The onlookers were all bewildered. A young man who looked twenty years old was calling a girl, supposedly fifteen on the roster, “Jiejie.”

Was he flirting? Was being handsome an excuse to flirt even on this occasion?

Yuan Muyu pursed her lips.

Others might see it as flirting, but that “Jiejie” made her a little uncomfortable.

Because the tone was no longer the familiar intimacy and adoration of the past, or the playful flirtation and coquetry imbued with affection. Instead, it was like how he would address a “Qianbei” or “Gexia”—a mere respectful address. Or perhaps, he had always called her that and simply continued to do so, nothing more.

If one were to be more sensitive, there might even be a hint of coldness.

Yuan Muyu knew she would use the exact same tone when facing her elder sister, Ye Tinglan.

Even the psychological urge to say, “Please enlighten me,” might be the same.

—Let’s see if I’m better now than when I left. Have you seen my cultivation, my reputation?

And Tianyao Shengdi still acknowledges you, Ye Fuyao, but there is no mention of me in the Yanluo Dian.

Empathizing with her own feelings towards her sister, Yuan Muyu could deeply relate to every word and expression of Lu Xingzhou at that moment.

Am I to you… what Ye Tinglan is to me?

Actually… it really does seem that way.

Is this why Ye Tinglan cultivated you?

Yuan Muyu felt a little disoriented, only hearing her own voice say, “Then let me see your current achievements.”

Lu Xingzhou stepped forward, immediately launching a side kick.

From Ye Tinglan to Xiaobaimao to Anu, everyone craned their necks, a thought popping into their minds: “Sure enough.”

His first strike would definitely be with his leg!

This ordinary whip kick contained so many unspoken emotions.

Yuan Muyu gritted her teeth, casually blocked with her left hand, and said, “Too light, too wide, too many flaws. Is this your leg technique?”

Before her words finished, her hand and leg met.

“Boom!” Flames erupted violently from his leg.

This was no longer the fire that accompanied the ‘Huogu’ (Fire Bone) from before. With the destructive blessing of the ‘Pomie Jinhuo’ (Annihilating Golden Fire) and having learned the activation method of ‘Yanyu Canyang’ (Infernal Remnant Sunset), the current flame burst gave Yuan Muyu the sensation of a volcanic eruption. Both the scorching temperature and the surging power far exceeded her understanding of what a third-rank cultivator should possess.

She naturally entered the battle playing the role of a “third-rank early stage” cultivator; it was impossible for her to fight at her ‘Chaopin’ (Super-rank) level.

But Yuan Muyu was already very unaccustomed to fighting with third-rank early stage strength. Suddenly encountering a freak like Lu Xingzhou, she temporarily couldn’t think of a method to deal with him without exceeding the limits of that rank.

So the people of Nu Jiao Dao watched dumbfounded as their supposed ‘Yan Jun’ (Lord of Hell), who they thought came to bully lesser opponents, was sent stumbling back by a kick, his cloak nearly blown open by the force.

Lu Xingzhou didn’t stop; his other leg was already cycling for another kick.

Yuan Muyu reached out to block again, but this time, his leg didn’t erupt with fire. Instead, it imbued a soft, permeating water energy that seeped through her pores directly into her meridians, instantly causing the water elemental energy within her body to rebel.

If it were an ordinary third-rank early stage opponent, they would probably be in serious trouble from this strange intrusion.

Fortunately, she was Yuan Muyu.

The water element within her body was instantly suppressed and calmed, and a counter-surge, like a retreating tide, rushed out, slightly pushing Lu Xingzhou back.

She, however, retreated three steps, her beautiful eyes filled with shock.

Is this really Xingzhou?

Leaving aside the relentless two consecutive kicks, which were truly capable of inflicting serious injuries and showed no intention of holding back… just the abilities displayed by these two kicks were completely unrelated to her understanding of Lu Xingzhou.

It was as if he were two different people…

Before she could finish her shock, Lu Xingzhou, as he was pushed back, stamped his foot and rebounded, launching another flying kick to her chest while still in mid-air.

Anyway, it was a steel plate; it wouldn’t break.

Yuan Muyu pushed with both hands, meeting the flying kick square in her palms.

“Boom!”

The Yin and Yang energies exploded violently. Lu Xingzhou’s current strongest burst technique, ‘Taiji Tiangang’ (Supreme Ultimate Heavenly Gang), detonated recklessly in front of Yuan Muyu’s chest, like a miniature nuclear explosion.

Ye Tinglan’s vanished smile returned to his lips. He leaned back comfortably in his chair, casually picked up the teacup from the nearby table, and took a sip.

He was really beating her up! Without any mercy!

Hehe.

Three consecutive kicks, each with a different application of force. Anyone else would have been thrown into disarray long ago.

Yuan Muyu, however, seemed to breathe a sigh of relief because these techniques were still within the realm of martial arts and not too ‘Chaogang’ (beyond the curriculum).

Watching the figure enduring the “nuclear explosion” visibly blur, as if a mere afterimage.

Her true body had already appeared beside Lu Xingzhou, also throwing out a small kick: “Go.”

A few days ago, Lu Xingzhou would not have been able to block this kick.

This kick seemed ordinary, but its intent was self-contained, much like Dugu Qingli’s previous sword strike. The burly man on the other side looked like he could press the attack, but in reality, he was always a beat slower, a difference that could not be judged by the naked eye. If he had tried to parry based on conventional judgment, he would only parry an afterimage, while the small kick would have already landed on his chest.

But at this moment, Lu Xingzhou seemed to sense it.

He did not parry; instead, his body quickly leaned back, narrowly dodging the kick, and the embroidered shoe swept past his face.

It looked very easy to catch…

But Lu Xingzhou did not catch it, retreating rapidly instead.

Yuan Muyu landed her foot, staring blankly at Lu Xingzhou, who had pulled away.

He could avoid this kick?

No, you actually didn’t try to catch it? I didn’t have any follow-up moves hidden.

Ye Tinglan’s smile continued to spread.

By this time, the whispers in the arena were almost exploding: “So strong…”

“Lu Xingzhou’s three consecutive kicks, each one more bizarre and fierce than the last. If it were me, I might withstand the first kick, but I’d definitely be tricked by the second.”

“What are you saying? Can you really withstand the first kick? Is that level of intense flame something a third-rank early stage should possess?”

“I can tell you clearly, I’m a third-rank middle stage, and I’m not confident about that kick. Even if I could take it, I’d be very disheveled, let alone the subsequent changes.”

“So this fifteen-year-old girl not only withstood three consecutive attacks but even counterattacked?”

“Is it still too late for me to withdraw from the competition?”

“Since Lu Xingzhou comes from Tianyao Shengdi, his strength is understandable. But how did this substitute from Nu Jiao Dao also become so strong? And before, there was Jin Feng Dao… What’s going on with this competition?”

The two on the arena silently faced each other across a zhang (about 3.3 meters) of distance. The murmuring of the crowd mingled with the sound of the waves, distant as if from another time and space.

“This is the current you…” Yuan Muyu whispered, as if to herself.

Lu Xingzhou did not reply.

Yuan Muyu felt a myriad of emotions, truly unspeakable.

Such a strange Xingzhou, nowhere could she find traces of the past. Nothing she taught him was put to use; he was employing unfamiliar techniques she had never seen before.

Such a familiar face, yet everything else was so unfamiliar.

Yuan Muyu seemed to have a thousand words to say, but not a single one came out, eventually turning into a disingenuous remark: “You want to prove how good you are? Then let me show you that it’s nothing but illusion.”

As her words faded, her figure vanished.

A fierce sharp intent appeared behind him. Lu Xingzhou shifted his steps, turned, and delivered a powerful punch.

Although, by his early understanding, claiming to know much about Yuan Muyu’s fighting style would be false, understanding her habits and style was no problem. This ‘Jiejie’ simply loved elusive, ghost-like combat, even teaching Anu to become a ‘Ghost Child’.

“Bang!” Fist and palm met, and the qi blast exploded outwards from the two as a center, the shockwave even reaching the Nu Jiao Dao members outside the arena, many of whose cloaks were blown open.

The clash of third-rank early stage powers produced an explosive force that even some third-rank upper stage cultivators lacked.

Yet, in the center of the battle, Yuan Muyu’s cloak remained as if welded on, completely still.

She still had the spare energy to control her cloak… while cold sweat had already appeared on Lu Xingzhou’s forehead.

The two faced each other at close quarters, complex emotions in their eyes. After a long while, Yuan Muyu finally said in a low voice, “If you don’t concede, I won’t be able to control myself and might injure you.”

It seemed like a threat, but it was tantamount to admitting that Lu Xingzhou’s current progress was already beyond her comprehension.

Forcing a ‘Chaopin’ to lose control of her strength was, in itself, a feat.

Lu Xingzhou’s response was: “No need…”