Disaster Out of Nowhere

"The Yan Family cultivators would never think highly of mere low-grade, mid-tier talismans. The same goes for your spirit wine. We only want to buy it because we left in a hurry and did not bring any. Otherwise, why would we want such inferior goods with barely any spiritual qi?"

This Female Cultivator of the Yan Family was no longer young and wore heavy makeup. Her words were utterly impolite; she might as well have had the words "I look down on you" written across her face.

The Male Cultivator of the Yan Family beside her furrowed his thick brows and glared at Luo Hong in displeasure, as though he had been deeply offended.

"Heh heh, then I'll take my leave."

A flash of killing intent passed through Luo Hong's eyes. He immediately had no desire to say another word to the pair and turned to leave.

Who would have thought that the Male Cultivator of the Yan Family had such a violent temper? At the slightest disagreement, he sent a magic artifact flying at Luo Hong's back!

The Spirit Water Body Protection Talisman activated in an instant. A water shield formed from spiritual qi blocked the blow. Luo Hong turned back with a dark expression and met a pair of bloodthirsty, crazed eyes.

"Ah! They're fighting! Run, run!"

"Quick, notify the seniors organizing the gathering! Someone is causing trouble!"

Within a radius of thirty meters around Luo Hong and the two Yan Family cultivators, the rogue cultivators scattered completely in just a few breaths.

"What a fine talisman. Sell it to me too, Fellow Daoist!"

"Dream on!"

Even a clay figure had some temper. Although this man appeared to be out of his mind, that was no excuse for him to act so recklessly. Luo Hong was not afraid of a fight.

"You have some nerve, Fellow Daoist! Take another strike from my Thunder Hammer!"

The Male Cultivator of the Yan Family was easily provoked. Mana surged wildly through him as electricity crackled over his magic artifact. He was about to unleash a full-force blow.

The opponent was at the Eleventh Layer of Qi Refining, and the magic artifact he wielded was no ordinary thing. Luo Hong did not dare take him lightly, immediately activating the Diamond Talisman he had kept hidden.

Golden spiritual light instantly merged with the water shield. With metal and water reinforcing each other, its defensive power increased by far more than double.

Then, ignoring the opponent's Thunder Hammer, he formed hand seals and unleashed a frenzied barrage of Water Bullet Techniques at the man himself.

Boom!

The Thunder Hammer smashed into the golden water shield, producing a dull boom like a hammer striking a heavy drum.

Ripples spread across the golden water shield, instantly dispersing the force throughout every corner. The Thunder Hammer only sank a few inches into it before the strike was neutralized.

On the other side, Luo Hong's rapid-fire water bullets were also blocked by the Male Cultivator of the Yan Family, exploding into clusters of spiritual-qi mist around him.

"Fellow Daoist, your spells are quite feeble!"

Mock me while you can. Soon, you won't be able to open your mouth!

Luo Hong silently slipped a low-grade, mid-tier Ice Wind Talisman between his fingers. Just as he was about to activate it, he sensed several Foundation Establishment stage cultivators approaching.

The three of them looked up at the same time and saw three Foundation Establishment Cultivators arriving together, one purple-robed, one white-robed, and one yellow-robed.

"Yan Kuang, Yan Xiao, the Ascension Competition is about to begin, yet you still have the mood to fool around!"

The purple-robed cultivator was from the Yan Family. The moment he arrived, he defined Yan Kuang's sneak attack as mere fooling around, clearly intending to shield him.

"Yan Xiao, how has your Basic Sword Control Technique from Blade Transformation Dock been progressing? Do you need this Martial Uncle to give you a few pointers?"

The White-robed Cultivator was a Foundation Establishment stage Cultivator from Blade Transformation Dock. From the meaning in his words, Yan Xiao was already their predetermined victor of the Ascension Competition.

Three people had come into conflict, and two of them had already found supporters. Without question, if Luo Hong did not do something, he would be held accountable.

The Foundation Establishment female cultivator from Yellow Maple Valley was far younger than Yan Xiao. Her expression was distracted, as though her thoughts had long since wandered elsewhere. She did not care in the slightest whether Luo Hong, a Qi Refining Stage disciple, would be punished.

"Little Martial Uncle, this junior is Luo Hong. Is Uncle-master Liu's seclusion going well?"

"So you're the Qi Refining Stage disciple whom Third Senior Brother thinks highly of? You've become quite famous in the sect recently, though this is still my first time seeing you. Hm? Your Qi Concealment Technique is quite good. Even I cannot detect your mana aura."

Zhong Weiniang was a highly renowned cultivation genius in Yellow Maple Valley. She had successfully established her foundation at the age of sixteen, and now, at twenty-four, she was Li Huayuan's seventh disciple.

"They are merely empty reputations, not comparable to Little Martial Uncle or Uncle-master Liu."

Luo Hong cupped his hands in greeting, inwardly giving a wry smile. He had indeed heard people spreading word that he was the richest Qi Refining Stage disciple in Yellow Maple Valley, but he had not expected the rumors to reach the ears of Foundation Establishment stage cultivators. This was not a good thing.

"So this young friend is Senior Brother Liu Jing's man. Appearances truly can be deceiving. I say we treat this matter as a misunderstanding and leave it at that."

"Mm. For Senior Brother Liu's sake, Yan cannot refuse to give face. Let this matter end here."

Relying on their Foundation Establishment Mid-stage cultivation, the Foundation Establishment Cultivators from Blade Transformation Dock and the Yan Family treated Zhong Weiniang as though she did not exist. Every other sentence mentioned Liu Jing. Any other Cultivator from Yellow Maple Valley would have been furious, but Zhong Weiniang instead looked overjoyed.

Luo Hong had long known that Zhong Weiniang was hopelessly in love with Liu Jing, but he had not known it had reached such a mindless extent. She was likely only one step away from developing a Heart Demon.

Although this resolution was deeply unfair to Luo Hong, under the combined pressure of the Yan Family and Blade Transformation Dock, he did not dare ask for too much. It was enough that he could protect himself.

"Nephew-disciple Luo, you came to watch the Ascension Competition as well, didn't you? Then come with me, and tell me about how Third Senior Brother killed that Foundation Establishment Mid-stage evil cultivator on Xiang Mountain last time."

Zhong Weiniang's beautiful eyes shifted as she spoke in a slightly sly tone.

"This junior obeys."

Watching the Ascension Competition had already been part of Luo Hong's plans. After all, these arena matches came closest to life-and-death combat and were an excellent opportunity to collect data on cultivators' battles.

However, since he had unexpectedly encountered Zhong Weiniang, there was another matter he could conveniently take care of as well.

Luo Hong followed Zhong Weiniang as she flew on a magic artifact for a short while, arriving at the venue for the Ascension Competition.

Seven simple arenas built from earth and stone stood at the center. Delicate buildings surrounded them. The largest were for the Foundation Establishment disciples of the Seven Great Sects serving as judges, while the smaller ones were viewing areas for the Foundation Establishment Cultivators of the major Cultivation Families.

Zhong Weiniang led Luo Hong directly toward a building on the western side. Landing beside a red table atop it, she had Luo Hong take a seat at her side.

This greatly surprised Luo Hong. Logically, a Qi Refining Stage disciple like him should not have been seated at the same table as Foundation Establishment stage cultivators, especially when four other Foundation Establishment stage cultivators were already seated there, including two dressed in the Yan Family's purple robes.

However, Zhong Weiniang's gaze was not only firm but carried a faint threat as well. Luo Hong could only force himself to sit down. Immediately afterward, he felt several divine senses sweep openly over his body.

If cultivators of the same rank did such a thing, it would not be excessive for them to start fighting on the spot. But the other party consisted of Foundation Establishment stage cultivators, so Luo Hong could only endure it.

"Junior Sister Zhong, your junior's Qi Concealment Technique is truly superb. Yellow Maple Valley disciples are indeed extraordinary."

The Yan Family Foundation Establishment male cultivator who spoke had an exceedingly gentle tone. It was obvious that he was doing so deliberately, and his intentions could not have been clearer.

"Hmph. Only cowardly people would train their Qi Concealment Technique to such a degree! And he is even improperly dressed. What kind of behavior is that?!"

The other Yan Family Cultivator looked neither masculine nor feminine, and his voice was the same—utterly unpleasant to hear.

Yet no one present showed any displeasure, for his cultivation had already reached the peak of Foundation Establishment Mid-stage, the highest among those gathered.

Luo Hong's gaze swept over the two Yan Family members and Zhong Weiniang, and he immediately understood his purpose here.

Is Dual Cultivation really that irresistible?!