How could Sun Cheng not be furious? On the forum, there were always brainless fans of Su Tingxue badmouthing Duan Yuxian, and he frequently challenged people to offline duels.
Everyone was a cultivator, so nobody was really afraid. Even when called out for an offline fight, his opponents remained foul-mouthed. Some claimed Duan Yuxian's reputation as a sword-dao prodigy was merely manufactured hype; some argued Duan Yuxian simply couldn't beat Su Tingxue; and others even alleged that she was naturally loose.
He could tell the truth of such remarks at a glance. They were just blurted out in the heat of the moment to save face and keep up appearances, nothing to be taken seriously.
But Zhou You was different this time. His tone and expression made it seem as though he genuinely knew Duan Yuxian!
*Uh-oh,* Zhou You thought. In a slip of the tongue, he had accidentally voiced his inner thoughts.
"I never realized Zhou You was so good at trash talk." Chu Xiaoyao crossed her arms and wagged a finger up and down in critique. She wouldn't have been able to come up with lines like that herself.
"Oh, so it was just trash talk? I thought it was real." Nuomi was surprised. The sect master was amazing; he had even fooled her.
Chu Xiaoyao waved her hand dismissively with a scoff. "He was definitely just winding the guy up on purpose. Where would he ever meet someone from the True Martial Great Hall?"
Zhou You had sharp ears. Hearing Chu Xiaoyao say that, he breathed a sigh of relief. Otherwise, having just promised Duan Yuxian not to tell anyone about her, if Chu Xiaoyao found out the very next moment, it would make him look completely untrustworthy.
As for Sun Cheng, Zhou You explained earnestly, "I was lying to you just now."
In Sun Cheng's eyes, however, this looked even more like a clumsy cover-up, fueling his rage.
Sun Cheng resembled an infuriated male lion; if he had a thick mane around his neck, it would surely be bristling straight up.
At this moment, his momentum reached its absolute peak. Even during the Juque Sect's grand sect tournament, he had never attained such a state.
The sect tournament wasn't just about empty vanity like internal rankings; more importantly, it directly dictated the higher-ups' attitude toward you and the allocation of resources.
"Ignorant brat! Let me show you the difference between a major sect and a minor one!"
Sun Cheng wasn't just bluffing. The Juque Sect truly qualified as a major sect.
Major sects possessed abundant resources, cultivation insights handed down over hundreds and thousands of years, a vast sea of cultivation manuals, and guidance from renowned Foundation Establishment masters. Otherwise, why would so many cultivators squeeze their way in, fighting tooth and nail to join a major sect?
A disciple of a major sect might be mediocre within their own ranks, but pitted against small sects or rogue cultivators, their advantages were glaringly obvious.
Their divine abilities alone were leagues ahead.
Take Sun Cheng right now: cloaked in awe-inspiring sword qi, he looked as if he were a peerlessly unyielding spirit sword ready to cleave through any foe. This was the fusion of momentum and divine abilities—the very heritage and foundation of the Juque Sect!
Sun Cheng was confident that at the same cultivation realm, no one would dare take this strike head-on!
A faint, shimmering film appeared over the surface of Zhou You's body, adhering tightly to his skin, barely discernible to the naked eye.
Sun Cheng's furious blow landed as if striking water. Ripples spread across the film, continuously dispersing outward and neutralizing the force.
The force of the strike was effectively dispersed across Zhou You's entire body; how could it possibly hurt him?
*What kind of body-refining art is this?!*
"I told you before, the Mingwang Body Refining Art is just so-so, but it's enough to lay a body refining foundation for Zhou You." Since Nuomi couldn't follow the battle, Chu Xiaoyao explained the situation to her.
Nuomi was a ghost without a physical body and knew nothing about body-refining arts, so she nodded as a matter of course. Whatever the Grand Elder said was law.
"This is the Mingwang Body Refining Art?!"
Chu Xiaoyao's words exploded in Sun Cheng's ears like thunder. This was the body-refining art of Wenchang True Lord—the man who had defeated all comers across the Great Ming and styled himself Mingwang?
Are you kidding me? Wasn't that a top-tier body-refining art? The Juque Sect had once possessed an art of the same caliber, but it had been lost during the demonic calamity. How could an art of this level be merely "so-so" in the eyes of this mortal girl?!
Sun Cheng wanted to argue that a tiny sect like Zhou You's couldn't possibly possess the Mingwang Body Refining Art, but the results Zhou You displayed were right in front of him; there was simply no denying it!
"Don't get distracted."
Zhou You gave a well-meaning reminder, yet as he spoke, he had already appeared right in front of Sun Cheng, making it sound more like a taunt.
He pushed off his right foot, transmitting the force through every joint. Twisting his waist and pivoting, the power surged through his whole body in an instant, concentrating into his fist.
*Bang!*
Sun Cheng was no pushover; otherwise, he wouldn't frequently meet people for offline duels. With lightning-fast reflexes, he threw up his right hand and blocked the punch.
Zhou You adjusted his breathing. His lower body remained rooted like bedrock as he unleashed a relentless flurry of punches, forcing Sun Cheng back step after step.
*Bang! Bang! Bang!*
Seeing no way out, Sun Cheng stopped trading blows and leaped back several steps to open up distance.
"Backing off already? Is this all a major sect amounts to?" Zhou You sneered provocatively. Sun Cheng had dared to insult the Carefree Sect to his face—did he really think Zhou You, as sect master, was a pushover made of clay?
Besides, the Grand Elder had given her word that he could fight however he liked. If he didn't hit hard, wouldn't that be disrespecting the Grand Elder?
"This is..."
Frowning, Sun Cheng didn't respond to Zhou You's taunt. The more they fought, the more unsettled he felt. Zhou You's fighting style felt strangely familiar. For some reason, it kept reminding him of Duan Yuxian, radiant and brilliant when she took first place at the Sword Dao Conference.
Yet they were clearly two completely unrelated people.
"Who taught you how to fight?!"
"That's none of your business. Definitely not Duan Yuxian, though," Zhou You replied flippantly, infuriating Sun Cheng all over again.
The next moment, Sun Cheng's vision went black. He instantly realized someone was covering his eyes.
He slapped his waist, unleashing several bursts of golden sword qi that stabbed toward Zhou You. Before Zhou You even touched them, he sensed the danger in advance—his skin prickling like needles—and hastily backed away.
This was a sword talisman unique to the Juque Sect. Carried close to the body, it was extremely potent, though strictly meant for self-defense rather than offense.
Zhou You sighed. As expected, the Eye-blocking Ghost's ability was only good against meatheads like Lishi who relied purely on brute strength. Against opponents with flexible moves and varied tricks, it wasn't nearly as easy.
After the clash just now, Zhou You had a rough grasp of the situation. His strikes had grown stronger under Duan Yuxian's guidance, but the long windup was a flaw—it was easy to read and defend against in advance.
Throughout that entire exchange earlier, he had held the upper hand, yet he hadn't really hurt Sun Cheng; everything had been blocked.
In that case, he just had to make sure he couldn't be read.
Zhou You took two steps back. In Sun Cheng's eyes, this looked like cowardice, and he mocked him contemptuously, "A small sect is a small sect after all."
Zhou You merely smiled without replying. He tucked his hands into his pockets, his gaze condescending and his posture arrogant. "You've already lost."
"I've lost?"
Sun Cheng sneered and retrieved several sword pellets from his waist. Sword qi was sealed within them; while less potent than the sword talisman, they had the advantage of being controllable, capable of attacking according to his will.
"Don't blame me! Blame your tiny sect for not having things like this!" He prepared to activate the sword pellets.
*Bang!*
Sun Cheng's face suddenly took a heavy blow. The strike came without the slightest warning. He didn't even get a chance to react before crashing to the ground, his face swelling up rapidly.
"Who's there?!"
Sun Cheng hurriedly glanced around and gripped his sword talisman, bracing for the next attack.
Yet the next attack came just as unexpectedly: a kick to the abdomen that felt as if it would twist his internal organs into knots.
*Is it Zhou You?!*
Sun Cheng looked toward Zhou You. Zhou You hadn't moved an inch from his spot, hands still tucked away, wearing that same arrogant smile.
*What's going on? Could it not be him?*
"He can't even see that? Total blind man. Guess major sects aren't all that after all." Chu Xiaoyao scoffed at Sun Cheng's wretched state.
She saw it clearly: while Zhou You stood motionless where he was, his soul had left his body and was pummeling Sun Cheng with punches and kicks, putting full power into every blow. Unable to see the soul, Sun Cheng clutched his sword talisman helplessly, howling in pain.
"Yeah, exactly!" Nuomi could see it clearly as well.
Of the four people present, Sun Cheng was the only one who couldn't see a thing. Who was stronger and who was weaker was plainly evident.
Battered by invisible strikes with no way to counter, Sun Cheng's eyes turned red and he roared, "You forced my hand!"
He released the sword talisman and activated the sword pellets simultaneously, playing both trump cards at once. Yet the unleashed sword qi couldn't locate a target at all; after circling twice above Sun Cheng's head, it dissipated into thin air. The sight filled Sun Cheng with utter despair.
"Phew—"
Zhou You's soul returned to his body. He stretched his limbs and exhaled a long breath; beating him up had really worn him out.
He had never fought with his soul like this before. Following Chu Xiaoyao's advice to combine soul projection with force mechanics had worked astonishingly well.
"You..."
Sun Cheng stumbled to his feet, clutching his stomach and hunching over, unable to even stand upright.
"You're... not worthy of knowing... Yuxian..."
He swayed a couple of times and collapsed to the ground with a thud, glaring fiercely at Zhou You, refusing to admit defeat to his dying breath.
"So this is where you were."
A crisp voice rang across the rooftop, breaking the silence. Su Tingxue had climbed up from below.
Su Tingxue had been looking for Zhou You ever since lunch break started. She had gone to Class Three, but far from finding Zhou You, even Chu Xiaoyao and Nuomi were absent. She had wondered whether the Carefree Sect was having some sort of field trip.
Fortunately, she had keen senses. Detecting fluctuations of spiritual power overhead, she came up to the rooftop, and sure enough, everyone from the Carefree Sect was right here.
"Su... Tingxue?" Sun Cheng gasped out brokenly. As the youngest Celestial Master of Mount Longhu, her fame rivaled Duan Yuxian's; anyone who knew Duan Yuxian knew Su Tingxue.
But why was Su Tingxue here?
Not noticing Sun Cheng sprawled on the ground, Su Tingxue walked straight toward Zhou You.
"Zhou You, Yuxian and I made plans to meet up in a couple of days. Didn't you say you didn't know her? Why don't you come along too?"
Chapter 67