Chapter 55

"Princess! Princess! Something big has happened!"

The maid who accompanied Xia Qing rushed into Xia Qing's room, her face filled with an expression of disbelief.

After the Winter Farewell Festival, Xia Qing had been in seclusion, practicing. She had told the maid not to disturb her unless it was something important.

Today, the maid clearly had something important, as she rushed over in a hurry.

"What is it? Has the Divine Island started fighting again?"

Xia Qing slowly opened her eyes, her star-like gaze deep and profound.

"No! It's not about the Divine Island! It's about the back mountain!"

The maid, due to her intense emotions, spoke with a quavering voice.

"Oh? Could it be that the top ten rankings have changed? Has Little Jing made it up?"

Xia Qing's red lips curved slightly, already guessing the general situation.

"Meng girl is challenging the ninth place, fighting with Ma Wei of the Ethereal Sect! But that's not the main point! The main point is Jiang Ping'an!"

The maid's face was filled with shock.

Xia Qing shook her head helplessly, "Calm down and speak. Look at how flustered you are; it's not proper at all."

"What about Jiang Ping'an? Did he reach the 20th place as I expected? Could he have done even better to make you so excited?"

The maid took a deep breath, trying to calm herself before speaking, "Jiang Ping'an has defeated the 11th place!!"

"What!!"

Xia Qing's eyes widened in surprise, "You didn't make a mistake, right? It's not the 21st place?"

"Not the 21st, just the 11th! One more step forward, and it's the 10th!" The maid's voice was trembling.

She was also very shocked by this, which is why she came to report to the princess.

"How is this possible? Even if he fully comprehended the first level of the Infinite Fist, he shouldn't be able to reach the 11th level."

Xia Qing found it hard to believe the maid's words.

She was familiar with the Infinite Fist. As long as the opponent had three times the strength or speed, they could break through the Infinite Fist.

Given Jiang Ping'an's level, reaching the 20th place should have been his limit.

How could he reach the 11th place?

Xia Qing's body instantly disappeared from where she stood, heading to the back mountain to see for herself.

At the back mountain, lightning flashed. Meng Jing controlled the lightning to fight Ma Wei.

Ma Wei was extremely fast, using the Thousand Willow Sword Technique and the Ethereal Step, both top-tier techniques.

The two were locked in a fierce battle, with Meng Jing clearly at a disadvantage.

Almost everyone on the back mountain was watching this fight.

On the 11th level, Jiang Ping'an sat calmly on a rock, facing the 10th level, his eyes closed, meditating quietly.

Seeing Jiang Ping'an's figure, Xia Qing was deeply shaken.

This young man had really reached the 11th level!

What was going on?

Xia Qing pondered for a moment and quickly deduced that Jiang Ping'an must have mastered a powerful physical cultivation technique.

This technique greatly enhanced his body.

If other geniuses couldn't release three times the strength or speed of Jiang Ping'an, they couldn't defeat him.

This was why he could reach the 11th level.

"This kid... really kept it hidden deep."

Xia Qing was greatly surprised.

Before the competition began, she had already been able to roughly guess the rankings.

Even if there were errors, they wouldn't be too significant, at most a difference of three or four places.

Only Jiang Ping'an was unexpected.

This was a good thing, worth being happy about.

Xia Qing retracted her gaze and looked at the battle between Ma Wei and Meng Jing.

Seeing Meng Jing fighting desperately, Xia Qing's bright eyes flashed with a complex expression.

She knew Meng Jing well; she was a very laid-back girl.

The reason she told Meng Jing that she would contact her mother if she secured a top ten spot was to ignite her fighting spirit.

The effect was indeed good.

But Xia Qing realized that Meng Jing's fighting spirit hadn't been fully ignited.

Until the night of the Winter Farewell Festival, everything changed.

Meng Jing's fighting spirit was completely ignited, and now she was treating Ma Wei as a true enemy in battle.

The catalyst that fully ignited Meng Jing's fighting spirit...

Xia Qing's gaze fell on Jiang Ping'an again.

"Die! Thunderstorm!!"

Meng Jing suddenly shouted, her small hands quickly forming seals.

At that moment, a large ball of lightning suddenly struck from the thunderclouds.

The lightning exploded, covering a radius of one mile!

Ma Wei's face turned pale with fear; such a wide-range attack was impossible to dodge!

He quickly used the Ethereal Step to retreat from the battlefield, escaping to the 9th level.

"I'm reporting! She's trying to kill! She's trying to kill! Her qualification must be revoked!"

Ma Wei stood on the 10th level, shouting at the powerful figures responsible for managing the competition below.

"You're lying, I didn't. I have no energy left in my body; this technique has no power. Otherwise, you would already be dead."

Meng Jing wiped her head, weakly sitting on the blackened ground, which had been scorched by the lightning.

"This move indeed has no lethal power; it's just intimidating. If there were any life-threatening danger, we would intervene."

A powerful figure at the Nascent Soul stage, responsible for management, spoke calmly. He could sense the specific power of the lightning, which wouldn't kill Ma Wei.

Ma Wei's face turned ugly. Damn, it was a bluff!

He was filled with frustration but had no choice.

Fortunately, he could still maintain his position on the 10th level and secure a spot in the final selection.

"Please recover your strength quickly; I will challenge you."

A calm voice suddenly sounded.

Ma Wei followed the voice and saw Jiang Ping'an on the 11th level, his face filled with disbelief.

"How did you get here!"

He had noticed that Jiang Ping'an had been climbing, but he didn't expect him to be so fast, already reaching the 11th level!

Just one step away from him!

"Recover your energy quickly; I will challenge you." Jiang Ping'an closed his eyes again.

Ma Wei's face changed repeatedly. The Jiang Ping'an he had looked down on had climbed from the bottom to here in just half a month.

Faster than even Meng Jing.

Meng Jing, looking at Jiang Ping'an on the 11th level, was shocked but more so happy.

She knew that Jiang Ping'an wasn't as weak as Princess had said.

"Looking for death!!"

Ma Wei, who had been pushed to the 10th level by Meng Jing, was still angry.

Now, seeing the Jiang Ping'an he looked down on wanting to challenge him, his anger flared.

He was ready to teach this kid a lesson. Although he couldn't kill, he could severely injure him.

The geniuses on the mountain watched this scene with complex feelings.

"Underestimated Jiang Ping'an. Didn't expect these two to have a battle."

"Who knows who will win in the end, Jiang Ping'an or Ma Wei?"

"I think Jiang Ping'an has a chance to win. The Infinite Fist is too despicable; unless the strength and speed are three times greater."

"No, I think Ma Wei is still stronger. He has mastered the Ethereal Step and the Thousand Willow Sword Technique, both of which are top-tier. If Meng Jing hadn't scared Ma Wei, the previous battle would have definitely kept Ma Wei on the 9th level."

Before the battle, everyone started predicting who had a better chance of winning.

"Princess, does Jiang Ping'an have a chance to win?"

The maid asked, standing beside Xia Qing. She found that she couldn't understand Jiang Ping'an anymore.

Xia Qing shook her head, "No, although it might sound absolute, it's the truth."

"Ma Wei and Jiang Ping'an grew up in different environments. Ma Wei has been practicing since childhood, with top-tier resources in the Ethereal Sect, top-tier techniques, and top-tier teachers."

"Jiang Ping'an's cultivation time is too short. He might have some good fortune, but it's not enough to bridge the gap between them."

The maid sighed, "A bit of a pity."

Originally, she had looked down on Jiang Ping'an, thinking he lacked ambition.

But learning that he had been biding his time, her attitude toward Jiang Ping'an changed.

This young man had grown to this level in less than half a year, which was terrifying.

Xia Qing smiled, "This time, besides the top ten, there are also five reserve spots. Even if Jiang Ping'an doesn't win against Ma Wei, he will still get a reserve spot."

"Previously, I didn't pay much attention to Jiang Ping'an. With his steadiness and resilience, plus the improvement in his talent from the Heavenly Profound Pill, he will surely achieve great things if cultivated over time."

Xia Qing planned to give Jiang Ping'an more resources and cultivate him more, which would benefit the Great Xia.

Meng Jing came down from the 9th level of the mountain and walked to Jiang Ping'an.

"Wood, don't challenge him. I've already taught him a lesson. He's angry now and might take it out on you."

Meng Jing didn't expect him to reach this level. When he said he would deal with Ma Wei, she thought he was planning to ambush.

It turned out Jiang Ping'an really had the strength.

But she had fought Ma Wei personally and knew how strong he was.

If she hadn't used a bluff to scare Ma Wei, she wouldn't have been his match in a real battle.

"I need the top ten spot." Jiang Ping'an said calmly.

He was indeed angry at Ma Wei's actions, but even without that, he had to enter the top ten.

Not only that, he also needed to secure a top ten spot in the Hundred Prefectures Competition.

Meng Jing opened her mouth to persuade him but, thinking of Jiang Ping'an's character, ultimately didn't stop him.

"Know your limits. Don't let him hurt you. If you can't win, retreat quickly to avoid serious injury."

"Okay."

Jiang Ping'an responded casually.

At that moment, Ma Wei's sinister laugh echoed from the 10th level, "I'm fully recovered. Come and challenge me quickly!"