There were still two months until the Sword Tomb opened, so their current sword dao competition wasn’t rushed.
Su Zhuyi only had one match today, finishing it in an instant. She leisurely left the stage and walked toward her senior brother Qinghe.
Qinghe stood there like a cold-faced Rakshasa ghost—no one dared stand within three feet of him. When she went over and planted herself beside Qinghe, all the young cultivators who had wanted to approach and strike up a conversation no longer dared to come near.
Those wanting to flirt didn’t dare approach, and those looking for trouble also became somewhat cowardly.
Several cultivators from the Vast Sea Sword Sect were indignant, clamoring to come over and demand an explanation. This was supposed to be a sword technique competition—how could she not even draw her sword and look down on people? Perhaps her sword techniques were too poor to show! At this moment, beauty was beauty, but sectarian interests were paramount. Even knowing the result was decided, they still felt indignant and wanted to seek justice. After all, the one who had just been defeated was their Vast Sea Sect’s most beloved junior sister.
But when Qinghe stood there, his natural authority without anger startled those cultivators, and they eventually retreated reluctantly.
Now, Su Zhuyi felt that when Qinghe had persuaded her to take a master back then, his words hadn’t been lies.
No matter what misfortunes you’ve experienced before, from now on, there won’t be any more.
Qinghe was neither cold nor warm toward her, showing no pleasant expression when teaching her sword techniques and having no patience whatsoever. But when they were outside, as long as it wouldn’t implicate their master or damage their master’s reputation, if someone wanted to bully her or if she wanted to bully someone, Qinghe would stand on her side.
Since that was the case, Su Zhuyi felt there was no need to fight to the death with this great demon Qinghe. Getting along well with him could provide quite a bit of help.
On the way back, Qinghe said coldly, “Tomorrow is Chu Feiyu from the Sword Testing Pavilion. Mid-stage Foundation Establishment, he’s already practiced the Sword Testing Pavilion’s Green Bamboo Sword Technique to the fifth level. If it’s purely comparing sword techniques, you’re not his match.”
Su Zhuyi nodded knowingly, “I understand.” She smiled arrogantly with a haughty expression, “Still not worthy of me drawing my sword.”
Qinghe neither nodded nor shook his head, continuing forward silently. Su Zhuyi walked beside him. When they were almost at their rooms, they heard a soft call from behind.
Turning around, she saw little Xiao Sanyang Qin Chuan hurrying over.
He should have just finished his sword competition, too, only slightly slower than hers. Seeing his abundant spiritual energy and ruddy complexion, he had won quite easily.
“Little master, congratulations,” Qin Chuan said. He was usually quite mature in the Yunxiao Sect, but in front of Su Zhuyi, he became like a simple-minded fool. Usually so serious, now even his walking was much more cheerful, almost bouncing like in childhood, as if he were a different person.
But Su Zhuyi didn’t favor him.
“What’s to congratulate?” She laughed coldly, “It was only natural.” However, Su Zhuyi didn’t leave either. She raised an eyebrow, “Let’s make a bet. If I win during the sword competition, you have to agree to one thing. My senior brother can be a witness.”
Unexpectedly, Qin Chuan said directly, “No need to bet. Tell me now and I’ll agree immediately.”
Su Zhuyi was too lazy to be polite and said directly, “Then good. Stop calling yourself Qin Jianglan.”
Qin Chuan was stunned. This courtesy name had been given by his master when he entered the sect. If he changed it, wouldn’t that disappoint his master’s kind intentions? He hesitated slightly, “Then let me first inform my master…”
Before he finished speaking, he saw the woman in front of him turn and walk away. Her steps were swift as flight, her disciple robes lifting at the corners, like a fairy departing on the wind. Thinking that Su Zhuyi had saved his life and only made this one request, yet he was still hesitating, he blurted out, “I agree.”
He hoped Su Zhuyi would turn back, but she only paused in her steps, then raised her hand and waved by her ear before entering the bamboo grove path and returning to the rooms where the Gujian Sect cultivators stayed. Watching her retreating figure, Qin Chuan inexplicably felt somewhat disappointed, not even noticing his fellow sect sister Qi Yue approaching from the opposite direction.
Qi Yue bit her silver teeth and glared back in the direction Su Zhuyi had left.
Qin Jianglan was extraordinarily talented and highly regarded by the sect elders. He himself was extremely handsome and ethereal. Even though he was usually noble and cold, like a moon’s reflection in cool water on a winter day with an indifferent and distant appearance, many female cultivators still had feelings for him. Qi Yue was one of them.
How could Qi Yue not understand the way Qin Chuan looked at that woman? Even if it wasn’t yet tender affection, his loss and disappointment at her departure showed that this Gujian Sect female cultivator was different from others to him. Thinking of this, her heart became somewhat panicked.
Who was she competing against tomorrow? Right, Chu Feiyu from the Sword Testing Pavilion. If she could win, the day after tomorrow, she would face Junior Sister Yining. With Junior Sister Yining’s temperament, if she learned of any entanglement between her and Qin Jianglan, her attacks would be ruthless. Thinking of this, Qi Yue smiled slightly. It seemed she needed to have a heart-to-heart talk with Junior Sister Yining.
Su Zhuyi didn’t know she was already being targeted.
But even if she knew, she wouldn’t fear it in the least. She returned to her room and picked up the flying sword she had casually thrown on the table. Compared to using a sword, her former Exquisite Golden Silk Net was much more convenient to use. Unfortunately, the Exquisite Golden Silk Net was obtained in a secret realm when she was over two hundred years old. The opening times of secret realms weren’t under her control—even if she wanted to use it now, she couldn’t.
She picked up the flying sword and casually swung it twice, finding it uninteresting and tossing it into her storage bag. Then she sat on the bed thinking—why hadn’t Little Skull returned after more than three months? Could it be that after seeing little uncle, he had also seen other aunts and relatives?
An image of a row of skeletons holding hands floated in her mind, making Su Zhuyi laugh out loud.
After laughing, she felt a trace of worry in her heart. After ten years of companionship, that Little Skull didn’t need her to raise him or worry about him, and when there was nothing to do, she could tease him for fun. It reminded her of the bird she had raised for half a year when she was a demon lord.
Having something idle to tease was quite entertaining. Now that he wasn’t by her side, she missed him somewhat. After sitting for a while, Su Zhuyi began practicing the Moisten Meridians Art again. She didn’t dare absorb spiritual energy from the outside world, only using the spiritual energy within her body to nourish her meridians, lest she accidentally fail to suppress her cultivation and welcome the Golden Core tribulation.
With possibly a Liuguang Mirror still hidden on her body, she could hardly imagine how powerful that lightning tribulation would be. Before she was fully prepared and had more than seventy percent confidence, she would temporarily suppress it. Firstly, she was indeed afraid of death. Secondly, that lightning tribulation was truly powerful—just thinking about last night’s thunderclap still gave her lingering fear.
Because she cherished her life, the current Su Zhuyi had almost forgotten that her former self had amazing perseverance in certain aspects. At least when breaking through cultivation realms, the former her had possessed a kind of forward-charging solitary courage, daring to fight Heaven for her life.
…
The next day, facing off against Chu Feiyu from the Sword Testing Pavilion.
This time their competition venue had changed—not on a lotus leaf, but in a bamboo grove.
They explained that the execution of sword techniques also had some connection to the surrounding environment, so their competition platforms would change each time. Those under one hundred years old had it relatively easy. For older disciples with richer combat experience, they might very well compete in ice and snow, violent storms, or even harsher environments. Thirty years ago, when Qinghe had a match with someone, it was directly in the Dead Sea.
The so-called Dead Sea was a deep sea without any spiritual energy. Not only that, the seawater contained a unique type of swordfish that could transform into swords to attack cultivators. If wounded, some of the cultivator’s spiritual energy would be absorbed by the swordfish.
This time, as soon as Chu Feiyu took the stage, before the Gujian Sect cultivator had struck the bell to announce the start of the competition, he first greeted Su Zhuyi and said, “I wonder if I can force the fairy to draw her sword today.”
Su Zhuyi glanced at him sideways, “You’ll know in a moment.”
The jade bell rang. Chu Feiyu probably thought of the reason for the Vast Sea Sword Sect female cultivator’s failure yesterday. Without being courteous, he immediately struck first with his sword. His sword technique was the Green Bamboo Sword Technique, and the surroundings happened to be a bamboo grove—Heaven itself was helping him.
As he thrust out his sword, the flying sword became like a flexible green bamboo, slightly curved. The rebound force of the green bamboo after being compressed was several times stronger than a direct thrust. Not only that, the surrounding bamboo grove seemed guided by sword qi, all bending like bows and lashing toward Su Zhuyi’s body.
Su Zhuyi directly used the Great Grasping Technique.
Her Great Grasping Technique had also been practiced to the highest level. With such an unexpected move, she caught Chu Feiyu’s sword tip with her bare hands.
That was a soft sword. Realizing this, Su Zhuyi didn’t continue with other attacks. Instead, she circulated spiritual energy to perform the Blazing Palm and slapped the sword downward heavily. Her strength was too great, nearly causing Chu Feiyu’s flying sword to slip from his hand and numbing his tiger’s mouth. But what shocked him even more was that his tender bamboo-like flying sword rebounded and smacked right into the center of his forehead with a “pop.”
The flying sword had been hit by the Blazing Palm, with flames on the blade. Combined with the Green Bamboo Sword Technique’s rebound force, this strike directly shattered his spiritual energy barrier and left a sword mark right in the center of his face, as if a vertical line had been drawn down the middle of his face, dividing him into left and right halves.
Chu Feiyu stood stunned in place for a moment, then his body fell heavily backward.
Knowing she couldn’t use deadly force, Su Zhuyi had only used fifty percent of her strength, but she still knocked Chu Feiyu unconscious. She easily won another match, though this time she didn’t say anything arrogant and left the stage expressionlessly.
Standing together with Qinghe, two extremely good-looking but ice-cold people managed to drive away all cultivators within a zhang radius.
How could Senior Luo, with such a chivalrous heart, have taken on these two disciples?
Those who had been helped by Luo Ying and had seen her in person sighed inwardly—of course, they were Senior Luo’s disciples, with identical expressions on their faces, ice-cold and extremely difficult to approach. It was better to just watch from afar.
What kind of master, what kind of disciples?