"Rebellious girl!"
Yan Zhengfeng roared, veins bulging on his neck, and swung a slap.
Yan Jiaojiao, of course, wouldn't accept a beating. She hadn't before, and she certainly wouldn't now. She instantly teleported to dodge, but unexpectedly, Yan Ruxue lunged from the side, kicking at Yan Jiaojiao as she yelled, "Father, no need for you to act, I'll discipline this ungrateful sister for you!"
Was this her chance to show off?
Yan Jiaojiao's eyes held mockery as she clearly watched the direction of Yan Ruxue's kick. She raised her own leg and squarely landed a kick on Yan Ruxue's shinbone.
A dull thud sounded. Yan Ruxue cried out in pain and stumbled back several steps before stabilizing herself in a horse stance, not very gracefully.
Yan Ruxue's face showed disbelief. She had diligently cultivated for the past few months, advancing from Orange Tier One to Tier Two. This speed was already very impressive among the Fire Faction disciples, which was why she had confidently ambushed Yan Jiaojiao. She had originally wanted to impress the sect leader and her father, but she never expected to be at a disadvantage on the very first move.
She had assumed that with her Orange Tier cultivation, even if Yan Jiaojiao had advanced a few tiers, she could completely overwhelm Yan Jiaojiao's Red Tier cultivation.
But it seemed Yan Jiaojiao's level was not just Red Tier. Yan Ruxue felt uneasy but couldn't believe Yan Jiaojiao could cultivate faster than she did.
"Again!"
Yan Ruxue was unconvinced. She immediately unfastened a long whip from her waist and swung it at Yan Jiaojiao. The whip shimmered with a green light. It was a bone whip made from the skeleton of a Giant Spirit Snake!
This bone whip was rare. Giant Spirit Snakes were extremely ferocious, their whereabouts unpredictable, and their magic potent. Ordinary cultivators found it difficult to capture them. It required several highly coordinated cultivators to team up, lie in ambush for days, learn the Giant Spirit Snake's daily habits, and then, through coordinated pursuit and blocking, they could capture one.
Let alone a Giant Spirit Snake that was just the right size to be made into a whip, that was even more of a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
Then, they had to meticulously skin it, remove the flesh, and then carefully refine it by simmering it in medicinal water and roasting it with spiritual fire. Every step had to be perfect to obtain such a bone whip imbued with spiritual energy.
Yan Ruxue being able to possess such a Green Tier treasure was undoubtedly something Yan Zhengfeng had painstakingly sought for her.
Yan Jiaojiao knew this, understanding that a strike from this whip would surely rip her flesh, poison her, and lay her up for days. Immediately, Yan Jiaojiao hooked her finger. Her waist-worn Ziyan [Purple Smoke] was swiftly unsheathed, flashing with cold light as it met the whip. With a "clang," it knocked the bone whip away.
Yan Ruxue, however, simply twisted her wrist. The soft whip curved in the air and instantly swung towards Yan Jiaojiao's leg again.
Yan Jiaojiao's eyes swept over it. Ziyan, with its tip pointed downwards, gently flicked and again deflected the whip.
Thus, they exchanged blows back and forth. It was clearly a matter of moments, yet Yan Jiaojiao and Yan Ruxue had already exchanged dozens of moves. Yan Ruxue gained no advantage and, instead, began to sweat fine beads on her forehead due to the rapid depletion of her spiritual energy.
"Clang!"
With a crisp sound, Yan Ruxue could no longer keep up with Yan Jiaojiao's increasingly rapid speed. Her grip weakened, and the bone whip flew from her hand, landing on the ground not far away.
"You still lost."
Yan Jiaojiao said coolly, holding Ziyan behind her shoulder.
In terms of technique, Yan Ruxue, having just learned to use the whip, was utterly unskilled. In terms of speed, Yan Ruxue's movements appeared to Yan Jiaojiao as slow-motion playback. In terms of spiritual energy, how could Yan Ruxue's spiritual energy accumulated over more than ten years compare to Yan Jiaojiao's, which contained over three thousand years of spiritual energy?
And in terms of cultivation, Yan Jiaojiao, by virtue of her recent cultivation of the Water Faction's mental method, had already broken through another tier, becoming an Orange Tier Three cultivator!
None of Yan Ruxue's carefully laid plans had succeeded. She could only stare blankly at her weapon being disarmed once again.
It was during the disciple assessment when she was killing demonic beasts that Yan Ruxue had accidentally dropped her sword, creating a psychological shadow that made her afraid to touch swords again. That was why she had asked Yan Zhengfeng to find her this spiritual whip.
Who would have thought that after only two days of using it, she would be disarmed by Yan Jiaojiao again, and in such an embarrassing manner before the two sect leaders. It was a profound humiliation!
Yan Ruxue's fingertips trembled.
Seeing this, Chen Bingbing quickly picked up the bone whip and carefully returned it to Yan Ruxue, whispering in a voice only they could hear, "Cousin, you must pull yourself together. The sect leader is watching. Don't be a sore loser!"
Yan Ruxue then came back to her senses and looked at Chen Bingbing blankly. She saw the latter's anxious gaze, even with a hint of threat, clearly indicating that any slip in her composure was unacceptable.
"Do you still want to fight?" Yan Jiaojiao asked coldly.
Yan Ruxue could only turn pale and stammer with bloodless lips, "No need."
The outcome was clear. Any further provocation from Yan Ruxue would only bring further humiliation. As Chen Bingbing said, with the two sect leaders watching, she absolutely could not continue to lose face.
Seeing Yan Ruxue also at a disadvantage, Yan Zhengfeng was about to step forward for revenge. His fierce gaze showed no hint of considering Yan Jiaojiao as part of the Yan family.
However, this was outside the Golden Faction's entrance. There were already many disciples coming and going, not to mention a fight involving the sect leaders. In just a moment, quite a few disciples had gathered to watch.
Luo Guiyuan and Xu Yan Tao exchanged glances. Xu Yan Tao, as the sect leader of Yan Ruxue's faction, had to step in to mediate, "Benefactor Yan, perhaps it is best to stop here. Yan Ruxue has not been injured, and losing a match is also a failure of our faction."
Xu Yan Tao's words took all the blame onto himself in an attempt to de-escalate the situation. Yan Zhengfeng had to show some respect, so he stopped his advance towards Yan Jiaojiao, but his wolf-like gaze never left her.
Anyone else would have been terrified by his stare and fled, but Yan Jiaojiao dared to meet his gaze, her clear eyes still showing a placid demeanor.
Although Xu Yan Tao disliked Yan Jiaojiao, seeing her like this, he couldn't help but feel a hint of admiration. He began to wonder if that rascal Shangguan Yuan had truly found a treasure.
Yan Jiaojiao, however, had no interest in their thoughts. She simply sheathed her sword and said, "If that is the case, and there is nothing else, please allow me to take my leave."
This was essentially a notification. Yan Jiaojiao was truly tired of dealing with the Yan family and just wanted this forced confrontation to end quickly.
However, after Yan Jiaojiao had taken only two steps, she heard Xu Yan Tao call her from behind, "Yan Jiaojiao, what is your current cultivation level?"
Yan Jiaojiao paused for a moment before slightly turning her head and saying, "Orange Tier Three."
The crowd gasped.
Yan Jiaojiao was a person of five attributes, so some people remembered she was only Red Tier Three. Yet, in just a few months, Yan Jiaojiao had advanced a full level!