novelraw Chapter 49 – Teased
Chapter 49 – Teased
The Free Spirit Outer Sect had over a thousand disciples, gathering the elite young generation from the entire Yunlong Prefecture.
News that Luo Xiu, who had ranked first in the entry assessment over half a month ago, was going to face off against the somewhat famous Lin Jingyun on the Life-and-Death Battle Platform quickly stirred quite a commotion within the Free Spirit Outer Sect.
"Is Luo Xiu crazy?"
When Xu Ping and Wang Can heard the news, they were dumbfounded.
Having been in the Free Spirit Outer Sect for some time, as newcomers, it was normal to be bullied by some of the older disciples. Both Xu Ping and Wang Can could only endure it silently.
But Luo Xiu was entirely different from them, showing no intention of keeping a low profile. If someone provoked him, he would retaliate forcefully.
A life-and-death battle on the platform required an application for notarization from the higher-ups of the Outer Sect. If one killed the other in a private fight, they would face severe punishment.
Thus, the duel between Luo Xiu and Lin Jingyun was scheduled for noon the next day.
Luo Xiu had just returned to his residence when Lu Mengyao arrived.
"Why did you agree to face Lin Jingyun on the Life-and-Death Battle Platform?" As soon as Lu Mengyao entered, her pretty face was covered with frost, her eyes filled with reproach as she stared at Luo Xiu.
"I know you're strong, but you've only been cultivating for a short time. Even if you've broken through to the third layer of the Qi Sea Realm, Lin Jingyun is at the seventh layer and ranks 137th among the Outer Sect disciples!"
Lu Mengyao's concern was understandable. The 137th rank might not seem high, but in a sect with over a thousand disciples, being in the top 150 was a notable achievement.
Even with Luo Xiu's third layer of the Qi Sea Realm, or her own fifth layer, they could at most rank in the top 500 in the Outer Sect.
If it were an ordinary fight, Lin Jingyun wouldn't dare to kill, but the Life-and-Death Battle Platform was different. If someone died there, the other party wouldn't bear any responsibility.
Despite the reproach in Lu Mengyao's words, Luo Xiu felt warmth in his heart, knowing she was concerned for him.
"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing." Luo Xiu reached out to touch her smooth, fair cheek.
When Luo Xiu recounted how he was ambushed by Zhang Lüliang and his three disciples on Yaqi Mountain, Lu Mengyao was utterly shocked.
"You say you can kill a master at the seventh layer of the Qi Sea Realm?"
If it weren't for her understanding of Luo Xiu's character, she would have thought he was bragging.
"Absolutely, otherwise, why would I be foolish enough to fight Lin Jingyun to the death?" Luo Xiu said with a smile.
Hearing this, Lu Mengyao finally let go of her worries. She had been extremely anxious when she first heard about it.
Though only fourteen, Luo Xiu had been training in the Martial Hall since he was ten, enduring hardships for four years. If not for his slightly youthful face, his mindset was almost that of an adult.
Gently twirling a strand of Lu Mengyao's hair, Luo Xiu smiled and said, "If I want to be with you, I still have a long way to go."
The affectionate gesture and tender words made Lu Mengyao's heart tremble slightly.
She was well aware of the situation. As Lu Feichen's daughter, not only the Outer Sect but even the Inner Sect had many geniuses interested in her. She also knew that the issue with Lin Jingyun arose because of her.
"What, are you scared?" Lu Mengyao teased with a smile.
"Scared? What a joke! If I were really scared, would I be here?" Luo Xiu laughed heartily, suddenly moving forward to kiss Lu Mengyao's lips.
The sudden kiss left Lu Mengyao's body stiff, overwhelmed by his masculine scent, making her feel dizzy and enchanted.
As he savored her lips, the unspoken barrier between them shattered, and Luo Xiu's hands roamed over Lu Mengyao's body.
For Lu Mengyao, who had never experienced such intimacy, this was entirely different from the time they faced each other bare to treat the Severed Fire Yang Meridian.
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Just as the heat between them escalated, Luo Xiu's hand lifted her blue skirt, sliding up her smooth, fair skin, about to cover her soft curves, when Lu Mengyao suddenly snapped back to reality.
"No... don't!"
Her voice trembled as she gasped, suddenly pushing Luo Xiu away.
In an instant, the atmosphere turned silent and calm.
A hint of disappointment flashed in Luo Xiu's eyes, as he reminisced about the wonderful feeling, still unsatisfied.
Lu Mengyao lowered her head, her clothes and hair disheveled, her left shoulder exposed, with Luo Xiu's kiss marks on her fair neck.
"Mengyao, I love you."
After a long silence, Luo Xiu finally spoke, breaking the quiet.
As he said this, he moved towards Lu Mengyao, arms open, intending to embrace her.
But Lu Mengyao stepped back, avoiding him, her eyes like autumn water filled with complexity. "Luo Xiu, don't be like this, I'm not ready yet."
Hearing this, Luo Xiu paused, unsure of what she meant. Was she rejecting him?
Perhaps sensing the awkwardness, Lu Mengyao lifted her face with a playful smile, "Don't misunderstand me, you're still young, your body hasn't fully developed, you can't do that yet."
As she spoke, her eyes glanced meaningfully at Luo Xiu's lower body.
Seeing Luo Xiu's speechless and embarrassed expression, Lu Mengyao giggled, stepping forward to lightly touch his lips with hers.
By the time Luo Xiu came to his senses, Lu Mengyao had straightened her clothes and left.
Touching his lips and looking at his hands, Luo Xiu stood there for a long time before muttering, "Was I just teased?"
He distinctly remembered being the one to make the bold move. If not for Lu Mengyao pushing him away, they might have already been entangled on the bed.
"Damn age!" Luo Xiu gritted his teeth, but recalling the intimate encounter, he couldn't help but laugh heartily.
This was fourteen-year-old Luo Xiu, a young man who acted on his thoughts.
...
Though he didn't succeed in his plan with Lu Mengyao, Luo Xiu's mood was sweet.
Recently, Luo Xiu had gained a general understanding of the many rules of the Free Spirit Outer Sect.
Among the thousand disciples, there was a ranking system. Only those ranked in the top 200 could enjoy various superior cultivation benefits.
The remaining 800 or so, outside the top 200, had no access to the resources provided by the Free Spirit Outer Sect, merely holding the title of Outer Sect disciples.
Tomorrow at noon, he would face Lin Jingyun on the Life-and-Death Battle Platform. Without fully revealing his strength, Luo Xiu was at least 80% confident of winning.
Lin Jingyun ranked 137th among the Outer Sect disciples, at the seventh layer of the Qi Sea Realm, and had reportedly mastered a sixth-grade martial technique called Xuanfeng Gang Qi.
Previously, during their brief encounter, Lin Jingyun hadn't shown his true strength.
With only a day left, Luo Xiu couldn't significantly improve his strength or break through the bottleneck in his martial arts.
So, he focused on stabilizing his cultivation at the third layer of the Qi Sea Realm.
Once stabilized, he could take a second Qi Refining Pill to reach the fourth layer, entering the mid-stage of the Qi Sea Realm.
In his room, Luo Xiu activated the fifth-tier Spirit Gathering Formation device he obtained from the Martial King's Treasury with a Mid-Grade Yuan Qi Stone, increasing his efficiency in absorbing Heaven and Earth Yuan Qi fivefold.
Combined with the additional boost from the Heaven's Life and Death Cycle, Luo Xiu's actual cultivation speed was over ten times the normal rate!
In this state, Luo Xiu's True Qi condensed rapidly. As it circulated through his body in a Greater Circulation, the True Qi in his Qi Sea grew denser and more substantial.
While stabilizing his cultivation, Luo Xiu also visualized the Vital Meridians Diagram in his mind, comprehending the first Law Diagram of the Heaven's Life and Death Cycle.
According to the Spirit of Reincarnation, the nine Law Diagrams of the Heaven's Life and Death Cycle contained the mysteries of the Law of Life and Death, from which various martial arts and divine abilities could be derived.
Luo Xiu had only scratched the surface of the first Law Diagram, developing a martial art called the Mark of Life and Death.
However, his understanding was limited, and the Mark of Life and Death had much room for growth and needed continuous refinement.
The next morning, Luo Xiu left his room and headed straight for the Flying Dragon Tower.
In the Free Spirit Outer Sect, there were six special places.
The Free Spirit Pavilion, where martial arts were stored.
The Thousand Mechanisms Building, for honing movement techniques.
The Nine Illusions Formation, for training willpower.
And the Qi Refining Tower, the Body Tempering Valley...
Finally, the Flying Dragon Tower was the place for assessing practical combat rankings!
The first five places were for Outer Sect disciples to enhance their strength, while the final assessment of strength was conducted in the Flying Dragon Tower.
The Flying Dragon Tower was a nine-story building, symbolizing a dragon soaring to the sky. It was said that reaching the ninth floor meant being a dragon among men, an unparalleled genius!
As far as Luo Xiu knew, each floor of the Flying Dragon Tower was set with formations, similar to the Hunter Guild's assessment, presenting various opponents.
Every Outer Sect disciple had one opportunity per month to enter the Flying Dragon Tower.
The higher the ranking in the Flying Dragon Tower, the better the cultivation benefits one could receive.
Having been in the Free Spirit Outer Sect for over half a month, Luo Xiu had one chance to enter the Flying Dragon Tower.
When Luo Xiu arrived at the Flying Dragon Tower, many people had already gathered there.
The nine-story tower resembled a coiled dragon, with the highest ninth floor shaped like a dragon's head. Standing atop it was like being on the dragon's peak.
"Swish!"
A flash of light, and a pale, blood-covered figure was transported out of the Flying Dragon Tower.
"Someone's out, looks like one of the newcomers to the Free Spirit Outer Sect this year."
"I know this guy, he's a little genius from the Wang family in Yushan City. This is his first time in the Flying Dragon Tower, let's see what rank he gets."
The crowd around the Flying Dragon Tower buzzed with discussion, and Luo Xiu noticed that the person transported out was Wang Can.
Beside the Flying Dragon Tower was a massive stone tablet over ten meters high, engraved with names that automatically ranked based on each person's performance in the tower.
The names of the top 200 were the clearest and largest, while those ranked lower were densely packed, making it difficult to find one's name.
Despite his bloodied face, Wang Can hurried over to check his ranking.
After a while, someone found Wang Can's rank and shouted, "I found it! Wang Can, ranked 936th!"