Qin Nanyue Starts to Sweat

Lu Yang ruffled Jiang Shiqing's hair and said irritably, "Why do I get the feeling that you two are afraid of me?"

Jiang Shiqing stuck out her tongue, chuckled, and snuggled into his arm. "Young Master is amazing!"

Lu Yang shook his head and didn't dwell on the topic.

Ultimately, the issue stems from his rapidly improving physique; it's no longer a matter of whether they try harder or not.

It is currently afternoon.

Having decided to spar with Qin Nanyue, Lu Yang didn't intend to delay and led Jiang Shiqing out of the cave abode.

The sunlight bathed the misty mountain peaks in a soft, pale gold hue.

The sound of the water from the other side of the waterfall came from afar as always, unhurried and gentle, like the breath of the entire mountain.

He and Jiang Shiqing walked along the mountain path toward Lin Ying's cave abode.

After navigating several mountain bends, Lin Ying's cave abode came into view.

A stone table and two stone benches have been added to the bluestone platform at the entrance of the mansion.

It was probably set up by Lin Ying so that she could get some fresh air when she wasn't refining pills or cultivating.

On the table sat a celadon teacup, with half a mouthful of cooled spiritual tea remaining at the bottom.

Not far from one side of the cave abode, several newly cultivated spiritual fields stretched out neatly in the sunlight.

The ridges in the field were straightened, and the soil was a deep, glossy black, clearly indicating that it had been carefully turned over.

The fields are now filled with medicinal herbs.

The Spirit-Gathering Grass with its thick, bright leaves, the Dew-Congealing Flower with its straight stems and Little White at the top, and several rows of low-grade medicinal herbs that Lu Yang couldn't name—each plant looked quite presentable.

Jiang Shiqing followed Lu Yang's side, glanced at Ling Tian in the direction of his gaze, and a small hint of smugness appeared on her face.

She had helped Wang Shiyi and several other Golden Core puppets turn the soil in this field, and she had also planted the spiritual herbs herself.

The Spiritual Qi energy on the mountain is extremely high, and the spiritual herbs grow very quickly. They have already taken shape after only ten days or so of planting.

On the other side of the cave abode is a relatively flat natural mountain area.

The mountain area is not large, only a few dozen meters in circumference. The rocks on the ground have been smoothed and flat by the mountain winds over the years, like a natural arena embedded halfway up the mountain.

There are several old sword marks of varying depths along the edge, which have long been blurred by wind and rain.

However, many new marks have been added to those rocks today.

A black figure stood in the middle of the mountain.

Qin Nanyue wore a sharp-cut black outfit, with silver thread cinching the cuffs and trouser legs, outlining her slender and tall figure.

Her dark hair was tied high in a ponytail, and her hands moved in various hand Method Formula, like butterflies fluttering.

A green sword was swirling around her.

Each time the sword flips, it shoots out several sharp white rays, tearing through the air with a piercing sound.

The white light landed on the rock beneath their feet, leaving a smooth, flat sword mark with a hissing sound.

Lu Yang himself possesses the Heart Sword Qi Luck attribute, and his understanding of swordsmanship is also quite profound.

He could see through Qin Nanyue's style at a glance: pure Sword Dao, unmixed with other great paths, its Sword Qi pure and clear.

Each ray of white light contained a faint trace of Sword Intent, already showing the beginnings of sharpness.

Moreover, as she continued to cast Law Technique, the Sword Intent around her also layered up, each strike becoming more ferocious than the last.

It has to be said that Qin Nanyue's Law Technique is quite powerful.

Moreover, it belongs to the type that gets stronger the more it fights.

He smiled and walked towards the open space.

Jiang Shiqing followed quietly behind, her bright eyes looking in Qin Nanyue's direction, a hint of anticipation and excitement hidden in them, her mind filled with all sorts of random thoughts.

Just then, Qin Nanyue noticed the commotion.

With a flick of her wrist, she dispelled the Method Formula, and the swirling cyan longsword, like a weary bird returning to its forest, circled in an arc before steadily sliding into the scabbard on her back.

The hilt struck the scabbard, producing a crisp, metallic clang.

Qin Nanyue had probably been cultivating for some time, as fine beads of sweat clung to her forehead, and a few strands of hair damp with sweat clung to her beautiful and spirited cheeks.

Her chest rose and fell slightly, her breathing was a little heavy, and a small patch of sweat, a darker color than the rest, clung to her slender neck at the collar of her black outfit.

The moment Qin Nanyue saw Lu Yang, her eyes lit up.

Her lips unconsciously curved upwards, she casually wiped the sweat from her forehead, and strode over to meet her.

She took long strides, her ponytail swinging neatly behind her head, and arrived in front of Lu Yang in just a few steps.

After stopping, she crossed her arms, raised her straight and sharp eyebrows, and said in a crisp tone with a hint of knowing mockery, "Oh, Young Master Lu, what brings you here?"

Lu Yang looked at her with a half-smile, "Shiqing told me you wanted to spar with me? So I came over."

Qin Nanyue's eyes immediately lit up even more.

She glanced at Jiang Shiqing beside Lu Yang, her eyes full of admiration.

Although she wasn't very familiar with Jiang Shiqing, she's a good person!

She had barely finished telling the story when the girl ran off and persuaded the lecherous man to sleep with her.

That's incredibly efficient!

Qin Nanyue gave Jiang Shiqing a very high evaluation in her heart.

She nodded slightly to Jiang Shiqing, her eyes full of goodwill.

Jiang Shiqing noticed the favorable gaze and returned a bright and friendly smile.

Qin Nanyue had already turned her gaze back to Lu Yang.

She cleared her throat and teased, "We agreed to have a friendly spar during the New Year, what? You haven't already forgotten, have you?"

Before Lu Yang could answer, she quickly added, "Or we could wait a bit longer. After all, I've already reached the Foundation Establishment. I'll give you a few years, and we can fight again after you 'Foundation Establishment?"

After saying this, Qin Nanyue remained outwardly calm, but inwardly she felt very uneasy.

She had heard Yingying say that Lu Yang was simply inhuman.

Mid-stage Qi Refining can easily overwhelm Peak Qi Refinement cultivator.

If we wait until he breaks through to the Foundation Establishment Realm, what's the point of fighting then?

I reckon I wouldn't even be able to withstand one move.

If we really have to wait until then, we might as well just surrender.

Things are different now.

She had just broken through to the Foundation Establishment, and her higher cultivation level suppressed her, so her spiritual power, in both quantity and quality, completely overwhelmed that of the Qi Refining Realm.

Even if Lu Yang is incredibly talented, surely he can't win against someone who's a whole realm higher?

Taking advantage of this only window of opportunity, she could still give this guy a good beating!

As for the future?

There will be no more futures, I'll never fight again!

Lu Yang looked at Qin Nanyue's shifty eyes and smiled inwardly.

He had a pretty good idea of what she was thinking.

Trying to take advantage of his superior cultivation level to bully him?

That just so happens, I also want to test my own abilities now.

After all, having broken through to the Late Qi Refining, obtained the Golden Radiance Sword Bone, Heart Sword and other Fortune Trait, and cultivated the Golden Rainbow Sword Canon and its Law Technique, he was unsure just how strong he was now.

"No need to wait. Now is fine." Lu Yang said casually. "Do you want to rest for a bit? You just finished practicing."

Upon hearing this, Qin Nanyue's eyes lit up, and she eagerly exclaimed, "No need to rest!"

Just kidding, what if this guy changes his mind if we take a break now?

She was determined to teach this lecherous man a lesson!

This is a golden opportunity; we must seize it on the spot!

Her eyes were full of excitement as she pointed to the open space behind her. "Come on!"

Lu Yang chuckled and followed Qin Nanyue toward the open space.

The open space was only a few tens of meters in diameter, which was actually a very small area for the Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator.

Qin Nanyue stopped twenty meters away from him and turned around to face him.

The afternoon breeze swept up from the valley, lifting a few wisps of hair from her forehead. Her black outfit made her look sharp and dashing in the sunlight.

Sunlight streamed down from behind her, outlining her tall and slender figure.

Qin Nanyue crossed her arms, adopting the posture of a senior instructing a junior. She raised her smooth, rounded chin, her beautiful and heroic face full of confidence, and a hint of smugness.

"I'll let you make the first move."

Lu Yang was immediately delighted.

He didn't say much, but made a sword-finger gesture with his right hand, bringing his index and middle fingers together and gently pointing forward.

A pale golden sword light shot out from the sky.

The sword light wasn't large, but its speed was so fast that its trajectory was almost invisible.

The sword light reached Qin Nanyue in an instant.

Her smile froze, her pupils contracted sharply, and the hairs on her neck stood on end.

She didn't even have time to draw her sword; she quickly activated a jade amulet at her waist.

A pale white protective shield instantly unfolded, enveloping Qin Nanyue completely.

The sword light collided with it.

Boom--!

The shockwave exploded outwards in all directions from the point of impact.

The rocks beneath Qin Nanyue's feet were shattered, cracking into countless tiny pieces, which were then swept into the air by the shockwave.

The shield twisted and deformed violently before shattering.

The pale white light shield transformed into countless tiny sparks of light, scattering across the ground around her.

The pale golden sword light also dissipated.

Qin Nanyue stood there, her lips twitching suddenly, her scalp tingling, and a layer of cold sweat breaking out on her back.

This is a shield formed from Supreme-Grade Law Artifact, capable of barely withstanding an attack from a cultivator in the Early-stage Foundation Establishment!

That big bad guy Lu Yang broke it with a single, casual sword finger strike??

Wait... wait!

Something's not right!

Something's very wrong!

Sweat began to bead on her forehead, and she became somewhat stiff.

She realized she might have underestimated this guy.

Lu Yang raised an eyebrow, glanced at the jade talisman at her waist that had dimmed, and said quite sincerely, "This Law Treasure is not bad; it actually blocked it."

However, this was just a casual strike on his part.

He didn't even use Law Technique or Law Treasure; he simply relied on his own understanding of the Golden Sword and the Golden Sword, mixing the sharpness of Sword Qi and Sword Intent, guided by a wisp of Heart Sword intent, and adding a little bit of the killing characteristics of the Metal Dao, to casually strike out a blow.

The moment the attack was launched, Lu Yang realized something was wrong.

The power of the sword light was much greater than he had imagined.

He reacted extremely quickly, immediately withdrawing most of his Spiritual Qi.

If he inputs too much Spiritual Qi, even Qin Nanyue might not be able to withstand it!

However, Lu Yang still held back a small portion of its power, intending to give Qin Nanyue a little shock.

Qin Nanyue was a bit arrogant just now. If we don't cool her down a bit, she'll be causing trouble.

Seeing Qin Nanyue's forehead covered in sweat, Lu Yang was overjoyed.

With a serious expression, he said, "Now that you've blocked my attack, I'm going to increase my strength."

Qin Nanyue felt as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over her from head to toe.

She snapped out of her daze and hurriedly raised her hand, calling out, "Wait... wait!"

Lu Yang stopped his hand from forming a hand seal and looked at her innocently. "What's wrong?"

Qin Nanyue's lips moved several times, and her handsome face visibly flushed red, the color spreading from her ears all the way to her neck.

She wanted to say something polite, but her mind went blank.

After thinking for a while, she finally stammered, "Um... I suddenly feel like I should rest for a bit. I've been practicing for quite a while, and I'm not in good shape. My Spiritual Qi energy is quite depleted."

Lu Yang looked puzzled. "Didn't you just say you didn't need to rest?"

Qin Nanyue's delicate body trembled, so embarrassed that she wished she could dig a three-bedroom apartment out of the ground with her toes.

The mountain breeze was clearly cool in winter, but she felt like she was on fire.

She took a deep breath, stiffened her neck, and tried to keep her voice steady. "I... I didn't understand just now! I felt that since it's a friendly spar, I should go all out, so I plan to give it my best!"

After saying that, she mentally applauded herself.

That's well said, logical and well-founded; it should be enough to fool them!

Hearing this, Lu Yang nodded seriously, his face showing deep agreement. "You're right, we should definitely go all out. I'll go all out later too."

Qin Nanyue:!!∑(ﾟДﾟノ)ノ