What Would You Do If An Ugly Woman Asked You To Dual Cultivate?

Chapter 23 - The Duel in the Forest

Mo Yanyu and Han Tianxue arrived at a clearing deep in the forest, where they decided to fight. Yang Hao stood between them, acting as the referee.

"Alright. Three... two... one. Start!"

The moment Yang Hao stepped back, the air crackled with energy. Mo Yanyu lunged first, her dark element black fists aimed at Han Tianxue's chest. Han Tianxue didn't flinch. She stomped her foot, and the ground erupted in response. Chunks of soil and stone spiraled upward, encasing her body in a thick, craggy armor that gleamed faintly with embedded minerals. Mo Yanyu's punch collided with a thunderous crack, but the earthen shell held firm, spraying dirt and pebbles into the air.

Updat𝓮d fr𝙤m ƒгeeweɓn૦vel.com.

Han Tianxue retaliated instantly. Her armored fist shot forward. Mo Yanyu's eyes narrowed as two extra, shadowy limbs burst from her back, their clawed hands slamming together to catch the incoming blow. The impact sent a shockwave rippling outward, flattening nearby grass and shaking leaves from the trees.

Mo Yanyu skidded backward, her boots carving furrows into the soil. Without pause, dark energy surged around her, hardening into sleek, onyx-colored armor that mirrored Han Tianxue's—smooth where the earth was rough, shimmering faintly like polished coal.

"Hmm... Yanyu copied Han Tianxue's armor ability instantly," remarked a mature voice.

Yang Hao turned in surprise at the sound and saw a mature woman standing beside him, her face hidden beneath a hood.

"You..." Yang Hao started.

"Yanyu must have told you about me, right?" she said calmly.

"Yeah," Yang Hao nodded.

The combat resumed. Han Tianxue hesitated for a split second—her brow furrowing—before she charged again, her movements heavy but relentless. Each punch she threw sent tremors through the ground, fracturing the soil beneath her feet. Mo Yanyu met every blow with precision, their armored fists clashing in bursts of black and brown energy.

Mo Yanyu's extra arms whirled, parrying strikes from angles Han Tianxue couldn't match. For a moment, it seemed Han Tianxue was cornered—until she abruptly pivoted, her right fist plunging into the soil.

A jagged pillar of rock erupted beneath Mo Yanyu, hurling her into the air. Han Tianxue leaped after her, her armor shedding debris as she moved. Midair, she swung both fists downward. Mo Yanyu crossed her four arms above her head, shadows coalescing into a solid disc to block the strike. The collision blasted them apart, sending Han Tianxue crashing onto one knee while Mo Yanyu landed in a crouch, her dark armor flickering from the force.

"She's adapting too quickly," Yang Hao muttered, eyes wide as he watched Han Tianxue rise. Cracks in her earthen armor sealed themselves as fresh soil crawled up from the ground to reinforce it.

Mo Yanyu straightened, and her shadow armor rippled before reshaping—the smooth plates sprouting jagged spikes. She darted forward like a blur of black against the forest's greens and browns. Han Tianxue raised a wall of earth, but Mo Yanyu's spiked fists tore through it as if it were wet parchment. Chunks of dirt exploded outward, pelting the trees. Han Tianxue staggered back, then grinned as she clapped her hands together; scattered debris halted midair and sharpened into stone shards before hurtling toward Mo Yanyu.

Dark energy flared as Mo Yanyu's extra arms dissolved into a swirling vortex of shadows, deflecting the projectiles with a series of sharp clinks. Unfazed, Han Tianxue pressed her advantage. The ground beneath Mo Yanyu's feet softened into quicksand. Though her legs sank, she thrust her hands downward, sending inky tendrils into the muck that hardened it instantly. She wrenched herself free just as Han Tianxue's fist grazed her shoulder—its blow glancing off her armor with a shower of sparks.

Han Tianxue dropped into a low stance, and the earth trembled. Four massive arms of compacted soil and rock burst from her back, mirroring Mo Yanyu's shadow limbs. The added mass made her silhouette monstrous, hulking.

"This girl is not simple either," the hooded woman remarked.

Yang Hao nodded. "She's considered the number one genius in our kingdom."

The woman chuckled and shook her head. "Not just in your kingdom. In the entire secular world, she could be one of the best. Even in those Immortal Sects, there are few who could compare to her. Learning a technique just by observing an opponent in the middle of battle is not something just anyone can do. Only a handful of people possess that level of understanding. To do this, one must be deeply familiar with their element and have extreme control over it."

"Really?" Yang Hao asked, surprised.

"Yes," she replied confidently. "I can say without a doubt that both of them will become the strongest." Her eyes, hidden beneath the hood, her eyes shined as she watched the two fighters.

Yu Ruyi's voice echoed in Yang Hao's mind. "She's right. Your fiancée and that girl both have an incredible affinity with their elements. Their control over them at such a young age is extremely rare."

Yang Hao was stunned as he continued the watching the fight.

With all six fists swinging in a relentless barrage, Han Tianxue surged forward.

Mo Yanyu's eyes widened, but she held her ground. Her dark armor thickened, absorbing the impact of each blow in bursts of black mist. The clearing shook with every collision, and birds screeched as they fled the treetops.

Although Mo Yanyu's arms moved in a blur—parrying and countering—Han Tianxue's raw power forced her back step by step. Then, in a brief gap between strikes, Han Tianxue's lowermost right fist shot upward, catching Mo Yanyu squarely in the stomach.

The hit lifted Mo Yanyu off her feet, and she crashed into a tree trunk, splintering its bark. For a heartbeat, the forest fell silent—before the shadows around her exploded. Darkness writhed like serpents, coiling around her limbs and torso. When it cleared, her armor had transformed once again—sleeker, tighter, with overlapping plates.

She pushed off the tree, and the wood where she'd struck blackened and crumbled. Han Tianxue's smile faded as she raised her earthen arms defensively, but Mo Yanyu was already too fast. A shadowy fist phased through the stone, striking Han Tianxue's chest. Though her earth armor held, the force knocked the breath from her lungs.

Han Tianxue retaliated blindly, her stone fists pulverizing the ground where Mo Yanyu had stood—but her opponent was already behind her. Mo Yanyu's kick connected with the back of Han Tianxue's knee, buckling her leg. Before she could fall, Han Tianxue slammed her palms into the earth. A shockwave erupted, throwing Mo Yanyu back. Both fighters scrambled to their feet, chests heaving, their armors cracked but still intact.

"This could go on forever," Yang Hao breathed, sweat dampening his collar as he watched them circle each other again, the ground between them scarred and broken.