As Li Daoxuan recounted his grievances, Zhou Qing finally understood the whole story.
It turned out that ever since Lu Yaoyao recommended him to duel with Shen Yunzhou, the sparring had just begun and both sides were merely testing each other.
But before long, as Shen Yunzhouâs realm was unleashed, that nauseating aura instantly spread out, almost making Li Daoxuan vomit.
However, out of respect for the guest, Li Daoxuan gritted his teeth and endured, while maintaining a dignified expression on his face.
He barely made it through to the end of the sparring, left without saying a word, hurriedly finding a secluded spot to vomit into the bushes.
He thought this matter was over, but didnât expect the Sect Leader to show up that night.
It turned out that Shen Yunzhouâs mood greatly improved after suppressing his realm to spar with Li Daoxuan, instead of feeling gloomy about the Nannan matter.
After returning to Little Spirit Peak, he was still longing for more, planning to spar with Zhou Qing again. After all, he still didnât know what realm Zhou Qing had comprehended.
But upon hearing the news of Zhou Qingâs announced retreat, he was left with no choice but to find Yan Xiaohu, asking if Li Daoxuan was available tomorrow.
Mostly because he wasnât sure how long Zhou Qingâs retreat would last. He had to find something to pass the time in unfamiliar Taiqing Sect territory.
Moreover, through this sparring, he found Li Daoxuan to be quite nice, at least not like the previous people he sparred with, who showed disdain and disgust upon seeing his realm.
Yan Xiaohu dared not make decisions privately and quickly reported the matter to Master Mo Xingjian.
Mo Xingjian, after some deep consideration, contacted Cao Zhengyang.
After all, Shen Yunzhouâs older sister is a strong Late-stage Spirit Severing Realm practitioner, and considering Zhou Qing and Lu Yaoyao helped her on the border before, itâs a good opportunity to build relations now that her brother is here.
In any case, a good impression must be left with this esteemed guest at Taiqing Sect.
Since the other party specifically mentioned wanting to spar with Li Daoxuan, the responsibility must indeed fall on Li Daoxuan.
Moreover, sparring would be beneficial for both partiesâ realm advancement, and Cao Zhengyang was naturally pleased to see such a development.
What choice did Li Daoxuan have?
Zhou Qing went through so much effort to obtain an opportunity for Taiqing Sect to establish a relationship with a Spirit Severing expert.
As the chief senior brother, if he couldnât even help with this, it would disappoint Zhou Qingâs efforts, and let the sect miss a great chance, making himself appear irresponsible, and unable to hold his head up before junior brothers and sisters in the future.
With no choice, he had to brace himself and accept this task.
Who would have thought that accepting this would eventually last a whole month!
Nowadays, Li Daoxuan would reflexively feel nauseous just seeing yellow-colored fabric, let alone eating.
Sometimes, in his dreams, heâs trapped in a terrifying sea of filth, swimming desperately.
He wants to reach the shore, but despite all efforts, everywhere is an endless expanse of filth, and no sign of land is visible.
That feeling of despair, helplessness, and collapse truly canât be understood by anyone who hasnât personally experienced it.
So now, he doesnât eat, doesnât sleep, just accompanies Shen Yunzhou at the martial arena, then continues the cycle.
After hearing him out, Zhou Qing gazed at Li Daoxuan, whose face was sallow and had nearly vomited bile. Besides sympathy, he felt a deeper guilt.
"Li, Iâm truly sorry. Rest assured, Iâll handle this matter!" Zhou Qing comforted.
Li Daoxuan nodded fervently, so moved that two streams of tears rolled fall.
...
"Zhou, what kind of retreat were you doing, that you came out within a month?" Upon seeing Zhou Qing, Shen Yunzhou greeted him joyfully.
Zhou Qing smiled warmly, "It was just a moment of insight. How have you been these past months?"
"Quite well, Iâm growing fond of the atmosphere at your Taiqing Sect, except the matter with that little girl still feels like a thorn in my side!"
As Shen Yunzhou spoke, he couldnât help but sigh deeply.
Zhou Qing comforted, "Donât worry, we are already working on a solution. By the way, I ran into Li earlier."
"After a month of sparring as your training partner, he gained considerable insight and is planning to go into retreat. He asked me to convey his gratitude to you."
Upon hearing this, Shen Yunzhou was a bit surprised, "Thatâs good, I knew Li was no ordinary person, seeing how quickly he gained insight."
"By the way Zhou, since youâre out of retreat now, how about sparring with me?" Shen Yunzhou looked at Zhou Qing with eager anticipation.
Zhou Qingâs gaze was calm, and suddenly his lip curved into a smile, "Alright!"
This straightforward agreement made Shen Yunzhou exceedingly delighted.
He quickly said, "Letâs go, letâs go, I couldnât figure out your realm, and Iâm very curious. Donât worry, Iâll suppress my cultivation to mid-stage."
"No need!" Zhou Qing said calmly.
Shen Yunzhou was taken aback, confusion painted his face, "What?"
"I said, just try your best, no need to hold back. I want to see what my strength is like now!" Zhou Qing said with a burning gaze.
Shen Yunzhouâs eyes instantly lit up, speaking excitedly, "Thatâs what you said, then I wonât be merciful."
...
At the martial arena!
Zhou Qing discreetly rubbed his nose, looking at the shocking yellow stains on the ground and the empty surroundings devoid of people, he sighed inwardly.
Clearly, Shen Yunzhouâs previous sparring with Li Daoxuan had frightened everyone away to the extent that even the cleaners dared not approach.
"Zhou, be careful!" Just as Shen Yunzhou was speaking, his aura suddenly surged.