Chapter 34: The Unyielding Battle and a Glimpse of True Power

What Ouyang Xiu displayed seemed like a spell, yet it defied the typical characteristics of one, leaving Lian Yueying somewhat perplexed.

[What is this? It looks like a body cultivation combat technique, yet his kick clearly carried spiritual energy.]

By unspoken convention, disciples rarely employed techniques from other sects during internal competitions, implying that this particular method must originate from the sect’s own archives.

Lian Yueying excelled with the Azure Edge Shuttle, and being unable to use it at present put her at a disadvantage, though she couldn’t ascertain if Ouyang Xiu possessed even stronger techniques from other sects.

Lian Yueying knew the situation was tricky, but from the sidelines, after several rounds, Ouyang Xiu’s shoes had been shredded by the spiritual energy of the Grand Force Blade, prompting him to simply kick off his remaining shoe and cast it aside.

In stark contrast, Lian Yueying barely seemed winded.

“I remember Ouyang Xiu always ranked among the top students in Peak Hall, and the other one… Lian Yueying from Lake Hall, I think a Senior Brother mentioned her before.”

The arena managers were all in the Foundation Establishment stage, though it was never the same person; any Foundation Establishment disciple who passed the review and accepted the sect mission could take on the role.

“You should take a closer look; even those in Foundation Establishment can gain insight from this match.”

A familiar voice echoed from behind her, yet she hadn’t detected anyone approaching.

Without a second thought, the Foundation Establishment disciple turned and bowed respectfully.

“Disciple greets Master.”

Peak Hall Master Gu Sheng nodded, and seeing his disciple bow to the person beside him as well, he then gestured for them to be seated.

Bamboo Hall Master Du Cheng sighed.

“This child, Han Xue asked me to look after her, Senior Brother. What do you think?”

“Remarkable. I recall her possessing five spiritual roots.”

“Just over a month ago, the Deacon Hall investigated her. At that time, she had only just broken through to the seventh layer of Qi Refinement, yet in such a short span, she had completely solidified the foundation of the seventh layer.

It stands to reason she will reach the eighth layer within six months.”

Du Cheng’s tone carried both admiration and worry.

“Six months… she could achieve an excellent ranking in the next internal hall competition, and perhaps even reach the ninth layer by the time of the sect-wide grand competition.

This child is truly extraordinary.

I heard Yun Meng say that this child is cultivating the ‘Buried Qi Rebirth Method’.”

The two had been conversing through spiritual transmission, yet upon hearing the name of the cultivation technique, a hint of gravity settled on Du Cheng’s weathered face.

Gu Sheng, who appeared younger than Du Cheng but was in fact older, showed no particular reaction, but seeing Du Cheng’s expression, he pressed on.

“Junior Brother believes Han Xue shouldn’t teach her this method?”

“I… I don’t know.”

“Between the path of immortality and worldly prospects, which do you deem more significant, Junior Brother?”

For cultivators, the path of immortality was their future, but when Junior Uncle Yue was mentioned, Du Cheng couldn’t help but recall old memories.

He understood Gu Sheng’s meaning but didn’t know how to answer, opting for silence.

Seeing this, Gu Sheng chuckled.

“You remain as hesitant as ever, Junior Brother.

I understand your considerable prejudice against the Dao Alliance’s actions, but if Han Xue herself no longer cares, why do you persist in this grievance?”

“I, however, believe Han Xue has not truly ceased to care.”

“Oh? What do you mean?”

Upon hearing this, Du Cheng glanced at Lian Yueying, who was fiercely battling in the arena, and suddenly his somber expression lifted.

“Despite the core essence of the cultivation techniques being identical, the pirated ‘Violet Star Body Forging Art’ is deemed orthodox, while the original ‘Buried Qi Rebirth Method’ is labeled heretical.

Given Han Xue’s nature, she will harbor resentment towards the Violet Star Sect and the Dao Alliance for the rest of her life.”

“Alas, what good is resentment? Even if Han Xue manages to form a Nascent Soul within a few centuries, she will ultimately be powerless against the Violet Star Sect alone.”

****

Within the arena, Lian Yueying found herself repeatedly forced backward by Ouyang Xiu’s relentless assault.

While Ouyang Xiu had yet to glimpse her command talismans, he recognized that Lian Yueying possessed techniques he couldn’t comprehend, prompting him to exercise even greater caution during their exchange.

This made the situation quite tricky for Lian Yueying; several times she attempted to deploy spiritual talismans, but Ouyang Xiu’s tight pressure prevented her from casting them.

Fortunately, her true talismans had not been significantly depleted.

However, as someone adept at using talismans, Lian Yueying knew their weaknesses best.

‘My true talismans are finite.

The best way to deal with me is through attrition; once they are exhausted, a fierce assault will leave me defenseless.’

Of course, true talismans required spiritual energy to activate, but spiritual talismans did not, and Lian Yueying continuously used them to bridge the gap in their cultivation levels.

After a full quarter-hour of sustained combat, aside from the suspected body cultivation combat technique she displayed during moments of crisis, Lian Yueying had largely familiarized herself with Ouyang Xiu’s style, finding it easier to cope with.

Yet, this also served as a stark reminder.

‘I have grown accustomed to his style, which means he has grown accustomed to mine.

If I fail to find a way to counter him soon, I fear he will make his move.

Yet… Ouyang Xiu appears utterly without weakness.’

Lian Yueying finally understood what it meant to have a truly solid foundation.

Ouyang Xiu wielded every spell with masterful precision, transforming even the most common techniques into formidable challenges by finding unexpected and cunning angles.

She could now confidently assert that Wang Zhi absolutely stood no chance against Ouyang Xiu.

‘[Without traps, I have almost no chance of defeating Wang Zhi, so by extension, does this mean I have no hope of winning against Ouyang Xiu?]’

A wave of discouragement washed over Lian Yueying at this thought, and her movements slowed by a fraction.

In that fleeting moment of distraction, Ouyang Xiu seized the opportunity, bringing the Grand Force Blade down upon her.

The expected clang of metal never materialized, nor was there any sensation of impact.

Instead, Lian Yueying raised her longsword horizontally across her chest, and with a flash of silver, the Grand Force Blade met it and was absorbed, vanishing without a sound.

‘[Though my internal spiritual energy is barely three-tenths depleted, Senior Brother Ouyang shows no sign of weakening… No, these are mere excuses, Lian Yueying.

You must understand that in a spar, there are only two ways to lose: either by injury or by exhausting your spiritual energy until you can no longer move, or by allowing fear to erode your will to fight.]’

The more Lian Yueying felt her own inadequacy, the angrier she became with herself, her indignation fueling her fighting spirit.

Ouyang Xiu, having observed Lian Yueying continuously retreating without any offensive intent, initially felt a pang of disappointment.

However, he then watched as she rebounded the Grand Force Blade, which she had absorbed into her longsword, back at him, her eyes sharpening and her aura transforming instantly.

‘[If I haven’t even gone all out, how can I presume I cannot win?

Were this a matter of life or death, would I simply beg my enemy for mercy?]’

The spar was no excuse for her to lose heart.

Lian Yueying rallied, refocusing completely, and once again produced a handful of spiritual talismans, fixing her gaze upon Ouyang Xiu.

‘[Earlier, I noticed his body was stronger than mine, allowing him to execute many movements to evade spells, and after enduring certain spells, his spiritual energy showed no signs of weakening.

This implies he used some form of power—either a spell or a cultivation technique—when intercepting my techniques.]’

With this in mind, Lian Yueying meticulously arranged the directions for her spiritual talismans.

Driven by her intent, three Grand Force Blades descended in vertical slashes, while four more swept horizontally to block and sever.

Amidst these, numerous other Five-Element spells—golden arrows, earthen cones, and the like—weaved through, launching over a dozen techniques in an optimized assault against Ouyang Xiu.

While he wouldn’t be unable to dodge entirely, Ouyang Xiu would need to retreat a considerable distance, thus granting Lian Yueying the opportunity to pin him down and wear him out with talismans.

Given that Lian Yueying enjoyed drawing talismans at her desk whenever she felt frustrated or tired, her storage bag contained tens of thousands of various spiritual talismans, ensuring she never feared a battle of attrition.

Perceiving Lian Yueying’s objective, Ouyang Xiu made his decision in an instant.

He did not retreat.

Instead, employing some unknown evasion technique, his speed surged dramatically as he unleashed the Grand Force Blade, simultaneously conjuring a Mountain-Bearing Shield for defense, charging towards Lian Yueying without the slightest reduction in pace.

The best way to prevent being worn down was to finish the fight quickly, but Lian Yueying’s proficiency in battles of attrition indicated she was well-prepared for a direct assault.

The dozen-plus spells and the Mountain-Bearing Shield vanished almost simultaneously, sending a clear danger signal to Lian Yueying: Ouyang Xiu had already gauged the true power of her talismans.

‘[Senior Brother Ouyang is indeed a formidable opponent.

So, when combined, what will you do then?]’

Lian Yueying calmed her mind and breath, then simultaneously activated five true talismans, transforming them into Grand Force Blades that formed an encompassing net to attack Ouyang Xiu.

Immediately after, she used three spiritual talismans to conjure a row of Mountain-Bearing Shields, arraying them before her.

Ouyang Xiu chose to temporarily avoid the direct confrontation, abruptly retreating three zhang to evade and parry.

He likely understood that spells cast via talismans could not be controlled arbitrarily.

After neutralizing the attack, he looked up, seeing three massive shields.

This seemingly odd and useless maneuver nonetheless compelled him to proceed with caution.

However, Ouyang Xiu’s cautious, slowed pace bought Lian Yueying considerable time.

She affixed as many spiritual talismans as possible behind each large shield, each bearing the faint blue spiritual energy left by a command talisman.

By the time Ouyang Xiu drew near, she had already attached over twenty.

‘[After this, he likely won’t give me such an opportunity again, but this move should deplete a significant amount of his spiritual energy.]’

With this thought, Lian Yueying launched herself forward, kicking the three large shields towards Ouyang Xiu.

Before Ouyang Xiu could react, they self-destructed, and from behind the layers of dust emerged the Grand Force Blade unleashed by Lian Yueying.

Even so, Ouyang Xiu remained wary, for it was improbable that those three Mountain-Bearing Shields merely concealed the Grand Force Blade.

He surmised that the true follow-up attack was likely hidden within the layers of dust, and thus, a psychological battle commenced in that very moment.

As the defender, Ouyang Xiu had little room for choice.

He could anticipate one layer, then a second, but he neither could nor dared to speculate a third.

Noticing Ouyang Xiu’s vigilance, and fearing that her scattered talismans might be discovered, Lian Yueying quickly launched another talismanic attack, sending several wooden vines coiling towards him.

However, this time Lian Yueying’s action was superfluous.

Upon seeing the wooden vines approach, Ouyang Xiu’s lips curved into a slight smile.

He then infused his Grand Force Blade with golden spiritual energy, severing the vines completely before spinning and charging into the dust cloud.

Sensing the imminent danger, Lian Yueying quickly pinpointed the locations and activated her command talismans.

The spiritual talismans scattered across the ground instantly transformed into spells, assaulting Ouyang Xiu.

However, Ouyang Xiu had already grasped the trick; with a few dodges and defenses, most of the spiritual talismans struck empty air.

“Junior Sister, this technique is unique.

I haven’t seen it in any books.

Could it be a self-created style?”

Ouyang Xiu finally spoke, and Lian Yueying no longer held back.

She pinched a command talisman, imbued all the talismans in her hand with spiritual energy, tossed them behind her, and returned his smile.

“Since Senior Brother has guessed as much, why not try to guess how many other uses this talisman has?”

Ouyang Xiu’s cautious nature, unlike Wang Zhi’s recklessness, had both advantages and disadvantages.

The disadvantage was that Lian Yueying found it difficult to find a weakness, but the advantage was that she had ample time to set up her strategy.

The sound of rain grew louder.

After a brief standoff, Ouyang Xiu suddenly spoke.

“I eagerly anticipate Junior Sister’s performance in the sect-wide grand competition.

This time, Junior Sister, you won’t be holding back, will you?”

“What do you think of my strength, Senior Brother?”

“Without exaggeration, to force me to such an extent, Junior Sister, you are at least among the top five in Lake Hall.

Now, I shall go all out.

I implore Junior Sister to exercise extreme caution!”

With that, Ouyang Xiu activated an unknown cultivation technique.

Lian Yueying could feel streams of spiritual energy flowing from his feet throughout his entire body, and his aura instantly surged dramatically.

‘[Is this the power of Peak Hall’s ninth-ranked disciple?]’

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