Chapter 488: Chapter 487: Yu Wen Cang Takes Action
Without having battled Shi Xiaole, one would never truly grasp his level of menace.
At this moment, Zhuo Feifan fully understood Hua Yunshang’s previous emotions: this man was like a clear and flawless pond, seemingly shallow but profoundly unfathomable once one steps in.
"If you can withstand my final move, I accept my defeat. Ice and Fire Hell!"
A halo of red and blue interwoven light began to surround Zhuo Feifan, swiftly encompassing his head.
On one side of the red light, the air distorted, the scorching heat replicating a blistering summer day. While on the other, ice crystals rain down, the pure white frost obstructing everyone’s vision. Even the river’s surface near the Glazed Fairy Platform started to slowly freeze, forming a layer of frost.
Within a mere breath, the red and blue aura blended, akin to a block of ice falling into a blazing fire, yet it didn’t melt. Instead, it made the ice colder and the flames hotter.
The raging power tore apart everything in front, directing all fury towards Shi Xiaole. The invincible Glazed Fairy Platform incessantly made sputtering noises, as fissures began to form and spread from its surface.
"An infusion of ice and fire, so that’s how it is! Brother Zhuo must have realized the true essence of the seventh layer of Ice and Fire Nine Heavens, having previously tested it in secret on others."
"At the integration stage of ice and fire, the power of the killing move can double in a short time, haha, let that surnamed Shi be arrogant again!"
The speed of the ice and fire power wasn’t fast, but it was like a net that left no room for escape. As the fellow disciples of Zhuo Feifan watched this, they were extremely excited.
Brother Zhuo’s strength had increased by two-fold. No matter how strong Shi Xiaole is, he would not be able to withstand it, he is not one of the four top talents after all.
"This move is indeed powerful."
The true meaning of Ice and Fire, considered top-tier, was, unfortunately, only being achieved to only 20% by Zhuo Feifan. Even if Shi Xiaole hasn’t grasped the realm of Heavenly Sword, he would still be able to cope.
A Sword Qi like a shooting star, bringing eternal silence and oblivion, abruptly tore through the sky and the oncoming Ice and Fire Light, tactfully stabbing inside it and creating a long and straight opening.
This was his self-made killing move derived from Meteor from the Sky, Meteor Demise.
Clang!
Zhuo Feifan only felt a heaviness in his arm. The next moment, his sword flew out of its sheath, blood splattered from his chest which was quickly frozen, incinerated and dissipated by his own ice and fire Vigorous Air.
The shocker was yet to come.
Centered around Zhuo Feifan’s body, the rampaging ice and fire Vigorous Air immediately halted, then retracted and exploded, releasing a surging wave of Qi.
The majority of those present were horrified by Zhuo Feifan’s defeat, with only a few people grasping deeper fear - Shi Xiaole’s sword not only defeated Zhuo Feifan, but it also broke Ice and Fire integration, it defeated him thoroughly, from the person himself to his move.
What kind of person is this?
Spitting out another mouthful of blood, Zhuo Feifan’s injuries weren’t severe, but his face was extremely pale. he asked unwillingly: "Was that sword just now your most powerful move?"
"Sort of."
Shi Xiaole answered indifferently.
"Sort of?"
Zhuo Feifan’s chest tightened, and an overwhelming sense of weakness filled him. He spoke with a wretched smile: "Even if you defeated me, you may not necessarily become the fifth genius of Shuntian Capital."
Shi Xiaole shook his head, the fifth genius? He had never thought to be that.
Zhuo Feifan took a step back, retreated to his cabin, his fellow students rushing up immediately to inquire about his injuries, whether sincerely or not.
"Brother Zhuo, that surnamed Shi is just playing tough. As I see, he gave his all in that sword, otherwise, how could he just slightly wound you? Give it some time for cultivation, and you will surely surpass him."
Knowing that Zhuo Feifan was petty, one disciple tried to curry favor by speaking out loud. Of course, he may have similar thoughts in his heart.
"We’ll see how it goes. I’m afraid he dares not to compete with the four great geniuses."
Zhuo Feifan grunted.
Meanwhile, in another cabin, a man with a deep, chiselled face stood abruptly and then sat back down.
"Senior Brother, if you want to take the stage, why don’t you?"
Yu Mieren asked in disbelief.
Tong Baizhan shook his head, giving a bitter smile: "I am no match for Brother Shi, why would I go there to disgrace myself?"
"Ah?"
Yu Mieren was bewildered.
In her eyes, the dazzling and outstanding Senior Brother was undoubtedly the young expert second only to the four great geniuses, and he had few opponents among his peers. What qualifications and strength does Shi Xiaole possess to make her senior brother retreat without a fight?
Yu Mieren, unconvinced, said: "Senior Brother, Shi Xiaole is strong, but even if he exhibits his final move, he is still no match for your trump card. Why do you pretend to be modest in front of me?"
"What if that wasn’t his strongest move?"
Tong Baizhan’s eyes deepened as he gazed at the youth in green under the distant blue sky; he expressed obscurely: "Junior Sister, I don’t have many skills, but I have an exceptional intuition. I can tell that Brother Shi has never truly shown his capabilities, he has deceived everyone present."
In the past, when Tong Baizhan wandered in the martial world, an eccentric individual taught him some profound intuition techniques.
In his view, Shi Xiaole was horrifying. Even his intuition techniques initially failed to recognize the opponent’s potency. It was only when Shi Xiaole momentarily displayed his prowess, did he manage to glimpse a corner of it.
Yu Meiren widened her eyes in disbelief, silenced by the unexpected revelation. If it wasn’t Senior Brother who said it, she would not have believed it, even if her life were at stake. Could Shi Xiaole really be that powerful?
"I’ve been watching for quite some time, it’s about time for me to warm up."
Just when everyone was taken aback by Shi Xiaole’s increasingly robust power, a strong and resounding voice suddenly echoed.
Certain people’s faces flushed red, and when everyone saw who was stepping onto the stage, there was an immediate gasp of surprise.
Yu Wen Cang.
The person entering the scene was majestic and unyielding. His gaze alone made people feel as if they were being looked down upon. If it wasn’t the Fist King Yu Wen Cang, then who could it be?
"Brother finally decided to take action. You ignorant fools, better look closely, my brother is the strongest."
The delicate young girl Yuwen Yan clasped her hands together under her delicate chin, watching the heroic figure on the fairy platform with both reverence and fever.
No one knew what progress her brother had made in these three years. Yuwen Yan believed that even Yu Zhao, hailed as the Little Lord, would undoubtedly be defeated by her brother today.
"Shi Xiaole, he actually forced Yu Wen Cang to come out? But their realms do not match. The former is only in the third stage of the Dragon Gate Realm, while the latter is in the fourth stage. Even if he wins, it is worthless to Yu Wen Cang."
"It’s understandable. From what we see, Shi Xiaole has a high chance of becoming the fifth prodigy in Shuntian Capital. And Yu Wen Cang’s target must be people like Yu Zhao. He can’t just challenge them as soon as he steps onto the stage. Shi Xiaole is undoubtedly the most suitable choice for a warm-up. As for the difference in cultivation level, at Yu Wen Cang’s level, who would think he is taking advantage of the weak? On the contrary, exchanging blows with Yu Wen Cang could benefit Shi Xiaole greatly, allowing him to gain more advantages."
The discussion continued uninterrupted, with most people’s eyes focused on the impressive Yu Wen Cang.
That’s human nature. The same thing, in different hands, leads to different interpretations.
The objective of the Linjiang Fairy Conference is for mutual exchange and learning, so most people pair up with someone in the same realm. Once someone of a higher realm challenges someone of a lower realm, they will be mocked.
But Yu Wen Cang is different. His challenging someone of a lower realm is not taking advantage of the weak, it’s to provide guidance. After all, even those of the same realm can hardly withstand his attacks.
"You are quite impressive, reaching the fourth stage of the Dragon Gate Realm at such a young age. It’s worth my time."
Ignoring the gazes of the crowd, Yu Wen Cang looked at Shi Xiaole and commented lightly.
"What, the fourth stage of the Dragon Gate Realm?"
"Did I hear that wrong?"
The crowd rustled.
Shi Xiaole smiled. He should never underestimate anyone. If he was able to read others’ cultivation levels by his Stone Touching Skill, others might also have their ways of detecting his cultivation level.
Releasing his suppression, Shi Xiaole’s aura surged, increasing steadily until it reached the late-stage of the fourth stage of the Dragon Gate Realm and then slowly ceased.
Crack!
Zhuo Feifan shattered the wine glass in his hand, his face alternating between red and purple.
As for the disciples behind him, they were already dumbfounded.
The suppression from Shi Xiaole was genuine and wasn’t like Xiahou Liang, who disguised his actual cultivation level. In other words, he never had used his full strength!
"He, he..."
Yu Meiren covered her lips with her hand, dumbfounded for a long time.
She finally began to understand her Senior Brother’s words, but how could this be possible? Just half a year ago, Shi Xiaole was still at the first stage of the Dragon Gate Realm, now he has reached the fourth stage, even riding a rocket wouldn’t be as fast as this.
Yu Meiren then considered an even more significant problem.
If she’s not mistaken, Shi Xiaole is 24 years old this year.
And at the same stage of the Dragon Gate Realm, both Yu Wen Cang and Li Zifeng are 27 years old. She wasn’t sure about Ai Wenqian’s age, but it should be similar. Even the most famous amongst them, Yu Zhao, is also 26 years old.
That is to say, Shi Xiaole is likely to be the youngest practitioner at the fourth stage of the Dragon Gate Realm not just in the Xuanwu State, but even in the entire martial world of Shuntian Capital.
The sharp eyes of Li Zifeng suddenly flashed. He was still recovering, but a powerful Sword Qi erupted from him. If they were of the same cultivation level, it would be worth his while to fight Shi Xiaole, considering the swordsmanship the latter displayed earlier.
"Interesting."
Yu Zhao revealed a rare smile.
"What a friend my little brother has made."
Ai Wenqian recalled her previous concerns for him, even standing up to Liang Shuhao voluntarily. Now it seems that it was entirely unnecessary.
"No wonder, no wonder..."
Liang Shuhao’s clenched fist tightened even more, only to let go abruptly.
He might not even beat Zhuo Feifan, let alone Shi Xiaole. He laughed at how he had foolishly hoped to humiliate Shi Xiaole and prove his strength in front of Yu Meiren.
"Brother Ai, did you know about this already?"
Crown Sword Marquis and Yang Feng, who considered themselves quite knowledgeable about Shi Xiaole, wore flabbergasted expressions. Seeing Ai Wenhong’s smiling face, Yang Feng subconsciously asked.
Ai Wenhong chuckled to himself, "Hehe, we’re in for a show. Although Brother Shi might not be able to defeat Yu Wen Cang, after today, he will definitely make a name for himself across Xuanwu State and even Shuntian Capital, becoming the foremost talent below the top four geniuses!"
