In a lake within the forest a man and a woman stood silently as they faced each other a few meters distance apart. Their clothes were dancing in the wind with their hair flowing about like immortals preparing for battle. A deep hue of azure blanketed the sky as the day was currently at its peak.

The sun beamed its rays across the entire mountain range. The lights shone through the trees illuminating their figures underneath as colorful insects flew about at the edges of the lake.

Feng Yu, who noticed that the situation might have taken a better turn, finally let out a sigh of relief. He looked towards Fu Ling carefully and inquired.

"Miss Fu, how do you wish for us to solve this problem?" He asked in a polite tone.

The girls, now observing from the lakeside, focused their visions on Fu Ling with an unusual expression. Aunty Shuan, who was watching, also had a strange glint in her eyes.

As Fu Ling looked towards Feng Yu, she smiled sweetly then replied, "Daoist Feng, as I am a part of a Family Clan, there are customs that I must abide by. Not doing so will only lead to me paying severe consequences. As such, I will give you a choice through using another means. If you wish to avoid our marriage, then all you have to do is defeat me in a duel to death, do so and you will earn the right to your freedom."

Upon saying this, her sweet smile soon changed, replacing her expression to that of a serious and determined one. As he heard Fu Ling's response and noting her firm appearance, Feng Yu soon realized that no matter which route he wanted to take, it would not lead to either her or the other females changing their minds.

Quickly, Feng Yu cleared his thoughts and made his decision. He looked at Fu Ling staring intensely into her eyes as he replied: "Fine! I will accept your terms,

Miss Fu. When do you wish to do this battle?"

After getting his confirmation Fu Ling’er's serious expression soon lightened up. She smiled and replied, "Great! Daoist Feng, Hmm, my aunt said that you are about 15 years of age which means it hasn't been long since you reached that age. Seeing as we are about the same age, how about we have a match right now? If you can persist my offensive for the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, then you would have deemed yourself worthy of the death battle."

Feng Yu who was feeling confident in himself smiled and replied: "As you wish! Let us test each of our skills then, Miss Fu." He swiftly postured his body for combat assuming the mantis stance of the .

Noticing her opponent's stance Fu Ling's eyes light up as an excited look came over her face. It seemed as if she enjoyed fighting very much. After closing her eyes, she stood in the lake without assuming any particular stance as her hands were placed by her sides. She then turned them to face Feng Yu's direction as she slowly started to spread her hands out a little distance away from her side.

Swish! Swish! Swish! Swish! Swish!

Suddenly, five small objects flew out of her sleeves and started to rotate around her form, before coming to a stop at all corners. These objects were lustrous crystals in the shape of round balls, each being the size of a fist. Carved on each of their surfaces were a variety of unique characters:

火 - huǒ, 水 - shuǐ, 金 - jīn, 土 - tǔ, 木- mù.

The colors of these crystals were scarlet, azure, gold, earthen, and emerald.

Seeing these small crystals surrounding Fu Ling's body, Feng Yu was shocked "An Elemental Charmist that controls Five Elements!! Such an incredible talent! I thought they only existed in legend! How could one appear in modern times?" He looked at Fu Ling's trance-like state, and a solemn expression soon appeared on his face.

"Sigh, it looks like this will not be an easy battle. I've underestimated the talents that exist in this world." Feng Yu thought as he started to gather the power of his essence while maintaining his stance.

As if stimulated by Feng Yu gathering his essence energy, Fu Ling's eyes that were closed abruptly opened.

BANG! BANG!

Two Essence energies erupted simultaneously throughout the area, causing the lake to ripple scattering about large waves from its center that traveled towards the hedges and trees surrounding it. A few of the smaller boulders, that were residing within the lake, were washed away and sent soaring through the air as they smashed through tall shrubberies colliding into tall trees.

Aunty Shuan, observing the situation, waved her hands and formed an aura barrier that blocked all the waves and objects that were scattered from the lake.

Sensing the amount of essence energy within Fu Ling's body, Feng Yu was surprised, "Strange! She is only at the mid-level of 7 Tier Body Training realm. Why is it that her essence has the same concentration as that of a Body Training Realm cultivator around the mid-level of an 8 Tier?"

Pondering for a bit, he realized, "Could it be that she has practiced a Mystical Tier Cultivation Technique? Interesting. My Nirvana Flame Cultivation Technique focuses on strength incrementation while hers focuses on a warrior’s essence quantity."

Fu Ling’er's gaze soon focused back towards Feng Yu. Inspecting his aura, she smiled, "Hmm, it looks like your strength is only at the peak of the Bone Refining Stage of Body Training. You won't be able to fight me if you don't use your bloodline."

Feng Yu smiled as he gestured with his right palm, "No need to worry about that Miss Fu! Ladies First!"

As she heard Feng Yu's statement, Fu ling frowned. She lifted her right hand towards Feng Yu and motioned her index finger drawing the symbol (水) with her essence energy.

____

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