The Unforeseen Transformation and a Reckless Challenge

The fervent cheers from beneath the arena, which had roared just moments before, were instantly cut short by Wei Qing’s unsettling transformation.

All present felt their throats tighten, choked by the bizarre spectacle.

Those disciples closest to the ring involuntarily stumbled backward, their faces, once alight with excitement, gradually slackening into blank bewilderment before slowly twisting into expressions of stark terror.

“Wei Qing! Get down from there! This, this must be a misunderstanding!”

Lu Ping’an’s voice, strained with urgency, pierced through the clamor of the crowd.

She struggled to push through the throng, yet her steps faltered, almost tripping.

At this moment, the spiritual energy swirling around Wei Qing, for some unknown reason, had taken on a crimson hue.

It exuded a thick, sickening scent of blood, as if she had just crawled out of a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood.

Her face, once pale and drained, was now a grotesque mass of bulging, twisted veins, writhing like a nest of snakes and earthworms beneath her skin.

“That, that person, how could they…”

“What’s happening? She looks terrifying!”

“This… what kind of evil art is this?”

“Whoosh—!”

A cold glint, born from the sword’s edge, stabbed forth once more!

Without the slightest warning, she moved swift as the wind, her figure blurring into indistinctness, leaving only afterimages lingering on the arena floor.

Streaks of sword light, accompanying the afterimages, lunged and bit at Lin Mo like enraged vipers, striking from cunning angles that defied all logic, with every strike aimed directly at his vital points!

If not for Lin Mo’s incredibly swift reactions and his remarkably unique defensive techniques, the killing intent concentrated at the sword’s tip would undoubtedly have pierced straight through his chest!

Swift!

While the speed didn’t exceed what was typical for the Qi Condensation stage, the terrifying killing intent still caused Lin Mo’s entire body to tense, leaving him no room to relax.

Had he not hailed from Blue Star, where he understood the link between human reaction speed and the brain, and thus had specially used spiritual energy to enhance his neural responses, Lin Mo truly wouldn’t have been able to withstand this relentless barrage of attacks!

His spiritual energy was merely abundant, not inherently tough.

He was purely relying on sheer volume to stack his defenses, and with this sword combined with such a reckless, life-for-life fighting style, it was only a matter of time before his defenses were breached.

Of course, if he hadn’t been cultivating the Bright Jade Profound Yin, it might indeed have been possible for his defenses to be broken.

However, his speed of absorption, refinement, and conversion was simply too fast.

Coupled with his unique application methods, this small consumption of spiritual energy could quickly be replenished.

Moreover, he maintained a state of constant circulation, always ready to react.

He could outlast Wei Qing for an entire day!

However, that would only hold true for a friendly spar.

Currently, every single one of Wei Qing’s movements…was aimed at taking his life.

Lin Mo was not without his counterattacks, but his opponent seemed utterly impervious to pain.

She was completely willing to trade her life for injuries! Even if it lacked efficiency, she still behaved like a leech, her maw still firmly clamped onto his leg, relentlessly sucking blood; even if torn or cut off, she would never let go.

He had to… be ruthless!

What’s more, Lin Mo was getting angry.

To simply fawn over Qiu Yue, was she truly willing to take another’s life?

Lin Mo twisted backward with a movement so minute it almost defied logic, while simultaneously, his right fist, imbued with his full strength, struck with the speed of thunder! Yet, it did not strike the incoming sword’s edge, but instead aimed with pinpoint accuracy at Wei Qing’s temple!

“Thud!”

A tremendous impact, accompanied by an icy, bone-chilling malevolent aura, delivered a blow to Wei Qing’s temple like a heavy hammer.

A dull, resounding thud instantly exploded.

Wei Qing, like a kite with a snapped string, lost all tether, her body spun several times in the air before crashing heavily to the ground.

The sound was muffled, like a soaking wet cloth bundle plummeting to the ground.

Instantly, Wei Qing’s gaze scattered, her vacant eyes no longer held any trace of concentrated killing intent.

It was as if—she had died.

“No!!!!!!!!!!”

Lu Ping’an’s heart-wrenching cry reverberated throughout the entire plaza.

It seemed as if that shrill scream not only tore through everyone’s eardrums, but also seemed to shatter the arena’s protective barrier.

A verdant glow enveloped Wei Qing’s body, and the host who had been secretly observing finally appeared.

“It’s Host Yun! That technique, could it be the legendary ‘Verdant Wood Rejuvenation Seal’! Legend says that once this seal is cast, severed limbs can be reattached, and flesh can grow on bare bones, truly a miraculous feat capable of snatching people from the jaws of death!”

“So, that person won’t die then? You scared me to death! I thought someone was really going to die!”

“Don’t you know the power of that divine technique? How could a mere Qi Condensation practitioner not be saved?”

The one who arrived was none other than Yun Qingfeng, the host of this domain with whom Lin Mo was familiar.

Gone was her usual benevolence, replaced by a grave and solemn expression.

“Hmph!”

Before Yun Qingfeng could even utter a word, something suddenly went terribly wrong!

Wei Qing, whose injuries should have been alleviated, for some unknown reason, began to convulse violently, spewing large mouthfuls of black blood.

“Ughhh—!”

Wei Qing, whose life force had been barely a thread, almost devoid of all vital signs, suddenly sprang up like a live fish flung from water into boiling oil!

The violent convulsions even caused her entire body to bounce off the ground.

Ominous, sickly sweet blood, like a flood unleashed, without warning, gushed wildly from her gaping mouth and nostrils!

“Splat—!”

The acrid, black blood splattered outwards!

The verdant healing light, far from penetrating deeply to nourish and repair as expected, instead seemed to worsen Wei Qing’s injuries!

Yun Qingfeng was startled, her expression changing drastically.

Her trained composure was instantly shattered by sheer astonishment.

She abruptly turned, knelt beside Wei Qing, and released her divine sense, to probe her physical condition.

“How could this be—?”

The situation seemed to have completely exceeded Yun Qingfeng’s imagination, to the point where she didn’t even leave a single word of explanation!

She directly pulled out her token, and taking Wei Qing, instantly vanished from everyone’s sight.

Yet, Yun Qingfeng’s sudden disappearance did not signify that the commotion would simply subside.

Everyone had witnessed Yun Qingfeng’s astonished expression, and her panicked, undignified departure.

For a host to leave so utterly disregardful of their dignity, the gravity of the matter was already self-evident.

The disciples below the stage watched Lin Mo slowly retract his fist, upon whose knuckles blood still lingered, and they gradually grew numb with shock, their expressions turning blank.

“This is… murder?”

Everyone had believed this to be merely a spar, a friendly match.

But now, no one would think so.

Lu Ping’an was absolutely furious, tears streaming down her cheeks like rivulets, and her sobbing echoed deafeningly throughout the plaza.

With a furious leap, she landed directly on the arena, her eyes blazing with boundless fury.

Extending a finger like a sharp sword, she pointed accusingly at Lin Mo: “You! How could you inflict such a vicious blow on a fellow disciple?! Hmph, and to think you’re a successor of the Bright Jade Profound Yin! You’re so powerful! My good sister couldn’t even harm a hair on your head! Why couldn’t you have just let her win?”

‘Why couldn’t you have just let her win?’

‘Why couldn’t you have just let her win?!’

Her indiscriminate accusations instantly reverberated throughout the entire plaza.

“She merely provoked you! Perhaps she was a little impulsive! But that is no reason for you to strike a killing blow! Simply because of a single challenge, a single conflict!”

“What do you intend to do? You’re only a disciple now; if you were to become sect master in the future, would you kill everyone who didn’t listen to you?!”

The more Lu Ping’an spoke, the more agitated she became, as if she wished to pin every sin onto Lin Mo alone!

“Have you said enough?”

Lin Mo’s voice was exceptionally calm, like a winter lake frozen solid, stirring no ripples.

Lu Ping’an roared hoarsely, like a cat whose tail had been stepped on: “What, just because I spoke the truth, are you going to kill me too? When did this Hall of Clarity change—what are you doing? Do you want to twist my neck?”

Lin Mo had already walked up to her, and she looked up at him.

Even as the insults and harms she had endured, the contempt and exclusion, endlessly echoed in her mind, a faint smile still flickered in her angry eyes.

‘Come, twist my neck!’

‘Come!’

‘Quickly, kill me!’

‘For my family, for my future!’

‘I beg you, kill me!’

That almost fervent gaze burned into Lin Mo’s eyes.

But Lin Mo merely smiled faintly, placing his hands on her shoulders, a slight grin playing on his lips.

“Personal Disciple Lin, please—”

“Rip—!”

Lin Mo actually… directly tore Lu Ping’an’s outer robe to shreds!

In front of everyone’s astonished eyes!

The inner garment, drenched with sweat, accentuated the full, rounded curves beneath.

‘To dismantle the moral high ground of the opposition was simple.’

“Your pectoral muscles are larger than mine; it’s not too much for me to take some, is it? Such large pectorals, it’s only right that you share a bit with me, isn’t it?”

‘That was it: abandon morality, and turn the tables!’

‘Do not try to prove yourself; be more shameless, more brazen than the opponent!’