The Transcendents possessed such keen senses that all of them instantly confirmed: Magus Jing Qiu was staring directly at Dongbo Xueying at this very moment!
Dongbo Xueying felt it too—their gazes had collided.
The sensation…
Even Dongbo Xueying felt his heart quicken.
“Magus Jing Qiu is staring at Brother Xueying!” Peng Shan teased with a grin. “Wow, they’re both from Qinghe County, right? Hehe… I bet there’s a story here.”
“I bet there’s one too,” Cheng Lingshu added, eyes sparkling. “Look at how Magus Jing Qiu is gazing, and Brother Xueying’s expression! Ugh… I’m about to tear up from emotion.”
Dongbo Xueying felt a little embarrassed by their remarks.
Yu Jingqiu smiled gently: “Dongbo Xueying once saved my life.”
“A hero rescuing a beauty?” Peng Shan widened his eyes.
“So there really is a story!” Chi Qiubai shook his head in amusement.
“Jingqiu, sit down first,” Hai Ruzhen instructed.
“Yes, Teacher,” Yu Jingqiu replied obediently, then took her seat.
Peng Shan hurriedly called out: “Brother Xueying, don’t stay silent! Quickly, tell us what happened! How exactly did this ‘hero rescuing a beauty’ occur?”
“I and Magus Jingqiu happened to take the same Iron-tier mission back then,” Dongbo Xueying explained. “We encountered some danger and trouble during the mission, and eventually, only the two of us survived. I managed to save Magus Jingqiu by sheer luck—it was very close, and I almost failed. But after all, helping one another is only natural for comrades on the same mission. There’s nothing extraordinary about it.”
“Only the two of you survived?” Cheng Lingshu’s eyes lit up. “That sounds thrilling! What happened next? Was it a classic case of a hero rescuing a beauty? Did the fair maiden offer herself in gratitude?”
“Come on,” Peng Shan rolled his eyes. “Would Sister Jingqiu be that kind of girl? It must have been love at first sight, and then things naturally progressed. Isn’t that right, Sister Jingqiu and Brother Xueying?”
The other Transcendents nearby continued to fan the flames of teasing.
“Alright, alright, stop teasing my disciple,” Hai Ruzhen interjected. “After that mission, Jingqiu remained at Changfeng Academy. Later, we heard that Brother Xueying had fallen into the Black Wind Abyss.”
Everyone was merely joking around.
After some playful banter, they shifted to another topic.
As they casually drank and chatted, the conversation soon turned to Transcendent Life-and-Death Battles. After all, both Yuan Qing and Yu Jingqiu were approaching their own such trials.
“Little Brother Yuanqing, you also became a Transcendent at a very young age. You should take Brother Xueying as your example—he has won nine matches!” Cheng Lingshu remarked. “I don’t expect much from you—just win six!”
“Little Sister Lingshu, it seems you won a fortune betting on Brother Xueying’s Life-and-Death Battles last time, and now you want to win even more,” Peng Shan chuckled. “But Yuanqing doesn’t have Ancient Bloodline—winning six matches won’t be easy.”
“Exactly because it’s hard, the odds are higher,” Cheng Lingshu replied.
“You’re always gambling. Gamble too much, and you’ll end up losing everything,” Ziche Gufeng shook his head.
“You’re just envious! I didn’t bet much this time—only a hundred pounds of Origin Stones. What I won from Brother Xueying’s last match was enough to cover several losses,” Cheng Lingshu said proudly. “But if I win this time… hehehe.” Cheng Lingshu was also a female Magus, and as a Magus, she was very clever. Even when gambling, she maintained self-restraint.
In the gambling circles of Xiadu City, the biggest losers were usually the Transcendent Knights.
“Sister Jingqiu, how many matches do you think you can win?” Cheng Lingshu quickly asked.
Yu Jingqiu smiled gently and shook her head: “I don’t have much confidence. I might lose in the very first match.”
“You still have plenty of time—nearly a year to prepare,” Chi Qiubai said. “In that time, you might even break through and win five or six matches. Like Xueying, who broke through during his Life-and-Death Battles and reached the second stage of the Myriad Things Realm. By the way, Xueying, you were at the second stage of the Myriad Things Realm back then. You must be at the third stage now, right?”
“I’ve grasped the Mysteries of Water and Fire, which are at the third stage of the Myriad Things Realm,” Dongbo Xueying nodded.
“I figured as much. You were already at the second stage of the Myriad Things Realm when you first became a Transcendent. With your talent, it makes sense,” Chi Qiubai nodded. “Water and Fire are Mysteries that complement and counteract each other. Using both Mysteries to cultivate your Transcendent Battle Qi, you might break through to the Saintly Realm before long.”
“Please, don’t say that! We still have a bunch of Flying-Level Transcendents here!” Dong Yu helplessly replied.
“It’s truly disheartening. It took me 160 years just to reach the second stage of the Myriad Things Realm, and I still haven’t reached the third stage,” Zong Tu sighed.
“What a prodigy!”
They all sighed in admiration.
Indeed, they were all deeply moved.
Generally, when one first became a Transcendent, some hadn’t even reached the first stage of the Myriad Things Realm, still being at the Celestial Harmony stage. Only a few had reached the first stage.
Reaching the second stage was already very difficult—taking over a hundred years was normal.
Reaching the third stage was even harder—taking five or six hundred years was common.
At that stage, there was a chance to break through by cultivating Transcendent Battle Qi using a third-stage Mystery, but it was still time-consuming. Some never managed to break through even after a lifetime. But Dongbo Xueying was cultivating two Mysteries—Water and Fire—that complemented and countered each other, increasing his efficiency tenfold. He might break through to the Saintly Realm within twenty or thirty years.
They couldn’t even feel envious—because when he fought in the Life-and-Death Battles, he was already at the second stage of the Myriad Things Realm. How could they possibly compare?
“The Saintly Realm?” Dongbo Xueying remained calm.
After spending so long in the Chiyun Mountain World, constantly lectured by Palace Fool and Sikong Yang—both Demigods—he had come to subconsciously view the Saintly Realm as nothing special.
…
Two months later.
In the Hall of Life and Death at Xinfu Palace.
A grand Transcendent Life-and-Death Battle was taking place here. The main attraction was the remarkably young newcomer Transcendent—”Yuan Qing.” Yuan Qing was extremely young, nearly as young as Dongbo Xueying had been back then, naturally drawing a large audience of Transcendents. Even several Demigods had come to watch! The commoners of Xiadu City gathered in droves, and the entire Hall of Life and Death was in an uproar.
“Beautiful!”
Chi Qiubai, Peng Shan, Dongbo Xueying, Yu Jingqiu, Hai Ruzhen, and other Transcendents from Anyang Province stood together in the eastern viewing area, overlooking the ongoing battle below.
Yuan Qing’s strength was truly impressive!
“Incredible,” Chi Qiubai praised.
Dongbo Xueying watched from above, understanding immediately: “Looks like the Chiyun Mountain World is about to gain another junior brother.”
Yuan Qing had actually begun combining Light and Darkness Mysteries, though his technique was still clumsy. He hadn’t yet created a devastating move like Dongbo Xueying’s “Water-Fire Dragon Slaughter”—combining Mysteries into a deadly technique. Still, there was no doubt—he had begun fusing them.
“Light and Darkness True Intent is a third-grade True Intent—higher than my Water-Fire True Intent back then,” Dongbo Xueying smiled. “But having juniors like Yuan Qing in Chiyun Mountain is a good thing.”
“Uh…”
Dongbo Xueying suddenly realized something.
Once Yuan Qing entered the Chiyun Mountain World, wouldn’t he become the tenth in rank?
“Eh, whatever. At least I’m last,” Dongbo Xueying chuckled to himself, watching Yuan Qing’s battle with a pleased smile.
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