Chapter 22 The Way of Two
Although Third Sister Yi now possessed numerous minor spells, her body was limited, allowing her to cast only three spells per day at most. This was why she sought alternatives. Su Yang naturally understood this. He didn't understand why this disciple from the Guiqi Pavilion had immediately challenged Third Sister Yi to a duel, yet, fearing she might suffer, he stopped her from speaking. He also disdained to embarrass a junior disciple, simply staring at Sikong Qian with a frown, saying nothing.
Seeing the atmosphere cool down, Sikong Qian was furious and secretly cursed Su Yang, a medicine boy, for daring to put such pressure on him. However, he knew that as long as Su Yang hadn't been poisoned to death by Hua Shen Taoist, he could only be a turtle grandson in public. He had no choice but to turn to Shen Ranming and curse: "I've made you practice for a year, but you've damaged your brain! It's okay to challenge us brothers to a fight. It's only right that we should teach you as fellow brothers, but you really think you're such a big shot. You want to fight anyone you say? Apologize to Junior Brother Su's sister!"
This indirect criticism was masterfully executed. Sikong Qian winked at Su Yang, his back to him. As long as Shen Ranming took the conversation and admitted his fault, the situation would be smoothed over, and Su Yang, with his sullen temper, wouldn't lash out. It was common for disciples of Huaxue Ridge to challenge each other to fight. Did the people of Ruoyu Peak seem superior to them? So, despite Sikong Qian's exaggerated tone, Shen Ranming could detect a hint of admiration in his attitude. He breathed a sigh of relief, but he was still unwilling to avoid such a good opportunity to fight Yi Sanmei. He simply gave Sikong Qian an apologetic smile and stared at Yi Sanmei in silence.
Sikong Qian and Su Yang both realized that the two of them might have some private relationship. Seeing this opportunity, Third Sister Yi pushed Su Yang's sleeve aside and stepped out. "Brother Steward, there's no need to force it. Brother Su is a man of great courage and naturally wouldn't use such a small matter to question me. Shen Ranming is from the same hometown as me, and we once agreed to fight it out, so he just said that. Moreover, I heard Brother Su say that the men of Huaxue Ridge are all top-notch men of courage. Shen Ranming's words are in accordance with the Huaxue Ridge's style. Junior Sister only feels that he is very heroic and would not feel offended. Brother, you are worrying too much."
The sarcasm embedded in these words didn't seem like Su Yang's junior sister. Sikong Qian was stunned, but not angry. The demonic world wasn't supposed to have such chillingly peaceful times. Even if it wasn't the calm before the storm, it was natural to be armed with swords and clubs. Third Sister Yi had only dared to say this after seeing the clues in his attitude towards Shen Ranming.
She then said to Shen Ranming, "I'm currently in the pseudo-foundation building stage, and I don't have any internal skills to cultivate. The spiritual energy I can utilize is similar to yours, both at the Qi training stage. But there's one thing I have to say: if you want to fight me with all your strength, the outcome will be within three moves. After three moves, I'm afraid I won't be able to hold on."
If she could truly defeat the enemy within three moves, Yi Sanmei might still have some obsession in her heart. If she wanted to dispel her confusion about the path, Shen Ranming, as a cultivator, would be the best choice.
"Three moves." Shen Ranming nodded, "Okay, three moves."
There were many Doupans in Huaxue Ridge, so they randomly chose a place to stay. Seeing them making serious preparations, Sikong Qian suddenly remembered his intention and turned to Su Yang and asked, "The talisman that Junior Brother Su wants is related to a major event related to the formation of Yifeng. Originally, it didn't need to be reported to Feiyan Pavilion before refining. However, the case of the spy infiltrating the sect has not been closed yet, and the Third Elder specifically told me that the Guiqi Pavilion must report the refined artifacts. The procedures are really cumbersome. In addition, Third Junior Brother was seriously injured. It will probably take ten days or half a month to refine a new talisman. If Junior Brother has any elixirs that can dissolve blood stasis and promote blood production, perhaps Third Junior Brother can refine it faster?"
Looking at Sikong Qian's smiling face, Su Yang felt somewhat helpless: "Sixty to seventy percent of the healing pills refined by my Danxin Pavilion are taken away by Huaxue Ridge. Why is it still not enough?" Sikong Qian said: "Those crudely made pills refined by the human furnace are too poisonous. After all, we are inner disciples, so we should be careful when using medicine."
Hearing the word "human furnace," Su Yang immediately felt a chill run down his spine, and subconsciously glanced at Yi Sanmei. Seeing that Yi Sanmei was absorbed in thought and hadn't heard, he breathed a sigh of relief, losing interest in conversation. He pulled out a bottle of precious wine and tossed it over to her, concentrating on the Dou Pan without saying a word. Sikong Qian, overjoyed to see it was actually fifth-grade precious wine, stopped pestering Su Yang.
Third Sister Yi, standing in the fighting pit, overheard the two men's conversation, but she remained unfazed. She had long suspected that the furnaces that automatically refined the elixirs might be made by humans. She might have felt disgusted before, but now that she was halfway to death, she was no longer the Third Sister Yi who would shudder at the thought of killing someone. Now, what mattered most to her was which of her three moves to use.
Wind Control, Fire Control, Wood Growth, Fireball, Iron Transmutation… Of these basic spells, Third Sister Yi could only use them three times. She had no offensive weapons, only the bamboo slips she used as a means of transportation. Fortunately, the spiritual energy consumed by operating the bamboo slips was negligible. After gathering her thoughts, Third Sister Yi looked at Shen Ranming.
Shen Ranming took a deep breath. He was practicing the Dian Cang Jue, a technique of weapon refinement from the Huaxue Ridge. Practitioners often used light, graceful instruments. Each time the Dian Cang Jue was activated, the instrument would emit a faint green light. Upon striking the opponent's body, the flow of spiritual energy would momentarily stagnate. Upon striking the enemy's weapon, the green light would gradually erode the original imprint of the instrument, ultimately transforming it into his own. It was a truly revolting technique. As a disciple of the Huaxue Ridge Guiqi Pavilion, he was forbidden from collecting instruments from the vault; he had to refine his own. Shen Ranming's weapon of choice was a long needle. However, the Dian Cang Jue in the Qi training stage could only wield a single weapon, and since he was still unskilled in wielding it, he also practiced the Fireball Technique as a supplement.
Three moves, within three moves, I will eliminate all my inner demons and find my own path! A cold light flashed in their eyes, and they started at the same time in tacit understanding.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
