The moonlit courtyard became a storm of silver and black.
Lixue pushed her Foundation Establishment cultivation to its absolute limit, her Ancient Sword Sovereign bloodline singing a lethal, high-pitched melody. She moved like a phantom, her midnight-blue tunic blurring as she unleashed a relentless barrage of thrusts and slashes. Every strike was aimed at Shen Yu's vital points, not out of malice, but out of a profound respect; she knew her husband would find anything less than her absolute best to be an insult.
"Faster, Lixue," Shen Yu commanded, his voice perfectly calm despite the violent clash of steel ringing through the night.
He didn't take a single step backward. Grounding his stance, he met her hurricane of sword Qi with the fluid, sweeping deflections of the Rising Swan Spear Technique. Despite only being at the 9th Stage of Qi Condensation, the sheer, compressed density of his Primordial Dantian allowed him to match her Foundation Establishment strength blow for blow.
Lixue's eyes narrowed, her competitive spirit burning white-hot. She channeled her Qi into her blade, the silver metal glowing with a frosty, lethal light. She leaped into the air, descending like a falling star.
"Lunar Severance!" she breathed, unleashing her strongest sword art.
A massive, crescent-shaped arc of sword Qi ripped toward Shen Yu, carrying enough localized force to easily cleave a massive boulder in two.
Shen Yu didn't dodge. A dark, arrogant smile touched his lips. He finally tapped into the terrifying reserves of his bloodline. Golden, scorching Primordial Yang Qi erupted from his body, wrapping around the black-iron spear like a roaring flame. He stepped forward, planting his lead foot hard enough to crack the paving stones.
He executed the final, most demanding form of the mortal-grade art: The Swan Pierces the Heavens.
He thrust the spear upward, directly into the descending crescent of sword Qi. The heavy, blunt force of his strike, backed by the sheer, unreasonable density of his energy, shattered Lixue's sword Qi like fragile glass.
The shockwave blasted through the courtyard, kicking up a cloud of dust. Before Lixue could even land and recover her footing, Shen Yu blurred into motion. He closed the distance instantly, slipping entirely past her guard.
With a swift, precise flick of his wrist, he knocked the sword from her grip. It clattered loudly onto the stone. In the exact same motion, he swept her legs out from under her, catching her firmly by the waist before she could hit the ground. He spun her gracefully and pinned her back against one of the thick, wooden training pillars at the edge of the courtyard.
He pressed his body entirely flush against hers, trapping her legs with his own, while the cold, blunt shaft of the black-iron spear rested gently against the side of her elegant neck.
Lixue was panting heavily, her chest heaving against his. A fine sheen of sweat coated her flushed skin, and stray strands of her black hair clung to her cheeks. She was completely defeated, utterly trapped, and entirely at his mercy.
And looking up into his dark, predatory golden eyes, she had never looked more euphoric.
"I lose," she whispered, her voice trembling slightly, not from fear, but from the overwhelming, intoxicating pressure of his aura.
"You fought flawlessly," Shen Yu murmured, lowering the spear and keeping it back into the storage ring. He reached up, his long fingers gently brushing a damp strand of black hair behind her ear. "Your sword intent is growing sharper every day. But raw power is useless if you let your opponent dictate the rhythm of the battle."
"Then teach me," she breathed, arching her neck into his touch, her cool blue eyes melting completely into liquid devotion. "Dictate my rhythm, Yu'er."
Shen Yu's eyes darkened with raw hunger. He didn't say another word. He captured her lips in a bruising, deeply possessive kiss. Lixue melted against him instantly, her arms wrapping desperately around his neck as she pulled him closer, the adrenaline of their life-and-death spar instantly converting into a blazing, violent arousal.
He lifted her effortlessly by the waist, her long legs immediately wrapping securely around his hips, and carried her out of the moonlit courtyard, leaving their weapons abandoned on the cold stone.
The heavy oak doors of Shen Yu's private bedchamber kicked open, the profound silencing arrays along the walls immediately flaring to life, sealing the room from the outside world.
He didn't gently lay her down. With a fluid, dominant motion, he tossed Lixue onto the center of the massive, silk-draped bed. She bounced slightly against the plush mattresses, her silver hair spilling like a chaotic halo across the dark crimson pillows.
Usually, the transition from battle to the bedchamber was a shedding of armor, a softening of intent. But tonight, Shen Yu didn't let the martial tension dissipate. He intended to weaponize it.
He stood over her at the edge of the bed, the golden, scorching aura of his Heaven Seducing Primordial Bloodline rolling off him in heavy, suffocating waves. He slowly untied the sash of his dark robe, his golden eyes never leaving her flushed, expectant face.
"You asked me to dictate your rhythm," Shen Yu murmured, his voice a dark, hypnotic command that resonated deep within her chest. "In the courtyard, you allowed your sword intent to run wild. You fought like a raging blizzard. Tonight, I am going to teach you how to forge that blizzard into a single, unbreakable needle."
Lixue's breath caught. The Ancient Sword Sovereign bloodline within her, still humming violently from their life-and-death spar, suddenly pulsed with a strange, intoxicating anticipation.
Shen Yu stepped forward and pinned her wrists above her head, exactly as he had trapped her sword arm against the pillar minutes before. But this time, he climbed above her, his cock hovering over her face.
Lixue leaned toward him, letting it rest against her face. She breathed in the intoxicating scent of primordial yang essence, then lifted her gaze to meet Shen Yu's golden eyes, waiting for his command.
Shen Yu wound his fingers through her black hair and said, "Come now, darling, sharpen my sword."
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Author's Note: Hey everyone! Just a quick heads-up: starting tomorrow, chapters will be uploaded daily at 10:00 AM (GMT+8). See you then!