Chapter 268 - Test
Training the coldest techniques, Princess Shan's personality would naturally shift as well, becoming more distant and aloof, but when she saw Xuefeng looking at her like that, a rare smile finally appeared on her face as she called out in a sweet voice, "Hey, Xuefeng…"
Honestly, Princess Shan was extremely nervous the whole trip to Liu Clan and even now, before Xuefeng arrived, she was constantly thinking of what Xuefeng would say the moment they met again. She didn't even know if he would come, but her imagination couldn't stop creating various scenes of what could happen later when their eyes met each other.
When her Sect Master saw how she behaved, her curiosity began increasing the more she stayed in this Clan. At this point, she planned to stay here until he comes back. If he was here, there is no way she would do any selection at all. This was just a pretext to increase the time she could spend here. After all, some selection processes could last many days.
When Princess Shan looked at Xuefeng, she didn't mind his shock, somehow finding it cute of him. No matter what he did, she liked it, but she couldn't help it. Under Sect Master protection, she was no longer in danger because of Shen Zhao, the Sacred Sword Kingdom Prince, but her feelings still stayed the same, thinking of Xuefeng as her saviour and the pillar of support.
"Hey—" Xuefeng returned the smile and wanted to walk up to her to offer his greetings when suddenly Nuwa overtook him, hugging Princess Shan on his place while calling out, "Shan, what a cute name. You must be one of his girlfriends, right?"
When Princess Shan heard her, the cold facade on her face crumbled as her cheeks flushed red. If her Sect Master saw that she would definitely be shocked. Spending so much time shaping her personality, so that not many things could move her, only to have it destroyed with one simple question.
Seeing her looking down embarrassed, Nuwa eyes brightened, finding that adorable. She couldn't help but squeeze her tighter, finding some parts of herself in Princess Shan. Just like Nuwa, she was cold on the outside for everyone else but when it came to her lover, she would melt right away.
"Cold on the outside but soft on the inside. You seem to love Xuefeng a lot. I think I like you already. I was doubting Xuefeng's pickup skills, but it seems that he is choosing only the best." Nuwa praised as she let Princess Shan's head lay down in her chest, while she continued to gently rub her head.
Feeling the familiar pats, the same ones she used to receive from her mother when she was young, Princess Shan somehow felt the motherly love she had been missing for so long. The mesmerising smell of the flowers on Nuwa's dress didn't help at all in pulling herself away from the unknown woman and only pushed her to tighten the hug herself.
"Mhmm…" Princess Shan didn't want to confirm anything as she and Xuefeng were not exactly together yet, but she still nodded as didn't want to leave Nuwa's embrace. The two didn't know each other, but If she was Xuefeng's friend, Princess Shan didn't mind getting close with her.
"Hey, what about me? Will I not receive a hug?" Xuefeng looked speechless seeing that he was ignored and reached out with his hands, planning to get a hug as well.
Unfortunately, his plans were ruined really quickly when Nuwa pretended she didn't see that, suddenly dragging Princess Shan away from him by wrapping her arms together and only leaving a note, "Shan, let's have a girls talk first. I need to learn more about you. Xuefeng can wait."
Just as Xuefeng thought he would be left hanging alone, Princess Shan suddenly let go of Nuwa and started running towards Xuefeng as she muttered to herself, "No, I can't wait anymore…"
She didn't mind Nuwa's company, but she was waiting for this moment for too long to just give it up. When she jumped into his arms, Xuefeng almost fell from the momentum but fortunately managed to support himself. He immediately tightened his hug on her just as strong as she did.
Xuefeng considered Princess Shan as a very good friend and didn't mind hugging her after such a long time of separation. She, on the other hand, knew Xuefeng's feelings were still not there, but that obviously wouldn't stop her. Xuefeng didn't say no when Nuwa asked if she was his girlfriend so she already considered that a win.
"I missed you a lot…" Princess Shan whispered after some time, still hugging onto his neck, allowing his hands to gently caress her back. If she could decide, their hug would last for hours until she was finally satisfied, filling the desires she had for the last few months.
"It's okay. I'm here..." Xuefeng smiled and assured her while gently patting her on the head, asking right after, "Did they take care of you over there?" He also glanced at Nuwa to see her reaction, but she was surprisingly smiling, patiently waiting.
"Mhmm, I was mostly safe thanks to my master… After I told her about you, she decided to make a visit and take me with her. If not for that, I wouldn't be able to meet you…" Princess Shan muttered happily, explaining her reason for the visit. It was extremely hard to get a pass to visit family in the White Lotus Sect, especially if someone just joined it, so she was blessed to have such a chance this quickly.
"I guess I will have to meet with her and thank her for taking care of you. Is she in the clan right now?" Xuefeng asked while wondering what Princess Shan told her master that would make her desire to meet him so much. They did have to travel a bit of a distance to reach here. He didn't believe that they came with the reason of performing the selection for their sect.
"Yup, she is talking with your parents right now in the Clan Leader's mansion." Princess Shan found herself much more comfortable now after staying in Xuefeng's arms for so long and wasn't nervous anymore, talking confidently.
Just when Xuefeng wanted to continue conversing with her, Nuwa called out from behind them, interrupting him, "Shan, are you coming? There is a lot we need to talk about."
Reluctantly, Princess Shan let go of Xuefeng, dropping down to the ground and left a quick kiss on his cheek before running back to Nuwa. She was also curious of who she was to Xuefeng, looking like a twenty-year-old beauty but having the maturity of a mother.
"I will leave you girls alone then. You can join me when you finish." Xuefeng waved his hand for goodbyes and decided to visit his father's study. There were a lot of questions he wanted answers to.
He knew that Nuwa went astray with her assumptions but he didn't try to correct her at that moment, leaving it for Princess Shan to explain. It would be extremely awkward between them if he suddenly rejected her in front of Nuwa.
Spawning his wings once again, he flew into the sky, heading towards the main building in the clan. When Princess Shan saw his wings once again, she looked amazed at how Xuefeng grew in those last few months. From a newbie cultivator into a full-fledged one that looked as if he had years of experience.
When Princess Shan arrived by Nuwa's side, looking at her curiously, she was met with a deep question right in the feels, "You are not his girlfriend yet, right?"
Realising she was busted, Princess Shan didn't lie anymore and said truthfully, "I'm not… Yet." When Nuwa saw the confidence in her eyes, she couldn't help but let out a laugh, commenting, "Haha, I like you a bit now. Now only you passed my test, you also had this nice stubborn side in you."
"Test?" Princess Shan asked confused, not realising she was already undergoing a test. Wasn't it too fast?
"I took you away from him the moment you guys met. If you didn't run towards him to at least hug him upon greeting, I would kick you out right away. He needs support, not a weak lady. I'm glad you passed the test." Nuwa shrugged as she leaned over on the boulder, staring intently at Princess Shan's frown. Nuwa already planned to test everyone Xuefeng wanted to be with, so no one was safe.
Chapter 269 - You Can Join Too...
When Xuefeng landed in front of his parents' mansion, he saw a few cold looking ladies with white dresses that covered most of their bodies. They were standing together with the Shadow Guard members, but it didn't seem like they were talking with them. They were coldly looking around at anyone who was approaching and didn't seem to be bothered by the Shadow Guard's questions.
"Young Master Liu!" The moment they saw Xuefeng, the Shadow Guard members called out happily, greeting him, glad to finally see someone familiar who could help them subdue the cold ladies. Xuefeng was known to have a good fortune with women, so they thought of him as their role model.
"Good day. Is my father in his study?" Xuefeng asked as he nodded towards them, greeting them back, before smiling softly at the ladies. The beauties heard many stories from Princess Shan about the guy in front of them, and they had to admit that he was indeed impressive. The wings on his back which looked like some type of skill gained their attention from the start, while his handsome face and fashion added even more points to their opinion.
"And who could you ladies be? Did you come here with Shan? Are you her sisters from the Sect?" Xuefeng asked as he looked them from head to toe.
"Yes… We are White Lotus Sect's disciples. We are also Sect Master's protectors and Shan is indeed our Sect Sister… Our Sect Master is awaiting Young Master." One of the girls stepped forward and introduced themselves with a slight smile, before recalling that her master wanted to meet Xuefeng and quickly opened up a way for him.
"Oh, that's right. That's the exact reason for my visit. I already met with Shan and she told me about it. I will excuse myself then." Xuefeng cancelled the wings and acknowledged their focus on the job, no longer wasting time. Just as he was passing them, he saw how his Shadow Guards were looking at him with puppy eyes and Xuefeng couldn't help but laugh internally.
He didn't plan to leave his brothers without help after all so he called out to the ladies while patting one of them on the shoulder, "Ladies, be kind to my people. They belong to my finest Shadow Guard with the best talents in the clan."
Without saying anything else, Xuefeng walked into the building, making the shadow guards stare at him with thankful gazes. They knew that it should be enough as the expression on White Lotus Sect's ladies changed when they looked at them, not blatantly ignoring them like before, which was great progress.
Normally Xuefeng wouldn't knock on the doors when he planned to meet his father, but this time there was a special guest there, someone who took care of his friend so Xuefeng didn't want to look impolite.
"Oh, It's Xuefeng! We were just talking about you. Come join us." Liu Xiaobei called out happily upon seeing that it was Xuefeng who entered, pointing towards the seat next to the unfamiliar lady.
His father's cheeks were already rosy from the wine they were drinking, which could explain why he sounded so joyful. Fortunately, there was his mother sitting next to him, carefully protecting him so he wouldn't do anything stupid.
Xuefeng walked up to his parents, greeting them both with a hug before finally walking up to the sofa the supposed Sect Master was sitting on, greeting everyone again, "Good afternoon. What did I miss?"
The lady next to him was observing him from up close, but he only smiled at her softly and introduced himself, "I'm Liu Xuefeng. Is Miss the Sect Master of White Lotus Sect?"
"Indeed, I am." The Sect Master admitted with her crispy sweet voice and asked, "And you should be the boy that my disciple is always talking about, right?"
"I guess that's me. Thank you for taking care of her. I didn't like the situation she was in so I'm glad it was handled in time. I wasn't strong enough earlier so I couldn't help her." Xuefeng smiled and thanked sincerely, causing the Sect Master's eyes to brighten. She already had a good first impression of Xuefeng, someone who knew what his strengths were and didn't rush with his things.
"That's good. One should know their strengths." The sexy beauty praised him as she gave him a sweet smile and moved a bit closer to him on the sofa, asking while blinking her eyes alluringly, "How about now, are you confident that you can beat him?"
When Mu Lan saw her son being flirted right in front of her, she couldn't help but curse in her mind, 'That vixen. First trying to seduce my husband and now she goes for my son…' She wanted to say something to her already, but her husband stopped her, assuring that nothing would happen between them and that good relations with another Sect were always appreciated.
Hearing the question, Xuefeng only smiled and replied confidently, looking straight into her eyes, "I'm sure that I can beat anyone under Saint Stage."
"Cough, cough… I don't seem to believe you." The Sect Master quickly coughed twice, almost choking on the wine she was drinking, finding his words too hard to believe.
Normally it wouldn't be that impossible as there were many young geniuses in this world, but she knew from Princess Shan that Xuefeng only started his cultivation a few months ago. His progression in less than half a year up to Spirit Lord Stage was already a miracle for her, but he also claimed that he could beat anyone under Saint stage which was a very bold statement.
"It's okay. It's not like I care this much to prove it. Miss asked so I answered." Xuefeng shrugged, not bothered much by her doubt. Pouring himself a cup of wine, he gently took a gulp before asking, "I was told that Miss wanted to meet with me. Is there anything I can help you with?"
The Sect Leader watched how natural Xuefeng behaved, knowing exactly who she was and couldn't help but evaluate this boy once again. The seed of curiosity was already planted and it was blooming higher the more time she spent with him. She didn't actually have any particular purpose for this visit, planning to just visit and meet with him, but now her thoughts started changing.
Weighing the possible paths she could take to get him on her side, she suddenly thought of a genius plan and proposed, "Actually… I heard that you have many excellent females around you. I wondered if they can join my White Lotus Sect? It's an all females Sect so you can be sure that they will be safe."
Unfortunately, Xuefeng didn't think too much about it and shook his head, quickly rejected her with a simple flat refusal, "No." He already knew what his women would say if they were asked such a question. The answer would be the same. Another reason would be his own unwillingness to separate with them, planning on being shameless with it.
Even with his refusal, the Sect Leader didn't get angry or anything, thinking it was fair for him to do, but still asked for a reason, "Why? Do you think my Sect is too lowly for them to join it?"
"It's not that at all. They just don't want to separate from me and the other way around, I don't want them to leave me too. I planned on joining the Sect but I intended to take them all with me. I don't think that White Lotus Sect would accept a male like me." Xuefeng explained, causing the sexy Sect Master to fall into contemplation.
Thinking that they were done, Xuefeng called out to Liu Xiaobei, "Father, I like how you settled the tailor shop. I told them to invest all of our profits into improving the shop and the quality of the materials. You don't mind, right?"
Hearing his son maturing so fast, Liu Xiaobei felt really proud, leaving everything to him, "Mhmm, it's your business so you can do what you want. I only helped a bit when you were away. Even without my help, I know you would do the same."
Just as Xuefeng wanted to continue talking about other topics, the Sect Leader muttered out loud, "You can join too."
Xuefeng broke his train of thought with this sentence and looked back at her, asking confused, "You want me to join your Sect? Isn't it a females only Sect? Wouldn't the main Sect disagree to it if reported? I know that your Sect is just a branch of the one in the Empire."
"Don't worry about the Empire. You said you can defeat anyone under the Saint Stage? Prove it by defeating Shan and I will allow you to join together with your women. What do you think?" The Sect Master just smiled, not bothered by the main Sect's opinion.
To her, Xuefeng didn't exactly understand the value of such genius. If she could find a cultivator that could battle Emperor Stage Cultivators in less than six months after starting cultivation, the White Lotus Sect in the Empire wouldn't care if he was a male or not. They would take him and put all of their resources to groom him.
Hearing that he only needed to defeat Shan, Xuefeng couldn't help but ask, "That's it?" Xuefeng didn't want to be rude when he said it, but he was rather confident in his abilities now. If he were to use his Fate Holder abilities, even Saints were not a match for him.
To his confidence, the Sect Master only laughed and said lightly, "Heh, if you think that Shan is still the same weak girl you talked to three months ago, then you will definitely lose."
Chapter 270 - Open Heart
"I don't mind. I would be happy to check how much Shan has improved. I hope the Sect didn't save on resources while nurturing her." Xuefeng commented casually as he gave her a side glance. Xuefeng was actually eager to battle someone after getting his new abilities so such an opportunity was well timed.
If Shan really improved a lot then she would definitely be a decent opponent to test them on. Xuefeng didn't have much time to train with them yet, but he was confident that he would learn them quickly.
"Shan joined me quite late, but during the time she was under my wing, she never had anything lacking in her cultivation. Where one needed to pay with contribution points, Shan could have it for free. Don't underestimate the power of the Sect Master. I'm the law there." The sexy Sect Master explained with ease, not bothered by such comments. Copying Xuefeng, she placed her legs on top of each other and reached out for a jug of wine to pour herself some more when Xuefeng acted first, filling her glass like a gentleman.
"Here you go. A glass from me as a thank you for taking care of Shan." Xuefeng poured himself another glass as well and raised it up, planning to toast with her.
Clink.
The glasses let out a clinking sound as they hit each other and the Sect Master took the first sip while smiling at him. The more time she spent with Xuefeng, the more attractive he was to her.
It wasn't a baseless rumour that she liked to seduce men who were already taken as she indeed had such a kink. Not only that, Xuefeng genuinely sounded like a great guy, being confident, smart, mature and even knowledgeable. It would be a surprise if she didn't find him attractive at that moment.
Seeing the gaze in which the vixen was looking at her son, Mu Lan decided to interfere, calling out to remind Xuefeng, "Son, where are Wuying and the rest? Weren't they supposed to be with you?"
Hearing the question, Xuefeng switched the topics, forgetting about the female Sect Master for a moment, "We separated earlier and Wen was supposed to bring them all back safely. Right, Father, do you have a method to contact Wuying? I forgot to give her a matching Signal Crystal so we could talk in case anything happened."
"Of course I do. She is still the leader of Shadow Guards so I need to have a way to contact her. You took her away from me, but she should still have one on her. Here try it." Liu Xiaobei pulled out a Green Signal Crystal and threw it towards his son, already a bit freshened up after having his show stolen by him. He didn't need to entertain the sexy Sect Leader anymore so he just relaxed now.
"Alright," Xuefeng stood up and walked up to the window, activating the Signal Crystal away from them so that he wouldn't bother them. Surprisingly, Wuying picked up the call right away and asked, "Xuefeng, is that you?"
"How did you know it was me?" Xuefeng asked with a smile, happy to hear a familiar voice. He didn't think he would be busted this fast, but knowing Wuying, it wasn't hard to guess. This was the only way Xuefeng could contact her.
"Your father wouldn't call me knowing I'm with you so the only option is you arriving earlier and calling me. We are still an hour away from the Clan. Wu Kong was begging me to have a break so we could eat and looking at his puppy eyes, I couldn't reject. It has been more than 30 minutes already, but he is still not satisfied. We will leave in a bit and continue our travels." Wuying reported, already knowing what Xuefeng wanted to hear.
"Mhmm, it's okay. You can just carry him away saying that I have much better snacks here. I have a small snack for you as well…" Xuefeng proposed, being in a playful mood and he didn't need to wait long to hear the sounds of a conversation in the background, "Wu Kong, we are leaving! Big Brother is waiting for us!"
"Noooo, my foooood!"
"Stop holding the chair, we are going!"
"Sis, five more minutes, please! We can't leave so much food alone!"
"Nope."
Smack!
"Aaah! My own sister betrayed me… Out of everyone I know."
Xuefeng could easily imagine what happened and couldn't help but smile listening to the siblings' interactions. It was then that Wuying's voice returned to the call and she reported, "We are heading out. Wait for me there…"
Crack.
When Wuying started talking, the crystal suddenly cracked, signalling that the connection would soon break so Xuefeng didn't wait and said his goodbyes, "Alright, safe travels then. I will wait for you guys here. I love you."
"I love you too—" When Wuying tried to reply, Xuefeng only heard the first few words before the crystal cracked, breaking into dust in his hand. The Signal Crystals were not eternal. Once they were used too many times, they would simply break.
Xuefeng was glad that he was able to hear at least the first three words which were more naturally leaving their mouths recently. Knowing they were safe, Xuefeng didn't worry anymore and walked back to the table, informing his parents, "They should arrive in an hour. They were delayed because they stopped for some food."
"Yeah, we could hear. You were not secretive about your conversation at all." Liu Xiaobei rolled his eyes when he heard his son's report and asked while squinting his eyes, "Are you showing off in front of your father?"
"Haha, yes! Can't I brag a bit?" Xuefeng couldn't help but laugh after being exposed and patted his father on the shoulder, boldly agreeing to this statement. It would be strange if he wasn't proud of having such great girlfriends.
Just as Liu Xiaobei wanted to continue bantering with his son, the sexy Sect Master stood up and interrupted them, asking, "Shall we go and test Young Master's skills now? We still have an hour of free time."
"Miss wants me to fight Shan right now?" Xuefeng found it a bit too rushed but in the end, he didn't mind it that much so he agreed even before the beauty answered, "I don't mind. As long as Shan wants to, we can do it right away."
"Perfect. Thank you for spending your time with me Clan Leader Liu. I will depend on your son for the second part of the day." The Sect Leader bade farewell to Liu Xiaobei as she walked up to Xuefeng and gently hugged his arm, allowing him to lead her.
Seeing her leaving, Mu Lan didn't let her husband say anything and replied on his behalf instead, "No problem. It was a pleasure. Xuefeng will take care of everything." She believed that Xuefeng wouldn't do anything stupid with the sexy vixen so she decided to leave everything in his hands.
Nodding his head, Liu Xiaobei confirmed his wife's words, "I agree. Xuefeng is mature enough to handle anything related to his future. You two can go first. We will join later." Liu Xiaobei knew he had to please his wife for how he had behaved these past two days so they excused themselves as well.
Just as Xuefeng left his father's study, he glanced at the sexy beauty who was still shamelessly holding onto his arm and coughed, informing her gently about it, "Cough, the arm..."
"Oh, am I bothering you this much? I can let go if you really insist…" The sexy Sect Master tried to make a pitiful look, glancing softly at him but Xuefeng wasn't really moved and nodded his head, confirming, "Yes, please. My girlfriend will get jealous. If she sees you holding my arm like that, she will kill you."
"What…?" Normally if she heard such a threat, she would most certainly laugh in almost all cases but looking at Xuefeng's eyes, she knew he wasn't joking.
"If you don't believe me then let's go on like this and try for yourself. She is talking with Shan in my courtyard right now. She will definitely welcome you with an open heart. Well, at least one heart will be open." Xuefeng shrugged, continuing to walk forward while explaining, but before Xuefeng could finish explaining, the sexy Sect Leader let go of his arm unwillingly. She didn't completely believe Xuefeng's words but decided to play it safe.
Chapter 271 - I Don't Like Her
Before they went down the stairs, Xuefeng suddenly stopped and asked, "What's your name, Miss? I don't like using such formalities." Xuefeng always quickly moved to call everyone as if they were his friends as it was much more comfortable, but when the sexy Sect Master heard it, she frowned, not meeting with such a question often.
She looked at him, curious of his next answer and commented, "I'm the Sect Master of a big Sect. I don't think it would be normal if you call me by my name, am I right?"
"Oh, don't worry about that. I'm already friends with much more powerful people. It would be more awkward if I called you a Sect Master instead." Xuefeng replied honestly, assuring her gently.
When listening to him, she couldn't feel even a bit of gloating from him, as if what he had just said was normal for him. It sounded like Xuefeng always interacted with powerful people and a Sect Master of her calibre was just a small figure, which made her quite depressed.
'Who is this guy…? Why can't I figure him out at all...? He is like an open book but still has a lot of mysteries even though you can see it all…' The Sect Master thought in her mind, frustrated about Xuefeng's behaviour. Normally she wouldn't have any problems in picking up a good approach in seducing a man, but she had trouble with this one case.
Looking him in the eyes, she decided to see how he will react later when her ladies know how he calls her and admitted, "You can call me Jiao. Only friends call me that…"
"Alright, Jiao, cute name. Let's go." Xuefeng simply nodded with a slight smile as he patted her on the head and continued walking down the stairs. Jiao couldn't help but blush when she heard him calling her name so casually, as well as feel his gentle touch. Fortunately, she quickly shook her head and regained her focus which befitted a Sect Master.
Jiao liked to seduce married men, but that didn't mean she was this familiar with every one of them. It was rare for her to give her name to someone and even rarer if she allowed someone to touch her. She was an expert in seducing without even letting men place a hand on her. For her, men were only playthings that were supposed to listen to her every call.
'Tsk, show off. Since when did Xuefeng become so smooth and confident?' Ming commented sarcastically inside of Xuefeng's mind to which the bracelet Spirit added, 'He was always like that, but he needed a little push to change. I'm not staying with a little bitch, so he'd better stay this way.'
Hearing that Xuefeng was being badmouthed, Ling also jumped into the conversation like a female tiger protecting their cubs, 'Who did you call a little bitch?!' She didn't care about the bracelet Spirit's powers when it came to Xuefeng.
Unfortunately, they couldn't do anything to him and he knew it too, not bothered to be kind at all, calling out right back at her, 'Of course I'm talking about Xuefeng. It's all because of you that he was like that. You girls made him too soft. Fortunately, I came in the right moment and set him on the correct path. With me by his side, no women will lead him by the nose.'
Hearing them arguing pointlessly, Xuefeng quickly stopped them, 'Alright, quiet down everyone. I can't focus if you shout so much. Go argue somewhere else.' Only after this did silence fill his mind and he could finally think normally. Listening to the conversation of three spirits at the same time was very tiring.
"Ladies first." When they finally reached the entrance, Xuefeng opened the doors and allowed Jiao to pass first, showing his respect for women, which gained him even more admiration from the ladies who watched everything from outside.
Jiao wasn't new to this custom but still appreciated it, knowing that at least he cared for her a bit. When she passed him, her hand grazed by his chest as if by accident, using her nails to leave a teasing feeling behind. Xuefeng wasn't dumb, so he knew what her plan was since the moment he saw her look at him, but he could only pity her instead of getting excited. Once she meets Nuwa, he didn't think there would be a nice ending to her flirts.
"Sect Master! Young Master Liu!" With the two of them out, their subordinates greeted them both at the same time. Jiao only smiled as she patted her disciples on the heads like a godmother and one could see based on their gazes that they idolized her.
"We are going to meet with your sister Shan now. Young Master Liu decided to have a sparring session with her. What do you think about that?" Jiao asked curiously as she gave Xuefeng a side glance.
"Oh! But Sect Master, isn't that bullying? Young Master only started his cultivation recently. He shouldn't stand a chance against Shan with his cultivation stage right now..." One of the five beauties who had quite a good opinion about Xuefeng called out in his defence, or rather to warn him about Shan's power.
They all already witnessed her strength before they left for this trip and Shan established herself as a leading disciple by defeating them all effortlessly. After that, they began looking up to her a lot. She didn't try to disrespect Xuefeng but rather believed in their Senior Sister's strength.
Hearing the exact question she wanted, the sexy Jiao brushed her ice blue hair and replied proudly while looking at Xuefeng, "Well, we don't need to worry about that. Young Master Liu said he will be fine. No experts below—"
Unfortunately, before she could end, Xuefeng suddenly approached her and patted her head, calling out gently, "Jiao, stop fooling around and follow me. I will be busy later." He didn't wait for her reaction and simply walked away, slowly heading towards his courtyard.
The ladies looked as if they were paralyzed by lightning, but when they saw their Sect Master blush, they couldn't help but exclaim, "Ah! Master!" Before they could get into details and ask what just happened, Jiao shook her head to get rid of the evil thoughts, making her hair messily fly around before she said sternly to her disciples, "Don't ask about it. It's complicated..."
She didn't plan on explaining or rather, she didn't know how to explain it. This was a completely new experience for her as she would almost never let a man touch her for the second or third time. Xuefeng's behaviour was putting her off from the start, not knowing how she should act around him.
The ladies glanced at each other with a knowing smile and didn't comment anymore, but that only made Jiao more frustrated about the situation. It wasn't what they thought at all. Xuefeng was just playing around with her...
Without stopping or turning around, Xuefeng waved his hand and asked, "Are you coming? We don't have the whole day." Seeing how cool Xuefeng acted, the ladies couldn't help but start jumping around, getting excited for their Senior Sister or possibly even their Sect Master.
Having no choice, Jiao stepped forward, catching up to Xuefeng while calling out, "We are coming!" The ladies only giggled and followed after their Sect Master, leaving a few Shadow Guard's members dumbstruck, trying to understand what they just witnessed.
"Sigh, let's give up, Young Master's game is too strong for us. With one move he can get them all excited and make them follow him around. We can't even convince them to talk to us. We will never get a chance to get such fine beauties…" A Shadow Guard member sighed, giving up on the top shelf, actually thinking of getting a normal wife instead.
Even the vice-leader who happened to be present couldn't help but glance at the beauties with yearning, but still commented, giving more hope to his comrades, "Let's increase out cultivation first. Women only follow the strongest. Once we work hard like Young Master, beauties won't be able to resist us. Look at the Young Master. He started cultivating four months ago but he already caught up to us. Shouldn't we all be ashamed of ourselves?"
Hearing his words, the fighting will that they just lost was reborn once again and they all agreed at the same time, "Let's do it!"
Xuefeng didn't think that his fortune with women could motivate them to work harder, else he would have already used this method. When they arrived back in his courtyard, he spotted Nuwa and Princess Shan sitting on the grass and conversing happily. Only when Xuefeng approached closer to them did they stop, and looked at him with smiles.
Pulling Nuwa into his arms, Xuefeng commented, "It seems like you two are getting along pretty well." In all honesty, Xuefeng would already be satisfied if Nuwa didn't try to kill anyone, so the scene of them talking normally was bliss.
"Yeah, we talked a lot while you were gone. She is a good girl." Nuwa snuggled into Xuefeng chest, not bothered by the other people in the garden and reached out to pat Princess Shan on the head as if she was praising a kid.
Princess Shan accepted her pat happily before finally glancing towards Jiao. Nuwa also happened to glance in that direction and asked, "Who are they?" When she noticed Jiao gaze towards them, she somehow didn't get a nice feeling from her.
"They are my Master and my Junior Sisters from the Sect." Princess Shan explained quickly before she ran up to Jiao, greeting her respectfully, "Master." Seeing that Jiao only nodded towards her, Nuwa whispered as she hugged Xuefeng around his neck, "I don't like her."
Chapter 272 - Conflict
Xuefeng patted Nuwa's head before creating a barrier around them so that they wouldn't be overheard. He held Nuwa in his arms just in case she tried to do anything dangerous and said softly, "She is Shan's Master who took care of her when I couldn't. Be nice." He knew that Nuwa was very direct in expressing her feelings. He didn't want to start any unnecessary conflicts.
"I still don't like her. She is looking at you as if you are a snack. I don't like that. If she tries anything funny…" Nuwa shrugged and glared towards Jiao as she warned her, but Xuefeng quickly stopped her, assuring her, "She won't. The most she can do is trying to flirt with me. Ignore all that."
Thinking it was still not enough to convince her, Xuefeng added, "Do it for me and stay put, okay?"
Unfortunately, just as he expected, Nuwa wasn't happy with it and commented, staying true to her words from before, "I told you already. If I don't like someone, I won't let that person get close to you. This woman smells of trouble. Trust my women intuition and stay away from her."
Instead of waiting for Xuefeng to reply, Nuwa suddenly released the barrier around them with a wave of her hand and glanced provocatively towards Jiao. She also happened to be looking at Nuwa at that time and squinted her eyes, not knowing what she planned to do.
Nuwa only smirked at her and wrapped her hands around Xuefeng, suddenly kissing him deeply. Keeping his head in place, she gently brushed his hair at the back and continued to eat his lips, pulling one of her legs upwards.
Xuefeng couldn't just push her away, but after some time passed, she was still inside his embrace despite many guests waiting for them. Xuefeng decided to reach out towards her butt and grab it forcefully, urging her to pull away from him. Only with such sign did Nuwa stop kissing him and hugged his arm instead, looking innocently at him.
Caressing her cheek against his arm, Nuwa looked at him apologetically and said, making sure she was loud and clear so that Jiao would hear them, "I'm sorry... You were away for so long that I couldn't resist myself. As your girlfriend, I can't get enough of you."
"..." Seeing her like that, Xuefeng turned speechless. Nuwa's method to turn him mute was quite extraordinary. He has never seen anyone more shameless than her.
Nuwa didn't mind his expressions and suddenly pulled him towards the rest, calling out to him, "Come on, let me greet our guests. It's Shan's Master and Senior Sisters after all."
Hearing her sudden change in attitude, Xuefeng knew that this wouldn't go well for sure. He even started thinking of not letting her talk more with Jiao, but he knew it wouldn't work on her. Just to be sure that nothing goes wrong, Xuefeng got ready to interfere in case anything happens.
When Jiao saw Nuwa's showcase, she also smirked, not bothered much. There were many wives that used to behave very similar to Nuwa right now but they still couldn't keep their men for themselves. It was just a matter of time for her.
Getting close to the group, Nuwa approached them, greeting them with a kind smile, "Hello, I'm Nuwa, Xuefeng's girlfriend. Nice to meet you." Nuwa didn't hide her name, feeling proud of it since Xuefeng learnt about it. She already had a man who learnt about it first so there was no need to hide it anymore.
Hearing the kind voice, Jiao wanted to reply accordingly, not showing any of her cards when suddenly a strong pressure clashed against her, causing her to be paralyzed. She couldn't move no matter what she tried to do and only after great difficulty did her eyes move, spotting Nuwa's innocent smile. She could feel that the pressure was coming from her, but none of her defences worked.
'It's her! Who is she to have such power…?!' Jiao panicked in her mind, realising that if she actually fought with Nuwa, the battle wouldn't be a competition but rather a one-sided slaughter.
"Good day Miss!" Not realising their Master's condition, the girls called out happily, greeting Nuwa with smiles, knowing her connection to Xuefeng. Even if Xuefeng had one girlfriend, it didn't mean that he couldn't have more. For them, it wasn't necessary to be the only lover as long as the man was a great one.
Fortunately for Jiao, Xuefeng quickly noticed her condition, standing right in front of her and quickly stopped Nuwa, squeezing her hand as hard as he could. Nuwa was totally going out of his control so there was nothing he could do other than convincing her to stop.
"Cough, cough!" Only after a few more seconds did Nuwa finally cease her bullying and released Jiao from her Unique Power, causing her to cough abruptly, gasping for breath.
Unlike Yiren, Nuwa had complete control over her Inborn Ability, making her one of the strongest beings in this world. If Yiren was able to control it as well, even Spirit Monarchs would find it hard to resist her, even though with her low cultivation.
"Master?! Are you okay?" Hearing Jiao's coughing, her disciples immediately approached her to check if she was okay but Jiao waved her hand, showing she was alright.
Xuefeng could already hear the bracelet Spirit's advice even without him speaking, asking him to do something about Nuwa's misbehaviour. Something had to be done and he already knew about it. Xuefeng also didn't like how she did anything she wanted.
Right when Xuefeng wanted to tell her what he thought about it, Nuwa surprisingly admitted her faults as she said, "I'm sorry, it's my bad. Sometimes some of my power is leaking and I can't control it. Are you okay?"
"I'm okay…" Jiao replied back, still keeping her cool. Being a Sect Master for the last few years taught her a lot and thickened her skin as well. She knew that Nuwa was just trying to intimidate her right now, but that didn't scare her away.
Princess Shan looked at both Jiao and Nuwa, having complicated emotions. Normally she would side with her Master but Nuwa was connected to Xuefeng so it was best for her to stay neutral. She already noticed the tension between the two of them from the start and she didn't like to be trapped in between.
Unfortunately, just as she thought about it, Jiao called out to her, going straight to the point of their visit, "Shan, you will have a sparring session with Young Master Liu."
"Me?" It would be strange if Princess Shan didn't call out in surprise after hearing her Master's request. Jiao knew very well about her feelings towards Xuefeng. Why would she make him fight? Was it because of Nuwa?
Nuwa was also just as confused as Princess Shan, looking towards Xuefeng with a questioning look, to which Xuefeng simply replied without waiting for Jiao to explain, "I was asked to join White Lotus Sect and I only agreed to do it if Shan can beat me in a fight."
Obviously, when Princess Shan and Nuwa heard this, both of them open their eyes wide, asking at the same time, "What?!" Of course, both of them had different expressions when they cried it out. One was excited and suddenly all fired up to battle while the other got depressed, not expecting such turns of events.
It didn't take long for them to cry out once again at the same time, both having a different opinion this time:
"I agree!"
"I disagree!"
Chapter 273 - Domain
"Nuwa, this is just sparring. I need to join a Sect anyway so that I can join the Empire Tournament. To be honest, I don't really care about which Sect I join, so I might as well enter one with my friend in it. White Lotus Sect seems like a good option." Xuefeng tried to calm Nuwa down, slowly explaining his motives.
Unfortunately, even with that Nuwa wasn't quite satisfied and asked, "Can't you join any other Sect then? I bet there are so many other Sects that can get you the pass as well."
Hearing her reject the offer this fast just because she disliked Jiao, Xuefeng couldn't help but smile helplessly, patting his silly girlfriend's head before finally saying, "Let's just wait and see if Shan can defeat me first." Even if Xuefeng wanted to be more assertive, he still had a soft spot for his women, always preferring to fix the issue in peace.
Turning to Princess Shan who was still excited to battle with him, Xuefeng asked with a smile, "What do you think Shan? Can you defeat me? If you do, I might become your Senior Brother in the Sect."
Of course, Princess Shan didn't hesitate and nodded right away, "I will do my best to win!" Thinking it was Jiao's idea to bring Xuefeng into their Sect so that the two of them could be together, Princess Shan quickly approached her and called out, while resisting the urge to hug her, "Thank you, Master!"
Jiao knew exactly what her student meant by that, but she didn't explain it to her, not exposing Xuefeng as well. Her Junior Sisters also stayed quiet, not saying anything about the real deal. They respected Xuefeng for turning it around so that Princess Shan would be much more motivated while at the same time providing himself with a harder opponent.
Patting Princess Shan's shoulder, Jiao encouraged her, not acknowledging Nuwa as Xuefeng's girlfriend on purpose to make her mad, "Hope you do well. Let's show Young Master Liu's friend the power of our White Lotus Sect. She doesn't seem to believe in our Sect." She was sure that Nuwa wouldn't kill her, having a connection to Princess Shan after all.
After hearing Nuwa comment, she would be satisfied with either of them winning. In one case she would be able to roast Nuwa and in the other, she would be able to poach Xuefeng which also worked for her. Even if Nuwa was stronger than her, when they come into their territory, the situation would look much different.
Glaring openly at Jiao, Nuwa leaned over and kissed Xuefeng on the cheek, calling out cooly, "Xuefeng, win this." It sounded more like an order than a good luck message but Xuefeng only smiled and nodded. Nuwa didn't know that if he won, they would still visit the Sect.
Nuwa was strong and could solve all of his problems if he asked her, but what would that make him? No one likes useless bastards so he didn't plan on becoming one. He would rather work hard and defeat the prince of Sacred Sword Kingdom himself, keeping his word.
Having both parties ready, Xuefeng approached Shan and proposed with a smile, "Let's visit the training grounds then? It's not far from here."
"Yes! I'm ready. It's best if we don't fight here. I don't want to make a mess of your courtyard." Princess Shan replied as she hopped to his side with confidence emanating from her body.
Princess Shan looked like she already won the fight but that was what Xuefeng could expect from her. She didn't change much in the end, being the same bold Princess he liked spending time with.
Seeing her excitement, Xuefeng couldn't be more happy. He was also eager to fight a strong opponent, so if Princess Shan could actually push him more in the battle, that would be the best.
As they walked out of the courtyard, Princess Shan looked gently at Xuefeng's new look and couldn't help but praise him, planning to start some conversation, "I like your new hair."
Xuefeng flipped his white hair as he looked away from Nuwa who walked next to him and patted Princess Shan's head as a reward, complementing her as well, "Thank you, you are also as pretty as always. How much did you advance since you went away? You seem to be very confident that you can beat me."
Princess Shan didn't actually mind that question thanks to the gentle pat she just received and also because she was more than happy to finally have a chance to talk with Xuefeng once again. She replied honestly after thinking for a moment, "Actually, not much in terms of the cultivation. I only advanced to Spirit Overlord stage. My main focus over the last few months was mostly towards my mastery over Water Element. I should be reaching full mastery any time soon. What about you?"
"I also focused on my Elements. I have a few more than you though. I also mastered them all already. I also got some tricks up my sleeve so you should be careful when we fight." Xuefeng tried to be nice and warn her a bit, planning to go all out on her from the start, but he didn't expect her to suddenly exclaim right after she heard him, "What?! Did you master them all?"
Princess Shan sounded shocked, but in a good way, happy for him if that was the truth as a hopeful smile appeared on her face, waiting for him to confirm it.
"Is it that strange?" Xuefeng couldn't help but look at her confused, not getting why she was so shocked. Even without being half-elf and half-human, Xuefeng still believed he would master his Elements pretty fast. Wasn't it just manipulating and transforming Qi?
"No no. That's very impressive actually. If that's true then I might really have a hard time winning." Princess Shan quickly shook her head, praising him instead before sighing a bit as her battle might end up a loss in such a situation. She still asked out of curiosity, "What is the stage of your Domain then? Did you maybe reach the second stage on at least one element already?"
Hearing her question, it was now Xuefeng's time to get confused, not understanding what Princess Shan was asking. What second stage? What domain? Did they master different elements?
"You don't know?" Princess Shan saw his confusion and asked with a playful smile, relaxing her tensed body after getting a scare from him earlier. Xuefeng saw her smirk and asked without thinking, "What is a Domain?"
"Hah, I guess I will have to show you. It would be really strange if you already mastered your Domain for every Element." Hearing his question, Princess Shan chuckled, confirming her guess and didn't expose anything else, deciding to impress Xuefeng with her skills.
'What is a Domain?' Having no patience to wait for later, Xuefeng quickly asked the same question in his mind and quickly received his answers.
Ling was the one who called out first, admitting her mistake before she got exposed by Ming, 'I was going to tell you about it after you have mastered all the basic skills of your Elements, but so many things happened that I actually forgot about it.'
Without wasting time she simply explained, 'The Domain is just another stage of Elemental Cultivation. After you achieve such stage, you are able to sync with your Element, creating an area around you which is completely filled with your Element, giving you a huge advantage in battle. Just as you can use nature as part of your attacks, when you activate your domain, you are able to use all the elements inside to attack from all sides. Shan is probably reaching the first complete stage of Water Element.'
Knowing that he wouldn't be able to find time for that anyway, Xuefeng wasn't actually that mad at Ling. He got the basic understanding thanks to her now but still needed to ask for more details, 'Is it hard to reach such mastery?'
'For normal cultivators, yes, it is hard. For half-elves like you, it should take you much less time. Your body is naturally closer to nature and elements. I think Nuwa should be able to teach you some special methods of hers. She should have already mastered her own Elements to this stage.' Ling proposed, knowing that Nuwa would be the best teacher for this subject.
Xuefeng didn't go straight to Nuwa for that but instead muttered to himself while tightening his grip on her hand, "I guess I will need to learn this Domain too." He used the grip to pass Nuwa the message and she quickly returned the grasp, returning the message while adding a small rub on his shoulder with her finger. Sometimes they didn't even need to talk to know what was on their minds.
"I guess we arrived. Are you ready for a battle?" Princess Shan asked after seeing the many Liu Clan Members training on the big training grounds.
Xuefeng nodded but frowned at the same time, knowing it would be hard to battle with so many people here, so he went in first, deciding to make this battle an event for everyone to learn, "Yup, let me clear everyone just in case we get too crazy."
Seeing Princess Shan watching Xuefeng's back patiently, her Junior sisters sighed with smiles on their faces, commenting among themselves, "Senior Sister Shan is so in love. The way she looks at him makes my heart throb happily…"
"Yeah, I think it would be great if Young Master joined our sect. Master, who do you think will win?"
They asked Jiao who was only observing recently, deciding to take a step back, watching from the side until it was her time to shine. Jiao could only guess, having some theory that Xuefeng wasn't as weak as she thought before, and replied to her pupil, "He might win actually…"
Chapter 274 - Show Match
Senior Chen was just about to visit the training ground to test out the new blade he bought today when he suddenly spotted a bunch of young clan members overtaking him and rushing towards the same destination. He couldn't help but stop one of them and ask, "Where are all of you running so frantically to?"
He didn't expect that the lowly Spirit Master teen would not give him enough respect to stop and reply, but instead shoved his hand away and replied, "I will be late! The battle is about to start!" The teen didn't wait for Senior Chen to answer and ran away after everyone else in worry that he would miss the battle.
'Battle?' Senior Chen, of course, wouldn't miss anything interesting like a fight and immediately followed after the teen, catching up to him quickly before asking while running, "Who is fighting?"
"It's Young Master Liu! He came back and organized a show match right now! I don't know anything else." The teen replied right away without looking at Senior Chen but then he realised there was already no one next to him as Senior Chen disappeared, already being tens of meters in front of him.
Recalling his loss in a sword battle against Xuefeng a few months ago, Senior Chen couldn't help but mutter, 'Let's see how much stronger he is now…'
...….
Xuefeng looked around him, seeing hundreds of Cultivators already waiting for the show to start at the edges of the Training Grounds and aimed his Black Flames Slayer at Princess Shan, asking politely, "Are you ready? The moment we start, you will not have any time to catch a breath."
Princess Shan glanced at the familiar black flames burning on top of the sword and didn't worry much anymore, pointing her own ice cold katana at him before chuckling as she replied back, "I should be saying the same to you. Don't forget who taught you how to use your sword, hehe."
"Heh, alright. Nuwa, can I count on you?" Xuefeng smiled at the confident Princess Shan and called out to Nuwa who Xuefeng chose as a referee for the match. She was strong enough to stop them just in time if any party was clearly going to get hurt. Xuefeng didn't plan to kill Princess Shan, but he also didn't plan on limiting his powers. The whole point of this battle for him was to test all of his new abilities.
Nuwa glanced at both of them and suddenly created a small water ball on her palm before slowly rising above them, announcing to them, "When the ball touches the ground, the fight will start." Seeing them both give out a confirmation nod, Nuwa didn't hesitate to release the ball, letting it gently fall towards the ground.
Xuefeng was the first one to act, activating his Lightning Armour all around his body just when the water ball splashed. He planned to probe her skills first before he would use the big guns so it was always better to stay protected if he had such a chance.
Princess Shan was also not lazing around as she started closing the distance at the same time while covering her body with a thin layer of icy hue around her body. She raised an eyebrow when she saw Xuefeng's lightning armour, but that didn't stop her at all.
It didn't take more than two seconds for Princess Shan to reach him and her katana's blade was already falling towards Xuefeng's shoulder, freezing the air around it while the cold emanated from it.
Clank! The blades clashed. Hot and cold touched each other, exploding from one another only to collide again in a similar fashion. Xuefeng was no longer the same swordsman he used to be before, and Princess Shan noticed it too after only a few exchanges with him. She couldn't help but praise him internally but this wasn't the time for that.
Having no chance to beat him in swordsmanship, Princess Shan quickly switched to tricks and spells, preparing an ice missile right after she jumped away from him but right as she landed, a raging fireball was already flying towards her.
Bam! Princess Shan dodged it but didn't expect tens more were already being aimed at her. Princess Shan could only hack with her katana, cutting and slicing the fireballs until her body was finally blown away by two of them. Of course, such an attack couldn't even break her armour so she was only knocked back, but that was exactly what Xuefeng wanted.
When the crowd saw their Young Master just blow his opponent away, everyone started cheering. It was quite unusual for them to see Elements in action and many didn't even know that they existed, which made their blood boil from the start.
Princess Shan was not in an environment with a lot of water, so her abilities were only limited to using her own Elemental Qi. Unfortunately, she couldn't waste it just like Xuefeng did, having only one Element, so she decided to just use her strongest ability from the start, finishing the probing.
Princess Shan landed on the ground gracefully and immediately started activating her Domain. Too bad she couldn't even focus for a second as she suddenly felt that something was moving underground and had to roll away.
Rumble!
Just as she escaped, an earth spike broke through the earth and exploded the dirt in every direction. Before she could take a breath, another spike broke the ground in the place she just rolled away from which made her wonder in her mind, 'How much Qi does he have...?'
Her question remained unanswered as she continued to dodge all the spikes skillfully, now having a realisation of why Xuefeng warned her before. She really did not have any time to take a deep breath. She felt like a mouse that was trying to escape from an eagle.
As Princess Shan happened to glance at Xuefeng, she noticed that he already hid his sword and just bullied her from the distance with his spells, which made her quite embarrassed. She wanted to show him her skills, but so far she didn't do much, only running away from him.
'I guess I can try this Attack Multiplier first…' Xuefeng thought as he suddenly infused his Fate Qi into some Lightning Qi which he already stored in his hand to let out a Lightning Bolt. Seeing that Princess Shan was already quite pitiful, Xuefeng didn't want to bully her anymore. If he didn't have any skills to test, he would already stop the battle, knowing she had little chance to win.
Reaching out with his hand, Xuefeng finally released his Lightning Bolt towards Princess Shan who was already being led into meeting it head-on. Princess Shan thought it was just a single attack so she was prepared to block it, but then the Lightning Bolt turned Golden, splitting apart as if being cloned, creating hundreds of identical copies following its master.
Maybe the Lightning Bolt was too fast for normal cultivators, but with Princess Shan's reaction time, she quickly reacted by finally forcing her Domain to activate. To connect with nature, Princess Shan needed a lot of focus, but time was of the essence in this situation.
Before the Lightning could reach her, Princess Shan's eyes suddenly turned ice blue. The coldness her body emanated momentarily froze the ground around her and a thin barrier from her body started spreading, swiftly drifting away from her, gradually covering more area with each passing moment.
Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam!
Hundreds of Lightning Bolts began bombarding the cold barrier, exploding on top of it but surprisingly, nothing was happening to it. The barrier continued to spread much quicker than the speed of the Lightning bolts and quickly swallowed Xuefeng as well.
He instantly felt the freezing temperature on his skin as everything started freezing and even the Lightning that was flickering as his armour began slowing down.
The spikes that were already preparing to strike from underground hit the frozen ground but got stuck, not able to penetrate the surface.
Princess Shan only smiled, seeing that her Domain worked perfectly this time and began to slowly approach Xuefeng, not bothered by the coldness at all. Before she even reached him, she couldn't help herself but call out to him with a playful smile, "Dear, let me show you the power of my Ice Domain."