Chapter Fourteen: A True Display of What It Means to Be a Pair of Clueless Amateurs Pecking at Each Other (New Book—Please Add to Favorites and Recommend)

Wang Li collapsed, and it wasn't just the steward of the Heart Inquiry Hall, who had been mentally conjuring up gossip, that was startled—several disciples from the Pure Yang Temple, who had come to watch the spectacle, were equally shocked.

None of them could have imagined that these two so-called "rookies" were actually at the Foundation Establishment stage. This revelation made these self-proclaimed geniuses question their own worth.

"Is that the useless Wang Li? Senior brother, am I dreaming?"

"I wish it were a dream, otherwise I'm about to face a heart demon tribulation. This is too much of a blow!"

"Try to take it in stride; one has connections that make him invincible, the other’s background reaches the heavens—it's normal they're stronger than us mere mortals."

"You call this 'a bit stronger'? Not to mention that little fairy, but if I recall correctly, Wang Li just turned sixteen, right? What stage were you at when you were sixteen?"

"Peak Body Training."

"I'm seventeen this year, fourth level of Qi Refinement. Master said I'm a genius that appears once in a hundred years... Master, you lied to me... sob sob..."

"I'm a bit higher, sixth level of Qi Refinement..."

The disciples fell silent, as countless indescribable divine beasts seemed to race past their minds.

The blow came too suddenly. Why did I come here to suffer humiliation!

On the arena, Wang Li's fall wasn't due to being unbalanced by Jiang Yue's sword nor from being wounded. Jiang Yue's full-force strike looked fierce, but it didn’t even touch the spirit armor Wang Li wore—the sparks were merely the sword’s own visual effect. Wang Li fell because he hadn't fully refined the Earth Spirit Armor he wore.

He’d only recently acquired two top-grade earth-level spiritual artifacts, just enough time to fully refine the Explosive Flame Sword as his own treasure, but he'd only managed to half-refine the Earth Spirit Armor, enabling him only to summon it as external defense.

Wang Li had assumed that with such a powerful defensive armor, he could outlast the little girl. Yet, once the fight began, he realized that while the armor was strong, it required the owner's spiritual energy to maintain its function when attacked. Unable to fully control it yet, the armor absorbed all the energy it needed to defend against Jiang Yue's strike, draining most of Wang Li's spiritual power in an instant and causing him to feel weak and dizzy before the sword even touched him. Unsteady, he collapsed.

Jiang Yue was bewildered. "I think I missed—Wang Li, why are you lying on the ground?"

Suddenly, her expression changed. She recalled her grandfather mentioning a so-called "scam technique" known as 'playing dead,' which had ruined countless cultivators in the spiritual world, making everyone wary and suspicious!

She quickly stepped back three paces, eyeing Wang Li warily. "The referee is watching—I didn’t even touch you, don’t try to extort me!"

The steward, who was about to help Wang Li up, paused at her words, replaying the last exchange in his mind and cursing himself internally, "Too nervous, didn’t notice—damn!"

"How are you? If you can't win, just admit defeat. We don't tolerate scams here."

He approached Wang Li, watched him get up nimbly, relieved but also more cautious.

He’d encountered such arena scams before—always a headache. He couldn't let it taint the Heart Inquiry Hall’s reputation for fairness, so he warned sternly, "Weapons are allowed here, but people must have honor. Do not challenge this hall’s authority, understood?"

"I'm not cheating; it's just my first battle, lacking experience."

Wang Li got up, rolled his eyes at Jiang Yue. "If you’re going to fight, hurry up—didn’t you hear someone say you need to get home for dinner?"

The steward: "..."

He didn’t know what else to say, so he simply reminded, "Mind your limits," and stepped aside to observe.

Jiang Yue eyed Wang Li suspiciously, "You're not lying?"

Wang Li replied, "A gentleman’s word!"

"Bah, what kind of gentleman are you? Swear and fight again!"

"Little girl, don’t push it. If you don’t make a move, I will!"

"Just try!"

"I’m acting on behalf of the sect leader to teach you. Purple energy rises from the east! Great Dragon of Might!"

Wang Li appeared to be wrapped in spirit armor like a can, but in reality, the armor was flexible when not activated, and didn’t impede movement.

He leapt over Jiang Yue and struck at her shoulder with his palm.

It was his first real combat. Afraid he might not control his strength, he avoided attacking her head directly.

Seeing Wang Li’s hand about to land on her, Jiang Yue panicked and rolled backward like a lazy donkey, narrowly avoiding the blow.

Wang Li’s palm hit nothing. He tried to slap the ground to adjust his posture and spring up for another attack.

His plan was sound—to press the advantage while Jiang Yue was still rolling—but as his palm touched the ground, he failed to channel spiritual power to cushion the blow. There was a resounding thud, and his head met the floor in an intimate collision, sending stars spinning before his eyes.

It was only thanks to the Earth Spirit Armor’s formidable defense that he didn’t suffer a concussion.

Wang Li scrambled up, while Jiang Yue flipped upright like a carp.

"You still claim you’re not playing dead? If you used any more force, you’d be a goner!"

Jiang Yue was furious at Wang Li’s scam antics. In a flash of anger, regardless of her grandfather’s warnings to avoid such tricksters, she poured all her spiritual energy into her short sword, accelerated, and charged straight for Wang Li’s face.

The blue light from the sword was dazzling. Wang Li, still seeing stars from his fall, assumed the blue light was a sign of his dizziness, so he squatted down to recover.

His timing was perfect—just enough to dodge Jiang Yue’s strike. But he couldn’t avoid Jiang Yue herself rushing into him.

Another loud thud, and the two collided head-on.

Wang Li, armored, swayed a few times but steadied himself. Jiang Yue, having sprinted full-force and forgetting to dodge or dissipate the impact, took the full brunt, fell backwards, and fainted with her eyes rolled up.

The steward hurried over to check Jiang Yue, found her merely unconscious, and immediately declared Wang Li the winner. He then scooped up Jiang Yue’s small frame and rushed to the Sacred Healer’s Hall, leaving Wang Li behind in confusion.

"Is that it? I won?" he muttered incredulously, "Is she really that weak? Her swordplay seemed sharp!"

Grandpa Sheng, watching their battle, felt his own embarrassment reach its peak and scolded, "Sharp, my foot! If that girl had practiced swordsmanship seriously for a few days, you’d be finished!"

"Two amateurs, what a disgrace! Two Foundation Establishment cultivators—children would put you to shame!"

Wang Li scratched his head, embarrassed. "First time, no experience, haha..."

"If you lack experience, go train. Realm doesn’t equal combat ability. Enough, I’m done scolding you. Go home and cultivate, and hopefully next time you’ll fight like a proper cultivator!"

Wang Li retracted his Earth Spirit Armor, glanced awkwardly at the disciples watching nearby, and fled.

What humiliation!

If he could, Wang Li would dig out a library with his foot to hide himself...

The disciples exchanged glances.

"Is this a Foundation Establishment battle? I must be dreaming!"

"I feel my heart demon tribulation drifting away."

"Eye-opening, truly. One must rely on oneself. Connections and background mean nothing—strength is the only truth!"

"A real demonstration of amateurs pecking at each other. I truly don’t understand the world of geniuses..."

"However amateur, they’re still Foundation Establishment cultivators."

"Senior brother, as long as you don’t mention this, you’re still my favorite senior brother!"