Chapter 6

• "Miranda? I haven't seen you for long, and it seems that your fashion sense has downgraded." Jack had a smile plastered on his face, but the look in his eyes was unfriendly. Instead of being stunned by her beauty, he was disgusted. In his eyes, she was just an ostentatious, flirtatious woman!
• "Where are you looking at?" Miranda refuted.
• "You are barely covering your body. You can't blame me for looking. In fact, I think I should take a few more glances. If not, it would be such a waste of your effort to dress in such a flamboyant way," Jack stated sarcastically as he placed his stone jar on the ground.
• "You self-righteous little fellow."
• Jack ignored her remark and continued mockingly, "You're dressed up today. Why did you come here instead of seducing the junior master? Let me be clear, I'm not interested in a vixen like you."
• "You sure have a sharp mouth." Miranda's expression was slightly indifferent. She walked out of the dense forest with a smirk and said, "With your temper, you're really lucky to survive until now."
• "You don't have to worry about me. Where is your idiot brother hiding? Tell him to get out of his hiding spots," hissed Mike.
• "Mike, why do you have to be so arrogant?" Liam stepped out from the trees behind Miranda with a simper. He intended to have Miranda teach Jack a lesson the previous night. But there were other things she had to deal with and so it was delayed until now.
• "You do have the aura of being in the third stage of the Spiritual Martial Realm. I'm surprised I must say. No wonder you've isolated yourself the past few months. It turns out that you've been secretly cultivating in that warehouse." Miranda was an elegant person and her body swayed gracefully as she paced towards Mike. However, no elegance of hers couldn't conceal the mockery in her eyes and words. "You've worked hard for a few months to reach the third stage of the Spiritual Martial Realm, but you couldn't still beat my brother in other aspects. Moreover, you were humiliated in public and left in embarrassment. Not only did Liam pass the test, but he also won first place. And because of that, the elders have been looking after him. You just have to acknowledge the gap between you and him."
• "Let me guess, you guys were the ones who instructed Done to mess up the list, right?" confronted Jack calmy. He was not afraid of the Zhao siblings, and he had no intention of running away.
• Miranda replied, "You're quite lucky today. You didn't get kicked out of the hot spring area. Nor did you get detained after entering Herb Mountain. I have to admit that I'm a
• little impressed." "Your tricks might seem flawless, but is that all you can do? Tell me, how should we play it today?" asked Mike.
• "Aren't you scared?" Miranda prompted curiously. Her delicate body was like a willow in the breeze, every expression of hers charming. She was already so beautiful at such a young age. It couldn't be imagined the calamity her beauty might bring to her in the future.
• "He's just pretending to be poised, Miranda," said Liam. "Mike, drop the act. Don't think that you could leave here unscathed. Kneel and kowtow to me, then maybe you can suffer less. Well, only if I decide to show you some mercy." Liam had to vent his anger this time; otherwise, he wouldn't be able to focus on practicing martial arts even if he entered the Martial Ancestor Tower.
• Jack snorted in response, "Oh, you don't have to worry. I won't kneel, and I will never kneel. Not even at your funeral."
• "Trust me. I will make you kneel." Liam glared at Jack with hatred.
• Miranda then spoke, "Mike, I actually admire you. Many personal disciples have been paying attention to you since yesterday."
• "Really? That's my honor." Jack tittered.
• She added, "I don't have a grudge against you, and I don't want things to get out of hand . I come to you today with a proposal. Would you like to hear me out?"
• "Miranda!" Liam frowned at her words.
• Miranda broke into an enticing smile as she uttered, "All you have to do is return the Spiritual Pearly Grass to Liam. Then, bow to him and admit your mistake. You won't have to kneel."
• Jack peered at her and questioned, "It can't be that simple. What's the catch here?"
• "Break your left arm and make it look like you had met an accident." Miranda's smile widened, her words laced with cruelty. She truly hadn't taken Jack seriously before, but when the latter suddenly reached the Spiritual Martial Realm, she and many others were shocked. Besides, it was very likely that Jack had achieved that all by himself and without Daria's help. He had once again proved his talent to the Blue Cloud Sect, and it was said that he had attracted the attention of many elders and personal disciples.
• Hearing this, Liam grinned sinisterly. Yes, here she was, the sister who had always doted on him. Incapacitating Jack and restricting his progress in cultivation was an act of much better revenge than giving him a good beating.
• "I've already eaten the Spiritual Pearly Grass," Jack stated. He knew that Miranda would not give in so easily. She was never a kind person to begin with.
• "So, there's no room for negotiation?" Miranda sniggered.
• "It's never my intention to even have a conversation with you two," Jack replied.
• "Don't be so recalcitrant, Mike. You know our identities. Even if we fracture both of your hands, we will only receive some form of punishment. We will never be ousted."
• "Alright, drop the nonsense. I'll take it no matter what tricks you want to play."
• Miranda chuckled. "Where did you get that confidence? You're just at the third stage of the Spiritual Martial Realm, yet you want to challenge me. Do you take me as an ordinary disciple?"
• Just then, a few disciples passed by, laughing. They were surprised to see the scene, but they didn't want to get involved, lest they be caught in trouble. Hence, they quickly left without hesitation.
• Liam said impatiently, "Miranda, don't waste time talking to him. Finish him as soon as possible."
• Miranda whistled casually, her red lips forming a charming grin. "One way or another , you'll lose your left hand. Do you want to do it yourself, or shall I help you?"
• "Here you go. Come and disable it if you can. Otherwise, get out of my sight." Jack nonchalantly stretched out his left hand while placing his right hand behind his back. "How arrogant. Miranda, let's teach him a lesson." Liam was infuriated by Mike's pretense. This fellow was too egotistic. He could not wait to see Jack kneeling in front of him and begging for mercy.
• "Do you really think you can be so full of yourself just because you've entered the Spiritual Martial Realm? You are just a joke in our eyes." While speaking, Miranda shuffled toward Jack with light steps. At the same time, balls of flames started to spiral between her fair hands.
• It was the Fire-Cloud Palm, a middle-grade martial art of the spirit level.
• Although Liam had performed this martial art the day before, the scale, the temperature, and the way he used the flames were far inferior to Miranda, who was at the sixth stage of the Spiritual Martial Realm.
• "You still have the chance to go back on your words." Miranda's smile remained bright and warm when she suddenly clenched her hands and the ignited flames became fiercer. It looked as though there were two blazing snakes coiling around her hands.
• "If you want to fight, then I'll fight with you to the end!" Sensing the imminent danger, Jack slowly rolled his left hand into a fist. His knuckles turned white, and the veins resurfaced on both his arm and wrist.
• Seeing this, Liam shouted from the side.
• "Be careful, Miranda. Jack is very strong.
• Miranda barked, "Mike, you're really a barbarian. Do you want to use your brute force to resist me?"
• "How sad you are to have reached such a realm without any martial arts technique," Liam added, his voice louder this time.
• "Miranda, torture him! Show him the real strength of the Spiritual Martial Realm and let him taste the power of a personal disciple!"
• Miranda found Mike's stubbornness rather disdainful. She waved her hands, and the flames rose again as she rushed toward Jack gracefully. "It's a pity that the sinner is soon to become a handicap."
• Her body and her steps were as light as feathers. She was like a fleeing flaring snake, shifting left and right in swift motions.
• She was being careful and had prepared to use only one move to defeat Mike, lest he have any chance to fight back. She knew that Jack had amazing brute force. Two years ago, when he was in the Spirit Tempering Realm, Jack had beaten a disciple who was at the first stage of the Spiritual Martial Realm.
• "Destroy him!" Liam bellowed as he watched from the side.
• Jack didn't move to dodge her attack. With his gaze as sharp as that of an eagle, he stared at Miranda. After a while, Miranda suddenly rose from the left side, launching an attack with a killer move, showing no mercy at all. Jack scoffed before he abruptly revealed his right hand from behind his back. In his grip was a shining flying dagger, which he swung in Miranda's direction forcefully.
• Mike's power was enormous. He had been storing his energy, which was around six to seven hundred jin.
• "Huh?" Miranda responded very quickly at Mike's sudden attack. She flipped in the air, trying to avoid the flying dagger.
• Her red clothes and flames made appear like a soaring phoenix.
• However...
• The flying dagger did not go in a straight line but it took an arc-shaped tragectory. It was spinning at a high speed, like a meat grinder at maximum power. It cut through the side of Miranda's ribs in a split second.
• A ripping noise rang out in the air.
• A large part of her fiery long dress was torn, and her tube top and fair skin were exposed from the side of her chest up to her waist. The flying dagger rotated in the air and sliced her again, leaving two bloody scars at each side of her ribs.
• "Ah!" Miranda exclaimed in surprise. Her exposed skin and the sharp pain made her panic, affecting the speed of her next attack.
• "Miranda, you have quite fair skin!" Mike's gaze was cold and fierce. Taking advantage of the situation, he leapt from the ground while clenching his left fist. He then landed a firm blow on Miranda's head.
• Ruthless, he did it without any hesitation.
• He had no time to care about the fact that Miranda was a female. This vicious woman was determined to sever his arms. What else was there to be concerned about?
• With a muffled bang, Miranda was sent flying away before she could even react. She fell more than ten meters in the distance and staggered for many steps before she could steady herself on her feet. Her long dress moved with the breeze that coursed past her; her snow-white skin and graceful figure were certainly sensual reveries. Her wounds were not serious but they kept bleeding. Her head was buzzing, making her dizzy. Her body wobbled; her vision was blurry.
• All it took was one punch from Mike, and Miranda was already rattled; Liam felt a chill running down his spine as he witnessed the scene. The madman Jack had actually hurt his sister. Liam wondered how that was possible!
• "Idiot! Without martial arts, I can still defeat you." Jack rushed at Miranda again like a charging tiger. Although his stage was not as high as Miranda's, he used his strength and experiences to make up for his lack of proper martial arts.
• There was no fear in his bright eyes as he raced towards Miranda at a terrifying speed.
• "Miranda! Be careful!" Liam cried out.
• Miranda shook her head to clear her head before she quickly covered her torn clothes. She hissed, "How dare you! I'll make you pay!"
• She was extremely furious. She had not been humiliated like this before.
• "You can try!" Mike's fighting spirit surged like a tsunami. Like a raging cheetah, he stormed towards Miranda. His fists, like raindrops, hit heavily on Miranda continuously. So what if he did not possess any martial art techniques? He had his Spiritual Power anyway. The lightning crackled all over his torso before he gathered it in his hands. The accumulated energy was blistering with a strong force at his fingertips.
• Mike's savage fighting style forced Miranda to retreat. Caught in an embarrassing situation, she screamed in fright. Her now scarlet clothes were once again torn open by the lightning.
• "Mike, how can you hit a woman?" Liam gasped in horror. The fiery scene caused his scalp to tingle as he watched Jack getting crazier with every passing second.
• "You are the ones who were bullying the weak!" Jack hit Miranda's delicate face, almost causing the latter to lose her balance. The slapping sound echoed in the forest.
• "Go to hell!" Miranda shrieked and threw out the Fire-Cloud Palm regardless of the situation. Her palms were flaring like a poisonous snake coming out of its hole. She pushed away Mike's fierce attacks with one hand before her palm hit his chest.
• As if struck by lightning, Jack fell onto the ground instantly. His clothes were burnt, and there was a blood-red palm print on his chest dripping with blood.
• However, before Miranda could fight Jack off, he gritted his teeth and threw another flying dagger. The dagger stabbed into Miranda's left shoulder accurately, deeply piercing into her skin and flesh.
• The force of the dagger was so powerful that Miranda stumbled backward and collided against a tree.
• Liam was unable to accept what he was seeing. Miranda was a strong martial artist at the sixth stage of the Spiritual Martial Realm. It wasn't uncommon for a martial artist from the Blue Cloud Sect to challenge those of a higher stage in the Spiritual Martial Realm. Anyone who was more ambitious and experienced enough would, anyway, win the race. The strength of their martial arts techniques would allow them to throw their opponent off. But still, Miranda was at least three stages ahead of Mike's. How could Jack have beaten her?
• "Miranda, are you alright?" Liam asked worriedly as he quickly held her up.
• Miranda stared at Jack angrily. Her clothes were torn and her hair was disheveled, making her look like an utter mess. Her left shoulder was pierced through by the dagger; the force had almost ripped her arm off from its shoulder joint. The pain was unbearable and her face was turning pallid.
• She had already overestimated Mike's strength, but she did not expect that she would still be severely injured.
• Both Liam and Miranda were unable to accept the reality.