Chapter 423: Yuan Qing

House Luolan Mansion, on a sparkling, wave-glimmering lake.

Boom!

A surge of majestic phase power erupted without warning, churning up waves that slapped against the rockeries on all four sides with a splashing roar.

Two figures wove across the lake's surface, phase power surging where they clashed.

It was Li Luo and Jiang Qing E.

The two were currently sparring.

However, the premise was that Jiang Qing E had suppressed her own phase power to the level of the first Transformation of the Transformation Phase, but even so, anyone could plainly see in their fight that Li Luo was being pressed back step by step; no matter how he tried to counterattack with phase arts, every move was effortlessly neutralized by Jiang Qing E with a casual flick of the wrist.

In this sparring session, Li Luo got a true taste of what total, all-round suppression felt like.

Bang!

Spray flew as Li Luo's figure burst out of the water; the dual phase power within his body erupted in an instant, and he hurled a fist straight at Jiang Qing E's cheek. The phase power on his fist surged up like beacon smoke, the very air blasted apart, and a shrill whistle of breaking wind rang out.

Yet facing Li Luo's ferocious assault, Jiang Qing E extended a slender jade finger; the light phase power at her fingertip gathered in, making her already translucent finger seem as though carved from luminous jade.

Bang!

The two collided. Jiang Qing E's figure didn't budge an inch, while Li Luo was blasted back over a dozen steps, his feet kicking up sprays of water across the lake's surface.

"The strongest student of the One-Star House seems to be a bit lacking," Jiang Qing E said at a leisurely pace, the corners of her crimson lips lifting slightly.

"Lacking?!"

Li Luo was furious. How could anyone say a man was lacking?!

Clang!

He clenched his hand, and a straight blade whose body was mottled like elephant hide appeared in his grip. The moment this blade emerged, the lake around Li Luo seemed to be forcibly pressed down several inches by an invisible force.

Li Luo's face grew unusually solemn at this moment.

Watching Li Luo pull out this Jin Yu Zhu Xuan Xiang Blade, Jiang Qing E's slender willow-leaf brows arched faintly upward as well.

"Jin Yu Zhu Xuan Xiang Blade, first layer of Elephant God Power!"

Li Luo's five fingers tightened on the hilt, and a deep, low voice rang out within his heart.

Hum!

The Zhu Xuan Xiang Blade now let out a faint blade-hum, as if an ancient giant elephant had come trampling through time from primordial ages. In that instant, an indescribable colossal force surged like a flood from the blade's body into Li Luo's arms.

The surrounding lake surface was forcibly pressed down into a watery crater.

Boom!

Li Luo stomped down with his foot, and the water surface exploded apart at that moment. His figure skimmed across the lake like a faint streak of watery light, and in the next instant, his blade edge, wrapped in terrifying force, came slashing down heavily at Jiang Qing E.

As the blade edge swung down and the blade-light swept through, it seemed as though a giant elephant were charging forward.

Before this slash had even landed, that terrifying force had already torn a fissure over a dozen zhang long across the lake's surface.

A glimmer of light seemed to bloom within Jiang Qing E's golden eyes. Then, instead of retreating, she advanced, still throwing a single punch. Her skin seemed to glow with the color of glazed glass; that seemingly delicate fist rose like a blazing sun, its light illuminating heaven and earth—overwhelming beyond compare.

Clang!

Blade-light collided with the fist of light.

Wild shockwaves swept outward, waves roaring one after another, utterly destroying the rockeries nearby one by one.

Under this impact, Li Luo's figure was sent flying backward at once. But at the same time, Jiang Qing E was no longer as immovable as a boulder as before; her delicate frame swayed slightly, and in the end she still retreated two steps.

"I win!"

Li Luo sheathed his blade and stood tall, solemnly announcing the result.

Jiang Qing E said, exasperated: "Win what?"

Li Luo argued with full conviction: "I forced you back two steps—how is that not a win? You think just because you suppressed your phase power to the Transformation Phase there's no gap between us? You clearly used the Glazed Fiend Body just now! So this sparring session is my win."

Jiang Qing E said innocently: "That was purely instinctive flesh-body reaction. Even if I just stood here and let you hack at me, you still couldn't break my defense."

Li Luo was a little irritated, but Jiang Qing E was actually right. She had passed through the Fiend Body realm, so her flesh-body had already reached an extremely formidable level—far beyond what his tiny Transformation Phase could compare to. Even if Jiang Qing E didn't employ any phase power, the strength of that flesh-body alone would be enough to smash him to pieces.

The suppression from this level gap was far too obvious.

Jiang Qing E stepped across the water toward him, laughing lightly: "Still, the Elephant God Power of this Jin Yu Zhu Xuan Xiang Blade really is quite astonishing. You've only just initially grasped it, yet you were already able to push me back—you can see its power is extraordinary."

"These past few days I've been tempering this blade. From my perception, the Zhu Xuan Xiang Blade's Elephant God Power should have three layers, but I can only activate the first."

Mentioning the Jin Yu Zhu Xuan Xiang Blade, Li Luo's eyes filled with satisfaction. This was the first time he'd gotten his hands on such a powerful Golden-Eye treasure; it was indeed more ferocious than his Light Falcon Bow.

"But..."

Then Li Luo felt a bit helpless again. He rolled up his sleeves, only to see that streaks of blood had actually appeared on both his arms—the sign of torn muscle.

"The Elephant God Power is too overbearing. I only just initially used it, and it nearly tore the muscles of both my arms."

Jiang Qing E reached out and grasped Li Luo's arm. That cool, delicate touch made Li Luo's heart stir, and he couldn't help but hook the back of Jiang Qing E's fair, tender hand with his finger.

In response to Li Luo's mischief, Jiang Qing E unceremoniously poked a finger at the torn wound, immediately making him grimace in pain.

"This is because your flesh-body isn't strong enough, so it can't bear the infusion of Elephant God Power. Looking at how things stand, if you were to drive the Elephant God Power to the second layer, the flesh and blood of both your arms would probably explode entirely," Jiang Qing E said, examining the extent of the torn blood-streaks.

"Looking at it this way... the Jin Yu Zhu Xuan Xiang Blade really is a bit wasted in your hands," she remarked.

Li Luo was a bit sheepish, complaining: "I'm only at the Transformation Phase—how can my flesh-body compare to yours?"

Jiang Qing E propped up her delicate, fair chin with one hand, pondering slightly, and said: "Tempering the flesh-body really isn't something a Phase Master realm practitioner worries about. If you can't boost your flesh-body's strength in the short term, then try boosting its recovery speed instead. That should be what you're good at—after all, you possess the Water Phase and Wood Phase, and both kinds of phase power can accelerate the recovery of injuries."

Hearing this, Li Luo's heart stirred. This was actually the simplest application of Water Phase and Wood Phase power; he'd tried it before, and it could boost the endurance of his flesh-body. At the time he'd even named the technique "Firm Body."

However, that kind of boost was still far from enough to bear the Elephant God Power.

"The infusion of Elephant God Power mainly gathers in your arms, so you could actually focus on boosting the recovery power of your arms. I recall there should be some similar phase arts within the Water Phase and Wood Phase—you can look into them," Jiang Qing E thought for a moment and offered a suggestion.

Li Luo's eyes lit up. Jiang Qing E's idea was actually quite good: concentrating recovery power on a single point would increase the intensity of the boost, and by then it might just be enough to bear an even stronger infusion of Elephant God Power.

"Worthy of being the strongest Three-Star House student of the Eastern Region's Outer Shenzhou," Li Luo grinned, giving a thumbs-up.

At this title she hadn't yet obtained, Jiang Qing E merely smiled faintly. She was just about to speak when her expression suddenly shifted; she turned her head toward the lakeside, where a figure stood on tiptoe looking this way.

Jiang Qing E gestured to Li Luo, and the two stepped across the water toward the shore.

"Young Master, Young Lady."

The figure on the shore was burly in build—it was Pavilion Master Lei Zhang, who guarded the Lu Lan Mansion headquarters.

"What happened?" Jiang Jiang Qinge noticed Lei Zhang's expression was somewhat solemn, and could not help asking in a low voice.

"Reporting to Young Lady, it's Elder Yuan Qing who has returned to headquarters."

"Elder Yuan Qing?"

Li Luo's eyes flickered, and he recalled the name—one of the three great elders of Lu Lan Mansion, and moreover the only one among the three elders who was loyal to Lu Lan Mansion and had never sided with Manager Pei Hao.

At this time, this great elder, whose strength had reached the Heavenly Gang General rank, being able to return to headquarters would undoubtedly strengthen the forces on this side of headquarters.

Hearing this, a trace of faint delight also rose on Jiang Jiang Qinge's expression, but then she noticed Lei Zhang's expression was not quite right, and immediately asked: "Is there anything else?"

Lei Zhang nodded.

"Elder Yuan Qing was ambushed on the road. Although he himself is not seriously injured, his sole disciple was wounded by a kind of strange poison—it should be... Manager Pei Hao's side that did it."

"Manager Pei Hao is using this to threaten Elder Yuan Qing into leaving Lu Lan Mansion."