"Like I'd believe that!"
Ye Yunxi stood up and looked down at Qian Renxue's face. Pointing at her, she said, "You said you wouldn't get violent, but how do you explain the way you acted this morning?!"
"Don't push your luck. I've been more than nice to you!"
Qian Renxue's temper flared. She grabbed Ye Yunxi by her fair-skinned calf, and Ye Yunxi instantly tumbled onto the bed.
"Ow! What are you doing?" Ye Yunxi complained, rubbing her backside.
"You pointed at me. I don't like that."
Qian Renxue gave a soft snort, took off her shoes, and climbed into bed. She wrapped her arms around the petite Ye Yunxi, who had gone stiff as a board.
"Let go!" Ye Yunxi protested.
"Be quiet. If you don't behave, you can leave tomorrow instead of resting."
"Rascal!"
Qian Renxue chuckled. "Call me a rascal, then. I like the name anyway."
By now, Qian Renxue was on the verge of a breakdown.
Qian Renxue, Qian Renxue, what on earth was wrong with you?
How could you fall for another woman like this? You were a woman yourself. Did that mean you really liked women?
With those questions on her mind, she passed the night. By morning, Qian Renxue had barely slept at all.
Ye Yunxi had slept soundly. She slipped out of Qian Renxue's embrace, went to the vanity, brushed her long black hair, put on her veil, and left the room.
Though she found it annoying, after several years, it had become a memory that couldn't be erased.
"Tsk. Leaving so soon? Am I really that annoying?"
Qian Renxue sat on the edge of the bed, watching Ye Yunxi skip away.
Meanwhile, Ye Yunxi changed her outfit and took special care to make herself less eye-catching. The veil over her face helped ward off unnecessary attention, but she was still the center of attention wherever she went.
As someone with social anxiety, she couldn't handle it at all.
Then a lively voice up ahead caught her attention.
A muscular man holding a microphone announced, "Everyone, today's the strongman competition! Whoever takes first place will win a prize of three hundred Gold Soul Coins, sponsored by the imperial palace. Don't worry, we won't stiff you!"
As soon as he finished, plenty of people came forward to compete. Most were Soul Grandmasters, and they lifted weights ranging from several dozen to several hundred jin.
Then a confident man with short blond hair and clothes resembling a suit stepped onto the stage.
"Let me give it a try!"
"Isn't that Dai Mubai?" Ye Yunxi paused. She had actually run into the Shrek Seven Devils here.
The other six were watching Tang San.
"One thousand jin! Not bad!"
The strongman shouted into his microphone.
Dai Mubai tossed his hair with confidence, while Ma Hongjun and Oscar each lifted around nine hundred jin.
Finally, Tang San stepped onto the stage and lifted fifteen hundred jin.
"Fifteen hundred jin!" the strongman shouted.
Tang San set down the enormous stone Soul Tool that served as the weight.
The fifteen-hundred-jin boulder hit the ground with a dull thud, making the stone platform tremble.
The crowd erupted. Cheers and gasps rose one after another, and everyone looked at Tang San with fervent admiration and awe.
"Excellent! Truly the cream of the crop among the younger generation!"
"Fifteen hundred jin! That's incredible strength!"
Dai Mubai froze in place. His golden pupils contracted, and the confidence on his face vanished. His throat went dry, and it took him a long moment to force out, "That guy's been hiding his strength way too well."
Ma Hongjun clutched his belly and cried out in shock. Oscar's sausage fell to the ground, while Ning Rongrong covered her cherry lips, disbelief in her eyes. Even Zhu Zhuqing's cool gaze rippled with surprise.
Tang San gave a slight nod, his expression calm. His fingertips brushed the calluses on his palm, and his Purple Demon Eye swept over the crowd below. He seemed utterly unruffled. His strength and composure were enough to win everyone over.
Just then, a slender figure slowly stepped onto the stone platform.
Ye Yunxi's face was veiled, leaving only a pair of limpid, bewitching eyes visible. Her simple silk dress accentuated her graceful figure and snow-white skin. She looked so delicate that a gust of wind might blow her over.
The moment she stepped onto the platform, the crowd's clamor fell silent, then erupted in raucous laughter.
"Is this girl here to fool around? Those skinny arms and legs—she probably can't even lift a hundred jin!"
"Stop embarrassing yourself and get down!"
"A beauty like that should be admired from afar. Getting onstage to compete in strength is just asking to be humiliated!"
Amid the laughter, Ye Yunxi paid them no mind. She walked up to the enormous stone Soul Tool and lightly placed her fingertips against its cold surface.
The Soul Tool's indicator was originally set at one thousand jin. The moment her Soul Power touched it, the needle began to spin wildly!
Two thousand, three thousand, five thousand, eight thousand... The indicator climbed too fast to follow, until it slammed against the top of the dial and stopped at ten thousand jin!
Silence.
Not a sound could be heard.
The laughter and chatter died in everyone's throats. Eyes widened, mouths fell open, and people forgot even to breathe, their faces frozen in utter shock.
Ten thousand jin!
This Soul Tool's enormous boulder started at ten thousand jin; every additional ten thousand required Soul Power to increase the weight. Ten thousand jin.
Before anyone could react, Ye Yunxi raised her jade-white arms and exerted the strength in her slender wrists. Her seemingly delicate hands gripped both sides of the boulder with ease.
The next moment, she lifted the massive ten-thousand-jin weight above her head as lightly as if it were nothing, holding it motionless in midair!
The hem of her flowing dress stirred without a breeze. Her Soul Power remained contained, while the domineering physical strength tempered by the Nine Yang Divine Skill poured out without restraint.
She stood on the stone platform, holding the boulder aloft. Her face was veiled, her gaze cool. She was breathtakingly beautiful—and terrifying enough to make hearts quake.
Below the platform, the crowd exploded!
The strongman's hand shook, and his microphone clattered to the ground. He stumbled backward, pointing at Ye Yunxi. His lips trembled, but he couldn't get a word out. All he could manage was a stammering murmur: "T-ten thousand jin..."
Dai Mubai shot to his feet. His short blond hair stood on end, his pupils contracted, and his Adam's apple bobbed wildly. After a long moment, all he could roar was, "What the hell—she's a woman?!"
Tang San's expression changed completely. His Purple Demon Eye immediately reached its limit as he stared fixedly at Ye Yunxi, a raging sea surging in his eyes.
He could clearly see that she was lifting ten thousand jin without using a single Soul Skill. It was pure physical strength! Her brute force was several times more terrifying than the Immovable Wisdom King, Zhao Wuji's!
More importantly, there was one question on his mind: she was so beautiful!
"Holy crap! A tough girl? She's a freaking goddess of war!" Ma Hongjun leaped up, his rolls of fat quivering.
Oscar slumped to the ground. He stared at the sausage on the ground, completely dumbstruck.
Ning Rongrong covered her mouth, shock almost spilling from her eyes. Zhu Zhuqing's fingers clenched the hem of her clothes, and her usually cool gaze held an unprecedented gravity.
Ye Yunxi held the boulder aloft for three breaths, her wrist perfectly steady. Then she lowered it gently to the ground without raising even a speck of dust, controlling her strength with absolute precision.
She brushed her spotless jade-white hands together, her bewitching eyes sweeping across the crowd. Beneath her veil, the corner of her lips curved in a faint, cool smile.
With her body tempered by the Nine Yang Divine Skill and her cultivation at the Soul Ancestor level, lifting this was a piece of cake.
After several seconds of silence, the crowd erupted in a deafening uproar that made their eardrums ache!
"Monster! She's an absolute monster!"
"Ten thousand jin! She could probably lift that with one hand!"
"Who among the younger generation could possibly match that kind of strength?!"
The chatter, exclamations, and gasps mingled together. Everyone's gaze shifted from teasing amusement to sheer awe and fear.
Ye Yunxi couldn't be bothered with their stares. She walked up to the strongman, whose face had gone ashen, and held out her slender hand. Her voice was calm and even. "Three hundred Gold Soul Coins. Hand them over."
The strongman came back to his senses as if waking from a dream. In a frantic scramble, he pulled out a heavy purse and offered it to her with both hands, bowing his head so low he didn't dare even look at her.