Chapter 74: Chapter 74: The Proud Red-Dressed Young Girl
Shi Xiaole and his party turned their heads to see several teenagers standing not far away, all of them laughing, except for one.
"Brother Wang."
"Brother Shi."
Shi Xiaole called out. The only boy not laughing turned out to be Wang Yangming, the ’Wish-fulfilling Little Spear King,’ who had once helped escort Miss Zhang with him.
Upon seeing Shi Xiaole, Wang Yangming looked both surprised and pleased.
"Junior Brother Wang, you know this person?"
A young man next to them arched an eyebrow, he was the one who had just been ridiculing them.
"Senior Brother, the person who killed Zhou Xiong, the Golden Dragon Blade, and saved me, is this Brother Shi Xiaole." Wang Yangming explained.
The young man shook his head and said earnestly, "Junior Brother Wang, it is true that we should remember those who save our lives, but we shouldn’t just cozy up to anyone blindly. We must know that there are some who are arrogant and end up harming both others and themselves."
"What did you say?"
Before Shi Xiaole could speak, Jin Wuwei already wore a cold expression. It was this man who had used his words to ridicule all four of them earlier.
"I am merely teaching my junior brother to know people well to avoid bringing trouble upon himself. Do you have any objections?"
The eldest disciple from the Silver Spear Sect laughed and tilted his head.
Jin Wuwei clenched his fists but ultimately said nothing.
"Ha! There are a multitude of talents in the Cloud Triangle. Being ranked third is already a great honor; it is ridiculous to aim for the second rank. Let’s go."
The senior disciple of the Silver Spear Sect disdainfully swept a glance over the four of them and walked away first.
Wang Yangming gave Shi Xiaole a bitter smile, nodded, and also left with the others. After all, he was a disciple of the Silver Spear Sect; he could not afford to lose face for his senior brother.
"Xiaole, it’s all up to you the day after tomorrow. You’ll need to prove your worth and shut those people up."
Sha Zongheng patted Shi Xiaole’s shoulder, clearly feeling begrudged about the previous exchange.
Lan Ning and Jin Wuwei also looked at Shi Xiaole, conveying the same sentiment.
In their eyes, it was certain that Shi Xiaole would be ranked as a second-tier talent. Perhaps his only limitation was that he wasn’t quite in the realm of the top-tier.
Regardless, the second tier was an achievement in itself.
"We’re all young. There’s no need to hold grudges over some words."
Shi Xiaole casually remarked.
...
Due to the upcoming Sky-Ceiling Meeting the day after tomorrow, all the sects started to settle into the Astonishing Dragon Castle that evening. Most disciples were preparing for the upcoming battle by resting and building up their strength.
"I’ve finally reached the peak of the Hidden Qi phase."
In his room, Shi Xiaole took a long, deep breath and opened his eyes.
Compared to martial arts techniques, Shi Xiaole never slackened in cultivating his internal power, dedicating at least three 2-hour periods each day to practice.
After these few days, as expected, his cultivation had reached the peak of the seventh stage of Hidden Qi, just one step away from the eighth stage.
"Although I could break through in the near future, it will be extremely difficult to do it before the day after tomorrow."
Shi Xiaole sighed with some disappointment.
With his current strength, he could definitely deal with any opponent in the first stage of the Qi Absorption Realm. But if he encountered an opponent in the second stage of Qi Absorption, it would become a matter of luck.
If his opponent had a strong mentality and could ignore the Chaotic Intent Realm to the greatest extent, Shi Xiaole might not be able to win.
In the end, the fluctuations in the Chaotic Intent realm were too large. Judging from his past record, it was clear that his strength had been overestimated.
Those who participated in this meeting were all elite disciples from various sects whose strength was well above the average in the martial world. Therefore, Shi Xiaole had a hunch that he could handle any ordinary second-tier talent.
If he faced Zuo Feiyang or Xiong Ni, the outcome would be hard to predict.
Feeling somewhat agitated, Shi Xiaole opened the door and walked quietly inside the Astonishing Dragon Castle, trying to clear his mind and alleviate the pressure he had put on himself.
The summer wind blew the lanterns inside the castle, casting a sweeping warm glow.
Two pairs of eyes met unexpectedly.
Shi Xiaole saw two girls, one in red with a proud air and another in yellow wearing a gentle smile, both stunningly beautiful.
Even compared to Mao Wenjing and Lan Ning, these two were in a league of their own.
Maybe it was just his imagination, but Shi Xiaole thought the two girls were looking at him and then, they casually walked towards him.
"Young Hero Shi."
The girl in yellow spoke first, with great friendliness.
Shi Xiaole didn’t recognize either of them, so he could only nod and was about to walk past when he heard the girl in red say, "I can give you a second-rate, lower-quality martial arts manual."
Shi Xiaole instantly halted, his eyebrows furrowed slightly.
It was not the content of the girl in red’s words, but her tone that caught his attention. Her disdainful and patronizing attitude made him uncomfortable.
The girl in red didn’t notice Shi Xiaole’s expression, and continued, "Given your cultivation level, you’ve frequently managed to defeat masters in the Qi Absorption realm. Apart from intent, internal power is a major factor. You must have cultivated a second-rate, lower-quality internal power technique."
"I don’t know where you got it from, nor do I want to know. As long as you agree to one condition, I can provide you with a second-rate, lower-quality martial arts manual. It will certainly enhance your martial prowess when combined with your internal power."
By the end of her words, the corners of the girl in red’s mouth curled into a confident smile.
In the Cloud Triangle region, among the wild sects, only four forces possessed secondary low-grade internal martial arts and secondary low-grade arts, and these could only be cultivated by the Sect Masters.
Yue Xunxian, as the vice leader of Astonishing Dragon Castle, is not even eligible to cultivate secondary tier martial arts yet.
The girl in red didn’t believe that Shi Xiaole wouldn’t be moved by this offer.
Actually, she was well-thought of shouting out secondary low-grade martial arts.
Given the girl in red’s background, although the secondary low-grade martial arts are precious, they are not considered treasures, but it should be more than enough to intimidate a ’country bumpkin’ like Shi Xiaole.
Shi Xiaole said, "Miss, I don’t understand what you are saying."
If someone freely offered him martial arts, he would certainly accept. But if the attitude of the other party was like charity towards a beggar, then it’s a different story.
Moreover, what Shi Xiaole lacks the least is martial arts. He has no need to demean himself by letting others think he yearns for theirs.
The red-dressed girl impatiently said, "Enough nonsense, all you need to do is promise me that you won’t propose to the Xu Family of Jingbei in the future. The secondary low-grade martial arts are yours."
Shi Xiaole stared deeply at the girl in red until her face turned crimson and she grew uncomfortable. Then he said, "What Jingbei Xu Family, Jiangxi Xu Family, I have never heard of them. As for proposing, that’s absolute nonsense. Please rest assured, miss."
With that, he made a move to leave.
This time, it was the girl in red’s turn to be unhappy. What’s going on, this guy spoke with a tone of disdain?
"Stop, explain yourself!"
Xu Nianxue stepped in front of Shi Xiaole, coldly staring at him.
In her past sixteen years, no matter where she went, she was always the center of attention. She had seen many men more impressive than Shi Xiaole, but they were all humble before her.
But now, she was looked down upon by a ’country bumpkin’, it was outrageous!
Proud women often have this psychology. Even though they may despise others first, they can’t tolerate being looked down upon in return.
Speechless, Shi Xiaole shook his head, his mind silently on guard.
His achievements of defeating several high-ranking warriors in the Qi Absorption Realm have not been spread. The only time was when he defeated Chu Lin. This means these two women must have been secretly trailing him!
"Junior sister, since Young Hero Shi has already agreed to your conditions, why linger on hard feelings?"
The girl in yellow timely pulled Xu Nianxue back and spoke up to mediate.
Xu Nianxue calmed herself down, thinking that there’s no need to lose her temper, after all, she won’t have anything to do with him after tonight. With that thought, she tossed out a secret manual from her bosom: "This is for you."
Shi Xiaole let the manual fall to the ground without looking at it, and said, "Let me guess, you must be the woman who was afraid of me proposing to her. You think you could bribe me with a secondary-tier martial art. Are you looking down on me, or are you looking down on yourself?"
"If you want to settle things between us, bring out a top-tier martial art, otherwise why would you belittle yourself and become a laughingstock?"
"You..."
After being rebutted by him, Xu Nianxue began to tremble with anger. A top-tier martial art, even the Xu Family of Jingbei doesn’t have one. Such a big mouth this ’country bumpkin’ has.
The girl in yellow also looked at Shi Xiaole in surprise, she apparently didn’t expect him to be so sharp and direct.
Ignoring the two women, Shi Xiaole turned around and left.
"This bastard, belittling me like that, I will not let him off!"
Xu Nianxue stomped her foot, seething with anger.
"Who has upset the young lady? I will certainly teach him a lesson for you."
With a chuckle, a young man strolled over from a distance. It’s the Astonishing Dragon Young Master, Yue Xunxian, one of the Four Outstanding Youths.
Yue Xunxian’s gaze swept over the two women, hiding his astonishment.
Meeting two women was completely unexpected, but it didn’t affect his ardent interest. At least in his life, he had never seen a woman more beautiful and with better temperament than these two women.
He, the Astonishing Dragon Young Master, should be paired with such women.
"Young Master Yue, will you really help me?"
Initially, Xu Nianxue planned to leave after settling things with Shi Xiaole. But now, she had changed her mind.
Shi Xiaole was too detestable, she must teach him a lesson. But she wouldn’t do it herself, as it would bring her down a level.
The person in front of her was just perfect for the job.
Unbeknownst to Shi Xiaole, he had unwittingly incurred disaster. Back in his room, he thought over the day’s events, wondering if he could question his aunt about it.
Dismissing his extraneous thoughts, he embarked on cultivation again. Strangely enough, the conflict with the girl in red unexpectedly made his mind peaceful, enhancing his cultivation state!
As the sun rose, all things came back to life.
Shi Xiaole indulged himslef in cultivating, ignorant of the passing of time.
When Yuan Qiuwei and others came to knock on his door and received no answer, they gently opened the door, only to admire his cultivation state, before quietly departing.
In no time at all, night came again.
Boom!
An invisible wave, with Shi Xiaole at the center, spread out in all directions.
The people in the adjoining rooms, Yuan Qiuwei, Xiao Yuanbo, including Mao Wenjing, were all startled awake, feeling a ghastly sensation for a moment.
"What happened?"
Xiao Yuanbo murmured to himself, looking out towards the neighboring room, deep in thought.
"I’m so lucky, unexpectedly after last-minute cramming, although my cultivation did not break through, my Chaotic Intent Realm has reached 20%!"
In the neighboring room, Shi Xiaole’s eyes gleamed for a moment and then vanished, joy erupted within him.
