Chapter 37 Breakthrough: Revitalizing the Cultivation World (37% complete)
On the arena.
Shen Suqi painstakingly drew the second sacrificial talisman.
She used spiritual energy as the brushstrokes to construct swords. The rapidly circulating spiritual power collided with the flickering ancient incantations, and the powerful repulsive force made her tremble all over, and her breathing became extremely erratic.
Her current skill level was inconsistent and her strokes were not solid, but the weak runes that seemed about to shatter solidified a bit the moment she completed the second stroke. They actually suppressed the frantic counterattack of the sword intent and injected a balancing agent into the one-sided situation.
"I'm sorry, I couldn't control myself," Xu Lingyou could only manage to say apologetically.
The guilt in his dim eyes made Shen Suqi unconsciously purse her lips.
This person has such a soft personality; you'd never guess they're capable of using such a deadly move.
She looked Xu Lingyou up and down, and thought that this fair-skinned, tall, thin monk looked like a pitiful and adorable dejected big cat.
"I've really seen something new today. Your sword intent is really strong. If you control it properly, it's a powerful killing move. I'll have to practice it more when I get back."
She raised her long eyebrows at Xu Lingyou, her smile light and flirtatious. Her composed expression suggested she was handling the situation with ease, but the bulging veins on her long neck betrayed her true predicament.
Xu Lingyou was stunned for a moment: "You're not blaming me?"
Shen Suqi couldn't describe the feeling in her heart.
Perhaps they found the young man agreeable and couldn't bear to see his resolve waver.
She doesn't consider herself a generous person. Although she projects a carefree and magnanimous image to the outside world, she's actually not that magnanimous coming from the Shen family, a family that fights for everything.
She was arrogant, aloof, and proud.
After acquiring the system, she considered herself the chosen one. Before arriving at the Lingzhou Grand Gathering, she looked down on everyone else, believing that challenging Helian Yi, a fellow mission participant and ranked among the top, would give her a greater sense of accomplishment than defeating ordinary cultivators.
It's a bit of a shame to reveal our hand so early, but if our opponent is Xu Lingyou, it doesn't seem like a bad deal.
She tried to distract herself from the excruciating pain of her bones being crushed and continued, "This is the sacrificial talisman of the Heavenly Evolution Dao Ancestor. How could you possibly hurt me? This talisman has eighteen strokes. My strength is only enough to draw the third stroke. Once you've digested the sword intent, we can have another match. By then, I might be able to draw the fourth stroke."
Upon hearing her words, Xu Lingyou's dark pupils regained some light.
"good."
He caught his breath slightly and asked, "Are you aware of the rumors that the Heavenly Dao Ancestor is about to open his mountain gate?"
Shen Suqi is very capable, and he feels that such a peer should not be overlooked.
Shen Suqi blinked: "I know, it came from the Liuyun Sect."
Under her ambiguous gaze, Xu Lingyou said, "That's not a rumor, it's true, you..."
"How did you know about this?" Shen Suqi interrupted him, asking somewhat urgently.
A quest participant? Did she encounter a random quest participant?
"Because I was once an outer disciple of the Flowing Cloud Sect, I know some inside information," he said.
Shen Suqi didn't hear the answer she wanted, and besides feeling regret, she remembered something: "You were one of the four who were whipped?"
"yes."
"No wonder you have such a strong will." She expressed her admiration generously. "Thank you."
Because of Shen Qirui and the engagement, she was at odds with the Holy Prayer Palace, and consequently disliked all the sects and families. She admired Xu Lingyou's belief in daring to fight for his freedom.
Xu Lingyou wanted to respond to her, but as he wrote the third sacrificial talisman, his sword intent reached a desperate stage, and all his energy was focused on controlling the longsword, making it impossible for him to speak.
Shen Suqi was also in a bad state. When she finished the third stroke, her spiritual power was completely exhausted, and her physical strength and mental energy were at their limit.
“It’s better to guide than to block. Why don’t we try to deflect the sword intent?” she said.
Xu Lingyou told her with his eyes that it was okay.
After receiving the signal, she exerted all her strength to push the blood sacrifice rune diagonally forward, while Xu Lingyou cooperated by doing his best to deflect the sword tip.
Although the results were only slight, they were enough.
Under the impact of the runes, the sword strike containing explosive sword intent deviated from its direction and slashed straight at the protective shield, shattering the barrier set up by the Nascent Soul stage cultivator.
Xu Lingyou swung his sword, then lunged forward and knelt on the ground. His exhausted hands clung tightly to the hilt of the sword, as if his flesh and blood had become one with the sword.
He never let go of his sword, even though the mid-grade spiritual sword had shattered into pieces after he unleashed his sword intent.
Without the protection that blocked their vision and hearing, the enthusiastic cheers from the audience reached their ears.
Shen Suqi glanced around and saw the fervor and admiration in the eyes of the onlookers.
Neither of them is in good condition.
Xu Lingyou's clothes were soaked with sweat, as if he had just been pulled out of the water.
"Senior Brother Xu! Are you alright?" Huangfu Mian and the other two rushed onto the stage to help him up.
“It’s nothing…” He shook his head weakly, too tired to speak a complete sentence.
Upon hearing his hoarse voice, Wu Ji immediately exchanged a bottle of pills to replenish spiritual energy from the system shop and handed him a water pouch.
After taking the elixir, Xu Lingyou felt somewhat better.
He wiped the beads of sweat from his eyelashes and looked up at the opposite side.
Shen Suqi was concerned about her image and had used a talisman to keep herself clean in advance, but the predicament of her dried-up spiritual energy pool left her slumped on the ground.
The incomplete blood sacrifice rune dissipated after being used, leaving her with no spiritual power whatsoever.
She grimaced and covered her dantian. This was the first time she had completed the third stroke. She had tried many times before, but every time she started the third stroke, she could feel the rune desperately demanding spiritual power from her. So she knew she could draw three strokes, but she had never actually done it.
The empty dantian had reached its limit and was now spontaneously nurturing spiritual energy.
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Helian Yi and Shui Fan coming up on stage to help her up. She covered her lower abdomen with one hand and braced herself with the other to stand up.
As soon as he straightened his back, an unfamiliar power rose from the depths of his dantian, and the place that was usually as still as a deep pool became as hot as a burning furnace.
A surge of intense power erupted in her vital dantian, like a raging torrent. She subconsciously activated her spiritual energy and clearly felt that power gradually permeating her meridians. A life-saving spring flowed into her dried-up spiritual energy pool, continuously providing her with spiritual energy.
Shen Suqi was stunned for a moment, but quickly realized that she was about to break through.
A surprised smile appeared on her face. You see, she had been stuck at the Great Perfection of the Foundation Establishment stage for more than half a year, and had been lacking a push to help her cross the threshold. Unexpectedly, the accident on the arena gave her a push.
The spiritual energy came with overwhelming force, and she realized that the breakthrough to the next level was different from the past. If she was not careful, her golden core would not be condensed perfectly.
But there was no time to choose a good place for her breakthrough. She could only sit cross-legged, throw a bunch of talismans to the side, and then refuse the helping hands extended by Helian Yi and Shui Fan, saying directly, "I'm about to break through. Wait for me."
Normally, cultivators would choose an absolutely safe place to carefully break through their cultivation in order to prevent malicious interference that could cause them to suffer from qi deviation. However, this is different when participating in various competitions.
Breakthroughs after life-or-death crises or fierce battles are common occurrences. They come to win, not to make enemies. Cultivators tacitly agree not to interfere with contestants who break through after the competition. Therefore, breaking through in full view of everyone is not as dangerous as it seems. Moreover, this is Kunpeng Mountain, the territory of the Xuantian Sword Sect. The powerful figures would not allow a junior to be interfered with during a competition they organized.
No one wants to be a despicable person despised by everyone at this time, unless...
"How dare you, Shen Suqi, steal the secret techniques of my Holy Prayer Palace!"
The sudden, aged voice broke the silence, its echo resounding loudly throughout the hall.
Everyone was taken aback.
The next moment, the Palace Master of the Holy Prayer Palace descended from the sky, his gaze sharp and eager to tear Shen Suqi, who was breaking through in the protective array, to pieces.
He stared at Shen Suqi, who could clearly sense everything around her and whose brows furrowed involuntarily, and a cold smile curled at the corner of his mouth.
"Shen Suqi, Shen Suqi, I have devoted myself to teaching you and your brother, but you have committed a heinous crime. After stealing the martial arts techniques, you disappeared for two years. I originally intended to let you off the hook because of our teacher-student relationship, but you have shown no remorse and used my Holy Prayer Palace's secret technique in public. This has truly chilled my heart to the extreme!"
A few words contained so much information, like a thunderclap that struck the crowd.
Even Lin Ming, who was arguing with the old man who was opening the betting, couldn't help but look up and raise his eyebrows towards the arena.
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