Dual cultivation makes you stronger, everyone else is a prodigy, and I'm the only one slacking

The lake surface was as black as ink, as still as a piece of dark glass.

Suddenly, a ripple appeared in the center of the lake, and two round, large eyes, like jade plates, slowly emerged from the water.

It stared blankly up at the sky, where purple halos stretched one after another, dazzling the eye.

thump.

A rabbit demon crashed into the lake.

With another splash, three wild boars with three layers of Qi cultivation crashed into the lake.

Thump, thump, thump!

Ten rabbits, nine snakes, eight wild boars, seven monkeys... they were thrown into the lake one after another like dumplings being dropped into a pot.

The scavenger squinted, its excited tail trembling. With a single, powerful flick of its tail, it sent towering waves, some thirty feet high, surging across the entire lake.

Then, it opened its massive jaws and plunged headfirst into the waves.

Finally, to save trouble, it tilted its head back and opened its mouth wide, letting the monsters falling from the purple light circle fall in on their own.

It ate with increasing gusto, churning in the lake.

"Aba aba aba..."

In the dense forest, Yu Luoning had lost count of how many light rings she had activated.

Her forehead was covered in a fine layer of sweat, but her chest heaved violently with excitement.

I wonder if the cleaner fish had a good time.

She's doing a pretty good job as the food provider, isn't she?

Deep in the dense forest.

As the last ray of purple light faded, Yu Luoning leaned against the ancient tree, straightened up, and raised her hand to press the remaining wisp of spiritual energy back into her dantian.

Even with her current Qi Refining Perfection cultivation level, she was somewhat overwhelmed by activating so many Transcendent Techniques in one go.

Just as she was about to catch her breath, her mind suddenly tightened.

Someone is approaching.

He was about ten steps away, his aura was extremely steady, yet she still managed to catch a trace of it.

Yu Luoning's expression hardened, and she flipped her hand to form a hand seal.

The last afterimage of the light circle disappeared, and all auras were concealed.

She squatted down and placed the few dew-covered grasses she had picked earlier beside her knees, looking every bit like a diligent gardener.

The sound of footsteps grew louder as they approached.

The grass and leaves parted in the woods, and a man in his thirties, dressed in the uniform of an outer sect steward, emerged, with a long sword hanging at his waist.

Yu Luoning looked over, her delicate eyebrows slightly raised.

Cao Jinglei? It was actually him?

Her face remained impassive, but she was inwardly surprised: "Steward Cao?"

Cao Jinglei paused for a moment.

He narrowed his eyes slightly when he looked up at Yu Luoning.

His voice was slightly hoarse. "You're here alone? Where are your two companions?"

"They were lured away by a big snake, so I'm hiding here. I reckon they'll be back soon."

Yu Luoning blinked and asked again, "Why is Deacon Cao here too? I didn't see you on the flying boat today!"

"I arrived later and came to patrol the secret realm."

Yu Luoning lowered her eyes, her face calm, but a dark cloud hung between her brows.

She had no idea how far she had ventured into the dense forest. If Cao Jinglei had come later, how could he have caught up with her so quickly?

This guy must have been lying in wait here for a long time.

"Then you go ahead with your work, I won't bother you any longer," Yu Luoning said with a smile.

After she finished speaking, she was about to leave, but the other person had already blocked her way. His face was no longer polite, and his eyes were as gloomy as a pool of stagnant water.

Yu Luoning's eyes turned cold: "Steward Cao, what are you trying to do?"

Cao Jinglei: "Let's not beat around the bush, my Daoist partner died at your hands, didn't she?"

Yu Luoning was stunned for a moment, her eyes widening slightly, looking as if she had been wronged and couldn't believe it.

"How dare you talk nonsense? Senior Sister Liu is missing, and instead of looking for her, you're always staring at me!"

Yu Luoning took half a step back, her eyes reddening. She was already beautiful, but now she looked even more pitiful.

Cao Jinglei pressed down on the knife at his side, his sharp gaze meeting a beautiful woman's face, and his movements slowed down.

Yu Luoning: "If you continue to pester me like this, then I'll have no choice but to ask my cousin for help. You've met him, he's the top student in this year's freshman trial. Now he's even become an apprentice of Elder Lei of Sword Peak. Deacon Cao, if you think you can afford to provoke him, you might as well give it a try."

Cao Jinglei suddenly chuckled softly.

"Don't try to intimidate me with your cousin's name. You have powerful backers, but I have powerful backers too."

Yu Luoning's gaze grew colder and colder.

She dared to kill Liu Qian back then because Liu Qian was just an ordinary outer disciple who didn't have a life tablet.

Although Cao Jinglei was an outer disciple, he managed to rise to the position of steward.

Yu Luoning hadn't been in the sect for long, but he knew that anyone who reached a certain position had a life tablet.

Once a person dies, the life tablet will automatically activate and lock in the last moment of death.

If this fate token were not available, this person would surely be sent to feed the fish.

It seems that getting away today won't be easy.

Yu Luoning's fingertips trembled slightly within her sleeve, and a wisp of spiritual energy flowed from her fingertips into the love bell at her waist.

Her opponent was at the mid-Foundation Establishment stage, while she was at the Great Perfection of Qi Refining. She might not be able to defeat him with ordinary methods, but she never possessed any ordinary methods. Yu Luoning's lips curled slightly.

If we just delay a little while, we can wait for the merchants to arrive.

At that point, this person would certainly not dare to continue harassing him.

In the Dongbao Sect, the elders of each peak have always been protective of their own.

Those inside the gate are respected, while those outside are considered inferior.

This is one of the reasons why it is essential to enter the inner circle.

"We don't need to pretend anymore, let's make our move."

Yu Luoning flicked his sleeve, and the longsword instantly came out of its sheath.

Before he finished speaking, Cao Jinglei, who was opposite him, stomped his foot, and a large amount of grayish-white mist suddenly surged out from under his feet, instantly covering the sky and the surrounding area for several feet.

Yu Luoning narrowed her eyes, but remained calm.

She raised her hand and flung the two herbs hard at the other person's face.

In the next instant, with a light touch of the toes, the person had already swiftly disappeared.

Cao Jinglei watched her retreating figure without any hurry, and burst into laughter: "With this fog formation here, you won't be able to escape for long. Just surrender obediently."

"Who said I was going to run away?"

A voice rang out from the mist. Before Cao Jinglei could react, an arrow had already pierced through the mist and shot right in front of him.