Sensing the Hurricane approaching, Bei Bei's gaze sharpened, and the soul ring beneath his feet suddenly flared!
"First Soul Skill! Thunder Dragon Claw!"
As Soul Power poured in and the soul skill was released, Bei Bei's pair of dragon claws swelled another full size, blue-violet lightning coiling around them. They closed in from both sides, slamming toward Xue Mingqing's body!
When he sensed the dragon claws coming, Xue Mingqing's brows twitched almost imperceptibly.
It wasn't that he couldn't dodge. In his eyes, Bei Bei was simply too slow.
To put it another way, Xue Mingqing's current speed was the explosive result of threefold enhancement from his body, Soul Power, and sword techniques.
Compared to some agility-type soul masters, his speed at that moment was no weaker than theirs.
Bei Bei, however, was merely using his soul skill. He hadn't even managed something as simple as pouring in more Soul Power to enhance it.
In Xue Mingqing's eyes, his speed was as slow as a tortoise crawling.
No one but Xue Mingqing could know what he was thinking. Seeing his subtle expression, Bei Bei assumed everything was settled and that Xue Mingqing couldn't dodge.
With the corner of his mouth crooked upward, he revealed a Dragon King's smile. "Hahaha! So what if your first ring is a thousand years old? You're a genius, but am I not one as well? Why should I fear you..."
Hearing Bei Bei's arrogant words beside him, Xue Mingqing closed his eyes briefly. He no longer had the patience to listen to Bei Bei finish.
The Snow Sword flashed in his hand!
A flash of bluish-green cold light streaked past.
By the time Bei Bei came to his senses, there was no longer any sign of Xue Mingqing before him.
Xue Mingqing had actually vanished!
Bei Bei's pupils contracted. Instinctively, he cut off the words he hadn't yet spoken and turned his head, looking around in all directions.
"You're too slow. Go back and practice for two more years."
"?!"
A gentle voice sounded from behind him. Bei Bei instinctively tried to turn and look.
However, before he could see behind him, an immense force struck directly against the back of his neck!
At once, a powerful wave of sleepiness rushed straight to his head!
Turning around, Bei Bei's face was filled with disappointment. He raised his middle finger at Xue Mingqing. "How can someone your age not follow martial ethics? I despise you."
Xue Mingqing stared expressionlessly at Bei Bei before him and raised a brow.
"Are you done?"
Bei Bei nodded. Then he could no longer withstand the drowsiness surging up through him.
His eyes rolled back, his legs straightened, and with a thud, Bei Bei's entire body fell stiffly to the ground.
Seeing this, Xue Mingqing couldn't help shaking his head with a smile. He flicked the Snow Sword in his hand, sending it spinning.
With a light tap, it shattered into a sky full of snowflakes.
"Invincible among those of the same rank..."
With his hands behind his back, Xue Mingqing let out a long sigh. Defeating Bei Bei brought him not the slightest joy. It was merely a victory he had expected.
Turning around, he was about to walk off the Soul Fighting Platform and find Mu En to collect his reward.
However, just as he was about to leave the platform, Xue Mingqing's body suddenly shuddered!
His gaze sharpened. The Snow Sword appeared in his hand once more, and he slashed fiercely behind himself without hesitation!
"Who!"
With a clang, the sound of metal striking metal rang out!
The instant he clashed with that object, his expression changed drastically!
With this kind of force, I'm afraid I won't be able to block it without using my full strength...
Gritting his teeth, Xue Mingqing dared not hold back. All the Bloodline Power in his body, wrapped in icy-blue Soul Power, poured into the sword in his hand, while the soul ring beneath his feet burst into violet light!
Myriad Changes Absolute Sword Form: attack power increased by 90%!
Having unleashed every means at his disposal, he gripped the sword tightly with both hands, veins bulging on his arms. His eyes flashed fiercely as he exerted himself once more. "Break for me!!!"
With a roar,
the blade dyed icy blue clashed once more with the incoming object.
As the Soul Power of both sides frantically ground and collided, the Snow Sword ultimately gained the upper hand!
One slash shattered the incoming object!
Xue Mingqing's body simultaneously retreated more than ten steps, barely dispelling the force.
However, after shattering the incoming object, Xue Mingqing's expression became rather strange.
That was because the object slowly drifting down through the air was unmistakably—
a severed green leaf!
After a period of silence, his expression shifting several times, Xue Mingqing exhaled deeply.
Dispersing the Snow Sword in his hand, Xue Mingqing cupped his fists and bowed slightly toward the empty sky.
"May I ask which senior was testing me? Would you be willing to show yourself?"
Xue Mingqing was clever. A single fallen leaf had forced him to use his full strength, leaving him struggling to respond. The newcomer's strength was clearly above his own.
The newcomer had forced him back yet delayed in launching a second attack, plainly showing that he had no intention of taking Xue Mingqing's life.
If Xue Mingqing couldn't even see through such an obvious test, he might as well quit, return to Blizzard City, and farm for the rest of his life.
Sure enough, the instant Xue Mingqing finished speaking, a hearty male voice suddenly came from the sky.
"Hahaha, as expected of a young hero. Your talent is truly extraordinary. This old man acted rashly, so I hope you won't take offense, young friend."
After he finished speaking, two figures, one large and one small, drifted down from the sky.
Seeing this, Xue Mingqing raised a brow. The larger one wore green robes, with ink-black hair flowing like a waterfall and sword-like brows and eyes. He was a handsome middle-aged man Xue Mingqing didn't recognize.
The smaller one had silver-gray hair reaching her waist and beautiful crimson eyes. She wore a blue-and-white gauze dress, her features gentle and cool, and her entire person radiated an otherworldly, immortal-like nobility. Who else could she be but Ning Yurong?
Seeing that the middle-aged man's brows and eyes resembled Ning Yurong's by seven or eight parts, Xue Mingqing immediately understood their relationship.
They were certainly father and daughter.
After landing, Ning Yurong quickly walked between the two and introduced them.
"Little Mingqing, this is my father, Ye Pi'an. Father, this is Xue Mingqing, who saved me."
Xue Mingqing nodded, secretly thinking, Just as I thought. That counted as a response to Ning Yurong.
And Ye Pi'an?
From the moment he landed, his gaze had never left Xue Mingqing. His eyes were filled with dazzling interest.
He and Ning Yurong had already been here for some time, so he had naturally witnessed the entire scene of Xue Mingqing fighting Bei Bei.
Six and a half years old, rank fourteen, a thousand-year first ring, and he had beaten a genius his own age as easily as crushing a weakling.
Couldn't Bei Bei still be sleeping peacefully not far away on the Soul Fighting Platform?
Upon seeing such a prodigy, even Ye Pi'an couldn't restrain himself. His hands had itched, and he had tested Xue Mingqing a little, resulting in the earlier scene.
What Ye Pi'an hadn't expected was that his test, launched with the strength of a three-ring Soul Elder, had actually been blocked by Xue Mingqing.
This was something Ye Pi'an had never imagined. What did it mean?
It meant that Xue Mingqing, merely a one-ring soul master, possessed the strength to withstand the full-force strike of a three-ring Soul Elder!
How could that not astonish him?
For a moment, Ye Pi'an, who had originally come only to deliver a token of thanks, even felt the urge to whisk Xue Mingqing away.
If he hadn't been concerned about Mu En's meaningful gaze when he had arrived, Ye Pi'an truly would have taken Xue Mingqing with him.
Coughing lightly and collecting his thoughts, Ye Pi'an looked at Xue Mingqing, whose expression was gradually becoming strange. He took out an object and smiled.
"Young friend, thank you for saving my Yurong. This is a token of appreciation from her father. I hope you won't refuse."
At those words, Xue Mingqing's eyes lit up. Although he had already stopped hoping for anything like a reward after saving Ning Yurong,
when all was said and done, who would ever complain about having too much money?
If there was money, he would grin happily. If there wasn't, he wouldn't curse about it either. But ultimately, having something was better than having nothing, wasn't it?
After coughing lightly twice, Xue Mingqing stepped forward and accepted it without hesitation.
"Thank you, Uncle Ye..."
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