Chapter 17: Defeating Li Xin, Nalan Shu's Shock!
Li Xin was startled, her face turning slightly pale. How had Ye Ling suddenly appeared behind her?
Why hadn't she sensed anything?
But now was not the time for her to dwell on it. She had to find a way to turn the situation around!
Unfortunately, Ye Ling had no intention of giving her the chance.
"Ascension Array!" Ye Ling shouted.
Terrifying golden light burst outward, forming an array that blasted Li Xin away, sending her flying several meters before she managed to stab her sword into the ground to steady herself, the sword flashing with signs of shattering.
Li Xin felt dazed.
But it wasn't over yet.
Ye Ling's combos came one after another, each more precise than the last.
Right after the Ascension Array ended, the first halo around Ye Ling shone again.
"Angelic Assault!"
The Angelic Holy Sword in his hand pierced toward Li Xin with overwhelming power, carrying a force that felt capable of destroying everything.
Li Xin gritted her teeth and swung her sword to meet the attack. However, this time she wasn't foolish enough to directly clash head-on—she intended to deflect the force and counterattack.
But before Ye Ling, this strategy was meaningless.
When Ye Ling's sword struck hers, the magic sword shattered instantly, fragments flying in all directions, and the broken blade plunged into the ground.
Li Xin widened her eyes in shock.
For a knight, the sword was like life itself. Losing her weapon meant she could no longer control her fate.
Her life was now completely in Ye Ling's hands.
She looked up to see Ye Ling launching his next attack: "Light Slash Sword!"
The brilliant light transformed into a blade and hurtled toward her under Ye Ling's command.
Feeling the overwhelming force rushing at her, Li Xin showed a trace of despair.
However, knowing that it was Ye Ling, she relaxed and closed her eyes, quietly accepting her fate.
She didn't want to die here. If she had to die, she would rather fall on a battlefield against the invading demon races, earning the title of hero.
But if it came to this, dying by Ye Ling's hand felt somehow easier to accept.
However, after waiting for a while, the attack never came.
Instead, she felt someone poke her cheek twice.
Opening her eyes, she found Ye Ling grinning at her, his finger still poking her face.
"I'm not dead," Li Xin said blankly.
"Sister Xin, are you pretending to be stupid? How could I really kill you?" Ye Ling laughed, poking her face again, clearly enjoying himself.
Hearing this, Li Xin froze for a moment.
Thinking about it, it made sense.
Still, when she glanced at the broken sword lying nearby, her face darkened.
She gritted her teeth and said, "So, you shattered my sword just for fun?"
Ye Ling was momentarily stunned. "You can't blame me! How was I supposed to know your magic sword was so fragile? Or that your strength would be..."
"So it's my fault now? Are you saying I should be stronger?!" Li Xin rolled her eyes dramatically.
Ye Ling nodded seriously. "Sister Xin, it's rare to see you admit your mistakes so readily!"
Li Xin nearly coughed up blood at that.
She immediately glared at him fiercely.
Seeing her reaction, Ye Ling quickly backed away, and Li Xin chased after him without hesitation.
Regardless of whether he was an Angel of Light or a so-called Child of Light, right now, he could only obediently run!
Meanwhile, the atmosphere between them contrasted sharply with Nalan Shu, who stood nearby, watching everything with a stunned, bewildered expression.
He was dumbfounded.
It wasn't until a long while later that he snapped out of it, his eyes wide and bloodshot from the intense shock.
"Zombie Face? What the heck just happened?!"
"Ye Ling's strength suddenly jumped to this level? Are you kidding me?!"
"Xin'er is a sixth-level knight! A month ago, Ye Ling was just a third-level quasi-knight! How is he now able to unleash an Ascension Array and Light Slash Sword that both consume massive amounts of inner spiritual power? And he even grew wings???"
Nalan Shu truly didn't know what to say.
He felt like he was dreaming.
But it was all very, very real.
Utterly shocking!
"You're not mistaken. Ye Ling has indeed awakened his inner spiritual power," Ye Hua said seriously, happy to let this fat fool experience the same shock they had just felt.
"What did you say? A third-tier fifth-level knight? And with the Angel of Light physique? An innate inner spiritual power of seventy points, destined to become a ninth-tier Angel of Light???"
Nalan Shu's eyes widened. Honestly, even as the head of a sub-temple, he had rarely encountered such a genius, let alone one appearing right under his own jurisdiction.
And this was someone he had personally watched grow over two years?
If it weren't for the fact that Ye Hua never joked about talent-related matters, Nalan Shu wouldn't have believed it.
Goodness, it was absurd.
Looking at Ye Ling being dragged around by Li Xin, Nalan Shu sighed and walked over.
He first stopped Li Xin. Joking aside, if what Ye Hua said was true, Ye Ling was practically a treasure now. Nalan Shu's own future promotions could very well depend on Ye Ling!
How could he just let him get beaten up?
Heck, if it helped stabilize Ye Ling, he would even let Ye Ling beat him up!
Of course, he didn't say that aloud. Before he could, Ye Ling had already walked up to him, performed a knight's salute, and handed him an envelope.
At first, Nalan Shu was confused.
But after opening and reading the contents carefully, his eyes widened again. He looked absolutely bewildered and shaken.
After a long while, he carefully put the letter away and said, "So you know that senior. In that case, I won't interfere with you anymore. Tomorrow, I'll present you with the knight's badge."
After speaking, Nalan Shu pulled Ye Hua away.
After walking some distance, Ye Hua finally asked, confused, "Fatty? What's going on?"
Nalan Shu shook his head and said, "You were thinking about taking Ye Ling as your disciple, weren't you?"
"I had the thought, but not strongly."
"Forget it. Ye Ling may be from our Haoyue Sub-Temple, but a big figure already has their eye on him."
"Who? The one who sent that letter?"
"Yes. I can't reveal who exactly, but I can tell you: he's a ninth-tier powerhouse, possibly even a Divine Throne holder!"
Hearing that, Ye Hua was stunned.
Understanding everything instantly, he quietly followed Nalan Shu away.
Back in the main hall, Li Xin curiously asked Ye Ling, "That senior from Odin Town seems really powerful, scaring Uncle Nalan like that."
"Yeah," Ye Ling sighed. "Honestly, I kind of regret it now. I should have agreed to that senior's offer back then instead of staying at the Haoyue Sub-Temple because of you."
Ye Ling's eyes showed a hint of sadness.
Li Xin wasn't angry. She simply reached out and pinched his cheek, saying, "Forget it. You're not escaping, little brother. You'll never get out of my grasp in this lifetime!"
"I don't know whether to laugh or cry," Ye Ling said dramatically, sighing again.
The two bickered and played around for a while.
Eventually, Ye Ling returned to his room.
He sat cross-legged once more.
Closing his eyes, he entered a meditative state, focusing on the two martial souls shining in his mind.
"Let's keep cultivating. More training is definitely a good thing."
With that, he fully immersed himself in cultivation.
Meanwhile, Nalan Shu returned to his office and soon received further information from elsewhere.
(End of Chapter)
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