Chapter 96 Water and Fire Are Too Dazzling

The sword's cry ceased, and the dazzling light faded.

The rain lashed across her neck, maintaining a certain distance. Tang Huairou slightly raised her hands, her smile helpless, but her voice was cheerful: "I lost."

Qiao Yanshen sheathed his sword, cupped his hands and said, "Thank you for your kind words, Senior Sister Jinyu."

The cheers were like a sea, erupting in waves of sound. The champion had been decided, and amidst the overwhelming cheers, Yi Xiaohan placed his hands on Ruan Luoying's shoulders, smiling as he took out spirit stones, his expression showing no surprise.

"Judging from your expression, you don't seem to think Jin Yu will win either?" Yan Xueya raised an eyebrow and took the spirit stone.

Ruan Luoying nodded, and only spoke after the others had taken their share of spirit stones: "But I am Jin Yu's master, so naturally I must bet on Jin Yu."

Regardless, as her teacher, she would always support Tang Huairou.

"A great teacher produces great students!" Yi Xiaohan carefully put away the mustard seed bag she handed him. He was beaming with joy after winning the spirit stones. He then took out a magic artifact and pulled the group together.

Spiritual energy was injected, and the magical artifact levitated. Yi Xiaohan made the first gesture, and before the person she had pulled over could say anything, a crackling sound came from the glass sphere.

The scene at that moment, with the exuberant expressions on the faces of the four people, was captured and frozen in time.

Yi Xiaohan put away the small glass ball and said proudly, "This was given to me by Yan Xueya's child. You should have heard of him. His name is Yu Xiang."

The gesture she just made was taught to her by Shen Lixia, who said it would look better in the photo. Yi Xiaohan probed the small ball with his divine sense and saw that it indeed made her look much more spirited. However, Chi Yueying didn't realize it and happened to close her eyes while taking the photo.

She suppressed a laugh, thinking that next time she would have to save a more beautiful scene just for her, so that this person wouldn't get angry at her.

"A photo?" Yan Xueya chuckled. "There will be many more small competitions in the future, so this one won't make a difference."

"Then let's keep many of them, since this magic artifact has a huge storage capacity anyway."

As Tang Huairou stepped off the stage under Qiao Yanshen's watchful gaze, Yan Xueya was about to announce the champion when a golden arrow suddenly shot out from one side, like the sharp edge of the sun falling, and pierced straight towards Qiao Yanshen!

The sword light flowed like water, and resembled a crescent moon, easily dissolving the arrow.

Qiao Yanshen smiled slightly, looked up at the high platform, and met Yan Xueya's gaze. The two understood each other without saying a word. Yan Xueya sat back down in her chair, picked up her teacup, and leisurely poured herself some tea.

The three people beside her were completely bewildered, but when they heard her calmly say, "Take it easy," they said nothing more, only keeping a close eye on the stage, trying to find out where the arrow came from. Soon, their gaze fell on the treetops of a large tree not far away.

The boy appeared, wielding a black longsword and dressed in red, as dazzling as flowing fire, and quickly approached the arena.

At this moment, Qiao Yanshen suddenly wanted to open his arms to welcome his junior sister, as if to catch a burning star falling towards her.

However, Shen Lixia's capriciousness was always tempered with restraint, and she would never dare to throw herself into her senior sister's arms in public, causing embarrassment. She easily jumped off the sword and landed on the stage opposite Qiao Yanshen. The arena fell silent, as if this uninvited guest was the stone that had shattered the curtain of a shadow play, about to unleash something even more unpredictable, whether exciting or disappointing.

In Qiao Yanshen's eyes, Shen Lixia now resembled the proud Vermilion Bird from his past memories. The white marble bricks beneath her feet were like the clouds of the ninth heaven, and the light from the sky above could not compare to her brightness. It was not that she was bathed in sunlight, but rather that the sun was blessing her. She was so dazzling that all the colors of the world bowed down in those distant, burning eyes.

It might even surpass the Vermilion Bird.

In her eyes, the world at this moment consisted only of Shen Lixia.

“Cultivation is like rowing against the current; only by constantly pushing one's limits can one move forward. I, Chen Lixia, dare to ask Senior Sister for some guidance today, hoping to glimpse a higher realm through this battle. I humbly request Senior Sister's instruction!”

My junior sister has also learned to say nice, polite things.

Qiao Yanshen nodded and said gently, "Of course. Junior Sister is still in the Foundation Establishment stage, so I'll give you a handicap, okay?"

This is not a minor difference in cultivation level, but a vast difference across an entire major realm. Although Qiao Yanshen is only at the early stage of the Golden Core realm, those who have condensed the Golden Core are ultimately different from Foundation Establishment cultivators. Whether it is their control over spiritual power or the total amount they can contain, they far surpass the latter.

Therefore, giving way by a move, or even for the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, is not unreasonable.

To everyone's surprise, Shen Lixia smiled brightly, "No need to hold back, Senior Sister, just use all your skills!"

His arrogant words far exceeded everyone's expectations.

Qiao Yanshen's smile deepened, and he said softly, "Alright. I would also like to ask my junior sister to let me examine the results of my recent cultivation."

As soon as the words fell, the hidden storm within the silence erupted instantly. The sword intent was no longer the gentle rain of before, but transformed into sharp needles, raining down in clusters. Each beam of blue light was an extremely sharp blade, fiercely attacking Chen Lixia.

Such magnificent rain is a rare sight in the world.

Previously it had only descended upon a small area of ​​the battle, but now it enveloped the entire arena, as if trying to drown the youth within it and extinguish that brilliant flame. A chilling aura burst forth, penetrating the protective array, causing even the students nearby to shudder and feel a chill run through their bodies.

They all thought it was because Qiao Yanshen was a disciple of Yan Xueya and learned her techniques; some even guessed that Qiao Yanshen was actually a water spirit root mutated into an ice spirit root, possessing the characteristics of both.

Only when Shen Lixia felt the bone-chilling cold did she suddenly understand its source. The numerous sword wounds she had once seen lying across Qiao Yanshen's back, intertwined with this penetrating cold, revealed the origin of everything she had experienced back then. The sword's edge tore through flesh, and scalding blood flowed out, but she did not raise her hand to retaliate, only letting it envelop her, as if embracing the torrential rain that was about to swallow her whole.

This is the chilling aura of the seawater and the past tempered within Shen Yuan, which has been integrated into the sword intent and, together with the Luoshui Technique, has become a part of Qiao Yanshen.

The boy touched the sharp raindrops, as if he had finally touched the deep pain hidden in Qiao Yan's heart. For the first time, he felt a real connection with his senior sister, overcoming all obstacles.

I never imagined that what would connect them first was not happiness, but pain.

She alone could see and feel it; she was unique.

But she was overjoyed. At least, she was a little closer to her senior sister.

Although we can't share the burden, we can understand it.

From now on, I will never let her suffer such pain again.

Amidst the dense rain, blood trickled down his lips, and beneath the terrifying sword light, the boy's smile was erased. Shen Lixia took a deep breath, and for the first time, the divine fire, now freed from its shackles, surged onto her black longsword. As she raised the sword to strike, a brilliant burst of light erupted.

The raging flames pierced the sky like a rainbow, dispelling the rain and restoring clarity to the platform.

Qiao Yanshen nodded and said softly, "Junior Sister, your progress is amazing."

A righteous aura swept away the overflowing chill. A wave of warmth washed over them, instantly dispelling the students' nightmare-like coldness.

Shen Lixia wiped the blood from her face and smiled, "Senior Sister has only shown three-tenths of her strength, how could Junior Sister not be able to hold on?"

Three points?

The onlookers initially thought she was making an exaggerated joke, but they were dumbfounded when Qiao Yanshen's sword moves changed and his sword intent suddenly became fierce.

The raindrops gathered, transforming into a mighty, surging river. He drew his sword and swung it, the sword energy carrying immense spiritual power, even brighter than before, calmly and effortlessly destroying everything in its path.

Shen Lixia took half a step back and took out a longbow from her storage bag at her waist. It was covered with spiritual energy, no longer black, but a deep and intense red.

She drew her bow taut, her gaze sharp, and the arrow in her hand blazed fiercely the moment it left the bowstring, cutting through the vast river with unstoppable force.

The flames, like the broad wings of a divine bird, blocked and burned away the cold spiritual energy within.

Without hesitation, the young man broke through the attack, drew his bow, and skillfully unleashed several brilliant streaks of fire. The gold, red, and azure hues mingled, shining like the sun and moon, brighter than daylight.

The sword intent was neutralized, and at the same time, the arrow was drawn by the fine water flow and shattered into dust.

The wind whistled through the air as a scorching sword light pierced through. Qiao Yanshen raised his hand to block it, and a crisp sound ripped through the sky as the blades clashed.

Unable to reach a stalemate, she met Shen Lixia's gaze and realized that she was actually smiling in the other's eyes.

Yes, if it were Junior Sister, she would definitely understand where her sword intent came from. It was only under the moonlight and in her gaze that she could reveal her naked honesty.

She hadn't held any expectations, but she knew that Shen Lixia had already understood. She was never alone in her pain; even without mentioning Shen Yuanzhong's experiences, the young man would have tried his best to find out the reason that made her cry.

Only then did she finally emerge from that cold water dungeon.

Li Xia, I fell in love with you, yet I also resented that you happened to be you.

If our intertwined fates are the seeds of a predetermined tragedy, waiting for someone else to reap the harvest, then what should I do with this affection that is constantly stirred by you?

Summer is leaving...

If he could disregard everything, Qiao Yanshen would only want to put down his sword right now and embrace his junior sister. But for her, love was something she had to restrain even more.

The desire for her safety has only increased from past lives to this one.

Therefore, Qiao Yanshen would not say anything. If this could protect her from the entanglements of her past life's fate, then she would simply watch over and accompany her junior sister silently.

It's better to die peacefully than to be separated by death.

Even though the heat from the sword seeped into her palm, and the longsword that accompanied her hummed incessantly, conveying her desire to be sworn brothers with this person through swordsmanship for all eternity, she did not hesitate. In an instant, she deflected the blade, flicked it upwards, and then resolutely thrust it down, knocking Shen Lixia back several steps.

Then, she deftly slashed at the boy's wrist with the tip of her sword, knocking the sword from his hand in the blink of an eye.

At this moment, the spiritual energy was weak, the divine fire quietly dissipated, and Shen Lixia had many talismans in her hands. She used them one by one, but they were cleverly countered by Qiao Yanshen.

Finally, she raised her hands, and her senior sister gently but meaningfully lifted her chin with the tip of her sword, laughing heartily, "I lost. I have benefited greatly from this competition, thank you for your invaluable guidance, senior sister."

The thick fog that had formed on the stage due to the clash of opposing spiritual energies dissipated, revealing a scene of utter devastation. Not only were the plants and trees completely destroyed, but the jade bricks were also covered in marks, with several breaks and damages, making it a truly pitiful sight.

The fight was spectacular; even though it only lasted two moves, it was exhilarating enough. Tu Sheng, his heart pounding with excitement, cheered wildly, while Yan Xueya on the high platform let out a long sigh of relief, a rare, gentle smile appearing on her face.

Ruan Luoying blinked and said, "Jinyu's loss this time is not unjust."

Tang Huairou, sitting in the audience, shared the same thought. As for Lin Yuxian, Wu Zhuyue, Lu Changqing, and the others, they were so shocked that they were speechless.

No, I thought only Senior Sister Qiao was a top-ranked scholar, but I didn't expect Senior Sister Shen next to her to be one too. Two top-ranked scholars together, how are we supposed to live?

Lin Yuqian and Wu Zhuyue exchanged a glance and secretly resolved to begin rigorous special training and never slack off again.

"Junior sister."

Qiao Yanshen slowly walked to Shen Lixia's side, took the girl's hand, and was about to heal her wounds when he was startled by the scalding temperature and quickly looked up at Shen Lixia.

But this time, the boy showed no sign of pain; his eyes were bright as he stared intently at her.

Then, she gripped Qiao Yanshen's hand tightly, her voice extremely soft, yet subtly radiating warmth:

"Senior Sister, let's go home."

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Author's note: I'm late!

I'm sorry, but I really portrayed the relationship between the senior and junior sisters as strangely complicated.

I might not be writing very well because I have a cold; I'll revise it later.