In the second round, Bai Qingxue faced a male disciple from Tianshu Peak who was at the sixth level of Qi Refining.
This opponent had clearly studied Bai Qingxue’s previous match; he didn’t rush in blindly at the start, instead keeping his distance and attempting to wear her down with spiritual techniques.
Standing at the edge of the stage, his hands moved quickly through hand seals, sending several wind blades whistling toward her from different directions and tricky angles.
Bai Qingxue did not retreat.
A chill seeped from her palms, condensing into a thin ice wall in front of her. The wind blades slammed into it with crisp, shattering sounds, leaving several shallow white marks on the ice, but the barrier did not break.
Seeing this, the male disciple’s expression tightened, and he immediately began to gather power for the next round of spells.
But Bai Qingxue did not give him a second chance to strike.
Frost mist exploded.
A thick white fog enveloped half the stage in an instant, obscuring her opponent’s vision and causing his spell to lose its aim. Bai Qingxue moved silently through the mist, the Frost Condensation Sword unsheathed, its tip accurately striking the wrist of his sword hand.
Frost spread from the tip of the blade. The Tianshu Peak disciple’s wrist was quickly coated in a layer of white frost, his fingers stiffened, and his long sword slipped from his grasp, hitting the ground with a loud clang.
Another victory with a single strike.
The area around the stage fell silent for a moment before low whispers broke out.
“This Junior Sister Bai is far too powerful...”
“There wasn’t anyone like this among the newcomers last year, was there?”
“I heard she has an Ice Heavenly Spiritual Root and only entered the sect a year ago.”
“The top spot this time will likely belong to her.”
After the deacon announced Bai Qingxue’s victory, she sheathed her sword and turned to walk off the stage. Her expression was as calm as ever, and she didn’t even spare a glance for her opponent.
She heard the discussions, but she didn’t care.
After all, a win was a win; everything else was just noise.
As she stepped off the stage, someone was already waiting for her in the corridor.
Su Zhaoyan had appeared at some unknown point, leaning against a pillar with her arms crossed in a lazy posture.
Her appearance was exceptionally striking, her features carrying a heroic spirit. Her dark hair was tied high with a crimson hair ribbon, with a few stray strands falling beside her ears.
Her red clothes stood out sharply against the greyish-white pillars. The morning light filtered through the gaps in the eaves, falling on her shoulders and making the red figure appear somewhat dazzling.
“Another win,” Su Zhaoyan said casually, as if stating something that was only to be expected.
Bai Qingxue walked past her without stopping. “Mm.”
Su Zhaoyan turned and followed, walking side-by-side with her. She looked down at Bai Qingxue and suddenly asked, “Do you always only speak one word at a time?”
Bai Qingxue thought for a moment. “Not necessarily.”
Su Zhaoyan paused, then the corners of her mouth curved up as if she had thought of something interesting. She took a small porcelain bottle from her sleeve and held it out to Bai Qingxue.
“For you. To help recover your spiritual power.”
Bai Qingxue glanced at it but showed no intention of reaching out to take it.
Su Zhaoyan held the bottle there, waiting for a few breaths.
The corridor was quiet for a moment, the noise from the distant stages seeming to be blocked out. Su Zhaoyan didn’t urge her or ask why she didn’t want it; she just held it out.
Seeing this, Bai Qingxue simply said calmly, “No need.”
Su Zhaoyan looked at her and tucked the bottle back into her sleeve with a casual motion, acting as if nothing had happened.
“Alright,” Su Zhaoyan smiled, her tone light. There was no awkwardness or sign of being bothered by the rejection.
Su Zhaoyan didn’t mention the pill again, nor did she say anything else unnecessary. After this brief interaction, she had a general idea of what kind of person Bai Qingxue was.
For someone who didn’t like owing favors and didn’t want to look for trouble...
If they rejected you the first time you offered, there was no point in trying again.
“Then fight well. Don’t lose,” Su Zhaoyan said. She leaned back against a pillar and didn’t follow any further.
Bai Qingxue nodded and continued toward the rest area.
A long silence followed.
“Did Su Zhaoyan come to find you again?” Lu Xueqing asked, her voice low.
Bai Qingxue didn’t open her eyes. “Mm.”
“What did she say?”
“Not much.” Bai Qingxue paused, then added as if remembering something, “She said she wanted to give me a pill.”
Hearing this, Lu Xueqing’s fingers stilled.
Her gaze unconsciously fell on Bai Qingxue’s cuffs, as if trying to see if anything extra had been tucked there.
Lu Xueqing opened her mouth, the question on the tip of her tongue, but she felt that asking directly would make her seem too petty.
But without asking, her chest felt like something was blocking it.
“Junior Sister, did you take it?” Lu Xueqing couldn’t help herself, her voice even lower than before.
“No.”
Lu Xueqing was stunned for a moment, suddenly feeling the stuffiness in her chest being gently brushed away.
She didn’t speak, turning her face away to pretend she was watching the distant stages.
The corners of her mouth twitched, but she quickly suppressed the urge to smile, as if afraid someone nearby would notice.
Bai Qingxue didn’t look at her, keeping her eyes closed with a calm expression and steady breathing.
Lu Xueqing sat there, her eyes fixed on the distant stage, yet she couldn’t actually process what was happening on it.
A voice in Lu Xueqing’s mind was saying: Junior Sister Bai didn’t take hers. Junior Sister Bai didn’t want anything from her.
She turned this thought over in her mind a couple of times. The more she thought about it, the more that unidentifiable feeling in her chest settled down into a very stable place.
“What is it?” Bai Qingxue asked.
“It’s nothing,” Lu Xueqing’s voice was very flat, so flat that almost no emotion could be heard. “You did the right thing, Junior Sister. Don’t just accept things from people you don’t know.”
Bai Qingxue glanced at her but didn’t respond, closing her eyes again to continue regulating her breathing.
Lu Xueqing didn’t speak again either. She sat there with her gaze on the distant stage, but the images didn’t register in her eyes.
She was thinking about something else.
Junior Sister Bai hadn’t accepted Su Zhaoyan’s gift, but she had accepted hers—the pills from last time, and even the time before that, Junior Sister Bai had taken them all.
Back then, she hadn’t thought much of it, simply feeling it was only right.
Now she suddenly realized that Junior Sister Bai didn’t just accept things from anyone.
Since Junior Sister Bai accepted her things, did that mean that in Junior Sister Bai’s eyes, she was different from everyone else?
The thought was so small that it felt almost ridiculous to say out loud.
Yet it brought Lu Xueqing an unexpected sense of satisfaction.
Rate on N.U.
