Chapter 2154: Qi Ling'er Wins

"Since you cheated, I have no reason to be polite..."

Zhang Xuan smiled lightly.

If the other party had followed the rules, he would naturally not say much—winning was winning, losing was losing, and a bet must be fair.

Even if it meant delaying his own affairs, he would never break the rules.

This was his moral compass.

But since this fellow had harbored crooked intentions from the start, they certainly would not sit idly by.

Previously, there might have been no way, but seeing the Gu worm lead the way to find the Great Heavenly Cycle, he had already formed a plan.

"Although she took the Beauty Pill some time ago, the Heavenly Dao true energy is not so easily dissolved... I should still be able to control it..."

Focusing his mind, he slowly extended it into the other's body, and indeed felt a wisp of subtle true energy flowing within her, mingling with other forces.

At the Night Underworld City underground market, this Qi Ling'er had once taken a Beauty Pill, and his true energy had remained in her body. At the time, it was a precaution for safety, a backup plan. A few days had passed, but he could still control it at will.

With this, the effect would surely be far more powerful than the Gu worm. Most importantly, it was silent and undetectable by anyone.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

Under his control, the Heavenly Dao true energy slowly spread, and in the blink of an eye, it traced a circular path along a special trajectory. Wherever it passed, the previously blocked and constrained areas were all broken through.

Qi Ling'er, who had been looking confused and feeling certain of defeat, suddenly achieved full comprehension, and her eyes instantly shone with brilliance.

Although she did not understand why this had happened, she knew... the martial technique that had always eluded her was now... broken through!

Not only that, but its flaws had been repaired, making it even more powerful and vigorous!

Zzz!

Divine power swirled within her body twice, and her understanding of the martial technique had reached the level of great mastery. She was filled with excitement but did not show it on her face, still maintaining an anxious expression.

"Hmm?"

She might fool Qi Wei'er, but it was unlikely to fool the present Divine King. The Qi family head saw the girl, who had been at a loss moments ago, suddenly achieve full comprehension in an instant, and was slightly taken aback.

This martial technique of his, though flawed, required great insight to master... achieving great mastery in an instant was nothing short of a dream!

"Probably just comprehension; there's still a gap before actual mastery..."

Guessing inwardly, he looked at the nearby incense stick and said with a faint smile, "Time's up!"

Qi Ling'er and Qi Wei'er both stood up.

"Begin!"

Seeing the other drenched in sweat, Qi Wei'er curled her lips, slightly excited.

She had suppressed her many times before, but it involved the family's face, so the effect was not great.

Now, to publicly damage the family head's dignity, even though the bet was not acknowledged by either side, as long as she won, the other's punishment would surely be severe.

On one hand, it would balance her own feelings; on the other, it would establish authority.

Otherwise, if everyone ignored family rules and those sent out could return at will, how could such a large family be governed?

"This martial technique is too complex; one hour is hardly enough to achieve results. Family head, why not give another half hour so I can consolidate..."

Her face alternating between red and white, Qi Ling'er gritted her teeth.

To lure the fish, one must use a big bait.

"The family head set half an hour earlier; how can he go back on his word? Begin! Stop dawdling!" Qi Wei'er sneered.

She thought the other was afraid.

Seeing that this girl could not even see through such a shallow bait, the Qi family head sighed inwardly.

Previously, because of Qi Yue, he had thought this Qi Wei'er was talented and might be useful in the future, but he never expected her to be so incompetent.

Such a simple trick had fooled her!

However, thinking about it, it was understandable. They knew each other's backgrounds well; Qi Ling'er's talent was certainly known. If she could not comprehend it after half an hour in the Moon Clear Pool, it would be truly strange if she could comprehend it now.

It was because of this confidence that she was willing to bet.

"Begin!"

The Qi family head said calmly.

Qi Ling'er pretended to be helpless and looked at the middle-aged man before her: "Please, family head, examine our cultivation!"

Qi Wei'er also stepped forward.

Soon, their cultivation levels were exactly the same, and even the true power within their bodies was controlled with no difference.

Whoosh!

After this, Qi Wei'er smiled with satisfaction, her delicate body flickered as she rushed forward, her wrists flipping, and palm strikes fell like raindrops.

"Not bad!" Watching this, the Qi family head nodded inwardly.

This girl before him had not only understood that this martial technique was difficult to master and broken free from the shackles of blind faith in texts, but she had also modified it to be extraordinarily powerful. Although it was far inferior to what he practiced, achieving such results at this age was enough to show talent.

He nodded inwardly and looked at Qi Ling'er's comprehended martial... technique.

His eyebrows jumped sharply, and the corner of his mouth twitched: "This..."

He was too shocked to speak.

The girl's attack had not yet fully formed, but the circulation of divine power within her body had already begun.

An ordinary person might not see the direction and force of the flow, but as a Divine King expert, he understood at a glance... the martial technique she had modified was many times more powerful than his own modification!

Using the simplest method, she had elevated a second-rate technique into a peerless secret manual that even he found hard to comprehend!

How did she do it?

Before the shock subsided, the air cracked like a whip. Qi Wei'er, who had been full of confidence, turned red as the girl slapped her resoundingly across the face. Her delicate body swayed twice and she fell to the ground.

"You lost!" Without pressing the attack after the one-hit kill, Qi Ling'er clasped her hands behind her back, her face full of pride.

Having been suppressed by the other for so long, today she finally vented her frustration.

"You..."

Qi Wei'er was completely stunned.

Her brother's modified martial technique, which she thought would easily handle this opponent, had failed even to last a single move before she was slapped down.

Hadn't she not understood the technique?

How could she be so strong?

Not only was she shocked, but Qi Yue on the side also frowned.

As a peerless genius, he could naturally see how terrifying Qi Ling'er's slap was.

The foundation was indeed the family head's martial technique, but... how had it been modified like this? Even if the family head personally attempted it, he could not have modified it to this extent!

Unless... the ancestor!

"Could it be... that the ancestor, displeased with our clan's infighting, secretly intervened?"

His heart turned cold.

For something to be undetectable by a Divine King expert and modified beyond his reach, there was only one possibility: a stronger being or someone with a deeper understanding of techniques had acted.

And in the entire Qi family, the only one who could do this was the ancestor, Qi Meng!

While he was shocked, Qi Wei'er finally recovered, her face pale. Suddenly she roared: "You didn't use that martial technique! I'll kill you..."

Before she finished, she was about to rush forward and attack.

Being slapped in the face by someone far inferior to herself was too humiliating.

"Haven't you embarrassed yourself enough?" Grabbing his sister, Qi Yue shouted.

The family head himself had set the test; losing was losing. If she continued, she would only bring more shame on herself.

"Brother, I've known her for so many years. With her talent, it's absolutely impossible for her to comprehend this martial technique and modify it like this... I don't believe it!" Qi Wei'er nearly ground her teeth to pieces.

Others might not be familiar with this girl, but she had always regarded her as a rival—how could she not understand?

Her aptitude was ordinary; though she had some cleverness, it counted for nothing in the face of absolute talent!

Moreover, she had been practicing the secret technique modified by her brother.

"You lost!"

Shaking his head, the Qi family head ignored the girl and looked at Qi Ling'er, his eyes full of curiosity: "Perform the technique you comprehended for me to see!"

"Alright!"

Nodding, Qi Ling'er flipped her palm.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

As she performed the martial technique, gales stirred around her, force condensed together, and the air crackled with sonic booms.

"Marvelous, marvelous, truly marvelous! So it can be done like this..."

The Qi family head's eyes flickered, as if even he could not believe it.

Creating a technique was not simply a matter of insight; it required constant deliberation, for fear of making mistakes.

It was like an ancient poet writing a poem—a single word could have a tremendous impact.

Watching the martial technique performed by the girl before him, every move was flawless, without a single defect, the Qi family head's face flushed with excitement.

Watching such a technique was also greatly beneficial to his own cultivation.

"Did you... really comprehend this yourself?"

Unable to hold back, he asked.

Since when did Qi Ling'er have such talent?

He himself had no idea!

With such ability, even if she could only stay in the Moon Clear Pool for a quarter of an hour, her future achievements would definitely surpass Qi Yue over there, and she would truly have the potential to become a Divine King.

"Yes..." Hesitating for a moment, Qi Ling'er nodded.

Although she did not understand why she had suddenly broken through, she guessed it was related to Zhang Xuan nearby. But since he preferred to keep a low profile and did not want to reveal himself, she had to take the credit.

"Very good!" The Qi family head smiled slightly.

Qi Ling'er breathed a sigh of relief. Without time to rejoice, she looked at Qi Wei'er: "Do you have anything to say?"

"I have nothing to say..." Qi Wei'er gritted her teeth.

Held back by her brother, she had finally come to her senses.

Even the family head was full of praise, and with such combat power, this Qi Ling'er had indeed surpassed her. Saying more was useless.

"Family head, you saw how she pressured me earlier. Since I won, about the bet..." Qi Ling'er looked over.

"Alright, the so-called bet was all nonsense; don't take it seriously!"

Waving his hand, the Qi family head said no more: "Sending you to that place in Night Underworld City was indeed unfair all these years. From today, you don't have to go back. Manage the family's Qingyue Trading Company!"

Qi Wei'er's face turned pale.

The Qingyue Trading Company was a family enterprise in the imperial city, on a large scale. It had always been under her control. Giving it directly to the other meant stripping her of her power!

Although it was not the punishment stipulated in the bet, it effectively deprived her of authority and handed it to the girl before her...

She had thought that with her brother's help, she would surely win. She never dreamed that such a result would occur—truly, trying to steal a chicken only to lose the bait.

She had thrown her own face to the ground for others to trample.