Chapter 771: Chatting Up Mu Lingxi

"Ding, Talent Divine Ability is being extracted..."

"Ding, Talent Divine Ability extraction successful. Congratulations to the host for obtaining the God Grade Talent Divine Ability, Black Tortoise Breath Concealment Art."

"Breath Concealment Art?"

Wang Jianqiang raised an eyebrow.

To be honest, with the Mountain and River Fate-Extinguishing Map in his possession, he felt this so-called Black Tortoise Breath Concealment Art was somewhat redundant.

Thinking this, his attention fell upon the Talent Divine Ability column of his Attribute Panel, looking toward the final row.

"Black Tortoise Breath Concealment Art: God Grade Talent Divine Ability. While concealing one's aura, one can obtain the defensive capabilities of a Black Tortoise. Current awakening level: Primary (Breath concealment ability and defensive ability are equivalent to a Black Tortoise of the same level.)"

The defensive capabilities of a Black Tortoise?

Originally, Wang Jianqiang had not held high expectations for this Black Tortoise Breath Concealment Art, but after reading the introduction, he could not help but widen his eyes.

The Black Tortoise is a sacred beast as famous as the Azure Dragon, White Tiger, and Vermilion Bird, and it is most skilled in defense.

With equivalent cultivation, it can be called an absolute defense.

Moreover, just at the primary awakening level, one can obtain defense equivalent to a Black Tortoise of the same level.

What about intermediate, advanced, and perfect awakening levels?

This Black Tortoise Breath Concealment Art sounded like a mere breath-concealing ability at first, but in reality, it was also a defensive ability of astonishing power.

"A single ability actually possesses two functions; this is an unexpected joy."

A look of pleasant surprise appeared on Wang Jianqiang's face.

Following this, Wang Jianqiang's time allocation became more flexible.

At times he would refine artifacts to accumulate Cultivation Points, at others he would spar with Mu Lingxi.

Soon, a year passed.

On this day.

Wang Jianqiang had just suppressed Mu Lingxi with a slight advantage.

The earth suddenly trembled.

Immediately following.

An inexplicable thought surfaced in his mind.

"Five months from now, the Spirit Ranking Battle will commence on schedule."

Wang Jianqiang and Mu Lingxi were both stunned.

This is...

A warning from heaven and earth?

The Spirit Ranking Battle is a struggle for the fortune of Youzhou.

Regarding its start time, cultivators can only know a rough estimate; the precise start time is signaled by heaven and earth several months before the Spirit Ranking Battle begins.

Just like now.

It was not only Wang Jianqiang and Mu Lingxi who received the prompt, but all cultivators at or above the Nascent Soul Stage on the land of Youzhou.

Not long after the warning from heaven and earth.

A majestic voice suddenly emanated from the mountain peak at the very center of the Beast Taming Sect, instantly spreading throughout the entire Beast Taming Sect.

"The Spirit Vein Battle is about to begin; Disciples who intend to participate in the Spirit Vein Battle may proceed on their own."

At the same time.

A similar scene was playing out within numerous sects across Youzhou.

A large number of heaven-gifted geniuses walked out from their sects and set off on the journey to the place where the Earth Veins converge, without any sect elders accompanying them.

Since the start of so many previous Spirit Ranking Battles, all forces in You Continent had long reached a consensus.

That is, during the Spirit Ranking Battle, no cultivator may bully the weak with their strength, nor may they intercept or kill juniors for any reason.

Even if the one being hunted down does not come from a major sect, it is still forbidden.

Even if there is a great grudge, at most, one can only send peers to resolve it.

Otherwise, they will be subject to a joint crusade by the numerous forces of You Continent.

It is precisely because of this consensus that the major forces of Youzhou dare to let their top batch of heaven-gifted geniuses go out alone to the place where the Earth Veins converge.

Inside the Beast Taming Sect.

Upon hearing the voice that spread throughout the entire sect, Wang Jianqiang and Mu Lingxi ceased their sparring.

The two left their residence, first purchasing a map to the place where the Earth Veins converge within the sect.

Afterward, they flew side by side toward the outside of the Beast Taming Sect.

On the way flying out of the Beast Taming Sect, they saw many figures; these people were almost all familiar faces, Core Disciples of the Beast Taming Sect.

Among them, they also saw the second-ranked Core Disciple of the Beast Taming Sect, Yuan Xiuya.

Roar~

Just as the two were about to fly out of the Beast Taming Sect.

A dragon's roar suddenly rang out from the mountain peak at the very center of the Beast Taming Sect.

Wang Jianqiang's expression shifted, and he turned his head to look.

At the same time, the many Core Disciples of the Beast Taming Sect in the surroundings also came to a simultaneous halt, turning their heads to look.

Under the gaze of many.

A miraculous dragon beast covered in jade-white scales soared into the air and flew toward the outside of the Beast Taming Sect.

Wang Jianqiang's gaze moved upward, landing between the two horns on the dragon beast's head.

There, a woman sat cross-legged.

The woman's dress fluttered, and a head of gorgeous long hair, crystalline like ice, danced with the wind.

On her stunningly beautiful face, a pair of lovely eyes were slightly closed.

Seeming accustomed to such a scene of being the center of attention, her expression did not change in the slightest because of the crowd's focus.

Just as the dragon beast arrived at the edge of the Beast Taming Sect.

Yuan Xiuya looked at the woman atop the dragon beast with burning eyes and cupped his hands, "Greetings, Senior Sister Wen Ya."

Hearing Yuan Xiuya's voice, the dragon beast paused.

The woman's slightly closed lovely eyes slowly opened, looking toward Yuan Xiuya, her red lips parted slightly, and a voice as crisp and pleasant as a mountain spring was transmitted out.

"So it is Junior Brother Yuan."

Hearing Wen Ya's response, a flash of excitement crossed Yuan Xiuya's face; he was even so exhilarated that his handsome face turned somewhat red, "Senior Sister Wen Ya, are you also going to the place where the Earth Veins converge?"

Wen Ya nodded faintly, "The Spirit Ranking Battle is a gathering of heaven-gifted talents and a rare grand event. Although my cultivation has broken through and I cannot participate in this Spirit Ranking Battle, I do not wish to miss this grand event, so I plan to go and watch."

Yuan Xiuya nodded repeatedly; he seemed too excited and did not know what else to say, opening his mouth several times but stammering without being able to speak.

Seeing this, Wen Ya smiled faintly, "Junior Brother Yuan, I shall take my leave first."

Seeing that beautiful smile on Wen Ya's face, Yuan Xiuya was stunned.

Senior Sister Wen Ya actually smiled at him!

Senior Sister Wen Ya rarely smiles at others; does this mean...

Thinking of a certain possibility, his heart suddenly became excited.

Amidst his agitated mood, he subconsciously nodded.

Seeing this, Wen Ya patted the dragon beast gently with her palm, "Long Er, let's go."

Just as the dragon beast was about to continue flying forward, an eager voice suddenly came.

"Senior Sister Wen Ya."

Hearing this, Wen Ya's expression stirred, her lovely eyes opened once more, and the dragon beast also came to a halt.

When Wen Ya saw the person who spoke, she frowned and pondered for a moment before saying hesitantly, "You are... Junior Brother Wan Guiyuan, right?"

When Wan Guiyuan became a Core Disciple, she had already broken through to the Spirit Transformation Stage and left the ranks of ordinary disciples.

Her impression of Wan Guiyuan was not deep, which was why she almost failed to recognize him.

"I didn't expect Senior Sister Wen Ya to still be able to recognize this junior brother."

Wan Guiyuan nodded happily.

"Junior Brother, you suddenly called out to me, is there something the matter?" Wen Ya said faintly.

Wan Guiyuan nodded, "Senior Sister, is this trip of yours to go to that place where the Earth Veins converge?"

Wen Ya nodded.

Seeing this, the smile on Wan Guiyuan's face suddenly became richer, "What a coincidence, I am also going to the place where the Earth Veins converge; why don't we travel together? It would be good to have someone to look out for each other on the road."

Hearing Wan Guiyuan's words, the expressions of the people all around turned strange one after another.

A coincidence?

Among everyone present, who isn't going to the place where the Earth Veins converge?

Can this be called a coincidence?

I never noticed it before, but it turns out this kid Wan Guiyuan is so thick-skinned; he actually has the face to say such far-fetched pick-up lines!

Following that, the crowd revealed expressions as if they were watching a good show.

Senior Sister Wen Ya has always had a cold personality.

In daily life, almost no disciple dares to speak to her, let alone try to pick her up.

Someone like Senior Brother Yuan is already considered quite familiar with Senior Sister Wen Ya.

This Wan Guiyuan actually dares to directly hit on this ice-mountain goddess.

Being directly rejected is probably the best outcome; if one's luck is worse, it wouldn't be strange to be taught a lesson.

Just as the crowd was full of mockery, Wen Ya's brows had already furrowed.

She actually wanted to make some friends like a normal person, but for some reason, very few people approached her proactively in daily life.

She clearly had never attacked a fellow disciple, nor had she ever spoken harshly to one, yet they all seemed very afraid of her, which made it so that even now, she didn't have a single friend she could talk to.

Previously, when Yuan Xiuya took the initiative to speak to her, she was actually somewhat happy.

But she didn't expect Yuan Xiuya to stop after only a few sentences, making her think she had said something wrong.

She could only end the conversation.

She hadn't expected that Wan Guiyuan, who had almost never interacted with her, would actually take the initiative to strike up a conversation with her again.

It was just that Wan Guiyuan's request made her feel somewhat troubled.

To tell the truth, she felt Wan Guiyuan's proposal was somewhat abrupt and did not want to agree.

But with so many people here, if she were to refuse directly, would it make him feel embarrassed?

Would it make others think she is difficult to approach?

Just as she was hesitating on how to respond, Wan Guiyuan's voice entered her ears again.

"Senior Sister, if you don't speak, I'll take it as you agreeing."

Before the words had even faded, a figure had already landed on the dragon beast's head and sat down beside her.

Sensing an outsider landing on it, the dragon beast immediately let out a low, dissatisfied groan.

Wen Ya immediately came back to her senses, patted the dragon beast gently, and soothed it.

Afterward, she looked at Wan Guiyuan, feeling a sense of inner conflict, yet her pretty face remained as cold as ever.

Because she was struggling with how to handle this scene, her brows subconsciously furrowed, making her entire person appear even colder.

The temperature of the surrounding air seemed to have dropped significantly because of this.

"Senior Sister Wen Ya is going to be angry!"

Seeing the change in Wen Ya's expression, the mockery on the faces of the crowd grew even more intense.

"Wan Guiyuan, you are too offensive."

"Senior Sister Wen Ya has not yet agreed, how can you be so reckless?"

"Why don't you hurry down and apologize to Senior Sister Wen Ya?"

Yuan Xiuya looked at Wan Guiyuan, his eyes filled with vigilance and dissatisfaction.

What is this Wan Guiyuan thinking?

Trying to hit on Senior Sister Wen Ya?

Is he too unaware of his own standing?

What kind of person is Senior Sister Wen Ya?

She is a heaven-gifted pride even he feels inferior to in her presence.

Does a Wan Guiyuan like you deserve it?

Hearing Yuan Xiuya's words, Wan Guiyuan's expression remained as usual.

Wen Ya, however, could not help but feel a jolt in her heart, becoming even more conflicted.

She clearly had never lost her temper with fellow disciples in her daily life, so why did it seem like these junior brothers and sisters misunderstood her so deeply?

No wonder they all seemed so afraid of her on ordinary days.

No, she had to make them change their perspective.

Thinking of this, the dissatisfaction in Wen Ya's heart born from Wan Guiyuan's abruptness was immediately suppressed, her furrowed brows smoothed out, and she looked at Yuan Xiuya, saying softly, "Junior Brother Yuan, your words are mistaken; we are all fellow disciples, there is no need to be so cautious."

Yuan Xiuya's expression froze.

Wen Ya looked at Wan Guiyuan again, and a moving smile bloomed on her cold face like melting ice and snow.

"Since Junior Brother wishes to travel together, then let us go together."

As soon as Wen Ya's voice fell, the jaws of the crowd nearly dropped to the ground.

It was unimaginable that Senior Sister Wen Ya, who usually barely spoke to anyone and had a personality so cold it seemed like it could freeze into ice, not only did not get angry at Wan Guiyuan's abrupt actions, but instead agreed so readily!

Why was her attitude toward Wan Guiyuan so special?

Could it be?

Thinking of a certain possibility, the gazes the crowd cast toward Wan Guiyuan were suddenly filled with envy and jealousy.

Sensing the astonished expressions of the crowd, the heartstrings that Wen Ya had kept tightly wound suddenly relaxed.

These people looked so surprised, it must be because she had broken their prejudices against her.

Looking at it this way.

Her decision just now was correct.

After this incident, they would surely abandon their previous fixed perceptions and change their view of her.

She felt secretly happy in her heart, and even her expression as she looked at Wan Guiyuan became much softer, "Junior Brother Wan, let us go~"

This made the gazes the crowd cast toward Wan Guiyuan even more envious.

Senior Sister Wen Ya was actually so gentle toward this Wan Guiyuan!

Damn it!

The Beast Taming Sect's number one goddess, surely she wouldn't really let this brat Wan Guiyuan take advantage of her, right?

"Senior Sister Wen Ya, wait a moment."

After Wen Ya's voice fell, "Wan Guiyuan" pointed at "Lu Xiu", "Junior Sister Lu had already agreed to travel with me, could we let Junior Sister Lu join us as well?"

"Naturally, you may."

Wen Ya nodded with a smile.

Seeing this, "Lu Xiu" flashed, arrived on top of the dragon beast, and cupped her fists toward Wen Ya, "Many thanks, Senior Sister Wen Ya."

Wen Ya smiled gently, "We are all fellow disciples, no need to be so polite."

After speaking, she patted the dragon beast lightly on its body, "Long Er, let's go."

The dragon beast understood and flew toward the distance.

In the blink of an eye, it disappeared from everyone's field of vision.

Not until the dragon beast's figure had completely vanished did the crowd withdraw their gazes.

They looked at each other, all finding it hard to believe.

Among them, Yuan Xiuya's expression was particularly ugly.

"This is impossible, how does Wan Guiyuan compare to me? Why does Senior Sister Wen Ya treat him with such special regard?"

……

In the Endless Wilderness.

A jade-white dragon beast was flying in the air.

On the dragon beast's head, three figures sat cross-legged.

Wen Ya was at the very front, her eyes slightly closed.

"Wan Guiyuan" and "Lu Xiu" sat side by side behind Wen Ya.

Both appeared to have their eyes slightly closed, seemingly in meditation, but in reality, the two were communicating via voice transmission, chatting heatedly.

"Senior Brother, are we going to take her down?"

"Lingxi, this Wen Ya is no ordinary person, we must not act rashly."

"Is she very strong?"

"A bit strong; unless my cultivation breaks through the limit of the Ninth-Order Will Stage or you break through to the Spirit Transformation Stage, otherwise, the two of us combined might not necessarily be able to beat her."

"That ruthless? Can't you borrow Xiaobai's power?"

"Xiaobai is not a name you can just shout; you must never call out that name in front of Xiaobai, understand?"

"Oh~ I know~"

"Relying on Xiaobai's power would naturally allow us to Suppress her, but she is the strongest prodigy of the Beast Taming Sect; how could she not have life-saving items on her? She might even possess a life-saving technique gifted by a Great Vehicle Stage Cultivator. Once we make a move against her, it is very likely to expose our identities, which would not be worth the loss. It is better not to act rashly."

"Is that so? That's a pity~ What a beautiful girl~ Senior Brother, why don't you go show off your charm and seduce her?"

"What nonsense are you spouting? I, your Senior Brother, admit that my charm is astonishing, but I am not the type of person who wants to possess every beauty I see~ However, since I dote on you the most, and you have said as much, then I shall reluctantly give it a try."

"Senior Brother is the best!"