Chapter 62: Provocation

  The summit of Zixia Peak is extremely vast, with a large flat area opened up just below the peak. At first glance, it appears to be about a thousand feet in circumference, with the central and highest Zixia Temple, surrounded by buildings of various colors, and at the back, there are several layers of buildings, even with several hot springs flowing from the mountain down to form streams running through, not caring about the snowy weather, waves of heat dissolving snowflakes in mid-air.

  The Outer Affairs Hall is located on a frozen lake not far from the Purple Mist Palace, with a wooden floating bridge connecting it to the shore. The hall is over 20 zhang high and has three floors, made entirely of ironwood that is as hard as ordinary black iron.

  It's called the Foreign Affairs Hall, but in fact it's not much different from a tea house. The first floor is where the outer door disciples stay, while the second and third floors can only be accessed by inner sect disciples or those with higher status.

  Three layers, at this time there are not many people, in the consciousness of many people, here is almost a place where top-notch Neizong figures stay. For ordinary Neizong disciples, being able to come to the third layer is basically a symbol of identity. However, no one without strength would sit in with a high self-esteem, and many events have told them that doing so is just humiliating themselves, with no meaning at all.

  At this time, Lu Qing and the eleven people sat at two red wood tables. The outer door disciples in charge naturally recognized some of the famous figures like Luo Xin Yu, and hurriedly served tea and snacks, including a few plates of pastries and two plates of fruit.

  Lu Qing sat there, feeling a bit uneasy for the first time, as the little princess's gaze was fixed on him, and many people around him also turned their eyes to him, some of whom were startled and turned their heads away, while a few showed interest in their expressions. Lu Qing noticed that these people did not have weaker auras than him, apparently they were at least swordsmen of the same rank as him.

  Moreover, when he looked around, he found that those who were weaker than him also had the strength of a Grandmaster, and they were indeed the elite among this generation's disciples, with none of them older than twenty years old.

  The atmosphere was somewhat subdued, with only Ming Xue's delicate little face revealing a deep sense of puzzlement, her head tilted as she gazed at Lu Qing, as if trying to discern something from his calm expression.

  Finally, Yi Ruoyu, who was sitting elegantly on one side, spoke up first: "Alright, let's not make things difficult for Lu Shidi anymore. The fact that Lu Shidi has his current abilities is all due to his own fortune, and since he exists, it means he is reasonable, so why must we be so persistent?"

  On the other side, Luoxin Yu and a few others were taken aback at first, but then Luoxin Yu burst out laughing and said: "Indeed, you live up to your reputation as Bing Xin Ying Xue, Xue Ying Bing Xin. It seems that Yishi sister saw through us clearly, and we have fallen into a lower realm."

  "Lu Shixiong was wrong, I just told the truth." Yi Ruoyu's face revealed a fresh and pure smile, as if in an instant, a white snow lotus flower bloomed in three layers, its sacredness made the heavens and earth change color.

  For a moment, some of the swordsmen inside the three layers who were hesitant in their hearts seemed to have forgotten what they were doing, and they stared blankly in the direction of Yi Ruoyu. The voices that were still chatting at this time also quieted down. Even Lu Qing's eyes stagnated slightly, but he quickly recovered afterwards, which made Yi Ruoyu reveal a hint of surprise in his eyes.

  On the other side, Yu Jihua and Zhao Qianye, who were sitting next to Lu Qing, also froze for a moment, but quickly recovered. As for Nie Qingtian, he was focused on shaking the wine jug in his hand, from which some clear sounds could be heard, indicating that there wasn't much wine left inside.

  Look at Duan Qingyun again, and he is now devouring the several plates of tea snacks on the table with big mouthfuls. His originally chubby face is now like a round ball, with a few crumbs from the pastries still stuck to the corners of his mouth. The entire third floor can only hear Duan Qingyun's clear smacking and gulping sounds.

  "Cough, cough——" At this time, Wu Xie, who was standing next to Lu Xinghe, cleared his throat twice. The sound that normally wouldn't attract anyone's attention became a timely reminder for everyone, and in an instant, all eyes were withdrawn. If they hadn't been withdrawn after the reminder, it would have been impolite. The conversation resumed as if nothing had happened.

  "Still, Lie Feng's will is quite high," at this time, Su Yun on the side let out a sigh of admiration.

  "Suyun Shijie praised, Lie Feng humbly said he didn't dare to accept it." Lie Feng quickly smiled and said, but from his shining eyes, Lu Qing could see that he was still very pleased in his heart.

  At this moment, it seemed that Lie Feng also discovered Lu Qing's gaze. Lie Feng's eyes shifted and met with Lu Qing's, a stern expression flashed by, but soon disappeared without a trace.

  But at this time, Lu Qing was a discerning eye, and this person had hostile intentions towards him! Lu Qing thought to himself, but he couldn't figure out what he had done to offend the other party, as he still hadn't spoken a word.

  "Alright, since we're all familiar with each other, why don't we form a team after receiving the task and take action together? I think that with our abilities, this task will definitely yield great results." Yirouyu said.

  As soon as everyone heard this, their eyes lit up at the same time. Yi Ruoyu was right, with their strength, if they were to form a team together, not to mention ordinary first-tier or second-tier spirit beasts, even that leading third-tier spirit beast had a chance of being killed.

  "So I think it's possible," Yu Jihua thought for a moment before speaking, looking at the four people of Lu Qing, seeing that they didn't object, and then said, "Well, I don't know how we would be assigned if we formed a team?"

  A faint smile, but it was Lu Chen who spoke up: "I think this distribution should be based on the amount of effort put in. This way, I don't think anyone will have any objections later on. As for the Ling beasts that were killed, if they are of the same type as yours but not killed by you, we can discuss how to exchange them later. If it's really not possible, we can use jade coins to buy them, of course, this is only if the owner agrees. What do you all think?"

  Lu Qing and the five others exchanged a glance, nodded, and Lu Qing couldn't help but look at Luo Xin Yu with a bit more respect. On their way here, they had already exchanged information about each other's identities, and when Luo Xin Yu introduced himself, Lu Qing was slightly surprised. No wonder he always felt an invisible pressure from him - this was the manifestation of a huge gap in strength. However, people like Duan Qing Yun and Ming Xue Er couldn't sense it, which was due to a large difference in their realms.

  At this time, Lie Feng, who was sitting next to Luo Xue, smiled slightly and suddenly turned his gaze to Lu Qing: "This is Lu Qing, a junior brother, achieving such results at such a young age really makes us feel ashamed. However, the garrison of Lu Ri City is not an ordinary matter, if one's cultivation is insufficient, they will be killed by it. I see that Lu Qing, junior brother, has only reached the Sword Guest stage in the past half year, and this realm is still unstable. It's better to stay on the mountain and cultivate more, after all, spiritual beasts are hard to come by, but one also needs the fate to obtain them, otherwise it would be just a momentary bravery."

  This man was targeting him, Lu Qing's eyes changed, he didn't believe that the other party couldn't see the aura of his body being suppressed, his spirit connected to heaven, which was already a symbol of a very stable realm. He also saw at a glance that the other party was in the same position as him, but it was not good to judge the heavenly position.

  Duan Qingyun and Yu Jihun's faces changed upon hearing the words, their eyes gazing at Lie Feng with a hint of malice. Zhao Qianye and Nie Qingtian, who was drinking wine beside him, raised an eyebrow, but didn't show any expression.

  "Huh?" Ming Xue'er, sitting across from Lu Qing, raised an eyebrow, clearly able to sense the hostility in Lie Feng's words. She turned her head and said to Lie Feng, "The fool's cultivation shouldn't be a problem, I think we can let him go."

  At this time, Luo Xin Yu, who was sitting next to Lie Feng, did not make a sound, but quietly watched, making it impossible for anyone to guess what he was thinking. In response to Ming Xue Er's words, a warm smile immediately appeared on Lie Feng's face as he said, "Matters of life and death are not to be taken lightly. This body is given by one's parents, if there is any injury, it would be bad." After finishing speaking, he also slightly raised his eyebrows at Lu Qing, but the smile in his eyes remained.

  "You—" Duan Qingyun couldn't bear to watch anymore, and with a loud slap on the table, the teacups and fruit platter shook violently, scattering everything in all directions.

  "Lu Qing, you—" Just as Duan Qingyun was about to open his mouth and scold him, he was grabbed by Lu Qing's sleeve. When he wanted to say something, he saw Lu Qing's calm eyes and couldn't help but sit down.

  Looking at the fierce wind in front of him, Lu Qing's face was calm, but he had a hidden fire in his heart. His father had once said that if someone respects me by an inch, I will let them have a foot, and if someone cheats me by a foot, then I will return it to them by a foot. At this moment, Lu Qing finally understood the meaning of his father's words. Indeed, a good horse is often ridden by people, and a good person is often bullied. If he retreated today, this fierce wind might take advantage of him even more.

  However, on the surface, Lu Qing's expression remained calm, which also made the people opposite him, Luo Xin Yu and others, secretly shocked, with a flash of coldness in their eyes. Lu Qing looked at the fierce wind in front of him and said: "I don't know what level of strength you think I should have, Liet Shixiong?"

  As soon as this remark came out, even the two women, Yi Ruoyu and Su Yun, who were facing each other, were taken aback. Was this a challenge? And that female disciple who was originally sitting in the back, quietly unnoticeable, wearing a clear blue martial robe, also showed a curious expression, her bright eyes fixed on Lu Qing.

  A hint of unusual color appeared in his eyes, and a playful smile emerged from the corner of Lu Fei's mouth, but he didn't say anything. On the other hand, Duan Qingyun beside Lu Qing seemed to have met him for the first time, with a pair of round little eyes revealing deep astonishment as she looked at Lu Qing's calm expression.