“Young Creed Leader, rest assured, I definitely won’t go easy on you,” Jin Caiwei said earnestly, signaling Lu Yang to relax.

Then, without giving him even a moment to react, she charged straight at him.

“That’s good... Wait, what did you just say?” Lu Yang had just wanted to commend Jin Caiwei for being considerate when he detected something amiss with her words.

Jin Caiwei gleefully turned her eyes into golden vertical pupils, and two white tiger ears sprouted from her head. Unable to suppress her grin any longer, she revealed her small fangs. Like a starving tiger pouncing on its prey, she lunged at Lu Yang with a roar.

How could Lu Yang possibly react in time to Jin Caiwei’s attack? He hastily raised the Chengying Sword to defend himself.

They were now inside the Qingfeng Sword’s small world, so Lu Yang couldn’t use the Qingfeng Sword and had to rely on the Chengying Sword.

“Hmm, you blocked it?” Jin Caiwei was surprised. Although I’d used only a fraction of my strength in that punch, it shouldn’t have been something a Divine Transfiguration cultivator could withstand.

Lu Yang’s arm went numb from the impact, and he retreated two steps before steadying himself. He had thought that the blow would send him crashing into a tree.

“Thank goodness I refined my body—”

While Lu Yang was thanking his fortune, Jin Caiwei was like a missile as she pushed off the ground, lowered her head, and rammed him, sending him flying.

Crack. Crack.

This time, as Lu Yang had wished, he flew like a kite with its string snapped, crashing into several large trees before finally coming to a stop.

Now that Jin Caiwei knew the limits of Lu Yang’s body, she could determine how much force she should use in the fight.

Lu Yang felt as if his entire body had fallen apart. Yet after a hundred days of body refinement, his physique had not only become stronger but also improved in its recovery ability.

Even without healing pills, his battered body could mend itself swiftly!

Lu Yang rapidly healed, but Jin Caiwei’s attacks didn’t cease, leaving him no time to catch his breath.

“Shrinking Earth!”

Seizing the opportunity where he was sent flying again, Lu Yang burrowed into the ground and emerged from another direction, putting distance between himself and Jin Caiwei.

“County in Palm!”

Lu Yang’s cultivation had improved, so his Village in Palm had become far more powerful.

A hand the size of a county filled Jin Caiwei’s field of vision. It pierced through the clouds, pressing down toward her.

“That’s not how space-type divine abilities are used.”

Jin Caiwei threw her head back and roared at the heavens. Her tiger’s cry shattered space itself. The County in Palm disintegrated midair before it could even touch her.

Lu Yang’s right hand trembled as he sensed the terrifying power in Jin Caiwei’s roar. This was a countermeasure that could only be executed by someone who had achieved impeccable mastery over the Dao of Space.

Facing a formidable opponent like Jin Caiwei, Lu Yang dared not hold back. He pulled out all his trump cards.

“One Sword into Ten Thousand Swords!

“Three Flavor True Fire! Golden Bird True Flame!

“Tree-Planting Mantra! Out-of-Body Primordial Soul!

“Sword-Cleansing Pond!

“Arhat—oh, I can’t use this move.” Lu Yang stopped himself just in time, not daring to use the Lu-Style Arhat Fist against Jin Caiwei; otherwise, he could end up harming himself instead, like slaying eight hundred enemy troops but suffering a loss of one thousand troops.

Spells and sword moves were dished out in a flurry, yet against a half-immortal like Jin Caiwei, every move was like an ant trying to shake a tree, utterly futile.

“Xiao Yangzi, jiayou! Xiao Yangzi, jiayou!” The Everlasting Immortal Fairy kept her promise. She said she would provide help, and she did.

As Lu Yang fought Jin Caiwei, the Everlasting Immortal Fairy cheered him on from the mental space. This was akin to the Exalted Majesty taking part personally in an expedition, an event worthy of a prominent entry in the annals of history. One could only imagine how inspiring such a sight was for soldiers.

Though Lu Yang had formed his own faction, seized control of the court, plunged the administration into disorder, and curried favor with superiors while bullying subordinates, he remained utterly loyal to the Great Dou Dynasty. He was a faithful minister who had never harbored treacherous thoughts.

Seeing how highly the Exalted Majesty regarded him, Lu Yang was moved to tears and felt immensely inspired. He mustered all his strength, but it quickly waned. He mustered his strength, but it waned again. By the third time, he was beaten to a pulp by Jin Caiwei.

Just as Jin Caiwei was about to continue her assault, she heard the Everlasting Immortal Fairy cheering for Lu Yang and suddenly felt something was off.

Jin Caiwei recalled her interactions with the young creed leader.

Back in the imperial city, the Young Creed Leader’s personality had been erratic. Now that I think about it, Sister Everlasting must have taken over Lu Yang’s body, doing so as she pleased.

Sister Everlasting is the Everlasting Lineage’s First-in-Command, and the Young Creed Leader is the Second-in-Command. Senior Sister Ao Ling and Senior Sister Jiang Lianyi both call him “senior brother,” yet call Yun Mengmeng “junior sister.”

The Young Creed Leader shows no particular deference to Sister Everlasting as an immortal or a superior; his attitude is quite casual.

Sister Everlasting calls him “Xiao Yangzi” and doesn’t care about his attitude.

And now she has personally taken the field to cheer him on.

The relationship between the Young Creed Leader and Sister Everlasting isn’t as simple as it appears on the surface.

At this realization, Jin Caiwei hesitated. The force behind her attacks noticeably diminished.

Should I win this match, or should I not?

“Ten Thousand Swords Return to One!”

The Seven-Star Sword Set encircled the Chengying Sword. The eight swords merged into one. Sword qi morphed into a sash that was a hundred zhang long. The moment it appeared, it sent ripples through space, its power on full display.

“Ah!” Jin Caiwei let out a soft, feeble cry. She was sent flying backward, clutching her chest like she wanted to spit blood but couldn’t. With a tilt of her head, she uttered her last words.

“Young Creed Leader, what impressive skills... You win...”

Lu Yang’s head was filled with question marks.

Wait, how did I suddenly win? This sword strike can’t even kill Old Meng!

Lu Yang turned to the Everlasting Immortal Fairy. “Immortal Fairy, was that your doing?”

The Everlasting Immortal Fairy had an innocent look written all over her face. “I didn’t do anything.”

“Strange.”

Lu Yang couldn’t figure out why the tide had suddenly turned for no reason.

He put away the Chengying Sword and reflected on what he had gained from this battle. “This fight was truly helpful. Senior Jin used Space Dao to counter my County in Palm. If I explore in this direction, I can make it even more powerful. I also gleaned some insights into spells and Sword Dao.”

Reviewing every battle and summarizing the lessons learned was a fast way to improve one’s strength.

Hearing Lu Yang’s clear and logical analysis, the Everlasting Immortal Fairy slapped her thigh in realization. “Ah, that’s right! This is exactly what I had in mind.”

She nodded approvingly, pleased with Lu Yang’s performance. “Xiao Yangzi, it seems you have good comprehension after all. You managed to comprehend my deeper meaning.”

Lu Yang. “...”

He had defeated Jin Caiwei with the momentum of an autumn wind sweeping away fallen leaves. Yet on the other side, the battle among the half-immortals raged on. This proved the true worth of Lu Yang’s position as Second-in-Command, a title with substance.

Although Yun Mengmeng and Bu Yaolian lacked combat experience and cultivation, and were losing ground against Ao Ling and Jiang Lianyi, as wielders of the Everlasting Incipient Dao Fruit, they wouldn’t lose anytime soon.

Lu Yang silently prayed, It doesn’t matter who wins or loses. Can the four of you finish quickly? If you keep this up, my small world will turn into a small ruin. Restoring it would be a nightmare.

A spatial rift opened above the small world. Yun Zhi appeared and saw the intense battle of the four half-immortals.

“Why is everyone fighting?”