The Twentieth Chapter: Narrow Victory and Trial

  Inside a thatched hut, a deep blue fireball the size of a fist floated in mid-air, emitting a puffing sound as it drifted about. The surrounding area seemed to be warped by the heat emanating from the fireball.

  Shi Sheng was standing far away from the small fireball, frowning slightly as he looked at it. After a night's rest and with the help of his spiritual power, the burns on his hands had recovered to about 70-80%, so he got up before dawn to start practicing.

  "This condensed fireball is also too consuming of mental power, not only does it need to constantly compress and stabilize the plasma state molecular aggregation into flames, but when facing an enemy, it also needs to be controlled in mid-air flight."

  As time goes on, I'm afraid the spiritual power won't be enough to maintain the flame shape, and once the spiritual power weakens, the fireball may disperse. It seems that in the future, I need to make a quick move, otherwise it will be difficult to keep the fireball stable for too long!" Shi Sheng felt that the small fireball technique had too many shortcomings.

  A moment later, Shi Sheng's mental power seemed to be somewhat insufficient, and he immediately moved in his heart, withdrawing the mental power that was condensed and compressed on the fireball. The various elemental molecules in the fireball dispersed, and the blue fireball suddenly disappeared with a "poof" sound.

  "I also don't know what state the fireball that Hua Haijing displayed is in, it would be best to have a chance to see it!" Shi Sheng said as he hastily sat down at the head of the bed and began to meditate to recover his spiritual energy.

  It wasn't long before Lin Wan'er pushed open the door, carrying in a tray of food. Seeing Shi Sheng sitting on the bed, she couldn't help but shake her head.

  "Asheng, you're up so early again, don't overwork yourself, have some food first!" Lin Wan'er said as she arranged the dishes on the table and set out two chairs for Shi Sheng to sit down.

  Shi Sheng smiled: "Don't worry, sister Wan'er. With my current physical condition, even if I don't sleep for a night, it's no big deal. Today's dishes smell so good!"

  "Look at you, you've been too tired lately, I bought a chicken and stewed it for you to nourish yourself, eat quickly!" Shi Sheng didn't move his mouth, Lin Wan'er also didn't show any intention of eating, every meal was like this, Shi Sheng had already gotten used to Lin Wan'er's considerateness.

  "Let's eat together." Shi Sheng picked up a piece of chicken leg and sent it to Lin Wan'er's bowl, and he casually picked up a piece of chicken meat and swallowed it hastily.

  Lin Wan'er glanced at Shi Sheng and couldn't help but cover her mouth with a smile. It seemed she didn't want to give up the chicken leg, so she picked it up again and handed it back to Shi Sheng. The two of them pushed and pulled, until finally, under Shi Sheng's almost commanding tone, Lin Wan'er happily didn't refuse.

  "Is Shi Dao around? I've come to discuss the teachings of your school, and I hope Shi Dao won't be stingy with his guidance!" Just as the two were being affectionate, a cold and arrogant voice broke the harmonious atmosphere, causing Shi Sheng's eyes to narrow.

  "Ah Sheng, who is it?......" Lin Wan'er hadn't even finished speaking when she was interrupted by Shi Sheng waving his hand.

  "Don't worry, sister Wan'er, it's just a few friends coming over to try their luck. You stay inside and don't come out, I don't want any distractions!" Shi Sheng said, looking at Lin Wan'er with a serious expression. The latter hesitated for a moment, then nodded slightly, her jade-like hand grasping the hem of her clothes.

  As soon as he came out of the house, Shi Sheng saw Zhou Tao, accompanied by Lu Yuan and the young man in yellow robe they had met last time.

  "Three of them actually came to Shi's house, what do they want?" Shi was secretly on guard in his heart. These three were all cultivators at the Ascension Realm, and if they really started fighting, he wouldn't stand a chance. What Shi didn't know was that Lu Yuan had already advanced to the Sea of Transformation Realm.

  "Haha, Lu wants to try out with Shi Daoyou!" As soon as Lu Yuan finished speaking, Zhou Tao smiled with ill intentions, and Shi Sheng immediately understood the general idea, secretly resenting him.

  "Lu Daoyou, Shi Mou's skills are not refined, and the master's orders do not allow him to engage in casual sparring with others. Sorry!" Shi Sheng did not want to use his meager mental energy to deal with a true Ascended Spirit cultivator.

  "Haha, the rules are just to avoid hurting anyone, no big deal. Lu will only make one move, and if you can catch Lu's fireball technique, then you win!" Lu Yuan smiled, looking quite magnanimous.

  "What? Fireball technique? Are you a Transcendent?" Shi Sheng narrowed his eyes, remembering that Lu Yuan had personally said he was in the Ascending Spirit realm last time.

  "What? You're not being arrogant now? Are you afraid to make a move today? Don't be afraid, just take this hit and it's considered your win. Heh heh." Zhou Tao's mouth curled up, revealing an evil arc.

  "Good!" Shi Sheng surprisingly agreed readily, even Lu Yuan and Zhou Tao were slightly stunned.

  Shi Sheng had his own thoughts, now that trouble had found its way to his doorstep, he couldn't avoid it anyway, so he might as well agree and take the opportunity to test out the Sea of Flames' power and characteristics.

  "Alright, Shi Dao, let's settle this quickly! Lu Xiang will definitely keep his word and end this with just one move!" As he spoke, Lu Yuan slightly raised his palm, and a small fireball the size of a palm appeared on it, emitting white sparks.

  Seeing this, Shi Sheng narrowed his eyes and saw that Lu Yuan was casting a fireball technique. Indeed, he wouldn't hurt himself with it. The fireball was bigger than the one Shi Sheng had cast, spherical in shape, surrounded by white flames on all sides, and drifted upwards slowly.

  "I don't know how Stone Dao friend plans to resist, but you might as well take out your treasures first, heh heh!" Lu Yuan said with a smile, while Zhou Tao had a mocking expression.

  Shi Sheng narrowed his eyes, slowly stretched out his palm, and simply made a gesture in mid-air. Just as the three of them were puzzled, there was a dull thud, and a small fireball the size of a fist, deep blue in color, appeared in mid-air, but Shi Sheng's palm had already withdrawn.

  "What?" The young man in yellow robes was immediately shocked.

  "Impossible!" Zhou Tao's face was incredulous.

  "You? ... Are you also a cultivator of the Sea of Transformation?" Lu Yuan said in surprise, but immediately scolded himself for being an idiot. The other party had already released a fireball technique, what was there to ask about their realm?

  "Hey, Lu Daoyou be careful!" As he spoke, Shi Sheng's single hand pointed out, and a blue flame shot out in front of him. He didn't want to delay any longer, or else his mental energy wouldn't be able to withstand such consumption, and waiting another moment could reveal his weakness.

  Lu Yuan immediately reacted and didn't dare to slack off. This kind of battle between martial arts had escalated, and one misstep could lead to injury. It was completely different from the battles between nianshu. He controlled the fireball and shot it forward.

  A loud muffled sound!

  Flames splashed everywhere, a burst of light exploded, and sparks shot out in all directions. The white fireball was instantly dispersed by the impact, while the blue fireball, although reduced in size, still charged towards Lu Yuan with undiminished power.

  "Master brother be careful!" The young man in yellow robe hastily shouted.

  "Not good!" Lu Yuan didn't expect Shi Sheng's fireball technique to be so fierce, and he didn't have time to prepare anything. In a hurry, he hastily swung his hand and held the peach wood dagger in front of him, although it looked a bit ridiculous, but this was the only self-defense move Lu Yuan could do at the moment.

  Shi Sheng felt a sense of emptiness and didn't expect the two fireballs to have such a huge difference in energy. However, he also didn't plan on letting that fireball hit Lu Yuan's body. Although it wouldn't be fatal, it would definitely heavily injure him, which would inevitably lead to a grudge.

  With a flick of his wrist, Shi Sheng controlled the direction of the fireball and prepared to dodge Lu Yuan. However, just as the fireball had barely avoided Lu Yuan, Shi Sheng's mental energy was depleted, and the small fireball almost lost control, exploding with a loud bang beside Zhou Tao, sending flames scattering in all directions.

  "Cough, cough..." Zhou Tao took a few steps back, his white robe was burnt with several holes, his face was pale and covered with a layer of black ash, looking extremely disheveled. His eyes showed a hint of fear and resentment as he stared at Shi Sheng, but in the end, he didn't dare to say a word.

  Lu Yuan couldn't help but feel a little pleased with himself as he looked at Zhou Tao's disheveled appearance. If it wasn't for Zhou Tao's provocation, how would he have clashed with Shi Sheng? Although Lu Yuan was also competitive, he naturally wouldn't put the blame on himself.

  However, Lu Yuan was also secretly shocked. In his view, Shi Sheng's control of the fireball technique was simply impeccable. If he hadn't withdrawn his hand earlier, his own natal artifact would have been unable to withstand the fireball. And in the end, Shi Sheng clearly gave Zhou Tao a warning shot, showing that his strength was absolutely above Lu Yuan's.

  "Haha, Shi Dao's methods are impressive, Lu Xiang admits defeat. Thanks for sparing our lives this time, we'll meet again! " Lu Yuan cupped his hands in a gesture of respect towards Shi Sheng and led Zhou Tao away with their tails between their legs.

  After a long silence, Shi Sheng stood still like a deflated balloon, letting out a long sigh. His mental strength had been completely depleted, and the fireball hitting Zhou Tao was just a coincidence. But this way, it wasn't bad either. At least it intimidated several people, otherwise, if the opponent wanted to make another move, Shi Sheng would undoubtedly lose.

  "That Lu Yuan indeed has some real ability, after casting the fireball technique it seems like there's no consumption at all. Could it be that the Sea of Consciousness realm has such a strong mental power?" Shi Sheng said as he returned to his room, only to find Lin Wan'er's small hands pale and white, with several deep fingernail scratches on her palms. It seemed she had been anxiously worried in the house all along.

  "Don't worry, sister Wan'er is fine!" Shi Sheng comforted her for a few words before continuing to eat with Lin Wan'er.

  "It's all right!" Lin Wan'er didn't say much either, and the two chatted for a while. Shi Sheng went out to find Wang Bo, preparing to ask how to advance to the Sea Boundary or learn some advanced talismans to increase his self-defense skills.

  "Huh? Boss, are you also going to take the test?" On the road, Bai Ming came running over from a distance, sometimes Shi Sheng himself was puzzled, he hadn't given him any benefits, so why was Bai Ming following him so devotedly.

  "What test? What kind of test?" Shi Sheng asked in confusion.

  "I'm guessing the old man is always cooped up at home and definitely doesn't know about this, so I'll hurry to tell you: a divine sect has come to recruit disciples. All villagers aged four and above, eighteen and below can go participate in the test."

  Once we're chosen by them, our lives will be set for good fortune and no more worries about food and clothing, heh heh. Although I heard that ten years ago we all participated but got eliminated, let's still go try our luck this time!" said Bai Ming with a smile.

  "Oh? Alright, let's go take a look!" As soon as he heard that the sect was recruiting disciples, Shi Sheng didn't dare to slack off. After all, following Wang Bo, a doctor of symbols, the things he learned were really limited, and it wasn't as good as having the opportunity to enter the sect.

  ……

  "Next!"

  In front of the entrance to a building called Hongji Teahouse, there was a middle-aged man wearing a red robe with an arrogant expression sitting on a wooden chair. In front of him was a table, and opposite him were two long queues of people, all of whom were neatly lined up, no one daring to cut in line.

  A thirteen or fourteen-year-old boy came to the wooden table, and the middle-aged man in red robes just glanced at him twice before shaking his head. After the boy left, an old man carrying a five- or six-year-old child walked over.

  "Hmm? This child has some talent, go to the backyard for a test, there will be someone to receive you!" The middle-aged man in red said, and the old man hurriedly thanked him and excitedly took the child away. Being able to let the child enter the sect would be an honor for life.

  In this way, the crowd gradually accepted the first review, and some qualified people could go to accept the second review. As long as they passed the second test, they would be taken away by this sect.

  At this time, it was Bai Ming's turn to come forward. However, the middle-aged man in red robes simply swept his eyes over him and shook his head. Bai Ming didn't dare say anything else and let out a sigh before Shi Sheng came to the front of the wooden table, looking at the middle-aged man with some excitement.

  "Huh? Your qualifications..." The middle-aged man in red robes was cut off by a hurried voice before he could finish speaking.

  "Wu Changlao, this person is a spy trying to infiltrate our sect, we must not accept him!" Just then, Zhou Tao's figure emerged from the distance, accompanied by Lu Yuan and Li Yannan, daughter of Li Yannan, who was gazing at Shi Sheng with beautiful eyes. However, as soon as Shi Sheng saw that this was Zhou Tao's sect, his heart sank. (End of chapter, next chapter is even more exciting!)

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