That finger—
Li Changshou's forehead was covered in black lines, his eyes swallowed by shadow, his body as still as a clay statue.
Why did this world harbor so much ill will toward him?
There were at least seven or eight thousand Qi Refiners present. Among the younger disciples, his cultivation was neither high nor low—plenty of disciples from the smaller sects hadn't even reached the Return-to-Void stage.
How had the Dragon King's second prince locked onto him in this ocean of people?
Li Changshou couldn't figure it out. He truly couldn't. But he knew this was no time for dazing— he had to do something to extricate himself from this predicament.
Countless gazes converged upon him, immortal senses and spiritual senses probing from every direction...
Fortunately, as long as no one grabbed his hand and probed his internals, his cultivation trump card should remain hidden.
But he couldn't guarantee that the big shots on the high platform above hadn't already seen through him...
Li Changshou very much wanted to rush forward, pin this little dragon named Ao Yi to the ground, pry open his mouth, and stuff a few Immortal-Dissolving Pills and Flesh-Corroding Heart-Eroding Pills inside!
"Senior Nephew Changshou? Senior Nephew Changshou?"
A female True Immortal of the Du Xian Sect transmitted urgently. Li Changshou snapped back to attention and looked up.
"Ahem!"
A male True Immortal cleared his throat, stood, and cupped his fists toward Ao Yi, who stood proudly in the vast arena. "Your Highness Ao Yi, do you wish to spar with my senior nephew Changshou?"
"That's right," Ao Yi replied with some impatience. "Let him come up."
The words had barely left his mouth when several voice transmissions reached Li Changshou's ears.
"Your Highness, you've made a mistake—that person is only at the second rank of Return-to-Void."
"Your Highness! Choose the woman in the flame-red dress—she's at the eighth rank!"
Ao Yi's lips twitched twice, but he was utterly unmoved.
Li Changshou also rose, cupping his fists to his sect's True Immortal. "Martial Uncle, this disciple's cultivation is shallow. I can't even rank in the top hundred within the sect. I fear I am no match for His Highness. Rushing up there would only bring disgrace to our Du Xian Sect's reputation."
"Perhaps His Highness could choose one of our ten highest-ranked junior brothers or sisters currently present..."
"I shall not go up and make a fool of myself."
The remaining ten Du Xian Sect disciples also rose in succession. Youqin Xuanya even stepped several paces to the side, positioning herself in front of Li Changshou.
Ao Yi's brow furrowed. This person was not only weak in cultivation but also incredibly long-winded.
The Dragon Palace Second Prince declared in a clear voice: "I have chosen you! What—is the Du Xian Sect so dismissive of my East Sea Dragon Palace?"
Li Changshou's brow knotted deeply. The little fellow was absolutely determined to spar with him?
What on earth had gone wrong?
Meanwhile, on the high platform above, two to three hundred human Heavenly Immortals were looking down at the scene below, while over a hundred Dragon Clan experts also frowned as they observed.
Only the old Dragon King—dragon-headed and human-bodied—wore a serene smile, as though he had fallen asleep. He paid no attention to what was happening below, as though he had long known what would transpire...
When Li Changshou was still hesitating, a martial uncle from within the sect turned around and gave him a smile full of helpless resignation.
"Senior Nephew Changshou, why don't you go up and exchange a few moves with His Highness?"
This male True Immortal feared Li Changshou would be embarrassed, so he added directly: "I originally brought you along to broaden your horizons. I didn't expect His Highness would select you for a spar. Just show what you've learned in your daily practice—you needn't insist on winning. Don't dampen His Highness's enthusiasm."
Immediately after, Li Changshou heard another martial uncle's voice transmission:
*'Senior Nephew Changshou, don't worry. Go up and exchange a few moves—we'll be watching closely from behind. This little dragon is the Dragon Palace Prince, quite formidable. If things look bad, surrender immediately. Your safety comes first. With your level of cultivation, losing is no disgrace. Our Du Xian Sect doesn't need its disciples to bleed for face!'*
Li Changshou sighed inwardly, then put on a slight smile. He cupped his fists to the elders and peers who had turned to look at him with concern, then descended the steps and walked toward the arena.
Fine then. He would do what a second-rank Return-to-Void disciple could do.
Ao Yi was today's protagonist. The prince had chosen him presumably to ensure a comfortable victory.
So Li Changshou would do him the courtesy—exchange a few moves, then surrender. As long as he didn't lose too embarrassingly...
"Changshou! Senior Nephew!"
Jiu Jiu suddenly called from the side, undoing the large gourd on her back. She winked at Li Changshou and called out: "You forgot to bring your Evil-Slaying Ruyi Sword! Your martial aunt has finished studying it—let me return it now."
Li Changshou was caught between laughter and tears, but he genuinely felt the warmth behind his junior martial aunt's concern.
The Evil-Slaying Ruyi Sword—a supreme-grade treasure forged by the Venerable Wangqing himself, rumored to have the potential to evolve into a spirit treasure. Its power was extraordinary.
This was his junior martial aunt's life-bound treasure, yet she was using this excuse to lend it to him...
"I am going up for a friendly spar with His Highness," Li Changshou replied gently. "A spar is not a life-or-death battle—there's no need for such a lethal treasure."
With that, Li Changshou stepped into the arena. He did not take his junior martial aunt's large gourd, and his gaze met the Dragon Palace Prince's for the second time.
Ao Yi's lips curved into a slight smile, his eyes burning with urgency.
*'Good. Come on! Defeat me—your Dragon Palace Second Prince—head-on! Strike me with all your might, whether with a spell or a fist! I shall be sent vomiting blood!'*
But Li Changshou's heart was in turmoil. The look in the other's eyes...
What did he want? Why so aggressive?
*'Does this Dragon Palace Prince actually intend to kill me, this Du Xian Sect disciple, on the spot?*
*Is it because I'm not an immortal seedling? Killing an insignificant disciple like me wouldn't provoke much response from the sect, and it would vent the Dragon Palace's frustration?*
*Tch—their calculation must be something like this.*
*I need to handle this carefully.'*
So Li Changshou grew three times more cautious.
The immortal armor around Ao Yi blazed with brilliant light. He took one step forward, and his aura surged upward like a pillar!
Li Changshou stood over thirty zhang away, sensing that Ao Yi's qi had completely locked onto him.
He circulated his mana, concealed his aura, and focused on operating his self-created Turtle-Breath Calming Art, ensuring that his mana fluctuations perfectly matched the output of a second-rank Return-to-Void cultivator exerting full effort.
Then Li Changshou took half a step forward, and the qi between human and dragon locked together completely!
*'Come!'*
A gleam of light flashed through Ao Yi's sapphire eyes. He abandoned ranged treasure attacks and charged forward at ground level, offering his handsome face to the fists of this weakest Du Xian Sect disciple!
"Hold!"
Li Changshou bellowed. Ao Yi's foot slipped, and he nearly went sprawling on the lotus platform's pristine "floor."
What now?
Ao Yi frowned. The crowd's gazes carried a trace of confusion—
They were about to fight, and this man said "hold" again?
Li Changshou declared: "Since this is a spar, we should establish some rules first. There should be a respected judge to determine victory and defeat, and we must define the boundaries of the arena. Starting a spar without any rules would hardly befit the Dragon Palace's usual rigor and its reputation for fairness!"
How exhausting was this person...
Ao Yi's forehead gained several dark lines, but the turtle prime minister beside him found Li Changshou's words perfectly reasonable and irrefutable.
The Dragon Palace had been unprepared for this segment.
The turtle prime minister stepped forward, personally serving as "referee," and used his immortal power to draw a circle two hundred zhang in diameter.
"His Highness and this Du Xian Sect prodigy shall spar with restraint. Neither party may use lethal treasures..."
The arena was marked, the three agreements established, and the spar immediately took on a more formal air.
Li Changshou and Ao Yi faced each other again, separated by over thirty zhang, their qi once again interlocked.
Ao Yi shifted his weight, and several diamond-shaped dark ice crystals materialized around him, each containing a dancing cluster of flames.
*'The aura must be spectacular—the loss must be devastating!'*
He gathered his breath and composed himself. Ao Yi set his stance for the second time, ready to charge—
"Hold!"
Li Changshou shouted again. Ao Yi's foot slipped, and he stumbled forward two steps.
Every time he hit the critical point of his mana cycle, this fellow shouted "hold"!
Li Changshou continued: "Your Highness, why don't we switch to an intellectual contest instead..."
"Too much talk! Take this!"
Ao Yi let out a low roar and charged forward at full speed!
His body shot forward like an arrow from a bow, the dark ice around him blazing with radiance, leaving an afterimage behind. But in his frontal assault, he left impossibly obvious openings!
Li Changshou held a stack of talismans. In the instant Ao Yi closed in, he swayed and dodged to the side with apparent clumsiness—yet within that clumsiness flowed a hint of grace.
The Soaring Dragon, Parting Clouds Step—a superior movement technique of the Du Xian Sect that he had already revealed. But it was merely a movement technique, not some powerful divine ability.
Ao Yi frowned as he passed Li Changshou, scrutinizing the slightly panicked face of his opponent.
Ao Yi thought:
*'What's happening? Why is it so hard to counterattack head-on?*
*Right—I was too fierce. I must have scared him.*
*Don't be afraid. Fight head-on. This prince will let you win spectacularly!'*
He charged twenty zhang forward, executed a handsome aerial flip to stabilize himself, planted his foot, and rushed at Li Changshou once more!
Li Changshou casually flung six talismans. His hands formed seals, the talisman runes flared, and interweaving fire serpents erupted forward!
Ao Yi didn't even dodge. He charged straight through, his body engulfed by flames—yet he instantly burst through the ordinary spell-fire!
Absolutely ferocious!
Li Changshou's mysterious footwork appeared again. Though considerably more composed than before, he still appeared somewhat flustered as he narrowly dodged Ao Yi's charge, casually tossing two more talismans at the dragon prince.
Ao Yi let out a cold laugh, immediately changed tactics, and pursued Li Changshou at close range—while deliberately absorbing every burst of spell-fire.
Li Changshou wielded his second-rank Return-to-Void mana to execute the Soaring Dragon, Parting Clouds Step, retreating and fighting simultaneously, rapidly falling into a disadvantageous position as he "successfully" circled toward his predetermined spot...
In the blink of an eye, dozens of exchanges had passed!
Ao Yi's frown deepened. Leveraging his "vastly superior" strength, he kept presenting openings and his face to his opponent's attacks.
But the other fellow either deliberately avoided his vitals, daring not strike the Dragon Palace Prince, or was truly too weak to seize these utterly obvious opportunities...
He simply wouldn't take the bait!
At least, though the fellow's talisman arts were weak, Ao Yi had already absorbed numerous bursts of spell-fire...
Later he could perform a spectacular "explosion" as a living dragon!
Finally, Li Changshou and Ao Yi made physical contact for the first time...
Three zhang behind Li Changshou lay the boundary—he had been "cornered." A trace of resolve finally appeared in his eyes. He flung over a dozen talismans, and waves of mana coalesced in his palm, forming thunder in his grasp!
Heavenly Five Thunder Wonders!
This was one of the Du Xian Sect's more advanced techniques—half the disciples who had entered the Return-to-Void stage had mastered it.
Thunder blazed, fire surged!
Ao Yi charged into the storm of lightning and fire, and finally his fist struck Li Changshou's palm!
*'Hm?'*
Ao Yi frowned slightly. The instant their fists and palms met, his innate combat instincts sensed a sliver of danger.
*'Eh?'*
At the same time, Li Changshou was confused.
This fellow's fist had absolutely no force behind it?
Even so, Li Changshou followed his script. His body tilted backward, he stumbled back several steps, and with a deft twist he redirected Ao Yi's punch to the side while continuing to retreat.
Ao Yi seized this perfect opportunity, deliberately slipping and stumbling several steps to the left, thinking: *'That should be about enough!'*
At that moment, Ao Yi heard coughing beside him. His sapphire eyes shifted, and from the corner of his vision he saw—
Li Changshou coughed several times, a trace of blood at his fingertips. He raised his head and sighed, his expression deeply frustrated. In a low voice he said:
"Fine—I've lost. My skills are inferior. I shall return to the mountains to cultivate further."
He took half a step back, just stepping outside the previously drawn boundary.
Throughout the lotus platform, the immortals, Qi Refiners, Dragon Clan, and sea creatures all showed traces of regret.
Li Changshou's movement technique, talisman arts, and thunder technique had been handled quite well for a second-rank Return-to-Void disciple.
He— he surrendered?
Ao Yi froze, staring at the glowing boundary line before Li Changshou, momentarily unable to process what had happened.
Surrendering before him—what kind of nonsense was that?
Losing faster than he could—what was the meaning of this? Didn't you want to win, human Qi Refiner?
The turtle prime minister announced: "This match is won by our Second Prince—"
Ao Yi's eyes went wide, his handsome face twisting with something close to fury!
This— this couldn't be!
His perfect plan! The most critical step in his grand scheme to awaken the Dragon Clan!
How could this man just surrender on his own? This prince had practically offered his face for you to slap!
Truly, truly!
A faint reddish glow surged across the Second Prince's delicate features.
The turtle prime minister continued: "wi—"
"AAGH!"
Ao Yi suddenly threw his head back with a low roar. Bursts of pale golden dragon blood erupted from his body, and cracks appeared in his immortal armor.
The turtle prime minister, a Heavenly Immortal himself, was momentarily stunned.
Ao Yi glared at Li Changshou with unconcealed frustration, his voice trembling: "What fearsome... talisman... arts..."
With those words, the Second Prince's body slowly toppled backward, collapsing into a "pool of blood." A swarm of Dragon Clan experts rushed forward, plunging the scene into utter chaos!
Li Changshou: ...
This little dragon brother's acting was obviously subpar—at best, he was at "fresh young talent" level.
Beside them, several True Immortals from the sect rushed over, positioning themselves protectively in front of Li Changshou.