Xiao Yu's Challenge

Zi Yan was an Ancient Void Dragon with the purest royal bloodline.

If he used Zi Yan's blood to temper his body, it would definitely speed up his cultivation.

Once he went to the Central Plains in the future, he would help Zi Yan obtain the Dragon Phoenix Origin Fruit and let her evolve into the Supreme Dragon Phoenix of the Magical Beast World.

Xiao Peng guessed that the blood of a Supreme Dragon Phoenix would be excellent for body tempering.

Jia Nan Academy, somewhere within the Inner Academy.

"Ah-choo..."

A little girl who was eating Medicinal Herbs suddenly sneezed.

The little girl rubbed her nose in confusion, unable to understand why she had suddenly sneezed.

For the next period of time, Xiao Peng cultivated discreetly within Xiao Mansion.

He had absolutely no interest in going out to show off.

He still needed to cultivate the Upper Clarity Sword Technique and the Nine Revolutions Profound Technique. Where would he find the time to show off?

He went out once in the meantime and bought a large amount of resources to cultivate and break through to the fourth level. It would still take some time before he reached the fifth level.

After finishing his cultivation of the Nine Revolutions Profound Technique, Xiao Peng could not help sighing. "The Nine Revolutions Profound Technique really consumes resources."

He did not have much money left now and needed to earn a great deal to buy resources.

He thought of the cave dwelling Xiao Yi Xian had been searching for. He remembered that there was quite a bit of money and resources inside.

As for those three Dou Techniques and cultivation methods, they were not much use to him.

He did not use poison.

As for Eagle Wings?

He was not interested. He was now at the Qi Foundation Eighth Layer and not far from the Qi Foundation Ninth Layer.

He could fly on his sword himself, so there was no need for something as useless as Eagle Wings.

Once he broke through to the Golden Core realm, he would need Eagle Wings even less.

The third item seemed to be Mad Lion's Roar?

It seemed to be a High-grade Profound Tier sonic Dou Technique. He could copy it down and sell it, then make a fortune in resources.

Thinking of this, Xiao Peng felt that he was truly clever.

"Xiao Peng, get out here!"

Just as Xiao Peng was admiring his own cleverness, a woman's voice came from outside.

Upon hearing that voice, Xiao Peng frowned.

He knew its owner. It was Xiao Yu's voice.

The two of them had not interacted much. At most, they exchanged greetings when they met, without saying much else.

Xiao Peng recalled something from the novel concerning Xiao Yan and Xiao Yu.

Xiao Yan had mistakenly entered the bathing pool, seen Xiao Yu bathing, and touched her leg.

It might have been true that he had accidentally entered the bathing pool, but Xiao Peng felt that touching her leg had been entirely deliberate on Xiao Yan's part.

Since arriving in Battle Through the Heavens, nothing like that had happened.

Xiao Peng felt that the comic's version was more reasonable. Xiao Yan had accidentally seen Xiao Yu bathing in the wilderness, but there was no way touching her leg had been an accident.

She has come with bad intentions.

Xiao Peng got down from the bed and walked outside.

Xiao Peng pushed open the door and saw Xiao Yu standing at the entrance to the courtyard, hands on her hips. From her stance, she had clearly come looking for trouble.

"Is there something you need, Cousin Xiao Yu?"

Looking at Xiao Yu, who had clearly come with bad intentions, Xiao Peng asked in confusion.

As far as he remembered, he had not provoked Xiao Yu.

Hearing Xiao Peng's words, Xiao Yu thought of what her grandfather had told her, and her face flushed slightly.

After she returned to the Xiao Family, her grandfather had summoned her to his study for a talk.

His purpose was to have her marry Xiao Peng.

Xiao Yu was naturally astonished by Xiao Peng's talent. It was better than that of many students at Jia Nan Academy.

However, her pride would not allow her to marry someone she had not yet acknowledged.

That was why she had come to find Xiao Peng. She wanted to fight him.

If Xiao Peng was all show and no substance, she could go back and tell her grandfather, and she would not have to marry Xiao Peng.

If Xiao Peng defeated her, then marrying him would not be impossible.

The faint blush on Xiao Yu's cheeks vanished in an instant, swiftly replaced by a sharp competitive spirit.

Xiao Yu crossed her arms over her chest, lifted her chin at Xiao Peng, and spoke with deliberate harshness. "Xiao Peng, I heard that your talent has recovered and that you've reached Eight-star Dou Practitioner. I wonder whether you're really as formidable as the clan says?"

Xiao Peng raised a brow, vaguely sensing something behind her words, but he still answered truthfully. "Formidable is too much. I've merely made some progress."

"Made some progress?" Xiao Yu sneered, taking a step forward as Dou Qi faintly stirred around her. "I'd like to see it for myself. Do you dare fight me? Right here in this courtyard, stopping before either of us gets hurt."

Xiao Peng froze for a moment, not expecting her to have come to challenge him to a fight.

He sized Xiao Yu up and down, sensing that her Dou Qi strength was roughly at the level of a Two-star Dou Practitioner.

Where had Xiao Yu found the nerve?

How could a Two-star Dou Practitioner possibly defeat someone publicly known to be an Eight-star Dou Practitioner?

"Cousin, are you asking for a spar?" Xiao Peng's tone remained calm. "I'm not interested in fighting."

"Not interested? Or not brave enough?" Xiao Yu deliberately provoked Xiao Peng. "I think you're just scared. Those rumors about your talent—don't tell me they were all made up?"

Her words did strike at one of Xiao Peng's concerns. He truly did not want to cause trouble, but he could not be bothered to let others treat him like a soft target.

Xiao Yu could not possibly have come to cause him trouble for no reason. First Elder must have said something to her, which was why she had come looking for trouble.

"Since Cousin wants to spar, I'll oblige." Xiao Peng stepped aside. "The courtyard is rather small. How about we go to the training ground?"

"No need. This is enough." Xiao Yu waved a hand.

As she spoke, she took out a soft whip from her Storage Ring.

(Her appearance is based on the comic version. The animated version of Xiao Yu was really unbearable.)

Seeing this, Xiao Peng drew the Qingping Sword.

The two stood in the courtyard, and the atmosphere somehow turned solemn.

Xiao Yu's eyes sharpened. With a flick of her wrist, the soft whip straightened like a living serpent and lashed through the air at Xiao Peng's waist, carrying fierce Dou Qi.

Her movements were not slow. She had clearly trained often at Jia Nan Academy. The whip's tip tore through the air with a sharp whistling sound.

Xiao Peng did not move his feet. He merely held the Qingping Sword horizontally before him.

The blade trembled lightly and struck the middle of the soft whip with perfect precision.

Smack!

With a crisp crack, the soft whip was knocked aside by the flat of the sword, more than half its force dissipated.

Xiao Yu felt her wrist go numb, and the soft whip nearly slipped from her hand. A flash of astonishment crossed her face.

She had not expected Xiao Peng's reaction to be so fast, nor had she expected that seemingly casual block to contain such skillful force.

"Is that all you've got?" Xiao Peng's tone remained calm.

The Qingping Sword pointed diagonally at the ground, and even its tassel barely swayed.

Xiao Yu's competitive spirit was roused. Gritting her teeth, she circulated her Dou Qi and attacked again.

The soft whip shifted unpredictably in her hand, sometimes coiling like a long snake, sometimes lashing fiercely like a steel whip. Her attacks were several times denser than before, and the fluctuations of her Dou Qi had clearly grown stronger.

Yet in Xiao Peng's eyes, her movements were as slow as if they had been slowed several times over.

Xiao Peng barely moved his feet at all. With only a turn of his wrist and the Qingping Sword, he blocked every one of Xiao Yu's attacks.

The crisp clashes of sword and whip rang continuously through the courtyard. Xiao Yu's offensive appeared ferocious, yet it never even touched the corner of Xiao Peng's clothes.