Chapter 262: A Wordsmith’s Duel

On the second floor of the Lingxiao Tower, a foxwoman at the third-level Fiend Pill stage stepped forward and smiled enchantingly at Zi Xiao, saying, “Welcome back, Senior Zi Xiao. What brings you to the Floating City this time?”
From her words, Su Che deduced that Master Zi Xiao must be a frequent visitor to the Floating City—any beautiful attendant recognized him.
Zi Xiao nodded at her and said, “I’ll be staying in the Floating City for half a month. I plan to offer a reward for anyone who can provide any type of ninth-level Yin Fire. Yin Ling, you’ll take care of this.”
“Sure, Yin Ling will do her best.”
The foxwoman named Yin Ling smiled cheerfully and agreed to the task, before adding, “But ninth-level Yin Fire is quite hard to find. If you’re not lucky, no one might be willing to sell it for years.”
“We’re not short of luck.”
Zi Xiao smiled proudly, patted Su Che on the back, and introduced him, “This is Tian Yu, the top direct disciple of my sect. If he comes here in the future, I hope you’ll take good care of him.”
“The top direct disciple! The greatest genius in the cultivation world!” Yin Ling’s gaze fell on Su Che’s face, and she covered her mouth in surprise, her expression exaggerated but not offensive—perhaps that was one of a beauty’s advantages.
“Tian Yu greets you, fellow cultivator,” Su Che said politely.
Yin Ling giggled, her crescent-shaped eyes becoming even more alluring. “There’s no need for such formality. Just call me sister.”
Su Che simply nodded without saying anything else.
Yin Ling smiled knowingly. Having encountered many people, she immediately realized that this top direct disciple of the Tianxuan Sect was rather traditional in certain aspects and not good at flirting with women.
As a true fox spirit and the attendant of the Lingxiao Tower, Yin Ling had no problem getting close to powerful figures, as such interactions always brought her significant benefits.
Su Che also noticed this and gave Zi Xiao a strangely puzzled look—could it be that Master Zi Xiao was too…?
“What are you staring at?” Zi Xiao replied confidently through telepathy. “A young man without some charm is a waste of his youth. I’m still young—why shouldn’t I do whatever I want?”
Su Che nodded silently, staying neutral.
In the Immortal Prison, Lao He couldn’t help but tease, “An old man in his twenties? Hmph, more like an old scoundrel…”
Zi Xiao added, “Yin Ling, take Tian Yu around. I’ll go up and chat with those old guys.”

“Senior Zixiao, rest assured. I definitely won’t lose your precious disciple,” Yin Ling said with a delicate laugh.
Zixiao then transmitted a message to Su Che: “If you encounter anyone annoying—except those old monsters from the demon race—feel free to curse them at will. Inside the Lingxiao Tower, no one dares to lay a hand on you. I’ll come back for you in a while.”
“Understood,” Su Che replied with a nod.
After finishing the instructions, Zixiao went up to the third floor via the stairs. The tower was filled with countless isolation barriers, rendering divine senses almost useless and making it impossible to detect what was on the upper floors.
Su Che knew well that Master Zixiao was deliberately giving him enough space to move freely, so he wouldn’t feel constrained staying with him all the time. By the time Zixiao came back, everything would be arranged, and they could get down to business.
“Let’s first explore the second floor. This floor mainly sells various magical artifacts. If you have any artifacts you don’t need, you can also leave them here for sale—though they should at least be at the treasure artifact level.”
Yin Ling led the way, intending to show Su Che around the various sales areas on the second floor. After taking a few steps, she suddenly said, “If you refuse to call me sister, then I’ll call you Tianyu Brother. Will you mind?”
Before Su Che could reply, she covered her mouth and giggled playfully.
“Sure,” he agreed, his expression utterly natural, as if even if she called him ‘old man,’ he would still agree.
Yin Ling was slightly stunned. She quickly realized that this human youth seemed like a high-ranking monk who had attained enlightenment centuries ago—his calmness was definitely not feigned.
Thinking this, she grew even more defiant. “He must never have experienced a woman before and doesn’t understand a woman’s charms, that’s why he’s so clueless… I can’t believe that even those Yuan Ying monsters are tempted by my charm. Can’t I get this fool into bed?”
With her vast experience in matters between men and women, she immediately changed her strategy. Her expression shifted abruptly—her earlier flirtatious charm vanished, replaced by a reserved and noble princess-like demeanor.
After that, she showed Su Che around the sales areas, her tone and expression slightly shy yet enthusiastic, with every nuance perfectly controlled.
The sales areas on the second floor of the Lingxiao Tower weren’t open counters like those on the first floor; instead, they were separate, almost independent spaces—categorized by element: water, fire, wood… never mixed together.

This is because all magical artifacts above the treasure artifact level possess a spirit. With different attributes, there will inevitably be strong reactions of mutual restraint and repulsion. If magical artifacts of various types are sold together, it will surely become chaotic, just like a battlefield.

As for magical artifacts, Su Che merely approached them with an attitude of casual interest to broaden his knowledge, with no intention of purchasing any. After all, spiritual treasure-level artifacts were unobtainable, and he already had over a dozen treasure artifacts in the Immortal Prison, which he didn’t need at all.

After visiting three exhibition areas and encountering many strong cultivators from various sects, he entered the fourth fire-type magical artifact area, where he saw two people dressed in the robes of the Taiyi Sect, both at the advanced stage of the Golden Core realm.

Su Che had always paid special attention to those from the Taiyi Sect, especially those at the advanced stage of the Golden Core realm…

Upon closer inspection, Su Che thought to himself, “What a coincidence—I actually ran into that Hao Yuan Da Zun.”

The “Secret Chamber” of the Tianxuan Sect had intelligence-gathering capabilities no less formidable than those of any sect. Su Che had long researched various information about Hao Yuan Da Zun and memorized his appearance through several image crystals.

Su Che sent a message to Yin Ling, “Do you recognize that Hao Yuan Da Zun from the Taiyi Sect?”

“Of course,” Yin Ling nodded. “He’s also a frequent visitor to the Lingxiao Tower and a master alchemist.”

“Are you familiar with him?” Su Che asked insidiously.

Yin Ling replied shyly, “Not very well. He gets along well with another sister here.”

Su Che nodded and didn’t ask further. He simply remembered the important piece of information that “Hao Yuan is a master alchemist.” If, in the next step, the Immortal Prison needed to devour the essence of a master alchemist, then he would be the top candidate!

Since divine consciousness was ineffective inside the Lingxiao Tower, Hao Yuan Da Zun, who was in conversation with someone, hadn’t noticed Su Che yet. Only now did he turn his gaze and spot the two of them.

Cultivators at the Golden Core realm had extraordinary memories, and Hao Yuan Da Zun recognized Su Che instantly. He narrowed his eyes, smiled silently, greeted his companion, and walked over.

Su Che didn’t avoid him and stood still, waiting for him to come over.

Yin Ling had sharp eyesight and could tell from their expressions that there was enmity between them. Such expressions were common in the Floating City.

“More interesting drama to watch,” Yin Ling thought with a smile. The arguments that arose when enemies met in the Floating City were also quite amusing. Moreover, it was usually the weaker ones who shouted the loudest.

After all, in the entire cultivation world, ‘safe zones’ like the Floating City are extremely rare. Here, the weak can vent all the resentment they’ve accumulated through words. With a sharp tongue, one can utterly shame even the strongest opponents, driving them away in anger. So, before Hao Yuan the GreatGreat is translated as GreatGreat. could even approach, Yin Ling sent a message: “Want me to teach you how to curse? I’m very good at it—having heard so much here, I remember almost all kinds of insults.” Su Che was amused by her words and replied via message, “I have nothing to say to him. Even cursing him would be tiresome.” By then, Hao Yuan the GreatGreat is translated as GreatGreat. had already arrived nearby. Without wasting words, he said directly, “I never expected that on our first meeting, I wouldn’t be able to strike you.” Hao Yuan the GreatGreat is translated as GreatGreat. had long known about Su Che becoming the chief disciple of Tian Xuan Sect, but that didn’t diminish his desire to capture him—because reaching the Yuan Ying stage meant more to him than anything else in the world, and he feared nothing for it. Su Che said calmly, “I hope that next time we meet, I’ll still be luckier than you and won’t need to say what you just said.” Hao Yuan the GreatGreat is translated as GreatGreat. laughed, but inwardly, he didn’t see Su Che’s words as a joke. Anyone who earned the title of ‘the greatest genius in the cultivation world’ couldn’t have their words dismissed lightly. Just a year ago, he was only at the middle stage of Foundation Building, but now he was already at the early stage of Golden Core. Who knew what level he would reach by the next meeting? At that moment, Hao Yuan the GreatGreat is translated as GreatGreat. seemed to have an epiphany and murmured, “With an opponent like you, perhaps this itself is an opportunity for me to reach Yuan Ying…” Su Che smiled and said to him, “Whether there’s an opportunity or not makes no difference to you. Because I will definitely reach Yuan Ying before you, and then I’ll come for you. Your life is doomed to never reach Yuan Ying—what’s the use of having an opportunity?” Hao Yuan the GreatGreat is translated as GreatGreat. laughed heartily, but his eyes gleamed with fury, wishing he could kill Su Che on the spot. Yin Ling, standing by, understood everything. It turned out that this pair of enemies were meeting for the first time officially, and since they were in the Floating City, they couldn’t fight. Hao Yuan the GreatGreat is translated as GreatGreat. expressed regret first. Tian Yu, however, said that by the next meeting, his strength would surpass Hao Yuan’s, and he would be the one to strike first. Then, Hao Yuan realized that having an opponent like Tian Yu might just be his chance to reach Yuan Ying—because the rapid growth of his opponent would also stimulate him to unleash his potential and break throughrealm barriers.

Yet, Tianyu’s last words planted another mental demon in Haoyuan’s heart—a difficult-to-overcome psychological shadow. To compete with the top genius in the cultivation world in terms of advancement speed meant immense pressure; such a mental demon, if not overcome, would surely become another barrier to further progress. Forcing the process of forming a fetal stage was absolutely not advisable. If one day Haoyuan were forced to do so under pressure, the outcome would undoubtedly be tragic… This was hardly an opportunity—it was simply a nightmare! Yin Ling couldn’t help but admire inwardly, “His eloquence is as sharp as a Spirit Treasure-grade scraper; indeed, there’s no need to use vulgar language…”