On the Arena, the wind fell silent.
Two peerless figures stood, like opposing fairies from a painted scroll, drawing the breath of everyone present.
No probing, no words.
At the instant the presiding elder declared the start, the two figures moved simultaneously!
Sword light and shadows wove a web of confusion, moving faster than the eyes of ninety-nine percent of the cultivators present could follow.
They could only hear the dense “ding ding” sound, like torrential rain beating against tiles, and see two white shadows colliding and parting within a span of inches.
Each clash sent out visible waves of air.
Over a hundred moves, all within a dozen breaths.
“Heavens… Is this really a battle between Foundation Establishment realms?”
“I can’t see! I can’t see their movements at all!”
“Monsters! Both of them are monsters!”
The exclamations from the audience had already blended into a continuous wave.
Ye Tianjiao’s face was ashen.
The cultivation he once took pride in seemed like a joke in front of these two.
At the center of the Arena, the two figures abruptly separated, each standing on their own side.
Xiao Liuli’s breathing was slightly rapid, her sword hand steady as a rock, but her expression was more solemn than ever.
The opponent’s sword was strange.
It didn’t seek slaughter, nor did it seek momentum.
Every strike seemed meticulously calculated, always appearing at the most uncomfortable and stagnant points for her spiritual power.
If not for her own clarity of mind born from breaking and rebuilding, and the spiritual power far surpassing her peers, she would have already lost.
On the other side, Ling Qingshuang was equally shaken.
Her “hearing” and “sense” encountered a barrier for the first time.
The opponent’s sword enveloped like Moonlight, cold and omnipresent, as if forming its own domain.
No matter how exquisite her sword principle, it was difficult to pierce through those layers of dense Moonlight.
Both understood that ordinary moves could no longer determine victory.
The next move would decide everything.
Xiao Liuli slowly raised her ice sword, the tip angled toward the heavens.
A cold sword intent began to gather around her, moisture in the air condensing into fine ice crystals.
A layer of white frost spread from her across the bluestone slabs of the Arena.
The sword had not yet been unleashed, but the intent was already soaring!
On the other side, the blind girl’s iron sword let out a faint hum.
She placed the hilt horizontally before her chest, her left index and middle fingers together, gently touching the blade.
An invisible, formless yet unmatched sharp will rose from her.
It was the pure, untainted power of the sword heart.
Among the crowd, those of weaker cultivation already felt their chests tightening and breathing difficult.
Everyone held their breath, eyes wide, waiting for the earth-shattering blow.
“Enough.”
At the very peak of this mounting pressure, a commanding voice entered everyone’s ears.
Li Changqing on the high platform had stood at some unknown point.
He merely swept his sleeve, and a gentle yet vast power, like spring rain, instantly enveloped the entire Arena.
The momentum gathered to its peak by Xiao Liuli and Ling Qingshuang melted away like ice and snow under the scorching sun, vanishing without a trace.
Both felt a tremor in their hearts, the surging power within them gently calmed by an irresistible will.
“This battle ends here.”
Li Changqing’s figure appeared like a ghost in the center of the Arena.
He looked at the two extraordinary youths before him, his eyes filled with affection and admiration.
“You two are talents unseen in a millennium.
Had that strike landed, no matter who won, the other would have been gravely injured.
Such a thing, I absolutely will not allow.”
He swept his gaze across the crowd, his voice clear.
“I declare that in this Qingyang City Grand Tournament, Xiao Liuli and Ling Qingshuang are joint champions!
Both shall receive entrance qualification to my Qingyun Sacred Land!”
The field was silent at first, then erupted in thunderous cheers and discussion.
Though the final clash was not seen, no one dared question Elder Li Changqing’s decision.
To be regarded so highly by a sect elder, even to the point of personal intervention, the future achievements of these two were already beyond imagination!
On the Arena, Xiao Liuli sheathed her sword.
She looked deeply at the blind girl opposite her, etching that ethereal figure and unique, pure sword intent into her heart.
Ling Qingshuang also tilted her head slightly, as if “looking” at her.
She could not see the face, but she clearly sensed that cold and solitary aura, like Moonlight.
There was no need for words between geniuses who understood each other.
***
That night, the Xiao household was filled with lights and festivity, as if celebrating a festival.
Xiao Liuli was invited back to the main residence with the highest honors, given a room in the Tingxue Pavilion, once reserved only for the direct line of the family head.
The elders and clansmen who once avoided or scorned her now crowded around, offering concern and warmth, their faces nearly obsequious.
“Liuli, I always knew you weren’t meant for the shallow pond.
We were blind in the past!”
“Cousin, this is the Concentration Incense I specially found for you.
It’s excellent for steadying the mind.”
“Liuli-niece, your parents must be proud of you from above!”
Xiao Liuli listened quietly, but only felt a surge of irritation.
Her return had instantly elevated the standing of her family branch, once belonging to her parents.
Relatives she hadn’t seen in years now stood tall before her, expressing gratitude and flattery.
When one person rises to power, all those connected rise with them—such is the way of the world.
She couldn’t be bothered with these false faces.
Making an excuse, she walked alone to the balcony of the Tingxue Pavilion.
The night was as clear as water.
A bright Moon hung high in the sky, its cold light bathing the land.
She suddenly felt a trace of emptiness.
Hadn’t she once fought desperately to regain everything before her—her family’s regard, the awe of others, a bright future?
Yet now that it was all within reach, why was her heart so empty instead of joyful?
She was about to enter the Qingyun Sacred Land, to pursue the supreme Dao.
From now on, the world would be wide open, her immortal path clear.
But… what about him?
The thought surfaced in her mind unbidden, like an invisible needle pricking her heart.
The boy who warmed a bowl of soup for her every morning, who sat under the eaves watching fallen leaves in the afternoon, whose gaze remained ever calm no matter how cold she acted…
The moment she thought of leaving the small courtyard and that person behind, Xiao Liuli’s heart tightened.
It was a kind of panic even she hadn’t realized, a fear from deep within, as if about to lose something more precious than life, cultivation, or even the Dao.
She looked up at the Moon.
Its cold light was just like her mood.
No.
A thought, like lightning through the darkness, instantly illuminated her heart.
Why should I go alone?
He is… special.
His knowledge and spirit should not be buried in this small Qingyang City.
The Qingyun Sacred Land, even the broader world, should be his stage.
Once the idea appeared, it spread like wildfire.
Yes, I’ll bring him into the sect with me!
With my current status, asking Elder Li for an outer sect disciple quota shouldn’t be difficult.
She took it for granted that Ye Chen would agree.
At that thought, the strange panic and emptiness miraculously faded away.
Her lips curved into a slight smile, so faint she didn’t notice it herself.
Under the Moonlight, that smile was gentle enough to melt ice and snow.