187: "Master, who is this person? How dare he trespass into Purple Bamboo Peak?"

Half an incense stick later, the light screen rippled, and Xuan Yangzi was "thrown" out of the Tower of the Prodigy, landing heavily on the grass, where he lay for a long time without getting up.

He lay sprawled on the grass in a "big" shape, his bones feeling as if they had been dismantled and reassembled, aching so much that even moving a finger was difficult.

His gaze was unfocused as he looked at the clouds above Zizhu Peak, and two lines of clear tears streamed down his cheeks—not from pain, but from grievance.

To think, he, Sect Master Xuan Yangzi, the Sect Master of Azure Profound Sect, had recently solidified his Foundation to the Saint realm with the Emperor-level Cultivation Method given by Gu Changge.

Yet today, he had fallen into the hands of a projection within the tower, and the kind where he was pinned to the ground and beaten, without even a chance to fight back.

"My Saint Heart..." Xuan Yangzi wailed in his heart, feeling that the "arrogance of a strong Cultivator" he had painstakingly accumulated had been completely beaten out of him by this thrashing.

In the bamboo pavilion, Gu Changge's hand, holding the teacup, was indeed trembling; it wasn't from suppressing laughter, but because he genuinely felt this Senior Brother was somewhat pitifully miserable.

He coughed lightly, deliberately using a slow, teasing tone: "Senior Brother should understand now why Ling Xi and Lord of Annihilation always come out injured, right? Does this 'training ground' still suit your taste?"

"It suits! It suits perfectly!" Xuan Yangzi suddenly snapped back to attention, crying out in a choked voice, his voice hoarse as if abraded by sandpaper.

"Junior Brother, quickly tell me, what kind of immortal's projection is in that tower? How can he be so brutal! My Saint realm Cultivation, in front of him, was like paper!"

As he spoke, he tried to wipe away his tears, but moving his shoulder made him grimace in pain, so he could only let the tears mix with the dust on his Face and stream down, further dirtying his Magic Robe, which was already torn to shreds, making him look like a beggar who had just crawled out of a mud pit.

Just then, the light screen of the Tower of the Prodigy flickered again, and Ling Xi's figure quickly walked out.

Her sleeves still bore traces of flame burns, and her aura was a bit chaotic, clearly indicating she had just endured a fierce battle in the tower.

As soon as she looked up, she saw a "beggar" lying on the grass, and thinking it was some clueless Loose Cultivator who had trespassed on Zizhu Peak, she immediately frowned and rushed to Gu Changge's side, her tone wary: "Revered Master, who is this person? How dare he trespass on Zizhu Peak? This Disciple will apprehend him!"

When Xuan Yangzi heard the words "apprehend him," he was so startled he almost sprang up from the ground. In his current state, if he were really mistaken for a thief, the Sect Master of Azure Profound Sect's Face would be completely lost to the Eastern Domain!

He quickly covered his Face with his tattered sleeve, his muffled voice coming from within: "Don't, don't move! It's me, Junior Niece Ling Xi!"

Ling Xi was stunned for a moment, then leaned closer to examine him carefully. The messy hair, the bruised Face, the Magic Robe torn to shreds, and that familiar voice—it was indeed Xuan Yangzi!

She was startled at first, then the corners of her mouth uncontrollably turned upwards, and her shoulders trembled slightly. She quickly lowered her head, pretending to look at the ground, to prevent her laughter from escaping.

"Sect Master? How did you..." Ling Xi didn't finish her sentence, and was again choked by suppressed laughter, coughing twice.

Lord of Annihilation had also drifted over at some point, holding a Medicinal Pill for healing, his lips pressed very low, yet the curve of suppressed laughter was still visible.

"Sect Master Xuan Yangzi, take the Medicinal Pill first. The projections in this tower are not so easy to deal with. Next time you challenge it, you should bring all your protective Magic Treasures."

Xuan Yangzi took the Medicinal Pill and swallowed it like a bitter medicine, his gaze fixed on the Tower of the Prodigy, both aggrieved and angry.

"Junior Brother Changge! This isn't a place for practice; this is a slaughterhouse! I didn't even catch my breath inside before I was pinned down and beaten!"

As soon as he finished speaking, he suddenly realized something, his peripheral vision catching Ling Xi still trying to suppress her laughter nearby.

As the Sect Master of Azure Profound Sect, being beaten black and blue in front of a group of Disciples and Elders—if this got out, where would his Face as Sect Master go?

At this thought, Xuan Yangzi suddenly felt that all the wounds on his body no longer hurt, but his Face hurt even more!

He had to salvage some dignity!

He stiffened his neck, subconsciously straightened his back a bit, and feigned composure, saying, "But... don't think I'm miserable! I fought that projection for over a hundred rounds inside!

In the end, I was careless, and lost by a single move! Don't look at me like this, that projection didn't have an easy time either!"

He secretly added in his heart: "He hit me so many times, I don't believe his hand doesn't hurt!"

Upon hearing this, Ling Xi quickly turned around, pretending to adjust her sleeves, but her slightly reddened earlobes still revealed how hard she was struggling to suppress her laughter.

Gu Changge looked at Xuan Yangzi, who was desperately trying to save Face, took a sip of tea, and slowly said, "Don't be too disheartened. The one who fought you just now was the projection of Great Emperor Baizhan in his youth."

Lord of Annihilation, however, was much calmer, merely shaking his head lightly, his tone carrying the understanding of one who had been there before.

"Sect Master Xuan Yangzi having such a record is already rare. The projection of Great Emperor Baizhan is indeed extraordinary."

"What?! Great Emperor Baizhan?!"

Xuan Yangzi suddenly sprang up from the ground, forgetting the intense pain in his body, his eyes wide as saucers.

"Is it the Great Emperor Baizhan who proved his Dao through battle, never tasted defeat in his life, and single-handedly suppressed the myriad ancient forbidden zones?!"

The despondency on his Face instantly vanished, replaced by an unbelievable excitement.

At this moment, he suddenly recalled the details of their recent battle.

When the projection attacked, his battle-halberd seemed straightforward, yet it always changed moves at the most unexpected angles, as if he had already anticipated all of Xuan Yangzi's responses.

Especially one strike, which was clearly a frontal attack, yet its Qi simultaneously locked down his retreat routes to the left, right, and rear, forcing him to take it head-on. That absolute control over the rhythm of battle was simply like foreknowledge!

"No wonder! No wonder his fighting style is so fierce! Every move directly targets the vital points, without any flashy display, yet each move is deadly! The battle-halberd, as it swung, carried the Killing Intent of mountains of corpses and seas of blood, and his eyes were filled with the sharpness of one who had survived a hundred battles!"

Xuan Yangzi suddenly felt that the injuries on his body no longer hurt; instead, he felt a strange sense of honor, and he excitedly slapped his thigh:

"So I was fighting Great Emperor Baizhan! Although it was only his projection in his youth, that was the true Great Emperor Baizhan! Losing to such a figure is not shameful!"

He even began to gesticulate animatedly: "I knew it, how could an ordinary Cultivator of the same realm beat me like this! It turns out it was an Emperor's projection! This loss is worth it! This beating was worth it!"

Lord of Annihilation said at the appropriate moment: "To be able to withstand a hundred rounds under the Battle Intent lock of Great Emperor Baizhan's projection already proves that the Sect Master's Foundation is extremely solid. The Sect Master should heal well and strive for greater gains next time."

Xuan Yangzi's old Face flushed red, and he secretly mused, "'Withstand a hundred rounds'? You actually believe that, I was clearly beaten down in three moves, and after that, it was all a one-sided thrashing!"

But then he thought, to endure such a long beating from Great Emperor Baizhan's projection without passing out, it seems... that's also quite difficult, isn't it?