The Masked Strength of the Sect's Trash chapter 101

Xiao Yi felt a surge of anticipation after hearing Lu Shaoqing's words.

She looked at Ji Yan, standing resolutely on the deck.

Her heart was filled with hope.

She didn’t expect her senior brother to defeat Cang Zhengchu—she knew that wasn’t realistic. But if Ji Yan could just deliver a blow to Cang’s pride, she’d be satisfied.

After all, the disciples of Guiyuan Pavilion had always left a bad impression on her. Zhang Zheng and Wu Tianzong had tried to embarrass Lu Shaoqing from the very first meeting. And today, when the two ships crossed paths, the Guiyuan Pavilion disciples had started the exchange with insults.

Now that Ji Yan was taking action, Xiao Yi hoped he’d teach those Guiyuan Pavilion disciples a good lesson.

Peeking out cautiously, she observed Ji Yan standing on the deck, completely still. His sword hovered in midair, locked in a silent clash with a blue longsword.

Puzzled, Xiao Yi muttered, "What is senior brother doing?"

There were no fierce exchanges, no deafening explosions of spiritual energy, and no rampant sword auras.

It was as if nothing was happening.

"Maybe they haven’t started fighting yet?" she wondered aloud.

"Are you blind?" Lu Shaoqing chided. "Can’t you see the two swords clashing above?"

Xiao Yi strained her eyes but only saw the two swords hovering, seemingly doing nothing.

"Try sensing it with your spiritual awareness," Lu Shaoqing suggested. "Don’t rely just on your eyes."

Xiao Yi followed his advice, extending her spiritual awareness toward the swords.

Immediately, she cried out in pain, hastily pulling back her spiritual awareness.

Her face twisted with agony as she felt like her consciousness had been assaulted by countless sharp blades. The sword intent pierced through her awareness like arrows raining down on a battlefield, turning her mind into a pincushion.

Xiao Yi clutched her head, collapsing onto the deck.

It took her a while to recover, her eyes watering as she glared at Lu Shaoqing, who looked amused.

"You did that on purpose, second senior brother," she accused.

Lu Shaoqing nodded, unbothered. "Yes, nothing beats firsthand experience. Did you get a clear impression this time?"

Xiao Yi sniffled and nodded—she certainly did.

Now she understood that Ji Yan and Cang Zhengchu were engaging in a battle of sword intent, not physical combat. Though it appeared calm on the surface, it was incredibly dangerous. Their sword auras were clashing violently in the spiritual realm, and a single misstep could cause severe injuries.

Xiao Yi rubbed her head and looked up at Ji Yan. "Will senior brother win?"

Lu Shaoqing, leaning against the cabin, replied confidently, "In the same realm, when it comes to sword intent, no one is his match."

She noticed a hint of pride in his voice—a natural confidence in Ji Yan’s abilities.

"Of course," Xiao Yi thought. "He’s my senior brother. He’s amazing, so it’s only natural to feel proud."

"Second senior brother," she continued, "what about you? If you and senior brother were in the same realm, who would have the stronger sword intent?"

Lu Shaoqing scoffed. "Don’t ask such dumb questions. Who else but me? I’d crush your senior brother."

Xiao Yi didn’t believe him, remembering that both Ji Yan and her master had warned her to only trust about thirty percent of what Lu Shaoqing said.

Still, Lu Shaoqing’s confidence eased her anxiety, and she was eager to see Ji Yan humiliate the elder from Guiyuan Pavilion.

The two swords remained locked in midair, engaged in a silent but intense duel.

If one looked closely, they’d notice slight distortions in the air surrounding the swords.

Lu Shaoqing watched Ji Yan, letting out a quiet sigh.

"That guy," he thought. "He only gets stronger when faced with stronger opponents, his fighting spirit never faltering."

It had been like this since the day they joined the sect. Ji Yan had always pressed forward relentlessly, never stopping. Lu Shaoqing and their master had been forced to keep up with him.

Even now, as a Nascent Soul cultivator, Ji Yan was still charging ahead, not planning to slow down.

"He really makes my head hurt," Lu Shaoqing mused. "I have my time-warping ring, which barely allows me to keep up with him. But this little one here..."

He glanced at Xiao Yi.

"Troublesome," he thought. "Why did I ever accept her as a junior sister for a few spirit stones? If she can’t keep up, her Dao heart will collapse someday. I need to help her fortify it."

But that meant less time for himself.

"Ugh, I’ll just deal with it as it comes," Lu Shaoqing concluded. "Let senior brother handle her for now. I’ll step in if needed."

Suddenly, Xiao Yi felt a chill and turned to see Lu Shaoqing watching her intently, a strange look on his face.

"S-Second senior brother?" she stammered nervously. "What’s wrong?"

Lu Shaoqing just grinned. "Nothing."

"That’s not convincing at all," Xiao Yi thought.

Summoning her courage, she said, "If there’s something you need me to do, just say it. I can handle it."

Lu Shaoqing waved her off. "I told you, it’s nothing. Just watch."

But no sooner had he said that than his expression became serious.

In the sky above, a clash rang out—like metal striking metal.

"Boom!"

Two powerful sword auras erupted, spreading like a cold frost under the moonlight. A white dragon chased a blue bird through the air, colliding repeatedly and unleashing torrents of sword intent.

Those observing felt as if they were being pierced by a thousand blades.

The white dragon and the blue bird clashed a few more times before the dragon roared, accelerated, and swallowed the bird whole.

A pained cry came from the Guiyuan Pavilion ship.

Cang Zhengchu’s aura surged violently.

The blue bird re-emerged from within the dragon, its aura intensifying as it launched a counterattack.

"Argh!"

Ji Yan’s eyes flew open, and he spat blood onto the deck.