C11 Meeting Chung Lan Again.

Shen Jia recognized the man; it was Hee Chaofan, the second son of the He family, with a passion for martial arts that bordered on obsession. He held the second spot on the Youth Ranking and was not content to be second to Meng Shuangying, often seeking him out for challenges. Meng Shuangying, tired of the constant disturbances, would always avoid confrontation.

Shen Jia called out to Hee Chaofan:

"Second Brother He, are you causing trouble again? Today I'm hosting Brother Meng, so don't stir up any trouble. If the city guards get involved, it'll reflect poorly on all of us."

Hee Chaofan replied with a carefree laugh:

"Haha, Young Prince Shen, no need to get worked up. I'm just here to spar with Meng Shuangying. Drinking on the pleasure boat is dull—true men crave the thrill of battle!"

He paused, then added,

"Don't fret about the guards, Young Prince. I've already spoken with Uncle Xue. He's fine with it as long as no innocents are harmed. Meng Shuangbug, what's the matter? Scared? Don't tell me you're still the little boy who wet his pants at the sight of an earthworm, haha!"

Meng Shuangying, enraged by Hee Chaofan dredging up his embarrassing past before the crowd, was eager to dispatch him quickly to avoid any further shameful tales:

"Second Brother He, I'll see this through to the end. Just don't go crying to mommy and daddy if you lose!"

"Haha, that's the spirit, Dual Worm! If I lose, I'll take a swim in the buff right here."

Lee Yiran chuckled at Hee Chaofan's bold wager. He watched as Meng Shuangying leapt onto the river's surface, channeling spiritual energy under his feet, moving forward as if on solid ground.

Meng Shuangying and Hee Chaofan didn't start fighting immediately but instead moved towards the river's heart, mindful of not involving the bystanders. The lights from the shore's pleasure boats cast a dim glow, but both men, being formidable fighters, had vision sharp as hawks.

From the shore, the onlookers could only make out two small silhouettes of the combatants bobbing with the river's current, their exchange drowned out by the roar of the waters.

Only Lee Yiran and a few others could hear everything crystal clear, thanks to their spiritual energy.

Meng Shuangying stood before Hee Chaofan, steadying his agitated heart. He was well aware that despite Hee Chaofan's seemingly rash demeanor, he was in fact quite astute—a misstep here could lead to an embarrassing downfall.

Drawing his long sword from the spatial bag, Meng Shuangying channeled his spirit energy into the blade and struck out at Hee Chaofan. The sword qi burst forth with ferocity, and with a resounding boom, the river's surface erupted into a towering water spout.

Despite Meng Shuangying's swift attack, he sensed he hadn't hit his mark and quickly retreated. A massive ice spike had formed where he'd just been standing; a moment's hesitation and he would have been skewered like a gourd.

Before he could reflect further, the cascading river water solidified into a swarm of fine ice needles, launched in a dense flurry at Meng Shuangying. He retreated, his long sword ringing out as it deflected the relentless barrage of ice.

He moved out of the ice needles' reach and, with a heavy heart, pressed his sword down, lamenting his oversight. Hee Chaofan's mastery of water made it foolish to engage him on his own turf.

The sound of clacking announced Hee Chaofan's reappearance, drenched from the river. With a surge of power in his right hand, he formed an ice blade and, with a forceful step back, charged at Meng Shuangying with a thunderous roar.

The distance closed in an instant. As Hee Chaofan approached, he leapt up, brandishing the ice blade with a rainbow's ferocity, intent on cleaving Meng Shuangying in two. Meng Shuangying looked up, a smirk curling her lips, and thrust her sword upward. With a metallic ring, it struck the blade.

The ice blade, less sturdy than the iron sword, shattered. But the force behind it was immense, and Meng Shuangying had to quickly redirect the energy downward. The ground beneath her feet gave way, creating a depression in the water that soon returned to normal, while the surrounding river churned tumultuously.

At that moment, Meng Shuangying felt a sharp sting in his right palm. He had just seen Hee Chaofan leap up and slash towards him, leaving himself wide open. However, Meng Shuangying was all too familiar with Hee Chaofan's tactics and knew that this was a feint to draw his attention upward and away from the real threat at his feet.

Anticipating this, Meng Shuangying had already covertly channeled his spiritual energy to guard his lower half. Yet, as the overwhelming force struck from above and ice spikes lunged from below, he found himself momentarily thrown into disarray.

"Ha! Thrilling!" Hee Chaofan bellowed with glee, conjuring another ice blade and swinging it down. Meng Shuangying parried with his sword, consistently landing precise thrusts that met the blade and, with a surge of power, shattered it.

Undeterred, Hee Chaofan kept at it, instantly reforming the ice blade after each breakage, clashing with Meng Shuangying in a relentless barrage of strikes.

Meng Shuangying's swordplay was precise, and he handled the ice blade with relative ease, but the sporadic ice spike ambushes from below were a constant distraction. Now on the defensive, he was forced to react rather than act, a strategy that would inevitably drain his strength and lead to defeat.

With a strategy in mind, Meng Shuangying smashed the ice blade one last time and swiftly created some distance. His chest and abdomen heaved as he channeled a massive amount of spiritual energy into his sword. With a swift motion, the long sword flew from his grasp at an incredible speed.

Hee Chaofan, sensing Meng Shuangying's retreat and the intense fluctuation of spiritual energy, realized a deadly move was imminent. He braced himself, bolstering his own spiritual energy in defense.

The long sword struck with blinding speed, its target unknown to Hee Chaofan, who hastily summoned his spiritual energy. The river beneath his feet soared, instantly freezing into a thick ice wall before him.

Smugly confident, Hee Chaofan didn't realize the ice wall remained undisturbed until it was too late. A sudden realization prompted him to roll back, only to feel a cold slash across his calf as the long sword, propelled by the water, tore through with a splash, leaving a deep gash in its wake.

Hee Chaofan's eyebrows quivered as he channeled a tremor of spirit energy into his hands, swiftly encasing the wound on his leg in ice. He glanced at Meng Shuangying, who had just sheathed his sword, and silently berated himself. Outsmarted by his own cleverness, he had been blindsided by Meng Shuangying's underwater ambush on his own turf.

Having gained a brief respite, Meng Shuangying had already devised a plan. He reached for an object in his hand, and upon seeing it, Hee Chaofan's eyes widened in alarm. He tried to intervene but it was too late.

With a flick of his wrist, Meng Shuangying cast a small blue pearl into the water, which immediately began to roil. A surge of cold air burst forth, spreading rapidly and transforming the river around them into a frozen expanse. Within moments, a white blanket enveloped the scene, the temperature plummeting.

"I didn't expect you to come prepared with an 'Ice Spirit Pearl.' Now we're in for a real challenge," Hee Chaofan exclaimed, caught off guard.

Meng Shuangying remained silent, keeping to himself the extensive research he had conducted to claim the top spot on the Youth List, and the array of tools he had prepared for battling various elites.

The Ice Spirit Pearl was one such tool, designed for combat on water. It contained a reservoir of cold air that, once released into the water, formed a solid ice surface. This not only restricted the nearby water-type spirit energy, hampering water-type Spirit Cultivators, but also facilitated his own movements. Since he wasn't a water-type Spirit Cultivator, maintaining buoyancy would have otherwise drained his spirit energy significantly.

Aware that the ice wouldn't hold for long, Meng Shuangying knew he had to act fast. He charged towards his opponent, while Hee Chaofan, constrained by the ice's effects, struggled to form his ice blade quickly. Attempting to generate additional ice spikes on the ground would be too slow and spirit energy-consuming, making it easy for the agile Meng Shuangying to evade.

Left with no other choice, Hee Chaofan engaged in hand-to-hand combat, his fists enveloped in spiritual energy. Yet, they were no match for the sharpness of the iron sword, and soon enough, he was marked with a series of fine cuts.

Meng Shuangying immediately felt a wave of relief wash over her as she continued her assault, taunting her opponent, "Hee Er, it looks like you're hitting your limit... Just give up. I won't make you do a naked swim."

"Hehe... The winner is still undecided, Twin Insects. Haven't you figured out why I haven't used my ability?" Hee Chaofan retorted.

A sudden sense of dread washed over Meng Shuangying.

Meanwhile, Lee Yiran, observing from afar, smirked in anticipation. Things were about to get very interesting.

Without warning, the ground beneath Meng Shuangying began to tremble mysteriously, as if a massive creature was about to burst forth. He leapt up just as the thick ice shattered with a thunderous crash.

A fierce wind lashed at his face painfully, and a deep, resounding roar echoed across the heavens and earth. Countless powerful beings within the city turned their gaze upon the sight—a colossal water-formed flood dragon towering in the sky, its overwhelming presence bearing down on them.

Lee Yiran watched as the river water splashed violently, rocking the pleasure boat. Inside, the guests were visibly shaken, their senses rattled by the beast's mighty bellow.

Rubbing his ears, Lee Yiran couldn't help but comment, "Seriously, why do these strong beasts always have to announce themselves with a howl?"

Below the flood dragon, Hee Chaofan stood with a smug look directed at Meng Shuangying, "This is the remnant soul of a flood dragon I've recently acquired. It took some effort to fill it with spiritual energy and awaken it. What do you say? Shall we continue?"

Gazing up at the immense shadow of the flood dragon and feeling the weight of its aura, Meng Shuangying struggled to catch his breath. Yet, the pride of a true expert kept him standing tall, refusing to yield.

Seeing Meng Shuangying's defiance, Hee Chaofan was determined to make an example of him. He attempted to summon his spirit energy to command the flood dragon, but to his shock, it was like casting clay into the sea—the dragon remained unresponsive. Instead, it turned its massive head toward Lee Yiran.

With no visible effort, a colossal column of water surged powerfully toward the pleasure boat's occupants. Hee Chaofan shivered with fear, realizing the potential danger to life. In a panic, he hastily dispelled the magic.

Despite another failure, the Flood Dragon's remnant soul did not return, and Hee Chaofan realized he had been too smug. He hadn't even managed to subdue the remnant soul before he started showing off, and now he had caused a huge mess!

Lee Yiran was initially just there for the spectacle, but the remnant soul of the Flood Dragon, in a frenzy, charged at him. A massive water spout surged towards him, threatening to engulf more than half of the yacht.

Among the guests were many skilled individuals ready to demonstrate their prowess. However, as they prepared to take action, Lee Yiran noticed a strong wind picking up nearby. The wind blasted towards the water spout, and miraculously, the towering waves were swept back by the gale, leaving the yacht unscathed.

"I knew you'd stir up trouble, and you just can't help yourself. Get back before your father finds out."

A burly man, gliding on the wind, materialized beside Hee Chaofan.

Realizing Uncle Xue had intervened, Hee Chaofan breathed a sigh of relief. He quickly withdrew the exhausted Flood Dragon's spirit and slinked away in defeat.

The anticlimactic duel concluded, and the main contender, Meng Shuangying, slipped away quietly. The crowd's enthusiasm waned, and they began to take their leave.

Lee Yiran said his goodbyes to Shen Jia, feeling a twinge of reluctance. He longed to savor the blissful sensation of drunkenly resting in a beauty's lap a while longer, but the thought of a certain someone jolted him, and he left in haste.

Back at home, Chi Yan and Feifei were already asleep. With a sense of relief, he skipped his usual routine and went straight to bed, only to find himself dreaming once more.

His dreams were chaotic, filled with various images. He dreamt of beautiful dancers, their eyes a snowy white. Curious to see more, he was instead confronted by a slightly annoyed, pretty face with large eyes and lovely lashes, chiding him for his fickleness and abandonment. Lee Yiran scrambled to console her as the beauty wept, cradling her face in her hands.

Then the scene shifted abruptly. A different figure emerged, her demeanor icy and her gaze piercing: "Master, why won't you let me seek vengeance?" she demanded, before suddenly drawing a short dagger and lunging at him!