Qingque squatted in the bamboo forest, a casually plucked blade of grass dangling from her mouth, squinting as she observed the "Immortal Sparring" in the clearing. Her little brain was already whirring with thoughts.
(Something's not right, very not right.)
She spat out the grass stem and stroked her chin.
(I, Qingque, the Divination Commission's acknowledged expert at slacking off, always have excellent sleep quality, sleeping through the night undisturbed. How could I have such a vivid dream, with a plot, NPCs, and even such realistic combat effects? This bamboo forest, these stone steps, these two people... the modeling is quite detailed, huh?)
She recalled the jade plaque she had been playing with before falling asleep; its warm touch still seemed to linger on her fingertips.
(Could it be... that thing causing trouble? Tsk, I thought I found a bargain, but it turns out I picked up an "adventure quest"? Is there an old man's remnant soul inside, wanting to pass on peerless card skills to me?)
While she was lost in thought, the battle in the clearing seemed to enter a new phase.
The sword-wielding girl, unable to break through after a long assault, grew a little anxious. Her swordplay became increasingly fierce, and azure sword qi crisscrossed, causing the surrounding bamboo leaves to rustle and fall.
But the grey-haired one remained as steady as a rock. With every exchange of fists and palms, she always managed to defuse seemingly perilous offensives in the simplest and most direct way, her movements so clean and precise that even an amateur like Qingque couldn't help but cheer in her heart.
(This... path is so wild, no, so righteous. It's clearly the kind with terrifyingly solid fundamentals; no matter how many changes you make, I'll break it with one punch. Tsk tsk, this fight is making that girl almost furious.)
Qingque watched with great interest, almost wanting to pull out some snacks from her pocket — unfortunately, she didn't have any in her dream.
Just as she thought this sparring match would end with Li Sushang admitting defeat due to exhaustion, an anomaly suddenly occurred!
Li Sushang suddenly retreated several steps, holding her longsword upright in front of her. The azure sword qi no longer scattered but instead coiled around the sword body like returning birds, becoming increasingly solid.
She closed her eyes, her long eyelashes casting faint shadows beneath them, but the aura around her dramatically changed.
It was no longer just a martial artist's sharpness; it gained an additional layer of 'intent'?
Qingque instinctively held her breath.
Although her martial arts cultivation was zero, having spent so long in the Divination Commission, she still had some vague sense of
At this moment, Li Sushang felt like an uncarved jade, suddenly infused with an ancient and sharp'soul'.
The next instant, Li Sushang suddenly opened her eyes!
Within those originally clear and vibrant eyes, a flash of sword light seemed to flicker and disappear.
She didn't swing her sword; she merely looked up, gazing at the sky.
Qingque also involuntarily followed her gaze upward.
Then, her mouth slowly opened into an "O" shape, and her neck arched so far back it almost made a
The clouds... were torn apart.
No, not torn apart.
It was a sword, a
Its tip alone obscured half the sky, and the shadow it cast instantly enveloped the entire mountaintop, dimming the light in the bamboo forest.
The biting, vast sword intent poured down like a tangible icefall. Qingque even felt her thoughts freezing, and her teeth began to chatter uncontrollably.
(Wha... what the hell?! )
Qingque's mind was flooded with these words.
(Is this the kind of commotion martial arts can create?! This is a star-destroying battleship's main cannon, isn't it?! Does the Xianzhou's Cloud Knights Swordplay have this move?! No, it doesn't, right?! Absolutely not, right?! Even young master Yanqing would have to call her senior, right?! )
She finally completely believed this was no ordinary dream!
Whose dream could conjure up
This was definitely an
No doubt about it!
Although the Xianzhou people themselves lived long lives and possessed great abilities, the current scene of directly summoning a
In the clearing, Hua gazed at the giant sword that seemed poised to judge heaven and earth, and a clear look of surprise finally appeared on her usually calm face.
She could feel that this was not merely an illusion; it contained an extremely profound Sword Dao true intent, entirely different from any martial art she knew, yet self-contained and astonishingly powerful.
"This sword... is extraordinary."
She murmured, a glimmer of excitement, as if seeing a worthy opponent, igniting in her eyes.
Facing the overwhelming sword pressure, she did not retreat. Instead, she took a step forward, lowered her stance, and drew her right fist to her waist, a simple charging posture.
There was no dazzling light, no sky-piercing aura.
She merely condensed all her spirit, will, and all the power her body could muster into that single punch she was about to unleash.
Where her fist pointed, the air itself seemed to grow heavy.
The giant sword slowly
Just as the sword tip was about to touch Hua's head—
Hua exhaled and struck with a punch!
"Buzz—!!!"
There was no earth-shattering explosion as expected.
The moment her fist connected with the tip of the giant sword that seemed capable of crushing mountains, time seemed to freeze for a frame.
Immediately after, a visible transparent ripple suddenly spread out in all directions!
"Whoa!"
Qingque cried out, thrown by the sudden blast of air, rolling twice in the bamboo forest, dizzy and disoriented.
She clung tightly to a thick bamboo stalk to avoid being blown away.
The surrounding bamboo forest was like a scene hit by a Category 12 typhoon, entire sections toppling outwards, bamboo leaves swept high into the sky, then shredded by an invisible force.
At the center of the air blast, the phantom of the magnificent giant sword began to show fine cracks from the point of contact with the fist.
The cracks spread rapidly like a spiderweb, covering the entire sword body in an instant.
Then, with a deep, lingering sound of shattering, as if from ancient times, the giant sword transformed into countless specks of azure light, slowly dissipating into the air like a The Milky Way in Reverse.
The pressure suddenly vanished.
Li Sushang knelt on one knee, exhausted, supporting herself with her sword. Her chest heaved violently, her forehead was covered in sweat, and her small face was pale, but her eyes shone astonishingly bright, filled with excitement and admiration: "Grand Master! You're incredible! You can even break the nascent form of 'Divine Essence' with one punch!"
Hua slowly retracted her fist, her breathing slightly uneven, but she still stood perfectly straight.
She looked at her fist, then at the dissipating sword light, and mused, "This sword intent... is profound and vast, pointing directly to the origin, almost reaching the 'Dao'. You call it 'Divine Essence'?"
"Yes!"
Li Sushang caught her breath and immediately explained as if presenting a treasure, "This is the fifth essence of Taixu Sword Qi, the 'Divine Essence'! Although I'm still far from it, only having touched a tiny edge, and the condensed sword form is merely superficial, it's still very powerful, isn't it?!"
Her tone carried a hint of pride, then she slumped, "But Grand Master, you still broke it with one punch..."
"Taixu Sword Qi..."
Hua repeated softly, making a mental note of the unfamiliar term.
She walked forward, reached out, pulled Li Sushang up, and patted her shoulder, her tone unusually carrying a hint of praise: "For someone your age to reach such a realm is already rare. Sword qi has form, but sword intent is boundless. Practice diligently, and your future is promising."
"Yes! Grand Master!"
Encouraged, Li Sushang immediately regained her vigor.
Meanwhile, in the bamboo forest, Qingque, who had been dazed and disoriented by the earlier air blast and had finally managed to get up, was dusting off the dirt and bamboo leaves from her body, filled with lingering fear:
(Good heavens, this wasn't sparring, this was demolition! Thankfully it's a dream, otherwise my small body...)
She had just sighed in relief, preparing to continue hiding, planning to figure out how to
She met two pairs of eyes staring straight at her.
Li Sushang held her sword, her expression saying,
Hua's gaze fell calmly upon her, the lingering power of that punch seemingly not yet dissipated, making Qingque feel the air grow heavy again.
(It's over, I've been discovered!)
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