“Hey, Rongrong, why did your mother suddenly stop moving?”
On the bleachers, Ning Shiliu once again turned to ask Hua Xiangrong with curiosity.
Just as she said, the moment Yun Xuechang broke through Hua Yan’s Phantom Trail Formation, she suddenly stood still with her sword lowered.
Opposite her, Hua Yan also stood silently with her eyes closed, as if she were performing some task.
“Perhaps she has fallen into an illusion.”
A gentle, aged voice sounded from behind them.
The two girls immediately turned around.
“Grandpa Sect Master?” they chimed in unison.
Strangely enough, even though Ning Shiliu was only an ordinary Qi Refining disciple, she recognized the old Sect Master before her.
“Yes.”
Ye Qingyuan nodded to the two of them and explained with a smile, “In this situation, it is likely that Hua Yan’er used a secret illusion technique that targets the Primordial Spirit. The moment Xuechang broke the formation, she inadvertently fell for it. As for why Hua Yan’er is holding her ground, she must be focusing all her effort on constructing the illusion to trap and defeat Xuechang in one fell swoop.”
“It is indeed a clever move. Before a Sword Cultivator condenses their own Sword Intent, they find it difficult to deal with illusion arts specifically designed to target the Primordial Spirit.”
“However, ordinary illusions cannot trap Xuechang.”
“The outcome of this match will depend on what kind of illusion Hua Yan’er has constructed, whether it successfully targets Xuechang’s weaknesses, and the level of her own mastery over the Charm Art.”
…
Inside the sweet, pink mist.
“Xuechang… I feel so uncomfortable…”
“Come and help me… please…”
Looking at the charming and seductive red-haired girl before her, Yun Xuechang felt her throat tighten for some reason, and her palms gripping the sword began to sweat slightly.
Hua Yan took the opportunity to pounce, tightly hugging the arm Yun Xuechang was using to hold her sword.
The softness of her chest pressed against Yun Xuechang’s arm as she leaned her entire body weight against her.
“Xuechang… help me…”
The girl’s soft, delicate voice whispered against her ear. Her warm breath carried a thick but pleasant floral scent that drifted into Yun Xuechang’s nose.
Those slender, soft hands climbed up Yun Xuechang’s long neck like swimming snakes, stroking upward inch by inch.
Yun Xuechang stared at the watery, pale gold eyes just inches away, and she suddenly remembered a scene from ten years ago.
Ten years ago, on the Yin-Yang Platform of the Hehuan Sect, it was also this red-haired girl, with the same misty, pale gold eyes, who had leaned closer and closer until—
She had kissed her.
Looking at the girl’s approaching, moist red lips, Yun Xuechang nervously pursed her own. Her face, which was usually as cold as an ancient well, quietly flushed with a faint red hue.
‘If Yan’er kisses me again here… will we… have another daughter?’
That radiant face drew closer until her breath was brushing against Yun Xuechang’s cheek. For no reason at all, such a thought popped into Yun Xuechang’s mind.
‘No, we can’t kiss!’
She quickly pushed the Hua Yan in front of her away and looked at her with a serious expression.
“Yan’er, we cannot kiss. Rongrong is still young. If we have another daughter, we won’t have the energy to care for both of them.”
“I want you…”
The Hua Yan in front of her still leaned in softly. Yun Xuechang quickly grabbed her shoulders with both hands and spoke solemnly once more.
“It really won’t do. Besides, Master once taught me that kissing a woman randomly is taking advantage of her. We are not true Dao Companions yet; I cannot treat you so lightly.”
“I feel so bad…”
Hua Yan repeated the same words, trying to lean in again.
Yun Xuechang felt a strange sense of dissonance as she looked at the girl before her.
‘Something feels wrong about Yan’er… why does she only seem to say those few things?’
Even though the scene was very similar to the one at the Hehuan Sect ten years ago, she keenly noticed some abnormalities. The girl before her seemed too… mechanical?
‘No, this is an illusion!’
Yun Xuechang’s gaze sharpened, and she suddenly drew her sword, slashing at the “Hua Yan” in front of her.
…
Outside the illusion.
‘Really, I didn’t think I’d actually have to use Charm Art to deal with this woman…’
Hua Yan withdrew her Divine Sense from the constructed illusion with a flushed face and quickly stuffed a recovery pill into her mouth.
Fortunately, the Disguise Magic Treasure she obtained from the Hehuan Sect years ago contained memories of Charm Art techniques.
She had refined them during her spare time over the years; otherwise, she truly wouldn’t have been able to use this move today.
‘But will a doll generated by the illusion using its own calculations… really be enough to trick Yun Xuechang?’
Hua Yan, who was using Charm Art for the first time in her life, regulated her Spiritual Power with a sense of trepidation.
After all, she was shy and competitive in her daily life. Even in an illusion, she would never voluntarily perform such a seductive act.
Her pride wouldn’t allow her to be so “disgraceful.”
Therefore, from the moment “Hua Yan” appeared in the illusion, everything was just the Charm Art illusion following a predetermined path.
‘Forget it, there’s no point in thinking about it. Since she’s trapped for now, I should take this chance to win the match!’
Hua Yan shook her head and stopped hesitating. She flipped her hand to reveal a rapier with a flower-carved hilt.
Her figure blurred as she lunged toward the motionless Yun Xuechang!
But just as the tip of her sword was about to reach its target, the white-haired girl suddenly snapped her crimson eyes open!
Clang—!
The awakened Yun Xuechang reacted with incredible speed. She swung her sword horizontally, narrowly parrying the ambush!
The collision of the two weapons sent out a shockwave that knocked both of them back several yards, forcing them to separate.
‘Argh! Dammit! I even used such an embarrassing move! Why can’t I beat her?!’
‘This stupid Charm Art is useless!’
At this point, Hua Yan was fighting with desperation. She simply stopped worrying about her Spiritual Power consumption and stopped calculating her moves.
‘Damn it! I’m going to lose if this drags on anyway, so I might as well bet everything on one shot!’
“Yun Xuechang! Take this!”
The red-haired girl gave a sharp cry and activated all her remaining Spiritual Power.
The rapier in her hand danced like the wind, the sword shadows carrying fierce fire spirits.
The fading light traced the shape of a burning red flower in full bloom—vivid and dazzling.
“FLOWER SWORD: FLAME BREATH!”
Yun Xuechang’s expression grew serious. She also channeled all her Spiritual Power, and her aura suddenly exploded.
The Autumn Water Sword in her hand seemed to transform into a mountain, pressing forward with massive, decisive force!
“XIAOYAO SWORD ARTS, FOURTEENTH STYLE: HEAVY SWORD WITHOUT EDGE!”
Clang—!!!
Terrifying Spiritual Power exploded in the center of the Martial Arts Stage.
A shockwave several times stronger than before swept outward. One red figure and one white figure collided violently in the air.
Their blades clashed amidst a blinding spiritual explosion, making it impossible for the spectators to see what was happening inside.
The light gradually faded.
Hua Yan, whose Spiritual Power was nearly depleted, slumped to the ground.
Her chest heaved as she panted heavily. The white-clad, white-haired figure walked toward her step by step.
‘As expected… I still lost.’
Hua Yan looked up at Yun Xuechang. The other girl stood with her back to the light, and Hua Yan’s vision was blurred by sweat, making it impossible to see her expression.
But for some reason, watching the white-clad figure approach, she suddenly remembered her defeat from ten years ago.
“You lost.”
Back then, she had been just as helpless and nearly collapsed. The other girl had placed a sword lightly against her neck and spoke in a flat tone.
Those crimson eyes had been cold and clear, as if victory were a foregone conclusion that didn’t stir a single ripple.
“Yan’er, are you alright?”
She suddenly snapped back to reality. The first thing she saw was those same crimson eyes.
Now that Yun Xuechang had stepped out of the glare, Hua Yan could clearly see the faint concern and worry on her cold face.
Reality replaced memory, and tenderness replaced indifference, causing Hua Yan to daze for a moment.
“Yan’er? Do you want me to pull you up?”
Yun Xuechang called her name twice more and reached out a fair, slender, well-defined hand toward the girl on the ground.
Time seemed to stand still in that moment. The noise from the surrounding stands suddenly faded away. In her eyes, only this one person remained—cold in appearance, but gentle in speech.
…
Hua Yan took that hand.
“N-next time… you’d better remember this…”
The red-haired girl lowered her burning face and let the other girl pull her up. She could feel her heart pounding against her ribs.
“Next time, I… I definitely won’t lose again!”