Eloquent Ascent

Seeing Ji Feiyang suddenly retreating from Xu Qi despite already gaining an upper hand, the crowd whispered among themselves.

They also failed to pick up what Xu Qi did.

He weaved his Celestial Eloquence so covertly that they only heard his words but did not see its effect.

Among the inner court disciples, only Xiao Yue had a small smile blooming on her lips. She understood how Xu Qi pushed his opponent back with his words alone. It was a risky move, but she knew that the Celestial Eloquence was a unique technique that could not be easily countered if one didn't know its secrets. It couldn't be categorized as a mental attack but its application also involved it. In Xu Qi's words, it's simply him communicating the primal elements or the qi around him, subjugating them through his words as what was written by the description of the technique.

Elder He, who had been quietly observing from the sidelines, leaned forward, a hint of excitement could barely be seen beneath her stoic expression. She knew that Xu Qi was capable of much more than just charming words. She was looking forward to his growth and knew that he wouldn't fall easily even against someone who was significantly stronger than him.

When she met him for the first time just a little more than a week ago, he was nothing but a first stage Elemental Awakener and someone who lacked any qualifications to advance. And yet, here he was. Within that short time, he rose from a mediocre disciple to a genius that the Wandering Palace hadn't seen in years. However, the drawback was that he was relying on something most orthodox cultivators wouldn't approve of.

If they knew the power of words could be manifested like this. They'd hunt him down before he could grow to threaten them. Even Elder He herself had some apprehensions but she was curious to see it.

She remembered that old Sect Master's word. The one who handed the scroll to her.

'Do you know why our sect is called the Wandering Palace?' He asked.

And the young Elder He shook her head.

With a proud smile, he said, 'Because our Ancestor was the Sage who created that unique cultivation path. Using the power of his words, he recruited powerful cultivators to join his cause in expelling the Underworld Realm forces encroaching upon the realm. Bringing everyone with him, the Wandering Palace traveled across similar realms to our Azure Phoenix that was being attacked by the Underworld, unifying the different forces within those realms and succeeding in his endeavor. Alas, no one from his successors had been able to step into the same path as him. Hence, despite the name of our sect, the Wandering Palace stopped wandering when the Sage Ancestor disappeared to who knows where. I'm handing that to you because I sense a certain destiny is converging around you in the near future. It is unclear yet. However, that scroll itself will be your clue.'

As Elder He stopped her recollection, she closed her eyes and refocused her attention on the young man.

On the battlefield, Xu Qi took the opportunity created by Ji Feiyang's retreat to recover his breath. The primal elements converged around him, swimming into his dantian.

"Miss Ji, your lightning is truly captivating," He said as he dusted his torn robes, showing the sizzling wound on his shoulder with his voice filled with genuine admiration.

He acted unbothered by the pain and then called for the wind to become his excuse.

"But you see, I've also got a knack for swaying the wind in my favor. Now, they play to me the sweetest lullaby that can calm even the wildest of hearts. Even your lightning. What do you think about my method?"

Upon hearing that, Ji Feiyang's grip on her blade tightened, her eyes narrowing. Xu Qi's words implied that his wind was the reason for her lightning to be disturbed. How is that possible?

"Method? Try it again if you can." Ji Feiyang scoffed as she poured out more of her qi, strengthening her resonance with the primal elements of lightning as she charged back in to finish Xu Qi, ignoring the charm brought about by his words.

She had the upper hand. She only needed to capitalize on that. Her Resolute Heart could crack but before that happened, she wanted to win against someone who was supposed to be an easy opponent to her.

As someone who had started to understand more about the elements by conversing with them, Xu Qi's brows flickered as he saw lightning within her sword joining hands to prevent themselves from being swayed by him.

But that only made him smirk.

It was a challenge he wanted to overcome.

His Elemental Whisperer Realm's uniqueness needed more trial and error for him to fully unleash its potential. Now here's Ji Feiyang, an oblivious yet willing participant to test whatever he was hiding.

He whispered to the air, "Gentle breeze, can you all whisper sweet nothings into Miss Ji's ear? Let her understand that even the mightiest lightning storms obey the whispers of the wind."

As his soothing voice spread across the stage, the crowd of spectators and JI Feiyang found themselves at a loss.

Almost instantly, the path of lightning created by Ji Feiyang was disrupted as if she hit an invisible wall. She broke through it but her momentum had significantly decreased.

Xu Qi naturally kept his voice to a minimum but this would be his first time fully utilizing his whispers.

Rather than mumbles, a coherent command was proven stronger when it came to coercing them into servitude. Just like that first time he whispered to the primal elements.

However, he knew the risk. He couldn't let the insightful eyes of the high-level cultivators figure out the deepest intricacy of his compatibility with the primal elements.

"Miss Ji," Xu Qi called out, his voice as smooth as silk. "Your lightning is fierce, but I'm afraid I have to show you the result of my training. I spent more than six hours practicing this martial art yesterday, you see. Thanks to my lovely Ling Lian."

As flirty as he sounded while still mentioning another woman's name, Ji Feiyang couldn't help but stare at Xu Qi in a mesmerized state.

He started performing the basic movements of the Wind Whisper Art with more elegance than before. The wind around him grew stronger, wrapping him in a bubble of invisible protection, making his robes flutter dramatically. His movements were swift and precise yet looked sharp and deadly, leaving no room for error.

 When the distance between them zeroed, Xu Qi gracefully avoided each strike of her lightning-infused blade, showcasing to the crowd an elegant dance that was supposed to be impossible

"That's a basic martial art. What can that do?!" Ji Feiyang's voice echoed with skepticism. She infused more of her qi to try and hit Xu Qi again.

She was successful but not quite. With ten swings or stabs from her wooden blade, Xu Qi effortlessly evaded eight; the other two barely hit him leaving without a lasting impact.

Her only edge here was the fact that she was two stages higher than Xu Qi's cultivation. If he was also a fifth stage, Ji Feiyang believed her lauded skill in speed and precision would be overtaken by Xu Qi.