“Alright, it’s a deal!”
Xu Muxue was excited, wagging her big fluffy tail as she ran to the edge of the spectator stand. With her two soft little hands cupped like a trumpet, she shouted down to the arena:
“Hey—Song Xiaoyu—stand still right there or I’m coming to beat you up—”
Qin Qin held back the urge to slap Xu Muxue dead on the spot, turning her head with a dark expression as she transmitted a message to the black-clad elder beside her, “Wan Peak Lord, have you thought this through? If this little brat really ranks, Mistpeak’s share of the resources will be cut!”
But the black-clad elder was unfazed. He did not reply via transmission but spoke out loud boldly, “Mistpeak willingly forfeits its right to resource allocation from Zuo Wang Peak.”
“You…!”
Watching the strange looks exchanged between Xu Muxue and Shen Qinghan, Qin Qin ground her teeth in anger but couldn’t do anything.
She could only sweep her sleeve angrily and coldly say to Song Yu below, “Yu’er, no holding back.”
Song Xiaoyu hesitated as she looked at the tail-wagging Xu Muxue, then met Qin Qin’s increasingly icy gaze and reluctantly replied, “…Yes, Master.”
Seeing Song Xiaoyu’s obedient response, a look of triumph appeared on Qin Qin’s face.
“Little fox, since you’re eager to die, I’ll grant your wish.”
Xu Muxue stared at her oddly for a long moment before softly saying, “Peak Leader Qin.”
“Hm?” Qin Qin arrogantly raised her eyelids. “It’s too late to beg now.”
“No,” Xu Muxue shook her head.
“I just wanted to say your disciple is much better suited to be Peak Leader, because she’s pretty. The Yunü Peak Master has always been a pretty figure.”
“Look at you—you’re hideous, old and ugly! Bleh bleh bleh!”
Xu Muxue made a face. Before Qin Qin could react, she flipped off the stand and landed opposite Song Xiaoyu.
“What did you say to my Master?”
Song Xiaoyu looked anxiously toward Qin Qin on the stand. “Her face is so scary.”
“I was complimenting you.”
Xu Muxue lazily reached up to scratch her ear.
Then she suddenly froze.
Because now she had two pairs of ears.
Her fox ears on top of her head, and her human ears on the sides.
Come to think of it, which ear is a beast-eared girl supposed to scratch?
Seeing Xu Muxue’s twitchy behavior, Song Xiaoyu thought she really looked like a little kitten and couldn’t help but chuckle. But the smile quickly faded as she sighed softly:
“Muxue, I warned you.”
Xu Muxue used both hands to scratch both ears at once.
“Warned me about what?”
“You shouldn’t have come.”
“Oh, my little Qinghan didn’t want me to come either,” Xu Muxue smiled.
“But I came anyway.”
“On the arena, with so many watching, I can’t go easy on you.”
“But I can go easy on you.”
Xu Muxue looked at her deeply. Song Xiaoyu felt there was something in that profound gaze she couldn’t understand, and a chill ran down her spine.
“You…”
“Song Xiaoyu, I’m asking you.”
Xu Muxue stared at her, uncharacteristically serious, “This concerns your fate. You have to answer honestly.”
“W-what…?”
Song Xiaoyu was impressed by her solemnity and tensed up slightly.
“Among all living beings, only a few can cultivate. Those who can absorb spiritual energy into their bodies must have the most perfect body. That perfection includes… appearance.”
“Your Master’s Heavenly Spiritual Root is excellent, and she’s just one step from Nascent Soul. Why does she look so ordinary?”
Hearing this, Song Xiaoyu frowned slightly.
“So after all that, you want to ask that? What’s it to you how my Master looks?”
“Then let me ask it another way.”
Xu Muxue glanced at her and said coldly, “Miss Song, I see your bone structure is extraordinary, and your spiritual root aptitude is excellent, but why is there another powerful spiritual root energy inside you? The conflict between the two causes your roots to be mixed and stuck in the Fake Core Stage with no breakthrough.”
“That’s my personal matter. Why should I tell you?”
Song Xiaoyu suddenly drew her sword.
“If you want to fight, then fight.”
“So that’s your answer… Excuse me!”
Xu Muxue clenched her small hand into a fist and struck toward Shen Qinghan like lightning.
Shen Qinghan dodged to the side but did not strike back. Instead, she asked, “Where’s your sword?”
“A sword in the chest, why hold one in the hand?”
Xu Muxue curled her lips.
“But if you want to see it, that’s not impossible.”
“Sword Summon!”
Xu Muxue parted her lips lightly and breathed out the two words. Song Xiaoyu was still puzzled until she noticed the sword in her hand begin to tremble.
Suddenly the sky darkened in front of her, and she instinctively looked up to see the shadow of countless spirit swords casting over the entire arena. Chaos erupted—cultivators from Qi Refining disciples to Golden Core elders all lost control over their own swords.
Only Shen Qinghan and the other three Peak Masters barely held onto theirs, their faces full of shock and doubt.
It wasn’t until hundreds of spirit swords floated behind Xu Muxue, their tips aimed directly at Song Xiaoyu, that she finally reacted.
“…Ah?”
That’s over the top?
“Here, your sword, returning to its owner.”
Xu Muxue flicked the spirit sword in her hand and tossed it back to Song Xiaoyu.
With her sword summon, she accidentally drew Song Xiaoyu’s sword as well.
Song Xiaoyu blankly caught the sword Xu Muxue tossed back and looked up at the sea of sword light, finally understanding why Xu Muxue insisted on competing.
“You… You’re not supposed to be able to use Xu Mu’s Soul-shocking Sword Intent anymore, right?”
“I’m not using it.”
Xu Muxue shrugged.
She really wasn’t using the Soul-shocking Sword Intent.
This was pure strength.
With her Spirit Severing-level understanding of the Sword Dao, conjuring a small-scale Thousand Sword Return was just a casual trick.
“Tell me, did you really think I could shatter the Sword Trial Stele entirely by relying on Xu Mu’s sword intent?”
Xu Muxue’s light voice echoed across the silent arena.
All the disciples who had their waist swords sucked away exchanged glances.
Could it… not be?
That stele was engraved with hundreds of Nascent Soul sword qi. Only a sword genius as brilliant as Xu Mu could shatter it with sword intent, right?
If it were only spiritual energy, even cultivators in the late Nascent Soul stage couldn’t manage it.
Could this little fox really be a Spirit Severing cultivator?
Or could it be… that she carried some heavy secret…?
Xu Muxue was already grinning.
In truth, there was no secret at all. Shattering the Sword Trial Stele was truly all thanks to the sword intent Xu Mu left behind.
But Xu Mu was just Xu Muxue.
With a thousand swords floating in the air behind her, countless gazes in the arena, full of awe or surprise, were fixed on her. Xu Muxue felt her chest swell with pride.
Showing off really feels so good!
When she was still Xu Mu, she’d always been quietly teaching disciples from the shadows—no chance for such public display.
Now Xu Muxue deeply regretted it.
If only she had shown off more when she was still in the Spirit Severing stage.
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