Shuan Chu forced an awkward smile and said, "This Li Yun certainly knows how to conceal his true strength. But he still has not t a genuine expert from the Hidden Dragon Ranking. If he faces one of them, hiding his strength will only make him die faster."
Qin Ling gave no direct response.
Outwardly, she remained indifferent. Inwardly, however, she did not agree.
Battle awareness was not useful only in direct combat. It was also invaluable in judging the strength of an opponent. Perhaps Li Yun’s combat sense had already told him that he was capable of contending with Xin Lu.
That thought quietly surfaced in Qin Ling’s mind.
At the opposite pavilion, tea dripped slowly through Xin Lu’s fingers. His crushed cup had already turned to powder in his hand, yet his face remained expressionless.
Then his gaze shifted toward Qin Ling in the main pavilion.
Several breaths passed.
Xin Lu still did not move.
In this situation, if he acted and successfully killed Li Yun, many people might overlook it. But if Qin Ling blocked him once again, then he would suffer complete humiliation in front of everyone. Worse still, many would begin to question his character, seeing him as soone constantly searching for loopholes in the rules and unwilling to accept limits with dignity.
If that happened, who would willingly deepen ties with him in the future? Who could trust a person who might suddenly turn against them when convenient?
The saying that the victor is king while the loser is villain was true everywhere.
The sa action could be judged entirely differently depending on whether it succeeded or failed.
For Xin Lu, there were only two acceptable choices. Either he did not move at all, or if he moved, he had to kill Li Yun without the slightest mishap.
"I will let you live a little longer first." Xin Lu thought as he forcefully suppressed the turbulent emotions within him.
On the martial stage, Li Yun stood proudly with sword in hand. Having defeated Lin Mo, he made no attempt to step down. Instead, he looked around the summit and spoke loudly.
"Who else wants to fight?"
His gaze swept across the gathered disciples one by one. He wanted to see who else would willingly step forward. If more challengers ca, he had no objection to turning this entire Tea Ceremony upside down.
"He is too arrogant. Is he not simply relying on the fact that this is a tea gathering and Xin Lu cannot easily act?"
"What can anyone do? Aside from the Hidden Dragon Ranking experts, almost no one here can defeat him."
"Sigh. That is the truth."
Discussions erupted all around the peak.
Many were angry.
Many were unwilling.
Yet beneath all of it was helplessness.
"It is probably better for him to stop while he is ahead."
Han Li was just about to send a true qi voice transmission to Li Yun, intending to advise him not to offend too many people at once.
Before he could do so, a cold and graceful voice suddenly rang across the summit.
"Qin Ling, you truly have a leisurely temperant, hosting a Tea Party here of all places. Unfortunately, now that I, Shi Xing, have arrived, it would be best if this gathering ended here."
A graceful figure swept onto the mountaintop.
She moved like a black shadow gliding through the air. Her toes landed lightly upon the roof of a pavilion, yet the presence she brought instantly drew every eye on Heaven Dew Peak.
This woman appeared to be around the sa age as Qin Ling, likely in her twenties. Her beauty was only slightly inferior to Qin Ling’s, but her figure was remarkably graceful and alluring. Every movent carried a dangerous charm.
"It is the Divine Whip Demoness Shi Xing, ranked eighty-ninth on the Hidden Dragon Ranking."
"She is Qin Ling’s sworn enemy. Whenever those two et, they do not stop until they have fought hundreds of moves."
"I heard Shi Xing was injured by Qin Ling the last ti they clashed. She must have co here for revenge."
"Now there is finally sothing worth watching."
The mont Shi Xing announced herself, many in the crowd imdiately recognized her.
Qin Ling slowly rose from her seat and said indifferently, "Shi Xing, if you have business with , wait until the Tea Ceremony is over. Why create trouble here?"
"Hmph." Shi Xing snorted coldly. "I ca here precisely to create trouble. What can you do about it?"
A long bone whip suddenly appeared in her hand. Its pale segnts glead with a sinister light. As her wrist moved, the whip lashed forward with terrifying speed.
A sharp whip shadow tore through the air toward the main pavilion. The void itself seed to crack with a thunderous sound, while ripples of compressed air spread outward.
"Hundred Flower Seal!"
In front of the pavilion, a giant flower of condensed qi blood in an instant and blocked the incoming whip strike.
"Shi Xing, do not go too far." Qin Ling said coldly, her expression turning frosty.
"Myriad Manifestations of the Universe!"
Shi Xing had no interest in further words. She imdiately launched another attack. The long bone whip danced wildly through the air, and countless whip shadows spread outward like an enormous net, enveloping Qin Ling from every direction.
In the blink of an eye, the summit outside the martial stage began to crack apart. Fissures spread in all directions, crisscrossing the stone like spiderwebs under the force of their clash.
The sudden arrival of the Divine Whip Demoness Shi Xing instantly invigorated Xin Lu.
He rose sharply from his seat and shot toward Li Yun on the martial stage without hesitation.
"Li Yun, now let us see who can save you. Die!"
He had been waiting for this chance for a long ti.
Now, the opportunity had finally arrived.
As long as Shi Xing kept Qin Ling occupied, he would have enough ti to kill Li Yun.
As for whether Qin Ling would bla him afterward, he was not concerned. Would she truly turn against him over Li Yun? Xin Lu did not believe Li Yun held that much weight in her eyes.
Besides, he was not necessarily afraid of Qin Ling.
"Li Yun is in real trouble now. If Xin Lu chooses not to move, then he will not move at all. But once he acts, he will definitely kill."
"Who told Li Yun to act so arrogantly earlier? He probably never expected Shi Xing to appear."
"Xin Lu, kill him!" soone shouted excitedly from the crowd.
Ignoring the schadenfreude and uproar around him, Li Yun slowly raised his head and looked at the charging Xin Lu.
"Xin Lu," he said calmly, "I have been waiting for this opportunity for a long ti as well."
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