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Xue Qinghe was silent for a moment, the air seemingly congealed. He suddenly looked up, his gaze sharp: "I want to fight you, right now."
Xuan Ming paused, "Purpose?"
"To see just how capable you truly are," Xue Qinghe's tone was unusually serious.
Xuan Ming watched him for a moment, then nodded: "Alright."
The strength of a Spirit Master is never solely judged by their spirit power level.
The quality of one's Spirit is the true dividing line.
Low-grade, mid-grade, high-grade, top-grade, and "Super Spirits" like the Seraphim, which transcend common sense.
Most people possess low-to-mid grade Spirits, also known as common Spirits, and these individuals are largely background characters in the World of Spirit Masters. This is because even if they have the same spirit power level, or even higher spirit power, than owners of high-grade or top-grade Spirits, they will very likely lose.
As for top-grade and Super Spirits, these are somewhat unfair. They can generally contend with common Spirit Spirit Masters who have one more spirit ring than them.
Of course, the stronger the Spirit, the harder the cultivation, and the more demanding the requirements for talent.
"You haven't made a move in a long time, are you sure you want to fight?"
After deciding to fight, Qian Renxue and Xuan Ming quickly left Tiandou City and arrived at an uninhabited mountain area a hundred miles from the main city.
"Do you think I'm not your match?" Qian Renxue frowned tightly.
"It's not a thought, it's a fact," Xuan Ming's tone was calm.
Qian Renxue, disguised as Xue Qinghe, had very few opportunities for actual combat. Her only sparring partner was probably Snake Lance Douluo, who hunted spirit rings for her.
The Seraphim is inherently powerful, but it lacks the tempering of life-or-death battles. Compared to his experience of crawling out of a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood, it was a World of difference.
"What do you think I've been doing for the past six months?" Qian Renxue shouted, and her Spirit instantly possessed her!
Brilliant golden light erupted, and a Holy aura spread like a tide, its pressure even surpassing that of an ordinary Spirit Saint!
Xuan Ming's eyes narrowed: "It seems I underestimated you."
He clenched his right hand, and a bloody lightning bolt exploded. The Blood Spear, entwined with an ominous aura, was now in his hand!
The moment the spear appeared, a dense, malevolent aura permeated the air, which seemed to become viscous, with a faint, rusty, bloody smell floating within it.
Qian Renxue felt a stinging sensation on her skin and immediately activated her Angelic Domain. Holy Spirit surged, attempting to dispel the evil energy.
However, the Holy power seemed to stimulate the Blood Spear. A cold, deathly, malicious aura instinctively erupted from it, contending equally with the Holy golden light!
"Is this why you hid the Blood Spear?" Qian Renxue's expression changed slightly.
This malevolence and evil were not actively controlled by Xuan Ming; it was the Spirit itself roaring!
"After absorbing the Dark Demonic Evil God Tiger's spirit ring, it became extremely restless," Xuan Ming said, looking at the long spear in his hand that hummed incessantly, craving blood.
"If I brought it out in a competition, it could easily devour an opponent if I wasn't careful. I can suppress it, but it's too troublesome."
He used competitions to relax. If he had to be cautious and restrain himself during a fight, what was the point of relaxing?
"Come!" Qian Renxue's fifth spirit ring shimmered, and Holy flames surged, condensing into a Holy Sword in her palm.
Xuan Ming's gaze sharpened, the Blood Spear trembled, and its bloody glow intensified! His figure shot out like Gui Mei, the Blood Spear tearing through the air with a shrill shriek, thrusting directly at Qian Renxue's throat!
Qian Renxue's six wings vibrated rapidly, and her body suddenly soared, narrowly dodging the fatal blow.
The Holy Sword slashed, and scorching sword energy ripped through the sky, distorting the air in its path!
Xuan Ming blocked with his Blood Spear!
Boom—!
The sword energy and Blood Spear collided violently, and a fierce energy shockwave exploded outwards. Surrounding trees snapped at their bases, pulverizing into dust; rocks shattered, turning into a sky full of smoke and dust!
After one strike, the two were entangled in battle again.
Despite her superior Spirit and spirit power, Qian Renxue was completely at a disadvantage.
Her Holy Spirit, which should have suppressed all darkness, actually canceled out and annihilated the Blood Spear's ferocious evil energy, unable to gain the upper hand.
"Mental suppression lock?" Qian Renxue stared intently at the Blood Spear in Xuan Ming's hand.
There is a huge gap between top-grade Spirits and common Spirits. Beast Spirits primarily offer amplification and resistance, while Tool Spirits possess special effects that make it impossible for opponents to dodge.
Her grandfather told her that within the same rank, the Clear Sky Hammer's attacks are almost impossible to dodge because the special force field it carries creates a huge gravitational pull, much like gravity. And the greater the power, the greater that pull. If combined with the Disorder Splitting Wind Hammer Method, that thing swung around is the nightmare of all land Spirit Masters!
Even flying Spirit Masters, if they don't maintain enough distance from the Clear Sky Hammer, once sucked into that special force field, are almost certainly doomed!
Xuan Ming's Blood Spear didn't have the Clear Sky Hammer's special force field, but each of its thrusts carried a huge mental impact and suppression. That suppression would greatly impact her mind and vision, making everything in front of her blurry. Only the blood-glowing long spear would slowly approach, and that feeling was extremely strange. One second it felt very far away, but the next it would be right in front of her!
Qian Renxue looked at Xuan Ming with a solemn expression, "Now I somewhat admire those guys who dared to fight you in the Great Spirit Arena."
Even she, the owner of a Super Spirit, faced such immense pressure, let alone those common Spirit Spirit Masters?
"No need to admire them. I used to fight Spirit Masters whose spirit power level was at least ten levels higher than mine. The huge disparity in spirit power levels could still greatly reduce this suppression," Xuan Ming said.
"Now that our spirit power levels are not far apart, you can truly feel it."
His spirit power purity was comparable to a Titled Douluo, and he possessed both extreme ice and fire attributes. However, Qian Renxue's Holy Spirit was even more overbearing. If he hadn't absorbed the Dark Demonic Evil God Tiger's spirit ring, gaining evil attribute energy and greatly enhancing the Blood Spear's malevolent aura, he would have had to use his Beast Spirit Domain to counter Qian Renxue's Holy energy suppression.
"If we drag this on, we might be discovered. Let's decide the victor in one move!"
Qian Renxue took a deep breath, her eyes becoming incredibly firm. She knew that the gap in combat experience between her and Xuan Ming was too great. If they continued fighting like this, she would undoubtedly lose!
Immediately, she unhesitatingly channeled all her spirit power frantically, converging it into the Holy Sword in her hand.
The sword glow surged, as if holding a miniature sun, and the terrifying high temperature slightly distorted the surrounding space!
Xuan Ming no longer held back either, his spirit power surging wildly into the Blood Spear. The spear's bloody glow boiled, bloody lightning surged madly, and the malevolent and cold aura climbed to its peak, like an ancient fierce beast awakening!
Holy and Evil, the ultimate opposition!
Golden and crimson, they collided with a roar!
Rumble—!!!
A deafening roar echoed through the mountains, and a terrifying energy shockwave exploded in a ring! Trees were uprooted and twisted into dust; rocks shattered, turning into a sky full of smoke; the earth was torn open with countless deep ravines!
When the light dissipated, a scene of devastation remained.
Both lay on the ground, as if they had just experienced a natural disaster.
Qian Renxue gasped slightly, her clothes torn in many places, revealing skin with burns and bloodstains. Her hair was disheveled, her cheeks flushed abnormally, and a trickle of blood slid from the corner of her mouth. She tried to prop herself up but fell back to the ground weakly.
Xuan Ming's upper body was bare, covered in burns and cuts left by the Holy sword energy. He simply lay there, staring at the sky.
Qian Renxue turned her head slightly to look at Xuan Ming, a complex expression flashing in her eyes, "Were you holding back?"
"Not really," Xuan Ming said.
"I just realized for the first time how big the gap between us is."
Qian Renxue was slightly startled, "Gap?"
"I struggled to survive, endured countless hardships, and narrowly escaped death many times, just to barely climb to a height where I could stand alongside you," Xuan Ming looked at the flowing clouds.
"And you, you were born in the clouds."
Qian Renxue remained silent. After a long while, she slowly spoke: "What does it matter if one is born flying in the sky? If you don't flap your own wings to soar, you will eventually fall. In this battle today, though I was at a disadvantage, next time, I will win."
Xuan Ming tilted his head slightly, looking at Qian Renxue, "You've been a bit off lately."
Qian Renxue frowned slightly, "What's off?"
Xuan Ming thought for a moment, "You're a bit too normal. The feeling you give me, on the contrary, isn't normal."
The former Qian Renxue always gave him a feeling of being sick, with an inherent haughtiness and arrogance, doing everything with an inexplicable sense of entitlement.
He used to constantly argue with Qian Renxue, the main reason being her "entitlement." She thought she was right, so others should be wrong. She thought she was stronger, so others should submit to her.
But recently, Qian Renxue had become normal, without that arrogant feeling.
"Is it because Gu Yuena struck you down?" Xuan Ming guessed.
Qian Renxue's expression froze, and she turned her head away.
Seeing this, Xuan Ming confirmed it.
She was indeed struck down by Gu Yuena, a complete crushing defeat.
Qian Renxue's personality was impervious to flattery and soft words.
Only by completely defeating her with absolute strength would she face reality.
She believed in the supremacy of strength. As long as you were stronger than her, she would rein in her sharpness and even learn to reason.
Conversely, it would be the previous situation — tit for tat, neither giving way.
He hadn't been able to change Qian Renxue in the slightest over so many years, yet Gu Yuena had only appeared for such a short time, and Qian Renxue had undergone such a significant transformation.
Targeted medication, indeed…