Stay

Inside the City Lord's mansion, Yan Lenglei, Mo Jidong, and Long He Yu found themselves a seat after being told to sit. Tea was served to them as they sat quietly without making a sound.

The City Lord sat in his seat in the center of the room, while Ning Lianqi sat across from Yan Lenglei's group. As for the Eldest Miss and her husband, they had left for their room, allowing this group to have a discussion.

Clamp!

Putting the lid over his teapot after he poured himself some tea, the City Lord began to speak. "Thank you for joining us; I believe you must be puzzled why I had invited you today as to why I didn't say anything when my daughter wished to challenge you."

Yan Lenglei sipped on his tea, as he gently placed it down and looked at the City Lord, awaiting his response. "When you three had first entered the city, I had already noticed you. All three of you had hidden cultivation bases that even I cannot see through, which naturally caught my attention."

"But since you were young and have an extraordinary temperament, I knew that you didn't hold any ill intentions, and was just here to gather information before heading off, I assumed. The second time was when you three each appeared at my eldest daughter's groom competition."

"While you were all separate, my Spiritual Sense allowed me to sense all three of you. Only when you appeared today for the third time, did I decide to invite you three in as guests. Of course, my daughter's challenge wasn't only my idea; she had her own thoughts at the time when she noticed you." The City Lord explained, all within three breaths.

Yan Lenglei nodded his head as he took another sip of tea. He didn't reply, but the City Lord knew he was not a man of many words.

"I'll tell you the reason why I've invited you as guests. Soon, the Celestial Lotus Sect, as well as many other high-grade sects will gather to explore ancient ruins. Only those below the Baron Realm are allowed entry into the ruins, which has an array that blocks those at or above the Baron Realm to enter."

"If they try to enter, they will immediately disintegrate into nothingness." The City Lord said. His expression was quite solemn.

"So you want us to be bodyguards." Long He Yu replied. He had hit the mark immediately. "Of course, it won't be for free. If there is anything you'd like me to do, I can do it for you." The City Lord nodded; there was no need to sugarcoat his words.

Mo Jidong and Long He Yu looked at Yan Lenglei, waiting for his decision. Putting down his tea, Yan Lenglei nodded. "Okay, the reward can come later."

Since he agreed, the City Lord had nothing else to say. "Now, I will excuse myself, Qi er, do treat our guests well." he said before leaving for his study. Now, there were only four people left in the room.

Yan Lenglei's group, and Ning Lianqi. After a few minutes of absolute silence, Ning Lianqi broke the silence, "I will show you to your rooms, this way please."

Getting up, the three of them followed behind Ning Lianqi, as she showed them around the City Lord's mansion on the way to their rooms. The City Lord mansion was large, almost twice the size of the Yan and Mu family estates.

There were many buildings everywhere, as well as a large pond filled with lily pads and lotuses. The sound of fish swishing around could be heard, as they crossed a large stone bridge to the other side of the estate.

Soon enough, they arrived at a large building that hosted many guest rooms next door to each other. Yan Lenglei, Mo Jidong, and Long He Yu each chose a room, as Ning Lianqi stayed outside.

"..."

"What." Yan Lenglei said. Ning Lianqi was standing in front of their rooms without moving an inch. She smiled in response to his question, "Since business is over, let's move on to more private things."

"Please duel me again, I'll use my full strength this time." she said. Yan Lenglei didn't reply after a while. When Mo Jidong and Long He Yu stepped outside, they had already heard what she said to Yan Lenglei.

"Go play with her." Mo Jidong told Long He Yu. The latter nodded as he stepped forward. Ning Lianqi didn't decline, since one of them stepped up to duel with her. The three of them followed her to a building that was indoor, and extremely spacious.

As soon as they stepped through the entrance, a powerful surge of Spiritual Qi surrounded them, bringing them into another space. The space was many times larger than the building that was already very large. There was more than enough space within to battle, without the worry of damaging property.

The building had a strong Spatial Array within, similar to the Spatial Ring, but on a much larger scale, allowing living beings to enter and leave at will. The space they were in was a simple room with wooden walls and decorations.

Yan Lenglei and Mo Jidong found a place to sit, as Long He Yu pulled out his staff and faced Ning Lianqi. His cultivation base was completely hidden from her, only those above the Marquess Realm could see through his cultivation base.

Of course, within the Great Solar Empire, there were very few who had reached such a stage. Since it was hidden, it was unknown what stage he had really reached, making it hard to gauge his strength.

Ning Lianqi held her thin cicada-like sword in her hand, her body floated in the air as a blue barrier of Water Qi and Sword Qi protected her from harm. Long He Yu took a single step forward, beside him, two clones made of Water Qi that were exactly the same as himself stood side-by-side.

It was impossible to tell which one was the original unless one was proficient in sensory abilities. One clone moved, as the other moved shortly afterward, with three-second intervals.

The black rod in his hand surged with powerful energy, as five different colored lights rotated around the tip of the staff. His staff came down, aiming for Ning Lianqi within the barrier.

Inside the large bubble of Water Qi, Ning Lianqi saw two copies of Long He Yu that were exactly the same as the original. The power all three of them gave off was exactly the same, making it impossible for her to distinguish. When they had moved, the three Long He Yu's had moved so quickly and weirdly, that her eyes couldn't keep up with them.

Now, she wasn't even sure if the one that was standing still was a clone or the original.

Bang!

As his staff came down, Ning Lianqi stabbed forward with her sword. Long He Yu's clone was deflected, as the second one came in to do the same. Currently, Ning Lianqi had released her full strength, which was at the First stage of the Noble Realm.

At her age, she was extremely forbiddable, even within the entire Realm. Unfortunately, her opponent was Long He Yu who could defeat a Fifth stage Noble. Two clones attacked in unison, from two directions.

As Ning Lianqi bent her sword, dozens of sword light tore through the air, trying to kill Long He Yu. Long He Yu's original body was still standing in the same spot, not moving an inch. His two clones were keeping her busy, not allowing her to have any time to focus on his true body.

The dozens of sword lights easily tore through the air, cutting Long He Yu in half.

Swish!

As the sword light cut him apart, Long He Yu's clones dissolved into raindrops and dripped onto the ground. Immediately, the raindrops moved and turned into bubbles that were transparent, and able to magnify objects.

Within a few breaths of time, there were thousands of bubbles that filled the room they were in. Ning Lianqi was careful, her body slowly landed on the ground, as she dug the tip of her sword into the ground.

Rumble! Rumble!

The ground started shaking, as the sound of the sea could be heard. The ground exploded and erupted with a large tsunami that appeared out of nowhere.

Long He Yu didn't move. Bubbles continued filling the space, as the bubbles slowly started exploding like fireworks. In front of him, he could only see a huge tsunami that was able to sweep entire kingdoms down to the ground, as well as bubbles that acted like explosive Talismans.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

As Ning Lianqi was surrounded by her Water Qi, Long He Yu's bubbles exploded everywhere. Each explosion was incredibly powerful, enough to easily destroy large boulders. With so many of them, even a mountain could be razed to the ground.

Stepping forward, Long He Yu walked into the tsunami. His posture was tall and proud, with an arrogance that was hidden deep within his bones that he never knew he had. Walking through the tsunami, it was as though Long He Yu was the ruler of the sea, unhindered by all kinds of water in the Three Thousand Worlds.

Rather than being swept away, Long He Yu was walking through the tsunami as if he was taking a stroll in his backyard, he was unaffected by Ning Lianqi's attack, while the bubbles were constantly exploding around her.

Within seconds, her defenses were destroyed completely, revealing her beautiful figure holding her sword. The tsunami had disappeared, as well as the bubbles. Only, Ning Lianqi was soaked from head to toe, with her hair quite messy because of this.

Standing a few steps away from her, Long He Yu's expression was sharp, as he had his left arm behind his back.

Ning Lianqi had lost. Previously, she held back her strength in her duel against Yan Lenglei, resulting in her loss. Now, she had used her full strength, that was enough to defeat even a Fourth stage Noble even without a Spiritual Tool.

Obviously, Long He Yu's strength had far surpassed that stage. Only, Ning Lianqi didn't know what stage his cultivation base was. After more than a month, Long He Yu had broken through to the Eighth stage of the Awakening Realm. Only one more stage before he reached the top of the Awakening Realm, and could begin making his way into the Noble Realm.

The black rod in his hand disappeared and returned to his Spatial Ring, as he turned around and joined Yan Lenglei and Mo Jidong. In his seat, Mo Jidong moved his hand, as a pitch-black flame erupted on his hand.

Immediately, the entire space was heated enough, so that Ning Lianqi's clothes dried in an instant. Allowing her to fix her hair, Mo Jidong withdrew his flames, as Ning Lianqi slowly came up to them.

"I, who was thought to be unparalleled within the Great Solar Empire, as well as the Seven Empires, lost two times in the same day. Using my full strength, I couldn't even hurt the least formidable of you three, it looks like my title should be withdrawn." Ning Lianqi said.

Long He Yu spoke. "No, you truly are unparalleled, it's just unfortunate for you to be born in the same era as us. No matter where you go, you will still be an unparalleled talent."

Hearing this, Ning Lianqi didn't feel much better. But she knew that his words were words of praise for her. Of course, she could also feel the absolute confidence in Long He Yu's words. Only, she didn't know that Yan Lenglei's group was still in the Awakening Realm, otherwise, she may feel as if she had been cultivating for nothing.

Since the battle was over, the four of them left the Spatial Array, returning to their rooms. Before she left, Ning Lianqi said, "I'll come and bother you guys again to spar every day." and left without waiting for a reply.

Long He Yu's face darkened as he thought of the incoming headache that he would meet during the time he stayed at the City Lord's mansion. Entering their rooms, the trio ate the meals that were already prepared for them and bathed before cultivating in their respective rooms.