Chapter 13: Revealing Strength

“Hey! So it’s true!”

A burly middle-aged man, clad only in a thin shirt, squinted his eyes with great satisfaction.

“Let me make it clear first: I, from the Absolute Martial Peak, have my sights set on this little girl. Everyone else can wait and see about other prodigies!”

“I spit on that! Don’t come at me! I clearly see that this girl isn’t reckless or rash. Although she seems fast, she has an exquisite control over her own strength. If she doesn’t come to my Artifact Refining Peak, it would be a great loss!”

“That’s not so,” said the Peak Master of the Fragrant Elixir Peak, with the aura of an immortal sage. “I haven’t taken disciples for a long time. After observing just now, I find her quite to my liking.” He lifted his eyelids slightly, glanced stealthily at the others, then quickly closed them and continued, “I believe everyone here is broad-minded and wouldn’t fight an old fellow like me for a disciple, right?”

The crowd was momentarily stunned by his smooth talk, then they all instinctively turned back and rolled their eyes in unison.

As if that were true! What a stingy old geezer!

Only a man seated on a platform behind them, wearing a dark gray long robe with wide sleeves, with slightly prominent brow bones and thick long eyelashes, his face distant and cold like frost on a high mountain, sat quietly meditating, not involving himself in the fray for the girl.

The Peak Master of Willow Peak, noticing this, raised his eyes slightly and gently shifted the topic: “Fairy Baoluo, do you still not plan to take disciples this year?”

Fairy Baoluo’s eyelids trembled slightly. She kept her eyes closed and replied softly, “Being talented does not necessarily mean being favored by the Great Dao.”

“Rather than teaching them methods, it’s better to teach them how to step freely to the pinnacle of the Great Dao.”

The Absolute Martial Peak Master chuckled disdainfully and shot back without hesitation, “Fairy, you are truly strict. In the path of cultivation, how many are truly blessed by fate? Choosing disciples this way, aren’t you shutting out many with excellent character and diligence?”

Baoluo responded calmly, without sadness or joy: “The path of cultivation is inherently ruthless.”

“Ha…” The Absolute Martial Peak Master wanted to say more but was cut off by the Fragrant Elixir Peak Master, “Each of us has our own choice. Isn’t that better?”

“Look! That girl has stopped moving!”

Indeed, his words drew everyone’s attention.

Below the clouds, Song Junyu suddenly stood still, staring at the stone wall on the left side of the passage, where the densely inscribed characters had been weathered and blurred by time.

“Great Freedom View…” Song Junyu murmured softly.

She had been focused on the two conflicting forces inside her, struggling with how to separate them. After all, their clashes battered her body, causing sudden pain that was quite tormenting.

Yet, before she could figure it out, the black force suddenly calmed down upon nearing the stone wall. Looking closely, she saw the edges of the characters faintly shimmering with golden light, exuding a spiritual aura.

She strained to decipher the writing, but only managed to make out half of it.

As for the deeper meaning contained within, she could not grasp it so quickly.

Song Junyu wasn’t one to fuss. Having recorded most of it, she was about to continue upward. But before she took two steps, a familiar voice stopped her.

“How did you get in here?”

Frowning, Song Junyu turned toward the sound and recognized the man adorned with gold and jade not far away—it was none other than Wang Xinglong.

“Hey, hey! I’m talking to you!”

Despite his flashy and showy moves, Wang Xinglong had reached the sixth level of Qi Refinement. He suddenly leapt in front of Song Junyu, eyes full of provocation.

Had it not been for this annoying woman, he would have long since kicked that little lady away. Now that fate had thrown them together, how could he not show her who’s boss?

If people weren’t respectful, he could tolerate it; but if they dared to overstep, there would be no room for negotiation.

Song Junyu had endured hellish torment before; even when killing, she could keep herself intact. How could she allow such a spoiled brat to ride over her?

In an instant, a translucent white wind blade pressed against Wang Xinglong’s neck, while a cold female voice echoed around.

“When you ask a question, have the manners to do it properly. Didn’t your parents teach you etiquette?”

Feeling the chill of the blade, Wang Xinglong’s heart raced and he hesitated.

The spiritual power before him was so solid it must be above his own cultivation. He realized he had truly hit a wall.

Yet, accustomed to having everything go his way in the mortal world, Wang Xinglong still blurted irritably, “You’re not polite either! I ask you and you don’t answer!”

Just as he was about to retort further, Song Junyu sneered coldly, “If it weren’t for the fact that you haven’t crossed certain lines, just humiliating a woman in public alone would be reason enough for me to beat you into a pulp. And you still have the nerve to question me?”

“Don’t you even know your limits? Do you think anything good can come from your foul mouth?”

Wang Xinglong never expected this seemingly quiet woman to speak so harshly. He was completely silenced.

Moreover, the pressure weighing on him intensified severalfold. His legs trembled slightly as he thought it over and finally chose to submit again.

“I was wrong, isn’t that enough? Let me go!”

Seeing Song Junyu stroll leisurely, unaffected by the increasing gravity of the path, Wang Xinglong was convinced beyond doubt that her strength exceeded the sixth level.

He took a deep breath and finally adjusted his tone: “You’re my sister! I’m surrendering!”

No sooner had he spoken than the cold blade dissolved into the wind and rain, vanishing without a trace.

When he looked again, Song Junyu had already climbed dozens of steps. Frustrated beyond words, Wang Xinglong shouted, “Don’t you feel tired?!”

“What do you mean?” Song Junyu’s sharp gaze suddenly turned back.

Wang Xinglong instinctively dodged and reluctantly explained, “This is a gravity zone. The higher you climb, the stronger the force. It’s designed to test physical strength. If you resist with spiritual power, you’d only exhaust yourself faster. For you to come up so easily… your physical strength isn’t ordinary.”

Hearing this, the person with clear features and cold eyes in front of him fixed her gaze on him.

“Why didn’t you tell me earlier?”

Wang Xinglong replied, “...You didn’t ask either.”

Song Junyu, annoyed by his sudden spinelessness, reflected on her own performance and felt even more vexed.

Since this passage was meant to filter disciples gifted with superior innate traits, it wouldn’t be ignored. Surely someone was hidden somewhere, observing their performance.

Everything she had done since entering had been fully exposed.

She had intended not to reveal the golden thunder earlier; even the attack she launched just now was only a slight gathering of ordinary spiritual power. But unexpectedly, her formidable physical body had already completely revealed her.

Wang Xinglong never guessed why the ‘big boss’ had suddenly turned grim again.

Whether spoken or not, a woman’s mind was truly hard to fathom. No wonder the boss said many women were difficult to please!

While he schemed inside his head, he suddenly noticed Song Junyu sweating profusely. The next moment, she seemed to summon all her strength, staggering but managing to stand firm.

Moments later, he watched helplessly as Song Junyu suddenly dropped to her knees!