Chapter 84: Heavenly Geniuses of All Peaks (Part Two)
Brilliant light descended, slowly revealing seven or eight figures, both men and women. At their forefront stood a feminine-looking young man. He glanced coldly around before silently taking his place.
The others followed suit, standing in neat rows and scanning the area with guarded expressions. A few of them cast glances toward Li Yan's group, though none released their spirit beasts to display dominance like the other disciples of Spirit Insect Peak.
"That one in front is Wang Tian. Most of you should recognize him," came Li Wuyi's voice in their ears. "He's the eldest senior brother of Spirit Insect Peak, at the Pseudo Core stage. His cultivation is comparable to mine.
"His accompanying spirit beast is a Divine Fire Crow, ranked 621st on the Venomous Beast List. Though its flames can't rival those of a true Core Formation cultivator, they are still extremely deadly to Foundation Establishment cultivators who try to resist them with raw spiritual power.
"If you come across him, engage in close combat to limit the Divine Fire Crow's wide-range attacks. Otherwise, it's best to surrender early, unless you have a top-tier defensive spirit treasure, in which case you might stand a chance.
"Even so, Wang Tian himself is formidable in close quarters. He's only half a step away from Core Formation."
Li Wuyi's voice continued.
"That woman beside him is his betrothed Dao companion, Zuo Shengyan, at mid-Foundation Establishment. Her spirit beast is a Blackwood Scorpion, ranked 647th on the Venomous Beast List. Its venom is highly corrosive.
"If your spiritual artifact comes into contact with her beast's poison, it might become useless over time. Even a short exposure could require over a month of re-tempering.
"Against her with early Foundation-stage power, your spiritual shield will last fifteen breaths at most. At mid or late Foundation level, don't expect to hold for more than seventy breaths. You all have different cultivation levels, so keep track of your defenses accordingly.
"However, Zuo Shengyan's individual combat strength is only mid-tier."
Li Yan looked in that direction. He saw a girl dressed extremely provocatively, her skin like translucent jade.
With skin fairer than snow and a melon-seed face, her bright eyes darted playfully. Her top was little more than a tight strip of cloth, covering only up to her navel, revealing a smooth, bare stomach.
On each side of her navel was a tattoo of a fierce, purplish-black scorpion, their tails arched up toward her ribs. She wore a short skirt below, revealing long white legs and bare jade-like feet.
As Li Yan was looking, the stunning girl seemed to sense it and turned to meet his gaze, giving him a dazzling smile, seductive and otherworldly.
Li Yan instantly felt as though his intentions had been seen through. His face flushed, and he quickly lowered his head in embarrassment.
Wang Tian, standing in front of the woman, noticed her light laugh and followed her gaze toward Li Yan. A chilling glint passed through his eyes.
Even though they were separated by over ten li, Li Yan suddenly felt a bone-deep chill sweep over him. Alarmed, he tried to circulate his spiritual power to resist, but the cold seeped into his organs and couldn't be driven out.
Li Yan was both frightened and furious. He had merely looked in their direction, and yet he was being attacked! That icy chill pierced his entire body, and he couldn't dispel it no matter how he tried.
Just as he prepared to use his full strength to expel the cold, someone stepped in front of him. In an instant, warmth returned to his body.
Li Yan looked up to see Li Wuyi standing protectively before him, staring coldly in Wang Tian's direction.
The gentle warmth usually on Li Wuyi's face was gone, replaced by a faint aura of killing intent.
Across the way, Wang Tian's figure swayed, then returned to normal. His face turned even darker.
The seductive girl beside him, Zuo Shengyan, was visibly surprised and glanced at Li Wuyi again.
With her mid-Foundation power, she had sensed someone watching her and looked over to see the group from Little Bamboo Peak. Among them were four Qi Condensation cultivators.
Three were respectfully standing in the back, but one was near the front among Foundation Establishment cultivators, an indication of some status.
She had merely looked back out of curiosity. But to her surprise, her glance triggered the ever-suspicious Wang Tian, who noticed someone staring at his Dao companion and decided to teach the offender a lesson.
It wasn't meant to be lethal, but enough to make Li Yan bedridden for a few days.
Li Yan was simply unlucky. Among the eleven from Little Bamboo Peak, four were at Qi Condensation. As the junior uncle, he naturally stood in front. The other three stood deferentially at the back, leaving him exposed as the obvious target.
Li Wuyi hadn't expected Wang Tian to be so vicious, striking at a mere junior. By the time he reacted, it was almost too late, and anger welled up in his heart.
Blocking the blow, he scattered Wang Tian's divine sense with his own. This left Wang Tian at a slight disadvantage, not only was it a casual strike, he hadn't expected Li Wuyi to so fiercely protect a mere Qi Condensation disciple.
Only a handful noticed this brief spiritual clash. Wang Tian took a deep breath and suppressed his frustration, shooting Li Wuyi another glance before turning away.
He knew Li Wuyi well. Behind that mild and humble demeanor lay a ruthless predator. Though they had crossed paths a few times, he had always come up slightly short.
He had hoped Li Wuyi would enter the secret realm this time, it would've been a good opportunity to test himself. Word was, however, that Li Wuyi wasn't participating, which was disappointing.
Still, he could start by defeating the other peak prodigies, and challenge Li Wuyi later.
"If you don't have the ability, don't provoke others. Wang Tian, was it? I wouldn't mind a duel."
A cold voice drifted from beside Li Yan. He turned surprised, it was Gong Chenying.
But as she spoke, her voice lowered until it became nearly inaudible, as if talking to herself.
The others, aside from Third Senior Brother, simply smiled at him. Li Yan was beyond frustrated. He wasn't the only one who looked over, Fourth Senior Sister, Fifth Senior Brother, Seventh Senior Brother, and three junior nephews had all looked too. Why was he the one attacked?
"Don't mind it, Little Junior Brother," Miao Wangqing said with a playful smile and a wink. "That flower has thorns. Next time, I'll find you a gentler one."
"Junior Brother," Fifth Senior Brother added lazily, "Once you hit Foundation Establishment, get a chance and knock her down a peg."
Everyone immediately turned hostile gazes toward Wen Xinliang, especially Miao Wangqing and Gong Chenying.
"What are you all looking at? I was talking about Wang Tian, who else did you think I meant? Honestly, all of you, always letting your imaginations run wild!"
Wen Xinliang looked like a complete scoundrel as he spoke.
"Are you alright, little junior brother?"
Li Wuyi turned to ask Li Yan.
"Oh, I'm fine thanks to eldest senior brother," Li Yan replied with a smile.
"Little junior brother, Fifth Senior Brother is right. Once you reach Foundation Establishment, you should just go kick their ass!"
Lin Daqiao came over and gave Li Yan a pat, then shot a fierce glare toward Spirit Insect Peak, though his gaze also swept past Zuo Shengyan.
"If I run into Wang Tian in the tournament later, I'll test how much he's improved over the past few years."
Wei Chituo crossed his arms and glared fiercely across the field.
Li Yan felt a warm surge in his chest. Though he was a million li from home, in this moment, he felt as if his third brother and fourth sister were right beside him.
But at the same time, he grew more alert. Spending time with all these Foundation Establishment cultivators every day had almost made him forget the massive gap between them. But in truth, one wave of divine sense from them could take his life, that was how powerful Foundation Establishment cultivators truly were.
"All right, standing behind Wang Tian are a few other Spirit Insect Peak disciples. Be cautious of people like Ma Shun, Li Zhi, and Zhang Cailian…"
Li Wuyi paused briefly, likely aware the tournament was about to begin, and quickly summarized before shifting his attention to the center of the arena.
"Old Lord Peak… they're a devious bunch. They're good at saving lives, but even better at harming people. They have all sorts of bizarre pills, powders, and strange mists that are almost impossible to guard against.
That one at the front is Bai Liyuan, their eldest senior brother is an expert in poisons. He should be in the late Foundation Establishment stage, but judging from the flow of his qi today, it looks like he might've broken through to the Pseudo Core realm. He's skilled in both alchemy and poison, even I've suffered losses at his hands before."
Everyone looked toward the center, where a group sat quietly in meditation. At the front was a thick-browed, large-eyed young man with a square face and thick lips. He looked about twenty-three or twenty-four, solid and honest in appearance, which reminded Li Yan of Li Shan.
But hearing that even Li Wuyi had once been bested by him left Li Yan stunned.
Since the introductions began, everything Li Wuyi said was along the lines of "tough," "dangerous," or "worth watching out for." Never once did he mention whether he had fought them or not, implying they were either evenly matched or simply not a threat to him. But this Bai Liyuan was the exception: Li Wuyi openly admitted to having taken a loss.
Clearly, this man's rustic appearance was nothing but a disguise.
Bai Liyuan, still seated, seemed to sense something. His eyelids twitched but he didn't open his eyes. This made Li Yan assign even more weight to the man in his mind.
"Old Lord Peak has plenty of experts. All of them are poison masters, they're great at mixing toxins. Some of the poisons they use may be newly created within the past few years. Other names to watch for are Dong Yangling, Ning Qingqing, Zhangtai, and Cheng Liulong…"
Perhaps because the tournament was about to begin, Li Wuyi quickened his speech. He clearly aimed this briefing at newcomers like Li Yan and Lin Daqiao, since the other Foundation Establishment disciples were already well aware of these people.
Once he finished, Li Wuyi glanced at the sky and calculated the time, it should be starting soon.
Technically, as Wei Chongran's stand-in, he should have taken a seat at the Void Pavilion alongside the Core Formation seniors. But Li Wuyi knew himself well, he wasn't about to go sit with a group of Core Formation cultivators.
For ordinary affairs at the great hall, he could stand off to the side and report on Little Bamboo Peak's status. But during a high-profile tournament like this, while he could technically use his title to claim a seat at the Void Pavilion, he chose not to. It would only invite unnecessary trouble.
"Eldest Senior brother, we can't really see Boundless Peak from here. Maybe you could fill the little junior brothers in on them too? They don't really know much yet."
Wei Chituo suddenly said with his arms crossed, his tone as guileless as always.
As soon as he finished speaking, Li Wuyi, who had just been looking at the sky, froze mid-motion. A few people around them began to chuckle, even the usually aloof Yun Chunque cast a strange glance at Wei Chituo.
Only Miao Wangqing furrowed her brows, glaring at him with wide, furious eyes.
"Second Brother, now that your cultivation's improved, your spiritual wisdom has seen an increase too, huh? How about when you get back from the secret realm, you and I have a little spar? If you lose, you can oversee the main hall for the next three years."
A smile bloomed on Li Wuyi's handsome face, and he spoke with unnerving calm.
Wei Chituo's formerly guileless expression instantly changed. He shook his head wildly like a rattling drum.
Then came a look Li Yan had never seen since joining the sect, Wei Chituo's whole face wrinkled up in a slavishly fawning smile, not a trace of his usual honest demeanor remained.
"Big brother, I was just worried the seventh junior brother and the others didn't know much about Boundless Peak, they're going to compete too, after all! Just trying to help them get familiar. Maybe I was a little reckless, haha… don't mind me!
Let's just pretend Second Brother let out a stinky fart just now, nothing more! Boundless Peak's just a bunch of bug lovers, nothing worth talking about, right?"
He kept groveling while trying to sound righteous, acting like Boundless Peak was just some laughable minor sect.
Wei Chituo had long been known as a cultivation fanatic, always running around Little Bamboo Peak challenging others to spar, whether they were seniors or newly accepted disciples. Back when the peak wasn't closed, there were hundreds of disciples, and every one of them had been tormented by him.
Eventually, his ego grew to the point that he dared to challenge their top senior brother. At a result he spent over three months lying motionless in his Bamboo courtyard.
That was when he finally learned the true meaning of a smiling tiger and a wolf in sheep's clothing. Every strike felt like it hit his very soul. And the worst part was that Li Wuyi sealed his mouth shut so he couldn't even scream.
Afterward, Li Wuyi dumped his half-dead body back at his bamboo courtyard, then reappeared on the peak with a smile, waving away the crowd of curious juniors who'd gathered.
Everyone had thought no fight had occurred, until three months later, when Second Brother finally limped out of his room, and people began to understand.
So now, hearing that Li Wuyi might spar with him again, especially since Wuyi had broken through to the Pseudo Core stage while he was still at the peak of Foundation Establishment, Wei Chituo knew exactly what awaited him was utter abuse. And then three years of main hall duty. Absolutely unacceptable.
Watching all this, Li Yan stared at this suddenly unfamiliar second senior brother, it was like seeing a grinning bear playing dumb.
(Chapter End)