Hua Ying covered her mouth and snickered. “Senior Sister, how did he end up like that?”
“I do not know,” Yan Zhao replied calmly, continuing to sip her tea. “An insignificant person; there is no need to pay him any mind.”
She thought for a moment and then asked, “When you face the disciples of the Qingshan Sword Sect later, are you confident?”
The competition between the two sects was divided into three categories: outer disciples, inner disciples, and pro-prowess (direct) disciples. The outer disciples made up the first group, so Hua Ying would be heading down to compete very soon.
“Of course I am,” Hua Ying made a playful face at Yan Zhao. “After all, I was taught by Senior Sister.”
“Mm,” Yan Zhao smiled faintly. “Just do your best.”
While things were harmonious on their side, the atmosphere over where Wei Jun stood was heavy with tension.
The Second Elder was so enraged that his beard was quivering. “Who was it?!”
“Who exactly dared to humiliate my disciple in such a manner!”
His angry roar echoed throughout the entire competition grounds. The disciples of the Liuyun Sect all kept their heads bowed in silence, fearing that the Second Elder’s fury might be directed at them.
The leader of the Qingshan Sword Sect delegation this time was the Great Elder, surnamed Xu. Seeing the situation, Elder Xu stroked his beard and smiled, remarking, “The disciples of Sword Venerable Daoxu are truly extraordinary.”
Very few people still knew the personal name of the Liuyun Sect’s Sect Master. More often than not, the world addressed him respectfully as “Sword Venerable Daoxu.”
The Sect Master gave a lazy yawn. “Elder Xu overpraises them.”
Yan Zhao’s little trick might have been hidden from the disciples present and even the Second Elder, but it could not escape the eyes of the Sect Master and Elder Xu, who possessed the highest cultivation levels.
Elder Xu had intentionally pointed it out, thinking that Daoxu would feel somewhat embarrassed. However, he had underestimated the extent of Daoxu’s thick-skinned nature.
Never mind that Yan Zhao had acted covertly; even if she had truly struck Wei Jun openly in front of everyone, the Sect Master would have likely just clapped and laughed, saying, “Not bad, my young disciple’s cultivation has improved again.”
The Second Elder and Wei Jun fumed with impotent rage for a long while but failed to drag the culprit out.
The Sect Master tapped the table impatiently. “Enough.”
His voice, wrapped in profound spiritual power, reached everyone’s ears. “Stop wasting time and prepare to begin the matches.”
He hadn’t carved out his precious time just to watch the Second Elder and his disciple lose face.
The Second Elder looked dissatisfied and gave a heavy huff, but he ultimately endured it.
The elders of the Qingshan Sword Sect also felt they had seen enough of the spectacle. Elder Xu said with a smile, “It is indeed time to start early. Our disciples can hardly wait to have a good exchange with the rising stars of the Liuyun Sect.”
The tradition of competition between the two sects could be traced back a hundred years. The Qingshan Sword Sect had consistently maintained a record of more losses than wins. To wash away this past humiliation, Elder Xu had specifically hand-picked these disciples.
The match list had been set long ago. To make it seem less like they were bullying the opposition, the Qingshan disciple facing Hua Ying was also a half-demon.
However, there are differences even among half-demons.
The other half of Hua Ying’s bloodline came from a Cat Demon. Even a pure-blooded Cat Demon could, at most, only reach the Golden Core stage; she was naturally at a disadvantage.
Her opponent, Mo Lulu, had the blood of the powerful Demon Dragon flowing through her veins.
Mo Lulu was a young girl who looked even smaller than Hua Ying. The wide robes she wore made her appear exceptionally petite. She bowed to Hua Ying and offered a timid smile when she looked up.
“This little Senior Sister,” Mo Lulu blinked at her, “please go easy on me.”
Hua Ying was momentarily stunned. Who exactly is the one who needs to go easy here? qaq
Once the two were on the stage, Hua Ying calmed her mind and took a deep breath.
“Please.” She gripped her blue steel sword.
Mo Lulu grinned, revealing two sharp little tiger fangs. “Then I won’t be polite!”
With a flick of her finger, a deep red long whip appeared in her hand. Though she didn’t use a sword, the techniques she employed were sword styles.
Mo Lulu’s gaze shifted instantly. The long whip swept toward Hua Ying, kicking up a violent gale. Hua Ying held up her sword to block.
But very quickly, the next strike followed. Mo Lulu’s moves were completely at odds with her cute appearance they were both fierce and fast.
The sharp spiritual energy gathered into blades, accompanying countless whip shadows to form an overwhelming net that lunged toward Hua Ying with murderous intent.
In comparison, Hua Ying’s spiritual power was not as robust, but she excelled in her agile footwork.
Running away might be shameful, but it works.
She dodged Mo Lulu’s increasingly fierce moves one after another using all sorts of strange and peculiar postures.
The disciples below the stage looked at each other in confusion. “Is that even allowed?”
Weren’t they sword cultivators supposed to just roll up their sleeves and charge, regardless of whether the opponent was strong or weak? How could someone just dodge without meeting the strikes? Wasn’t this… a bit shameless?
Hua Ying didn’t care in the least. She wasn’t stupid. If she clashed directly with Mo Lulu’s spiritual power, she was bound to lose.
Therefore, she could only use a strategy of redirection, slowly wearing Mo Lulu down bit by bit. Once the opponent showed signs of exhaustion, that would be Hua Ying’s moment to counterattack!
No one could maintain a state of ultra-high spiritual output for a long time and still remain full of energy Mo Lulu was no exception.
Soon, Hua Ying noticed a slight stagnation in her opponent’s movements.
Now!
Hua Ying seized the opportunity, staring at a momentary opening in Mo Lulu’s defense, and thrust her wrist forward steadily.
She used the Clear Light Sword Style that her Senior Sister had personally taught her and which she had practiced tens of thousands of times over the past few days.
The sword’s momentum was like a rainbow, converging into a dazzling white light that heavily pierced through the layers of whip shadows.
Zheng.
Hua Ying’s sword stopped at Mo Lulu’s chest. She wiped the sweat from her forehead and gave a relaxed smile. “You lost.”
Mo Lulu pouted unhappily and repeated, “I lost.”
Having won the match, Hua Ying was in an extremely cheerful mood and was about to head off the stage to find Yan Zhao.
Suddenly, a figure flashed onto the competition stage. When she looked again, a woman in white had appeared in front of Mo Lulu.
“Lulu,” the white-clad woman’s voice was gentle, tinged with a bit of worry. “How are you? Are you hurt?”
In the next second, Hua Ying watched as Mo Lulu who had just been as ferocious as a humanoid demon beast immediately slumped into the white-clad woman’s arms, whimpering coquettishly:
“It hurts so much, it hurts… I need a kiss from Senior Sister to feel better.”
Hua Ying: “…”
A… a kindred spirit?