Bo Xiyu held his spear in his hand; when he drew it, it rippled like water, creating ripples in the nearby air. He slanted the spear to the ground, and without even initiating an attack, he and his spear seemed to merge into one entity, the sharpness fully revealed. Cloud Piercing Spear was the renowned title given to Bo Xiyu’s spear, marking his fame. Bo Xiyu’s spear, as rumors go, was forged using the eight legs of an Eighth Rank Flying Sky Cloud-piercing Spider. This type of spider lives only on cliffs reaching tens of thousands of feet, its legs hard and sharp due to constant climbing, capable of slicing through metal and jade. Although provoked by Yue Jinghua, Bo Xiyu was still Bo Xiyu: a scion of a noble house, and even in competition, he would never lose his composure. Holding the Cloud Piercing Spear, he traced a fiery semicircle on the ground, and in a deep voice said, "Do you dare accept the challenge?" Yue Jinghua slightly twitched her eyelids, lifting her lips slightly: "Do we share the enmity of patricide?" "Not at all," Bo Xiyu didn’t care enough about Yue Jinghua’s background to know who her biological father was. "Do we share a grudge over a stolen wife?" Yue Jinghua asked again. "Neither," Bo Xiyu was momentarily taken aback. "Since there is neither enmity of patricide nor grudge of a stolen wife, there’s no free lunch in the world, nor are there groundless fights; I won’t engage in this fight." She wasn’t a naive youth; this battle, regardless of win or loss, carried no benefits for her. This statement left Bo Xiyu momentarily dumbfounded; he had not expected Yue Jinghua to refuse his challenge. On the continent, countless people lined up to challenge him, all of whom he disdained. Unexpectedly today, he was refused by an unknown rookie mercenary. As Yue Jinghua turned to leave, Bo Xiyu leaped up, his spear stretched horizontally in mid-air, blocking her path. "You have no choice," Bo Xiyu said, his face stripped of pride, as he surged forth with his spear shaking. In the continent, Dark Practitioners wielding spears mastered several moves like stabbing, smashing, picking, hooking, and thrusting, rarely engaging in mid-air. For spear wielders, strength must emanate from the feet, then through the waist to the arms, the body’s strength uniting in one breath, from feet to waist, lacking none, to maintain enduring power. When one launches into the air, the feet lose contact with the ground, the waist cannot bear the force, and the power of the spear subsequently diminishes. But not for Bo Xiyu; as he leaped up, he appeared as light as a mountain cat. At the slight treading of his toes, he gathered enough strength, and the spear’s tip enveloped from all directions, trapping Yue Jinghua layer by layer. Yue Jinghua hadn’t expected that a reputed master like Bo Xiyu would attack without a word said. Her hands empty, she was left with nothing but her palms to block the Cloud Piercing Spear. This layer of spear shadow was milky white, yet brought a skin-peeling sting with it. Had it not been for Yue Jinghua’s body, fortified by the Jiao Long Duan and Dragon Transformation Pond, and even if her cultivation was slightly weaker, this flurry of spear shadows would be enough to leave her bloodied and battered. "Impressive," Yue Jinghua silently praised. In her life, she had faced countless dangers and never panicked when facing modern weaponry. Her Divine Sense subtly stirred. The Sky Shrieking Sword appeared instantaneously before her, blocking the first strike of the Cloud Piercing Spear. A clanking sound was heard, and the momentum of the Cloud Piercing Spear paused. Seizing this gap, Yue Jinghua swiftly drew her sword, her feet lightly touching the ground, executing the brilliantly subtle Small Cloud Trace Steps. But Bo Xiyu was no weakling, and how could he just wait passively for Yue Jinghua to draw her sword? His movement technique was also formidable, like a swift Jiao Long. Twisting his waist and flicking the spear, he re-condensed the scattered Dark Energy, pulling his right arm back and then thrusting forward fiercely. The long spear moved like a brush loaded with ink in calligraphy, the Dark Energy like the brush’s cursive script, performing several consecutive actions of stabbing, smashing, and thrusting. His arms, sticky like the tentacles of a bone-less octopus adhering to the long spear, struck again towards Yue Jinghua’s chest. For origınal chapters go to 𝙣𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙡⚑𝙛𝙞𝙧𝙚⚑𝙣𝙚𝙩 Yue Jinghua, if adamant about drawing her sword, would have her right arm pierced through by this spear. It was extremely dangerous. Yue Jinghua clenched her teeth, a sharp glint bursting forth from her beautiful eyes. Yet her right arm did not dodge or falter; she reached straight for the Great Sword behind her shoulder. "Seeking death," Bo Xiyu spat disdainfully. Yue Jinghua’s clothing stirred without any wind, just as the Cloud Piercing Spear thrust towards her right arm. In the air, ripples resonated out once more. This time, though, the ripples did not originate from the Cloud Piercing Spear, but from within Yue Jinghua herself. A cold sensation, suffocatingly intense, traveled from the tip of the spear straight to Bo Xiyu’s body. It was as though he was struck by lightning, momentarily giving Bo Xiyu the illusion of being on the battlefield, facing the furious roar of thousands of troops. There seemed to be an invisible natural barrier before his eyes. Bo Xiyu was certain that it wasn’t Xuan Qi Armor, nor was it a divine light protective technique used by factions like the Divine Court; it was... Killing aura, the kind you would only find in generals who have battled through hellish bloodbaths and murderous demons. Such killing aura was not foreign to Bo Xiyu. He had felt this same sensation from Uncle Luo Ri of the Dragon Knight Mercenary Group. Uncle Luo Ri said it was because he had been in the military camps in his younger days, where he had licked the blood of countless enemies within the Dragon War Empire’s camps. Yet why would such a killing aura emanate from this young mercenary? The Cloud Piercing Spear was stalled by this sudden surge of Asura Killing Aura, unable to advance further. With the Great Sword in hand, Yue Jinghua let out a long chant, like a flying dragon in the sky, executing "Cloud Stacking". In a high-level confrontation, even a moment of distraction can be fatal; Bo Xiyu faltered briefly, and then rapidly recovered. With a horizontal push of his arm, he swung his spear impenetrably. In that instant, sword shadows flew like swift arrows, and the long spear like a staunch shield. An attack and a defense, neither gaining the upper hand. "Disengage," Bo Xiyu was the first to withdraw, his feet drifting back several steps. But Yue Jinghua simply sheathed her sword and stood still, her chest slightly heaving. The brief exchange between the two was filled with grave peril, neither gaining any advantage over the other. But Bo Xiyu knew that since he had struck first and his opponent was not willing to engage, he had lost in terms of manners. He withdrew his spear, his gaze fixed on Yue Jinghua, his earlier arrogance and rudeness wiped clean. Helen was not exaggerating; this young mercenary was truly a sword expert. "Today, I admit fault," Bo Xiyu said solemnly, "I will no longer mention Qin Dongting’s matter. However, I still advise you not to participate in the Xuyang Trial; you are no match for me. If we confront each other again, I will end you with my spear." After saying this, he clasped his hands in a salute, remaining silent and then left without a word. That very afternoon, Bo Xiyu departed from Five Saints Town with the simple-minded Luo Yun. With Bo Xiyu’s departure, Yue Jinghua also began to busily plan the defenses for Fengdan County.