Meng Qi Knew When to Bend and When to Stand Tall

Shu Sheng only felt his vision blur, and Xu Yi vanished.

Only when he heard Hua Xiangnong's startled cry did Shu Sheng react, hurriedly looking behind him.

He saw Xu Yi sprawled a thousand feet away, having plowed a deep furrow through the ground.

"Hiss!"

Shu Sheng sucked in a breath of cold air. He had thought Ye Xuan had already shown his true strength, never expecting that he had still been holding back.

To send Xu Yi flying a thousand feet with a single move-strength like that would rank near the top even in the Yellow Origin Sect.

"Perhaps he's the extraordinary disciple of some immortal?"

Shu Sheng felt as though the Nascent Soul Breakthrough Pill in his Qiankun Bag was burning his fingers. It seemed he would have to find a time to return it.

Beside him, Hua Xiangnong covered her delicate mouth, her eyes round and wide. Shu Sheng might not know Xu Yi's true strength, but she did.

The two had sparred on the way here, and Hua Xiangnong had failed to last ten moves against Xu Yi.

Yet now, even someone as powerful as Xu Yi had failed to withstand a single move from Ye Xuan. How could that not be shocking?

Hua Xiangnong was not the only one whose mind had gone blank. Xu Yi's had too.

In the Yellow Origin Sect, even against the highest-ranked prodigies, he would never have lost so miserably.

And so, at that moment, Xu Yi buried his head in the dirt and played ostrich.

Xu Yi replayed what had just happened in his mind. He had completely failed to see how Ye Xuan had struck.

Ye Xuan had not struck hard. Although Xu Yi's chest was somewhat caved in, his injuries were still only minor, so when he heard Hua Xiangnong asking after him, he had no choice but to pull his head out of the dirt.

"I lost!"

Xu Yi came before Ye Xuan and turned his head aside. Then, without waiting for Ye Xuan to say anything, he turned and left, finding a quiet spot to begin recovering from his injuries.

I'll remember this grudge! Once my senior brother arrives, I'll make you pay!

As a prodigy of the Yellow Origin Sect, being defeated by an outsider was deeply humiliating. On top of that, he had lost face in front of Hua Xiangnong, leaving Xu Yi furious.

Hua Xiangnong cast Ye Xuan a seductive glance, only to find that he paid her no attention at all. She wanted to approach him but did not quite dare, so she could only stamp her foot resentfully and go find Xu Yi.

"I never imagined Brother Ye possessed such strength. It seems you are the disciple of an eminent master. Presumably, you previously devoted yourself to cultivation and ignored worldly affairs, which is why you aren't very familiar with certain matters. What I told you earlier was merely common knowledge, nowhere near worth a flawless Nascent Soul Breakthrough Pill."

After hesitating for a while, Shu Sheng took out the Nascent Soul Breakthrough Pill and came before Ye Xuan.

"Haha, there's no need to stand on ceremony, fellow Daoist. To me, that information really was worth the price. I still need to cultivate, so I won't keep you any longer."

The things Shu Sheng had told him earlier were indeed worth a fortune. Ye Xuan felt that exchanging a flawless Nascent Soul Breakthrough Pill for them was well worth it.

Shu Sheng wanted to say more, but Ye Xuan had already dismissed him. With an inward sigh, he could only leave.

Outside the Land of Sequences, the four sat down to cultivate a short distance apart, leaving one another in peace.

Over the preceding few days, people had arrived one after another. Some knew Shu Sheng and the other two, but they merely nodded in greeting without approaching, finding somewhere nearby to sit and meditate.

Some among them had wanted to challenge Ye Xuan, but Shu Sheng had persuaded them not to.

"Haha, Xu Yi, I didn't expect you to get here first."

A ducklike voice rang out outside the Land of Sequences. A cultivator dressed like a young master strode toward Xu Yi with a swagger that acknowledged neither kith nor kin.

The two clearly had some bad blood between them. The young master began mocking Xu Yi as soon as he arrived.

"Scram!"

Xu Yi snorted coldly without even raising his head, clearly unwilling to acknowledge him.

The young master's name was Meng Qi. The two had clashed within the sect before and come to blows. Meng Qi was somewhat stronger than Xu Yi, but Xu Yi had a senior brother who was stronger than Meng Qi.

"Heh, as a disciple of the Yellow Origin Sect, how could you settle for a place like this? You're disgracing the sect. Don't tell me you couldn't even beat that pretty boy over there?"

Meng Qi was not annoyed by the insult. Smiling, he pointed at Ye Xuan in the distance and provoked Xu Yi.

From what he knew of Xu Yi, he would never pass up such a good spot.

In the distance, Ye Xuan rubbed his face. He had already disguised himself, yet he had still been taken for a pretty boy.

Hearing Meng Qi's words, Xu Yi looked up at him and said flatly,

"Either scram or fight me. Whoever wins gets this spot."

Xu Yi said nothing about having been defeated by Ye Xuan, clearly intending to set Meng Qi up.

Meng Qi chuckled. Xu Yi had someone backing him. If he attacked Xu Yi now, once Xu Yi's senior brother arrived, Xu Yi would certainly complain, and his senior brother would surely teach Meng Qi a lesson. He was not foolish enough to attack Xu Yi.

Only after mocking Xu Yi a while longer did Meng Qi fall silent and stroll leisurely toward Ye Xuan, his imposing presence flickering in and out. It looked as though he intended to challenge Ye Xuan.

All around, the prodigies stood up. Watching a spectacle was human nature. Perhaps the earlier arrivals had all been too polite, for there had not been a single challenge in days. Now that Meng Qi was going to challenge Ye Xuan, he naturally drew everyone's attention.

Shu Sheng and Hua Xiangnong gave Meng Qi somewhat pitying looks, while Xu Yi looked ready to enjoy the show. Although Meng Qi was stronger than Xu Yi, the difference was limited. Xu Yi had failed to withstand even one move from Ye Xuan; Meng Qi probably would not last two.

Xu Yi rubbed his already healed chest. At that moment, he even hoped Meng Qi would run his foul mouth a little more and anger Ye Xuan, so that Meng Qi would lose more miserably and have his arrogance thoroughly beaten down.

"Fellow Daoist, would you be willing to yield this spot to me?"

Meng Qi came before Ye Xuan, snapped open his folding fan, and spoke politely.

When things departed from the norm, something was surely afoot. Xu Yi must have already challenged Ye Xuan and lost, so Meng Qi treated Ye Xuan courteously from the outset.

"No."

Ye Xuan's expression was somewhat odd. He had not expected Meng Qi to actually try courtesy before force.

"Alas, it seems a tedious match is still unavoidable. Why don't we decide the victor with a single move?"

Meng Qi closed his folding fan, cupped his hands in salute, then began a probing attack.

Ye Xuan remembered Meng Qi calling him a pretty boy earlier, so he eyed Meng Qi's fair face, extended his palm, and swung it at him.

So fast! I've kicked an iron plate!

Meng Qi watched helplessly as the enormous palm approached his cheek. With an inward wail, he immediately activated several protective jade pendants on his body.

Bang, bang, bang!

With several successive explosions, the protective jade pendants shattered, blocking the lethal blow for Meng Qi.

"I've lost. Fellow Daoist, your cultivation is profound, and your strength is like a towering mountain whose heights I cannot hope to approach. The gap between you and me is like that between a firefly and the radiant moon..."

Meng Qi swiftly drew back his outstretched right hand and pressed it to his chest, bent his knees, bent at the waist, bowed, lowered his head, conceded defeat, and added flattery, all in one seamless motion.

In the Yellow Origin Sect, who did not know that Meng Qi's greatest trait was his shamelessness? Bowing his head and admitting defeat put absolutely no pressure on him.

Ye Xuan froze for a moment, then smiled as he watched Meng Qi shower him with endless praise. He had never seen anyone so brazenly shameless.