Chapter Forty-Four: The Challenger Arrives, But Mistakes the Opponent

Zhu Ying’s face turned pale in an instant.
This was not the first time she had seen Bai Yujing in this form, but she had always believed it required Bai Yujing’s conscious control.
As long as they could attack before he reacted, his defense would fail.
But Zhu Ying had never expected such a formidable defense to be a passive skill, one that didn’t need Bai Yujing to direct it.
Any attack would trigger an automatic counter.
It was practically cheating!
From now on, any attempt to attack Bai Yujing would first have to break through this layer of spiritual attire.
But how strong was this spiritual attire’s defense?
As the controller of the Titan Spirit, Zhu Ying knew all too well, and even suspected that the force of the rebound earlier was far from the attire’s full potential.
“Hah, hah.”
Liu Shuangling panted heavily, sweat soaking her body; her white T-shirt clung to her chest, nearly transparent, faintly revealing the skin beneath.
In less than half a second, she had pushed herself to the limit to induce an illusion in Bai Yujing.
And that was under the assumption that Bai Yujing wouldn’t resist, letting her hypnotize him.
If Bai Yujing had wanted to resist, her Dragon Glass would have been utterly ineffective.
Damn it, what kind of monster was this?
Liu Shuangling cursed inwardly, yet felt an exhilarating thrill.
She had never imagined there could be someone in the world she couldn’t defeat.
Now, Bai Yujing before her was like an insurmountable mountain.
If she could conquer this mountain, she couldn’t fathom how satisfied she’d feel.
The white vortex slowly contracted.
Bai Yujing, his hands tucked into his sleeves, calmed his urge to string up and roast the three, and said leisurely, “Are you ready to admit defeat?”
Tiya’s legs still trembled as she landed, glancing below.
The spectacle from earlier was gone, and she couldn’t help but marvel at Bai Yujing’s willpower.
The Spring Madness was a drug tailored specifically for spirit masters—a whole bottle’s worth would overwhelm most ninth-grade spirit masters, especially when facing women of such beauty.
But Bai Yujing had suppressed all its effects in such a short time.
Truly a man of iron will.
“I won’t admit defeat so easily!”
Tiya shouted.
The illusion’s body proportions were measured by Liu Shuangling herself, restored with perfect accuracy.
After paying such a price, how could she surrender now?
Bai Yujing’s figure flickered and suddenly appeared before Tiya.
Her emerald eyes widened, but before she could react, Bai Yujing seized her wrist and flung her away.
Still gasping, Liu Shuangling couldn’t react in time, and Tiya’s voluptuous hips landed squarely on her face, knocking her to the ground.

The next moment, Bai Yujing flashed beneath the Titan Spirit, grabbing it with one hand.
The massive Titan Spirit burst apart like a fortress built of sand.
In midair, Zhu Ying tried to kick off into the void, but her waist was struck by a whip-like kick, sending her hurtling to the ground like a shooting star.
The two women had just managed to get up when they were struck down again by Zhu Ying’s crashing impact.
Thud—the bronze gears still creaked and spun, Tiya lay spread-eagled on the ground, pain throbbing below.
Any more and she’d break for sure.
Better wait until she mastered Bankai before assassinating this old geezer.
The spiritual attire was just too abnormal—without elevating her strength, she couldn’t even breach his defenses.
She stayed lying down, letting her body recover before resuming her cultivation.
…
Time slipped by quietly.
Two days later, at nine in the morning.
Gentle sunlight spilled through the cherry grove, pink petals drifting softly in the breeze. Before the archway of Qingyun Sect, two figures suddenly appeared.
One was tall and robust, dressed in a green bodysuit, deep green shorts over it, and a wrestler’s mask atop his head, a vivid red cape fluttering behind him.
He crossed his arms over his chest and spoke in a booming voice, “Folks, this is Qingyun Sect, the sect where the infamous Demon King Liu resides—recently quite the sensation online.”
He was none other than the well-known “Wrestling Superman,” an eighth-grade spirit master, famous for challenging eighth-grade spirit masters in various sects to gain views.
His companion, a thin man, was the cameraman, using an iPhone to broadcast Wrestling Superman’s heroic presence to the livestream audience.
“According to internet rumors, this Liu Demon King is nineteen years old this year and has already reached eighth-grade spirit master.”
Wrestling Superman continued, his tone tinged with skepticism, “Perhaps non-spirit masters aren’t aware how extraordinary that is.
But as an eighth-grade spirit master myself, I can tell you sincerely:
Even if spirit masters grow rapidly in their youth, reaching eighth-grade at nineteen is astonishing.
Even among the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors, some didn’t achieve eighth-grade at nineteen.
Today, I want to see if this is just a myth!”
The livestream comments scrolled rapidly:
“Haha, Wrestling Superman, I support you.”
“Isn’t this a bit much?” “No, go hard! Whenever we discuss combat power, someone brings up Liu Demon King’s future, and how incredible Qingyun Sect’s master must be to cultivate such talent.”
“You’re just jealous of Liu Demon King’s destined rise.”
“Fine, fine, everyone’s jealous of Liu Demon King.”
Wrestling Superman grinned at the camera and strode forward, but an invisible wave blocked his path.
The force of the rebound made him stumble back two steps, nearly falling, prompting laughter from the viewers.
Wrestling Superman was bewildered.
This obscure sect actually had a mountain-guarding array?
Usually, only top-tier sects could afford such luxuries.
Even second-tier sects rarely bothered with these arrays.
The reason—the mountain-guarding array was expensive and required a spirit master versed in scripture; you couldn’t just spend a fortune and end up with a weak array.

It would be humiliating if word got out—not worth the trouble.
Wrestling Superman fell into deep thought; breaking the array to enter was impossible.
He was only here for a challenge, not because of some mortal feud with Qingyun Sect.
What now?
He scratched his head, when suddenly someone appeared atop the steps.
Crimson hair tied in a single ponytail, pale blue eyeshadow on her lids, a cold, elegant face reminiscent of a goddess dwelling alone in the moon palace.
“Come in, the master wishes to see you.”
Wrestling Superman’s gaze grew wary; he couldn’t see through the half-demon’s spiritual pressure, nor sense her arrival—it was as if she materialized out of nowhere.
Although he was often mocked online as the eighth-grade gatekeeper,
A gatekeeper was still eighth-grade.
Wrestling Superman’s expression grew serious. “Thank you, senior, for leading the way. Wen Hao, let’s go.”
He beckoned his companion and started up the steps.
This time, the invisible waves didn’t block him.
As soon as he stepped onto the stairway, the scene before him shifted.
The cherry grove, which had seemed modest, now stretched endlessly, vanishing into the horizon.
Another frenzy of comments erupted in the livestream.
The contrast between the scenery before and after entering the sect was so striking that even viewers unfamiliar with the cultivation world were exclaiming in awe.
But Wrestling Superman was no novice.
This spatial scripture was not something a small sect should possess.
Zhu Ying poured spiritual pressure into the steps, the scripture flashed, and the three found themselves at the stairway’s end, the sudden change sparking another wave of discussion among viewers.
Wrestling Superman was utterly stunned.
Damn, Qingyun Sect must actually be a top-tier sect!
He roared inwardly but stuck to his original plans.
Fortune favors the bold; if he wanted the livestream traffic, he’d have to take the risk.
Exposing Liu Shuangling as a fake eighth-grade spirit master might incur the wrath of Qingyun Sect’s master,
But if he backed down, he’d be unworthy of a million followers.
“Folks, this will be a tough fight—please send your support gifts in the chat!”
Wrestling Superman struck a pose.
His wealthy fans showered him with gifts, showing their support.
Zhu Ying could only think he was an utter fool.