Chapter 40
“Zhe zhe, you just found out? Last year I lent him some money, and he still hasn’t paid me back. That’s when I decided to keep my distance from him.”
“Li Qingran is quite the sister, I tell you. If I had a sister like her, I’d gladly trade a hundred years of my life!”
Qing Xuan Dao Ren reached out and grabbed a piece of paper from the air, only to find it was a record of Zhang Hanxiao’s visit to the Zui Xian Lou. His vision darkened, and he erupted in anger, “You little rascal! Is this how I taught you? To use your sister’s spirit stones to hire prostitutes?!”
He pressed his right hand against the hilt of his sword, ready to draw it.
But a wave of spiritual awareness swept through the void.
[Have you forgotten my words? Sit down!]
Qing Xuan Dao Ren’s forehead twitched with veins, and he forced himself to suppress his rage and sheathe his sword.
The gazes and whispers around him made Zhang Hanxiao feel utterly humiliated.
What’s wrong with using my sister’s spirit stones?
After all, Li Qingran is so dull-witted that she doesn’t need that many spirit stones. What’s the harm in me using them?
It’s not like I’m not going to pay her back…
It’s all Li Qingran’s fault for exposing my secrets!
Zhang Hanxiao glared at the culprit standing five steps away, calm and composed, and anger surged within him, turning into a fierce resolve.
“Li, Qing, Ran! You’re slandering me!” He drew his sword, its tip glinting, and his emotions cooled as he gritted his teeth, “You dare to duel me? If you lose, you’ll kneel and apologize. If you win, I’ll admit to everything I did. Do you dare?”
“Do you think you can twist the truth by using your power? That’s just typical of Fourth Senior Brother.”
Li Qingran let her hands fall, her right hand gripping the hilt of her sword.
Even if she wasn’t his match, so what?
She had come here today, her sword aimed at the past self who had been loyal and submissive to Chixiao Peak.
The oppressive aura of a Foundation Establishment cultivator bore down on her, and the wind whipped her loose strands of hair.
The coldness in her eyes grew sharper beneath her bangs,
And a smile broke through her frosty face:
“Alright…
Draw your sword!”
……
……
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Chapter 40: Battle with Zhang Hanxiao (This chapter is exclusively sponsored by Qiao Se Fu Qiao Si Da)
Zhang Hanxiao, the top performer in Qingyun Sect’s missions, was naturally no slouch.
Despite his penchant for gambling and debauchery, he had impressive talent. At just under thirty, he had already reached the mid-Foundation Establishment stage.
Among the disciples of Chixiao Peak, he was only slightly older than Mu Baishuang and Li Qingran. While he couldn’t compare to Lu Changtian and others in terms of cultivation level, he had always overshadowed Li Qingran. Back when they were still at Chixiao Peak, Li Qingran was often called upon by Zhang Hanxiao to be a punching bag, and she had never been his match.
Both practiced the unique sword technique of Chixiao Peak—Xiao Wuxiang Sword.
Zhang Hanxiao had mastered his swordplay, while Li Qingran, having joined Chixiao Peak for a shorter time, had a rather irresponsible master in Qing Xuan Dao Ren, who often secluded himself. It seemed she lacked significant talent for swordsmanship, so her progress had been slow, barely reaching minor success after three years.
Faced with Zhang Hanxiao, who had the same sword technique and internal cultivation, and was superior in every aspect, Li Qingran felt a weight of pressure in her heart.
But her grip on the hilt remained steady.
Holding the Su Xuan Sword.
“Li Qingran, I heard from Senior Brother that you managed to cultivate to the peak of Qi Refinement despite your damaged dantian? What perseverance! If only you had worked this hard back when you were at Chixiao Peak! But back then, you were just fooling around. Now it’s too late to think about putting in the effort.”
Zhang Hanxiao instinctively reached for his flying sword, only to find nothing there.
It dawned on him that the sword he usually used had been given to Mu Baishuang.
Now, he was left with a low-grade magical weapon, a dull flying sword that he wouldn’t even use for chopping vegetables.
He pursed his lips and took out the sword anyway; it would suffice against Li Qingran.
“Li Qingran, I’m at the mid-Foundation Establishment stage. If I duel you with this strength, it wouldn’t be fair even if I win. So how about this? I’ll suppress my cultivation to the peak of Qi Refinement, just like you.” Zhang Hanxiao pointed his sword at Li Qingran, arrogantly lifting his chin.
Not far away, Qing Xuan Dao Ren couldn’t help but twitch his lips, his expression darkening further.
What a fool Zhang Hanxiao is!
Li Qingran’s dantian is damaged, and she doesn’t even have a spirit root. Even if he suppresses himself to the peak of Qi Refinement, it’s still not a fair fight! He should at least suppress himself to the fifth or sixth layer of Qi Refinement for it to seem equitable.
How did I end up taking such a disgraceful fool into Chixiao Peak?
Wu Duantian, who understood Qing Xuan Dao Ren well, noted that the elder was particularly concerned about face. Seeing Qing Xuan Dao Ren’s expression darken to the color of a pot bottom, he guessed that by the end of this, Zhang Hanxiao would likely be facing the wall at the Reflection Cliff for half a year.
Li Qingran didn’t respond to Zhang Hanxiao’s taunts.
Her sword was already drawn, its light flashing like lightning, her figure moving like a startled swan, rushing toward Zhang Hanxiao at incredible speed.
“Junior Sister, your first move, ‘Startled Branch,’ isn’t quite up to par!” Zhang Hanxiao laughed heartily, leaping into the air and slashing down with his sword. Three sword shadows converged toward Li Qingran, launching the ruthless killing move of Xiao Wuxiang Sword—Lonely Swan Shadow.
Li Qingran watched the three shifting sword shadows, having fallen to this move countless times before. Yet today, it didn’t seem so daunting. Even with his cultivation suppressed, Zhang Hanxiao’s mastery of the sword remained fierce, but to her, it felt much slower.
Why…
Is it because of the supreme-grade dantian?
Her doubts quickly turned into certainty.
A supreme-grade dantian is incredibly rare; even in ancient times, it was highly sought after. How could it not have some unique qualities?
As her thoughts raced, Li Qingran caught the real shadow of Zhang Hanxiao’s sword, and their blades clashed with a resounding clang.
Zhang Hanxiao’s smug expression froze. He knew Li Qingran’s weaknesses, so he had launched an all-out attack.
But unfortunately, his killing move had missed.
A broken sword lay on the ground.
He looked down, realizing that his sword was now just a half-sword.
A low-grade magical weapon was actually shattered in a single blow?
Zhang Hanxiao stared in disbelief at Li Qingran, who stood firm, her sword emanating a chilling aura. The blade was as dark as the night, the hilt as white as the moon, and the crimson tassel swayed in the wind. This sword was definitely not Li Qingran’s!
“That sword is of no low grade,” Sect Master Wu Duantian squinted his eyes. “If I’m not mistaken, that sword is at least a top-grade magical weapon. The cold aura emanating from it is like a waterfall; even among top-grade magical weapons, it’s among the finest. With continued nurturing, it could easily develop a hint of spiritual intelligence, turning it into a spiritual weapon.”
Qing Xuan Dao Ren’s face darkened as he rubbed his fingers along the sword hilt, his teeth grinding in frustration. He wished he could rush up and take Zhang Hanxiao down with a single strike.
Earlier, he thought Zhang Hanxiao’s victory was disgraceful, but now, seeing the broken sword in Zhang Hanxiao’s hand, he felt even more embarrassed. If Zhang Hanxiao couldn’t defeat Li Qingran, wouldn’t that be even more humiliating? Forget about the distinction between magical weapons; a weapon is part of a cultivator’s strength.
But this sword was indeed beyond the norm.
For them at the Core Formation stage, such quasi-spiritual weapons were common.
But for cultivators at the Qi Refinement, Foundation Establishment, or even Golden Core stages, a top-grade quasi-spiritual weapon was a treasure.
Giving such a top-grade magical weapon to a small Qi Refinement cultivator?
What kind of relationship does that mysterious person have with Li Qingran, to offer such generous support? Or is it that to that person, a mere top-grade magical sword is nothing, easily given away without concern for wasting resources?
Qing Xuan Dao Ren’s mind was in turmoil, while the battle in the plaza had taken a sharp turn.
Without a weapon, Zhang Hanxiao dared not confront Li Qingran head-on.
With every inch of advantage, the flying sword compensated for Li Qingran’s shortcomings in swordplay. Zhang Hanxiao struggled to keep up, trying to exhaust Li Qingran’s spiritual energy, but the longer the fight dragged on, the more his own energy began to dwindle.
“How is this possible? In the past, her spiritual energy would have run out by now!”
Watching Li Qingran, who was brimming with energy and showing no signs of fatigue, Zhang Hanxiao’s heart wavered, causing him to lose focus for a moment.
Losing focus in battle is a grave mistake.
Li Qingran seized the opportunity, her swordplay shifting from a conservative attack to a fierce onslaught.
Her robes fluttered, graceful as a butterfly.
The ninth move of Xiao Wuxiang Sword—Shadow of the Tree.
With a flick of her wrist, the sword transformed into a cascade of sunlight filtering through leaves, splitting into countless shards, each aimed at a vital point.
Li Qingran felt a profound difference within herself.
Shadow of the Tree was the most difficult move in the Xiao Wuxiang Sword technique. In the past, she could never execute it with such ease, but today, it flowed effortlessly.
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