Chapter 189: Chapter 189: The Popular Young Master Shi
"This kind of intent realm?"
The Illusion Shadow Intent Realm, in a certain sense, is similar to the Chaotic Intent Realm. The difference lies in the fact that the former is closer to being a method, and the latter, an objective.
Isn’t creating illusions merely a way to confuse the opponent?
Of course, there’s no clear hierarchy between the two.
For those of weak willpower, the Chaotic Intent Realm, which directly targets the mind, is more effective. But for those with strong willpower, the Illusive Shadow Intent Realm is more likely to lead them to expose weaknesses in their moves, thus losing the initiative.
Hou Tianping, who has perceived two-tenths of the Illusion Shadow Intent Realm, is undoubtedly a terrifying opponent. Unfortunately, he has encountered Shi Xiaole.
Not only is Shi Xiaole’s willpower strong but his martial arts realm is also high. The Illusion Shadow Intent Realm used on him is less than half as effective as usual.
Swish!
A streak of cyan-purple sword light streaked across the night sky. Where the sword light passed, the fan shadows disappeared like the late spring snow, leaving no trace. After three consecutive swords, Shi Xiaole successfully escaped from Hou Tianping’s attack range.
"Fan Shocking Dust World!"
With a slightly startled expression, Hou Tianping roared, and this time the fan shadows surged out like a whirlwind. When it reached Shi Xiaole, it was impossible to distinguish between reality and illusion. Where the eye could see, within a radius of ten feet, all was full of fan shadows, unavoidable.
With eyes as calm as an old well under a starless night, Shi Xiaole’s calmness was scary.
He waved his right hand holding the sword and brought his left hand’s two fingers together, mimicking the heavy sword aura, which cut left and right in the fan shadows. It seemed at first glance to be suppressed, but in reality, he stood tall, and the momentum could not get close to him.
As if the illusions could not cause him any interference.
"How can this be?"
Hou Tianping could no longer keep his cool.
Before coming out, he had used this move against a Qi Absorption Eighth Layer expert of the Hou family. Even the latter couldn’t easily crack it and had to suppress it with pure strength.
Where did this kid get this ability?
"He really isn’t simple."
The black-clothed young woman nodded secretly.
The sword Shi Xiaole used to wound the Qi Absorption eighth-layer expert of the Yunshui Gang also had similar chaotic effects. And, in the black-clothed young maiden’s opinion, even though his understanding was not as profound as Hou Tianping’s, it was clearly more direct and sharp.
It was almost impossible for Hou Tianping to defeat Shi Xiaole using this kind of move.
"This isn’t looking good. Brother Hou’s Phantom Fan Technique seems to be restrained."
"The opponent is really a bit tricky. If they keep fighting, I don’t think Brother Hou will necessarily win."
The crowd’s various thoughts and discussions entered Hou Tianping’s ears, making his face suddenly turn dark.
He would lose?
What a joke.
With the thought of giving up completely gone, Hou Tianping’s eyes became slits. The next moment, his body began to spin like a top, carrying a storm of Qi.
"Peerless Fan of the World!"
In the midst of his roar, the Qi spread in all directions, threading into numerous strands.
From a mid-air view, these threads of Qi clearly formed a verisimilar and vague fan shadow, the direction of the fan surface was exactly where Shi Xiaole was.
This was a lethal move that Hou Tianping had created based on the essence of the Phantom Fan Technique. The most important thing was that, combined with two-tenths of the Illusion Shadow Intent Realm, this move had gone beyond the scope of weaving reality and illusion together, reaching the realm of turning illusion into reality.
If Shi Xiaole wanted to break it through skill, it would only lead to his complete defeat.
"You forced me to use this move; I won’t let you get away with it."
A faint, unnoticeable sinister smile emerged on the corner of Hou Tianping’s mouth. As long as Shi Xiaole showed any sign of defeat, he would teach him a severe lesson and make him remember it well.
In Shi Xiaole’s sight, the threads of Qi turned into fan shadows, these fan shadows connected with each other, forming a larger fan. The edge of the fan was sharp, seemingly ready to bisect him.
"A really strong move."
Even Shi Xiaole had to admit that Hou Tianping’s move was unique. If replaced by another of the same strength as him, they would undoubtedly be seriously wounded by it.
However, the biggest mistake Hou Tianping made was to wield Illusion Shadow Intent Realm in front of Shi Xiaole; this was like showing off one’s skill in front of an expert.
"It’s time for you to test my sword."
The moment of thought passed in an instant. As Shi Xiaole’s body softened, he turned into a puff of smoke and charged out, his sword slicing out at the same time.
What kind of sword was this?
The sword was no longer a sword, but a strand of blue moonlight. The moonlight was hazy and soft, hiding mechanisms within the gentleness, easily breaking through the siege of the fan shadows and piercing open a path.
Not to mention the main target, Hou Tianping, even the surrounding people were enchanted by the beauty of this sword, and it took them a long time to regain their senses.
Bang!
Hou Tianping cried out, flew back, and spit out a thick mist of blood along the way. At the critical moment, Shi Xiaole changed from stabbing to sweeping, heavily injuring the latter. It can be assumed that it would take two or three months to recover.
This was Shi Xiaole’s counter to Hou Tianping. The other party had plotted against him in the final blow, so of course, he had to make him taste defeat.
"Did Brother Hou really lose?!"
The young people had their mouths wide open.
They thought that Hou Tianping would lose before, but it was just chatter, they didn’t take it to heart. Especially when Hou Tianping executed his final kill move, everyone thought that Shi Xiaole was the one who would be defeated.
However, at a critical moment, the situation abruptly changed.
"What on earth was that intent realm just now?"
Cui Chen was dumbfounded.
Indeed, Shi Xiaole’s sword still lingered in his mind, giving him the illusion of being spiritually robbed. He was sure that even if there were two of him, he would not be able to dodge that sword.
"What a terrifying man."
Averting his gaze, Cui Chen made up his mind not to provoke Shi Xiaole again in the future.
"How strong he is, he defeated a master of the Young Heroes Ranking."
The women collectively gasped in their hearts.
At this moment, the moonlight from the sky shone on Shi Xiaole. His green robes, brushed by the slight breeze, made him look like an exiled immortal who had descended to earth, exuding an indescribable casual elegance.
Many young women were entranced.
"Did he hide his strength before or was there a breakthrough?"
The young woman in black raised her delicate brow slightly.
Due to her practice of a certain martial art, most of her power was sealed, but her perception was still strong. In her estimation, Hou Tianping was enough to defeat Shi Xiaole.
The current situation only proves that either she misread him or Shi Xiaole made a recent breakthrough. Either way, he is now worthy of her attention.
Of course, just attention.
Outsiders will never know where she comes from and what her identity is. Honestly speaking, people like Hou Tianping do not even interest her enough to warrant a second glance in normal times.
"Would you dare to tell me your name? For today’s favor, I, Hou, will surely repay you in the future."
Propped up by a few friends, Hou Tianping glared hatefully at Shi Xiaole. He was a well-known figure, however, so he managed to maintain his restraint on the surface.
For a young man like him, time is the most valuable asset, especially at a time when his potential is at its greatest. A period of two to three months may seem not long, but it might just be enough to undergo a breakthrough.
Because of Shi Xiaole, he had to take time to heal his injuries. The thought of it made Hou Tianping’s heart bleed.
"I am Shi Xiaole, at your service anytime."
Shi Xiaole said lightly.
After transforming the Chaotic Intent Realm into the Enchanted Moon Intent Realm, his mastery of the intent realm was on par with Hou Tianping’s Illusion Shadow Intent Realm, achieving a 20% success rate. However, in terms of harnessing the intent realm’s power, Hou Tianping didn’t stand a chance against Shi Xiaole.
While he was able to defeat his opponent today, the gap between the two would only grow larger in the future.
After Hou Tianping went upstairs to recuperate, Duan Xi took a deep breath, walked up to Shi Xiaole, and laughed, "I wonder if Brother Shi is the rising star who defended Peach Forest Town, bravely defeated the ’Astonishing Thunder Palm’ Xin Riyuan, and saved the town?"
As the son of a magistrate, Duan Xi, who has been accustomed to strategy since childhood, was cunning. In his eyes, Shi Xiaole’s value surpassed that of Hou Tianping, and he was worth befriending.
He had been hiding in the back all along and only showed himself now. Apart from his lack of martial arts skills, he couldn’t help but seize the opportunity.
"I am flattered."
Shi Xiaole didn’t admit it directly, but he did give everyone the answer.
Duan Xi first appeared surprised, followed by admiration for Shi Xiaole. His facial expressions were so natural that it was hard for anyone to dislike him.
Shi Xiaole chuckled to himself.
His observation skills were astounding. Even if Duan Xi had not come forward earlier, the looks he tossed at him were not friendly. However, since the other party would not admit it, he wouldn’t break it.
What’s more, the other party had invited him on board and arranged a room for him. It was a significant favor. A man has a clear distinction between gratitude and grudges. If he were to nitpick over this matter, he would only demean himself.
"Hahaha, Brother Shi’s skills are extraordinary, I admire young heroes like you the most. Let’s go up to the third floor and have a drink together, shall we?"
Duan Xi wholeheartedly invited him and reached out to hold Shi Xiaole’s hand.
As for the girl in black, with Shi Xiaole’s identity revealed, he began to doubt her words. Heroes from the Righteous Path always cherished their reputation; how could Shi Xiaole disgrace himself for a woman?
Of course, this didn’t mean that Duan Xi had given up on the girl in black. He just wanted to have the best of both worlds.
Shi Xiaole’s skin crawled, and he quickly evaded Duan Xi’s extended hand. However, he did not refuse the invitation. Everyone promptly followed them upstairs.
At the banquet, many young people toasted Shi Xiaole, their attitudes passionate, and some young women even sent him covertly flirtatious glances.
You really can’t blame them.
Among the countless young people in Qingxue State, only 81 people made it into the Young Heroes Ranking, reaching an astonishing probability of one in a million. And for Shi Xiaole, who could defeat Hou Tianping, ranked 68th, his future was too bright to be underestimated.
Who wouldn’t want to intentionally connect with someone like him?
The girl in the black dress wore an charming smile, seemingly oblivious to what had happened before, still attracting the amazed gazes of most of the people.
In the following days, Duan Xi often came to visit, even expressing recruiting intentions in his words. Shi Xiaole only laughed - he was not one to work for others.
The painting boat went downstream, and a few days later, a magnificent mountain peak resembling a blooming lotus appeared in mist in the distance, barely visible.
Lotus Peak was near.
Fearing his tracks would be exposed, Shi Xiaole did not tell anyone that he jumped into the Yunfeng River in the middle of the night and swam towards the opposite bank to the east.
"The kid has escaped."
Several hundred meters behind the painting boat, Ying Wu, the leader of the Purple Beauty Sect opened his eyes.
To monitor the girl in black and Shi Xiaole in case they suddenly escaped, he often used the method of "heavenly vision and earthly hearing" over the past few days. He was aware of the scene when Shi Xiaole jumped into the river.
