Chapter 467 - 425: The Duel Invitation

Chapter 467: Chapter 425: The Duel Invitation

Li Da’s current state was peculiar.

On one hand, he felt extremely cold, shivering uncontrollably, yet on the other, his anger surged, transforming into a blazing fire that clogged his chest.

This inexplicable fury left him unable to think of anything else; he just wanted to get to the bottom of one thing.

So, in the Yunshan Sect station at Lingsha City, among the connected residences of the Inner Sect Disciples, Li Da banged loudly on Wang Ruoyu’s door.

"Li Zi, what are you doing?" a bewildered Wang Ruoyu opened the door, seeing Li Da glaring at him furiously.

However, seeing Wang Ruoyu’s utterly baffled face only ignited Li Da’s anger further.

How could you put on such an innocent face after what you’ve done!

Li Da gave him a heavy shove, and the two of them entered the room, slamming the door shut with a bang, throwing out a few Silence Talismans.

This was the standard residence of Inner Sect disciples of the Yunshan Sect. In fact, even Outer Disciples each had their own room, but upon advancing to the Inner Sect, the room became a one-bedroom apartment, much more spacious and comfortable.

However, Wang Ruoyu’s place was exceptionally simple; it could be said that what the sect provided remained unchanged, as he had not added any personal furniture. The wardrobe was filled with the standard uniforms of the Yunshan Sect, without a single piece of personal clothing.

Of course, Li Da wasn’t here for a room tour; he glared at Wang Ruoyu with his fiery gaze.

"That bracelet, you gave it, right?"

Wang Ruoyu blinked his eyes, "What bracelet?"

Li Da’s face turned red with anger, "Stop pretending! The one on Junior Martial Uncle’s hand!"

Wang Ruoyu slapped his forehead, "Oh! Yes, I gave it to her. What’s up?"

Seeing his straightforward demeanor, Li Da was momentarily at a loss for words.

You’ve got the answer, now what?

The two of them stared at each other for a long while. Looking at Wang Ruoyu’s sincere face and clueless expression, Li Da felt as if he’d punched cotton.

"Li Zi, I need to cultivate," Wang Ruoyu scratched his head, "Why don’t you stay here tonight, and we’ll cultivate together?"

Li Da’s suppressed anger surged up again, "I’m not talking about cultivation right now!"

"Then what are you talking about?" Wang Ruoyu was even more confused.

Li Da finally couldn’t stand it; he didn’t want to waste more time, and shouted in frustration: "You like Junior Martial Uncle, don’t you?"

Wang Ruoyu nodded, "Yes, I do. I like her a lot."

"You!" Li Da found his usually proud eloquence completely failing him. After a pause, he said viciously, "You’re not allowed to like her!"

Wang Ruoyu let out a sound of surprise, "Why not? I’m not the only one who likes Junior Martial Uncle. Linglong likes her, Elder Jiang likes her, the Sect Leader likes her, and you, Li Zi, you like her too, don’t you?"

"That’s different! It’s not the same kind of like!" Li Da felt like he was going crazy. Opening and closing his mouth, facing Wang Ruoyu’s confused expression, his anger turned into profound helplessness.

Perhaps this Wang the Fool truly didn’t understand what romantic affection was.

After thinking it over, he spoke again in a deep voice, "It’s no use talking to you. Just remember this: From now on, you can’t buy candied fruits for Junior Martial Uncle or give her any other gifts. In short, from now on, you must treat her like an ordinary sect member. Got it?"

Wang Ruoyu nodded instinctively, but then shook his head.

He stared blankly at Li Da for a while before suddenly asking, "Why?"

Li Da had no patience left to explain. He suddenly leaned closer to Wang Ruoyu and said word by word, "No reason, I’m stronger than you, so what I say makes sense. All you need to do is remember that."

After saying that, he turned around to leave.

Wang Ruoyu watched his back, thinking about what Li Da had said, not buying candied fruits for Junior Martial Uncle, not buying other gifts, treating her like an ordinary sect member...

Suddenly, his chest tightened, feeling overwhelmingly sad.

Just as Li Da placed his hand on the doorknob, a phrase escaped his lips, "No way."

Li Da turned back, and Wang Ruoyu felt a surge of unprecedented impulse. He fearlessly met Li Da’s gaze.

"Good." Li Da suddenly smiled, but his eyes held no warmth, "Then let’s wager on the upcoming Shuangye Alliance competition. If I win, you’ll listen to me. If I lose, I’ll let you have Junior Martial Uncle."

A fire ignited in Wang Ruoyu’s heart for the first time; he clearly felt he had something he wanted to fight for with all his might.

He nodded vigorously, "Okay."

The Shuangye Alliance competition was about to begin. As a true disciple, Zheng Duan didn’t have to participate and was expecting to enjoy the crowd, but unexpectedly Lu Qian gave him an official task.

"Take this letter and deliver it to Guh Niqiang of the Danxia Sect," Lu Qian said.

Zheng Duan received it respectfully, inwardly grumbling, Are you writing a love letter to Elder Guh again? Using me as a carrier pigeon, how pitiful.

"This letter is important, you must deliver it to her in person. If she’s temporarily unavailable, wait until she finishes her seclusion. Under no circumstances should someone else deliver it."

Zheng Duan was startled; he clearly understood the gravity of the situation and immediately complied loudly before packing up and leaving Lingsha City.

Besides routine greetings, this letter indeed contained one important matter.

It concerned Fang Hui.

Lu Qian couldn’t fully trust the reason Fang Hui gave for his exile, and with the current symptoms of his divine soul he had discovered, he had to be extra cautious in his handling.

He needed to consult Guh Niqiang, to discreetly verify Fang Hui’s words and his character, and also to evaluate in advance the difficulty of having Fang Hui’s merits balance his faults, for returning to the Danxia Sect, so they could be prepared.

After sending Zheng Duan off, Lu Qian went to the Octagonal Glazed Tower to attend to another crucial task, inspecting the Flying Snake Daoist Soldier test machine.

More than a year ago, the Void-Soaring and Distant-Guarding Divine Ship had completed all its core constructions. Tao Boliang then led the Artifact Refining Team to focus fully on the Flying Snake Daoist Soldiers.

Now, the production of this test machine was ahead of schedule by two months, thanks entirely to their relentless day-and-night research and development.

The Flying Snake Daoist Soldiers were of great significance; apart from Lu Qian, the three elders of the Yunshan Sect were also present.

Four gatekeeper disciples unlocked layers upon layers of arrays and talisman seals, and the massive purple copper gates of the Octagonal Glazed Tower slowly opened.

As soon as they opened, a wave of scorching heat rushed over them, and the scene was awash in fiery red.

This Octagonal Glazed Tower, estimated from the outside, stood thirty stories tall. But inside, there were just three levels.

The ceiling height of the first level alone was eight zhàng.

Billowing spiritual qi filled the furnace, and the earth-fire leaped with golden flames. Amidst the flames, a massive, pitch-black snake silhouette coiled in the center of the space, its dark eyes reflecting an icy glare.