Spells Grinding: From Basic Sparks to Divine Arts

Chapter 248: One Against Three

The mid-air battle was a thunderous spectacle. Booming impacts echoed across the sky as silhouettes violently clashed and separated. Cultivators passing through the city gates stopped in their tracks, craning their necks to watch the explosive display.

Against all expectations, the black-clad youth wasn’t losing ground against the combined assault of three late Foundation Establishment experts. Instead, he was fighting them to a standstill.

The scene left the crowd wide-eyed and buzzing with adrenaline.

Qin Lu, however, wasn’t paying attention to the fireworks. His gaze was fixed near the city wall.

There stood a woman of enchanting allure. Her posture was relaxed, a faint, amused smile playing on her exquisite features as she watched the lethal struggle above. The graceful curve of her snow-white neck was enough to make any man’s heart race, but Qin Lu only felt a cold knot form in his stomach.

It was Liu Qingyan.

She’s standing there watching a death match like it’s a theatrical performance, Qin Lu muttered inwardly, his wariness spiking. This whole mess started because of her.

Ultimately, the conflict had ignited because Liu Qingyan took a fancy to Tang Bai’s forging materials. The three young masters, eager to act as her sycophantic vanguard, had ambushed the youth. Yet, as both sides fought to the death, the femme fatale remained utterly serene, without the slightest intention of intervening.

She was a walking disaster—the worst kind of Peach Blossom Luck.

As if sensing his scrutiny, Liu Qingyan suddenly turned her head toward him. Before their eyes could meet, Qin Lu sharply averted his gaze, locking his attention onto the aerial battle. He wanted absolutely nothing to do with this woman.

“Boom—!”

Up above, the collisions grew increasingly violent, sparking a frenzy of gossip among the spectating Loose Cultivators.

“Heavens, how is that kid so strong?”

“I know him! That’s Tang Bai. He’s a Loose Cultivator, but he recently caused a massive uproar down in the southern reaches…”

“What did he do?”

“He stumbled across some injustice and stepped in to save a mortal girl. To protect her, he single-handedly tore through the entire Fengyun Manor before walking away unscathed!”

“Fengyun Manor? Isn’t their Headmaster at Foundation Establishment Perfection? Tang Bai beat him?”

“Beat him? He smashed the Headmaster into the dirt! He even crushed the sect’s combined battle formation of Foundation Establishment elders. His combat power is monstrous!”

“An absolute genius of his generation…”

The crowd murmured in awe, speaking of Tang Bai as if witnessing the birth of a new legend.

Qin Lu tuned out the chatter. His eyes were locked on Tang Bai—specifically, on the monolithic black greatsword in the youth’s grasp.

Wait. That sword is different from a few days ago. There’s a familiar Spiritual Qi rippling off it… Is that…? A realization dawned on him.

As the battle dragged on, Tang Bai’s momentum only grew more oppressive. The greatsword, wreathed in roaring flames, cleaved through the air with the howling force of a hurricane. He wasn’t relying on speed; every swing carried bone-crushing weight. Even a coordinated three-pronged assault couldn’t penetrate his defense or withstand his sheer impact.

Qin Lu was genuinely impressed. All four combatants were at the late Foundation Establishment stage. Yet Tang Bai, a mere Loose Cultivator, was utterly suppressing three elite sect disciples who had been spoon-fed resources since childhood.

BANG! A sickening thud echoed through the air. A figure in dark robes was swatted from the sky like a broken insect, plummeting down to crater into the stone pavement in an explosion of dust.

BANG! BANG! Two more deafening impacts followed in rapid succession. The remaining two young masters slammed into the earth, completely incapacitated.

When the dust settled, only Tang Bai remained airborne, his greatsword resting on his shoulder.

“He actually won!”

“Unbelievable… Tang Bai is a freak of nature.”

“He didn’t walk away unscathed, though…”

Hovering in the sky, Tang Bai panted heavily. A deep gash across his arm dripped crimson blood, but his eyes were ice-cold, and a suffocating Killing Intent radiated from his core.

Qin Lu gazed up, secretly marveling at the youth’s dominant display. After today, Tang Bai’s name would echo across the entire Flowing Cloud Prefecture.

“Woman!” Tang Bai’s voice boomed over the silent crowd, his greatsword pointing directly at the city wall. “Send your lapdogs after me again, and I will cleave you in half!”

Thousands of eyes snapped toward Liu Qingyan.

Facing the public death threat, she didn’t flinch. A faint, tender smile graced her lips as she floated gracefully into the air, stopping a short distance from the blood-soaked youth.

“Pfft~” She covered her mouth, her laugh bell-like and radiating innocent charm. “Fellow Daoist Tang, you must be mistaken. I never asked them to trouble you. What those three decided to do on their own accord has nothing to do with me, does it?”

Tang Bai’s jaw tightened. Put that way, she was right. She hadn’t thrown a single attack or issued a single order; she had just stood there while her sycophants did the dirty work. He had no logical retort.

“Hmph!” Disdaining to argue with a vixen, he scoffed coldly, sheathing his sword and turning to leave.

But as his cold eyes swept over the sea of faces, he paused. He spotted Qin Lu.

Instantly, Tang Bai changed direction and flew straight toward him.

Don’t come over here! Qin Lu’s heart sank like a stone. Stay away from me!

But his internal screaming did nothing. Tang Bai landed squarely in front of him, offering a respectful salute.

“Fellow Daoist Qin,” Tang Bai declared, his voice easily carrying across the silent plaza. “I must thank you for the Origin Stone. Integrating that material massively increased the weight and power of my Magical Artifact. Without it, crushing those three today wouldn’t have been so easy. If fate allows, I hope to share a drink with you.”

Qin Lu’s face stiffened into a rigid mask. He forced a strained, bitter smile. “Think nothing of it…”

Instantly, thousands of pairs of eyes shifted from Tang Bai to Qin Lu, burning with curiosity and speculation. And among those gazes was the piercing, intrigued stare of Liu Qingyan.

“Until next time!” Having delivered his thanks, Tang Bai shot into the sky and vanished over the horizon.

You absolute blockhead… why did you have to drag me into this? Qin Lu cursed viciously in his mind.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Liu Qingyan tilting her head. A look of profound curiosity crossed her beautiful face, and she began floating directly toward him, clearly intending to investigate this mysterious man Tang Bai respected so highly.

Nope.

Without a second of hesitation, Qin Lu summoned the Silver Sand Sword beneath his feet. Spiritual Qi flooded his meridians.

“Wait!” Liu Qingyan called out, raising a delicate hand.

“Only a fool would wait for you!” Qin Lu shouted back.

The Silver Sand Sword erupted with maximum thrust. With a sharp sonic boom, Qin Lu tore across the sky, vanishing into the distance at breakneck speed!

He left behind a plaza full of dumbfounded cultivators and a very, very annoyed Liu Qingyan…