Chapter 69: Worse Than a Beast

Laughter rippled through the crowd, at first somewhat restrained, but soon erupting into unabashed guffaws.

Chu Yu’s expression grew even darker, though thankfully, no one could discern the change on his face at this moment.

Suddenly, in a fit of anger, he lashed out with his foot at the Crimson Flame Ermine. But the creature was not one to be bullied; in a flash of fiery red, it vanished from beneath Chu Yu’s foot and leapt onto his shoulders, furiously scratching at his already singed hair.

Chu Yu had spent an hour carefully arranging his hair; now, after the creature’s attack, it looked exactly as it had on the day he was struck by lightning.

“You know, Young Master Chu actually suits this hairstyle quite well,” Ji Yin remarked, pointing at Chu Yu with a smile.

The laughter swelled once more, grating even more painfully on Chu Yu’s ears.

Suddenly, a glint of cold steel—Chu Yu drew his sword!

A chill swept across the gathering, and all laughter ceased abruptly.

Ji Yin gazed at the blade pointed toward her, her smile deepening, though her beautiful eyes now shimmered with icy intent.

The sword in Chu Yu’s hand was crafted by a renowned bladesmith at the Chu Family’s behest, its blade forged from thousand-year crystalline steel, making it a weapon of formidable power.

It was clear now—Chu Yu was truly enraged.

The Crimson Flame Ermine sensed the danger and immediately leapt from Chu Yu’s shoulders. As it tried to escape, a surge of soul force blocked its path, trapping it in place.

Ji Yin suddenly lunged at Chu Yu. Distracted, he let the ermine go and turned to face her.

“Young Master Chu, why such fury? It's just a beast—even if it does possess some human-like cunning, it's still only an animal. If you can't even let a beast go, then doesn’t that make you...” Ji Yin deliberately left her sentence unfinished.

The unspoken words hovered in the air—less than a beast.

Those nearby realized they had witnessed a new, creative insult. Indeed, the well-educated scoundrels had their own unique way with words.

Chu Yu did not reply. His sword vibrated in his hands, humming lightly as his anger poured into it.

Suddenly, a wild gale rose from the ground, shrieking as it swept directly toward Ji Yin. At that moment, the Phoenix Plume at Ji Yin’s waist flared with light, and a surge of soul force burst forth from it.

The wind abruptly died, as if suppressed by some overwhelming power.

No one realized that it was the soul force hidden within the Phoenix Plume that had neutralized Chu Yu’s attack; everyone assumed it was Ji Yin’s own counterstrike.

“Heavens! The Seventh Young Master is incredible!”

“Of course! The Seventh Young Master was admitted to Kunlun and even became a disciple of Lord Xuanyuan. How could she not be formidable?”

“So now the Seventh Young Master is stronger than Chu Yu? That means she’s surpassed the third tier, hasn’t she?”

“Without a doubt!”

Ji Yin herself: …They’re giving me far too much credit.

To be honest, she had only just entered as a novice.

Chu Yu himself could not determine whether the power he’d just encountered came from Ji Yin herself or from some external source. Regardless, he dared not act rashly again. He desperately needed to improve his strength, and wasting his soul force on Ji Yin—a supposed good-for-nothing—was hardly worthwhile.

Ji Yin could clearly feel that the soul force within the Phoenix Plume was still potent. She wondered if she could temporarily borrow Xuanyuan Ji’s soul force.

If she could, then she might truly be able to face off against Chu Yu. After breaking through to the third tier, Chu Yu must have accumulated a significant reserve of soul force as well.

“Great Demon, it’s been ages since we played this game,” the Devil Cauldron piped up excitedly.

“What are we waiting for, then?”