Chapter 45

Chapter 45 Preparing to Cultivate a Spy

Both sides faced off, neither willing to make the first move, quietly plotting in their minds.

Li Xiuyuan knew that Chen Ansheng had a formidable shield technique. The last time he tried to land a punch, his hand almost shattered.

Moreover, after using the shield, that brat could teleport a hundred zhang away!

“I’ll feint an attack first. In his panic, he’ll definitely use that defensive move. I just need to lock onto a spot a hundred zhang away, sidekick him, and I’ll knock him down!”

Li Xiuyuan formulated the details of his plan in his mind.

Chen Ansheng was also considering how he could take down Li Xiuyuan without taking a hit.

“Li Xiuyuan knows I have the Extreme Shield Heaven Gang, so he’ll definitely guard against where I might teleport. I can’t use it right away. I’ll first use my defensive artifact; it should be enough to withstand his strike, and then hit him with a sword, catching him off guard! Yes, that’s the plan.”

After both of them had thought of their strategies, Li Xiuyuan took the first action.

“Overlord Fist!”

Li Xiuyuan roared as his fist smashed toward Chen Ansheng’s forehead.

In Li Xiuyuan’s perspective, the comparison between him and Chen Ansheng felt as simple as a martial artist beating up a farmer.

After all, he came from a minor noble family and had trained in a few techniques since childhood.

Chen Ansheng had already activated his celestial power. Seeing Li Xiuyuan’s fist coming, he immediately summoned the dark green ring to produce a red defensive shield.

“You thought you could fool me, huh?”

Seeing Chen Ansheng covered by a layer of defensive aura, Li Xiuyuan was overjoyed. He threw a flying blade at Chen Ansheng’s shield.

Then, he concentrated fully, wanting to lock onto the direction where Chen Ansheng might escape.

However, Chen Ansheng remained immobile. The flying blade struck the shield, causing only a slight tremor without inflicting any damage.

“Congeal Sword!”

Chen Ansheng’s celestial power surged, forming a transparent celestial sword out of thin air.

“Majestic Heavenly Might, lead with the sword…”

The blade he conjured was imbued with icy energy. He thrust it forward, and a layer of white frost formed around him.

“Oh no, this brat didn’t teleport! He can actually use sword techniques; this cunning one is truly not to be underestimated!”

Li Xiuyuan felt the chilling aura and his heart sank.

In a moment of desperation, he activated his own trump card, which was also a defensive artifact.

Clang!

The cold sword struck Li Xiuyuan’s defensive shield, producing a ringing sound.

Chen Ansheng felt a tingling in his palm but did not retreat.

“Second Style, Extreme Void Break!”

“Third Style, Flying Flower Sword Dance!”

“Fourth Style… Fifth Style… Sixth Style…”

Chen Ansheng executed eighteen sword techniques in one breath, exhibiting extraordinary power.

Li Xiuyuan’s defense was shattered, and Chen Ansheng rushed forward, delivering a kick to Li Xiuyuan’s chest.

“Damn it, how could this guy have such domineering sword techniques! I miscalculated!”

Li Xiuyuan was alarmed; he prepared to fight with everything he had. If he couldn’t take down this brat, he would be in serious trouble…

Thus, he infused all his celestial power and launched his strongest punch recklessly.

Feeling the punch coming, Chen Ansheng instinctively activated the Extreme Shield Heaven Gang.

The deep yellow aura protected Chen Ansheng.

Bang!

That punch struck the shield, shattering Li Xiuyuan’s fist and sending blood spraying everywhere.

The next moment, Chen Ansheng appeared a hundred zhang away.

“Take my sword!”

Chen Ansheng pointed his sword toward the sky and slashed forward fiercely.

A sword shadow charged forward, crackling with lightning.

Li Xiuyuan sensed the terrifying aura of the lightning and was filled with immense fear; he had no choice but to activate his defensive artifact again.

Boom!

The sword shadow shattered the defensive shield and struck Li Xiuyuan.

Li Xiuyuan was sent flying backward, crashing into a fence before stopping.

“Eh? He has defensive armor? This cunning one has quite a few defensive methods.”

Chen Ansheng had thought that this sword strike would at least puncture Li Xiuyuan, but unexpectedly, the brat was wearing a defensive celestial armor.

Seeing Li Xiuyuan collapsed on the ground, Chen Ansheng simply retracted his sword.

It was impossible to kill Li Xiuyuan.

That would go against the rules of Qian Yue Cave, and if he killed him, he would definitely be expelled.

Moreover, this brat couldn’t distinguish between big and small, so it would be more satisfying to keep him around for some proper discipline.

Chen Ansheng walked over, took off his shoes, and tapped Li Xiuyuan’s forehead with his toes: “I told you, one toe can crush you. What do you think?”

Li Xiuyuan wanted to play dead but knew he wouldn’t fool this sly Chen Ansheng, so he grimaced and said, “Brother Chen, your strength is unparalleled, and your sword skills are divine. I admit defeat.”

Chen Ansheng slapped him with his foot, “Is that all? Just admitting defeat?”

Li Xiuyuan’s heart sank. He lamented, “Brother Chen, didn’t we agree to just have a friendly contest? A contest is meant to end when someone is pointed out; please let me go, I promise not to anger you again in the future.”

Chen Ansheng slapped him with his foot again, “What kind of person do you think I am? You should know this well. Kneel down and reflect properly. If I’m in a good mood, I might spare your life. If not, I’ll skin you alive and turn you into jerky.”

Li Xiuyuan: “…”

He regretted letting his guard down, falling for this brat’s trick.

Outside the fence,

Several disciples in white robes were angrily berating.

However, this time, they were cursing not Chen Ansheng, but Li Xiuyuan, calling him weak.

“Waste, you’re really a waste!”

“Li Xiuyuan, you scoundrel, you couldn’t even beat a flea-ridden dog. You’d better go die now; otherwise, there’ll be no place for you in the outer sect!”

After a round of cursing at Li Xiuyuan, they shifted their focus to Chen Ansheng and started shouting at him.

Chen Ansheng grabbed Li Xiuyuan and instructed, “From now on, you’ll stay by the edge of the fence. If anyone insults me, you’ll insult their ancestors for eighteen generations. If you can’t do that, I’ll kill you. Do you understand?”

Li Xiuyuan felt like he wanted to die.

Not being able to defeat his opponent had already enraged the outer sect seniors. If he insulted them further, how would he ever survive in Qian Yue Cave?

But if he didn’t follow Chen Ansheng’s orders, he might lose his life.

After weighing his options, Li Xiuyuan decided that preserving his life was the priority.

He limped over to the edge of the fence and began exchanging insults with the group outside.

It must be said, Li Xiuyuan had quite a talent for cursing, recalling each of the adversaries’ misdeeds from birth up to three hundred years old, making every insult unique.

One of the white-robed disciples was so enraged he nearly fainted.

Meanwhile, Chen Ansheng leisurely lay under a parasol tree, enjoying the back-and-forth shouting, finding it quite amusing.

However, this wasn’t a long-term plan.

He intended to cultivate a spy specifically to gather intelligence about the enemy’s internal matters.

There was only one candidate for this spy—Li Xiuyuan.

As for how to make him obedient?

Of course, it involved tormenting him until he willingly signed a master-servant contract.

With Li Xiuyuan as his servant, running errands and delivering messages would be much more convenient, right?

Thinking of this, Chen Ansheng felt immensely satisfied.

Of course, he knew that being able to defeat Li Xiuyuan today was entirely due to the prowess of the Stormy Waves Sword Technique.

This is the benefit of having strength.