“I accept these five high-grade spirit stones. Don’t worry, after this battle ends, I will definitely ‘take good care’ of that fat scumbag Chen Keshua.”
The white light-shrouded paper kite floated on Jue Ya’s shoulder. He sneered, took out a pair of silver-white finger-covered gloves from his Nas storage ring, and put them on both hands. At the same time, he stomped on the ground beneath his feet, which cracked like a spiderweb, and his body lunged at Qin Gou like a leopard.
Qin Gou pointed his staff at Jue Ya, and in an instant, Jue Ya’s whole body vibrated at high speed, as if being torn apart, splitting into two. The fists on his left and right attacked Qin Gou’s sides like a fierce storm.
For a moment, staff shadows filled the sky. The pitch-black short staff danced, making it impossible for even water to get through. Qin Gou, on the spellcasting arena, moved like a ghost, dodging and weaving, his afterimages like a hundred flowers blooming, fighting two against one.
Indeed, Jue Ya’s clone was not a mere illusion but a tangible entity with deadly offensive power.
During this time, the white light-flowing paper kite kept pace with Jue Ya, floating leisurely on his shoulder, its secrets unknown.
“Illusory Sea Tide, Mirror Still Water.”
Invisible ripples spread through the air. Jue Ya’s clone was hard to distinguish, but only the true body would be affected by the illusionary arts.
On the spellcasting arena, the two Jue Yas, with an extremely slight difference, simultaneously stopped moving and stood frozen on the platform.
The clone, deprived of Jue Ya’s spiritual power boost, instantly dissipated. Qin Gou’s short staff then aimed directly at Jue Ya’s head.
“Crack!”
The paper kite, which had remained silent, suddenly erupted with light at this moment, protecting its master by blocking Qin Gou’s decisive blow. Seeing Jue Ya’s pupils tremble, clearly about to break free from the illusion, Qin Gou raised a foot and fiercely kicked Jue Ya in the chest, sending him flying backward.
Mid-air, Jue Ya’s eyes regained their clarity. With a skillful rotation, he stabilized his body and narrowly stopped at the edge of the spellcasting platform.
“Weakling, I truly underestimated you. To control illusionary arts while only in the Artifact Forging Realm,” Jue Ya said, his face contorted as he clutched his chest, his voice chilling.
“It was your natal spirit tool that surprised me. It’s clearly still in its nascent form, yet it automatically defended its owner. If not for it, Senior Brother Jue Ya would likely not be able to speak these words right now,” Qin Gou remarked, examining the paper kite, which was still floating on Jue Ya’s shoulder and had been flattened by his staff.
“You have truly angered me,” Jue Ya’s eyes flared with ferocity, and he laughed maniacally. “My natal spirit tool is quite special. In its nascent form, it has almost no combat power! You must be curious how I, with a ‘useless nascent form,’ managed to achieve my current status among the elder disciples?”
“Cough, cough, I’m sorry. I only joined less than a week ago and had never even heard Senior Brother Jue Ya’s name before today. My apologies, please don’t be offended,” Qin Gou said, rubbing his nose, his expression exceedingly awkward.
Jue Ya froze, all the words he was about to say stuck in his throat, leaving him unable to speak.
The awkward silence lasted for about ten seconds before Jue Ya cleared his throat and said, “You’re right. Among the elder disciples, my nickname is ‘White Reaper’!”
“What did I say?” Qin Gou was completely dumbfounded.
Jue Ya, as if conversing with a Qin Gou from another dimension, gritted his teeth and said, “That’s because, in my opinion, no matter how high or low the cultivation technique one practices, in the end, it all comes down to using one’s brain!”
“Jue Ya is about to get serious,” a female disciple beside Gu Feiyan said, covering her mouth.
As if to prove her words, to Qin Gou’s astonished gaze, Jue Ya grabbed the paper kite on his shoulder and, in front of everyone, furiously tore it to shreds!
“Aside from myself, to penetrate this nascent form of my spirit tool would require at least a full-power strike from the Hidden Weapon Realm. True masters know how to maximize the use of their natal spirit tool!”
The ‘paper kite,’ torn into countless fragments, swirled around Jue Ya like white flowing sand, forming an impenetrable shield with only minuscule gaps between each fragment.
If the defensive power of this nascent spirit tool was truly as robust as Jue Ya claimed, then within the Artifact Forging Realm, Jue Ya was now almost invincible.
Jue Ya looked at Qin Gou with immense pride, a condescending smile appearing on his face. “You think controlling illusionary arts makes you invincible in the same realm? Now, I will teach you what it truly means to sweep aside your peers!”
“That’s it?”
Qin Gou clicked his tongue, looking at Jue Ya with disdain.
“Come here, I’ll show you a great treasure!” Qin Gou beckoned Jue Ya with his finger.
“Brat, I’m going to smash your insolent mouth!” Jue Ya roared and charged.
Qin Gou stood his ground and quickly took out a small jar of wine from his Nas storage ring, splashing it towards Jue Ya. Jue Ya ran headfirst into the watery curtain, instantly turning into a drenched rat.
Countless fragrant streams of wine flowed from Jue Ya’s hair and face. He forcefully wiped his face, his eyes wide with disbelief. “You… insulted me?”
Qin Gou waved his hand, confident. “Senior Brother Jue Ya is still too naive. You say that unless a Hidden Weapon Realm cultivator strikes, no one can break your defense? What a joke! Your nascent spirit tool does have some mysterious aspects, but it’s still limited by its form. It’s ultimately just paper! Paper becomes useless once it touches water. Even a three-year-old child understands this.”
Jue Ya looked at Qin Gou as if he were an idiot, and the audience around the spellcasting arena was left speechless, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.
“Are you an idiot?” Jue Ya sneered contemptuously. “You actually dare to use principles from the mortal realm to measure my nascent spirit tool. How can there be such a fool in this world?”
However, no sooner had he spoken.
The green beads, which had been hidden within the generously splashed wine and were now slowly sliding down Jue Ya’s clothes like ordinary water droplets, instantly regained their vitality. They fiercely pierced Jue Ya’s chest, then with a back-and-forth motion, pierced through him again, leaving two bloody holes before disappearing into Qin Gou’s palm like a verdant arrow.
Jue Ya spat out a mist of blood, and the white shield suspended in front of him directly shattered and vanished without a trace.
“Qin Gou wins!” the black-clothed official immediately raised his hand to the sky, his voice echoing throughout the arena.
Qin Gou sighed, his hands behind his back, gazing at the sky at a forty-five-degree angle, his voice filled with loneliness and melancholy. “Senior Brother Jue Ya was right. As cultivators, it all comes down to using our brains. Knowing how to maximize one’s abilities is what makes a true master.”
“You… are extremely shameless!” Jue Ya staggered back a few steps, his feet unsteady. He immediately took out powder from his Nas storage ring and applied it to his wounds, his face contorted with rage, his eyes bloodshot. “How dare you use hidden weapons and such despicable, underhanded tactics to win! Official, I object!”
Qin Gou’s eyes were filled with pity, projecting the loneliness of a master. He sighed, “Naive! We of the Demonic Path don’t adhere to minor details, understand?” This earned him thunderous applause.
