"You?"
The thought of fighting with her had never crossed Wu Yu's mind.
Perhaps because he had come from Yanli Mountain and had begun his path of immortals there, he still held a lot of respect for Su Yanli, treating her as high above him.
That was why he felt a little thrown-off. Su Yanli was untouchable.
Until Su Yanli suggested it. And then it was like a fire had been lit in his heart.
"That's right! Even if it's Senior Sister Su, I can challenge her! She's also a mortal, and not an immortal."
From that moment, the way he looked at Su Yanli changed. From the adoring respect of the past, a new urge to dominate had emerged. Deep down, Wu Yu wanted to defeat her and surpass her.
The first time he saw Su Yanli, Sun Wudao had told him that Su Yanli was a noble immortal, and could not be looked at eye-to-eye. One had to keep one's head low, or risk losing one's life.
And now, Wu Yu was not the same man he was back then.
"Cultivating dao is for the sake of constantly surpassing. If one day I can really defeat Senior Sister Su, she will be happy for me as well."
Wu Yu had cultivated a dao technique as well and was brimming with confidence.
Seeing the change in Wu Yu's eyes, Su Yanli already knew what was happening in his heart. Her usually reserved face suddenly warmed with a smile. She feigned anger. "You dare look at me like that? I'll let you taste pain. I'm your senior sister, you know."
"Yes, Senior Sister!" Wu Yu had met many people before, but he was clear in his heart that Su Yanli was one of the rare few in the Bipo Mountain Range who actually had his wellbeing at heart.
"Make your move."
When Su Yanli faced him, she took every caution. She drifted about 30 feet back, already retrieving a jewelled sword of pale gold from her Sumeru Pouch. The sword was like golden glass. It was very beautiful, and the light shone even more brilliantly under the rays of the sun, even sparkling with the colors of the rainbow.
"This is an immortal treasure, the Golden Bauble of Day. I named it myself."
Just like her beautiful looks, the Golden Bauble of Day was just as alluring.
Of course, the golden glass sword hid a refined power. It had some properties of spirit design coursing within it. Su Yanli's five spiritual sources worth of spiritual power were also contained within.
"Watch carefully now."
In the instant that she moved, Wu Yu was stunned. He immediately felt a terrifying suppression!
"This is the fifth tier of the Qi Condensation Realm!"
Because of the immortal roots, there was a huge gap between the fourth and fifth tiers.
Weng!
Wu Yu used his leg to hook the Demon Subduing Staff up off the ground. It was within his hands in a trice. The dao technique which he had spent a gruelling month training sprung to his hands.
Dragon Ascension Column!
The spiritual power coalesced, transforming under his spiritual art to charge the Demon Subduing Staff. Fire raged around the Demon Subduing Staff. A fiery dragon materialized and swirled while he chanted the spiritual art. With a hearty cry, it began to circle the Demon Subduing Staff!
"Break!"
Wu Yu let the staff precede him, using the mystical dragon to lead with withering force. He charged towards Su Yanli, sending shocks through the mountain stone. He descended like a god of war. The dao technique was perfectly in unison with his immortal treasure, and the spiritual power's potency was amplified. He was like a mountain bearing down on Su Yanli.
Su Yanli was completely unfazed by this. She had a completely different personality when she entered her battle mode.
Whoosh!
She brandished the Golden Bauble of Day, the longsword producing golden stars.
Wu Yu could vaguely make out golden runes beginning to appear on the golden, glass-like blade of the sword.
Weng!
The sword lunged!
The golden runes disappeared, while the sword was imbued with a magnificent golden sword qi!
The golden runes had been converted into sword qi!
This was Su Yanli's sword cultivation dao technique, Golden Taiyi Constellation Blade!
In truth, sword cultivators were offensively inclined. The sword cultivation of the Heavenly Sword Sect was stronger in fighting power compared to that of other sects.
Wu Yu was born to the Heavenly Sword Sect, the sacred land of the sword. And yet he did not cultivate the sword. It was truly a waste.
Otherwise, he would inherit even more!
Su Yanli's Golden Taiyi Constellation Blade flashed out with deadly power in all directions. Even the leaves far away seemed to tremble. The power of that sword was truly terrifying, and in that instant, the golden sword light flashed out. Wu Yu felt a sudden oppressive threat.
Bang!
The Lone Dragon Ascension Column clashed head-on with the Golden Taiyi Constellation Blade. A powerful wave of spiritual power wrenched the staff from Wu Yu's hands, and he was sent flying as well. He felt like he had been cut all over by swords. Although the Golden Taiyi Constellation Blade had been dispersed, it had dissolved into a flurry of sword qi that continued to cut into Wu Yu's body. Luckily, Wu Yu had the Invincible Vajra Body!
"How impressive!"
Wu Yu was a little embarrassed. From this clash alone, he already knew the disparity between Su Yanli and himself in terms of spiritual power.
In terms of spiritual power, he was much weaker. That was why his opponent could suppress him like this.
Of course, this was friendly repression. But it made Wu Yu realize that there was always a higher mountain. He had been on a roll of major victories recently, and it was easy for him to swell with overconfidence. Su Yanli had fortuitously given him a wake-up call, allowing him to see his own fallibilities.
"One day, I will surpass Senior Sister Su."
Wu Yu had an intense rush of ambition. He would become even stronger than the woman before him!
"Wu Yu!"
Seeing Wu Yu tumbling on the floor, Su Yanli floated over and reached out with an elegant hand to catch him, allowing him to stand firm instead of crashing heavily.
"Thank you, Senior Sister."
Su Yanli's palm was very soft. Wu Yu had not had the time to properly savor it before she withdrew her hand. He saw her purse her lips. "Junior Brother, your recent improvements have been too quick. But on the path of dao, arrogance is taboo. Do you understand?"
This was the reason why she had fought with Wu Yu.
This was also part of her good intentions.
"Tch. Cultivating Dao is ALL ABOUT arrogance. Don't believe her. You'll surpass her before long. And then you can toy with her however you want," Ming Long commented in a detached manner from within the Ruyi Jingu Bang.
"Shut your mouth!"
In terms of the attitude towards dao, Wu Yu had his own ideas. Neither Su Yanli nor Ming Long were wrong. Ming Long's dao was a proud, overbearing one that held by no rules. Su Yanli's dao proceeded cautiously. He felt that he would have to weigh both. Ming Long had been killed simply because her dao had been uncontrollable.
"Hmm?" Su Yanli thought he was being disrespectful to her.
"That's not it, Senior Sister...."
In truth, Wu Yu felt like Ming Long was irritating at times. But because they were both heirs to the Great Sage, Heaven's Equal, he did not hold it against her.
"Hmph, Granny can't be bothered to talk to you!" Ming Long said huffily before sinking back into slumber.
She was now waiting for Wu Yu to become an immortal and then fulfill his side of the bargain.
But how difficult would the path to immortalhood be?
"I have two Spirit Concentration Pills here. Take them and increase your spiritual power." Su Yanli retrieved two Spirit Concentration Pills from her Sumeru Pouch.
To any disciple of the Qi Condensation Realm, Spirit Concentration Pills were treasures. Su Yanli herself could only receive two each month. If she wished for more, she would have to take up missions for the sect.
Spirit Concentration Pills were not easily acquired.
"Senior Sister, I can't......" Wu Yu had not finished, but Su Yanli pressed the pills into his hands, saying, "No standing on ceremony with Senior Sister. Otherwise, I won't come to visit you in the future."
"I understand."
Wu Yu held the Spirit Concentration Pills tightly, a warm feeling in his heart. He could not help but think of Wu You, who was far away for now. Su Yanli's concern was just like Wu You's.
"She treats me so well. If there is trouble in the future, I will definitely stand up for her." Wu Yu would remember her kindness.
From the day of his return to the Heavenly Sword Sect, he had received a total of four Spirit Concentration Pills, and all of them had been used to stabilize his spiritual sources, using two per month. His Invincible Vajra Body had been completely perfected. And now that the spiritual qi in the Heavenly Sword Sect was tripled, many disciples besides Wu Yu saw improvements, and even breakthroughs.
"I'll take my leave first."
Su Yanli's heart was completely focused on dao. A majority of her time was spent on cultivation.
She was just preparing to ride her Immortal Crane away when the sound of birds came. It was the sound of a Heavenly Cloud Roc. In a trice, three Heavenly Cloud Rocs breached the cloud layer and then rushed to Heaven's Equal Peak. They were headed straight for Wu Yu's position!
"Who?"
Wu Yu and Su Yanli frowned. This was Wu Yu's Heaven's Equal Peak. Other disciples were not allowed to trespass this way.
The answer soon became clear.
The three Heavenly Cloud Rocs landed, raising a cloud of dust. From the cloud, a girl wearing a blue sword lanyard rushed out angrily, followed by two guys. One was tall and burly, built like a battle god, while the other was petite, like an unearthly noble. All three had an extremely impressive aura to them, of the level of Jiang Junlin or Su Yanli. One look and you could tell they were of high status. Of course, all three had sinister looks right now. Their belligerence belied their purpose - to look for trouble.
"Wu Yu!"
The girl was Lan Shuiyue. She hefted her sword lanyard and rushed up, her eyes red. She stared wickedly at Wu Yu and pulled out an immortal treasure longsword from her Sumeru Pouch.
"Lan Shuiyue!"
Su Yanli was still present. She lightly coughed upon seeing the discourteous behaviour of the opponent and moved to stand beside Wu Yu. The Golden Bauble of Day already barred Lan Shuiyue's way. As Lan Shuiyue pressed forward, the blade angled upwards, forcing her to retreat.
"Su Yanli, you dare to raise your hand against Shuiyue?!" Zhao Changtian roared, shaking the trees with his bellow.
"You lot dare to charge into Heaven's Equal Peak so angrily? Are you trying to kill somebody?" Su Yanli faced them, her manner icy. Within her eyes, a golden bloodthirst lurked. It looked like she did not like these three at all.
Within the Heavenly Sword Sect, it was always these three who were at loggerheads with Su Yanli.
"Mind your own business. Today, I'm going to cut Wu Yu down!" Lan Shuiyue retreated with gritted teeth, her eyes still locked onto Wu Yu.
"If it was not for our master calling us into seclusion, you would not even have lived to see this day, Wu Yu!" Yi Qingfeng said coldly.
"Get out."
Although both Zhao Changtian and Yi Qingfeng were much more senior and stronger compared to Su Yanli, Su Yanli was not afraid of them.
Lan Shuiyue saw her resolution and knew that forcing the issue would only create a commotion. She was here today to teach Wu Yu a lesson. But she had not expected to run into Su Yanli.