yi needed to prepare for the upcoming top ten challenge matches. After the top ten were selected, the difference from the previous preliminaries was that if the disciples in the coming ranking competition were not convinced, they could choose to challenge the top ten disciples. He still wanted to have a few more people challenge him so that he could obtain the reward of sparring.

Lu Yi thought he should take it easy.

Then, Lu Yi’s long sword was surrounded by clouds as he met Gu Mingxi head-on.

In the air, Dugu Fang and the other elders lowered their heads, their focus mainly on Lu Yi’s platform.

Dugu Fang smiled and said, “This is the first time I’ve seen Lu Yi in action.”

Qi Feiyu chuckled and said, “Yes, the sword qi turning into clouds, just as the rumors say. Lu Yi’s White Cloud Sword has indeed reached the stage of Regain Simplicity.”

A nearby elder lightly stroked his white beard, observing the platform where Lu Yi was facing Gu Mingxi. He nodded and commented, “Indeed, the sword technique of the Regain Simplicity stage has its merits. To be able to suppress Gu Mingxi, who is at the Level 9 Qi Refiner, despite being at Level 7, truly shows extraordinary strength.”

“Indeed, Lu Yi is only sixteen years old, yet he has cultivated the White Cloud Sword to the stage of Regain Simplicity. His comprehension is quite remarkable, and his potential is tremendous. Perhaps he could become a pillar of our White Cloud Sect.”

“Moreover, his parents are from our White Cloud Sect. That’s the best part.”

“Yes, no need to worry about him being a spy from other sects.”

Dugu Fang looked at the ongoing battle on the platform, his expression gradually becoming peculiar. He smiled and said, “This Lu Yi… seems to have held back.”

These words left all the elders momentarily stunned. They watched the battle closely, feeling a bit bewildered.

“Grand Elder Dugu… Are you saying Lu Yi held back?” Qi Feiyu asked as he found it hard to believe.

“To be able to suppress Gu Mingxi, who is at the Level 9 Qi Refiner, despite being at Level 7, is already quite remarkable. And he still held back?”

“How come I didn’t notice that this boy held back?”

Several elders were uncertain, displaying confusion.

Dugu Fang chuckled mysteriously and said, “I’m afraid Gu Mingxi won’t be able to force out Lu Yi’s true strength. It seems he has also reached the stage of Regain Simplicity in the White Cloud Stance.”

“What?!” Everyone was shocked, looking at Lu Yi with disbelief.

“Grand Elder Dugu, is this true?!”

“Both of his arts have reached the stage of Regain Simplicity? His comprehension… is even more remarkable than I had imagined.”

Seeing the elders’ reactions, Dugu Fang smiled lightly and said, “When I was young, I also cultivated the White Cloud Stance. I’ve conducted quite a bit of research on it. Although this boy is deliberately concealing his abilities, how can he escape my sight?”

The doubts of the elders were dispelled by Dugu Fang’s words, and their gazes at Lu Yi became even more astonished, filled with admiration and curiosity.

The elders thought a mere sixteen years old, having two techniques at the Regain Simplicity stage and perhaps the depth of his comprehension of the cultivation method isn’t low either. Such a genius was extremely rare even within the entire White Cloud Sect. Enough to make these outer sect elders, cultivators at the Gold Core stage, pay more attention.

An elder chuckled and said, “This Lu Yi is quite the youthful charmer. Gu Mingxi seemed to show interest before. Could it be that this young man knows how to appreciate beauty?”

This remark caused the elders to chuckle. After all, no one present was not at Lu Yi’s age before. They started to think differently. Young people liking beautiful women was normal. They had lived for hundreds of years and thought they could be some attractive disciples to Lu Yi.

The battle on the platform continued for a while. Lu Yi noticed that Gu Mingxi’s energy was starting to wane, indicating that her spiritual energy was depleting. Seeing that the timing was right, Lu Yi activated his stance, and his long sword, which carried the sound of tearing air, connected with Gu Mingxi’s sword.

CLANG!

Gu Mingxi’s sword trembled from the impact. Lu Yi took the opportunity to place his long sword horizontally at Gu Mingxi’s neck.

Gu Mingxi was panting heavily, her chest rising and falling unevenly. Sweat formed on her forehead, and she looked at Lu Yi with a hint of shyness.

Lu Yi was speechless and thought, ‘What’s with her expression? Is she expecting me to take responsibility?’

Lu Yi quickly withdrew his sword and smiled, “Mingxi, it was a good match.”

“You are truly amazing. I concede,” Gu Mingxi said.

Sensing that Gu Mingxi might want to say something more, the attendant felt that something was amiss and hurriedly intervened, “Since the match is over, you may step down.”

Lu Yi smiled at Gu Mingxi and then jumped off the platform.

After Gu Mingxi’s match, the competition continued.

A total of 320 disciples participated in the ranking matches, with 32 on each platform. After the first round, 16 advanced to the next round. The advancing participants would continue to compete in subsequent rounds until the final two battled for first place on each platform.

In the second round, Lu Yi’s opponent conceded immediately. He didn’t need to exert much effort.

In the third round, Lu Yi faced a Level 9 Qi Refiner cultivator. Similar to his approach with Gu Mingxi, Lu Yi accepted the sparring challenge and engaged in a battle for a while before concluding the match, earning a Perfect-Grade Qi Condensation Elixir.

In the fourth round, Lu Yi’s opponent was also a Level 9 Qi Refiner senior disciple. Similar to the previous fights, Lu Yi engaged in a bit of sparring before ending the match, receiving another Perfect-Grade Qi Condensation Elixir.

Now, it was the fifth and final round, the battle for the top ten positions.

“The final round begins. Lu Yi, Mo Lingxi, step onto the platform,” the attendant’s indifferent voice echoed.

Mo Lingxi’s figure flickered, and he instantly appeared on the platform. His sharp gaze focused on Lu Yi below and said, “Lu Yi, come up and fight! Let me see if you can really make it into the top ten as you claimed!”

Lu Yi also leaped onto the platform, grinning, and said, “Lingxi, don’t worry. I’m confident I can make it into the top ten.”

With two Perfect-Grade Qi Condensation Elixirs already in hand, along with the ones he had previously obtained, earning five Perfect-Grade Qi Condensation Elixirs from this round was also a decent achievement.

Hearing Lu Yi’s words, Mo Lingxi’s face turned angry. He smiled and said, “Very well, since you’re so sure, let me witness your strength!”

The disciples below and the elders and attendants in the sky all watched with amusement, curious to see which of the two disciples was stronger.

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