Chapter 210: Reactions to Xue Jing from Yuancheng, Zhou Yinglin, the Divine Dragon Sect, and Yukari

Chapter 210: Reactions to Xue Jing from Yuancheng, Zhou Yinglin, the Divine Dragon Sect, and Yukari Suzaka

Xue Jing withdrew the nine-foot-long spear from Li Chengxuan's chest and swept it to the side with a fierce motion.

The spear tip extended, and the dozen or so cockroach-like creatures were swept away by a pale golden arc, their lazy waists cut into pieces as greenish-black fluid oozed all over the floor.

Xue Jing twirled the spear, leaving afterimages as he relentlessly stabbed and swept at his opponents.

Soon, the battlefield was clear of enemies. Xue Jing extended the spear to the side, tilting it towards the ground. His entire body, from his face to his chest and abdomen, was covered in deep "wounds," but not a single drop of blood flowed from them. Instead, boiling black flames burned incessantly.

As the black currents continuously transformed into black flames, healing his wounds, his body quickly returned to a pristine state, not even his clothes were damaged.

With the new ability 'Elementalization' of Shadowflame, Xue Jing effortlessly and calmly dispatched all his opponents without dodging or evading.

"This new ability is quite overpowered."

"Although I don't know if there are any specialized attacks in reality that can target me... but at least 'Dragon Lightning' magic attacks can't break through my 'Elementalization'."

"The only problem is that it consumes too much energy."

Xue Jing frowned slightly.

It was invincible, but not without limits.

Ever since he had been obliterated by countless attacks, reduced to nothingness, and then regenerated his body for the second time, he noticed that Shadowflame's 'blue bar' was almost depleted.

This was an Lv8 Shadowflame... Ever since this skill reached Lv4, Xue Jing had rarely depleted it completely, even during his intense Gundam battles. As long as there was sufficient shadow area, the blue bar would grow outrageously.

But now, despite having reached Lv8 and possessing a blue bar twice the length of when it was Lv4, his Shadowflame was nearly drained after just a few elementalizations.

If it weren't for the fact that this was a consciousness space, and Xue Jing could restore the blue bar with a mere thought, he wouldn't have been able to stand there arrogantly, piercing through all his enemies in reality.

"But it's fine. The consumption of 'Elementalization' varies depending on the severity of the injury... Although repairing my entire body twice would deplete the blue bar, if I just need to fix my head, I can use it at least five or six times."

Xue Jing calculated.

"In that case, in an emergency, I'll just use my life force to heal those non-life-threatening injuries that I don't mind taking. I'll only use 'Elementalization' when faced with unavoidable fatal strikes..."

"Anyway, with this new ability, my survival abilities have improved by several levels. I don't know how many more lives I have, but aside from not being able to delay resurrection and not being able to resurrect at full strength, it's still better than 'Twin Births'!"

Xue Jing breathed a sigh of relief and, with a thought, exited the consciousness space.

"Next, I'll just wait for the U19 Finals in a few days."

...

In the Fifth Urban Circle, there stood a hundred-story skyscraper in Yuancheng, adorned with pale golden floor-to-ceiling windows and surrounded by rotating holographic advertisements of various colors.

At the very top of this building, by the floor-to-ceiling windows, stood a youthful-looking boy with sharp eyes like those of a hawk.

At first glance, he didn't seem extraordinary. He wore a white hotel robe, stood at just over 1.8 meters tall, and aside from his eyes and slightly longer-than-average arms that reached past his knees, there was nothing particularly striking about him.

Only those in the know would understand just how remarkable and noble this young man truly was.

Standing a short distance behind the young man was a middle-aged man, his hands clasped in front of him, looking uneasy and tense.

The title of 'Eternal Military Master' and 'Gun Saint' Wu Xuanzhu's disciple... This title alone was enough to make those who understood its significance weak at the knees.

Not to mention the other accolades he bore—he hailed from the Zhou family, one of the 'Four Noble Families' among the Thirteen Great Houses, a particularly special lineage.

Although he was not a direct descendant, his background was still exceptionally intimidating. He was also childhood friends with Zhu Dai Zhao, the third young master of the Zhu family, one of the Thirteen Great Houses in the capital, and they were as close as brothers.

If one were to take into account his other affiliations, he was also the Vice President of the Martial Arts Association Night City Branch, the Eastern United Youth Martial Alliance Leader, and a core member of the Secret Martial Society...

Each of these identities and titles was something that ordinary youths could hardly attain, and something that most people would never achieve in their lifetimes.

The middle-aged man, whose name was Li Ziyuan, felt an immense amount of pressure and broke into a cold sweat, fearing that he might have unknowingly offended this young man in some way.

As time passed, the young man remained silent, his gaze fixed on the floor-to-ceiling windows. The pressure on Li Ziyuan intensified.

His breathing became rapid, and just as he felt he might faint from the overwhelming pressure, the young man spoke, his voice calm and precise:

"Mr. Li, why are you standing there? Please, take a seat."

These words seemed to carry a special magic. Li Ziyuan felt as if he had just gulped down a glass of iced juice on a hot summer day, and all the pressure he felt vanished instantly.

It was as if the immense, intangible pressure had never existed.

Though Li Ziyuan felt physically relieved, his mind grew more solemn.

Even though he had not practiced martial arts, as the person in charge of the U19 Unlimited Elite Fighting Competition, he had a profound understanding of the martial arts world and its various systems.

To be able to influence another person's psychology and even physiological state with just a few words was a testament to an extremely high 'spiritual energy level.'

"Young Master Zhou, I'm fine standing here," Li Ziyuan said humbly.

Zhou Yinglin paid no heed. His eyes were fixed on the floor-to-ceiling windows, gazing at a building in the far distance that was shrouded in clouds and mist. It was so tall that it resembled the mythical 'World Tree.'

Due to the distance, he couldn't make out any specific details; he could only see a vague, pitch-black blur that seemed to pierce the clouds, extending thousands of meters into the sky.

The hundred-story skyscraper that Zhou Yinglin currently stood in was nearly 450 meters tall, but compared to that distant behemoth, it looked like an ant at the feet of an elephant.

"The 'Sky Center' of the Fifth Urban Circle... This is my first time seeing it," Zhou Yinglin remarked casually.

"I thought that the Sky Centers of the nine urban circles would be similar in size, but I didn't expect it to be so much smaller than the one in the First Urban Circle."

Li Ziyuan smiled and respectfully explained, "During the Eternal Night War, the nine 'Sun Pillars' were constructed with the combined efforts of the entire nation. The First Urban Circle's Sun Pillar was made as large as possible to maximize its radiation range. In the end, it became one of the largest structures in the world."

"After the war, all the Sun Pillars were transformed into Sky Centers. The 'Cang Ting,' located at the very top of the First Urban Circle's Sky Center, is now hailed as the 'World's Highest Point.' It's a source of pride for our Zhuxia, something the Fifth Urban Circle can't compare to."

Zhou Yinglin turned his head and glanced at him.

Those sharp eyes, like a falcon's, seemed to cut through the air like blades, causing Li Ziyuan to feel a stabbing pain wherever they landed.

"Mr. Li," Zhou Yinglin said in a soft voice, "I asked you to come here today for one reason only—to use your authority to help me change the opponent I'll be facing in the competition."

"This..." Li Ziyuan hesitated, "The U19 draw has always been random..."

Zhou Yinglin's voice remained unperturbed, "You should know that I'm not asking for your opinion."

Li Ziyuan's expression shifted, and he reluctantly said, "Yes..."

Zhou Yinglin reached into his pocket and pulled out a photo. Without seeming to exert any force, he flicked it with two fingers.

The photo flew out of his hand, spinning as it shot towards Li Ziyuan. It sliced through the air and lodged itself in the fabric of Li Ziyuan's chest, stopping just shy of piercing his skin.

"This person... no matter how you arrange the draw, make sure I face him on the stage," Zhou Yinglin said.

Li Ziyuan carefully removed the photo from his chest and took a look.

The photo captured an extraordinarily handsome young man standing on a stage, his silver eyes fixed on something in the distance.

"Xue Jing?" Li Ziyuan exclaimed in surprise, recognizing the young man.

He knew this person. He was the dark horse of the U19 competition, a newly emerged star who had captured everyone's attention with his good looks and dramatic flair.

Thanks to him, the popularity of this U19 tournament had increased significantly compared to previous years.

Members of the U19 organizing committee, including Li Ziyuan, had a favorable impression of this young man.

"This..." Li Ziyuan was somewhat reluctant.

He knew that Zhou Yinglin was deliberately arranging for them to face each other on the stage, and it was likely out of ill intent.

Although Xue Jing was also an exceptionally talented young man, in Li Ziyuan's eyes, he paled in comparison to Zhou Yinglin. This arrangement would most likely end in disaster for Xue Jing.

But... He had no choice.

Li Ziyuan sighed, nodded, and said in a low voice, "I understand, Young Master Zhou."

...

In a secluded area of Yuancheng stood an ancient underground temple with a stone throne at its center.

Behind the throne was a towering deity, standing tall with six arms. The deity's head was that of a dragon, and behind it was a intricate carving of a thousand distinct snake heads.

This was the 'Firstborn of Serpents', the 'Infinite Dragon' - Anan Tuoshe!

Its true form was beyond the comprehension of mere humans, and this statue was merely a representation, carved according to human understanding.

On the throne sat a young man clad in a black robe and hood, his red vertical pupils gazing down at the figure kneeling below.

"An Luping, where is the talented Ning Fengwan, the leader of the offshoot sect, whom you spoke of?" His voice was calm and deep, echoing clearly in the ears of the countless black-robed members of the Dragon Sect.

Cold sweat trickled down An Luping's forehead as he raised his head to look at the young man on the throne. His lips trembled as he spoke, "Godson, there's a reason for this..."

An Luping briefly recounted his experiences in Qingcheng, adding some embellishments to clear his name.

Upon hearing this, the young man known as the Godson tilted his head slightly, propping his chin on his hand as he rested his elbow on the armrest. "So, the cause of all this lies with someone named Xue Jing?"

"Yes!" An Luping replied reverently.

The Dragon Sect Godson shook his head, "A foolish and ignorant woman, entangled in mortal affections, failing to understand the honor of worshipping under the mantle of Anan Tuoshe."

"Godson, not long from now, Xue Jing will come to Yuancheng to participate in the 'U19 Tournament' held in the mortal realm. Ning Fengwan is always by his side, so she should accompany him here..." An Luping added.

The Godson nodded, "In that case, it saves us a journey... We shall invite them to the temple after their arrival and cleanse them of unnecessary 'impurities'. We will then see if this Ning Fengwan you speak of has the potential to become a 'Vessel' for our sect."

"The more qualified vessels I have to bear my children, the better... Once a thousand children are born, a true 'Tuoshe' shall emerge among them."

"If the 'Tuoshe' happens to be born from Ning Fengwan, she will become the 'Madonna of the Infinite Era', a status equal to that of the Madonna in the Cross Sect."

"That would be her honor," An Luping flattered.

...

In a spacious dojo in Yuancheng, a young girl... or perhaps a boy? knelt in the center, their upper body straight as a pine tree, with exquisite, flawless hands resting on their thighs.

With exceptionally handsome features, they possessed both the softness of a woman and some masculine traits. Their waist-length hair was tied in a high ponytail that hung down their back.

Clad in a gorgeous black male haori, they sat there motionlessly, like a beautiful painting. By their side lay a gorgeous antique longsword, giving them the air of a handsome youth from a manga of the Bakumatsu era.

Yukari Suzaka stared intently at the holographic image playing before him.

In the projection, the silver-eyed youth passed by his opponent, who then fell to the ground, riddled with sword wounds, without even turning back.

"Sakuramitsuki, an interesting secret art," Yukari said in Extremis with a hint of interest. His voice was androgynous, making it hard to discern his gender.

"Xue Jing seems like an interesting opponent. I'm looking forward to it."

He spoke again, this time in fluent and impeccable Chinese, with no trace of a foreign accent.

At that moment, the sliding door opened, and a maid in a kimono knelt and bowed, "Master Yukari, another challenger has arrived."

Yukari smiled, revealing a beautiful and bright smile, "Perfect timing. I just saw something interesting, and now I'm feeling a bit itchy for a fight."

"Zhuxia is truly an endless treasure, always full of surprises..."

...

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end