Chapter 2166: Ming Laixiang

Zhang Jia was also stunned. Only then did he realize that when his young master previously mentioned slow cultivation, it wasn't a boast, but genuinely that fast! When others cultivate, they go through various trials, adjust their qi and blood, study, and encounter bottlenecks. But the person before him was different; none of these affected him, and he was free from any constraints. Cultivation was like drinking water for him; with a gulp, he broke through!

Just as he was marveling at the young master's power, he heard him say, "Little Jia, come hit me with a punch!" Knowing his young master wanted to test his newly advanced cultivation, Zhang Jia stepped forward without hesitation and replied, "Alright!"

While the young master wanted to test his cultivation, Zhang Jia also wanted to see how strong he truly was. It had been over a day since he broke through to the Heavenly God realm, and Zhang Jia hadn't been idle. He had continuously refined the cultivation technique given by his young master, rectifying previous issues and flaws. Though the consolidation period was short, his progress was comparable to the sum of his previous ten years.

A massive fist descended, cutting through the air with a sonic boom, as if the very atmosphere might tear apart. Qi Ling'er's pupils constricted. She had always thought that although this Phosphor Beast had broken through, its strength wouldn't be too formidable, given it had only just shattered its constraints. She never imagined its punch would be so incredibly powerful. Combined with its impenetrable defense, even a Mid-tier Heavenly God would find it difficult to withstand, let alone a Low-tier Heavenly God expert.

With such formidable strength unleashed, how could Young Master Zhang, who was only at the peak of the High-tier God realm, possibly resist? Full of doubt, she looked over, only to see the young man before her, neither dodging nor evading, simply flicking his five fingers forward.

Zhang Jia was sent flying backward, his back slamming into a large tree and breaking it in half. His momentum unabated, he then crashed through a wall before finally coming to a stop, gasping for breath.

"Young Master..." Zhang Jia was utterly convinced. He had thought his recent cultivation progress had narrowed the gap between them, but now it seemed the gap hadn't shrunk at all; it had only widened!

"With this level of strength, do you have confidence facing those three?" Zhang Xuan turned to Qi Ling'er. Battling Zhang Jia was not only to test his recently improved cultivation and power but also to ascertain the true strength of the three individuals vying for the City Lord position through Zhang Jia's input.

"A peak Low-tier Heavenly God would be no match, but... there's still a certain gap compared to Mid-tier Heavenly Gods. I'm afraid you might not be able to contend with them!" Qi Ling'er hesitated before speaking. Although the young master's combat power was formidable, potentially unrivaled even by peak Low-tier Heavenly Gods, the three contenders had been vying for the position in Nightglow City for so long without yielding to each other. Their strength was undoubtedly among the top even within the Mid-tier Heavenly God realm! How could such powerful individuals easily concede, especially to a young man who hadn't even broken through to the Heavenly God realm?

"Let's go find them!" Zhang Xuan sighed with relief. He had only advanced from the early High-tier God realm to its peak, so he didn't expect to defeat all three. Some disparity was normal. As long as the gap wasn't too significant, defeating them with the Eye of Insight and the Library wouldn't be difficult.

"Go now?" Not knowing where his confidence came from, Qi Ling'er couldn't help but say, "Once you challenge them, it means you've entered the competition. Before any results are out, you'll definitely face endless harassment. Are you sure, Young Master Zhang, you don't want to break through to the Heavenly God realm first? With your combat power, it would be much easier to compete after breaking through..." Others took an unknown amount of time to break through to the Heavenly God realm, but having witnessed his cultivation, she knew it wouldn't take him long. If that was the case, why not break through first instead of rushing this day?

"Let's go now!" Zhang Xuan shook his head. The cultivation technique he practiced was completely different from others. Although he knew the direction, the actual cultivation method hadn't been created yet, so a forced breakthrough was definitely impossible. Rather than encountering problems later, it was better to resolve them now.

"Then... who should we challenge first?" Qi Ling'er analyzed, "Ming Laixiang has the lowest cultivation, but she's the most formidable. Lin Xie and Wu Yang are similar in strength, but frankly, the rogue cultivator is a bit weaker. My suggestion is... to challenge Wu Yang first. If successful, you'd effectively replace him and gain some support. If the first attempt results in a loss, it would be a significant blow to our confidence!" A single burst of courage is followed by a decline, and then exhaustion. The competition for City Lord was no different. Winning the first match would instill confidence, making the rest naturally easier. Losing, however, would significantly impact their side's morale.

"Let's challenge Ming Laixiang," Zhang Xuan said after a moment of thought. Qi Ling'er froze. It felt like... everything she had said for so long was pointless! Hadn't she just said that Ming Laixiang was the most formidable?

"Why?" she couldn't help but ask.

Zhang Xuan replied, "She's close by. It saves us the trouble of traveling far." When they had previously sought out Daoist Three-Beard, he had likely inquired about the residences of the three contenders and knew that Ming Laixiang's abode was the closest to their current location.

"..." Qi Ling'er was exasperated. Was this even how a normal human thought? They were about to challenge the City Lord, and the opponent was incredibly strong, so losing was a real possibility... Yet, he wasn't considering winning or losing, only proximity... He couldn't possibly be thinking of challenging all three in one day, could he?! Challenging someone of the same level, or even a higher one, normally required scheduling in advance, adjusting one's state, and time to recover if injured. Were none of these factors being considered? Were they not taken into account?

After several more attempts to persuade him, she saw his indifferent expression and could only follow along helplessly.

Half an hour later, they arrived at a manor. It was exactly where Ming Laixiang resided.

"Present the challenge card," Zhang Xuan said.

"The challenge card hasn't been made yet... and I haven't fully understood Nightglow City's challenge rules..." Qi Ling'er replied. Seeing how reckless Zhang Xuan was, she wanted to dissuade him but couldn't. She could only try to stall him on this matter, hoping he might calm down and not rush.

"Sun Qiang, you do it!" Zhang Xuan frowned and turned his head.

"Alright!" Sun Qiang, with an excited expression, took two quick steps to the main gate. His voice boomed, resonating in all directions, "Our Young Master intends to contend for the City Lord position! Everyone inside, come out immediately and accept the challenge, or consider yourselves defeated!"

"..." Qi Ling'er was dumbfounded. Was this a challenge? It was more like a provocation... Originally, this was just a contest for the City Lord position, not involving any animosity. Even if one lost, it would at most result in minor injuries, stopping short of severe harm. But now, it was a direct insult. If Ming Laixiang didn't retaliate fiercely, what right would she have to compete for the City Lord position?

"Presumptuous! Who is making such a ruckus outside?!" As expected, with Sun Qiang's voice, the entire manor erupted into chaos. Numerous nearby residences also opened their gates, eager to see what kind of fool dared to challenge so arrogantly. Among the three master contenders for City Lord, Ming Laixiang, despite her lower cultivation, had consistently held the upper hand. To be so disrespectful to such a powerful expert... She truly didn't know what he was thinking.

Standing tall with his chest puffed out, Sun Qiang chuckled, "If you want to be City Lord, then come out and accept the challenge! Otherwise, concede defeat! Stop wasting time here; our Young Master has no time for idle chatter!"

"How dare you... challenge our Miss like this..." Before the shouts from inside had even finished, a woman's calm voice rang out, "If you want to challenge, then come in!"

*Creak!* As the voice faded, the manor gate swung open.

With a slight smile, Zhang Xuan, Sun Qiang, and the others walked in. The courtyard was very spacious. Standing within it was a tall woman whose appearance was not as refined as Qi Ling'er's. She looked somewhat imposing, with a sturdy build and large frame, appearing more like a man than a woman when considering only her physique.

"You want to be City Lord?" The woman looked at Zhang Xuan and scoffed, "Little brother, with your age and cultivation, you'd best go home and coax your wife to sleep. Competing for City Lord... I fear you'll have the ambition but not the life to see it through!"

"No need for you to worry..." With a faint smile, Zhang Xuan looked over. "Since we're both competing for City Lord, further words are useless! I'll give you two choices now: First, spar with me and ultimately concede defeat. Second, I'll give you a Beauty Pill, and you concede defeat without a fight!"

Ming Laixiang was startled. "A Beauty Pill? Are the Beauty Pills from Netherworld City refined by you?" Although the Beauty Pills hadn't been around for long, their reputation was immense. In the blink of an eye, news of them had spread far and wide, and every woman's heart was stirred by them. Ming Laixiang was no exception. She was born with a large frame and a physique somewhat similar to a man's. Because of this, for many years, all her friends had found partners, while she could only cultivate in silence. However, this also allowed her to become a master and gain the capital to compete for the City Lord position. Hearing that Netherworld City had Beauty Pills for sale with excellent effects, she had planned to go there specifically to buy some. However, she heard there were only twenty pills and they were already sold out, which made her suppress her desire. Unexpectedly, not long after hearing that news, this person came to challenge her.

"That's right!" Zhang Xuan nodded. "I refined them. And this Qi Ling'er here, all the pills in Netherworld City are sold by her!"

"Qi Ling'er?" Ming Laixiang looked over and indeed saw a somewhat charming girl standing behind the others, her face full of embarrassment. It was Qi Ling'er. Although she had never personally seen the leader of Netherworld City's underground black market, she had heard descriptions of her appearance and could recognize her at a glance.

"Greetings, Senior..." With an awkward smile, Qi Ling'er stepped forward.

"Hmm." Without further words, Ming Laixiang turned to Zhang Xuan. "Besides making one's appearance beautiful, can your Beauty Pills also alter one's bone structure?" Her facial features weren't particularly ugly; her main issue was her body's bone structure, which resembled a man's.

"Bone structure is difficult to change..." Zhang Xuan shook his head. Appearance, encompassing skin and muscles, could be refined by Heaven's Path zhenqi. However, altering bone structure involved medical arts, which were entirely different concepts.

"If it's difficult to change, then its appeal to me isn't as great... Let's begin. Let me see what kind of strength you possess, daring to openly contend for the City Lord position, you who can refine Beauty Pills!" Ming Laixiang smiled slightly, no longer dwelling on the matter, and looked over with a gaze that held both solemnity and coldness. She knew that daring to challenge so brazenly meant he was far from simple.

"Alright!" Nodding, Zhang Xuan flipped his wrist, and a longsword appeared in his palm. It was the very sword gifted by Wu Fangqing, the former City Lord of Netherworld City. He had already refined it on the way, making it entirely his own treasure.