Beaten into Silence

Qin Yu and Yun Yun stayed at the Gemer Volcano for several days, allowing Qin Yu time to thoroughly digest the Qilin's inheritance.

Although Qin Yu did not make any significant progress in his cultivation, his physical strength was a level higher than when he first emerged from the Qilin Blood Pool.

Afterwards, at Yun Yun's request, Qin Yu had a sparring match with her.

As for the outcome of the exchange...

For two consecutive days, Yun Yun couldn't concentrate on talking to the monster.

What weaknesses did fate assign to Qin Yu when it designed him?

Although he was two levels below Qin Yu in cultivation, surely he shouldn't be unable to break through Qin Yu's defense?

Let's rewind to a few days ago.

Inside the Gemer Volcano, Qin Yu sat cross-legged on a stone platform above a lava pool, his eyes closed and his breathing long and even.

After several days of reflection, he finally completely digested the surging power brought by the Qilin Inheritance.

Qin Yu slowly opened his eyes, looked down at his hands, then examined his figure, and raised an eyebrow slightly.

His physique was noticeably more robust than before.

Her originally slender and well-proportioned figure has now become much more open, with wider shoulders, a thicker chest and back, more muscular arms, and more defined muscles.

The robes she was wearing were already quite tight, with a distinct outline defined at the shoulders and cuffs.

You seem... to have gotten bigger.

Yun Yun, who was standing to the side waiting for him, looked up at him with a somewhat subtle expression.

Although Qin Yu was taller than her before, he was still within the normal range.

Now he is clearly a head taller than her, and the width of his shoulders makes her look like a little sister standing next to her older brother.

"After all, I not only inherited the bloodline power of the Qilin, but also refined its flesh and blood along with it, which has indeed had a significant impact on my physical body."

"Hmm... Shall we have a fight?"

After a moment of contemplation, Yun Yun suddenly spoke.

"Um?"

Qin Yu turned his head to look at her.

"You've finished digesting the Qilin Inheritance. How much your strength has increased? You won't know unless you practice."

Yun Yun spoke as if it were the most obvious thing in the world, but the eager look in her eyes betrayed her true thoughts.

She just wanted to see how big the gap was between herself and Qin Yu, who had received the Qilin Inheritance, fused with the Qilin Blood, and whose cultivation level was two stars higher than hers.

Tsk...

Why do I feel less and less confident the more I talk?

Qin Yu didn't refuse; he also needed someone to test his current skill level.

The two flew out of the crater and separated in the sky over a wide-open wasteland on the north side of Gemer Volcano.

Yun Yun made the first move, her longsword twirling in a flourish before unleashing a powerful gust of wind carrying countless blades of wind towards her.

"Wind-Splitting Whirlwind Dance!"

In the blink of an eye, Yun Yun changed positions several times and unleashed several more sword strikes, instantly weaving countless wind blades into a large net that completely enveloped Qin Yu.

Qin Yu still, waved his hands to the sides, and a layer of dark golden light immediately emanated from his body.

Thousand-Ridge Earth Dragon Armor.

After numerous improvements, this defensive Dou Technique is now completely different from its original version.

Dark golden Dou Qi condensed around him, forming a barrier that was completely shielded from all angles, with fine dragon scale-like patterns appearing on its surface.

A long dragon, formed from Earth Attribute and Metal-Attribute Battle Qi, coiled outside the barrier, its head held high and its body slowly moving, covering every inch of the barrier within its protective range.

Yun Yun's sword wind struck the surface of the barrier, causing the dark golden barrier to ripple slightly.

With a flick of its tail, the long dragon shattered the surrounding wind blades into scattered air currents, which then dissipated into the air.

Yun Yun raised an eyebrow and thrust her long sword in several times, each strike more ferocious than the last.

Wind-Attribute Battle Qi condensed at the tip of her sword into fine, needle-like cyan light spots, which poured down on Qin Yu's defensive barrier like a torrential rain.

A series of crisp clanging sounds rang out, and countless tiny ripples spread across the dark golden barrier.

But those points of light only penetrated half an inch of the surface before being swallowed up by the swirling dragon. Qin Yu didn't even have to take a single step back.

"Looks like I'll have to go all out."

Yun Yun took a deep breath, and the Dou Qi around her suddenly compressed and condensed, emitting a low hum in the air.

Yun Yun herself was enveloped by a layer of rapidly rotating airflow.

The Extreme Wind - Meteor Kill.

The Wind-Attribute Battle Qi, compressed to its limit, condensed at the tip of the sword into a thin, needle-like beam of azure light. Yun Yun flicked her wrist, and the azure light instantly struck the barrier in front of Qin Yu.

The moment the cyan beam of light struck the dark gold barrier, the dragon scale patterns on the barrier's surface suddenly lit up, and the coiled dragon let out a resounding roar.

Then, the dragon's head suddenly retracted, grabbing the azure light in its mouth. With a coil of its body, the azure light quickly dimmed, eventually turning into a wisp of smoke and disappearing without a trace.

Only a hair-thin crack remained on the barrier.

But the crack only lasted for a moment before it was automatically filled and healed by the flowing golden Dou Qi.

Yun Yun her sword, stared at the slowly healing crack, and remained silent for a long time.

"..."

She sheathed her sword, turned, and flew out of the mountain.

"Hey? Why did you leave?"

Yun Yun ignored him, so Qin Yu moved closer and called out:

"Sister Yun?"

Yun Yun remained silent, but silently increased her speed, flying straight towards the Jia Ma Empire.

Over the next two days, Yun Yun spoke noticeably less.

Whenever Qin Yu tried to talk to her, she would give him a look that said, "I don't want to talk to you."

He became withdrawn after being beaten.

Although Qin Yu didn't make a move throughout, Yun Yun was still so badly beaten that she became withdrawn.

Because Qin Yu didn't use the Qilin and the Heavenly Flames, his two trump cards.

Even under these circumstances, Yun Yun couldn't break through his defenses.

This is ridiculous!

In the future, if Qin Yu gets into a fight, he can open the protective barrier, sit inside, and perhaps even use his Heavenly Flames something to eat?

"Sorry, I was a little..."

The two flew quietly for several days before Yun Yun finally spoke up.

"Don't take it to heart, my sister is just... just a little naive..."

"A little disappointed?"

Yun Yun took a deep breath and nodded helplessly.

In the past year, Yun Yun has witnessed Qin Yu's strength soar from the initial stage of becoming Dou Wang to a level that even she can't match.

"It's okay, as long as you don't compare yourself to me, it's still pretty good, isn't it?"

Yun Yun knew that Qin Yu was only comforting her out of politeness, but she still felt a little better.

Finally, Qin Yu took the initiative to coax her this time.

Some time later, the two returned to the Jia Ma Empire, where the iconic verdant ridge of Misty Cloud Mountain appeared and disappeared amidst the sea of clouds.

Yun Yun led Qin Yu to the front of the mountain gate, but vaguely felt that something was wrong.

When she arrived at the sect's main hall, she saw a man sitting in the sect leader's seat.

Yun Yun looked at the figure, her expression changed drastically, and her tone was filled with surprise and astonishment:

"... Master?"