A dozen breaths later, the martial arena was suddenly blanketed in a thick, billowing mist, obscuring the figures of the two combatants.
"Hey, hey, did you guys see the move Junior Sister Yu Luo just used?" a disciple in the audience asked excitedly, nudging his companion.
"Of course I did!" another replied with equal excitement. "That's an ancient Spirit Skill passed down in our Xuanyang Sect—Floating Heavens. Word has it that within the Profound Spirit Grade, this technique is completely invincible... Junior Sister Yu Luo is truly brilliant and peerless; to think the Sect Master even taught her this move."
"I originally thought Senior Brother Wang Meng had this in the bag, but looking at it now, it's hard to say."
"Look, the fog is clearing!"
With that, the disciples in the audience glued their eyes back onto the stage.
To everyone's surprise, once the mist cleared, only a bruised and battered Wang Meng stood on the platform. Yu Luo had vanished as completely as if she had dissolved into the vapor.
Wang Meng panted heavily, his expression grave. "I never imagined Junior Sister Yu Luo could pull off that technique. I miscalculated."
Earlier on the stage, after he had beaten Yu Luo back, she had suddenly used her spiritual power to conjure up a fog dense enough to restrict spiritual perception. Not only that, but her speed had surged by more than a notch; in just a few short breaths, she had launched over a dozen ghostly, surprise attacks against him.
In his memory, this was precisely the first form of Floating Heavens: Shadow on the Water.
As for how Yu Luo had managed to dissipate along with the mist, she had executed the second form, which complemented Shadow on the Water: Concealment in the Water.
"The next move will probably be the third form."
Wang Meng knew full well that if he did not unleash his strongest Spirit Skill now, his defeat was only a matter of time.
"Junior Sister Yu Luo, watch yourself."
After a moment's thought, Wang Meng slammed his foot hard against the ground, kicking up surging waves of golden shockwaves. He then raised his heavy saber high, and a roiling crimson blade aura began to billow from the weapon.
With a sharp shout, Wang Meng swung the seemingly massive blade as though it were a short dagger. In an instant, countless dazzling golden blade slashes roared out in all directions.
The momentum was so fierce that even the protective grand array above the martial arena began to vibrate violently.
As for the disciples below, every single one of them was shocked by this heaven-shaking, earth-shattering blow.
This was the true strength of a top-tier prodigy of the Xuanyang Sect!
Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang!
The fierce blade slashes slammed repeatedly against the barrier, unleashing a continuous series of deafening explosions.
Yet, wildly powerful though Wang Meng's assault was, there was still no sign of Yu Luo, let alone any chance of hitting her.
Seeing this, Wang Meng clenched his teeth, the veins on his arms bulging as he unleashed an even more violent tide of attacks.
Unbeknownst to Wang Meng, however, faint ripples—just like pebbles dropping into water—suddenly stirred beneath his feet. Though they looked gentle, they completely absorbed the golden shockwaves he was erupting.
"Senior Brother Wang Meng," Yu Luo's calm, ethereal voice suddenly drifted into Wang Meng's ears. "No matter how peerless your blade aura is, it cannot cut through a rushing waterfall."
The next instant, the ripples beneath Wang Meng's feet surged upward, transforming into a rapidly spinning wall of water that ignored his attacks and trapped him firmly within.
His pupils contracted sharply, and he frantically slashed about with his saber in a desperate attempt to break free.
Alas, it was all in vain.
A pillar of water rose straight up from the ground. Before Wang Meng could react, it merged with the water wall, forming a towering water tornado that surged into the high heavens and swallowed him whole.
High above, a torrential downpour followed right behind.
Faint light filtered through, refracted by countless raindrops to project a fleeting, graceful silhouette.
Above the tornado, Yu Luo descended from the sky like a fish sporting through the ocean, spinning and leaping playfully before plunging downward with her sword in hand.
Splash!
The water tornado burst apart into a shower of fireworks-like spray, leaving behind only two figures.
Wang Meng's face was deathly pale. The moment he hit the ground, he spat out a mouthful of blood.
An uproar instantly erupted through the entire crowd.
"Senior Brother Wang Meng lost!"
"Junior Sister Yu Luo is well on her way to being invincible!"
On the stage, Wang Meng looked at the proudly standing Yu Luo and offered a bitter smile. "Junior Sister Yu Luo, Senior Brother is thoroughly impressed. I concede."
"You flatter me, Senior Brother Wang Meng."
Yu Luo's expression remained detached. She offered Wang Meng a slight bow, then turned and stepped down from the platform.
The discussions among the audience were endless.
"Junior Sister Yu Luo is only at the Xuanling First Layer and she managed to defeat Senior Brother Wang Meng at the Xuanling Second Layer. That kind of talent has got to make her number one in our Xuanyang Sect, right?"
"Hey, hey, you've got that wrong," a disciple retorted, disagreeing with his companion. "Number one in our Xuanyang Sect is clearly Junior Brother Wuyou!"
"Oh, come off it. Everyone knows Junior Brother Wuyou hasn't made a move in ten years. Who knows if his cultivation hit a bottleneck and his strength has regressed?"
"Otherwise, why wouldn't he come out for ten years to clear his name?"
"Hmph, if you've got the guts, let's make a bet! Ten spirit stones, wagering on whether Junior Brother Wuyou or Junior Sister Yu Luo is stronger!"
"You're on! Who's afraid of you?"
The pair's wager instantly drew the attention of many.
Gradually, the disciples supporting Chen Wuyou and those supporting Yu Luo divided into two distinct camps.
It was worth noting that the supporters of Yu Luo were noticeably more numerous than those of Chen Wuyou.
Yu Luo, however, appeared utterly indifferent to the matter.
Just then, a youthful voice that had not yet lost its childish inflection rang out from the distance: "Betting only ten spirit stones? You senior brothers really look down on Wuyou-ge."
The inner disciples of the Xuanyang Sect were naturally very familiar with this voice, and they immediately turned their heads to look in its direction.
And so, with Shangguan Mo cradled in his arms, Chen Wuyou came flying right up in front of them, looking all too bright and lively.
"Everyone—senior brothers, senior sisters, junior brothers, junior sisters—were you just talking about me?"
Chen Wuyou's arrival instantly stirred up a massive commotion.
"Se... Senior Brother Wuyou!" a disciple supporting Chen Wuyou shouted excitedly.
For most of the younger disciples, ever since the day they entered the sect, they had heard the sect's elders mention this most unique existence in the Xuanyang Sect. Yet, as the years passed, catching even a glimpse of Chen Wuyou was exceedingly difficult.
Now that he had appeared right here on the martial stage, how could they not be excited!
"I heard a certain junior sister wants to challenge me. Which one of you is it?"
At those words, everyone's gaze unanimously fell upon Yu Luo.
"Senior Brother Wuyou, it's me."
Yu Luo made her way through the crowd and walked slowly up to Chen Wuyou.
Seeing Yu Luo's exquisite features, Chen Wuyou was momentarily dazzled, and a somewhat mischievous smile immediately crept onto his face.
Mo'er, this silly girl, why didn't she tell me sooner that this junior sister was so pretty!
"Haha, and what might Junior Sister's name be?"
"My name is Yu Luo."
Standing nearby, Shangguan Mo puffed out her cheeks and stealthily pointed at Yu Luo, filing a complaint with Chen Wuyou: "Wuyou-ge, it's this bad senior sister who said you were no good."
"Mo'er." Seeing how stubbornly Shangguan Mo clung to the phrase 'no good', Chen Wuyou looked at the young girl with a helpless expression. "That's not what she meant."
Afterward, Chen Wuyou turned back to Yu Luo with an amiable smile and said, "Haha, Junior Sister Yu Luo... um, are you free tonight? Care to come over to my place... uh."
Halfway through his sentence, Chen Wuyou suddenly froze. He glanced at Shangguan Mo beside him, then at the crowd of disciples staring at him with eager anticipation, and suddenly woke up to himself, hurriedly shutting his mouth.
Perhaps he had visited Tianxiang Pavilion a bit too often; this little speech of his had become entirely too reflexive.
He had almost played himself right off a cliff.
"What did Senior Brother say?"
"Uh." Chen Wuyou choked for a moment, then a flash of inspiration hit him. "Well, old... the Elder Shangguan heard that our Xuanyang Sect has produced a prodigy like Junior Sister Yu Luo, and he wants to meet you. As you should know, the old man has always deeply cared about the development of our Xuanyang Sect."
Shangguan Danqing: "?"
Hearing this, Yu Luo frowned slightly. "Senior Brother, today Yu Luo's primary goal is to ask Senior Brother for guidance. As for everything else, we can discuss it later."
To tell the truth, before meeting Chen Wuyou, Yu Luo had held quite high expectations for this legendary senior brother.
Yet the clean-cut youth standing before her, radiating a faint air of rguishness, truly left her feeling somewhat disappointed.
However, the mention of sparring instantly piqued everyone's interest around them.
A duel between the old guard and the new—it was bound to be spectacular.
To be honest, compared to Yu Luo's pretty face, Chen Wuyou couldn't muster the slightest bit of interest in the question of who was stronger. But he couldn't resist Shangguan Mo staring at him with such expectant eyes, so he could only let out a sigh and say helplessly, "Since that's the case, I'll spar a little with Junior Sister."
Hearing this, Yu Luo nodded in satisfaction, then raised a hand to point toward the martial stage.
"Senior Brother, please."
"Junior Sister just fought an exhausting battle. Shouldn't you rest a moment to recover some spiritual power?"
"There's no need," Yu Luo shook her head. "My spiritual power consumption wasn't great. Let's begin right now."
Hearing these words, the recently defeated Wang Meng wore an expression that was somewhat difficult to look at.
At this, Chen Wuyou raised an eyebrow, a secret smile playing in his heart: *This pretty junior sister has quite a sharp tongue.*
"Since that's how it is, Senior Brother won't stand on ceremony." Chen Wuyou smiled faintly, turning to address a few disciples nearby. "Junior brothers, would you mind taking care of Mo'er for a moment?"
"Wuyou-ge, you have to win!" Shangguan Mo waved her little fists to cheer Chen Wuyou on.
"Don't worry." Chen Wuyou affectionately tapped the tip of the young girl's nose.
With a light push of his toes, Chen Wuyou flew up onto the stage.
"Come on, Junior Sister Yu Luo."
The latter nodded slightly, her figure fluttering as she lightly leaped to the opposite side of Chen Wuyou.
"Senior Brother, please enlighten me."