```

Boom!!

With an earth-shattering explosion, the Water-Fire Lotus and the Lightning Flying Leopard were each repulsed, the Lightning Flying Leopard falling directly down, its fate unknown.

The Water-Fire Lotus, however, spun out of control like a frisbee, flying backwards,

Wang Xiaoqiang and Zhao Feiyan, too, felt their blood surge and heads spin dizzy from the impact of that collision. Now, they were being tossed around even more by the out-of-control Water-Fire Lotus.

Wang Xiaoqiang held Zhao Feiyan tightly, the two of them sharing a sense of shared fate in life and death,

With a crash, the Water-Fire Lotus finally hit against a mountain, tumbling down after the collision.

Wang Xiaoqiang and Zhao Feiyan both closed their eyes, gasping heavily, and it took them a while to recover,

Wang Xiaoqiang opened his eyes and saw blood spilling from the corner of Zhao Feiyan's mouth, and he couldn't help but feel a pang of heartache, exclaiming, "Feiyan, are you alright?"

Having survived the ordeal, Zhao Feiyan smiled and shook her head, "Little Qiang, I'm fine!"

"To help me snatch the Armor, if it costs you your life, I will never be at peace," Wang Xiaoqiang said guiltily as he waved his hand, a whoosh of Water Element Spiritual Qi streaming from his fingers, gently wiping away the blood from Zhao Feiyan's elegant lips.

Zhao Feiyan leaned happily in Wang Xiaoqiang's arms and said, "Little Qiang, don't talk like that. If I could die in your arms, I'd have no regrets and would die happy."

Wang Xiaoqiang's heart trembled as he hugged her, placed his hands on her abdomen, and infused her with Wood Element Spiritual Qi to heal her,

Zhao Feiyan was only suffering from blood rushing to her head and not returning properly, resulting in bleeding from her mouth from the collision and did not sustain major injuries. Yet, seeing Wang Xiaoqiang heal her with Spiritual Qi touched her deeply.

Seeing the pure Wood Element Spiritual Qi infused into her body by Wang Xiaoqiang, she couldn't help but be amazed and asked, "Eh? Little Qiang, how can you emit such pure Wood Element Spiritual Qi?"

"It's a long story, and I can't explain in just a moment. I'll tell you when we get the chance later. Right now, we are still in a dangerous place, and we must leave Yan Mountain as soon as possible. So, Feiyan, you must control the Water-Fire Lotus and fly..."

As Wang Xiaoqiang spoke, the Spiritual Qi in his hands changed, the Wood Element Spiritual Qi transforming into both Water and Fire Elements,

With these two types of Spiritual Qi entering Zhao Feiyan's body, she felt her Spiritual Power surging once again. Then, with the aid of Wang Xiaoqiang's pure Water and Fire Element Spiritual Qi, she activated the Water-Fire Lotus, rising into the air and continuing to fly forward.

Just as the Water-Fire Lotus flew away, a higher up in the sky, an Immortal Palanquin leisurely followed from behind.

Inside the Immortal Palanquin, two Immortal Sages watched the departing Water-Fire Lotus and couldn't help but sigh,

The Immortal Sage known as Old Mo said, "Damn it, these two kids are truly tampering with my Daoist Heart!"

"Hehe, Old Mo, you should admit defeat now. Not only did they not kill each other, but they also shared life and death. Their true feelings are evident. Don't forget to treat me to a drink tonight!" the other Immortal Sage said smugly.

Seeing Old Mo's frustrated expression, the other Immortal Sage patted his shoulder and said, "Old Mo, there is still true love in the mortal world. However, you should avoid witnessing such deep love in the future because it is extremely detrimental to your Daoist Heart. After all, you cultivate the Path of Ruthlessness, haha, this is too contradictory for you!"

Old Mo nodded deeply, shaking his head, trying to shake the image of Wang Xiaoqiang and Zhao Feiyan's devoted companionship out of his mind as the scene had already moved his Daoist Heart.

…

With the nourishment of Wang Xiaoqiang's Spiritual Qi, Zhao Feiyan controlled the Water-Fire Lotus as it flew hastily. They encountered many flying beasts along the way but none as powerful as the Lightning Flying Leopard, and they posed no threat, ultimately repelled by the Water-Fire Lotus.

By evening, the Water-Fire Lotus carried the two to the Yan Mountain Pass.

The Water-Fire Lotus descended, and the two came out from it,

As parting was imminent, they looked at each other with deep affection, and both found it extremely hard to let go,

Zhao Feiyan took out six pieces of Spirit Marrow from her Storage Ring and handed them to Wang Xiaoqiang, saying, "Little Qiang, take these Spirit Marrow,"

But Wang Xiaoqiang refused to accept them, "Feiyan, you helped me fight for the Armor, and I promised to give you five pieces of Spirit Marrow. I haven't given them to you yet, how can I take these publicly owned Spirit Marrow..."

Zhao Feiyan firmly stuffed the six pieces of Spirit Marrow into Wang Xiaoqiang's hand, saying, "Little Qiang, listen to me. I am a disciple of the Constellation Sect, and I came to participate in the Armor Snatching Tournament on behalf of the Sect. So after obtaining Spirit Marrow, no matter the amount, I must submit it all to the Sect. Since I didn't snatch the Armor, it's normal that I didn't get any Spirit Marrow. But if I took so much Spirit Marrow without winning the Armor, it would be abnormal. It would inevitably lead to suspicions and doubts from my master and fellow disciples. By then, the Spirit Marrow wouldn't be a treasure for me, but a disaster. So, Little Qiang, you should keep these Spirit Marrow..."

Wang Xiaoqiang, feeling she made sense, took the six Spirit Marrow and placed them into his Sumeru Ring. Holding her hand, he said, "Feiyan, don't worry. Once I clinch the victory in this Armor Snatching Tournament, I will definitely visit the Constellation Sect to find you. Don't forget, I still have to take you to Earth!"

"Mhm, I will wait for you!"

Zhao Feiyan nodded vigorously, her eyes flashing with tears, and then she took off a Jade Pendant from her neck, opened Wang Xiaoqiang's hand, and placed it in his palm, saying, "Little Qiang, this is the Jade Pendant my mother gave me. I'm giving it to you. From now on, whenever you look at this Jade Pendant, it will be as if you're seeing me..."

Wang Xiaoqiang moved, he looked closely at the Jade Pendant, noticing its subtle green glow and exquisite carving of a lifelike, flying swallow,

After observing it, he clenched the Jade Pendant tight in his hand, then hugged Zhao Feiyan tightly and said, "Feiyan, I will look at it every day..."

"Eh? Someone's coming, we better part ways now," Zhao Feiyan said as she pushed Wang Xiaoqiang away.

Wang Xiaoqiang looked up to see an Immortal Palanquin crossing the sky, with two powerful Divine Senses sweeping over, his heart jolted and a flash of surprise crossed his face. He nodded at Zhao Feiyan saying, "Alright, we part ways here, remember I will come for you!"

Zhao Feiyan nodded, and then flew straight towards Dragon City.

```

Wang Xiaoqiang saw Zhao Feiyan's silhouette flit beyond the walls of Dragon City like a swallow, disappearing from sight, and retracted his gaze, returning to the No. 4 prep area for the competitors.

The two administrators in the No. 4 prep area saw Wang Xiaoqiang return alone, and instead of a hint of concern or lament on their faces, they were actually quite pleased. At the same time, they both stared at Wang Xiaoqiang with eyes full of astonishment and doubt.

For them, the greater the death toll in the competition, the better, as this suited the purpose of the Armor Snatching Tournament, and those higher up would reward them, the administrators.

What astonished them was that Wang Xiaoqiang, a cultivator at the Fifth Stage of the True Immortal Realm, had actually won the second match!

You should know that his cultivation base was the lowest among his team. When he first came to participate, these two administrators didn't even deign to glance at him, treating him as nothing more than cannon fodder.

Now, this "cannon fodder" had actually won the competition!

This was indeed cause for shock!

Both administrators were somewhat incredulous at what they saw.

It wasn't until Wang Xiaoqiang took out the armor of the No. 4 competitor and showed it to them that the two administrators believed that the young man before them, with his low cultivation base, was the Armor Snatcher.

"Haha, not bad, what's your name?"

"I'm Wang Xiaoqiang!"

"Ah, Wang Xiaoqiang, very good. We all have high hopes for you. Here, this armor is yours now," one of the administrators said, pointing to the armor in Wang Xiaoqiang's hand.

"This is your reward, ten Spirit Marrow. Please keep it safe!" another administrator handed a brocade box to Wang Xiaoqiang.

Wang Xiaoqiang took the brocade box, opened it, and upon seeing that it indeed contained ten genuine Spirit Marrow, he closed the box and said, "Thank you very much."

"Alright, Wang Xiaoqiang, you can now go back and rest. In three days, come for the third and final elimination match of the tournament!"

Wang Xiaoqiang nodded his head and then turned and walked towards Dragon City.

When Wang Xiaoqiang returned to Dragon City and arrived at the Dragon Gate Inn, True Person of Taiyi and the two Yans sisters were anxiously waiting for him. Seeing Wang Xiaoqiang appear before them, they were all very elated,

especially Yans Ruxue, who had become Wang Xiaoqiang's woman. She had come to regard Wang Xiaoqiang as her husband. How could she not worry when her husband was taking part in such a dangerous competition?

In any case, for the past two days, she hadn't been able to eat or sleep, worrying about Wang Xiaoqiang all the time.

Now, suddenly seeing Wang Xiaoqiang appear before her, she threw herself into his arms and hugged him tightly, bursting into tears as if he hadn't been gone for two days but two years!

"Little Qiang, are you, are you alright?" Yans Ruxue asked through her tears.

"I'm fine, not a scratch on me," Wang Xiaoqiang reassured, patting her shoulder.

Yans Ruyu and True Person of Taiyi also crowded around, inspecting Wang Xiaoqiang to see if he was indeed uninjured. Wang Xiaoqiang gently pulled away from Yans Ruxue and took out the armor he had won from the Sumeru Ring, saying, "Are you looking for this?"

"Oh, Little Qiang, did you really snatch back the armor?!" Yans Ruyu exclaimed in surprise.

"What do you mean 'really' snatch back the armor? It was to be expected. Little Qiang is very powerful," said True Person of Taiyi.

"And there's more. Look..." Wang Xiaoqiang said, as he proceeded to absorb all the Spiritual Spring energy from the outside into his body, and in an instant, 1,279,600 Spiritual Springs vibrated synchronously within him.

Then...

Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom...

The Spiritual Power inside Wang Xiaoqiang surged like a torrent of rivers, like a frenzied lake, thunderously sweeping through the meridians and acupoints of his body, until the tumultuous Spiritual Power inside him condensed together to form seven hundred Gang Qi vortexes.

Seven hundred Gang Qi vortexes spun ceaselessly inside Wang Xiaoqiang, like hot-air balloons lifting his body, elevating him skyward.

This was not ascendancy governed by Wang Xiaoqiang's own will; his body was being lifted by the Gang Qi vortexes within.

This was the most direct representation of levelling up.

This time, his ascendancy was twice as fast as when he had just advanced to the Fifth Stage of the True Immortal Realm, and he ascended twice as high.

Moreover, the feeling was far more exhilarating.

This was what it meant to 'drift as if becoming immortal,' the embodiment of an Immortal's ascendancy.

Finally, having ascended to a certain height, the Gang Qi vortexes inside him suddenly dispersed with a boom and turned back into Spiritual Power. Like a whale absorbing water in vast gulps, all of it was sucked into the Spiritual Springs within him, and then, the countless Spiritual Springs, like grains of sand among the stars, began to orbit in a mysterious trajectory within Wang Xiaoqiang's body.

Wang Xiaoqiang stood suspended in mid-air, his long hair billowing, his garments fluttering, just like a Divine Lord of the Nine Heavens, exuding an extraordinary divine presence!

"Ah, Little Qiang, Little Qiang has actually ascended two levels and become a powerful cultivator at the Seventh Stage of the True Immortal Realm!" True Person of Taiyi murmured, looking up at the sky at Wang Xiaoqiang. (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to vote for it with a recommendation ticket or monthly ticket at Qidian (qidian.com). Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com to read.)

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