vitality
Chapter 15 Vitality
In the semi-finals, Yunxiu's opponent was the eldest disciple of Qinglan Sect, named Qingya, who had a high level of cultivation and was good at using formations.
The other party was wearing indigo-blue tights, with a sword given by the leader of Qinglan Sect hanging around his waist. The sword tassel was adorned with three white beads, and a crisp clash of beads was made with every step he took.
"The little girl from Yaoxi Mountain?"
Qingya stood still on the stage, his eyes sweeping over Yunxiu's bloodstained skirt. An apologetic smile played on his lips, as if he was about to apologize for defeating her, yet he spoke strangely harsh words:
"I heard that you haven't even stabilized your primary cultivation. I'm afraid you only relied on luck to make it to the semi-finals?"
Yunxiu ignored him and said directly to the referee, "Please, start."
As soon as the referee's whistle sounded, Qingya moved as fast as lightning. With a flick of his wrist, the sword blade drew a cyan arc in the air. Countless tiny blades of light surged from the blade, weaving a huge net in the air, enveloping Yunxiu. It was the Qinglan Sect's unique formation, the "Piercing Cloud Formation."
"careful!"
Wu Yi in the audience couldn't help but shout out. The wound on his left arm was aching slightly due to excitement. He subconsciously wanted to rush forward, but was held down by Yan Xiu.
Yan Xiu's face seemed even paler than before, his dark eyes fixed on Yun Xiu on the stage. He could clearly sense that the formation was wrapped in the Qinglan Sect's purest spiritual power, more than twice as powerful as Lin Feng's sword.
Yunxiu's pupils shrank sharply. Without a second thought, she tapped her toes on the bluestone slab and instantly darted backward. But the piercing cloud array's blades seemed to have life, closely tracking her figure, forming an impenetrable wall behind her. As she watched the approaching blades, she suddenly remembered the water-based magic she'd practiced in Yaoxi Mountain—it was something Senior Sister Yingtang had taught her, and it could be used to protect her in times of crisis.
She rarely used this technique, it just came to her on a whim.
"Condense dew into a blade!"
Yunxiu let out a low cry, gathering a wisp of pale blue spiritual energy from her fingertips and pointing it at the moisture in the air. Countless glittering dewdrops flew from the surrounding bamboo clumps, condensing into a translucent water blade in front of her, slashing towards the light net of the Piercing Cloud Formation.
She remembered—she remembered that when Yan Xiu was summarizing the battle situation and the opponent for her, he specifically mentioned that the core of the Ciyun Formation was in the northwest direction. As long as the core could be broken, the formation would naturally collapse.
But just as the water blade was about to hit the light net, Qingya suddenly sneered:
"A trifle."
He turned his wrist, and the sword drew a semicircle in the air. The light blade of the Piercing Cloud Formation instantly changed direction and rushed towards the water blade like a tide.
With a muffled "bang", the water blade was instantly swallowed by the light blade, breaking into countless small water droplets, falling on the bluestone slabs, splashing tiny water droplets.
However, those light blades did not dissipate. Instead, they used the rebound force to pierce Yunxiu's left arm!
"hiss--"
Yunxiu hurriedly dodged to the side, but was still a step too slow. A cyan blade of light grazed her left arm, instantly tearing a three-inch gash. Blood dripped down her arm and landed on the hem of her light cyan skirt, forming a dark red flower.
Yunxiu gritted his teeth, enduring the severe pain in his arm, but his grip on the sword tightened even more.
She couldn't lose, at least not so easily.
Qingya looked at her bleeding arm and kindly reminded her, "You still don't admit defeat? If you keep fighting, this arm will be broken."
Yunxiu didn't say anything, just took a deep breath and pushed the immortal power in his body downwards - gathering the spiritual power in his legs.
Isn't Xiao Que the most agile? If you can't beat him, can't you escape?
She tapped her toes lightly on the bluestone slab, and her body instantly became light and nimble, weaving between the light blades of the Piercing Cloud Formation. Sometimes she dodged to the left, sometimes to the right, even twisting and turning between the gaps between two light blades, her movements as fast as a flash of blue lightning.
The audience below suddenly cried out in surprise. A Baicao Valley disciple carrying a medicine basket murmured:
"This body movement...is she at the elementary level?"
The Liuyun Sect disciple next to him also frowned: "Lin Feng was up there just now, how come we didn't see that she had this ability?"
But Qingya seemed to have anticipated this. He looked at Yunxiu's figure and asked sympathetically:
"All you can do is hide? Is this Yao Xishan's ability?"
He turned his wrist again, and the light blades of the Piercing Cloud Array instantly became denser. Not only did they chase Yunxiu's figure, but they also formed a series of crisscrossing light nets in front of her, blocking all her retreat routes.
Yunxiu's heart sank. She watched the net of light approaching, knowing she could no longer dodge. Remembering the "guarding the heart" technique Yan Xiu had taught her, she quickly held her sword horizontally in front of her, tip pointing upward, hilt pointing downward, forming a pale blue sword shield before her.
"Guard your heart and control your spirit!" She shouted softly, trying to block the attack of the light net with her sword and shield.
“Ding! Ding! Ding!”
Countless blades of light struck the sword and shield, emitting a crisp clash. Yunxiu felt a sharp vibration in her wrist, and the immortal energy within her body seemed to be drained away, rapidly dissipating. She watched the ripples on the sword and shield, knowing she couldn't hold out for much longer.
The sword and shield were supported by immortal power, but her immortal power was not much to begin with, and after using water magic just now, there was very little left.
Sure enough, not long after, a tiny crack appeared on the sword and shield.
Seeing this, Qingya also commented calmly:
"I told you, you are no match for me."
He suddenly increased his spiritual power output, and a light blade twice as thick as before stabbed towards the crack in the sword and shield!
“Crack!”
The sword and shield shattered, countless tiny blades of light piercing Yunxiu's chest. She hurriedly retreated, but was still a step too slow. One of the blades grazed her chest, tearing a bloody wound. Blood instantly soaked her clothes, dripping down the hem and onto the bluestone, forming a small pool of dark red blood.
Yunxiu stumbled back a few steps, leaning against the edge of the arena, barely able to regain her balance. She looked down at the wounds on her body—one deep enough to see the bone, one on her left arm, one on her calf, and one on her chest. There were also countless tiny scratches, and blood seeped through the wounds, leaving her body covered in blood.
The hand holding the sword began to tremble slightly, the immortal power in her body was almost exhausted, and even her breathing became rapid.
But her gaze did not wander, instead she stared at the spot under Qingya's feet - just now when Qingya mobilized his spiritual power to attack the sword and shield, there was a momentary stagnation of spiritual power in the northwest corner of the Piercing Cloud Formation, which was another weak point outside the center of the formation.
The audience below the stage saw this and immediately started talking. A casual cultivator in a brocade robe shook his head and said:
"It seems that this little girl really can't hold on any longer. Senior Brother Qingya's Piercing Cloud Formation is not something that everyone can break."
The Qinglan Sect disciple next to them was even more proud: "Of course! Senior Brother Qingya is our Sect Master's personal disciple. It's quite good that this little girl can hold on until now."
Wu Yi stood in the audience, not moving. Neither did Yan Xiu.
Yunxiu's temperament is very similar to that of the small bamboo on the back mountain of Yaoxi Mountain. Even if it is broken by strong winds and heavy rain, it will never bow its head easily, and will never give up the search for life in desperate situations.
Qingya looked at Yunxiu who was leaning against the edge of the stage. Seeing that she only had the strength to breathe, he kindly asked condescendingly:
"I'll ask you one last time, do you admit defeat or not?" The Liuyun Sword in his hand drooped slightly, and the light blades of the Piercing Cloud Formation also slowed down their condensation speed - in his opinion, Yunxiu was already in his pocket, and any further struggle would be futile. He had even planned to say a few polite words of "acceptance" when the referee announced the result, in order to maintain his reputation.
After all, the attack just now was a bit too harsh and it was embarrassing.
But at this moment, Yunxiu suddenly moved.
She did not rush forward. Instead, she poured the last bit of immortal power in her body into her legs. She tapped the bluestone slab with her toes and flew like an arrow, not towards the front of Qingya, but towards the empty space in the northwest corner of the Ciyun Formation!
She held the iron sword horizontally in front of her body. The blood beads on the blade were blown back by the wind, but under her control, a weak but sharp spiritual power condensed - that was the "startling bird" she had practiced countless times by the cold pond in Yaoxi Mountain!
But this time, the target is not the enemy's flaw, but the weak point of the formation.
"You dare!"
Qingya's expression suddenly changed, his composure no longer apparent. He hadn't expected this seemingly exhausted little girl to actually find the weak spot in the Cloud Piercing Formation! He hurriedly raised his hand, trying to mobilize his spiritual energy to repair the weak spot in the northwest corner, but it was too late—Yunxiu's sword had already arrived.
"bite!"
The tip of the iron sword accurately pierced the spiritual power node in the northwest corner of the Piercing Cloud Array. Although the force was not great, it was like a thin needle piercing a balloon. A huge gap instantly appeared in the light net of the Piercing Cloud Array. Countless green light blades lost control, swayed in the air for a few times, and then shattered into light fragments.
What was even more terrible was that the backlash of the formation was transmitted back into Qingya's body along the spiritual power nodes. He groaned, his heart felt stuffy, and the hand holding the Liuyun Sword shook involuntarily. The white beads on the sword tassel collided with each other, making a panicked crisp sound.
Yunxiu took advantage of this momentary flaw and moved again, going around to the side and rear of Qingya.
She didn't seize the opportunity to attack, but simply held her sword, coldly watching Qingya's back. Her immortal energy had been completely depleted, and this attack had almost drained her of all her strength. But she succeeded. She pulled Qingya down from his position of "controller," making him feel the pain of his own demise.
The audience in the audience was completely shocked.
"Oh my god! She actually broke through the gap in the Thorn Cloud Formation?"
"What happened to Senior Brother Qingya? She actually found a flaw in him?"
Even the elders of Baicao Valley sat up straight, their eyes fixed on Yunxiu on the stage, their fingertips tapping unconsciously on the table.
Qingya turned around slowly, his face completely gloomy.
He looked at Yunxiu, and there was no longer any "kindness" and arrogance in his eyes, only the shame of being offended.
He was the direct disciple of the Qinglan Sect's leader, a child of destiny in everyone's eyes. To be forced into a backlash by a girl from Yaoxi Mountain who hadn't even reached a stable elementary cultivation level, while being watched by so many people, was a sheer shame and humiliation!
His fingers pinched the hilt of the Liuyun Sword so hard that his knuckles turned white, and even his voice was cold: "You think you can win like this?"
Yunxiu leaned against the edge of the stage, his chest heaving violently, almost losing the strength to even raise his hands, but he still managed a smile:
"At least... I haven't lost yet."
This sentence completely ignited Qingya's anger.
He suddenly raised his head, his dark eyes surging with hostility. He no longer cared about his reputation for being "gentle" and raised his sword high. The light blade of the Piercing Cloud Formation gathered again. This time, the light blade was sharper than any before, and it was wrapped in a cold murderous intent.
He didn't want to get entangled with Yunxiu anymore. He wanted to kill her directly and make this ignorant girl pay the price for offending him.
The referee stood up and looked at Qingya with a serious expression:
"Qingya! Stop it! Don't hurt anyone's life!"
The token in his hand once again lit up with a green warning spiritual power, but was blocked by the light net of the Piercing Cloud Array that Qingya deliberately mobilized - the spiritual power Qingya used this time was even stronger, and even the referee's intervention became powerless.
"I'll ask you one last time, do you admit defeat or not?" There was no warmth in Qingya's voice anymore, only cruelty.
Yunxiu gritted his teeth, enduring the severe pain throughout his body. He slowly stood up and tightened his grip on the sword again: "I...will not admit defeat."
Her voice was not loud, but it carried an unquestionable firmness that could be heard clearly in the noisy arena.
The audience in the audience suddenly quieted down and looked at Yunxiu on the stage - this little girl who was covered in blood and couldn't even stand steadily, actually refused to admit defeat?
Qingya was stunned for a moment, then he laughed in anger: "Okay! Since you insist on seeking death, then I will grant your wish!"
He lowered his wrist, and the Flowing Cloud Sword pierced Yunxiu's heart. The light blades of the Piercing Cloud Formation also moved with it, surging towards her like a tide. The moment the cold sword edge pierced the fabric of her clothes, Yunxiu could even clearly feel the chill of metal against her skin. The murderous intent was so real that it made the hairs on her body stand on end.
She seemed to hear the referee's stern warning, and saw Wu Yi frantically trying to break through the Qinglan Sect disciples' obstruction. The wound on his left arm had split open, and blood was dripping from his fingertips...
Yunxiu looked at the sword light and light blade that were getting closer and closer, and knew that he had no way to retreat.
She closed her eyes.
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