Wind Rises at the Tip of the Green Duckweed

The sun stood high in the sky, and the blue bricks of the Martial Arts Arena shone brightly beneath its rays.

Shen Feng swept his large sleeve, and fire spiritual power transformed into a great hand that swooped down on Shen Wude like an eagle seizing a rabbit.

"Good heavens, you're going all out right from the start!"

Shen Wude let out a strange cry. His fat body moved with astonishing speed, bouncing around the ground like a rubber ball as the Flame Great Hand brushed past him several times.

"He has some skills. It seems he isn't merely a swindler."

Shen Feng was somewhat surprised. With his Seventh Layer of Qi Refining cultivation, even a casual strike of his was no weaker than Shen Li's full-force attack.

Though Shen Wude appeared to be in constant peril, he was actually completely unscathed.

Shen Feng's expression turned serious. Forming a magic seal with his hands, he condensed five fireballs at the fingertips of the Flame Great Hand and sent them whistling toward Shen Wude.

Boom! Boom!

A series of explosions rang out. Several deep craters were blasted into the solid granite ground, and waves of fire swept in all directions. The terrifying heat made it seem as though they had entered a land of magma.

"This guy... he didn't get blown to bits, did he?"

Everyone hurriedly looked over. Amid the dust filling the sky, the fat figure gradually became clear. Shen Wude emerged from the center of the explosions, cursing under his breath.

"You nearly roasted Fatty alive! Are you trying to kill someone?"

Shen Wude patted his old Daoist robe. Apart from a bit of dust on his clothes, he looked no different from before.

Seeing Shen Feng preparing to act again, he immediately shouted, "Fine, you're impressive. Fatty admits defeat."

After the Fifth Elder announced the result, Shen Wude whistled as he stepped off the platform, making the spectators grit their teeth in hatred.

"This guy is ridiculously lucky. He didn't even get blown to death."

"You're still too naïve. He has sold so many fake goods and still lived to this day—Immoral Fatty's life-preserving skills are no joke."

"A scourge lingers for ten thousand years. We'd better keep our distance from him from now on."

"..."

Shen Feng stared deeply at his retreating back, countless thoughts churning in his heart. His strength is far from limited to this. Why did he choose to admit defeat?

Their exchange had been brief, yet Shen Wude had left a deep impression on him. His windlike speed and the calm with which he emerged unscathed from the Multiple Fireball Technique proved that he absolutely had the strength to fight Shen Feng.

Shen Wude walked over to Shen Yun, shaking his head as he said, "Fatty really has rotten luck. Drawing Shen Feng right away means the rewards for the top five have gone down the drain."

Shen Yun glanced at him and softly uttered a single word. "Wind."

Shen Wude froze. The grin vanished from his face as his expression shifted. "Big Brother has sharp eyes."

Shen Qingruo did not understand what he meant and looked toward Shen Yun. He transmitted his voice to her, "He carries the aura of wind spiritual power."

Hearing this, Shen Qingruo's beautiful eyes flickered. She finally understood why Shen Yun had said Shen Wude was not simple.

Beyond the five elemental spirit roots, the Cultivation World also possessed spirit roots of other attributes, such as wind, lightning, light, darkness... These were collectively called Exotic Spirit Roots. They possessed all manner of mysterious wonders unknown to others and were even rarer than Heavenly Spirit Roots.

Little did Shen Wude know that he was even more shocked within. This person truly is unfathomable.

He had cultivated his Qi Concealment Technique to the realm of great mastery. Even Void Core experts would find it difficult to spot any flaw.

What he did not know was that Shen Yun had cultivated several hundred cultivation methods, including many perception arts. With the support of Divine Sense, Shen Yun had thus discovered the clues.

Is this a warning for me?

Shen Wude calmed himself and understood the hidden meaning in Shen Yun's words. So long as he harbored ill intentions, the secret of his wind spirit root would no longer remain hidden.

In the final match, Shen Qingkong faced Shen Qingruo. Both were young geniuses of the Wind Vein and were well acquainted with one another.

Shen Qingruo only needed to place among the top five in the grand competition to become the Shen Family's First Sequence. Shen Qingkong's gaze flickered as he planned to go easy on her during the match.

Shen Qingruo's little face was serious as she solemnly said, "Brother Qingkong, please do not hold back. Qingruo does not wish to take shortcuts."

Shen Qingkong paused slightly. Meeting those bright eyes, he sighed, "Nothing can be hidden from Sister Qingruo. I will give it my all."

Without the ambition to soar through the clouds, how could one climb the highest peak?

Shen Yun greatly approved of Shen Qingruo's decision. Without an unwavering Dao Heart, even the finest talent is but an Illusory Flower and Water Moon.

The style of this battle changed abruptly. Both were equally proficient in the way of spells, and what they competed in was their understanding and control of techniques.

Shen Qingkong stood tall and straight, casting the Wood Spear Technique at will. It was swift and fierce, and wooden spears often burst from the ground without warning, leaving others defenseless.

Shen Qingruo traced patterns with her delicate hands. Water spiritual power transformed into dozens of arrows that shot toward Shen Qingkong like arrows released from a bow, while wood spiritual power formed a lotus dais that erupted with azure radiance to block the surprise attacks of the Wood Spear Technique.

She wielded two types of spiritual power simultaneously, combining might with endless variation. Clearly, she possessed an extremely deep understanding of spells.

"Qingruo cultivates both water and wood spiritual power, allowing them to complement one another. What an exquisite idea. If she can fuse these two kinds of spiritual power into one, she will surely rise to an even higher level."

Shen Yun's gaze was like a torch, taking in every change within the arena.

In comparison, Shen Qingkong's Dao techniques seemed somewhat sluggish. When he used the Earth Wall Technique for defense, he could not simultaneously cast the Wood Spear Technique to attack.

Had his cultivation not been higher, victory and defeat would have been decided by now.

Shen Qiu stared intensely at Shen Qingruo, having even cast the necrosis in his left kidney to the back of his mind.

Within his Sea of Qi, Azure Venerable wore a profound smile. Emotion is the finest catalyst for the Nine Nether Spirit Body. Grow quickly.

The match gradually turned into a war of attrition.

Shen Qingkong switched from offense to defense, surrounding himself with towering earth walls so tightly packed that not even water could pass through. Earlier, Shen Qingruo had seized the gap when he switched spiritual powers and launched a sudden Wood Spear Technique attack. Fortunately, he had reacted quickly enough to cast the Wood Shield Technique, which he was not yet very familiar with. Otherwise, he would already have lost.

Shen Qingruo became more and more at ease. As time passed, her application of spells grew increasingly refined, and her combat experience steadily improved.

Everyone discovered in horror that her cultivation was actually at the Fifth Layer of Qi Condensation. Combined with the recovery speed of the Yimu Spirit Body, she firmly held the upper hand in this contest of endurance.

Half an hour passed. Shen Qingkong's body swayed as he said weakly, "I have lost."

His spiritual power was already exhausted, leaving him unable to continue fighting.

Shen Qingruo's pretty face was slightly pale. Hearing this, she gave a formal bow and said, "Brother Qingkong, thank you for yielding."

With the outcome decided, Shen Yun stepped onto the platform and placed a Qi Replenishing Pill in Shen Qingruo's hand. Concerned, he asked, "Are you all right?"

Shen Qingruo swallowed the Qi Replenishing Pill and smiled brightly. "I merely used up too much spiritual power. It's nothing serious."

The Fifth Elder coughed repeatedly beside them. Shen Qingruo asked in confusion, "Grandfather, what is wrong? Are you injured?"

"I'm fine. Hurry down; the next round is about to begin."

The Fifth Elder nearly choked, feeling exceedingly depressed.

"It has finally come. I have waited too long for this day."

Shen Qiu's face was flushed with excitement as he strode directly toward the Martial Arts Arena, every step seeming to carry the weight of a thousand jun.

Once, he could only gaze up at Shen Yun's back from the shadows. Today, he had finally stepped onto the same stage as him.

The two faced each other from afar. The wind rose at the Tip of the Green Duckweed and came to a halt between the arena platforms.