After chatting for a few more sentences, Jingliu was stirred with a bit of curiosity by what Yanqing had said.
But she didn't show it. The two of them kept moving, continuing forward.
Along the way, they killed a few more Abominations of Abundance, and also seized several letters, secret correspondence from the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus.
According to what was written in the letters, the remaining remnants of the Disciples had contacted their collaborators and were going to guide the growth of the Ambrosial Arbor.
Thinking back to the orders Jing Yuan had arranged earlier, Yanqing realized these matters had already been seen through by the general, so he wasn't in a hurry. Instead, his admiration and respect for Jing Yuan deepened even more.
Finally, the two arrived at the dock. Yanqing checked the navigation records and also looked to see if there were any skiffs still in operation.
Then he turned around and said to Jingliu, "Alright, we're here. Time to send you somewhere safe."
"At a time like this, can the Cloud Knights' station really be considered safe?" Jingliu asked.
"Right," Yanqing said, "so we're not going to the Cloud Knights' station. I'll send you straight to the Shackling Prison. Food and lodging included, plus heavy guards. Absolutely safe."
Faced with Yanqing suddenly becoming forceful, Jingliu neither got angry nor panicked.
She remained where she stood and said calmly, "…If you're going to detain someone, you should at least give a reason, right?"
"Suspicious behavior, hiding your identity. That alone is enough," Yanqing said coldly.
"Not to mention how a trapped traveler suddenly appeared in a sealed port… Along the way, I saw your steps were light and steady. You don't look like a blind person at all.
"And that's only because you ran into me, so I'm explaining it to you. If it were Nero… you would've already been knocked out with a sword strike and sent to the Shackling Prison. You wouldn't still be standing here talking."
Jingliu, "..."
Hearing Yanqing's words, Jingliu fell silent for a moment.
It wasn't that she intended to hide anything. She just thought it was better to avoid unnecessary trouble and go along with things.
As for that Nero having the ability to knock her out without her noticing…
Jingliu didn't think that was possible.
She didn't dare claim to be the strongest in the world, but she still had some confidence in her own strength.
From Yanqing's words along the way, it wasn't hard to tell that the person called Nero was about the same age as this child, stronger than him, but had no intention of competing for the title of Sword Champion.
It wasn't arrogance. Her techniques had been honed over a thousand years, and her talent was far from ordinary. It was hard to imagine losing so easily to a child, as Yanqing described.
Jingliu let out a soft sigh. Her emotions were still relatively stable.
"I never said I couldn't see. You just assumed it because I covered my eyes with black cloth."
Hearing that, Yanqing froze for a moment and blinked twice. "Uh…"
Seeing his reaction, Jingliu's gaze beneath the cloth shifted slightly. She shook her head.
"It's fine. I bear you no grudge, nor do I intend to harm the Xianzhou.
"This blindfold is precisely because I don't wish to be affected by memories, fall into mara, and cause more calamity."
"I came here for one person. Walking with you actually works out quite well."
Hearing this, Yanqing lowered his head in thought, and a realization flashed through his mind. "You're also… here for Blade?"
"Blade? Is that his name now? Abandoning the body to become a blade, refining the heart with sword and knife… quite a fitting name," Jingliu said casually.
It was hard to tell whether the emotion in her tone was mockery or nostalgia. Then her voice lowered. "Take me to him."
She added, "You are not my opponent, so you are not Blade's opponent either. Only by going together with me can you avoid throwing your life away, kid."
Jingliu said this for Yanqing's sake. It was both for the sake of the Xianzhou's young talent growing safely, and also a bit of care from a grandmaster to a junior.
Unfortunately, she spoke too directly. By the time it reached Yanqing's ears, it sounded different.
Yanqing was young and proud. Though Nero had tempered him somewhat, that only applied when facing Nero.
Besides, during those intense sparring sessions, Yanqing felt his swordsmanship and physique improving rapidly, far beyond what he used to achieve practicing alone.
The boy slowly closed his eyes and muttered a couple of lines in a low voice, yet his sharpness showed clearly, "Before the sword shines, how can you know victory or defeat? Don't underestimate my sword."
Hearing this, Jingliu frowned slightly. "I don't want to fight the Cloud Knights. How about this... we compete using the Abominations all over the Luofu right now. Let's see whose sword is faster, who kills more. What do you think?"
"And if I win?" Yanqing asked.
"I'll accept defeat and let myself be bound, go to the Shackling Prison for trial, and be dealt with however you wish. But if I win, you'll tell me Blade's whereabouts. How about it?" Jingliu said.
Yanqing shook his head. "Cloud Knights don't bargain with official duties. Besides, you won't win."
Jingliu smiled faintly. "I like your confidence. But 'before the sword shines, how can you know victory or defeat,' right?"
"In that case, I can change the condition. If I win, you tell me Nero's whereabouts instead. From what you said, I'm quite interested in him."
"But there aren't many Abominations left here. Let's change locations."
With that, the two stopped talking and moved together to find another suitable place.
Looking ahead, the area was gloomy. Cold air seemed to sink down, brushing against their legs. Mara-struck monsters swarmed like ants from a nest.
Jingliu said, "Here will do. Mara runs rampant here, and demonic aura fills the air. Perfect for testing swordsmanship."
"Killing Abominations doesn't violate Cloud Knight rules, and it doesn't count as bargaining with duty, right?"
Yanqing nodded. "How do we decide the winner?"
"From here to the end, no survivors. Whoever arrives first wins."
"Deal."
Jingliu looked at him. "You go first."
Yanqing nodded and walked forward a couple of steps, then suddenly turned back. "By the way, you're not going to run away, right, big sister?"
Jingliu narrowed her eyes slightly, her tone carrying a hint of helplessness. "Jing Yuan really raised you poorly… all talk."
Yanqing shook his head. She spoke as if she knew the general, so she probably wouldn't lie.
'Still, I wouldn't dare talk like that in front of the general. That's more Nero's style.', Grumbling inwardly, Yanqing didn't stop and moved forward.
But after only killing a few Abominations with his sword, when he turned around again, Jingliu was nowhere to be seen.
"Where'd she go?" Yanqing was stunned.
He frowned, turned around, and kept moving. After passing a corner, he saw Jingliu standing ahead, waiting, with several Abomination corpses at her feet.
"When did you get ahead of me?" Yanqing asked.
But Jingliu ignored the question and deliberately provoked him. "You're too slow, kid."
With that, she leaped away.
Yanqing clenched his fist, gritted his teeth, frustration rising, and chased with all his strength.
No matter how he chased, he couldn't catch up to that moonlight-like figure. All he saw was corpses of Abominations along the path.
Even when he caught sight of her silhouette, it was clear she was deliberately waiting. Every time, she would throw in a taunt.
No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't catch up.
Yanqing was still a child. Along with his unwillingness, a bit of grievance also crept in.
He finally confirmed one thing. He was not her match.
At the same time, he wondered why this woman was making things difficult for a kid like him.
These were only thoughts in his heart. He couldn't say them out loud. If he ended up crying, wouldn't others look down on him?
Holding onto that stubborn drive, he kept chasing.
Finally, after much effort, he caught up, only to see Jingliu standing still, with more than ten Abominations in front of her.
Jingliu held her sword, the blade trembling slightly, cold air radiating from it, letting out a faint hum.
"It's been a long time since I've felt this satisfied…" she murmured softly.
"I haven't used my sword in so long. Getting excited like this almost triggered mara again."
She turned her head slightly and looked at Yanqing. "Come, kid. Leave the rest to you. I'll give you three moves. Draw your sword. Keeping a senior waiting is quite rude."
Yanqing glanced at her, said nothing, and charged toward the Abominations. After three moves, Jingliu, who had been waiting behind, finally acted.
Yanqing couldn't figure out Jingliu's style or intentions, so he couldn't focus fully on fighting. His swordsmanship dropped compared to usual.
On Jingliu's side, frost scattered like snow, the cold blade humming softly, every move lethal.
As she fought, she commented on his swordsmanship. "Hesitating, lacking strength. Where did your confidence go?"
Yanqing stayed silent, but a fire rose inside him. Maybe because he'd spent so much time with Nero, he suddenly shot back, "Where did my confidence go? Don't you know?"
Jingliu paused, then shook her head.
Jing Yuan really didn't teach him the right things. Good talent, but his mouth is a bit too sharp.
———
At that moment, far away in the Seat of Divine Foresight, Jing Yuan sneezed.
The general frowned slightly, confused. 'Who's talking about me?'
'It can't be Nero, right?'
'Probably not. He's just a bit mischievous. Besides, I only asked him to help Yanqing. They're friends. He shouldn't have any complaints.'
Jing Yuan looked out the window.
Thanks to Nero, Yanqing's growth recently had been far faster than before. But defeating Blade was still out of reach.
Blade carried mara. Jing Yuan felt it would be better for Nero to watch over Yanqing a bit.
Anyway, those replicas had already been found. They just needed to be captured.
"…I just hope that child Yanqing's path goes smoothly," Jing Yuan said softly.
———
Though Jing Yuan offered his blessing, Yanqing didn't feel good at all right now.
The boy stared at Jingliu, a bit stunned, cold sweat forming on his forehead.
He felt something was wrong with this woman.
"My turn… it should be like this. Once the sword is drawn, there is no return. One strike to kill!"
As Jingliu spoke, her steps became more agile. Her sword traced arcs, taking more Abominations' lives.
As the killing continued, her voice grew more intense, no longer calm, more like a bloodthirsty madwoman.
Especially when she said that those turned into Abominations should be dealt with by "piercing through the core and ending their breath with a single strike," Yanqing actually heard excitement in her tone.
At this, Yanqing stepped back slightly, increasing the distance between them, gripping his sword tighter.
He had to split his attention to watch Jingliu, afraid she might suddenly turn and strike him.
Under this pressure, Yanqing stopped thinking about the competition and focused on Jingliu and the Abominations. His swordsmanship gradually improved.
Before long, the two had cleared the area of Abominations.
Even so, Yanqing keenly sensed that the atmosphere hadn't eased. It had become heavier, more oppressive.
Coldness crept in from nowhere, surrounding them.
Yanqing immediately turned to look at Jingliu.
Jingliu stood with her back to him and said coldly, "Only that last strike was somewhat acceptable."
"I lost."
Yanqing spoke directly, admitting defeat decisively, without any reluctance.
This was clearly the result of Nero's influence. He acted less on impulse now and more on calm judgment.
Right now, Yanqing only felt that Jingliu was off. No matter what, stabilizing her came first.
Besides, he had long become the "never wins" legend when facing Nero. Losing now didn't matter much.
However, Jingliu said, "The match isn't over. My final strike hasn't been delivered, and there are no opponents left.
"A sword drawn without result is a desecration of the Reignbow Arbiter's will. Most inauspicious."
She turned and gave her judgment. "With your strength, even if you meet Blade, you'll only die.
"Rather than dying pointlessly, I'll give you a more honorable choice... witness my perfected strike, then die as a swordsman."
Yanqing gritted his teeth, staring at her with extreme caution, not daring to relax.
Jingliu had taken a liking to his talent and wanted to temper him. But Yanqing didn't know her identity, nor the relationship between them. Combined with her earlier unstable state, he thought this was a life-or-death battle.
He copied Nero's usual style, saying nothing, silently gathering strength.
He knew he wasn't her match. If she attacked, he only had one option.
Build up power in secret, and the moment she moved, unleash Skyfall. Though he wasn't skilled with it yet, it could buy time to escape.
Yanqing had absolute confidence in this earth-shaking move.
In terms of sword techniques alone, Skyfall was the strongest move he had ever seen, even beyond Jing Yuan.
Seeing him gathering power, Jingliu smiled faintly. "Good courage."
She leaped up, gathering moonlight, forming an ice sword, twisting midair, and slashing down a crescent-shaped strike.
The sword energy cut through the air like cold moonlight, yet carried immense force, surging like waves toward Yanqing.
At that moment, a thunderous boom sounded.
Cold winds roared like blades across the field.
That crescent sword energy trembled, then suddenly shattered, scattering like fireflies.
Jingliu was stunned.
She hadn't used full strength, but she knew Yanqing couldn't block that strike. Yet it broke so easily.
The next moment, her entire body tensed instinctively. She felt killing intent lock onto her, and followed it upward.
Dark clouds churned. A beam of light split the sky. A sword hundreds of meters long descended from the clouds.
Seeing this, Jingliu didn't panic. She laughed.
'So there really is a strike that splits the sky. The boy wasn't exaggerating!'
As the former Sword Champion, she loved swords. Seeing this move, she wanted to test it.
She raised her sword and slashed upward. This strike was far more terrifying than the one aimed at Yanqing.
Moonlike sword light surged upward, colliding with the descending blade. Power exploded, blowing away the clouds and revealing the stars.
The two strikes clashed, then exploded, lighting the sky like dawn.
Though the techniques were evenly matched, the users were not.
Jingliu still stood with strength to spare. Yanqing, however, was gasping, completely spent.
He had planned to escape while she was suppressed, but didn't expect her to be this strong. His strongest move only delayed her for two seconds.
If he hadn't maintained the technique, she could've broken it in half a second.
The gap was too large.
Jingliu smiled and didn't intend to continue. She moved swiftly, took Yanqing's investigation records, jumped onto a roof, and prepared to leave.
Yanqing had no strength to chase. Surviving was already fortunate.
However...
As Jingliu leaped away, a shadow fell from the sky, rapidly enlarging.
She felt a sudden unease. Looking up, she saw a massive black shape rushing toward her.
There was no time to dodge. She raised her sword to block.
BOOM!
With a loud crash, the impact hit. Jingliu gritted her teeth, pain surging through her body.
The attack was far more violent than expected, like mountains crashing down on her.
Unable to deflect it, she was smashed back to the ground.
She quickly got up from the debris, trying to see who attacked her, when a boy's voice rang out, "Haha, if you didn't use Skyfall, I wouldn't have found you this fast. Got bullied? It's fine, I'll get payback for you!"
Jingliu turned toward the voice and saw a white-haired boy patting Yanqing's shoulder, confidence in his expression.
Beside him stood a massive black greatsword. That was what had struck her.
Yanqing noticed her gaze and said softly, "Nero, be careful. She's strong."
Jingliu narrowed her eyes. "…Nero. So this is the one that boy couldn't beat?"
Nero looked at her.
He had played the game, so he recognized her.
But since Blade had already been captured, grabbing Jingliu too didn't seem like a problem.
Yanqing could go "five people, I beat four." He could try "five people, I capture two."
As for why only two, that was because Dan Heng and Jing Yuan were on his side.
Then Nero said, "You attacked the Cloud Knights, that's a crime. Come with me to the Shackling Prison."
Jingliu frowned.
That earlier strike had given her a clear sense of his strength.
Strong.
Very strong.
Fast enough to approach unnoticed, and the power behind that sword far exceeded hers.
Escaping wouldn't be easy.
But fighting such a young opponent was also interesting.
'Still…'
'Should someone this young really have this kind of strength?'
She looked between Nero and Yanqing. Nero looked even younger.
How did the Luofu produce so many monsters?
Yanqing was already astonishing. Nero… she felt she could treat him as an equal.
As she thought, Nero suddenly spoke to Yanqing, serious, almost disappointed, "I told you before, train your strength, strength!"
"You've got talent, but focusing only on techniques is useless. You'll learn them instantly anyway. What you lack is physical conditioning."
He grabbed the greatsword and stepped forward. "Listen, Yanqing. If you want to be Sword Champion, trust me. Stats are the reason to become Sword Champion!"
Hearing this, Jingliu wanted to correct him.
But seeing him casually swing that massive sword, she felt… he had a point.
Realizing something was wrong with her thinking, she shook her head and focused.
Something was definitely off.
Just as she was thinking, her heart suddenly tightened.
Nero leaped toward her without warning, bringing down a jumping strike.
She dodged.
From the earlier strike, she knew she couldn't match his strength. Taking it head-on might split her in half.
Which made his words feel disturbingly reasonable.
'What did this kid even eat growing up?'
As she dodged, she moved to his side and thrust her sword.
Then she saw something she had never imagined.
A greatsword was hard to maneuver. By all logic, Nero shouldn't have been able to dodge.
But he grabbed her ice blade with his bare hand and snapped it.
And that wasn't all.
Using the momentum of the greatsword's rotation, he spun his body, kicked the sword mid-motion, and turned in the air.
It defied logic, yet it worked, breaking her attack and countering.
Seeing the greatsword sweep toward her, she retreated.
That weapon could slash, smash, and crush. Being hit by it would be worse than a cut.
Landing, she looked forward and noticed his aura had changed.
There was no wind, yet his clothes and white hair fluttered.
On his face were faint cracks, glowing like flowing galaxies.
Before she could react, a pale hand covered her vision.
The hand bore similar cracks.
The next moment, everything went dark.
BOOM!
Yanqing watched as Nero slapped Jingliu away and shuddered.
He was shocked.
And touched.
Shocked that Nero was this strong.
Touched that Nero never hit him like that during sparring.
At this moment, power from six Paths... Hunt, Elation, Destruction, Harmony, Abundance, Beauty... along with Nero's own strength surged within him.
These powers came from various moments, speaking in Belobog, chatting with Aha, killing Jetok, saying goodbye to Robin, infiltrating the Disciples, and some unknown time.
For some reason, his strength had suddenly skyrocketed.
Sighing, Nero exited the "Star Spiral" state.
He knew Jingliu was strong, so to make sure she was knocked out in one go, he had used full power.
Ignoring Yanqing, he walked over, pulled Jingliu out of the rubble, tied her hands, then returned.
"Let's go. She attacked the Cloud Knights. Let Jing Yuan lock her up."
Yanqing looked at Jingliu's swollen face and nodded blankly.
Finally giving up any thought of surpassing Nero.
Second place wasn't bad.
After all, first place was just too monstrous... hardly human at all.