“Wasn’t it said that Su Zhuyi is just an embroidered pillow—having entered the sect only ten years ago, just comprehending sword heart a few days prior, consuming resources that could support a thousand disciples from other peaks, barely managing to pile up a Foundation Establishment Great Perfection cultivation through sheer accumulation, afraid of death to the extreme, requesting materials to craft Straw Man substitutes every month…” A woman with an oval face and cherry lips, usually appearing sweet and innocent, was now flushed red with anger, her brows tightly furrowed as she forcefully slammed her hand on the table.
Her skin was snow-white, her hands extraordinarily beautiful with slender fingers and nails dyed vermilion red, like proud red plum blossoms in the snow—striking and gorgeous. She wore only a string of silver bells on her wrist, and with such a heavy slam, the bells jingled, causing the disciple standing before her with lowered head to turn pale and break out in cold sweat at the temples.
“Just making inquiries at Gujian Sect—can you trust what Gujian Sect disciples say? Yet you swore with such certainty that there would be no problems!” The woman’s eyebrows were also beautifully shaped—not thin willow-leaf brows but rather heroic-looking ones. Now, with her brows raised, her imposing presence became even fiercer.
“Get out, get out. Just looking at you is irritating.”
…
After the person left, Qi Yue, who had been silently standing beside her, finally spoke: “Junior Sister Yining, don’t be angry anymore. Who could have known that Su Zhuyi was so scheming—first showing weakness to the enemy, making people lower their guard, only to reveal she was a wolf in sheep’s clothing.”
This woman was indeed Hua Yining, beloved daughter of a pill-refining Elder from Yunxiao Sect. In the cultivation world, many cultivators formed dao partnerships, though usually at a later age, at least after being three hundred years old. Hua Yining was only sixty-six years old in bone age, extremely young, with Foundation Establishment Great Perfection cultivation, just one step away from Golden Core. She usually looked down on everyone, never expecting to fall for Qin Jianglan, who had only entered the sect ten years ago and wasn’t even twenty years old. She had even hoped her father would arrange their engagement, though Elder He had temporarily not agreed. The elders of Yunxiao Sect felt they couldn’t let such a promising seedling indulge in romance so early, but while they hadn’t agreed, they also hadn’t refused.
However, in Hua Yining’s heart, Qin Jianglan was already considered her husband, so naturally, she couldn’t tolerate him having feelings for another woman.
That woman happened to be beautiful, with high status and position—a disciple of the Gujian Sect’s Luo Ying. To teach her a lesson, naturally, couldn’t be too obvious. That woman’s senior brother Qinghe’s current strength was unfathomable, and the two were always together, making it impossible to find an opportunity to warn her. The only option was to give her a lesson on the martial arts platform.
She wasn’t stupid either. If she took action on the martial arts platform to teach Su Zhuyi a lesson, it would make Qin Jianglan resent her, creating a barrier between them as future husband and wife. So she didn’t plan to act personally. Learning that Su Zhuyi’s opponent was Chu Feiyu, she had someone secretly contact Chu Feiyu and promised many benefits, asking him not to show mercy to the fairer sex.
Moreover, she didn’t believe the rumors entirely. Knowing Chu Feiyu used the Azure Bamboo Sword Technique, she deliberately made arrangements to select a bamboo grove martial arts platform for him, wanting to ensure absolute success. Who would have thought it would still end up as drawing water with a bamboo basket—all for nothing?
Hearing Qi Yue’s gentle persuasion, Hua Yining sneered inwardly but showed no emotion on her face as she said: “Then what solution does Senior Sister Qi have?”
Dao partnerships in cultivation naturally require similar aptitude and matching cultivation levels to last long. If Su Zhuyi’s cultivation stops at Foundation Establishment, her lifespan would be short—how could she have any entanglement with Junior Brother Qin?”
“Junior Brother Qin will be able to break through to the Nascent Soul stage.” She sighed, “If only someone could cripple her meridians on the martial arts platform.”
Hua Yining frowned, “Wouldn’t Gujian Sect cause a huge commotion then?”
“She’s proud and arrogant, unwilling to draw her sword. If her opponent is easily angered and uses full force to pressure her into drawing her sword, what if they accidentally can’t control their sword momentum? Gujian Sect would cause trouble, but if we properly apologize and make amends, Gujian Sect couldn’t possibly tear all pretenses apart. Besides, the Yunxiao Sect is the world’s number one sect. Gujian Sect has indeed been rather arrogant these past hundred years.”
Among sword cultivators under a hundred years old, the highest cultivation was only Foundation Establishment Great Perfection. Those capable of crippling Su Zhuyi’s meridians were naturally few and far between. Though Hua Yining knew Qi Yue’s ulterior motives, she felt that even knowing it was a trap, she had to stick her head in—after all, such opportunities were rare.
…
The next day, Su Zhuyi and Qinghe had their matches at the same time.
Before leaving, Su Zhuyi said: “Let’s see who’s faster today—you or me.”
“Your opponent is Hua Yining from Yunxiao Sect. Her father is a pill-refining Elder of Yunxiao Sect who provided her with abundant cultivation resources. Her foundation is solid. Her cultivation is the same as yours—Foundation Establishment Great Perfection. Her swordsmanship can be considered decent among peers of her age. You…”
Qinghe said all this expressionlessly, then reminded her at the end: “Remember to bring your sword.”
He didn’t expect her swordsmanship to be particularly exquisite, but having a weapon to block was better than catching swords with bare hands. Hua Yining’s Dongxue Sword was a high-grade spirit sword that had reportedly already developed a sword spirit, with the potential to transcend tribulation and become an immortal sword in the future—a rare, precious blade. Though Su Zhuyi’s Qiufeng Sword might ultimately be severed, it could still block a few strikes without problem.
“Who is your opponent?” Su Zhuyi looked at Qinghe’s retreating figure and asked curiously.
“Don’t know,” Qinghe answered without turning back, continuing to walk forward.
When Su Zhuyi arrived, Hua Yining was already standing on the platform.
She was exceptionally tall, wearing a light azure pleated long dress with a peach-red, dark-patterned gauze trim at the waist. The gauze was decorated with layered twining chrysanthemum patterns extending from the waist to the chest, accentuating her fuller bosom and graceful curves. The colorful skirt hem was embroidered with cloud patterns interspersed with soaring phoenixes, peonies, camellias, chrysanthemums, lotus flowers, plum blossoms, seawater, and river cliffs—complex patterns that made her appear even more nobility incarnate.
This type of dress was exactly what the former demoness Su Zhuyi used to favor.
Looking down at her own plain white outfit, she felt a bit of a headache. This martial arts platform appeared to be a golden lotus, and with Hua Yining standing on the golden lotus, she truly appeared more beautiful than the flower itself.
Su Zhuyi lightly leaped onto the martial arts platform and saw Hua Yining glance at her sideways: “You’re here?”
She didn’t respond.
“Today, I must work hard to force out fellow daoists’ true skills.”
Su Zhuyi nodded but still said nothing. She liked dresses like Hua Yining’s. With her past life’s later temperament, seeing someone else possess something she wanted and didn’t have, she would go snatch it away and arrogantly declare: “This dress is wasted on you.” However, now she could only pretend not to see it.
The jade bell rang, and Hua Yining’s flying sword instantly split into three, stabbing toward Su Zhuyi from three directions.
Her strength truly wasn’t bad. Su Zhuyi assessed silently as she crouched down to avoid one, then twisted her body in low altitude, three feet from the ground, facing upward, kicking out with one foot to send another illusory sword toward Hua Yining’s direction. Then she pushed off the ground with her hands, leaping directly behind Hua Yining and striking forward with one palm.
Her series of movements flowed like clouds and water, so fast that disciples below Foundation Establishment couldn’t see clearly how she moved at all. They only knew that Hua Yining’s flying swords all missed their mark, and in the blink of an eye, Gujian Sect’s Su Zhuyi had already flown behind Hua Yining. Her Blazing Palm seemed to require no mental cultivation method to execute—flames suddenly appeared on her white, tender palm as she struck directly toward Hua Yining’s back.
Surely she couldn’t palm-strike someone off the martial arts platform again?
The surrounding cultivators’ hearts rose to their throats, while Gujian Sect cultivators watched with increasing bewilderment. Actually, those most shocked were Gujian Sect disciples themselves. After all, she hadn’t been in the original roster—she had taken a senior brother’s place to come here. So, although she was very beautiful, several disciples still felt somewhat resentful toward her. Someone who was cowardly and afraid of death, having just comprehended sword heart, why should she occupy a spot? The competition results would affect the number of disciples each sect could send to the Sword Tomb in the future. Moreover, she was only sixteen years old—with competitions every thirty years and those under a hundred still able to participate several times, why should she take away someone else’s opportunity?
Originally thinking she was just there to drag them down, who could have known she would win two consecutive matches without even drawing her sword, defeating opponents with ease?
Hua Yining was among the strongest sword cultivators under a hundred years old. Qin Jianglan was also strong, but being younger, his cultivation was slightly weaker. Everyone had originally thought the final victory would be decided between Hua Yining and Qin Jianglan. Who could have expected that Gujian Sect’s Su Zhuyi would also be so formidable!
“Boom!” Su Zhuyi’s palm struck out, the firelight colliding with an invisible barrier. She sneered: “Carrying a high-grade defensive treasure—quite the family fortune.”
This palm didn’t break through the defensive barrier. Su Zhuyi borrowed the force to float backward, retreating two zhang away and standing directly on the tip of a golden lotus petal. Sword competitions prohibited any offensive treasures other than swords, but defensive treasures had no such restrictions. According to their reasoning, when fighting others in the future, if opponents had defensive treasures, would they remove them before fighting you? How to use one’s sword to break through others’ defensive treasures was also something they needed to consider.
But who the hell brings a high-grade defensive treasure? How was this supposed to be fought? With Foundation Establishment cultivation, even if one fought until spiritual energy was completely exhausted, it would be impossible to break through a high-grade defensive treasure’s barrier.
Su Zhuyi glanced sideways at the Yunxiao Sect cultivators outside the martial arts platform, sneering as she called out loudly: “On a martial arts platform for young disciples under a hundred years old, Yunxiao Sect disciples carry high-grade defensive treasures—this I cannot fight against. Since the Yunxiao Sect is so wealthy, why not give every disciple one? There’d be no need to fight at all—we could all just forfeit directly.” Previously, Hua Yining’s opponents had never even gotten close to her, so they had no idea she carried such a defensive treasure.
These words made all Yunxiao Sect cultivators blush with shame. High-grade defensive treasures were extremely difficult to break through, even for late Golden Core cultivation, let alone these young disciples. Though there were no regulations against carrying defensive treasures, bringing a high-grade one was indeed somewhat unreasonable.
At this moment, Hua Yining also smiled: “This is a protective charm my father gave me. I’ve worn it since childhood and never removed it—I momentarily forgot, please forgive me, fellow daoist.” After speaking, she directly untied a peace pendant from her neck and threw it to a Yunxiao Sect disciple below the platform.
“Please!” After speaking, Hua Yining flourished her flying sword, and suddenly snow began falling on the golden lotus—fluttering snowflakes drifted down from the sky, quickly laying a thin layer of ice and snow on the ground in the blink of an eye.
This was the inherent power of the Dongxue Sword as a spirit sword. If Hua Yining’s cultivation were higher, the Dongxue Sword’s power would be even stronger.
The cold was piercing.
The snowflakes floating in the wind all became miniaturized Dongxue Swords, flying toward Su Zhuyi.
Ten thousand swords moving as one!
“Let me witness your Tianxuan Nine Swords! I hear Luo Ying’s disciples all possess Frost Sword Intent—I wonder whether your frost is more formidable, or my snow realm more powerful!” Hua Yining cried out delicately, her body shooting forward like an arrow from the bow toward Su Zhuyi, who was surrounded by snowflakes.