Xiao Liang's Strength

Xiao Liang's Strength

"Qi Yunkai, Qi Meng, we are all provisional disciples of Little Ghost Hall. Where does this nonsense about senior and junior brothers come from? Asking me to pay my respects would be against the rules, wouldn't it?"

On the mountaintop platform, Xiao Liang stepped out from the crowd and replied in an even tone.

Though this was somewhat troublesome, he was not afraid of the two before him.

"Hahaha, in the cultivation world, the strong are honored. That is even more true in Ten Thousand Demon Cavern. My cultivation will break through to the Fourth Level before long and reach the Mid Qi Refining Stage!"

"There should be no one in Little Ghost Hall with a higher cultivation than mine. Tell me, why can I not be called senior brother?"

Qi Yunkai spoke leisurely, his narrow eyes filled with arrogance and self-satisfaction.

"Tsk, the spiritual power fluctuations on that kid's body really are close to the Mid Qi Refining Stage. Twin Spirit Roots truly are remarkable!"

"Yeah... Huh, wait. That kid who doesn't get along with Qi Yunkai also has quite a high cultivation!"

Someone in the crowd noticed with interest that Xiao Liang had already taken the initiative to release his spiritual aura. He was clearly at the Third Level of Qi Refining!

"My apologies. I only broke through to the Third Level of Qi Refining a few days ago. So if you want me to call you senior brother, you should at least break through to the Fourth Level of Qi Refining first before putting on airs!"

"At the very least, our cultivation levels are the same right now, aren't they?"

A contemptuous smile appeared on Xiao Liang's face, igniting a burst of inexplicable rage within Qi Yunkai.

"Wasn't he still at the Second Level of Qi Refining during the last lecture? He's clearly a worthless Four-Spirit Root, yet he cultivates rather quickly!"

Because of his aptitude and background, Qi Yunkai commanded a hundred responses with a single call in Little Ghost Hall. Wherever he went, he was the center of attention.

Except for that damned Xiao Liang. Though Xiao Liang had never openly opposed him, he always acted as if he stood apart from everything, as though Qi Yunkai did not exist.

At times, when Qi Yunkai faced Xiao Liang's indifferent gaze, he felt as if everything he did made him look like a clown performing desperately for attention.

It made him feel provoked.

Xiao Liang stared at Qi Yunkai's ugly expression and found it rather boring. He casually cupped his hands toward the crowd and said,

"Everyone, I still need to return to my cultivation, so I will not disturb you any longer."

With that, Xiao Liang took two steps back, preparing to leave.

Seeing him about to depart, Qi Yunkai coldly shifted his boot back onto Liang Hao's shoulder and stomped down hard.

"Ah!! Brother Xiao Liang, we both came from the Liang Kingdom. You can't just stand by and watch me die!"

Liang Hao let out a pitiful scream, tears nearly spilling from his eyes.

To everyone's surprise, Xiao Liang did not even turn his head. He said flatly, "His screaming is irritating. Qi Yunkai, why don't you just crush his skull beneath your foot? I might think a little more highly of you then."

"Playing petty tricks like stepping on hands and feet is like children fighting. It is laughable. Do not disgrace the demonic sect, you pathetic fool!"

Upon hearing those cold and heartless words, Liang Hao's expression froze.

Qi Yunkai, meanwhile, trembled with rage. Though Xiao Liang had always been lukewarm in the past, he had never mocked and ridiculed him as viciously as he did today.

Feeling the amused gazes around him, Qi Yunkai's entire body burned with humiliation.

The fury in his heart became impossible to suppress.

He immediately snapped his folding fan shut and snarled, "Xiao Liang, you are courting death!"

As soon as he spoke, Qi Yunkai circulated his spiritual power and stomped fiercely. His entire body shot forward like a great python launched from a spring. He pounced before Xiao Liang, his right hand forming a claw as it tore down toward Xiao Liang's shoulder with a shrill gust of wind.

"Yin Demon Claw!!"

Someone nodded to himself, recognizing Qi Yunkai's technique.

Not all spells of the Early Qi Refining Stage were ranged methods like fireballs or wooden spikes.

There were also spells meant for close combat. The Yin Demon Claw was one such offensive spell unique to Ten Thousand Demon Cavern.

With a single claw strike, even a stele of Azure Steel Rock could be ripped open. When used against flesh and blood, it often tore out an opponent's heart and lungs. It was exceedingly sinister and vicious!

Though Qi Yunkai's claw strike appeared somewhat rigid, it still whipped up a fierce wind. Faint wisps of black qi could be seen at his fingertips, showing that he had attained no shallow proficiency!

Feeling the needle-like vicious wind behind him, Xiao Liang's gaze turned completely cold.

He leaned forward and dodged Qi Yunkai's claw, then fiercely swept his right leg backward, executing a perfectly timed Scorpion Tail Sweep.

Qi Yunkai's move had already run its course. Faced with this unexpected strike, he had nowhere to evade.

Though Xiao Liang's move was not a spell, with spiritual power reinforcing him, every punch and kick carried formidable force.

In an instant, his right leg swept out like an iron cable and struck Qi Yunkai heavily across the chest and abdomen, sending him flying.

Qi Yunkai staggered back more than ten steps before finally regaining his balance. Before he could speak, a bloody taste surged up his throat.

The next moment, he felt as if his internal organs had been twisted into a knot. Pain unlike anything he had ever experienced nearly drove him mad!

Though cultivators' bodies were several times stronger than those of mortals after being nourished by spiritual power,

they were still nowhere near as tough as the thick hides and flesh of demonic beasts.

Xiao Liang had, after all, come from a martial arts family in the Liang Kingdom. His combat experience was far richer than Qi Yunkai's.

Qi Yunkai had previously relied solely on his cultivation level and vicious spells to dominate others. On top of that, many disciples feared the connections behind him and did not dare fight him with their full strength.

This had led Qi Yunkai to believe that his combat talent was extraordinary. Yet after encountering Xiao Liang, who had no intention of indulging him, he was immediately put in his place.

"To be honest, you are weaker than I imagined!"

Xiao Liang turned around expressionlessly and took a few steps toward Qi Yunkai, startling the latter into taking two unconscious steps back.

It was an instinctive reaction, but it only made Qi Yunkai's expression even uglier.

"Xiao Liang, you injured someone from behind. That is truly shameless! Let me, Qi Meng, have a go at you!"

At that moment, a loud roar came from the side. It was Qi Meng, who had been watching nearby.

He had never expected Qi Yunkai, at the Peak Third Level of Qi Refining, to lose to Xiao Liang so cleanly and decisively.

Yet when Xiao Liang heard Qi Meng's utterly shameless words, his eyes shifted slightly.

Quite a few of the onlookers also wore strange expressions.

Qi Yunkai had ambushed Xiao Liang from behind, and after Xiao Liang successfully counterattacked, he had somehow become the one who injured someone from behind...

Well, in a certain sense, it did not seem entirely wrong.

This Qi Meng truly was a talent!

Before anyone could indulge in further wild thoughts, Qi Meng had already charged over like a savage bull. Every heavy step he took made the mountaintop platform tremble slightly, like the beating of a drum.

Faintly, Qi Meng's face turned corpse-blue, and the muscles across his body bulged, making for a terrifying sight.

"I was merely caught by your scheme. Don't get too smug, Xiao Liang! Qi Meng is also at the Third Level of Qi Refining. He comes from the general's estate of the Qi Kingdom and was born with immense strength!"

Blood stained the corner of Qi Yunkai's mouth, but excitement appeared on his face as he launched into a stream of taunts at Xiao Liang.

Yet Xiao Liang ignored him completely, leaving him thoroughly frustrated.

"A killing technique from the battlefield? It seems he has also cultivated the Corpse-Iron Body spell. This fellow is not merely putting on a show. He has some real skill..."

Facing Qi Meng, whose physique resembled that of a giant bear, even the tall and straight-backed Xiao Liang appeared especially slender.

"Die!"

(End of Chapter)