Magic Sect of Beauties: The Strongest Mage is in a Cultivation World

Grand Elder Peak.

Yang Wei stood at the center of his spacious courtyard, unarmed, facing Mao Geming.

The grand elder had no reason to be afraid.

He stood confidently, his crystal blue eyes locked onto Mao Geming's, and he held his chin high.

Behind him, a large crowd of onlookers had gathered. These were the disciples of Grand Elder Peak, who had paused their cultivation to witness their grand elder in action.

The four prime elders of Grand Elder Peak were also present…

Fragrant Cloud, Flame Cauldron, Spiritwind, and Bloodflame.

They watched with keen interest.

Normally, this battle would be seen as a dragon against a worm, but rumors about Mao Geming had piqued their curiosity. He was a sword cultivator from the Sword Crane School, reputed to have defeated a Nascent Soul expert while only at the Late Core Formation. Now, he was at Peak Core Formation!

...

Outside Grand Elder Peak, some of the peak chiefs were watching.

Mu Zhihao rubbed his short-length beard and grinned. "This will be an interesting fight."

Grandmaster Lin Feng raised an eyebrow. "How so?" he asked. "Considering Yang Wei is powerful enough to match 4th-path cultivators, I find it foolish that you support this betrothal trial by fire." He took a sip of his tea.

Guo Xiaomei nodded slightly. "I think Chief Mu has a plan if he's this excited."

With a coarse chuckle, Mu Zhihao gave a small nod to show he agreed with Guo Xiaomei's assumption. "You're quite right. I'm hoping for Grand Elder Yang's sense of honor here."

Lin Feng scoffed. "How silly of you to think that young man has any such honor. He'll obviously use his arcane power to save time against Core Formation trash." He cleared his throat afterward.

"That would be the case if he didn't love my Lin-Lin," Mu Zhihao said with a calm expression.

This statement left both Guo Xiaomei and Lin Feng silent.

Rather than ask, they waited for an explanation.

Mu Zhihao continued, "A betrothal trial by fire isn't necessarily about the strongest suitor winning the hand of the fair maiden. At least, that's not what it means to me."

While not interested in a deep, philosophical answer, Lin Feng asked, "So, what does it mean to you?" He was mainly trying to keep the conversation going because he enjoyed Guo Xiaomei's tea.

"To me, it's quite simple. A betrothal trial by fire is about how much a man is willing to sacrifice to be with the woman he loves. The struggle itself is proof of one's love, not the victory. If Grand Elder Yang is as wise as I believe, he'll understand this instinctively and honor his challengers by fighting them on equal grounds."

"As a cultivator, not a mage…" Guo Xiaomei added.

Both Mu Zhihao and Lin Feng nodded and sipped their tea again.

...

Back at the scene, Yang Wei and Mao Geming still hadn't started their battle, and the challenger was getting impatient.

Mao Geming stared at Yang Wei intensely, full of thought and fighting spirit.

But instead of meeting his gaze, Yang Wei looked around, still searching for someone.

"What are we waiting for?!" Mao Geming asked sternly.

Yang Wei glared at him. "You're in my Grand Elder Peak. Best comport yourself, or I'll forget about this challenge and turn you into a broken corpse."

"..."

Mao Geming was baffled.n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

His blood was boiling, itching to test the limits of his cultivation against this unstoppable force.

The truth was that Mao Geming wasn't interested in Mu Lin or women in general.

He was only focused on training himself in the Dao of the Sword, striving for perfection for both himself and his sword.

The real reason he was here was because Mu Zhihao had told him that Yang Wei, though different from other cultivators, was on the same level as Mao Geming. If Mao truly wanted to perfect his craft, defeating Yang Wei was the first step.

Yang Wei was the youngest peak chief and had authority almost equal to the matriarchs. He had also formed a celestial gold core.

Mao Geming knew he couldn't call himself the youngest talent until he defeated someone with such impressive achievements.

"Can we be──!"

Huo Yue stepped into the courtyard just as Mao Geming was speaking.

Yang Wei's face lit up immediately when he saw her. "Ah, Yue'er!" he exclaimed with a smile, showing he had been looking for her.

Panting slightly, Huo Yue quickly responded, "Husband, sorry for the wait!"

She had been told by Yun Feiyan that Yang Wei needed her at the duel, and as a dutiful wife, she had run all the way here.

Tianyi rested comfortably on her left shoulder, having gorged himself on leftovers in the kitchen.

BRAAAAAAP!

The celestial dragon burped, tiredly rubbing his inflated tummy.

Yang Wei placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "I know I said I urgently needed you, but I didn't expect you to run. It's not like I was waiting for anyone important." He gently rubbed her back.

Mao Geming's fists trembled with anger. "Brother Yang…" he said, trying to control his fury, "…you said you're not waiting for anyone important. Am I a joke to you?"

Seeing that Huo Yue had caught her breath, Yang Wei smiled with relief and helped her stand straight. He then looked at Mao Geming and said, "Stop being such a baby and accept that you're not important."

He even gave him a disinterested, half-lidded stare.

Mao Geming snapped, "YOU BAS──!!"

But Yang Wei cut him off, "So, this is my wife, Huo Yue. She's the reason I'm even giving a damn about our duel."

Mao Geming tilted his head in confusion, "What?"

Yang Wei's face twisted into a greedy grin.

"In our duel, if I defeat you, you'll hand over all your highest-grade cultivation resources, spirit stones, treasures, and secret scrolls to her."

Huo Yue's cheeks turned red, and she started waving her hands in a panic.

"Whaaaa~? N-, no. I don't need any of that man's cultivation resources, Husband! Just fight him and make sure you win for Lin'er's sake... that should be all."

She felt flustered because Mao Geming's eyes instantly focused on her when Yang Wei made the offer. He believed Huo Yue was the kind of beauty who used her looks to manipulate Yang Wei into getting resources for her.

Yang Wei shot a glare at Mao Geming. "Are you staring at my wife... with murderous intent?" he demanded.

Mao Geming quickly stepped back, waving his hands dismissively. To save face, he chuckled loudly and slicked his strawberry-blonde hair back.

"AHA! I suppose I'll take you up on your offer, Fate Defying Elder. Since you asked so nicely..."

He threw his head back and laughed even louder.

Yang Wei stared at him in disappointed disbelief.

He couldn't believe how foolish this sword cultivator was.

He's so stupid, I almost feel sorry for him. He agreed to a bet without even asking for my stake. Or is he so foolish that he thinks our duel is payment enough?

Sighing, Yang Wei added reluctantly, "To make things fair, if you somehow win, I'll hand you half of my Grand Elder Peak's cultivation resources."

The prime elders were shocked.

Elder Fragrant Cloud's jaw dropped, and he screamed like a little girl. "Grand Elder, we cannot afford such losses!"

Bloodflame placed a hand on Fragrant Cloud's shoulder and asked, "Do you truly believe our Grand Elder will be defeated?"

"N-, no. Ha! Of course not…" Fragrant Cloud took a deep breath and forced himself to relax. "As if I would ever think so lowly of our esteemed Grand Elder."

Elder Flame Cauldron just placed a hand on his stomach and yawned. "I just want to eat."

"Gluttony is a sin. Practice moderation instead…" Elder Spiritwind sagely spoke.

Huo Yue gently held Yang Wei's wrist.

"Honey, you don't need to make unnecessary bets. I believe you'll win, but I don't want that poor man to lose all his resources."

Her words stung Mao Geming like a spear.

"Wh-, who is she calling a poor man?" he muttered under his breath.

Yang Wei placed both his hands on Huo Yue's cheeks.

"I told you I want the best for us. The only way that'll happen is if I find ways to improve your cultivation, and this seems like a good opportunity. Just trust me, nothing will happen."

He leaned in and kissed her forehead.

Huo Yue sighed, unsure about acquiring cultivation resources this way. She nodded reluctantly. The supplies Yang Wei provided from Grand Elder Peak were already sufficient. In fact, she felt they were excessive, enough for fifty Spirit Gathering cultivators to share.

"Just be careful… okay?" she said.

Yang Wei gave her a thumbs up and shifted his focus back to Mao Geming. As the two glared at each other, Huo Yue took the opportunity to return to the crowd with Tianyi.

Silence…

Yang Wei stood with supreme confidence as Mao Geming approached.

Expecting his presence to intimidate, Yang Wei was surprised and slightly amused by Mao Geming's bold advance.

"Oh? You're approaching me? Instead of running away, you're coming right to me?" he said with a small grin.

Mao Geming, serious and defiant, replied, "I can't beat the shit out of you without getting closer." He gripped the hilt of his sword tightly.

The duel begins! Find more to read at empire