Chapter 16

In the early morning at Flat-top Mountain, after Meng Hao had been selling things for half a month, especially with Lu Hong's recent domineering behavior, there were very few cultivators left, especially in the early morning. Only three or four people were sitting cross-legged outside.

Almost the moment Meng Hao arrived, those few people immediately opened their eyes and looked at him. Each of them remained silent, but inwardly they sighed, thinking that they didn't know when things would return to how they were a month ago.

But soon, these few people were all taken aback. They saw that Meng Hao did not enter the mountain top but instead sat cross-legged to the side, closing his eyes and remaining still.

This unusual behavior immediately made these few people curious. They looked at each other, as if they had thought of something, and felt a bit gleeful.

As time passed, by mid-morning, more people gradually arrived. Without exception, almost all the cultivators who entered this place were drawn to Meng Hao's different behavior. They all speculated, and as a result, there was no fighting on Flat-top Mountain.

"Perhaps Lu Senior Brother's words yesterday had an effect. Meng Hao, out of fear, no longer dares to sell things here?"

"It must be so. As the first among the lower-stage disciples, how could Meng Hao not be afraid of Lu Senior Brother? If he tells him to leave, he must leave."

"Who would have thought this guy is also a coward, only bullying us lower-stage cultivators. This time, let's see how he can be arrogant, thinking that without breaking the flag, Lu Senior Brother will let him off?" Some people are like this; even if they are strongly feared, they have no resentment, but if they are not recognized, even a gentle transaction will make them resentful.

Lu Hong's authority had been established for a long time, from his early ruthless actions to his current forced transactions. Although everyone was helpless, they could endure it, and most even felt that Senior Brother Lu had become gentler.

Meng Hao had only recently entered the mountain and had not been overly arrogant, so even though his transactions were gentle, everyone still harbored deep resentment.

These words reached Meng Hao's ears, but his expression remained unchanged. He simply sat cross-legged outside the public area, not because he didn't want to enter, but because his cultivation had reached the Fourth Layer of Qi Condensation, and he could no longer enter the public area.

As the crowd discussed, a person walked up from the base of Flat-top Mountain. He wore a green robe, was in his thirties, and had an air of authority. He walked with his hands behind his back, slowly approaching. It was Lu Hong.

Almost the moment this person appeared, Meng Hao's eyes suddenly opened, revealing a sharp glint. In full view of everyone, he stood up, patted his storage bag, and a small white sword immediately appeared. The sword light extended several dozen feet, emitting a cold aura. As Meng Hao took large strides, the sword light followed, heading straight for Lu Hong.

This scene immediately caused a buzz among the onlookers. They could clearly see that Meng Hao was not afraid today and that he was actually seeking trouble with the first among the lower-stage disciples, Lu Hong.

"This... is a battle with Lu Hong!"

"They were bound to fight. Meng Hao injured Cao Yang, and Lu Hong took over Meng Hao's business. This battle was inevitable. I didn't expect Meng Hao to actually dare to make a move, but it seems a bit overconfident."

"Senior Brother Lu has been at the Third Layer of Qi Condensation for many years. Meng Hao will surely lose this battle."

Almost the moment Meng Hao stood up and took a step, Lu Hong's eyes also flashed with a sharp glint. He thought to himself that he had planned to kill Meng Hao if he came again today. Since the other party dared to take the initiative to seek death, he would oblige. He coldly snorted, not retreating but advancing. In the eyes of the crowd, his figure transformed into a rainbow, rushing straight for Meng Hao. He raised his right hand and waved it, and immediately a golden-purple flying sword flew out of his storage bag.

As soon as the flying sword appeared, it emitted a piercing whistling sound, and the golden-purple light spread out over ten feet.

"That's Senior Brother Lu's Purple Sun Sword!"

"Indeed, it's the Purple Sun Sword. I heard that Senior Brother Lu received this as a reward for some great achievement, and it is extremely sharp."

One was on the mountain, the other at the base. In a moment, they were rapidly approaching each other.

With a loud boom, Lu Hong's face changed, and blood trickled from the corner of his mouth. He took a few steps back, looking at Meng Hao with surprise.

"Fourth Layer of Qi Condensation!"

Meng Hao's face was grim. He had just entered the Fourth Layer of Qi Condensation and had not yet stabilized, so he could not fully exert the power of the Fourth Layer.

The seemingly simple strike just now actually contained great danger. The flying sword in front of him had already developed cracks, clearly not as sharp as the other party's magical treasure, and he had almost been injured by that sword.

Although Meng Hao had little experience in fighting, he had frequently entered the wild mountains to hunt beasts over the past half year, and his reactions were very quick. He had also seen many fights on Flat-top Mountain recently. As Lu Hong took a step back, Meng Hao took a step forward, patted his storage bag, and immediately another flying sword flew out, joining the one with cracks. The two flying swords transformed into two beams of sword light, heading straight for Lu Hong.

At the same time, he made a hand seal with his left hand, moved forward, and the surrounding fire power suddenly condensed. After Meng Hao took three steps, a fire snake as thick as an arm and about half a zhang long suddenly appeared. The fire snake was agile, and with a hiss, it rushed toward Lu Hong.

Lu Hong's face changed again. He did not have time to wipe the blood from the corner of his mouth. His figure quickly retreated, and a fierce look flashed in his eyes. He thought that Meng Hao had just entered the Fourth Layer of Qi Condensation, and he had the advantage of a magical treasure. The outcome of this battle was uncertain. If he could eliminate this person, it would immediately establish his authority. As for the Senior Sister Xu behind Meng Hao, did he not have his own backing?

With this thought, a killing intent flashed in Lu Hong's eyes. He made a hand seal with his right hand, and immediately a water ball appeared in his hand, shining with light. He threw it, and it exploded in mid-air, transforming into countless rain arrows that shot toward the fire snake.

At the same time, relying on the sharpness of his magical treasure, he made a hand seal and pointed forward. Immediately, his Purple Sun Sword flew out, and the sound of cutting through iron echoed. Meng Hao's two flying swords, upon touching the Purple Sun Sword, instantly shattered, and the Purple Sun Sword, along with the rain arrows, collided with the fire snake.

A loud boom echoed, and dust and earth were kicked up. The fire snake disappeared, the rain arrows turned into mist, and the Purple Sun Sword flew back, its purple-golden light dimmed, and a crack appeared on the blade, but it still retained its sharpness.

"Fourth Layer of Qi Condensation, so what? Without a sharp weapon, it's not hard to kill you. Even the Fire Snake Technique, if you haven't reached the Fifth Layer of Qi Condensation, how many times can you use it?" Although Lu Hong was pained by the loss of the flying swords, he laughed aloud and moved forward.

"Your flying sword, though sharp, has its limits. I want to see how many you can cut. I have plenty of flying swords. As for the Fifth Layer of Qi Condensation, with Senior Sister Xu's frequent assistance with elixirs, I will eventually reach it." Meng Hao's face was expressionless, but he was very nervous inside. This was his first true battle. He did not move, but patted his storage bag again, and immediately three more flying swords flew out, heading straight for Lu Hong.

Lu Hong's face turned grim, but he did not have time to think. He roared and immediately the three flying swords collided with the Purple Sun Sword.

Bang, bang, bang. The three flying swords shattered, but the purple light of the Purple Sun Sword had dimmed significantly, and more cracks appeared, causing Lu Hong great pain.

Before he could react, Meng Hao patted his storage bag again, and three more flying swords whistled out. He made a hand seal, and a fire snake condensed, flying out again. This scene caused a stir among the onlookers.

"This Meng Hao... he actually... made Senior Brother Lu so embarrassed. He is at the Fourth Layer of Qi Condensation!"

"How long has he been in the sect, and he's already at the Fourth Layer of Qi Condensation! He must be at the Fourth Layer. Otherwise, he couldn't make Senior Brother Lu so embarrassed. How did he cultivate so quickly? What benefits did Senior Sister Xu give him? Damn it, if I had such a backing, I could also cultivate so quickly." The crowd buzzed, showing disbelief and intense jealousy.

Lu Hong's face changed completely. He immediately retreated, gritted his teeth, and made a hand seal, throwing a water ball. He never expected the other party to have so many magical treasures.

A loud boom echoed. As Meng Hao's three flying swords and the fire snake shattered, the light of the Purple Sun Sword dimmed to the extreme. But what made Lu Hong even more terrified was that Meng Hao, still expressionless, took out three more flying swords. With a whistling sound, a loud boom echoed, and although the three flying swords also shattered, the Purple Sun Sword emitted a mournful whistling sound and shattered into pieces.

Lu Hong's eyes were bloodshot, and he staggered back, spitting out a mouthful of blood, staring at Meng Hao.

Meng Hao looked expressionless, but he was also pained inside. Each flying sword was a spirit stone. He waved his right hand, and the Fire Snake Technique was unleashed. A fire snake hissed around him as he charged toward Lu Hong.

His figure was like a rainbow, and in an instant, he was near the retreating Lu Hong. With the fire snake's hiss, Meng Hao's flying sword reappeared, and the sword light, carrying a killing intent, approached Lu Hong within a zhang.

"This is your fault!" Lu Hong's hair was disheveled, and his clothes were stained with blood. Since he joined the sect, he had never been so embarrassed. His eyes were bloodshot, and he roared, tearing open his clothes to reveal a green jade gourd hanging around his neck. He poured all his spiritual energy into the jade gourd.

The jade gourd emitted a blinding green light. With a buzz, a huge gourd shadow, several times larger, appeared in the air in front of Lu Hong.

But Lu Hong's cultivation was clearly insufficient to activate the gourd. The shadow seemed about to collapse before it was fully formed. Lu Hong spat out blood, his body retreating, his face extremely pale, but his eyes were even more疯狂, filled with intense killing intent.

Even though the gourd was not fully formed, the spiritual pressure it contained made Meng Hao's face change. At that moment, the gourd emitted a huge boom, and a powerful green light burst out, shattering the fire snake and engulfing Meng Hao.

"This is a magical treasure given to me by Senior Brother Wang Tengfei. It can only be used at the Fourth Layer of Qi Condensation. Since you are forcing me to use it before the Fourth Layer, you are doomed this time." Lu Hong laughed maniacally, but his laughter was cut short as he was struck like lightning, standing there in shock.

The green light hit Meng Hao's body, forcing him to retreat over ten zhang. But ultimately, a pink light barrier around his body blocked the green light. When the green light dissipated, the light barrier also disappeared, turning into a pink jade pendant in Meng Hao's hand, which had a crack on it.

Gripping the jade pendant, Meng Hao was drenched in cold sweat, still feeling the aftereffects of the previous scene. If he had not immediately taken out the jade pendant given to him by Senior Sister Xu, he would have surely died under the terrifying power of the gourd.

"What kind of magical treasure is this!" Meng Hao looked sharply at the green jade gourd hanging around Lu Hong's neck, leaped up, and approached the already injured and exhausted Lu Hong, grabbing the jade gourd and putting it directly into his storage bag.

"That is a magical treasure given to me by Senior Brother Wang Tengfei. If you dare to take it, you will face Senior Brother Wang's wrath!" Lu Hong's voice was low, his body trembling, and he was extremely terrified. He never expected the gourd to be ineffective against the other party.

"The sect rules state that what is taken is one's own." Meng Hao hesitated for a moment but decided to keep the gourd. It was too powerful, and the enmity was already formed, making it hard to resolve. He looked at Lu Hong coldly.

"This is not the high-stage public area. If you dare to kill me, you will violate the sect rules!" Lu Hong's eyes showed despair and intense fear. He shouted, making sure everyone around could hear.

"I will not violate the sect rules, but you tried to ruin my cultivation yesterday. Today, I will ruin yours." Meng Hao's expression was calm. He waved his right hand, and the flying sword instantly pierced into Lu Hong's dantian, destroying his meridians and ruining his cultivation. As Lu Hong screamed in agony, Meng Hao stood there, his presence intimidating the entire Flat-top Mountain.

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Preparing for the 7:30 PM interview. See you at the interview~

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