On the stage, Li Nanzhu hurriedly turned around, her sword edge barely managing to parry the strike. However, Cang Dongqing’s offensive was relentless; every finger strike carried a piercing golden radiance, moving so fast it was difficult to track with the naked eye.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The sound of clashing metal rang out incessantly. Li Nanzhu was forced back repeatedly, her sword qi leaving deep gouges in the martial arts arena beneath her feet.
"Junior Sister Li, it would be better for you to admit defeat early," Cang Dongqing said with a sweet smile. "It wouldn't be good if I actually hurt you, don't you think?"
Despite her words, her attacks grew increasingly fierce, giving Li Nanzhu no time to respond.
Cang Dongqing suddenly changed her stance, guiding her sword fingers as seven streaks of golden light descended from the sky like meteors.
This was the Seven-Star Fall, a supreme technique of the Sword Heart Sect. Each golden streak contained an astonishing amount of sharp metal-attribute qi.
"Little Junior Sister... when did she learn this move!" Below the stage, Li Nanyi watched with wide, disbelieving eyes. Not even their third senior brother had mastered this technique, yet their little junior sister had managed to...
Unfortunately, no one could answer his question. Every gaze was fixed on the two young women fighting on the field.
Though Li Nanzhu appeared to be at a disadvantage, she showed no sign of panic. Her left hand formed a water-attribute hand seal while her right hand's sword ignited with fire. Channeling water and fire spiritual energy simultaneously, a barrier of interwoven water and flame unfolded above her head, successfully blocking all the golden streaks.
Boom!
The barrier shattered, but Li Nanzhu had already seized the chance to create distance. Her sword style shifted abruptly; no longer clashing head-on, she used water-attribute spiritual energy to execute the Xuanze Two-Polarity Sutra.
Her swordsmanship became as soft and fluid as water, neutralizing Cang Dongqing's sharp offensive moves one by one.
"Futile!" Cang Dongqing shouted coldly, the golden light around her body exploding outward. "Golden Rainbow Piercing the Sun!"
A dazzling golden rainbow shot forth like a beam of light through the sun, aimed directly at Li Nanzhu's heart. This strike was as fast as lightning, making it impossible to dodge.
At the critical moment, a long brush made of pure green jade flew out from Li Nanzhu’s dantian! The Wanxiang Brush tapped the air, and a water-curtain barrier instantly unfolded.
Boom!
The golden rainbow collided with the water curtain, producing a deafening explosion. As the dust settled, Li Nanzhu was seen holding the brush in her left hand and her sword in her right, with wet ink still dripping from the brush’s tip.
"A brush?!" a cultivator at the edge of the field cried out. "She's actually a brush cultivator!"
The entire martial arts arena instantly erupted into an uproar.
A dual cultivator was already a genius among geniuses. Becoming a sword cultivator was difficult enough, let alone simultaneously cultivating as a brush cultivator, which was extremely rare in the cultivation world!
At the Sword Heart Sect’s seats, Immortal Venerable Ling Xiao narrowed his eyes, his expression darkening. Beside him, Zhao Wufeng whispered, "Junior Brother, this..."
"It doesn't matter," Ling Xiao said coldly. "So what if she's a brush cultivator? Even with dual cultivation, she's only at the mid-Foundation Establishment stage. It's still uncertain if she can even advance further in the future!"
He paused, then let out a cold snort. "Besides, she might not even be able to defeat Dongqing."
"That’s true." Although Zhao Wufeng felt it was a pity, since she had already joined another sect, any thoughts of poaching her were quickly dismissed.
On the surface, both men appeared calm, but inside, Ling Xiao was being flooded with a wave of regret.
If he hadn't treated that young girl that way back then, if he had just forced her to join the Sword Heart Sect directly...
No, what was he thinking?
Ling Xiao frowned. Even if she could dual cultivate, it didn't change the fact that her aptitude was only triple spiritual roots. Furthermore, her current cultivation was likely just piled up using spiritual pills.
Thinking of this, he couldn't help but inwardly curse Feng Yi for being such a spendthrift.
To give such resources to a little girl.
Over at the Hehuan Sect’s side, there was nothing but joy.
Rong Yuying gently waved her round fan, her eyes full of appreciation. "Interesting, truly interesting."
Qinghe and the others were excitedly clapping. "Junior Sister Li really is amazing!"
Lin Xiaowan from the Shenmu Sect had long since lost control, shouting, "Fairy Sister is invincible!"
Ultimately, it was Tao Ying who, under the stern gaze of her sect leader, pulled the overexcited Lin Xiaowan back.
On the stage, Cang Dongqing’s expression shifted slightly, but she quickly regained her composure. She swiftly pulled a pair of golden bells from her storage bag. "So what if you're a brush cultivator? What if you dual cultivate? You are destined to fail!"
Ding-ling—
The bells chimed softly, sending out ripples of golden sound waves. Even the spectators below the stage felt their spiritual energy circulation being interfered with!
Li Nanzhu, however, remained unruffled. Her powerful divine sense was enough to resist the interference. The Wanxiang Brush traced an arc in the air, and water-attribute spiritual energy transformed into a vortex, swallowing all the sound waves. Simultaneously, her right hand's Fellow Daoist sword blazed with flames as she struck out!
Boom!
The flaming sword qi collided with the golden sound waves, causing the arena to shake violently. Cang Dongqing was forced back two steps, a flash of surprise crossing her eyes.
She gritted her teeth, no longer holding back as she pulled a small golden flag from her storage bag. The flag was embroidered with complex patterns, and with a gentle wave, seven golden sword shadows appeared out of thin air.
"Gold Flag Sword Array!" Feng Qingping gasped, clearly recognizing the magic treasure.
"Is it very powerful?" Duan Xianxing asked urgently.
"Extremely," Feng Qingping said gravely. "If our little junior sister wants to win... it will be difficult."
"Little Junior Sister..." hearing this, the others looked toward the girl on the stage with concern.
"Don't push yourself too hard..." Jiang Yifan murmured.
On the stage, the seven sword shadows shot toward Li Nanzhu like meteors, each carrying a sharp metal-attribute qi.
Li Nanzhu used both brush and sword together. Her left hand's Wanxiang Brush drew several water curtains while her right hand's Fellow Daoist sword erupted with raging flames. The interweaving water and fire blocked the sword shadows one by one.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The sounds of explosions were continuous.
Although Li Nanzhu blocked the attacks, the impact sent her reeling back, and a trace of blood escaped the corner of her mouth.
Cang Dongqing pressed her advantage, waving the golden flag again. Another seven sword shadows attacked, even more solid and powerful than before.
At the moment of crisis, Li Nanzhu suddenly changed her tactics.
She stopped defending, crossing the Wanxiang Brush and the Fellow Daoist sword as both types of spiritual energy erupted simultaneously!
"Merge!"
"Water and Fire Origin!"
Li Nanzhu gritted her teeth and shouted. Azure water light and crimson flames intertwined, transforming into a beam of chaotic light that shot directly at Cang Dongqing. The power of this strike was staggering, shattering all seven sword shadows and continuing forward with undiminished momentum!
Cang Dongqing only had time to dodge to the side in a rush, yet she was still caught by the aftershock. The clothing on her left shoulder tore, revealing a bloody gash.
"You!" A flash of fury appeared in her eyes as she slammed the golden flag into the ground. "Gold Spirit Suppression!"
A pillar of golden light descended from the heavens, enveloping her. Within the light, Cang Dongqing’s aura surged, faintly reaching the level of the Golden Core stage!
"This..." The referee looked troubled. "Is this a violation?"
Immortal Venerable Ling Xiao said coldly, "It is the power of a magic treasure. How can that be a violation?"
Feeling the crushing pressure coming toward her, Li Nanzhu gritted her teeth.
Lose?
She couldn't lose! She absolutely could not lose here.
If she lost, wouldn't everything she had worked so hard to change return to the original plot?
She didn't want to be a cannon fodder female lead; she didn't want to be a puppet controlled by fate!
Hasn't she worked this hard just to change that damn fate?
In this match against Cang Dongqing, she had only ever had one goal!
—To kill her!
Li Nanzhu gritted her teeth and tossed the Wanxiang Brush into the air!
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