Chapter 80: Electric Sparks

"Sparing your lives is not impossible."

Xu Yang's calm words sounded like a heavenly melody to them.

"Thank you, Senior, thank you, Senior."

The two Nascent Soul cultivators respectfully kowtowed several times to Xu Yang, their faces conveying such devout reverence, as if Xu Yang were their reborn parents.

"I haven't finished speaking yet. What are you rushing for?" Xu Yang said calmly, a sarcastic smile playing on his lips.

The two Nascent Soul cultivators tensed up. They had just exhaled a breath of relief, only to hold it again, watching Xu Yang nervously.

"If you want to live, that's fine. First, defeat my disciple," Xu Yang said, pointing to Ling Qingshu.

Xu Yang already knew the cultivation levels of these two. Although they were Nascent Soul cultivators, one was at the first layer of Nascent Soul and the other at the second layer, both belonging to the early Nascent Soul stage.

Ling Qingshu's cultivation, however, was at the eighth layer of the Golden Core stage, placing her in the late Golden Core stage.

Although there was an insurmountable chasm between the Golden Core and Nascent Soul stages, making it practically impossible for a Golden Core cultivator to defeat a Nascent Soul cultivator, Ling Qingshu was a disciple personally trained by Xu Yang. While fighting above her level would be difficult, victory was not impossible!

"Senior, this..."

The two Nascent Soul cultivators exchanged glances, on the verge of tears.

Even though Ling Qingshu's cultivation was merely that of an ordinary Golden Core. If a Nascent Soul cultivator were to be defeated by a Golden Core cultivator, they wouldn't need Xu Yang to kill them; they would be so mortified that they would rather die of shame.

But who knew if this Golden Core cultivator was real or fake? They had just been taught a lesson by Xu Yang, who appeared to be merely at the Qi Condensation stage. Xu Yang also seemed to have an unstable foundation, with no Golden Core, no Nascent Soul, just a mere Qi Condensation stage nobody.

But Heaven knew, Xu Yang was actually a powerful cultivator of the Grotto-Heaven realm...

"What's wrong? Are you unwilling to spar with my disciple? In that case, I'll just have to slaughter you." Xu Yang threatened calmly, a spirit sword suddenly appearing in his hand.

"Senior, we agree. We absolutely agree," the two Nascent Soul cultivators said with bitter expressions.

...

Boom...

Blades flashed, swords gleamed, and violent spiritual energy surged.

Ling Qingshu and one of the Nascent Soul cultivators were locked in an intense battle. Xu Yang watched from the side, eating red fruits, occasionally shaking his head.

The battle had been going on for over ten minutes. Ling Qingshu, despite her Golden Core cultivation, was holding her own against a Nascent Soul cultivator without being defeated. If others knew, it would undoubtedly cause widespread astonishment.

But in Xu Yang's opinion, this was far from enough. Xu Yang believed that Ling Qingshu's current strength was entirely sufficient to defeat this Nascent Soul cultivator. However, Ling Qingshu had missed too many opportunities, which not only prevented her from defeating her opponent but also led her into a difficult situation.

Ultimately, it came down to a lack of combat experience.

However, Xu Yang seemed to forget that his own combat experience spanned tens of thousands of years, making it naturally incomparable to Ling Qingshu's.

Thud...

A muffled sound echoed as a Nascent Soul cultivator kicked Ling Qingshu in the stomach, sending her flying backward.

"Alas... Ling Qingshu, you lost." Xu Yang sighed leisurely.

Since these individuals had defeated Ling Qingshu, he naturally had to keep his promise and release them. Ling Qingshu struggled to her feet, panting, seemingly unwilling to admit defeat.

"Since you've succeeded, you may leave..." Xu Yang hadn't finished speaking when suddenly, a blue sword light descended from the sky, emitting a sharp cry as it thrust toward the two Nascent Soul cultivators with a crash.

Everything happened in a flash of lightning; before the two Nascent Soul cultivators could even react, their heads flew into the sky.

"Are you two young friends alright?"

Just then, a young man in white descended from the sky, landing in front of Xu Yang and Ling Qingshu.

"Uh, why did you kill them?" Xu Yang awkwardly rubbed his nose. He had been preparing to let these two go, but unexpectedly, someone descended from the sky and killed them.

"I saw these three had malicious gazes, so I followed them. As soon as I arrived, I saw this young lady in danger, so I conveniently killed them. Is there a problem?" The Grotto-Heaven realm young man in white asked, puzzled.

"No... no problem," Xu Yang said, feeling somewhat speechless.

"By the way, I remember seeing three people, didn't I?" the Grotto-Heaven realm young man suddenly asked with some confusion.

"The other one is already dead," Xu Yang said calmly.

Zhao Peng was stunned, staring at Xu Yang in disbelief. It was only then that he realized Xu Yang's cultivation was merely at the Qi Condensation stage.

Of course, he wasn't a fool; how could Xu Yang possibly be at the Qi Condensation stage?

"Young friend, may I ask what your cultivation level is?" Zhao Peng asked.

"My cultivation is at the Nascent Soul stage," Xu Yang replied neither humbly nor arrogantly.

"Oh, so it's Nascent Soul stage," Zhao Peng nodded. "If it's Nascent Soul, that makes sense." But as he looked at Xu Yang, he found he still couldn't see through Xu Yang's cultivation.

How could this be?

Zhao Peng was puzzled. He was a Grotto-Heaven realm cultivator, yet he couldn't see through the hidden cultivation of a Nascent Soul cultivator? Moreover, when facing a Grotto-Heaven realm cultivator like himself, Xu Yang displayed none of the usual servility of other Nascent Soul cultivators, instead maintaining a neither humble nor arrogant demeanor.

Zhao Peng's heart secretly grew vigilant. This Qi Condensation stage individual before him was unfathomable.

"I came here to search for the Deep Sea Blue Core. I wonder if young friend is here for the same purpose?" Zhao Peng asked.

Xu Yang rolled his eyes at him and said, "What do you think?"

Zhao Peng gave an awkward laugh. Right, although there were many different people coming here now, they all essentially had the same purpose, which was to find the Deep Sea Blue Core.

"I've been exploring here for a while and found some traces of the Deep Sea Blue Core. However, that place is extremely dangerous. I'm currently looking for a few powerful teammates to go together. Young friend, are you interested?"

Xu Yang's eyes lit up. Without caring if it was a trap or a trick, he immediately nodded repeatedly and said, "Okay, I'll go with you."

"Uh..." Zhao Peng had expected Xu Yang to refuse or at least think it over. He hadn't expected Xu Yang to agree so readily. This wasn't foolishness; it was absolute confidence in his own abilities.

Zhao Peng dared not underestimate Xu Yang any longer.

"Young friend, it might be dangerous with just a few of us. We still need to gather a few more people," Zhao Peng said.

"Okay," Xu Yang nodded. "Also, please don't call me 'young friend.' It makes me uncomfortable."

Xu Yang found it very awkward to be called "young friend" by a boy who looked so young.