Watching Ye Ziling's palm strikes, Shen Yueru's heart jolted. She had intended to settle her score with Lu Yi before dealing with Ye Ziling, but upon witnessing her series of fierce moves, she ultimately dared not speak.
Shen Yueru was the only daughter of Shen Qingfeng, the Sect Master of Shaolin. Since the Jiuling Palace paid no heed to sect affairs, all major matters were handled by her father. She considered herself quite discerning and had the privilege of examining the unique cultivation techniques of various immortal cultivation schools. Yet, she had never even seen the moves of these two individuals before.
They were sharp, decisive, vicious, and poisonous, and most importantly, they didn't rely on talismans.
It wasn't just Shen Yueru who was shocked, but also Ling Xi.
He recalled that during his last encounter with the "ultimate," he was confident his cultivation techniques and internal energy were superior to hers. Now, looking at her, he realized he was not just a little inferior.
After all, among the various immortal cultivation sects, including their sect masters and elders, few could match him.
Who exactly was this "ultimate"?
Seeing the senior and junior disciples scrutinizing her repeatedly, Ye Ziling subdued the killing intent in her eyes and calmly patted the dust off her skirt.
Rumor had it that Shen Qingfeng's beloved daughter was spoiled, willful, and arrogant. Seeing her now, the rumors seemed to hold true.
"Miss Shen's intervention to save me is greatly appreciated," Ye Ziling said, bypassing the young woman and moving to Ling Xi's side. Her beautiful eyes were bright and captivating as she leaned close to his ear, "Valedictorian Ling, don't forget, I have something of mine on you. As the old saying goes, hand it over soon, and I'll leave your corpse whole."
Ling Xi was unfazed by Ye Ziling's threat. In front of everyone, he pulled her slender waist closer, his nose brushing against her ear, and pretended to ask, "Oh? Is it my heart?"
He deliberately drew out his words, his voice thick and hoarse, with a seductive smile.
"Since Miss Ye gifted me this treasure, how can I return it?" Ling Xi maintained his faint smile.
The atmosphere instantly became tense again.
Ye Ziling's heart skipped a beat. The moment she came into contact with him, her body felt as if it had been struck by electricity, moving uncontrollably towards him.
In her helplessness, she had to silently recite a calming mantra, only to be met with strong resistance from her body. Her fingertips unconsciously hooked his sharp jawline.
Ling Xi was taken aback by her sudden action, his plan instantly thrown into disarray. Gazing at the stunning beauty so close to him, the fire in his chest flared up.
"Valedictorian Ling's acting is as impeccable as ever," Ye Ziling's breath was like a fragrant mist, her smile like a mask fixed to her face, devoid of any emotion.
Witnessing their intimate actions, Shen Yueru's face darkened.
Over the years, she hadn't even touched her senior brother's hand. This woman, upon arrival, shamelessly clung to him, filling her heart with endless rage.
Mu Heng inwardly cursed the person as utterly shameless. With his "white moonlight" still present, he was already embracing a stranger. His thick skin was thicker than a sow's.
At this critical moment, Shen Yueru suppressed her jealousy, raised a smile, and interrupted, "Senior Brother Ling, you know her?"
"Know her? More than that," Ling Xi smiled meaningfully, a hint of spring in his ink-black eyes. Admiring the peerless beauty before him, his large hand restlessly caressed her waist.
He had grown up in the Shaolin sect and thought his preferred type was lively and pretty girls like his junior sister. He hadn't expected to be interested in such an ice-cold beauty.
Feeling the familiar warmth on her waist, Ye Ziling pushed the man away. A bee needle swiftly flew from her sleeve.
Ling Xi's smile vanished, a trace of malice flashing in his eyes.
His jade pendant brushed against hers, emitting a crisp sound. He spun and appeared before her, a bee needle now in his hand.
The needle was as fine as a hair, yet it could kill its prey with a single shot.
What a "ultimate" beauty? She was more like a beautiful drug.
There was no warmth in Ye Ziling's eyes.
Few people could catch her bee needle; yet, he had caught it so effortlessly.
"Miss Ye, how ruthless," Ling Xi's voice trailed off with a smile, his tone laced with a hint of grievance, yet his face remained expressionless.
This man's words were never truthful.
[System: Lord Ling, you are playing with your life.]
[Ling Xi: I'm playing with my life.]
Shen Yueru was at a loss. Seeing the escalating tension between the two, she didn't know whether to feel relieved or worried.
Her senior brother's eyes only held a desire for conquest and possession of his prey, with no trace of romantic affection.
This woman was highly skilled in combat and ruthless in her attacks. She wondered how many moves her senior brother could withstand.
"Senior Brother Ling, be careful!" Seeing the woman launch a palm strike towards Ling Xi, Shen Yueru couldn't help herself. Just as she was about to step forward to help, Mu Heng blocked her hand.
"What? Are you going to act? I think Miss Shen should stay put, lest you get in the way and end up as a pair of ill-fated lovers with your senior brother," Mu Heng sneered, watching with great interest from the side.
He had a clear understanding of Ye Ziling's capabilities; he had yet to see her defeated by anyone.
Shen Yueru had no choice but to remain in place, glaring helplessly.
"Eldest Miss, Senior Brother Ling, the Immortal Examination mobilization meeting has already begun, why are you still lingering here?" several disciples in dark robes strode over and asked sternly.
"Eldest Senior Brother! You've come at the right time... Quick, go help Senior Brother Ling!"
Hearing the voice, Ye Ziling paused for a moment. Just as she turned to re-engage, her hands were suddenly seized, her immortal magic began to fail again, and she was pinned against a pillar.
"Miss Ye, we have important matters to attend to today. If you wish to play, I will accompany you another day."
Before Ye Ziling could recover, the familiar scent of cold white plum blossoms wafted towards her, catching her by surprise.
Her skin, touched by him, felt as if it were ablaze.
The man was a head taller than her. She raised her eyes and saw his Adam's apple bobbing on his fair neck.
Seeing their usually serene and steady second senior brother pinning a beautiful woman against a pillar, Ling Zhao and several disciples stood by, too shocked to speak.
Second Senior Brother, who normally kept his distance from women and was introverted, was now publicly pinning a woman against a pillar – an unprecedented event!
Mu Heng looked at the scene before him. Despite his disbelief, he had to admit he had lost his bet. Fortunately, he hadn't wagered at Jiuling Palace, or he would have lost all his savings from the past few years.
However, he felt quite lucky to witness the sight of the "little lunatic" being at a disadvantage in his lifetime; he could die content.
Ling Xi casually released her and turned around. The smile was gone from his face, and he sternly asked Ling Zhao, "What stage has the meeting progressed to?"
Ling Zhao cleared his throat, "It... it just started."
Then, he adjusted his posture and looked at Ye Ziling, asking, "And who is this..."
Just as Ye Ziling was about to speak, Mu Heng beat her to it, stating seriously, "This is our Jiuling Palace disciple, Ye, Ye Ziling..."
It was the first time he uttered Ye Ziling's full name, and Mu Heng's speech became hesitant, as if every word carried an insidious killing intent.
It felt as if heads were hanging on the blade of a knife, ready to fall at any moment.
Ye Ziling forced a smile, "I am Ye Ziling of Jiuling Palace. Greetings, everyone, Senior Brothers."
Ye Ziling attended the Immortal Examination mobilization meeting not in the capacity of the Palace Lord, but as an ordinary disciple.
Although she herself was the proposer of the martial arts examination questions, she had no interest in the immortal examination itself; she only wanted the demon cores.
The injuries on this mortal body had healed, but it still couldn't withstand the immense power of the Sun Moon Divine Lamp. She needed to collect demon cores and reforge it to use the Sun Moon Divine Lamp to repair her primordial spirit.
To evade the Heavenly Realm's search and avoid arousing suspicion about her identity, she had to fabricate her identity as a disciple under her own wing.
Upon hearing "Jiuling Palace," Shen Yueru suddenly understood. 138 Reading Network
No wonder she had so easily exposed Shen Yueru's act of showing off using her father's reputation. It turned out she was a disciple of Jiuling Palace.
Everyone knew that Shaolin had lost the right to propose the martial arts examination questions to Jiuling Palace. This incident had caused her father to lose face within the sect, and she had no positive feelings towards people from Jiuling Palace.
A flicker of light crossed Ling Xi's eyes. He glanced back at the person behind him discreetly and chuckled.
So, she was a disciple of Jiuling Palace, no wonder.
It was said that Jiuling Palace was located in an extremely cold region, with heavy snow year-round. The disciples of the palace were often cold-faced and showed almost no expression. No wonder this "ultimate" was colder than a dead person.