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Qing Xuanling did not move immediately, just as in the previous matches. She was in no condition to waste even the slightest bit of energy.
Luo Zhi and Mo Yuyun were aware of this, so they simply walked slowly toward her, so calm that they looked like they were just going to buy some vegetables at the market. But the sword wrapped in ink-black Qi and the daggers emitting a sharp light betrayed their wielders' true intentions.
Qing Xuanling frowned when she saw the black Qi enveloping Luo Zhi's sword. It was Sword Qi!
She was slightly surprised, but not overly so. If there was any force that could have five or six people who comprehended Sword Qi before the Foundation Establishment realm, it was the Ink Sword Sect.
On the contrary, it would be strange if a sect where the art of the sword was the main teaching didn't have a genius or a maniac capable of comprehending Sword Qi earlier than normal. Especially if it was an old man who had surely wielded a sword longer than Qing Xuanling's entire life.
She regulated her breathing, trying to reduce the slight tremor in her body without much success.
That moment did not go unnoticed by Mo Yuyun, who threw one of her daggers, taking advantage of that small moment when Qing Xuanling's body relaxed as she took a breath!
Qing Xuanling's pupils dilated. For some reason, the dagger had disappeared as soon as it left Mo Yuyun's hand!
She gritted her teeth and, with little option, chose to dodge to the right without thinking much. But a sharp pain in her leg made her open her eyes in disbelief.
She looked down, observing without understanding how Mo Yuyun's dagger had embedded itself in her thigh at some point!
"Haha, girl, I've been watching your last three matches closely. I must say it was quite easy to discover your habits." Mo Yuyun, with a horrendous smile on her wrinkled face, suddenly mocked her. "You are too predictable in the eyes of an expert~"
Qing Xuanling gritted her teeth, about to retort. But a sudden alarm assaulted her senses!
Qing Xuanling's body moved unconsciously and placed Memory in front of her neck.
Clang!
"Tsk, senses quite sharp for a brat." Luo Zhi suddenly appeared in front of her with a cold gaze. "A pity, I thought I could end this quickly and continue practicing..."
The black Qi around Luo Zhi's sword increased in volume and he attacked Qing Xuanling again. She looked at the Sword Qi with surprise. In some way, she felt that Luo Zhi's Sword Qi was superior to hers.
'Why—'
"Argh!"
Another dagger suddenly embedded itself in Qing Xuanling's side, making her let out a groan of pain from the sudden attack.
Luo Zhi did not waste the opportunity and continued his attack with more ferocity than before, slashing toward Qing Xuanling's neck.
Qing Xuanling gritted her teeth and stretched backward, narrowly dodging Luo Zhi's sword. She did not waste the opportunity and did a backflip, kicking Luo Zhi's sword in the process!
She retreated quickly with her movement technique, creating a distance of several meters between them. She looked at the wounds on her side and thigh with coldness. Without hesitation, she ripped the daggers embedded in her body.
Mo Yuyun laughed when she saw that. "Little girl, didn't they teach you that ripping weapons out of your body will make you bleed out? Especially these daggers, which have barbs so the skin tears when pulled out—"
The old woman's face froze. Her eyes widened for the first time in years as she watched Qing Xuanling heal her wounds with pink fire. Her face, showing no sign of pain, sent chills down the old woman's spine.
Mo Yuyun's gaze upon seeing Qing Xuanling changed completely at that moment. She finally realized she was facing an opponent as ruthless as herself.
Luo Zhi looked at Qing Xuanling similarly. A glint of respect even shone in his eyes. Not even he could assure that he could do the same as Qing Xuanling without letting out even a groan of pain.
Qing Xuanling wiped the cold sweat from her forehead while smiling at both of them. "You are more honorable than I thought. I didn't think you would give me time to treat my wounds."
"Normally we wouldn't, but it is rare to find a worthy opponent in these times." Luo Zhi smiled with excitement as he tightened his grip on his sword. "It would be a pity to end this so quickly."
Mo Yuyun, on the other hand, looked at Qing Xuanling with a kind of... excitement.
"It is rare to see such a determined young lady! It makes me wonder how high your pain tolerance is and what I have to do to make you cry from pain!" The look on Mo Yuyun's face was perverse. "Clearly, I cannot ruin such an exceptional toy immediately!"
The corner of Qing Xuanling's lip lifted. It seemed she had gained the recognition of her opponents...
Qing Xuanling's heart turned ice cold.
'Arrogant fools, I will make you regret seeing me merely as an interesting toy.'
Qing Xuanling did not miss the arrogance in Luo Zhi's tone and the disturbing excitement in Mo Yuyun's eyes as she watched her. A fire filled with rage filled Qing Xuanling's heart.
She immediately charged toward Luo Zhi using the Lifeless Step of the Purple Phantom movements!
She appeared in front of him in an instant, slashing at him. But Luo Zhi did not seem surprised and calmly blocked Qing Xuanling's attack. He even had the opportunity to counterattack.
Qing Xuanling tilted her neck, narrowly dodging a fatal cut, and spun her sword, attacking Luo Zhi's wrist. Unfortunately, Luo Zhi seemed able to predict all of Qing Xuanling's attacks, dodging or blocking them with ease.
Worse still, Mo Yuyun's attacks kept coming!
Qing Xuanling already had three daggers embedded in her back at this point. It was lucky that her senses were quite developed, capable of warning her when she was about to receive fatal attacks. Otherwise, she would already have several daggers stuck in her heart and neck.
Even so, her blood loss was excessive. Weakness was already running through Qing Xuanling's body. She really wanted to eat a Demon Blood Pill immediately, but her two opponents would not allow it under any circumstances.
'I must end this quickly.'
Qing Xuanling's eyes turned vicious, and she quickly used the Wandering Sword movement, Double Thrust!
Memory blurred for an instant before magically splitting into two, like twin swords impossible to distinguish, flying toward Luo Zhi's neck and heart!
Luo Zhi's eyes opened slightly, observing with interest the two swords attacking his vital points. But a mocking smile appeared on his face when he realized the trick behind the technique.
"I didn't expect you to be an expert in these cheap tricks, brat." He mocked as he placed his sword in front of his stomach, blocking Qing Xuanling's real attack. "I imagined you would despise this type of deceptive attack."
Qing Xuanling did not bother to respond, her face cold as she continued attacking. She executed a combo attack using Nine Changes and Double Thrust, trying to break Luo Zhi's rhythm, but it was useless.
Luo Zhi managed to defend against all attacks with ease, while Qing Xuanling's attacks became more desperate!
Her eyes gradually began to fill with panic as more and more daggers embedded themselves in her back.
She looked like a porcupine after receiving so many attacks. Especially since Mo Yuyun stopped trying to kill her in one blow and began directing her attacks only to her back, wishing to see how many daggers Qing Xuanling could withstand before fainting.
Qing Xuanling gritted her teeth; she really didn't want to use this move in front of so many people, but it seemed she had no other choice!
"Six Waves!"
She shouted with a hoarse voice as she attacked desperately!
Luo Zhi smiled slightly as his eyes filled with curiosity upon receiving Qing Xuanling's attack. He was truly surprised by Qing Xuanling's skill. He hadn't used any sword techniques until now, but it was because he had reached the realm of returning from the transcendent to the mundane.
His attacks no longer needed techniques to be lethal.
However, Qing Xuanling had managed to defend herself for so long despite being exhausted from several battles and even receiving Mo Yuyun's attacks. It was simply impressive!
He really wanted to see right now what kind of attack the girl would use against him after her eyes finally filled with despair!
Luo Zhi blocked Qing Xuanling's first attack, but immediately frowned.
'It's weaker than usual...'
Disappointment crossed his eyes, and he sighed, ready to finally end the match. But he changed his decision when he blocked the second attack.
"The power has increased by thirty percent!" Luo Zhi's eyes widened, now filled with interest. "Haha, I wonder how much power they will have by the sixth attack!"
The third attack arrived quickly, but Luo Zhi blocked it with the same ease as before. But he was quite surprised when he noticed it was still thirty percent stronger than the previous attack.
Not thirty percent stronger than the first strike, but thirty percent stronger than the second strike! The difference between the two things was immense!
Luo Zhi swallowed in excitement and quickly received the fourth strike. His sword was pushed back a few centimeters!
For the fifth, Luo Zhi was forced to retreat three steps, causing Qing Xuanling's eyes to shine with hope!
She gritted her teeth tightly and launched the sixth attack, her eyes shining intensely.
'Alright, let's see how strong the attack you pinned all your hopes on is!'
Luo Zhi smiled and received the sixth attack. He was forced to retreat eight steps!
His smile did not falter; rather, it grew wider. He hadn't expected the brat in front of him to be able to push him back so much! He almost laughed thinking about it, but he felt more excited thinking about Qing Xuanling's desperate face upon realizing her trump card had failed!
A turbid excitement filled his chest as he looked back at Qing Xuanling when...!
'Danger!'
Luo Zhi's eyes filled with panic as he bent his waist backward beyond what his old body should be able to! His spine cracked loudly, but he paid no attention to that!
A cold sweat ran down his back as he saw the white trail left by Qing Xuanling's sword, which had slashed where his neck had been moments before. Luo Zhi's heart trembled. He had almost died!
He swallowed hard as rage surged from his heart.
"Hahaha, what a sinister technique!" Luo Zhi laughed with rage. "Calling the move Six Waves but actually having seven attacks?! I had never heard anything like it before!"
Mo Yuyun, who had been watching the spectacle, laughed heartily. "Haha, old man, they almost got you! I thought I would finally see you die, pity that girl failed!"
Luo Zhi gritted his teeth in shame and directed his fury-filled gaze at Qing Xuanling, whose face was dark and full of despair. Luo Zhi's furious heart calmed a little upon seeing her like this.
"Finally, you realize the situation you are in. Tell me, do you want to surrender yet? There is no way for you to defeat me anyway. Your little tricks have run out." Luo Zhi approached Qing Xuanling step by step, his face full of condescension.
Qing Xuanling gritted her teeth. "Never!"
She advanced and began attacking Luo Zhi, but her attacks lacked the same strength and intensity as before. At first, he blocked the attacks with ease, but upon seeing the desperate, panic-filled look in Qing Xuanling's eyes, a playful idea crossed his mind.
He stopped blocking the attacks and instead began to dodge them!
And he didn't dodge them by a wide margin, but by a hair's breadth! His eyes filled with sadistic amusement as he watched Qing Xuanling's eyes fill with pure despair seeing her attacks miss by a centimeter each time!
"Haha, how pathetic are you?! Why do you keep attacking, or do you really think you still have a chance?! Brat, surely your confidence grew due to the excessive praise of your elders, but your strength is simply average compared to true sword cultivators!"
Luo Zhi's voice was loud, reaching the audience that had been silent for a long time. This filled him with excitement. He was finally fulfilling the task entrusted to him: to mentally destroy Qing Xuanling in front of the public, ruining the reputation and momentum she had gained so far.
Excitement filled his heart as he observed Qing Xuanling continuing to try to attack him with increasingly weaker strikes! The way Qing Xuanling swung her sword was clearly more feeble than before!
The fans Qing Xuanling had recently gained watched her with fear and worry. None began to despise Qing Xuanling at this time, as what she had done so far remained too impressive.
But their excitement in watching her had diminished considerably. They no longer had those eyes full of fanaticism. Instead, although they no longer looked fanatical, they began to look at Qing Xuanling with concern!
They were afraid that Qing Xuanling would lose, or worse, die!
Especially the members of the Qing clan. Many had already asked the Young Master to stop the match, but he ignored them and simply watched everything calmly. Although the way he bit his lip revealed his anxiety.
Qing Xuanling continued attacking, but she was losing more strength with every passing moment. Her sword could no longer be considered fast now. Even a mortal could swing a sword as fast as Qing Xuanling.
Luo Zhi smiled when he noticed this and dodged Qing Xuanling's sword heading for his neck by a narrow margin again while beginning to mock her.
"You really don't know how to give up. Aren't you ashamed of making a fool of yourself in front of so many people or what?" Luo Zhi's face filled with complacency, but suddenly he noticed something strange. "Why are you smiling sudde—garh!"
Luo Zhi's eyes widened in disbelief as he brought his hand to his neck. His hand filled with warm liquid. He raised his hand tremulously.
Red.
Luo Zhi's face twitched, and he looked at Qing Xuanling in disbelief, who now had a slight smile on her face. He tried to say something, but only let out some guttural sounds before collapsing to the ground.
Silence enveloped the place.
Everyone looked at the scene in disbelief, not understanding what was happening!
Mo Yuyun, who had been watching everything with an amused smile, froze when she saw Luo Zhi suddenly collapse. She had been watching the whole show as an entertained spectator, so her mind went momentarily blank when she suddenly returned to her role as a protagonist!
Her face, with more wrinkles than a raisin, trembled violently as she observed Qing Xuanling slowly turning toward her before charging with impressive speed!
But Mo Yuyun was not just any person. She was an old witch as experienced as Luo Zhi, so she quickly regained her composure and even laughed at the misfortune of her old acquaintance.
"Haha, I finally see you die, old Luo! And by the hands of a brat, no less!" Mo Yuyun laughed with satisfaction and mocked Qing Xuanling. "And you, brat, don't get complacent just because you beat that old man! I am a much stronger and worse opponent than him!"
"You beat old Luo with a sinister and cunning method I still can't understand, but speaking of being cunning, no one can surpass the Mo clan!" Mo Yuyun's voice filled with excitement. "Brat, did you really think the daggers I threw at you weren't strange at all?"
The crowd, which hadn't been understanding the situation, shouted in surprise upon remembering that Mo Yuyun belonged to the Mo clan! A place where poisons could be served like tea!
Mo Yuyun smiled maliciously as she made dozens of hand seals in an instant.
"This is a special poison linked to me capable of generating unbearable pain in whoever suffers it! I can't wait to see you writhing in pain on the ground!"
But Mo Yuyun's threats fell on deaf ears.
Qing Xuanling still had a cold expression on her face as she ran toward Mo Yuyun, closing the distance between them to just a few meters!
Mo Yuyun looked at Qing Xuanling in disbelief.
"Impossible, do you have a body immune to poisons?!" Mo Yuyun shouted in frustration, but didn't panic. It wasn't the first time something like this had happened to her. "Tsk, fine, I suppose I'll go the old-fashioned way!"
She pulled several daggers from her tunic and was ready to riddle Qing Xuanling's body with holes, but before she could, a sword shining with five colors flew directly toward her neck!
Yes, flew! Qing Xuanling had thrown Memory!
Mo Yuyun hastily blocked the sword, but in that moment of delay, Qing Xuanling had already arrived in front of her! Her fist, covered in pink fire, impacted directly against her face!
Qing Xuanling's eyes turned violent as she clenched her fist. She still felt a sharp, unpleasant pain coming from her back.
"Clench your teeth."
She murmured just before beginning to punch Mo Yuyun's face non-stop! She threw dozens of punches in a minute, disfiguring the old woman's face into an unrecognizable shape.
Qing Xuanling might be relatively calm compared to others, but that didn't mean she didn't hold grudges!
She probably would have continued until she killed Mo Yuyun if someone hadn't stopped her.
"Brat, that's enough." Qing Meipon grabbed Qing Xuanling's wrist with a mix of softness and firmness. "I already had trouble stopping them from interrupting the match when you killed the brat from the Ink Sword Sect. I can't let you kill the old hag from the Mo clan too."
Qing Xuanling sighed in resignation. Her fists still felt a bit restless. She stood up with a pout after picking up Memory from the floor, which wouldn't stop trembling with indignation. It didn't like being thrown through the air at all.
She made a grimace, wondering when Memory had become so expressive.
'I know it's a good thing, but...'
Qing Xuanling looked at the sword that kept trembling with clear indignation and silently sheathed it...
Another figure appeared beside Qing Xuanling at that moment.
"Brat, I swear we won't let you go on another mission for the clan again." Qing Huomei sighed in frustration as she looked at Qing Xuanling's back full of daggers. "Sister Wangu will kill us when she finds out about the injuries you received."
Qing Meipon smiled slightly. "That brat Wangu is too overprotective. The young must let out their hot blood. Just listen to how they cheer for you. Engrave this image in your mind, Little Ninth. These are the things you will remember when you reach my age."
Qing Xuanling finally realized that the crowd had started chanting her new nickname again at some point. This time with much more force than before. The fanaticism in their eyes as they looked at her was clear.
The emotion at this moment was totally different from when she had just won nine matches. Although there was only one match difference, that match was the wall between winning the league alone or not.
Now they were also chanting a phrase.
"Invincible within her own stage! Invincible within her own stage! Invincible within her own stage!"