Li Yang and Mei Kongxu left the stadium side by side, one wearing a cheeky grin while the other maintained her usual cold and somewhat aloof expression. They headed for the same entrance Li Yang used at the start, but something flew through the air and stopped in front of Li Yang just as they were about to enter the arched hallway. A light blue ring hovered in front of Li Yang, the voice of his father booming within his ears.

"You must at least look presentable while showing someone else around. Come to me once the people from the World-rending Behemoth sect have left, I will bestow upon you a reward for your display."

Li Tian's voice was perfectly calm, as if he had already expected the turn of event. Li Yang wasn't surprised at his father's calmness, if someone as strong as him hadn't been able to tell that Li Yang was just hiding his strength then it would surely be a bit too disappointing. Li Yang snagged the ring and slid it on, inserting a bit of his Qi into it to form a seal so that only he could use it.

A quick inspection of the ring showed that it only contained a wooden plaque he could use to visit his father as well as a single clean robe. His father didn't say anything about wanting the ring back so Li Yang didn't even bother asking and just unceremoniously kept it, swiping the new ring and immediately donning the new robe.

The robe was deep purple and the entire back of it was covered in golden threads that formed the image of a nine-headed hydra. The robe made it seems as if Li Yang's cheeky grin was more confident and heroic, rather than its usual playfulness. But even that illusion was swiftly shattered as Li Yang stretched out his arms and spun around as if he was trying to show off.

"What do ya think, enough to make you swoon isn't it? It's fine if you want to fall for me, I wouldn't mind giving a rump that soft a few thousand more slaps. And if you prefer to give rather than take, hey, I'm open for that as well if you just ask me nicely."

Mei Kongxu's entire body jolted when Li Yang made his shameless statement. She was able to mostly ignore his earlier statements, but he seemed to be ramping it up to see just where her breaking point was, making it harder and harder to hold herself back. But luckily, she felt like she had just the thing to rein him in, giving him a sideways glare.

"Do you want to head back down to the stage for another beating, is that what you're trying to say?"

He might have joked about his fragile pride earlier, but Mei Kongxu could feel that he was actually an immensely prideful person, he was just hiding it deep down most of the time. He was already beaten twice by her, the prospects of getting beaten so publicly for a third time should be more than enough to quiet him down. Sadly, she had underestimated Li Yang's desire to tease her, underestimated just how much he wanted to see what it took to completely crush that boring look and expression she constantly wore.

"Oh, so you do actually prefer to give rather than take. Well, I already said that's fine by me, so here you go, have a good feel. Don't worry, you can use both hands if you want, I can handle it."

Li Yang stopped spinning and pushed his buttocks towards Mei Kongxu as he spoke, wiggling it as if to entice her. Mei Kongxu's vision instantly blackened as Li Yang shook his rear, her fingers twitching as her Qi burst forth. Li Yang's legs were knocked out from underneath him as the air itself was caught up in Mei Kongxu's law of spinning.

She emulated what he did to her, creating a multitude of small areas where the wind was twisting to push Li Yang into a continuous cartwheel so that he would finally be quiet. But Li Yang once again disappointed her, placing his hands on the ground the moment he was turned upside down and using his law of gravity to force himself down to the ground.

He negated the spinning wind with his gravity, creating very small fields where gravity flowed in the opposite direction of the twist. He then spun as if he was breakdancing, knocking Mei Kongxu's legs out from underneath her while simultaneously standing up. He returned to his normal upright position and stretched out his arms, catching the still falling Mei Kongxu in a bridal carry.

"Oh, you wanted to get carried? Well, why didn't you just say so, there's no way I can reject the request of such a beauty."

Li Yang's law of speed allowed him to move so swiftly that Mei Kongxu simply didn't have the time to straighten herself up before he caught her. But Li Yang let go of Mei Kongxu the moment he finished talking, his beaming smile twitching slightly. Her hand had been reaching for his groins, but the faint scent of decay accompanying her hand told him that she wasn't about to get frisky with him.

"Right then, shall we go look at some seafood?"

Li Yang casually started to walk again while folding his hands behind his back, acting so casually that Mei Kongxu felt like hitting him. She took a deep breath and regained her calm, the corners of her lips imperceptively turning up. She couldn't deny that Li Yang was at least funny, time and time again he cracked her cool and her calm, and he did it so easily that it seemed like second nature to him.

The two left the arena part of the stadium and arrived in a large room filled with small spatial arrays. Li Yang guided her to one of the spatial arrays and activated it, the two vanishing from the stadium and arriving in one of the four cities that existed on the island. These four cities not only connected the island-based sect with the rest of the world but it also served as a place for the sect-members to relax and enjoy some entertainment if they wished for a break.

The cities once started as no more than a few small huts from back when the sect was first founded, they grew as the sect did, eventually becoming splendid cities that the sect could show off with pride. The buildings came in all sort of shapes and sizes, each one unique and decorated with coral or some aquatic plants that had been preserved in their blooming state.

Li Yang escorted Mei Kongxu through the streets, occasionally stealing glances at her slightly gleaming eyes. She tried to hide it but it was clear that this was her first time being near the ocean, she couldn't keep her eyes off of the coral and aquatic plants, her gaze occasionally drifting towards the glimpses of the ocean you could see in the gaps between some buildings. Li Yang smirked slightly at the sight, grabbing one of the dishes that one of the stands close to them was selling and holding it up in front of Mei Kongxu.

"See, that's a much better look than the droll one you seem to wear at all other times. If you could stay like that I might actually fall for you and give you all the spankings you want. But until then, here, one of our most famous gourmet dishes."

The dish Li Yang shoved into her face could hardly be called gourmet, it was a sea-cucumber stuffed with a sweet and salty sauce made from melon. Mei Kongxu only barely got the chance to see the shape of the sea-cucumber before Li Yang gave it a squeeze, launching all the sauce within it at Mei Kongxu.

But the slightly crimson and sticky sauce never reached Mei Kongxu, it was swept up in a sudden gust of wind that gathered the sauce into a ball and blew it away. The ball was blown over to the person who had controlled the wind, a handsome young man with ashen hair and light brown eyes, a light green robe covering his body. The man, a member of the Deepsea King sect, had the ball of sauce hover above his hand as he directed a charming smile at Li Yang and Mei Kongxu.

"Really, Sect Brother Yang, you even bother with such base and tasteless jokes? Well, you don't really bother with cultivation so I guess jokes like this are more suited to you. Young Lady, you don't need to put up with this fellow's low antics, you also shouldn't believe anything he has told you. He might be a member of our exalted Deepsea King sect, but he doesn't bother with cultivation and just plays around all day, he truly isn't worth your time. I, however, have already reached the middle-stage of the Human Rune realm and have carved five runes after only three short years, I am guaranteed to become an inner disciple next year. And I would be honoured if you would spend the day with me, I can assure you that it will be much better than following a fellow who can only barely hold onto his position as an Inner Disciple."

The youth, Jue Dong, gave a slight bow while maintaining his charming smile, gracefully introducing himself. The Deepsea King sect had four different types of disciples, the 10 Core Disciples, the Inner Disciples, the Outer Disciples, and the Provisional Disciples. The Provisional Disciples were newly acquired disciples that could lose their rank if they didn't prove their skills while the Outer Disciples were people with lower cultivation or familial status.

Inner Disciples were those with higher cultivation or stronger familial ties, Li Yang, for example, was only considered an Inner Disciple thanks to his father. The Core Disciples were the greatest elite of the sect, they studied directly under one of the elders or even the patriarch himself, many of them were even stronger than some of the weaker elders, or at least the elders ranked below the 10th position.

Li Yang looked at Jue Dong with great amusement, glancing sideways at Mei Kongxu to see how she would react. But contrary to all his expectations, she actually looked somewhat revolted at Jue Dong's actions. Giving it a bit more thought made him realize that she had probably been approached like this countless times in her own sect, she was quite the beauty after all. Jue Dong raised his head again after finishing his introduction, Li Yang taking this opportunity to lean so close to Mei Kongxu that their ears were practically touching as he pretended to whisper.

"I...I don't think he knows? Should we tell him? It might break his heart, I mean, just look at the kid, he looks like a lost puppy. Do we wanna break the heart of a lost puppy like that, do we have so little empathy? I mean, he might just start crying here, he might even cry so much that he pisses his pants. Do we need to clean that up if that happens? Would it be considered our responsibility?"

Mei Kongxu rolled her eyes and pushed Li Yang's head away, but he saw the very faint amusement visible within her upturned lips so he chalked it up as a win in his book. Li Yang was just pretending to be whispering, he barely bothered to lower his volume, allowing Jue Dong to hear every single word he spoke. Jue Dong's eyebrows immediately ticked up as his expression froze, fiercely stepping forward.

"What?! Come here, I dare you to say that to my face! Come, say it! Prove that you've at least got some guts before I show you why you shouldn't insult your future superiors! Please forgive me, My Lady, I must show you something unsightly before we can go and enjoy ourselves without this base thing."

Jue Dong reached for Li Yang's collar, Mei Kongxu not even bothering to acknowledge his existence despite his flattering words. But the moment he tried to grasp Li Yang's collar, he felt his legs vanish from underneath him as Li Yang kicked them from the side. His body was immediately kicked into a horizontal position in the air, Li Yang's knee rising up and smashing into Jue Dong's exposed abdomen so that he was launched higher into the air.

Li Yang jumped into the air after him and immediately caught up, flipping into a somersault and smashing his heel into Jue Dong's back. The attack knocked all the air out of his lungs and sent him crashing towards the ground, Li Yang increasing the gravity slightly so that Jue Dong hit the ground harder than he should have.

Li Yang himself then landed on the ground and heavily sat down on Jue Dong's back, his right hand stretching out and using a field of attractive gravity to gather up all the sticky sauce that had scattered again. He pulled on Jue Dong's collar and stuffed half the sauce down his back, rubbing the other half of the sauce into Jue Dong's ashen hair while talking.

"You shouldn't insult your future superiors like that, it might end with you getting a beating. Now, is the lost puppy gonna start crying, maybe piss his pants a little? Did we break the heart of the lost puppy? Or are you going to be a good little puppy and scamper off? This base person still has to escort 'Your Lady' around for a bit longer."

Li Yang did not mind rubbing salt into Jue Dong's wounds by insulting him, it was the least he could do when Jue Dong was acting so insufferably just because he was going to become an Inner Disciple. Jue Dong couldn't say anything, the air had yet to return to his lungs after the kick to his back. He grit his teeth and raised his head to protest, or at least drag Mei Kongxu into this, but hearing a very soft giggling sound from Mei Kongxu made him realize that she would just side with Li Yang even if he dragged her into this. And to make things even worse for him, Li Yang let out a short whistle as Mei Kongxu laughed.

"Ey, you laughed again. That's twice today already so I must be doing something right. But I gotta say, Fairy Sister, if you keep smiling like that then I really will end up falling for you, it suits you a few thousands of times better than your usual boring expression."

Not only had Li Yang beaten him down and dirtied him, now he was even sitting on his back while teasing and flirting with a woman right in front of him. Jue Dong felt his entire face burning from shame, but Li Yang stopped bothering with him and got up from his back, only sparing him a single sideways glance that told him what he had to do.

Jue Dong grit his teeth so hard that they felt like they were about to break but knew that there was nothing he could do. He got up and quickly scurried away to clean his hair and robe, casting a few vicious glares at Li Yang while he was hurrying away. Li Yang didn't bother with Jue Dong or his thoughts, continuing to guide Mei Kongxu while doing his best to force more laughter out of her.

A good portion of the day had already passed while they were observing the sparring matches so the sun set as he was escorting her, the entire city lighting up with lamps placed on each building. Thanks to this he could escort her all the way through the night, only returning her to the people from the World-rending Behemoth sect when the sun started to rise again.

The sparring matches had ended and the sects had announced Li Yang's and Mei Kongxu's engagement while the two were out touring the city so the World-rending Behemoth sect had completed what they came for. They were going to return to their own sect, but Li Yang was informed that he and some people from the Deepsea King sect would head over to the World-rending Behemoth sect in a month's time to return the favour, engaging in a few sparring matches while announcing the matter of his engagement. Thanks to this, Li Yang only gave Mei Kongxu a quick and cheeky farewell.

"Alright, I'll see ya in a month. Don't miss me so much that you end up getting frisky with yourself at night, leave that to me when we meet again."

Mei Kongxu's vision once again went black as she assaulted Li Yang, in front of everyone this time. But he dealt with her as easily as he did previously, flipping her into a bridal carry so that it looked like they were just flirting all along. She and the rest of her people then used a special spatial array to return to their sect, Li Yang carefreely using the wooden plaque his father had given him.

The plaque teleported him to his father's office, Li Tian already sitting behind his desk again with a new stack of documents. Running a sect wasn't easy, the higher-ranked elders were always swamped with work so that the younger disciples could have slightly easier lives. He raised his gaze slightly when Li Yang arrived, an appreciative light in his eyes as he nodded his head.

"I knew you wouldn't disappoint me, but don't get lax just because you've stopped hiding your strength. I've already prepared a spot for you in the upcoming Stars Ascension competition, you might die if you are too weak."

The Stars Ascension Competition was the name given to the grand competition that encompassed the 100 largest organizations on the planet. It was a place for all the organizations to show off their younger disciples and their skills, it would also be used to decide the rankings of the various younger disciples of the organizations.

The competition was still a year off but all the organizations were preparing for it with all their heart, not willing to make a fool of themselves. Li Yang nodded his head seriously, Li Tian flicking his wrist and throwing over something that looked like an extremely glistening bone.

"That is one of our sect's most well-hidden secrets, don't let anyone see that you have it. You focus mostly on martial arts rather than weapons so you need to make sure to cultivate your body to best utilize your skills. That bone contains the Heavenly Queen's 1st Star, the first part of the Heavenly Queen's body cultivation technique. That part only focuses on cultivating the bones but it's still better than the other body cultivation manuals you can find in our archives."

Li Yang curiously studied the bone, which seemed to be the humerus, his pupils contracting when he heard what sort of technique it supposedly contained. The Heavenly Queen was among the peak experts of the universe, she had reached such a realm that she was only below the gods ruling the various elements and concepts.

She was so highly sought after that the number of people vying for her hand in marriage had reached an uncountable number. This resulted in her going into hiding many years ago to get some peace, the last known sigthing of her was already a bit over 100 000 years ago. Li Tian looked at Li Yang with an exceedingly serious gaze, throwing him a box that seemed to be made from burnt wood, traces of lightning still visible on the edges of the box.

"I repeat, don't let anyone see or know that you have it, the skills of the Heavenly Queen will arouse greed in even the noblest heart, our entire sect could be attacked if news came out that we have such a thing, had I not found it during one of my travels long ago we would not be qualified to have such a thing. Always keep it within that box and only take it out when you are 100% confident that no one will be able to see it."

Li Yang once again nodded his head seriously and placed the bone into the box, closing it shut and putting it into his interspatial ring. Li Tian then gave Li Yang a few more reminders about the upcoming sparring matches in the World-rending Behemoth sect and then sent him on his way, Li Yang giving him a polite bow before leaving to study the body cultivation technique.