116: Chapter 115 I just want to eat

No one answered.

Those veteran Golden Cores who had broken through years ago were all acting aloof and composed, eating and drinking as if it had nothing to do with them. In this kind of sparring, there was no benefit to winning, and losing meant losing Face; only a fool would step up.

The younger Golden Cores, though indignant, were well aware that going up would be a waste of effort. Lin Xiao was already considered decent, and even he had lost so miserably; how much better could they do?

Daring to be angry but not daring to speak—that was the perfect portrayal of them at this moment.

Jiang Yueling waited for a moment, and seeing that no one responded, the arrogance in her eyes deepened.

True Lord Qingyue, sitting at the head, watched this scene, her brow furrowing imperceptibly.

If no one went up to teach this girl a lesson, she would only become more conceited in the future.

But she herself could not take action.

Her gaze swept across the crowd, and she sighed inwardly—could it be that in a place like the Ximing Continent, there really were no decent Golden Cores?

The Ancestor of Qingxuan Sect was also sighing.

If only Ye Chen were here. But that boy was currently out gaining experience somewhere, and his cultivation was already at the Late Golden Core Stage; if he accidentally injured this Young Miss, it would be difficult to handle the aftermath.

His gaze slowly swept through the crowd.

Suddenly, he spotted a figure in the corner eating with great gusto.

The Old Ancestor's eyes lit up slightly.

"Yun Ming."

A voice transmission entered Yun Ming's ear.

Yun Ming was just stuffing a spirit fruit into his mouth when he heard this. Stunned, he looked up toward the Old Ancestor.

The Old Ancestor gave him a slight nod.

Yun Ming was bewildered.

He pointed at himself and asked silently: Me?

The Old Ancestor nodded again.

Yun Ming looked at the fruit in his hand, then at the arrogant Jiang Yueling in the distance, and then at the table full of unfinished spirit cuisine—

No, Old Ancestor, what are you doing? I'm eating!

The Old Ancestor's gaze fell on Yun Ming, a meaningful smile flashing in his eyes.

He naturally remembered the spar between Yun Ming and Ye Chen that day. Although neither had used their full strength, Yun Ming's mastery of lightning techniques was indeed superb. When the Purple Heaven Divine Thunder was unleashed by him, the sky full of lightning was like a heavenly punishment descending, forcing even a brilliant sword Dao Genius like Ye Chen to go all out.

Furthermore, it had been less than ten years since Yun Ming broke through to the Golden Core stage, which perfectly fit the condition of "having broken through recently."

Most importantly—

This kid actually dared to speak ill of him to Sikong Gu just now.

What was that about "having the wicked intent but not the guts"? Did he think the Old Ancestor couldn't hear him?

The Old Ancestor's smile remained unchanged, but in his heart, he silently made a note against Yun Ming. He cleared his throat and spoke:

"True Lord Qingyue, I happen to have a suitable candidate here."

He looked at Yun Ming and spoke in a warm tone: "This young man is named Yun Ming, and he has been with my Qingxuan Sect for just over five years. It has been less than ten years since he broke through to the Golden Core stage, which matches what you just said. Don't be fooled by the fact that he is only at the Early Golden Core Stage; his lightning techniques are superb, and I believe he can spar a bit with your esteemed disciple."

Yun Ming still had half a spirit fruit in his mouth and nearly choked upon hearing this.

He looked up at the Old Ancestor, his eyes filled with disbelief.

Old Ancestor, are you serious?

Yun Ming opened his mouth, wanting to decline—to say he wasn't good enough, that his Foundation was unstable because he had just broken through, or that he wasn't in good condition after traveling for days; he'd just find any excuse to admit defeat.

But meeting the Old Ancestor's smiling eyes, the words at the tip of his tongue were swallowed back down.

Yun Ming sighed inwardly, silently stuffed the rest of the spirit fruit into his mouth, and stood up sluggishly.

Fine.

The leader has spoken; I cannot disobey.

He didn't even announce his name as he walked lazily into the center of the field and stood opposite Jiang Yueling.

Jiang Yueling sized him up, her gaze full of criticism.

The man looked decent enough, but that lazy energy of his was eyesore no matter how she looked at it. Dressed in ordinary green robes, his aura was unremarkable, and standing there, he looked like a background character. She really couldn't see anything extraordinary about him, and she certainly didn't believe he knew any powerful lightning techniques.

It just so happened that she had recently cultivated a new lightning technique and hadn't used it properly yet. She would use him to test it out.

"What is your name?" Jiang Yueling asked, her tone somewhat condescending.

Yun Ming looked helpless: "You don't care anyway, so what's the point of giving a name?"

Jiang Yueling was stunned for a moment, then she laughed.

"You're right." She nodded, the pride in her eyes growing. "I indeed have no desire to know the name of someone I've defeated."

Yun Ming shrugged, noncommittal.

Jiang Yueling had already made her move.

She raised her hand to form a seal, and lightning surged around her. The lightning condensed in front of her, taking shape rapidly—in the blink of an eye, a lightning spear several meters long appeared out of thin air, its entire body flowing with purple light and emitting a heart-palpitating pressure.

"Go!"

The lightning spear shot through the air, heading straight for Yun Ming's Face!

A low gasp erupted from below the stage. The speed of this spear was incredibly fast, and its power was terrifying; an ordinary Early Golden Core Stage cultivator would not be able to block it.

Yun Ming, however, simply shifted his feet.

He unleashed the Tahua Zizai Escape Technique, his entire body moving like a wisp of light smoke as he drifted three feet to the side. The lightning spear grazed past his ear and slammed into the ground behind him, exploding into a crater several meters deep.

Jiang Yueling's brow twitched.

He dodged it?

She waved her hand, and three more lightning spears condensed, shooting out in a triangular formation.

Yun Ming's figure flickered repeatedly, weaving effortlessly through the gaps between the lightning spears. Those three spears all missed their mark almost simultaneously, exploding into a burst of lightning behind him.

Below the stage, True Lord Qingyue's gaze became increasingly focused.

She could see it.

This young man's movement technique was by no means ordinary. That seemingly casual evasion, with every step landing perfectly in the gaps between the lightning spears, was precise. This kind of vision and judgment was not something one could possess through talent alone.

Perhaps... he really could win?

On the stage, Jiang Yueling's offensive became more and more urgent.

Lightning spears came one after another, dense and overwhelming. But Yun Ming was like a slippery loach, dodging left and right within her concentrated attack, not getting hit even once.

"Is dodging all you can do?" Jiang Yueling gritted her teeth in anger.

Yun Ming didn't bother to respond.

Just then, two voices entered his ears at the same time.

One was from True Lord Qingyue, cold and majestic: "Show your true skill and defeat my disciple. Otherwise—if you dare deceive me, you know the consequences."

The other was from the Old Ancestor, carrying a hint of urgency: "Yun Ming, you must lose! If the True Lord's beloved disciple loses in this backwater place, and they happen to label us as demonic cultivators, the entire Sect will suffer!"

Yun Ming's figure paused, and he was nearly hit by a lightning spear.

He wailed in his heart.

One wants me to win, the other wants me to lose.

Caught in the middle, how am I supposed to play this part?

Seeing him distracted, Jiang Yueling was overjoyed. This was the opportunity she had been waiting for!

The lightning rose again, and a lightning spear twice as thick as before condensed into shape, carrying the force of ten thousand tons as it slammed straight into Yun Ming!

Boom—!

The lightning exploded, and Yun Ming's figure was submerged within it.

A smug smile curled onto Jiang Yueling's lips. She had finally hit that loach! Next, it would be her rhythm!

The lightning dissipated.

Yun Ming stood in place, his robes slightly disheveled, but without the slightest sign of injury.

He looked down at the spot on his chest where he had been hit—the moonlight flowing frost robe had blocked ninety-nine percent of the damage for him, and the remaining bit of lightning hadn't even scratched the skin of his second-level Body Refining.

Jiang Yueling's smile froze on her Face.

"You... you're fine?"

Yun Ming did not answer.

He raised his hand and formed a seal.

Purple Cloud Divine Thunder Curse.

In an instant, the world changed color.

The originally clear sky suddenly darkened, and layers of dark clouds surged in from all directions, covering the entire sky in the blink of an eye. Within the dark clouds, purple lightning rolled and surged, emitting deafening roars.