Chapter 293: Chapter 262: Soul Stabilization_1

This guy!

Upon seeing that Xu Mu didn’t respond, Qiao Qianqian couldn’t help but grumble internally.

The words she had prepared went unsaid.

She had tried to show goodwill, but it was like casting amorous glances at a blind man.

This was a misunderstanding on Qiao Qianqian’s part. Xu Mu didn’t respond not because he didn’t want to, but because he didn’t know how to. Even though she showed clear hostility, Xu Mu still didn’t want to cause unnecessary trouble.

It’s best not to provoke opponents that can’t be dealt with directly.

After Wang Yongan took his seat, the banquet continued. Li Youlan, sitting at the main seat, held a jade cup, her expression focused on the song and dance in the middle of the banquet.

Time passed unnoticed until the banquet finally neared its end. Li Youlan dismissed the dancers and musicians, stood up, and asked, “Is everyone enjoying themselves?”

“Thank you for your hospitality, Your Highness! We’re having a great time!” the crowd responded as they stood up.

“In that case, let’s call it a night! Everyone, go back and rest!”

Having said that, Li Youlan left her seat, seemingly about to bring this banquet to an anticlimactic close.

“Wait a moment, Your Highness!”

At this moment, Lu Kui stood up.

“Friend Lu, what else could you need?”

“I heard that Friend Xu has profound Divine Skills and am quite curious. I wonder if Your Highness would allow Xu to give us a demonstration and allow us to broaden our horizons!”

“What do you think, Friend Xu?”

Li Youlan didn’t follow Lu Kui’s remark but instead asked Xu Mu’s opinion.

“All the skills I practice are for combat, so it might not be suitable for demonstration,” Xu Mu tried to decline.

Who would want to be made a spectacle of?

However, it was clear that Lu Kui, after mulling over for a long time, did not intend to let him off so easily.

“If Friend Xu doesn’t mind, I can be a sparring partner and have a friendly match with him, which could facilitate your demonstration,” Lu Kui, with narrowed eyes, suggested in a friendly manner.

It looked as if he was thoughtfully providing Xu Mu with an opportunity to perform.

“What if I accidentally hurt you?” Xu Mu continued to decline.

“Friendly competition can inevitably lead to injuries. There’s no need to worry about it,” Lu Kui persisted.

“In that case, the two of you can spar. It will add to the liveliness of this banquet!” Li Youlan made a final decision bluntly.

“As you command!”

Xu Mu responded with a bow.

“Let’s stop at the indicative point. Instead of going to the practice field, why don’t we have a simple spar in the air?” Lu Kui proposed.

“Alright!”

Xu Mu nodded.

All the Golden Pill Cultivators quickly flew up into the sky, leaving only maids and servants on the ground.

“Will Sir be alright?” Rou’er looked up at the sky with a worried look on her face.

She had just been assigned to Xu Mu and didn’t want anything bad to happen to him so soon.

“I don’t know!”

Xin’er shook her head, revealing a trace of nervousness in her expression.

The other maids and servants also looked up, but the people flew too high, further obscured by the night, making it impossible for them to see clearly. They could only see a few black spots.

…

High above in the sky, against the fierce wind and the moonlight shining on their shoulders, several people appeared like Immortals freely wandering among the clouds.

“His Lifebound weapon is the Soul Chasing Spike that can directly attack the soul. Be careful!”

Qiao Qianqian transmitted her Divine Intent to Xu Mu, once again showing her goodwill.

Xu Mu didn’t understand why she was helping him, but he thanked her anyway.

“Thank you!”

Hearing Xu Mu’s words of thanks, a smile spread across Qiao Qianqian’s face.

Xu Mu and Lu Kui stood facing each other a good distance apart, with others dispersed around them.

“Are you ready, Friend Xu?” Lu Kui asked amicably.

“Please begin, Friend Lu!”

Xu Mu, with his hands clasped behind him, spoke nonchalantly.

“Then I won’t hold back!”

Lu Kui opened his mouth, and from it spat out seven red flying nails that shot towards Xu Mu at high speed.

Just as Xu Mu was about to use the Space Grasp Skill to defend himself, his mind experienced a moment of confusion. By the time he regained his senses, the seven red flying nails were already in front of him and were about to pierce his body.

What’s going on?

Xu Mu couldn’t help but be taken aback.

At this point, it was already too late to dodge or to use magic to defend himself.

While Xu Mu was surprised, others on the field found it strange because, in their eyes, Xu Mu stood there foolishly, allowing Lu Kui’s magic weapon to fly towards him as if he didn’t react.

A devilish, cold smile appeared at the corner of Lu Kui’s mouth.

The fight had actually already begun from the moment they met in the garden.

Just a Loose Cultivator from the mountains, you really thought I would flatter you?

This is the Da Yuan Dynasty, a gathering place for talents from all over the world. Being a few minor realms higher doesn’t mean much to anyone here.

Him feigning friendship was just for him to pick up on Xu Mu’s aura, making it easier for him to use the Soul Imprinting Skill.

Once you taste hardship, behave well in the mansion and don’t think you’re important just because the princess favors you!

Lu Kui sneered internally.

However, the time it took Xu Mu to break free from the spell slightly surprised him.

Although his Soul Imprinting Skill is only a tier seven skill, when combined with the Soul Imprinting Mirror in his hand, it can precisely hold any average person at the middle stage of the Golden Pill realm for three to five breaths’ time, yet Xu Mu broke free in just half a breath.

He must have cultivated some secret skill related to the soul, but half a breath was enough for him. Xu Mu couldn’t escape.

As long as he was nailed down by the soul-piercing nails, even if he was in the later stages of the Golden Pill, he would just have to submit to his mercy.

Looking at the scene on the stage, Li Youlan’s expression didn’t change much, but Wang Yongan sneered as if he didn’t need to lift a finger. Qiao Qianqian appeared worried, Jia Zhiyi looked somewhat nervous, and Hong Xi blinked, seemingly not having reacted yet. Xu Lingyu on the other hand, crossed her arms raising an eyebrow slightly.

Phut, phut, phut!

The seven soul-piercing nails passed through Xu Mu, ending up behind him, as if they’d passed through just an illusion.

“How is that possible?”

Lu Kui’s eyes went wide, showing a look of disbelief.

His soul-piercing nails are designed to track his opponent’s aura; there’s no chance for them to be deceived by an illusion.

Before he could figure out what was going on, Xu Mu had already squeezed the Finger Jue to perform the Space Grasp Skill, forming eight mana arms that twisted in the opposite direction to grasp the seven flying nails, and then he exerted force all of a sudden.

Crack, crack, crack!

“Don’t…ugh!”

Lu Kui tried to scream, but it was too late. The seven flying nails were immediately crushed. Affected by the damage to his Lifebound magic weapon, Lu Kui spat out a mouthful of fresh blood.

“I’m sorry! I didn’t expect your magic weapon to be so fragile!” said Xu Mu.

“…”

With bloodshot eyes and an ashen face, Lu Kui bitterly took back his broken magic weapon.

Soul-related magic weapons aren’t particularly strong, but they’re never so fragile that they shatter at a touch. Xu Mu must have used his full strength.

This was his Lifebound magic weapon. Since it has special properties, it was extremely difficult to refine. He obtained it by chance after great difficulty and now Xu Mu had destroyed it – his heart was metaphorically dripping blood.

“Friend Xu really has good methods!” said Lu Kui through gritted teeth.

He didn’t feel like pretending anymore.

The reason he had directly challenged him and sought trouble wasn’t because he had any conflicting interests with Xu Mu, but merely because he wanted to bully the newbie.

However, he didn’t expect to end up losing his own Lifebound magic weapon when trying to steal a chicken.

Now, he thoroughly hated Xu Mu, and had started brewing various nasty plots in his mind to take his revenge.

“Method? I haven’t even started yet. Why don’t you switch to a sturdier magic weapon, and we can continue!” said Xu Mu innocently.

Hearing Xu Mu’s words, Lu Kui was so angry that he almost spat out blood again.

Suppressing the anger in his heart, he retorted with a cold laugh, “Friend Xu is indeed mighty. I admit my defeat. In the mansion, I fear everyone except the princess will regard you as supreme. At this year’s magic duel, I believe you will certainly glorify the princess!”

His words had a mocking undertone, and while Li Youlan said nothing, the expressions of the others were odd. Only Wang Yongan wore an unhappy face.

Previously, everyone in the Mansion treated him as superior and the magic duel was meant to be his alone. Now, Lu Kui’s words were, in fact, an indirect jab at him.

“Since Friend Lu doesn’t want to, let me take his place!” Wang Yongan stepped forward, saying coldly.