Chapter 70: A Test of Wills

"You are..." Seeing Yin Seventeen's gaze fall upon him, Zilong wore a look of confusion.

At such close range, he could clearly sense the opponent's cosmos was far stronger than his own—a truly powerful warrior. Yet, after so many years of training at Mount Lu, he knew every fighter who had ignited their cosmos there, and had no recollection of anyone like this.

"I come from the Sanctuary. I am Yin Seventeen, the Silver Saint of the Crater constellation," Yin Seventeen said, smiling as he introduced himself.

Upon hearing this, Zilong grew solemn and respectful.

"Greetings, Senior Seventeen!"

Although Silver Saints were not as esteemed as Golden Saints, for someone like him, who had yet to acquire even a Bronze Cloth, a Silver Saint was an existence worthy of genuine reverence.

Meanwhile, upon hearing Yin Seventeen's words, Ruolan protested, "The Mount Lu Waterfall is certainly grand, but it takes someone at the upper Bronze level to reverse its flow. Aren't you exaggerating?"

Her current punch speed reached about five hundred times the speed of sound, placing her in the middle Bronze tier. Yet Yin Seventeen had clearly excluded her from those capable of reversing the waterfall, grouping her with the young Zilong. This wounded her pride as a senior.

"Why not try it yourself?" Yin Seventeen glanced at her with a hint of amusement.

Sensing the subtle mockery in his gaze, Ruolan steeled herself. "Fine, I'll try!"

With those words, she rolled up her sleeves and strode toward the waterfall.

No matter what, she could not lose face today in front of the junior Zilong.

By the cliff, seeing Ruolan's attention shift, Tonghu secretly sighed in relief and cast a grateful look at Yin Seventeen. If this straightforward girl persisted in her questions about the Dragon Cloth, he would have had a headache all day.

"Ruolan, can you really make the waterfall flow upward?" Chunli stood at the cliff's edge, asking softly.

"Don't worry, I will!" Ruolan turned back, flashed her a reassuring smile, and gave a thumbs-up to the bare-chested boy. "Zilong, watch closely—today I'll help you retrieve the Dragon Cloth!"

Zilong pursed his lips, declined to respond, and instead looked toward the unmoved elder. "Master, are you really going to let Senior Ruolan take out the Dragon Cloth?"

He certainly longed for the Cloth, but more than that, he wished to earn it himself by making the waterfall flow upward, gaining his master’s approval and acquiring the Dragon Cloth through his own effort.

Tonghu smiled and countered, "If she retrieves the Cloth, will you wear it?"

Zilong thought for a moment and gently shook his head.

"No, I would return it to its place and retrieve it with my own strength!"

"Then that's settled!" Tonghu stroked his white beard and continued, "Whether Ruolan can take the Cloth is not important for you."

"What matters is the outcome you hope for."

"Besides, whether she can actually reverse the waterfall remains unknown."

With that, the old man slowly turned, gazing at the waterfall with meaning in his eyes.

The Dragon Cloth was placed there by his own hands; more than anyone, he knew the immense power required to reverse the waterfall.

Before the waterfall, a beam spanned the cliffs on both sides, and Ruolan stood upon it, quietly burning her cosmos and gathering strength in her right hand.

Everyone fell silent, waiting for her to make her move.

After about thirty seconds, Ruolan's cosmos suddenly contracted, and she threw a punch upward against the waterfall.

Boom!

A punch at nearly five hundred times the speed of sound struck the waterfall, clashing with the torrent in a thunderous roar.

In an instant, the cosmos force in Ruolan's fist exploded, spreading swiftly through the whole waterfall, completely counteracting the weight of the falling water.

For a moment, the nearly hundred-meter-wide waterfall ceased to flow, as if someone had pressed the pause button on a video, stopping it completely.

The thunderous sound of water hitting the earth vanished with it; the abrupt silence was almost unsettling.

Yet the quiet lasted less than a heartbeat. The waterfall seemed to be restarted, resuming its flow and roaring as it crashed onto the rocks below.

Ruolan had failed.

"Now, do you understand?" Yin Seventeen said with a smile.

The girl said nothing, her face shifting between shades of red and green—quite a spectacle.

"Ruolan, it's okay if you can't do it. Come back! Don't stand in such a dangerous spot!" Chunli called loudly.

The beam beneath Ruolan was slick from years of waterfall spray, and the wind whipped by the falling water made it a perilous place. Normally, no one would walk there; only Zilong would stand on it, training against the waterfall.

Even Zilong, who had ignited his cosmos, occasionally slipped and fell.

It was not safe.

Hearing Chunli's well-intentioned warning, Ruolan, already feeling frustrated, grew even more embarrassed.

She promptly infused her cosmos into her rabbit-shaped earrings.

Instantly, they transformed into a stream of light that enveloped her, becoming a suit of pure white armor trimmed with pink flower patterns.

"I'll try again!"

She called back to the others, then turned to face the waterfall, slowly closed her eyes, and began to accumulate her cosmos.

This time, aided by her Cloth, her control over her cosmos grew stronger, allowing her to unleash greater power.

At the cliff’s edge, seeing the girl refuse to give up, Yin Seventeen shook his head with mild resignation.

The Cloth could bolster a Saint's abilities, but ultimately, it was merely a tool—the true determinant was the one who wore it.

Ruolan's foundation was too weak; even with the Cloth's assistance, her improvement would be marginal.

If she hoped to reverse the Mount Lu waterfall, disappointment would likely await her once again.

Nearby, Zilong and Chunli curiously examined Ruolan's white armor.

This was not the Sanctuary; only the elderly Tonghu was a true Saint.

Aside from him, they rarely saw other Saints.

Even though they lived with Tonghu every day, they had never seen him don his Cloth.

So seeing Ruolan fully armored, they were filled with admiration and curiosity.

Before the waterfall, Ruolan's cosmos blazed fiercely. Yin Seventeen could clearly sense her aura steadily rising.

About a minute later, Ruolan's cosmos reached its peak.

"Ha—!"

With a shout, she opened her eyes and leapt toward the waterfall.

"Shooting Star Chasing the Moon!"

Twisting her waist and raising her leg, Ruolan kicked upward at the waterfall.

In a flash, she was enveloped in a dazzling white radiance, soaring against the waterfall like a meteor.