Provocation at Snow Spirit Pavilion

The afternoon sunlight filtered through the phoenix tree branches, casting dappled shadows in the courtyard of Snow Spirit Pavilion.

Xiao Hanye was practicing his fist techniques in the courtyard, sweat sliding down his wheat-colored skin, glistening in the sunlight.

"Ha!"

He punched out, creating a breaking wind sound. Though without elemental power enhancement, his pure physical strength was already quite impressive.

Just then, the courtyard gate was suddenly pushed open roughly.

"Bang!"

Several figures swaggered in.

Leading them was a burly young man—none other than Zhang Kuang, who had been taught a lesson by Ling Qianxue a few days ago. Beside him were three companions, all Inner Disciples.

"Oh, isn't this the waste?" Zhang Kuang sneered. "Playing with mud all by yourself?"

Xiao Hanye stopped his movements, coldly watching them. "This is the Core Disciple area. Aren't you afraid of academy punishment for trespassing?"

"Punishment?" A tall, thin young man beside Zhang Kuang scoffed. "We're just here to visit Junior Sister Ling, and incidentally check on the dog she keeps."

This young man was Li Qing, Five-Star Awakening Stage, skilled in wind element spells.

"Exactly," a fat man chimed in. "We heard Junior Sister Ling has exceptional talent, so we came specifically to ask for cultivation insights."

This fat man was Wang Dashan, Four-Star Awakening Stage, earth element talent.

The last young man didn't speak, just looked at Xiao Hanye with amusement. He was Zhao Lie, Six-Star Awakening Stage, fire element talent, considered outstanding among Inner Disciples.

"Sister Qianxue is in closed cultivation and isn't seeing visitors," Xiao Hanye said gravely. "Please leave."

"Closed cultivation?" Zhang Kuang mocked. "I think she's hiding and doesn't dare show her face. She won by sneak attack the other day, now feeling guilty?"

"You lost means you lost, don't make excuses," Xiao Hanye said bluntly.

"What did you say!" Zhang Kuang's face darkened. "A waste dares speak to us like this?"

"Seems we need to teach you what rules mean," Li Qing said sinisterly.

The four slowly surrounded him, clearly having come prepared.

Xiao Hanye secretly stayed alert but remained outwardly calm. "What do you want?"

"What do we want?" Wang Dashan grinned viciously. "Of course, to teach you, this ignorant waste, a lesson!"

"A mud seed, what right do you have to stay in the Core Disciple area?"

"Exactly, following Junior Sister Ling around every day—a toad wanting to eat swan meat!"

"Today we'll let you know where people like you belong!"

They spoke one after another, their words full of malice.

Xiao Hanye clenched his fists. "I'm Sister Qianxue's accompanying cultivation attendant. I have the right to stay here."

"Accompanying cultivation attendant?" Zhao Lie finally spoke, his voice mocking. "To put it bluntly, aren't you just a servant? A servant daring to be on equal footing with us?"

"Moreover..." A lustful gleam flashed in his eyes. "Junior Sister Ling is so beautiful, being with a waste like you every day is truly a waste of heaven's gifts."

"If you have ability, go find Sister Qianxue," Xiao Hanye said coldly. "What's the point of making things difficult for me here?"

"Find her?" Zhang Kuang sneered. "She's hiding and doesn't dare come out, so of course we can only find you."

"Besides..." Li Qing smiled sinisterly. "I heard you two are childhood sweethearts with deep feelings? If we cripple you, I wonder if Junior Sister Ling would feel heartbroken?"

Xiao Hanye's expression finally changed.

These people weren't just here to cause trouble—they wanted to hurt him to force Ling Qianxue to appear!

"How about it, waste?" Zhang Kuang provoked. "Dare to spar with us?"

"Of course, we won't bully you," Zhao Lie said leisurely. "There are four of us—you can choose one as your opponent. If you lose, obediently leave the academy and stop pestering Junior Sister Ling."

"What if I don't agree?" Xiao Hanye asked.

"Don't agree?" Wang Dashan grinned ferociously. "Then we'll have to get rough. Though we can't kill in the academy, breaking a few bones shouldn't be a big deal, right?"

"After all, you're just a servant," Li Qing added. "Even if something really happens, the academy won't punish us for a mere accompanying cultivation attendant."

Though cruel, this was the truth.

In Tiandu Academy, accompanying cultivation attendants indeed had very low status. If they were truly injured or even crippled, the academy would at most symbolically punish the perpetrators.

Xiao Hanye took a deep breath.

He knew these people were determined to humiliate him. If he didn't accept the challenge, they would really attack.

But if he did accept...

As a body cultivator facing these Awakening Stage spell cultivators, his chances of winning were almost zero.

"What, scared?" Zhang Kuang mocked. "Indeed a waste, doesn't even have the courage to accept a challenge."

"Right, a gigolo living off a woman—what prospects could he have?"

"I think Junior Sister Ling must be blind to fancy someone like this."

"If you ask me, this waste should be sensible and leave voluntarily, stop polluting the spiritual energy of the Core Disciple area."

The vulgar words continued, each one stabbing into Xiao Hanye's heart like a knife.

What angered him more was that these people kept mentioning Ling Qianxue, their words full of frivolity and disrespect.

"Shut up!" Xiao Hanye roared. "You can insult me, but don't speak ill of Sister Qianxue!"

"Oh, angry?" Li Qing said sarcastically. "A waste getting angry for a beauty?"

"I think he's sexually frustrated," Wang Dashan leered. "Following Junior Sister Ling every day but can only look, not touch—must be pent up."

"Hahaha, maybe Junior Sister Ling doesn't fancy him at all and he's just being delusional."

"A mud seed wanting to be a toad eating swan meat? Dream on!"

Xiao Hanye's rationality finally snapped.

"I'll fight you!" he said through gritted teeth.

"Good!" Zhao Lie clapped. "Now that's like a man. So, who do you choose as your opponent?"

Xiao Hanye swept his gaze over them, finally settling on Zhao Lie. "You."

Since he had to fight, he'd choose the strongest. Even if he lost, he'd lose with dignity.

"Courageous," Zhao Lie smiled. "But courage can't substitute for strength."

"Less talk," Xiao Hanye assumed a fighting stance. "Come!"

"Wait," Zhang Kuang suddenly said. "Since we're sparring, there should be stakes, right?"

"What stakes?"

"Simple," Zhang Kuang smiled sinisterly. "If you lose, not only must you leave the academy, but you must also kneel and kowtow three times to us, admitting you're a waste."

"Fine," Xiao Hanye agreed without hesitation. "What if you lose?"

"We lose?" Li Qing seemed to hear the world's biggest joke. "Zhao Lie is Six-Star Awakening Stage. What makes you, a body cultivator, think you can win?"

"What if?" Xiao Hanye insisted.

"Fine, if I lose..." Zhao Lie thought for a moment. "The four of us will take detours when we see you and never come to Snow Spirit Pavilion to cause trouble again."

"Deal."

"Wait a moment."

Just as both sides were about to fight, a cold voice rang out.

The door of Snow Spirit Pavilion opened, and Ling Qianxue slowly walked out.

She still wore her veil, dressed in flowing white robes like an immortal descended to earth. Even without seeing her face clearly, her perfect figure and ethereal temperament made the male cultivators present catch their breath.

"Sister Qianxue!" Xiao Hanye said in surprise. "Weren't you in closed cultivation?"

"With such a commotion, how could I not know?" Ling Qianxue said indifferently.

Her gaze swept over Zhang Kuang and the others. Though veiled, that cold gaze still made their hearts tremble.

"Junior Sister Ling," Zhao Lie spoke first. "We're just here to spar with Brother Xiao, no ill intentions."

"Spar?" Ling Qianxue's voice grew colder. "Four Awakening Stage cultivators coming to spar with a body cultivator?"

"This..." The several were somewhat embarrassed.

"Moreover, if I heard correctly, what you gentlemen said just now doesn't sound like you're here to spar," Ling Qianxue continued.

Zhang Kuang and the others' expressions changed slightly. They hadn't expected Ling Qianxue could hear their conversation outside from inside.

"Junior Sister Ling misunderstands," Li Qing forced a smile. "We were just joking..."

"Joking?" Ling Qianxue interrupted him. "Insulting my accompanying cultivator and trying to force him to leave the academy—this is your joke?"

She stepped forward, invisible pressure making them all feel stressed.

"Since you gentlemen enjoy sparring so much..." Ling Qianxue paused. "How about I play with you?"

"Junior Sister Ling wants to personally act?" Excitement flashed in Zhao Lie's eyes.

He had long wanted to experience this mysterious woman's strength.

"Sister Qianxue, no need..." Xiao Hanye wanted to stop her.

"Hanye," Ling Qianxue gently interrupted him. "When someone bullies us at our doorstep, as the host, I can't just sit by and watch."

She turned to Zhang Kuang and the others. "How about it, dare to accept my challenge?"

"This..." The several looked at each other.

Their original intention was to anger Xiao Hanye and humiliate Ling Qianxue by defeating him. But now with Ling Qianxue personally acting, the situation was different.

"What, don't dare?" Ling Qianxue mocked. "Weren't you very arrogant just now?"

"Who says we don't dare!" Zhang Kuang was provoked. "I was careless last time. I won't lose again this time!"

"Just you?" Ling Qianxue shook her head. "Not qualified enough."

"What did you say!" Zhang Kuang's face turned red with anger.

"I said, you alone aren't qualified to be my opponent," Ling Qianxue said calmly. "All four of you come at me together."

At these words, the entire venue fell silent.

One against four?

And among the opponents was Zhao Lie with Six-Star Awakening Stage?

"Junior Sister Ling, are you sure?" Zhao Lie frowned.

Though having superior numbers was somewhat disgraceful, if Ling Qianxue proposed it herself, that was another matter.

"I'm sure," Ling Qianxue nodded. "But we should also have stakes."

"What stakes?"

"Simple," Ling Qianxue's voice remained calm. "If I lose, I'll have Hanye leave the academy, and I'll consider your pursuits in the future."

Their eyes lit up.

Especially Zhao Lie, whose breathing quickened. To gain the favor of such a peerless beauty—let alone one against four, even being called shameless would be worth it!

"But if you lose..." Ling Qianxue changed her tone. "You're not allowed to step into Snow Spirit Pavilion again, must take detours when seeing me and Hanye, and must apologize publicly."

"This..." They hesitated.

Public apology would damage their reputation too much.

"What, don't dare to bet?" Ling Qianxue goaded. "Four grown men without even this much courage?"

"We'll bet!" Zhang Kuang was the first to shout. "I don't believe the four of us can't beat you alone!"

"Right, though Junior Sister Ling is formidable, one against four is too arrogant," Li Qing was also provoked.

Wang Dashan laughed foolishly. "Hehe, being able to spar with Junior Sister Ling is worth it even if we lose."

Zhao Lie pondered for a moment, then finally nodded. "Fine, it's settled. However, the match should be held at the martial stage with witnesses."

"Agreed," Ling Qianxue accepted without hesitation.

News spread quickly.

"Did you hear? Ling Qianxue is going one against four!"

"Really? Who are the opponents?"

"Zhang Kuang, Li Qing, Wang Dashan, and Zhao Lie!"

"Zhao Lie too? He's Six-Star Awakening Stage!"

"Is Ling Qianxue crazy? She's only Three-Star Awakening Stage!"

"Quick, to the martial stage! Can't miss this show!"

In less than fifteen minutes, the martial stage was surrounded by people.

Not just ordinary disciples—even some Elite Disciples and Core Disciples came.

"Interesting, that mysterious new student is finally making a move."

"One against four, really arrogant enough."

"I'm quite looking forward to seeing what abilities she has."

In the center of the martial stage, Ling Qianxue stood quietly.

A breeze passed, her white robes fluttering with indescribable ethereal grace.

Opposite her, Zhang Kuang and the four had taken positions, surrounding her in a fan formation.

"Junior Sister Ling, it's not too late to regret now," Zhao Lie advised one last time.

Not that he was particularly gentlemanly, but he really didn't want to bully a woman in public view. It would damage his reputation if word got out.

"So much nonsense," Ling Qianxue said coldly. "Fight if you're going to fight."

"Fine! Then don't blame us for being impolite!"

Elder Chen Yang, presiding over the match, raised his command flag. "Match begins!"

The moment the flag fell, Zhang Kuang attacked first.

"Earth Shaking Mountain!"

He slammed both fists heavily on the ground, earth element spiritual power spreading like ripples. The ground shook violently as several stone pillars burst from underground, whistling toward Ling Qianxue.

"Some improvement," a watching Core Disciple commented. "More fierce than his attack a few days ago."

At the same time, Li Qing also moved.

"Wind Blade Dance!"

Fierce winds howled as countless cyan wind blades interwove into a net in the air, cutting toward Ling Qianxue from all angles. Combined with the ground stone pillar attacks, they formed a three-dimensional killing formation.

"Good coordination!" someone praised. "One controls the ground, one blocks the air—ordinary people have nowhere to dodge!"

Wang Dashan didn't attack directly but cast a support spell.

"Gravity Domain!"

With him as the center, gravity within ten meters instantly tripled. In this environment, ordinary people would have difficulty even standing, let alone dodging attacks.

Zhao Lie condensed fire element spells in secret, waiting for the best opportunity to strike.

The four's coordination was quite tacit, clearly not their first time working together.

Facing such dense attacks, the spectators all worried for Ling Qianxue.

"It's over, she was too arrogant!"

"This level of combined attack would be hard to handle even for Six-Star Awakening Stage!"

However, just as all attacks were about to land on Ling Qianxue—

She moved.

Not panicked dodging, but elegant dancing.

Her figure was like a light petal, drifting in the storm of attacks. Every turn was perfectly timed, every movement precisely calculated.

Stone pillars brushed past her, wind blades flew by her face, yet couldn't even touch the hem of her robes.

"This movement technique..." Elder Chen Yang's eyes widened. "Still so light under triple gravity?"

What shocked people more was that Ling Qianxue wasn't just dodging—every movement contained an indescribable beauty.

Like dance, like poetry, breathtakingly beautiful.

"So beautiful..." someone couldn't help praising.

Even in fierce battle, she still maintained that composure and elegance.

"Damn it!" Zhang Kuang was furious, increasing his attack intensity.

More stone pillars burst from the ground, raining down on Ling Qianxue like droplets.

Li Qing also exerted full effort, the wind blades' quantity and speed both increasing a level.

But no matter how they attacked, Ling Qianxue could always dodge at the critical moment.

Like dancing on knife edges—dangerous yet beautiful.

"Enough."

Ling Qianxue said softly.

She raised her right hand lightly, a fire lotus blooming in her palm.

Different from a few days ago, this fire lotus was more exquisite, petals layered upon layers, lifelike.

"Try my Fire Lotus Dance."

As soon as she finished speaking, more fire lotuses bloomed around her.

One, two, three...

In an instant, nine fire lotuses surrounded her, spinning and dancing.

"Nine?!" Zhao Lie's pupils contracted.

Controlling nine spells simultaneously required extremely powerful mental strength and control. Even he could only control four fireballs at most.

But what shocked him more came next.

The nine fire lotuses weren't dancing randomly but following some mysterious trajectory. Each fire lotus's position was perfect, forming a flawless defensive circle.

All stone pillars and wind blades were incinerated the instant they touched the fire lotuses.

"This is... a formation?" someone knowledgeable exclaimed.

"No, this is the perfect combination of spells and movement techniques!" another corrected.

Indeed, what Ling Qianxue displayed now was a completely new combat style.

Her movements guided the fire lotuses, the fire lotuses protected her. Person and spells merged as one, reaching a wondrous realm.

"Interesting!" Zhao Lie finally couldn't sit still.

He knew if he didn't act now, there might be no chance.

"Flame Dragon Roar!"

A dragon composed of flames shot from his hands, baring fangs and brandishing claws as it pounced toward Ling Qianxue.

This was his signature technique, which he had used to defeat many same-level experts.

Facing the fire dragon, a smile curved at the corner of Ling Qianxue's mouth.

"Perfect, let me show you what true flame control is."