บท 66: The Tip of the Iceberg
Chapter 66 – The Tip of the Iceberg
*********************************************
.
[Pills]
Basic Healing Pill (10): 1 Yang Essence
Basic Spirit Pill (10): 1 Yang Essence
Basic Refreshment Pill (10): 1 Yang Essence
Basic Berserk Pill (1): 1 Yang Essence
.
[Manuals]
Demonic Body Strengthening (Volume 2): 1,000 Yang Essence
.
[Permanent Skill]
Aphrodisiac Immunity: 1,000 Yang Essence
.
[Familiar]
Spirit of Xu Xiuying's Clone: 1,000 Yang Essence
.
*********************************************
.
Two items in the system shop were added after Xu Miao had completed the previous quest. One of the items was basic berserk pills, and the other was a cultivation manual.
The berserk pill came with a description. Once used, the consumer's strength would increase by two folds, but the user would lose their rationality for a few hours. Most importantly, their future cultivation progress would be frozen for a year as a side effect.
It was a pity that the berserk pill couldn't cripple the consumer's cultivation for good, but a year was enough for Xu Miao to catch up with Xie Tian's monstrous talent and upgrading speed.
Right now, Xie Tian's cultivation was already 2nd stage level 7, which increased from before by 2 levels. As for Xu Miao, the system stopped his advancement at 1st stage level 10, which frustrated him.
Xu Miao needed time the most, but time was against him. He knew that Xie Tian would keep getting stronger. Within a year, this protagonist might even reach the 5th stage and could square against elders with ease.
A combination of gathering intelligence, sabotaging, and making use of stronger cultivators was needed if Xu Miao wanted to kill Xie Tian.
Jiang Lan would spy on Xie Tian's skills and his hidden techniques. The berserk pill that Xu Miao gave Xie Tian would sabotage the latter's advancement, and the Wei Clan and others were now Xie Tian's enemies.
Everything went according to Xu Miao's plan, but he wasn't satisfied. Unless his cultivation base surpassed Xie Tian, he wouldn't make a move. At least, he wanted to be strong enough to fight Xie Tian on one-on-one combat, just in case all his plans went south and he was forced to deal the final blow.
For now, Xu Miao had to wait. From his perspective and prediction, the Wei Clan would try to kill Xie Tian during the next event. With the protagonist's plot armor, Xie Tian would survive or even defeat his foes, but he would suffer a serious setback. Afterward, he would recover and come back with more strength.
But the question was – Will Wei Huang take action?
.
.
.
After Jia Shan and Xu Xiuying had handled all rewards, the mountain goose elders cleaned the stage. While they were at it, Jian Meng announced the main event.
"All passing test-takers are now official outer disciples of either the mountain goose sect or the silver phoenix sect. However, all new disciples have a chance to prove their strength if they're not satisfied with being an outer disciple. They can challenge one of our top inner disciples to prove their worth!"
The crowd cheered. This was the event they were looking for, the 1-on-1 combat challenge.
The 400 new disciples also looked forward to the event, but not all of them wanted to participate as they were aware of their weaknesses and their inferior cultivation base. All inner disciples were 4th stage elites, but most of the new disciples were 2nd stage rookies.
Still, many over-achievers wanted to show off their skills. One of them, Qing Zhong, laughed and stood before the stage, securing the first queue to challenge an inner disciple.
Jian Meng continued explaining the rules and encouraging the rookies, "Everyone has one chance to challenge an inner disciple. Also, challengers don't need to defeat an inner disciple in combat to earn their promotion. They only need to show what they can do against a stronger foe and impress our elders! All elders here will guarantee that none of you will die during the event, so every new disciple should take this opportunity to compare your strength against elites and show us what you can do! We've prepared refined spirit stones for every brave challenger. If one of the elders approves your promotion, you will also receive a copy of your sect's core technique! Do your best!"
Mountain goose disciples hit their drums again, signaling the start of the last event.
Qing Zhong jumped onto the stage right away. As if he knew what he should do, he looked at one of the girls from the silver phoenix sect and bellowed, "I, Qing Zhong, the great young master of the Qing Clan, challenge any fairy from the silver phoenix sect!"
It was a custom that mountain goose disciples should challenge a senior from the same sect, but this lecherous fat man wanted to use this chance to impress women instead.
All elders shook their heads, disapproved of Qing Zhong's action. However, they didn't stop him.
One of the Virgin Yin inner disciples leaped from the VIP stand and stood on the stage. It was a pink-haired woman who was in her early 20s. Her face, bright eyes, and her nose were the same as Zhu Qiao, but her demeanor was the opposite.
Zhu Yanyu, the elder sister of Zhu Qiao, was the 10th strongest inner disciple, who was also the amazon elder's disciple. She came with her magic bikini armor and a medium-grade magic tower shield.
As soon as Zhu Yanyu stood in front of Qing Zhong, their height difference was apparent to the crowd. This pink-haired girl was 180cm tall, and she had toned muscle. Because of her healthy physique, her 6-pack was visible, and her butt was thick as well.
All male spectators who admired strong women drooled as they gazed at Qing Zhong's firm body. They fantasized about being ravished by such a tough girl.
"Qing Zhong, go to hell!"
"Die, fatty!"
"Sister Zhu, kill that fatass!"
Some of the crowd knew Zhu Yanyu. They booed Qing Zhong while they cheered for the sexy girl.
Zhu Yanyu ignored the crowd. She slammed her tower shield on the stage and brought out a long spear, which was also a medium-grade magic weapon. She took a combat stance as if she were a Spartan.
She came here with a determination to fight!
"I, Zhu Yanyu, will be your opponent! Take out your weapon!"
Qing Zhong sneered. He took out his most expensive weapon from his spatial ring, a high-graded battle axe. It was a giant metal axe that weighed 100kg, but this fat man held it with only one hand.
"I know that you'll come out first, fairy Zhu. Before we battle, can we make a bet?"
Zhu Yanyu frowned, "What bet?"
"If I can defeat you, how about you become my wife?"
The crowd, elders, and Zhu Yanyu looked at the fat young master in disgust. Mockery and jeer got louder. Some of the spectators even threw trash at Qing Zhong to chase him out from the stage.
Zhu Yanyu maintained her posture, remaining calm. She also sneered, "If I win, how about I take that battleaxe of yours."
"Fair enough! Deal!"
"Then, let's fight!"
When the challengers and the challenged were ready, Jian Meng took the duty as a referee to start the duel, "BEGIN!"
Zhu Yanyu stood firm, bending her knees, hiding behind her tower shield while pointing her spear over her shield. There was no peek hole for her to see what in front of her, which was unusual and suspicious.
Qing Zhong didn't care about that. He had come here with a plan. The fat man had expected that Zhu Yanyu would appear first, and her battle style focused on defense-and-counter. Since she wouldn't attack first, Qing Zhong plotted to win with one super attack.
Thus, Qing Zhong prepared a specific weapon to defeat her with the strongest weapon of his father, the thunder battle axe.
The high-graded magic axe emitted sparks of electricity. It glowed in yellowish light. Qing Zhong's dantian circulated all remaining 2,000 strands of yang qi into his axe.
"TAKE THIS!! THUNDER SPLITTER!!"
That was Qing Zhong's strongest attack skill. He didn't believe that the girl with bikini armor could resist against thunder magic and the supreme impact force.
*BOOM*
The axe slammed onto Zhu Yanyu's shield. Electric current zapped her.
Zhu Yanyu didn't move or react to the attack. Her shield and spear stayed in the same position.
Qing Zhong grinned. As he had expected, the thunder attack should have stunned the girl. He was sure that a 4th stage cultivator like her wouldn't be able to stand against a direct magic attack like this.
"Hahaha! You've lost! There's no shame admitting defeat, sister Zhu! I promise that I'll love you every day until you give me 12 children!"
Being sure of his victory, Qing Zhong pulled back his axe from the shield with difficulty. For some reason, it got heavier.
"ReAlLy? aRe yOu SuRe?"
The weird cold dialect of the bikini-armor girl alarmed Qing Zhong. She was still conscious after the lightning strike.
"NoW tHaT yOu hAd AtTaCkEd, iT's mY tUrN!"
Zhu Yanyu's shield flashed in yellow light. Then, thunder magic was released and zapped Qing Zhong.
It was Qing Zhong's thunder art earlier. Zhu Yanyu used it against him.
*BOOM*
Getting electrocuted, the fat man turned into a roasted black pig. Black smoke came out of his mouth, nostrils, ears, and butthole.
After five seconds, Qing Zhong fell unconscious.
"Winner, Zhu Yanyu!"
Jian Meng stopped the match. Ten mountain goose disciples jumped on the stage and carried the fainted fat man away.
Zhu Yanyu only snorted as she walked toward the dropped item. She picked up the heavy battleaxe with one hand and lifted it as if it was as light as feather.
"tHaNkS fOr ThE aXe, DuMbAsS."
The Spartan girl coughed a few times to adjust her vocal cord before she returned to her seat on the VIP stand.
.
.
.
When Zhu Yanyu returned, Xu Miao didn't miss this chance to question how she had defeated Qing Zhong.
"Senior Zhu, how did you defeat that fatty? I only saw magic skills, but I didn't understand anything."
Zhu Yanyu glanced at Xu Miao and shrugged, "wHeN yOu-*COUGH*-*AHEM*-When you can use essence instead of qi in combat, you'll understand. Let's just say my shield can store magic attacks and use it against the caster. Every attack that lands on it will make my opponent's weapons heavier. You should be able to understand everything once you reach the 4th stage."
"…"
Xu Miao broke a sweat. So far, he only encountered weak opponents without magic treasures in the real world. This was his first time seeing real elite fighting like one of the clones by using unique treasures.
'What kind of monster will she be if I fight her in that space? What is her potential percentage in that fight? Did she go all-out, or was that just a warm-up?'
Learning is improving. While Xu Miao was plotting to backstab Xie Tian, he never forgot to collect data and compare them to the clones.
'I guess I have to start fighting 2nd stage cultivators instead of beating 1st stage weaklings. I have to try surviving against 3rd stage or 4th stage elites with max difficulty, too.'
A new training schedule had been arranged for future training.
Although killing Xie Tian was important, Xu Miao couldn't neglect training. Cultivation was a long journey, and his journey had hardly begun.
ความคิดของผู้สร้าง 
DamnPlotArmor
DamnPlotArmor Discord: https://discord.gg/gRSnV3B
บท 67: Wei Yuan VS Xu Miao
Chapter 67 – Wei Yuan VS Xu Miao
After Qing Zhong's failure, many others tried to fight against inner disciples from both sects in earnest.
The duels were peaceful and friendly. After 300 fights, no one died since all inner disciples held back. Yet, nobody could impress the elders or landed an attack on one of these 20 elites.
Hours went by. Soon, most new disciples got their turn. Only a few top scorers hadn't joined in the fun yet.
Soon, Wei Yuan made her appearance. This blond girl had a pleasant smile that charmed all spectators, but most young men couldn't help but glare at Xu Miao in envy and hatred. None of them forgot the infamous trashy young master who soiled their goddess.
"Can I challenge non-inner disciple? I wish to challenge my future husband."
The crowd murmured in shock. Even the elders looked at each other, confused by Wei Yuan's request. Most of them turned to Wei Huang, who might know something.
But Wei Yuan didn't want the commotion to escalate. She elaborated, "When we were in the third trial, we didn't get a chance to test each other's strength before we… err… fell in love and consummated. I wish to learn about my prospect's skills and talent with my full power, so I need elders to watch over us."
Many elders from the mountain goose sect nodded. Since Wei Yuan might want to forfeit her right to challenge their inner disciples, having her fight the infamous young master might be a good idea.
Jia Shan approved, "I see no problem with that. Xiuying, are you fine with that?"
Xu Xiuying rolled her eyes, "Go ahead. Don't kill each other."
With the two masters' permission, Xu Miao had no choice but to jump onto the stage and faced his unofficial fiancé. He also didn't forget to take Killer Queen with him, just in case, this oni girl might try something stupid.
"Xu Miao greets wifey! So, are we here to discuss our future wedding or what?"
Xu Miao acted nonchalant to hide his anxiety. He hated revealing his strength to the crowd, especially in front of Xie Tian and other lurking local villains.
Wei Yuan grinned. She donned herself in her new heavenly treasure, the dragon scale robe.
During the break, Wei Huang secretly empowered the robe with his essence, activating 80% of the robe's functions. Now, it could block 30-40% of magic attacks, and it was invulnerable to physical attacks.
With such OP treasure, Wei Yuan wanted to bully Xu Miao and force him to join her family obediently.
"Hubby, I want to make a bet."
"What bet?"
"If I win, join the Wei family! If you win, I'll give you an earth-grade treasure."
"That's not something I can decide. I belong to the Xu Clan, so I can't just simply change my surname without my mother's permission!"
Although Wei Yuan's proposal was attractive, Xu Miao had a change of heart. Since he had a bit of immunity against mind attacks, Xu Xiuying's threat wouldn't be as scary as before.
Secondly, now, the Wei Clan and Xie Tian had become sworn enemies. It would be unwise to join that side since he might have to fight Xie Tian in the open. Xu Miao didn't plan to fight Xie Tian at the moment when he was weaker than the protagonist.
"Are you sure? I'll add my wager. I'll join your sect instead of the mountain goose sect if you win. How about that?"
Instead of talking to Xu Miao, Wei Yuan's words were directed to Xu Xiuying, who held the decision power. She gave her "mother-in-law" a bright smile, testing the patience of the succubus queen.
Xu Xiuying snorted. She shook her head, "I don't approve gambling. No betting in this fight."
"Ah, what a pity," Wei Yuan sighed. This family didn't fall to an obvious trick. Still, she got to fight Xu Miao and test his skills, which was her main goal.
Jian Meng stepped forward to end the drama, "Are you done?"
Wei Yuan and Xu Miao shrugged and nodded.
"I'm ready."
"Anytime."
Jian Meng waved his hand, "Then, BEGIN!"
As soon as Jian Meng signaled the start of the match, both Wei Yuan and Xu Miao leaped away from each other.
Wei Yuan was wary of Xu Miao's energy drain skill, so she avoided fighting in close combat. As for Xu Miao, it was his natural fighting style that he always kept a distance from his enemies, so he could read his opponent's fighting style easier.
Seeing that Xu Miao didn't choose to fight in a close-combat, Wei Yuan summoned a medium-grade naginata, which she had obtained from KQ. She also threw two kunai, which was coated with her demonic aura.
Xu Miao took out a common saber and coated it with his aura as well. He leaped to the side, avoiding the flying knives.
But the two kunai suddenly curved and made a U-turn. They were homing knives!
Amused by the skill, Xu Miao parried it with his saber.
*CLANK*
The saber broke the moment it hit the demonic aura from one of the knives. The quality of demonic was superior to yang qi.
'Ho?'
Xu Miao bent his body as if he were Keanu Reeve, dodging the homing knives again.
The kunai returned to Wei Yuan's hand. She tossed them again and followed up with four more homing knives. After that, she rushed in, closing the distance.
Xu Miao flipped his body while he was laying on the ground on his back. An ice wall manifested before him while he summoned another magic weapon from his new spatial ring.
A sheathed low-grade rusty katana appeared. Xu Miao got back on his feet and got into Iaido sword-drawing posture, getting ready to slash as if he were a samurai.
He might not have trained in sword arts, but he had practiced a lot in this world and he had stolen a skill.
*BOOM*
*BOOM*
Six homing kunai hit the ice wall and exploded. While the ice was exploding, Wei Yuan leaped into the explosion and swung down her naginata. She also activated her technique.
Mountain Cleaver!
Air splitted and pressuring aura sharpened. A giant blade image appeared on top of Wei Yuan's naginata, and it threatened to cut Xu Miao in half.
Xu Miao drew his katana. Using his muscle memory after he fought monstrous clones several thousand times, he also used his sword techniques.
Qing Swordsmanship +20!
Stripper Swordsmanship!
Using the knowledge and the techniques as a base, Xu Miao had a fundamental understanding of various sword movements. Using a katana was no different from using a saber as long as he could understand the movement's purposes.
As if Xu Miao was mimicking a skill of Atomic Samurai from a certain anime with an OP bald protagonist, a hundred flashes of afterimages sliced through Wei Yuan's skill aura.
"ATOMIC SLASH!"
*SWUA* *SWUA* *SWUA* *SWUA*
*SWUA* *SWUA* *SWUA* *SWUA*
*SWUA* *SWUA* *CLANK*
Of course, a half-baked mimic skill was incomplete. Xu Miao couldn't possibly slash as precisely as Atomic Samurai. Still, it was enough to shatter Wei Yuan's shadow image and repel her attack at a cost of losing the low-grade katana.
*SWUA* *SWUA*
Ten slashes grazed Wei Yuan's neck, face, and torso, leaving shallow wounds. However, it couldn't cut through the dragon scale robe. The demonic essence inside the robe was too strong for Xu Miao's current strength to break through even though he used a lot of qi.
Wei Yuan took a few steps backward as she gazed at her destroyed weapon in a pity. She had a wry smile on her face.
"Hubby, it's bad to destroy your wife's precious belongings."
Xu Miao's face distorted. His arm muscle was damaged, and his arm ligament was torn because of the usage of the previous skill. He circulated his Qi into the injured areas for emergency recovery.
"Wifey, that skill just now could have killed me. If I didn't destroy your weapon, I could have died."
"Oh, please. You could have dodged that. Why did you repel it?"
"Dodge that, and you'll follow up with a more destructive skill! I sensed your Qi moving to your feet. The next attacks would have come after me from the ground!"
"Like this?" Wei Yuan stomped her front foot, and a stone cage manifested from the stone arena, trapping Xu Miao inside, "See? I just wanted to trap you."
Xu Miao rolled his eyes. He could break the cage and continue fighting, but it was a hassle and a waste of resources. Moreover, he didn't want to reveal his hands to Xie Tian and other villains.
Thus, Xu Miao turned to Jian Meng, "I give up."
Jian Meng nodded. He raised his hand and ended the match, "Winner, Wei Yuan!"
Wei Yuan laughed and returned to her family, but she got scolded for ruining her medium-graded weapon. The commotion on the Wei Clan's side didn't seem like she won at all.
As for Xu Miao, he returned to his seat and popped one of his healing pills to his mouth. Then, he sat down and concentrated on healing his injured arms.
Many disciples from the silver phoenix sect looked disappointed that Xu Miao lost. Only a few elites and the elders knew that Xu Miao didn't give his all.
The masters gazed at the sheathed weapon behind Xu Miao's back. It gave off an aura of a heavenly treasure, similar to Wei Yuan's protective robe. Yet, he didn't use it.
Qi Hong glanced at him. Curious about his skills, she questioned his motive, "Had you used the sword on your back, you could have won. Why didn't you use it?"
"Yeah, right. I would have won, but I would have killed Wei Yuan in the process. Do you want me to start a war with the Wei Clan?"
"Of course not!"
"The duel wasn't pointless, though. Well, at least I know that I can't use a sword properly in a real fight."
Qing Swordsmanship was useful. After upgrading it to +20, Xu Miao's sword handling skill got more fluid and precious. But for him, it wasn't enough. He needed more training.
Xu Miao was optimistic. Learning that he couldn't use Atomic Slash properly, he planned to train some more until he could mimic it without a backlash.
'I need to make a shortlist. Aside from dealing with Xie Tian, I should jot down my training goals…'
Xu Miao's training schedule and target list got longer again.
ความคิดของผู้สร้าง
DamnPlotArmor
DamnPlotArmor
Discord: https://discord.gg/gRSnV3B
ของขวัญ
-- ได้รับของขวัญแล้ว สถานะพลังงานรายสัปดาห์
200+ การจัดอันดับด้วยพลัง 
8 หินพลัง 
ความคิดเห็นย่อย