The Masked Strength of the Sect's Trash chapter 22

Chapter 22 Two Terrifying Senior Brothers

Xiao Yi was utterly shocked.

She never imagined that her Second Senior Brother had also comprehended the Sword Intent.

“This… this…”

Xiao Yi felt her mind go blank, unable to find the words to express her disbelief.

Is Sword Intent really that common?

You two just comprehend it as if it’s nothing—are you even human?

No wonder you both said I had to comprehend Sword Intent within two months.

Turns out, you both thought I was just like you.

Xiao Yi felt like crying. Her Senior Brothers had too much faith in her.

Down below, Lu Shaoqing’s expression was serious, his posture unwavering, and under the influence of his Sword Intent, he appeared even more powerful and majestic.

For a moment, Xiao Yi almost didn’t recognize her Second Senior Brother.

The normally shameless and reckless Second Senior Brother seemed like a completely different person now.

No wonder Master said they were sparring that night.

At first, Xiao Yi had her doubts, but after spending more time with Lu Shaoqing, she began to suspect that Master might have been exaggerating.

Was the usually shameless Second Senior Brother really that formidable?

It wasn’t until now that she realized she had completely underestimated him.

“Master…”

Shao Cheng said, “Just watch, don’t say anything!”

“Die!”

Lu Shaoqing roared, and a violent surge of Sword Intent shot into the sky, transforming into a massive, fiery red bird.

The bird screeched as it flew toward the white dragon.

They collided with a tremendous crash.

“Boom!”

The white dragon and the fiery bird perished together, exploding in a massive blast, and disintegrating in mid-air.

The powerful shockwave rippled outward, shattering both forces’ overwhelming Sword Intent, scattering fragments across the sky like a shower of sparks.

Countless buildings below were reduced to rubble, and the ground was left pockmarked and desolate.

Xiao Hong, the little bird, chirped in panic, dodging left and right before finally flying over to Xiao Yi for shelter.

Holding Xiao Hong, Xiao Yi noticed that the little bird was trembling, clearly frightened.

Xiao Yi didn’t tease it, as she wasn’t doing much better herself.

If it weren’t for Shao Cheng protecting her, her Dao heart might have already collapsed.

She never expected that her usually unreliable and shameless Second Senior Brother would also possess such an astonishing Sword Intent.

To be this powerful…

She still hadn’t fully understood her Second Senior Brother.

Lu Shaoqing gritted his teeth, glaring at Ji Yan in the sky.

Ji Yan’s eyes were closed, his body like a bottomless pit, as endless spiritual energy rushed toward him, as if he were a man who hadn’t drunk water in decades, desperately absorbing the surrounding energy.

Although his eyes were closed, Ji Yan seemed to be able to see Lu Shaoqing.

He slashed his sword toward Lu Shaoqing once more.

Lu Shaoqing cursed, “Do you really think you can use me as a whetstone?”

“You’re insane, absolutely insane!”

He shouted, “Fine! Today I’ll beat you to a pulp, you bastard!”

He swung his sword again.

The Sword Intent gathered once more, and a fiery bird charged at Ji Yan.

The two forces collided again, equally matched, perishing together in the sky.

Neither’s Sword Intent could overpower the other.

Xiao Yi watched, trembling with fear.

Both her Senior Brothers had comprehended Sword Intent, and both had reached the second stage, where Sword Intent could take form.

Their Sword Intent was equally strong.

Her Senior Brothers were too powerful.

Lu Shaoqing looked at Ji Yan and snorted, swinging his sword once more.

But this time, his expression was much more serious.

Earlier, they had only clashed with pure Sword Intent.

“Lihuo Sword Technique!”

Lu Shaoqing’s spiritual energy surged wildly, pouring into his sword.

A wisp of flame suddenly appeared in the air, a dark red flame that danced like a little sprite, swaying in the wind.

It looked adorable.

But the rising temperature in the air made it clear this was no cute sprite.

It was a divine force that could burn the heavens and the earth.

As it appeared, it continuously absorbed the surrounding spiritual energy, growing in size.

Soon, countless flames filled the sky, forming an overwhelming fire net.

“Go!”

Lu Shaoqing shouted, and the dark red flames surged toward Ji Yan.

The searing heat evaporated moisture, turning the grass and trees yellow as the endless flames roared, ready to burn Ji Yan to ashes.

Ji Yan continued to absorb spiritual energy.

Facing the oncoming fire net, he calmly thrust his sword forward.

It was a light, seemingly weak strike, but it was incredibly powerful.

The surging flames were easily split apart and extinguished.

Above, Shao Cheng’s face lit up with delight.

“The Free and Easy Sword Technique!”

Xiao Yi exclaimed in surprise, “Master, is this the sword technique passed down by the Lingxiao Sect’s founder?”

Shao Cheng nodded, “Yes, aside from the founder, only your Eldest Senior Brother has successfully mastered it.”

Xiao Yi was amazed. It truly was impressive.

Then she asked, “What about Second Senior Brother?”

“Did he also practice the Free and Easy Sword Technique?”

Shao Cheng shook his head, “No, he’s using the Lihuo Sword Technique, which isn’t part of our sect’s teachings.”

“Not part of the sect?”

“Where did he learn it?”

Shao Cheng replied, “I don’t know, and I didn’t ask. It’s his business.”

“But from what I’ve observed, the Lihuo Sword Technique is no less powerful than the Free and Easy Sword Technique.”

Xiao Yi couldn’t help but marvel, “Both Eldest and Second Senior Brother are incredible.”

At that moment, Xiao Yi felt complete admiration for her two Senior Brothers.

Their talent in Sword Intent was unparalleled, capable of overwhelming anyone in their generation.

As she watched the fierce battle below, the sheer force and energy they emitted made them seem anything but ordinary Core Formation cultivators.

Ji Yan had effortlessly neutralized Lu Shaoqing’s attack with the Free and Easy Sword Technique.

Lu Shaoqing sneered, “Let’s go again!”

He swung his sword again.

This time, the flames were even more intense.

Countless flames transformed into dark red firebirds.

They filled the sky, swarming toward Ji Yan.

Ji Yan was still devouring spiritual energy, and as the firebirds closed in, the surrounding spiritual energy seemed to ignite.

From below, Xiao Yi saw the sky appear to be on fire.

Her heart trembled in fear. This was terrifying.

Could her Eldest Senior Brother withstand such a powerful Second Senior Brother?

Ji Yan didn’t dodge. He pointed his sword at Lu Shaoqing and slashed down.

The massive surge of spiritual energy clashed like a world-ending force, splitting the endless flames in two.

The sky darkened, and the flames vanished in an instant.

The sky returned to its usual darkness, with only the lingering spiritual energy reminding everyone that what had just happened wasn’t an illusion.

Ji Yan’s voice echoed like a bell, “Again!”

His spiritual energy grew even more intense, and he launched another attack on Lu Shaoqing.

The overwhelming pressure was like the sky falling.

A massive surge of spiritual energy compressed into a giant sword, descending from the heavens toward Lu Shaoqing.

The giant sword crashed down, shaking the earth, with everything around it collapsing and shattering as dust filled the air.

“Second Senior Brother!”

Xiao Yi cried out in alarm.

Ji Yan’s attack was incredibly powerful, and Xiao Yi believed that even a Nascent Soul cultivator would struggle to survive it.

How could Lu Shaoqing, a Core Formation cultivator, possibly withstand it?

Shao Cheng said, “Don’t worry!”

As soon as he spoke, Lu Shaoqing’s voice rang out.

“Bastard, you’re serious?”

“Die!”

Lu Shaoqing’s figure appeared in another direction, close to Ji Yan. He shouted, “Meteor Summoning Technique!”

The spiritual energy in the sky surged, and a massive fireball appeared as if it had traveled through time and space. The fireball burned fiercely, illuminating the sky as though it were daytime.

The enormous fireball streaked across the night sky, heading straight for Ji Yan.

“You hit me, so I’ll hit you! Die!”

There was a hint of glee in Lu Shaoqing’s tone. Xiao Yi, seeing such a massive fireball, was left speechless, her mouth agape in disbelief.

“Master, wh-what kind of spell is this?”

“Meteor Summoning Technique? I’ve never heard of it!”

Shao Cheng chuckled, “He’s just talking nonsense. It’s actually just a fireball technique.”

He paused briefly before adding, “Don’t ask me how his fireball technique got this big, though.”

Xiao Yi swallowed the questions she wanted to ask. She would save them for her Second Senior Brother later.

Lu Shaoqing’s fireball technique seemed even more powerful than Ji Yan’s earlier giant sword. Ji Yan’s expression turned serious, but he didn’t dodge. As the fireball approached, he slashed at it with his sword.

The force behind this strike was immense, and the spiritual energy rippled outward. The enormous fireball was cleaved in two, and then Ji Yan followed up with several more slashes. The fireball shattered into countless fragments before finally dissipating in the air.

Lu Shaoqing shouted, “Using your cultivation to overpower my technique? What kind of hero does that make you?”

“Come at me again!”

But Ji Yan didn’t give him the chance.

He unleashed one sword strike after another, each more powerful than the last. Lu Shaoqing was forced onto the defensive.

Ji Yan’s momentum continued to build, and the surrounding air seemed to solidify. Above him, dark clouds began to gather. Lightning flickered and danced within the clouds, like countless thunder dragons roaming and roaring.

The air grew heavy, filling everyone with unease.

Ji Yan’s relentless attacks left Lu Shaoqing struggling to keep up, unable to find an opening to counterattack.

Finally, with one last powerful strike, Ji Yan sent Lu Shaoqing flying. He soared dozens of miles before crashing into a mountain with a heavy thud.

“Second Senior Brother!” Xiao Yi screamed.

Seeing that Lu Shaoqing hadn’t returned for a while, Xiao Yi anxiously looked at Shao Cheng. “Master, is Second Senior Brother alright?”

Shao Cheng smiled slightly and reassured her, “Don’t worry, he’s fine.”

“That brat is just using this as an excuse to avoid fighting.”

“He’s probably pretending to be dead right now.”

After sensing that Lu Shaoqing’s aura was still stable, Shao Cheng’s gaze shifted to Ji Yan. With a hint of melancholy in his voice, he said, “Your Senior Brother is about to break through.”

Having a disciple this powerful put a lot of pressure on a master.

Xiao Yi was left speechless, filled with nothing but admiration.

She already knew that ten years ago, her Senior Brother had been nothing more than an ordinary mortal. In just ten years, he had advanced to the Nascent Soul stage. Such a heaven-defying talent was unimaginable.

“So strong!” Xiao Yi could only marvel.

“Can I ever hope to catch up to such a powerful Senior Brother?”

Shao Cheng glanced at her, smiled, and said, “Don’t lose heart. If you work hard and cultivate diligently, you can keep up with your Senior Brother.”

“I brought you here today to show you the true strength of your Second Senior Brother, so you’d understand that he’s not as simple as he appears.”

This was Shao Cheng’s real reason for bringing Xiao Yi here—to let her see Lu Shaoqing’s true nature, so she wouldn’t harbor any misunderstandings or resentment toward him.

Sigh, being a master isn’t easy.

After a brief sigh, Shao Cheng continued, “I didn’t expect you’d also get to witness your Senior Brother’s breakthrough.”

“Watch carefully. This will be incredibly beneficial to you in the future.”

With that, Shao Cheng took to the sky. “Stay here and watch. I’m going to protect your Senior Brother while he breaks through.”