Chapter 108: Poor Erwa

"To think he is at the Xiantian Realm, and has even awakened an innate martial soul! Since when has such an astonishing genius emerged from a godforsaken place like the Eastern Region?" Ji Mingshan narrowed his eyes sharply.

"Brother Shan, be careful! This handsome young man’s strength seems not to be underestimated!" Bai Ruyu shouted a warning from behind.

"Tch, no matter how strong he is, he’s just a brat. Can he really be stronger than prodigies like us on the Rising Star Rankings?" Ji Mingshan felt deeply unconvinced. Although he was a prodigy, he had not awakened an innate martial soul. Seeing a random youth possess one only deepened his jealousy, and his attacks grew more ruthless.

Qing Xi raised the Wordless Heavenly Book, preparing to strike. However, he reconsidered; if he landed that blow directly, he would surely beat Ji Mingshan to death. Instead, he opened the first page and channeled a massive amount of True Qi into the flame totem. It erupted like a volcano, shattering Ji Mingshan's oppressive aura.

"So his innate martial soul is fire-based!" Ji Mingshan was startled. Before he could defend himself, the sudden attack engulfed him, and his entire body was ablaze. He hastily used his vast True Qi to resist and dove into the lake to extinguish the flames.

Ji Mingshan soon burst from the water, his clothes burned away entirely, and even his long, jet-black hair was gone. "You will pay for this!"

Wielding his Profound-grade superior spiritual weapon, the Azure Spirit Sword, Ji Mingshan unleashed a fierce sword aura. Wherever it passed, the surface of the lake was cleanly sliced open, sending water surging into the sky with terrifying momentum.

Clang!

Qing Xi simply waved the Wordless Heavenly Book, effortlessly shattering the sword aura. He mused internally that these prodigies on the Rising Star Rankings were quite pathetic. No longer hiding his cultivation, he released the powerful aura of the late Xiantian stage. The pressure instantly calmed the turbulent water. With a surge of True Qi, he shielded the sleeping Dragon Horse and the Little Vajra Ape, pushing them to the shore to keep them out of harm's way.

"Late Xiantian stage!" Ji Mingshan and Bai Ruyu exclaimed in unison, shocked.

As prodigies from the Central Region’s Rising Star Rankings, they had seen countless geniuses, but this was the first time they had encountered someone at the late Xiantian stage as young as Qing Xi. Even the invincible prodigy currently ranked first on the Rising Star Rankings had only just stepped into the Xiantian Realm at this age.

"Who exactly are you?" Ji Mingshan’s hand holding the sword trembled slightly. As a genius of the sword, his sharp sword aura was his greatest pride. Yet, the youth before him had shattered it with just an innate martial soul—how was he supposed to fight?

"This person's strength must at least rank within the top fifty of the Rising Star Rankings!" Ji Mingshan felt a chill, sensing genuine pressure. The fiftieth rank was a watershed. Below fifty, strength was comparable, but once inside the top fifty, one's power increased by at least a tier. The top ten prodigies were even more terrifying—super-geniuses who had reached the Xiantian Great Perfection, possessing the potential to become kings. Even the masters of the three two-star sects praised the top ten super-geniuses endlessly.

"Brother Shan, this person is not easy to handle. Let’s join forces and take him down!" Bai Ruyu’s pretty face turned cold. While she had teased Qing Xi several times, it was merely for amusement; her true affection lay with her senior brother, Ji Mingshan, whom she had grown up with.

"Agreed!" Ji Mingshan pulled a robe from his storage bracelet to cover himself. Touching his shiny bald head, he felt his rage become uncontrollable.

Bai Ruyu gently waved her white jade ruyi, and ripples of water spread out. Qing Xi felt as if the surrounding space had been filled with mud, making movement extremely difficult.

"Rip!" Suddenly, dozens of translucent vines lashed out and bound him.

"Perfect!" Bai Ruyu’s bright eyes were filled with joy. Her combat power was not as high as Ji Mingshan’s, but she practiced a Bronze-grade binding technique that could hold even a Xiantian Great Perfection expert for some time. During this window, the offensive-minded Ji Mingshan could unleash his sharp sword aura to slay the enemy. Relying on their tacit cooperation, the pair had killed many strong enemies above their own level, earning them a small reputation in the talent-dense Central Region. Thus, they were known as the "Wind-Facing Duo."

"Junior Sister Yu'er, well done!" Ji Mingshan laughed heartily. In his eyes, Qing Xi, being bound, was now completely powerless. "Brat, so much for your arrogance. Kneel and apologize now, and we, the Wind-Facing Duo, might let bygones be bygones." Ji Mingshan raised his sword high, ready to strike.

"The Wind-Facing Duo... Hahaha, are you trying to laugh me to death so you can inherit my Dragon Horse?" Qing Xi was not panicked at all; he looked up and laughed, "In my opinion, you two should prepare to change your names to the 'Pitiful Pair'."

"Still running your mouth? Watch as I—" Before Ji Mingshan could finish, his eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. Qing Xi exerted a sudden burst of force with both hands, snapping the translucent vines that bound him, and then struck out with his fists.

With two "bangs," both Ji Mingshan and Bai Ruyu were sent flying, crashing onto the lakeshore. They were severely injured and left utterly exhausted.

"You actually broke through my ultimate technique, 'White Vine Binding'!" Bai Ruyu was in disbelief. Ji Mingshan was equally stunned. The strength of this youth was terrifying!

"You know nothing of true power." Qing Xi stomped hard on the lakeshore, shot across the sky like an arrow, and appeared before the two, snatching their storage bracelets. "Superior-grade storage bracelets—what a haul!"

Qing Xi smiled. Storage bracelets were not divided by Human or Profound tiers, but by capacity: low, medium, superior, and supreme. A low-grade bracelet held one cubic meter, medium held five, and superior held fifty. As for the legendary supreme storage bracelets, they were usually only held by sect leaders and had twenty times the capacity of a superior one. Qing Xi would certainly not pass up items that could manifest spatial energy.

"Stop! Our sect’s ultimate technique is stored inside! If you dare steal it, you will surely be hunted by our Wind-Facing Sect!" Ji Mingshan shouted, his expression changing drastically. If the techniques were stolen, he would never escape the blame, regardless of whether Qing Xi was hunted or not. He was terrified.

"Oh, you mean this?" Qing Xi used his system to open Ji Mingshan's bracelet, took out a Bronze-grade manual titled "Hundred-Refined Sword Aura," glanced at it, and tossed it to the ground. "A mere Bronze-grade technique. I have no interest in it."

"Young master, my storage bracelet also contains an ultimate technique. Could you please return it to me? Otherwise, I will be severely punished by my sect upon returning." Bai Ruyu feigned a pitiful expression, even squeezing out a tear.

"A mere Bronze-grade technique. I don't care for it." Qing Xi took a yellowed ancient book from Bai Ruyu’s bracelet and tossed it to the ground. The cover read "White Vine Binding"—another Bronze-grade technique.

"By the way, there are some of my clothes in there, private things for a girl... do you think you could..." Bai Ruyu blinked, looking like a kitten in the rain, utterly helpless.

"Get lost!" Qing Xi ruthlessly raised the Wordless Heavenly Book. Terrified, Bai Ruyu immediately snatched up the technique manual, and together with Ji Mingshan, they scrambled away from the scene.

Qing Xi watched the "Pitiful Pair" disappear into the distance. He weighed the storage bracelets in his hand with satisfaction, his smile growing wild. Today, it was worth it!