Chapter 55: Not… But Rather…

“Guh—What a powerful… what a powerful sword technique…”

Ye Xuan pressed his free hand against his profusely bleeding wound, a smile that shouldn’t have been there appearing on his face.

He clenched his injured fist, feeling the pain that stretched from his palm to his chest.

Ever since he had been hailed as a genius on par with the youngest son of the Mo family, almost no one of his age could break through his Xuanpan Golden Form.

Even Mò Kǎimíng could only break it with his strongest killing move.

And now, a person named Meng Yingxing had not only broken his Xuanpan Golden Form with a single sword strike but had also injured his body.

Battle intent!

Ye Xuan felt a towering battle intent surging within his boiling blood!

If it weren’t for the fact that both he and Meng Yingxing were exhausted, he really wanted to take a few more of Meng Yingxing’s sword strikes!

“You did great, Brother Meng! Let’s have another fight next time!”

Ye Xuan knelt on the fighting stage and let out a long cry to the heavens.

Below the stage, Xiu Qingcheng was busy secretly helping the injured and exhausted Meng Yingxing up.
When she heard Ye Xuan’s shout from the stage, she really felt like a few black lines should appear on her head.

‘Why are they all, one after another, fixated on my disciple?’

She could understand Mò Kǎimíng wanting revenge on Meng Yingxing for pulling him down from his pedestal as a genius, but why did this Ye Xuan, even after winning, still want to fight Meng Yingxing?

‘Is his body so ridiculously muscular that his head is filled with muscles too?’

Meng Yingxing, who had finally caught his breath, stood up with some difficulty with Xiu Qingcheng’s support.

That last sword strike had truly exhausted all of Meng Yingxing’s strength.
What’s more, he had also taken a punch from Ye Xuan, and now he couldn’t even stand steadily.

On the stage, Chen Sanyang ignored Ye Xuan’s loud shout and directly determined the winner of the final battle of the Divine Weapon Trial according to the rules of the competition.

“Meng Yingxing has fallen from the fighting stage. The winner of the final battle of the Divine Weapon Trial is Ye Xuan.”

The outcome was decided, and cheers erupted throughout the venue.

Not for Ye Xuan, nor for Meng Yingxing, but for the final victory.

Hearing that the Divine Weapon Trial had come to an end, Meng Yingxing leaned on the Ting Tian Sword and gave a bitter smile.

“Master, I lost.”

“No, in my eyes, you have already won.”

Xiu Qingcheng said quietly to Meng Yingxing, a faint smile on her face.

“You shattered Ye Xuan’s unbreakable defense. You proved yourself to everyone.”

“You truly have a talent for the sword. That strike was very beautiful.”

Meng Yingxing was silent for a moment, then finally uttered a few tired words.

“Did I fail to live up to your expectations, Master?”

At the beginning, he only wanted to stay in the Tianfeng Sect.
He didn’t know when it started, but he began to not want to disappoint Xiu Qingcheng’s expectations.

“You have never failed to live up to my expectations.”

“You will be a disciple I am proud of.”

“You’ve worked hard these past few days, little disciple.”

Xiu Qingcheng felt that Meng Yingxing’s current thoughts were a bit skewed.
After thinking for a moment, she decided to remind him.

“Disciple, don’t live to meet someone else’s expectations.”

“People live to meet their own.”

“But if your heart is lost, just ask the sword in your hand.”

‘If you are uncertain on your path, ask the sword in your hand.’

“That’s why I’m asking you, Master.”

Meng Yingxing twirled the Ting Tian Sword in his hand, a faint smile on his bloodstained lips.

Xiu Qingcheng: “…”

‘Damn it, I was so focused on spouting profound truths that I almost forgot I am the sword in Meng Yingxing’s hand.’

Xiu Qingcheng immediately played dead.

After a short while, disciples from Wuyun Peak under Mu Xin who studied medicine came to check on Meng Yingxing’s injuries.
This time, the Tianfeng Sect was uncharacteristically generous, giving Meng Yingxing some spirit fruits and medicines to aid his recovery.

Xiu Qingcheng watched with half-closed eyes, thinking that the Tianfeng Sect had finally seen Meng Yingxing’s value and had become much more generous towards him.

‘This snobbish Tianfeng Sect, sooner or later, I’ll slice off half of their mountain.’

After the final battle of the Divine Weapon Trial, there were another few days of rest.

It was mainly for Meng Yingxing and Ye Xuan to recuperate.

This time, Meng Yingxing’s internal organs were genuinely injured in the battle.
Even after being treated by the disciples of Wuyun Peak, he still needed to lie in bed and rest properly.

It was completely different from when he had fought against Mò Kǎimíng and was just exhausted.

“Yay! Now I don’t have to worry about being locked up in the Divine Weapon Pavilion! I’m free!”

As Meng Yingxing lay in bed, his mind was filled with Xiu Qingcheng’s shouts of freedom.

He had nothing to say.

His master’s voice was clear and melodious.
Just by listening to his master’s voice, Meng Yingxing could feel a complete sense of peace in both body and mind.

Recently, Meng Yingxing had also discovered that his master had gotten a cat.

It was the same cat that had stolen a lot of food after he had cooked a big meal that day.

Now, both the cat and Xiu Qingcheng were in the room.
Meng Yingxing could see them just by turning his head in bed.

A sword was floating in mid-air, using the tip of its sheathed blade as a cat teaser to play with the cat.

It was fine the first few days, but these last two days, as Meng Yingxing lay in bed, he felt that his master’s concern for the cat far surpassed her concern for him, her disciple who needed to rest.

“Master.”

Meng Yingxing called out to Xiu Qingcheng.

“What.”

Xiu Qingcheng was engrossed in teasing the cat she had named Sword Ghost, not even turning to look at Meng Yingxing.

Actually, Xiu Qingcheng’s reason for keeping the cat was simple: she needed it to provide cover for her from time to time.

She would steal Meng Yingxing’s food every so often and use the cat to explain it all away.

After all, cats are so cute, how could a cat have any bad intentions?

And Xiu Qingcheng’s reason for naming the cat Sword Ghost was also simple: Sword Ghost, Sword Ghost, the sword’s scapegoat.

In other words, her scapegoat.
It made perfect sense, right?

Seeing that Xiu Qingcheng was still ignoring him, Meng Yingxing called out to her again.

“Master—”

This time, he dragged out the sound, with a hint of willfulness appropriate for his age.

“What is it!”

Xiu Qingcheng was now willing to turn and look at her temporarily abandoned disciple.

However, the moment she turned, she saw Meng Yingxing about to get out of bed.
She quickly flew to his side and pushed him back with her hilt.

“What are you doing? Your internal organs are slightly displaced! Lie down properly, do you want to die?”

Xiu Qingcheng felt that she was becoming more and more like a nagging mother.

‘No, this isn’t being a nagging mother, this is a master’s due responsibility!’

Meng Yingxing was helpless. “Master, I’m going to make myself some congee.”

‘Man is iron, food is steel, skip a meal and you’ll feel the pinch!’

“You’d better not move. Leave it to me.”

Xiu Qingcheng really couldn’t handle the now much more willful Meng Yingxing and sighed with some reluctance.

“You?”

Meng Yingxing looked at the sword floating in front of him in astonishment, suspecting he had misheard.

“Master, you’re going to make congee for me?”

Meng Yingxing emphasized, carefully looking the handless and footless Ting Tian Sword up and down.

“Don’t look at me as just a sword. For something like congee, you don’t even need hands!”

Xiu Qingcheng huffed twice, calling Meng Yingxing ignorant.

“You lie here properly and watch your master show you a thing or two! No peeking!”

After the threat, Xiu Qingcheng turned and flew to the kitchen, not forgetting to slam Meng Yingxing’s door and the kitchen door shut.

A faint white light flashed from the not-completely-closed kitchen door.
Inside the kitchen, the Ting Tian Sword had already transformed into a beautiful young girl with bare feet on the floor.

Although she wasn’t quite used to her current body, it was more convenient to cook in human form.

“It’s not that I can’t make congee in sword form, but human form is more convenient.”

Xiu Qingcheng sighed inwardly, picked up the kitchen knife hanging on the side, and spun it skillfully in her hand.

Then she thought for a moment, tossed the kitchen knife aside, and took out the Ting Tian Sword.

Xiu Qingcheng looked at the Ting Tian Sword for a moment and nodded in satisfaction.

“This thing is still better.”

After all, the Ting Tian Sword was a part of her, and using it was as natural as using her own limbs.

After getting everything ready, Xiu Qingcheng got busy in the kitchen.

Making congee didn’t require much thought.
Xiu Qingcheng also chopped up some of the spirit fruits the Tianfeng Sect had given to Meng Yingxing and added them in.

Xiu Qingcheng stared at the completed bowl of hot congee and once again felt that she was way, way, way~ too good to her disciple.

‘What a great role model for a teacher, Xiu Qingcheng!’

In a short while, Meng Yingxing saw the Ting Tian Sword carrying a bowl of hot congee and flying steadily towards him.

“Master… you’re amazing.”

Meng Yingxing looked at the exquisite and perfect bowl of congee and couldn’t help but praise.

His master was not only a sword but also a sword that could cook!
There was no other like her in heaven or on earth!

Xiu Qingcheng could see the adoration for her in Meng Yingxing’s eyes and felt her tail curl up slightly in her heart.

“This is nothing. Hurry up and try it.”

Meng Yingxing took the bowl, blew on the hot congee, and took a mouthful.

“Master, what did you add? The taste is so unique.”

“It’s the Azure Spirit Fruit. I added the Azure Spirit Fruit!”