Chapter Fifty-Seven: A Flash of Spiritual Light

  "You shouldn't have agreed to the duel, none of us can beat Zhou Ping." Da Liang Shen Xiu Ming was genuinely worried for Xiao Qiu, pulling on his friend's arm with a face full of concern, "You mustn't get hurt."

  "He's only two or three years older than us, and he can't use magic on the Spiritual Peak, so he doesn't have much of an advantage." Xia Qiu agreed that the duel was not just a momentary impulse, but already had a preliminary judgment.

  "His build is at least twice as big as yours!" Shen Hao also felt that Xiao Qiu was too reckless, "Moreover, he has already opened seven orifices and passed three calamities, only the mouth orifice mountain calamity has not arrived yet——No way, Xiao Qiu brother, you can't compare martial arts with him, let me come, at least I have passed the thunder calamity."

  Xiao Qiu thanked his companions for their kindness, but he would never let others take the lead for him. "As long as I can't use magic, it doesn't matter how many tricks Zhou Ping has up his sleeve. His build is big and his movements will definitely be slower. I'll use this to my advantage to defeat him."

  Everyone was speechless at the same time. They had all fought with Xia Qiu before, especially Shen Huan, who used to clash with Xia Qiu every other day in Ye Lin Town, although he was taller and stronger, but often lost, "Xia Qiu is as slippery as a loach." Shen Huan said with a humiliated tone, still resentful of his past defeats.

  Moreover, Little Autumn can cast spells. Dumbfounded Mu Fei Huang stretched out his right arm, imitating Little Autumn's spell-casting pose, but didn't dare to utter a single word. "Isn't that how Shen Gang was defeated? If Little Autumn uses it again, defeating Zhou Ping will be a piece of cake."

  "Can spells still be used on Yangshen Peak?" Dalang asked.

  "Hmm..." Xia Qiu originally wanted to say no, but after looking at the surrounding companions, a sudden flash of inspiration appeared in his mind. He didn't want to suspect anyone without reason, but if there was evidence, he also didn't want to be fooled by others.

  "Nah, I tried it out last night, and although the effect was limited, it still works." Xiao Qiu decided to tell a small lie. In fact, without Fangfang's help, his spell couldn't leave his fingers at all, rendering it completely useless.

  No one doubted anymore, Shen Gangxu Tong San Tian, the cultivation of Tao Guo was a level higher than Zhou Ping, and could not withstand the curse, let alone Zhou Ping.

  "Do you want to learn spells?" Xia Qiu suddenly had an idea, if several people held hands and cast spells at the same time, the power might be even greater, enough to break through the seal of Yangshen Peak.

  This sentence itself is like a curse, the passionate companions suddenly changed their faces, retreated one after another, and Dalang even wanted to hide under the table. "Xiao Qiuge, don't talk nonsense, I never want to hear Mei Fengzi's curse again, I've already forgotten it completely, if you recite it later, I won't go watch your martial arts competition."

  "Then I'll just recite it silently when we're fighting." Xia Qiu was quite helpless, "The masters have all said that this incantation is fine, it's an ancient technique for focusing one's mind, it's just that no one has passed it down, what are you afraid of?"

  "Afraid of being distracted!" Shen Hao looked at Xiao Qiu in surprise, thinking that this was the most obvious truth. "We've all said it before, one's heart can't have two uses, and the Great Way has no duality. Whether it's incantations or mindfulness, they're all the results of past explorations. Now that the Great Way is open, those unrelated and useless things should be thrown aside, not even worth a glance. If it weren't for defeating Zhou Ping, I really wouldn't want you to use incantations again."

  Xiao Qiu was just about to defend herself, but Shen Hao added another sentence, "And you also dragged Fang Fang down with you, didn't the two of you practice spells together last night?"

  "We two...... how did you know?" Xia Qiu clearly remembered that she hadn't revealed this matter to anyone, not even Da Liang.

  "Uh, Xiao Qingtiao told me, I just wanted to say..."

  "It's none of your business what Xia Qiu and Fang Fang are up to." Da Liang now completely stood on the side of his good friend, and whispered to Xia Qiu: "See, I knew Xiao Qingtuo had a loose mouth, she must have leaked the secret earlier."

  "That's right, Xiao Qingtong spreads rumors to her two younger brothers every day. The Pei brothers love to sow discord and isolate us just like them." Mu Feihuang said with hatred.

  Before leaving the dining hall, Bae's siblings had already been identified as the leaker.

  The veranda outside the house was crowded with people standing on both sides of the path, gathering in twos and threes, not forming a queue as usual.

  The young men of the Wild Forest Town escorted Xiao Qiu like bodyguards, and a disciple who looked older than Zhou Ping blocked their way. He bowed first and said: "You can't beat Zhou Ping, he has been in Yangshen Peak for three years, although he still lacks one tribulation, but his physique is extraordinary, you are not his opponent."

  "It hasn't started yet." Xia Qiu said calmly, this was the standard tone of Yangshen Peak, and anything less would be insufficient to show one's calmness.

  "Why waste time and also waste everyone's energy."

  Shen Hao took a step forward and stood in front of Xiao Qiu, "Your energy is your own, use it as you like, no one invited you to watch the martial arts competition!"

  Liu Yang, the younger brother, shook his head and said, "Only those who have cultivated their energy to form a dan can remain unaffected by external influences. We are all ordinary disciples, still in the initial stages of our cultivation, and it's inevitable that we will experience times of restlessness and distraction. We should support each other and work together to create an atmosphere of effortless harmony with nature. No one should cause trouble."

  "Let's get it over with early, and the trouble will end too." Xia Qiu walked around Shen Huan and said loudly, "After sunset, in front of Qi Yao Hall, everyone is welcome to come and watch. Once you know the result, you won't have to worry about it anymore."

  Watching the backs of the young men from Ye Lin Town disappear into the distance, Liu Yang lightly shook his head, "He's not worthy of learning the way, not worthy."

  In the cramped room, seven people squeezed in and it was already crowded. The companions took turns to give Xia Qiu advice, one said that Zhou Ping's back had a big loophole, another said that his ankle was weak, they couldn't agree on anything. Xia Qiu listened until her head buzzed, so she jumped onto the bed: "Let me rest for a while."

  Shen Hao took the lead, and his companions all left the room, guarding the door and continuing to discuss tactics in a low voice. Xiao Qiu didn't sit down to think, but instead got up to practice his iron bone fist, although this wasn't a combat technique, after practicing it made him feel light and agile, and his confidence in defeating Zhou Ping was also boosted.

  Just after practicing a few moves, Da Liang pushed the door and poked his head in, "Zhou Ping has gone to Qiyao Hall, Mu Fei Huang went to gather information."

  Zhou Ping lifted a stone of several hundred kilograms and tossed it into the air a few times.

  "Zhou Ping demonstrated a set of fist techniques in front of everyone, said to be close combat skills that we can only learn five months later."

  "Zhou Ping had several of his disciples take turns punching him, but he didn't move a step and instead sent the people who were hitting him flying back, with his lower body remaining very stable."

  "Zhou Ping doesn't care about being beaten, Xiao Qiuge, you'd better be careful."

  ……

  Daliang was concerned about Xia Qiu, and every time he received a message, he would push the door to inform him. As a result, Xia Qiu didn't even finish a complete set of iron bone fist, when the door opened again, Xia Qiu jumped up, just wanting to tell Daliang to shut up, but it was Shen Hua who came in, he calmly reminded: "The sun has set."

  The Qi Yao Hall was packed with people, almost all the disciples had arrived, and there were even four or five elders standing in the crowd, including Lin Sa. They chatted casually, without any intention of stopping the martial competition, and a lantern even floated up into the air, illuminating the scene as brightly as daylight.

  Zhou Ping had arrived early, taking off his blue Taoist robe to reveal the tight-fitting attire underneath. He had just been exercising and a thin layer of sweat was seeping from his forehead, looking like he felt extremely good. As a disciple who had been practicing for several years, even with victory within his grasp, he didn't open his mouth to boast, and instead his expression became even more calm, as if he was forced to participate in the martial competition and only hoped it would end soon.

  To the disciples watching, this was a duel with little suspense. They were puzzled by one thing: what was going on with that disciple named Mu Xingqiu? He had entered the Nurturing Heart Peak a month late and had only appeared for a few days before causing trouble everywhere.

  Lin Xiao laughed and asked those around her: "Who do you think will win? We can make a bet."

  That old man smiled and shook his head, "Making a bet in front of the disciples isn't a good example. Occasionally having a match is fine, it can release the accumulated evil energy among everyone, winning or losing doesn't matter."

  For some people, winning and losing is crucial.

  Shen Hao closely followed Xiao Qiu's back, patting his back and saying: "Circle around him, he's heavy-bodied, can't keep up with you."

  Dahai is even more worried about the safety of his good friend, "If you can't win, just admit defeat, there's no need to fight hard, from now on we'll be competing in our cultivation progress, fighting skills are useless..."

  Xiao Qiu nodded twice, took off his Taoist robe and handed it to Da Liang, stepped forward into the arena, and the crowd automatically made way for him.

  This was an occasion where one didn't have to follow the rules, but the male and female disciples still stood separately. Xia Qiu had just stopped in front of Zhou Ping when he heard a sharp yet soft voice calling out "Xiao Qiu Ge". Xiao Qingtong and Fangfang waved at him from within the crowd, attracting quite a few curious and disapproving glances.

  Xiao Qiu smiled and waved at the two of them, then turned around and exchanged a courteous bow with Zhou Ping.

  "My friend, I still want to advise you: those who have lost their way and returned should not continue down the wrong path."

  "Let's just fight already, everyone has been waiting for so long."

  Zhou Ping grunted and pounced on Xiao Qiu, who dodged nimbly and found an opportunity to get behind his opponent, striking a blow to Zhou Ping's back.

  The young men of Yelin Town cheered, but the sound soon faded away, as Zhou Ping was completely unaffected, his footsteps not faltering in the slightest, turning around to continue chasing after his opponent.

  Xiao Qiu employed evasive tactics, occasionally counterattacking, but soon discovered that this approach was ineffective. Zhou Ping was not only tall and stout but also the attacker, yet his physical strength remained abundant, and years of cultivation had not been wasted in vain. He didn't show any signs of fatigue; instead, he grew more ferocious with each passing moment, and his speed was actually increasing gradually!

  Everyone can see it, if this continues, Xia Qiu will be the first to collapse.

  Xiao Qiu gave up dodging and instead engaged in a direct exchange with Zhou Ping.

  Shen Hao let out a long sigh and said in a low voice to his companions, "It seems we have no choice but to use that move after all. Ah, I really didn't want to use it."

  As expected, after five or six moves, Xiao Qiu was already at a loss, and suddenly he opened up some distance, stretched out his right arm straight, and his lips moved slightly, as if reciting something.

  Xiao Qiu had just stretched out his arm when Zhou Ping dodged and counterattacked from the side, clearly having been prepared.

  He was deceived.

  Xiao Qiu didn't chant any spells, and his outstretched arm was just a feint. Zhou Ping dodged to the side, but Xiao Qiu had already pounced on him, taking advantage of this brief momentary lapse in defense. He jumped onto Zhou Ping's back, wrapping his right arm tightly around that sturdy neck, and swung his left fist down with all his might - he remembered the advice given by Meng Yuanhou: one must strike so that the enemy dares not counterattack, cannot counterattack.

  Xiao Qiu's "flash of inspiration" allowed him to seize Zhou Ping's weakness and turn defeat into victory, but this was not the only outcome he wanted in his heart!

  In the brief moment of falling fist, Xiao Qiu quickly raised his head and scanned around, recognizing who was the informant from a sea of frightened faces. It was his partner, also the traitor of Ye Lin Town.

  (Collection needed, recommendation needed)