"You're right, but I have no intention of giving away my concubine. I'll have to challenge you." Han Li said calmly, then without further words, he released his spiritual sense. An astonishing aura surged out, and something shot towards his opponent.
"Good!" The Marquis of Nanlong showed no fear; instead, he shouted loudly. He also released his spiritual sense, and the two almost visible invisible forces collided and exploded in the middle of the empty space between them. A fierce gale immediately rose and spread in all directions.
Seeing this, the Marquis of Nanlong was shocked. What was initially a test of spiritual sense instantly intensified several times.
Explosions continued to sound, and layers of gales formed a misty white airflow, enveloping the two of them, making their figures blur, transforming into two motionless black shadows in the high sky.
"Manifestation of Spiritual Sense! How is this possible? Junior Brother Han's spiritual sense is so powerful!" Watching from below, Lü Luo couldn't help but exclaim in disbelief.
"Manifestation of Spiritual Sense? Can the young master defeat the opponent?" Upon hearing this, Mu Peiling, although not understanding the term, couldn't help but ask.
"I don't know. Normally, the manifestation of spiritual sense is a magical ability mastered by mid-Nascent Soul stage cultivators due to their powerful spiritual sense. Junior Brother Han can already perform it now; perhaps his main cultivation method focuses on spiritual sense training. It must be so; that would make sense." Lü Luo first answered Mu Peiling's question but then muttered to himself.
"In that case, the young master still has a chance, right?" Ignoring Lü Luo's incoherent words, Mu Peiling asked with hope.
"It's hard to say. Even among cultivators of the same Nascent Soul stage, there are differences in strength. The Marquis of Nanlong entered the mid-Nascent Soul stage three hundred years ago. Although he has remained at this stage, there's no doubt he has reached the peak of the mid-stage. He is only a step away from the late stage. It will be difficult for Junior Brother to defeat this old monster." Lü Luo said with an uncertain expression.
Upon hearing this, Mu Peiling's hope instantly turned cold.
At this moment, the explosions in the sky became more frequent. The swirling gales even formed a huge white wind circle, completely engulfing the two figures.
This prompted another exclamation from Lü Luo.
"Wow! I can't believe it; Junior Brother Han isn't at a disadvantage." He said with a very strange expression.
Mu Peiling was overjoyed. She wanted to ask more.
Suddenly, a dazzling white light flashed in the sky, followed by a thunderous crack. The previously misty air circle exploded, and the violent gales swept in all directions.
Mu Peiling and the others, far below, turned pale as the fierce white wind approached.
"Not good!" Lü Luo growled, flashing in front of Mu Peiling. At the same time, he made a gesture, and a blue shield appeared, covering them both.
In just a moment, the swift gales hit the shield.
With a constant creaking noise, the thick shield wall was dented several inches by the passing gales.
Fortunately, the gales only brushed past, with most sliding off the shield's sides. The shield wall quickly returned to normal.
Lü Luo's face flashed blue light as he retracted the shield.
Not far away, the group of armored warriors led by the Marquis of Nanlong raised their weapons in unison when the gales hit, and a large golden light appeared above their heads, forming a huge shield that protected them and the beast carriage.
Even so, when the white gales passed, the golden light only lasted for a moment before shattering. The remaining gales swept over, causing the warriors and female cultivators to scream in pain, bleeding from their orifices with terrified expressions.
Only the two palace-dressed female cultivators in the beast carriage were unharmed, protected by the carriage's restrictions.
Seeing this, Mu Peiling gasped. She looked up at Han Li, who had reappeared in the sky, lost in thought.
At this moment, a cold snort came from the sky.
A ball of golden light descended but exploded midway, turning into countless rays that enveloped his subordinates.
Where the rays passed, the previously screaming people stopped and stood up straight again.
Although they still looked frightened, they were mostly unharmed.
Having performed this act of healing, the Marquis of Nanlong looked at the calm Han Li with a face full of surprise, seemingly unable to believe that the other's spiritual sense was truly on par with his own.
Just now, he had released most of his spiritual sense, using almost seventy to eighty percent. Seeing Han Li handle it so effortlessly suggested he had either comparable or even superior spiritual sense.
As the Marquis's underestimation turned to hesitation, Han Li suddenly smiled at him.
"Let's stop the contest here. If we continue, I'm afraid I really won't be able to hold on." Han Li said lightly.
"Haha! You are too modest, Daoist Han. Your spiritual sense is not inferior to mine. It's best to end the contest now, lest we damage our harmony." The Marquis of Nanlong, after a moment's thought, accepted the step down with a relaxed expression.
Han Li smiled without speaking but sighed inwardly. It seems that in the cultivation world, strength speaks loudest, even among Nascent Soul cultivators.
At least this Marquis of Nanlong, while not believing Han Li could match him in cultivation and magical abilities, had gained some respect for him from their contest.
Moreover, the Marquis needed Han Li's strong spiritual sense for his own purposes.
"Since Daoist Han's spiritual sense is comparable to mine, I will explain the real reason for our contest. As you might have guessed, I had another purpose for challenging you. This reason is significant and can't be discussed here. In this jade slip is a map. On the fourth day of the trading conference, please meet at the marked location. I will introduce you to some other Daoists and share a great opportunity with you." The Marquis of Nanlong said with a mysterious smile, transmitting a small piece of information to Han Li's ear.
Then he took out a small jade slip, which he tossed to Han Li without avoiding the others below.
Han Li was momentarily surprised but quickly reached out to catch the jade slip, glancing at the Marquis before storing it without checking it immediately.
Seeing this, the Marquis of Nanlong was not angry but laughed heartily. Then, enveloped in a huge light ball, he descended rapidly.
The beast carriage's golden light reappeared, and the armored warriors surrounded it as they quickly flew towards Tianyuan City, with drums and music sounding again from the carriage.
The Marquis left without greeting Lü Luo, which might have angered other Nascent Soul cultivators, but Lü Luo, knowing the Marquis's eccentric nature, merely smiled wryly.
Han Li then floated down lightly.
"Master, are you alright?" Seeing Han Li return, a relieved Mu Peiling blushed and asked, her eyes fixed on him.
Although the duel with the Marquis of Nanlong was brief, Han Li's display of power stirred her emotions, making her feel that staying by his side might not be a bad thing and even giving her a sense of warmth and security.
"I'm fine, just a bit drained of spiritual sense," Han Li said calmly, noting her sudden concern with a flicker of interest.
"Junior Brother, you hid well, making us worry for nothing." Lü Luo, beside them, praised Han Li joyfully, the last bit of distance between them now gone.
"Junior Brother never hid anything; you just never asked. Let's go now. The commotion from the spiritual sense gales might attract other cultivators." Han Li said gently.
"Indeed. If other cultivators notice, it could be troublesome. Let's hurry to Tianyuan City!" Lü Luo agreed without hesitation this time.
