Kong Shi's body emitted a faint golden light, as if struck by the Sky Flipping Seal on the forehead, yet he remained unharmed, the light vanishing without a trace.

"The standard of this Golden Bell Shield…" Dai Qingge was so astounded that he couldn't close his mouth. Had it been himself in the arena facing such crushing pressure, he'd have been reduced to a meat patty by now, but before this Golden Bell Shield, it was like letting out a fart, not even lifting the hem of a robe.

Zhao Changhe chuckled softly, "What do you think, young master Dai? Which family's Cultivation Technique do you prefer?"

Dai Qingge paused, then realized that this contest also served to showcase the Cultivation Techniques to the public. He was a bit conflicted for a moment; Yuxu looked dashing, but Kong Shi's skill was life-saving. After a moment's hesitation, he counter-asked, "What about you, Brother Zhao?"

Zhao Changhe flashed a toothy smile, "Being handsome is a lifelong thing, who wants to be a punch bag?"

Dai Qingge felt the truth in those words, nodding his head rapidly like a pecking chicken. Heaven knows how many times "Brother Zhao," who claimed that being handsome was a lifelong matter, had coveted the Golden Bell Shield to enhance his Body Refining Defense Power...

As the two men conversed briefly, the stage had seen several rounds of attack and defense exchanges, but the pattern was always various ways of countering and deflecting.

Of course, Yuxu was not foolish. Claiming to "let you use one hand," if he engaged in close combat, he'd be at a disadvantage. If it was a long-range exchange, then whether one hand or two made no difference. Kong Shi, on the other hand, continually attempted to approach the high platform up close, yet was always pushed far away, unable to get near.

Kong Shi was not in a hurry either. If he could keep deflecting indefinitely, that would be enough... In the eyes of the others, that meant he was on par with Yuxu, enough to make a name for himself.

Yuxu obviously understood this point as well, and gradually, Zhao Changhe noticed that the Qi Forces Kong Shi had scattered were in fact not gone, still swirling around him. With Yuxu's subsequent attacks, those Qi Forces were slowly mobilized, forming a new Tai Chi around Kong Shi, rotating like a huge grinding disc.

What Kong Shi, encircled by it, felt was unknown to outsiders, but Zhao Changhe clearly sensed that if someone weaker had been inside, they'd have been pulverized by now.

This Soft Strength was quite interesting, completely opposite to Zhao Changhe's usual forceful style, but very effective.

To an outsider, Kong Shi appeared to be caught and spun within the Vortex, spinning faster and faster. In reality, he was neutralizing the Soft Strength Vortex, and although spinning, it did him no harm as he waited for an opportunity to counterattack.

Before he could seize the opportunity, Yuxu pushed out another palm.

This palm seemed to have no strength at all... In fact, it followed the direction of Kong Shi's rotation and pulled him along, the inertia alone taking Kong Shi away from his original position and into the crowd.

Once toppled into the crowd, one would be thoroughly embarrassed, and victory and defeat would be decided. From start to finish, Yuxu could claim a spotless win, truly worthy of his rank as the foremost under heaven in the Divine Continent.

It just so happened that Kong Shi's rotation was heading directly towards Zhao Changhe and Dai Qingge, and Zhao Changhe even caught a glimpse of a flash of a smile and a killing intent within Kong Shi's spin.

Zhao Changhe's heart skipped a beat, sensing trouble.

If Kong Shi only had the Buddhist Law he had shown so far, he would indeed not be able to resist this spin and would tumble into the crowd. But what if Kong Shi was a Bodhisattva? What if he was concealing Demon Skill? Moreover, his Demon Skill was extremely adept at camouflage. If he whirled into the crowd and scattered his Demon Skill, killing people, it would look from the outside as if Yuxu's error caused his Qi to overflow, injuring and even killing the onlookers. Wouldn't that also utterly ruin Yuxu's reputation?

He didn't need to defeat Yuxu face-to-face; just tarnishing Yuxu's reputation was enough!

As his thoughts reached this point, Kong Shi had already spun into the crowd, who were about to disperse to the sides. The originally gentle swirling Tai Chi Energy suddenly turned into slicing blades, like Wind Blades cutting towards the bystanders.

Yuxu on the stage changed his expression drastically. At such a distance, who could prevent it in time?

Yet the man who appeared to be a mere attendant standing beside Dai Family's young master Dai Qingge quietly extended a finger, lightly poking in the direction where the Wind Blade had just begun to form.

When the Qi turned into a Wind Blade, it was no longer Yuxu's Qi, nor Kong Shi's Magic; it was the dispersing wind.

The wind could be as cutting as a blade or as refreshing as a gentle breeze, depending on whether there was divine Control Power.

Compared to revealing one's whereabouts, the lives of the surrounding common folk were far more important.

The onlookers surrounding them had no idea what was happening; they only felt a refreshing breeze blow across their faces, which was quite chilly in this cold winter, but nothing else seemed amiss.

However, Monk Kong Shi did have a bit of an issue... He clearly realized that someone was up to mischief but couldn't afford to retaliate under the watchful eyes of the crowd. In a split second, he decided to pretend he couldn't control his body and staggered toward Zhao Changhe.

If he could knock this scoundrel dead or injured, it would be killing two birds with one stone, making him realize that not everyone's business was his to meddle in, and continuing to pin the blame for "accidentally injuring" a civilian on the Yuxu.

"Esteemed master, there are many people here; it might be better to turn back," a large hand rested on his shoulder, guiding him along with the force of his rotation with another push.

This push was no longer powered by Wind Control. It was the force of the Blood Shura Body that Zhao Changhe had relied on to make a name for himself, utterly ferocious. Monk Kong Shi, who had just seen a martial artist effortlessly using Wind Control, didn't expect the man to suddenly transform into a rampaging beast. Caught off guard, he was spun back around on the spot, twirling like a top.

As he twirled, his sharp eyes quickly passed over Zhao Changhe's disguised ordinary face, which was now smiling and chatting to a rich young master beside him: "This shiny, bald spinning top is quite fun. Young Master Song could make a batch and sell them; they'd probably be quite popular."

A wave of laughter spread through the surrounding crowd.

Monk Kong Shi managed to halt his spinning, so angry that he nearly sprayed out a mouthful of blood.

Without revealing his Demon Skill, losing was not a big deal. The goal had been to "withstand Yuxu for a long time" and "force Yuxu to mistakenly injure someone," which would have been enough. But now, instead of injuring someone, all the face he had saved up through the "prolonged fight" had been lost due to the spinning top comment. Tomorrow's rumors in Chang'an would only remember a glittering golden bald top.

This battle was a colossal loss, inexplicably lost to a nondescript face emerging from nowhere.

Monk Kong Shi took a deep breath and calmly said, "Indeed, the real Yuxu is well-cultivated, truly worthy of being the leader of the Divine Continent, I've learned a lot. And this one..."

He pointed at Zhao Changhe, asking, "Which powerful figure from the Chaotic World List might this be?"

Yuxu timely said, "This young brother here simply noticed the direction of the wind and used the inertia to manipulate the force. He might not necessarily be a figure from the Chaotic World List, but his potential is commendable."

Zhao Changhe exchanged a look with him, an unspoken understanding between them.

Yuxu kindly asked Dai Qingge, "This young brother looks somewhat familiar, could he be a young master from the Dai Family of the Capital? Is this gentleman the brother of Young Master Dai?"

Dai Qingge puffed his chest out with pride and laughed, "This is Qin Jiu, our family's Guest Elder, and he is also my brother!"

Yuxu was taken aback and smiled meaningfully, "Qin Jiu... a good name... capable of capturing the Jiuyou."

Zhao Changhe's mouth fell open in astonishment.

Who captured Jiuyou? Not me, I didn't, don't spout nonsense.

For the first time, Yuxu got up from the stage and, facing Monk Kong Shi and the group of monks, brought his hands together in a salute, "If the esteemed masters have no other affairs, might you dine with us at our temple?"

There's no need," Monk Kong Shi, glancing at Zhao Changhe, replied with composure and returned the gesture, "We still have much to cultivate and have embarrassed ourselves before you all. We will return to the temple to continue our diligent cultivation."

After saying this, he led his group away.

In fact, as long as a bunch of shiny, bald spinning tops don't pop up in the market tomorrow, this misadventure wouldn't be a loss for them; the strength of the Golden Bell Shield was indeed quite impressive.

Yuxu watched them leave, then turned amiably to Dai Qingge, "Young Master Dai might wish to bring Mister Qin Jiu inside for a talk, maybe have a cup of clear tea."

If Yue Hongling were to know what had happened here, she would certainly be dumbfounded.

What are Qi Veins? This is quite exaggerated; I've merely dipped a toe in the situation, and already I'm caught up in significant conflict, heading straight toward this journey's main purpose—to meet with Yuxu.

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