Chapter 37 Completely unaware of how humiliating these words were…
The sword flashed, like a silver lightning bolt, striking with lightning speed.
Sheng Zhiyi's eyes widened slightly, and before she could speak, her body had already reacted.
With a heavy tap of his foot and a backward lean, he retreated swiftly, like a sharp arrow piercing the air.
At the same time, she quickly drew her sword, "Jinghongyu," and its cold light flashed.
This was all thanks to Ji Fuguang's daily battles with her using white silk.
The white silk is naturally soft yet tough, and its attacks are unpredictable, striking suddenly from any unexpected place, making it mysterious and unpredictable.
At first, Sheng Zhiyi was hit repeatedly, but after a while, her whole body automatically went into a state of alert. She could detect the direction of the white silk attack without even using her eyesight.
Although Shen Qingming's sword strike was fast, it was still somewhat inferior to Bai Chou's.
Seeing her quick reaction, Shen Qingming raised an eyebrow and smiled, saying to himself, "No wonder you dared to participate in the inner sect selection when you were a menial servant. However, you seem more suited to be my maid."
As he spoke, he wore a sweet smile, as if he were completely unaware of how insulting his words were, or as if he already knew how humiliating they were and was saying them on purpose.
Shen Qingming drew his sword and pressed forward, intending to take advantage of Sheng Zhiyi's retreat to press his advantage.
However, before he could thrust his sword forward, the tip of "Jinghongyu" had already struck his face, forcing him to parry.
"Wow, that's a quick change of tactics!" Shen Qingming exclaimed in surprise.
With his keen eyesight, he could tell at a glance what Sheng Zhiyi was doing.
Sheng Zhiyi's retreat was heavy and fierce. Blindly changing direction would only force the spiritual energy to reverse, which would be extremely harmful to herself and would also make it easy for her opponent to find a weakness.
But she directly used the "Spring Thunder Shake" sword move, turning the sword backward and changing direction.
At the same time, "Spring Thunder Shakes" followed "Spring Water Congeals Green" and thrust straight at him, forcing him to turn around and defend.
Almost no second was wasted, catching everyone off guard.
In an instant, the situation on the field reversed.
Sheng Zhiyi wielded her longsword, each move pressing forward relentlessly. Shen Qingming raised his hand to block, retreating step by step.
It was Sheng Zhiyi's turn to speak.
She smiled, but her expression showed no joy, instead it was rather cold and stern: "Young master, is your position as a maid so rare? If losing means becoming a slave, I think it's more likely that you will become my servant!"
As she spoke, her sword strike was as swift as the wind, already aimed at Shen Qingming's brow.
In the blink of an eye, just as Sheng Zhiyi's sword tip was about to pierce Shen Qingming's skin, it was entangled by a sword light.
The sword in Shen Qingming's hand shimmered with a clear light, surrounded by sword energy, and emitted a soft hum with his movements, clearly indicating that it was no ordinary weapon.
However, he didn't seem to cherish it much, and the sword's edge went straight for "Jinghongyu," trying to gain an advantage with the sharpness of the longsword.
Seeing this, Sheng Zhiyi blocked with her backhand and took a step back.
Shen Qingming viewed her sword as a tool, but she didn't want "Jinghongyu" to get hurt.
Seeing her retreat, Shen Qingming gripped his sword but did not press his advantage. Instead, he tilted his head slightly and stared intently at Sheng Zhiyi.
“Alright,” he chuckled, as if he had thought of something amusing, and nodded cheerfully, “Then it’s settled, whoever loses has to become the other person’s servant!”
?
Who told you that?
What exactly is going on with this inexplicable agreement?
"I didn't..." Before she could finish speaking, Shen Qingming's longsword thrust forward, forcing Sheng Zhiyi to swallow the rest of her words. Why won't this guy listen to others?!
Sheng Zhiyi felt a surge of anger.
The two moved with agility and their swordplay was extremely fast, producing a rapid and rhythmic clanging sound.
On the field, a dazzling display of silver light, with swords flashing, appeared between the two.
As the matches in other venues gradually came to an end, the people sitting on the hillside began to turn their attention to this area, occasionally whispering among themselves.
"Look at court number two, those two are moving so fast!"
"The sword moves are so fast, they even leave afterimages!"
"I didn't expect there to be two such people in the outer sect. I've never heard of them before."
Some busybodies had already found out the identities of the two people, and their voices unconsciously grew louder.
"Do you think that's who he is? Elder Shen's own son!"
In an instant, everyone understood.
In terms of seniority, Elder Shen is the sect leader's uncle, holding a transcendent position. He is extremely protective of his own, and having only this one precious son over the years, he naturally dotes on him immensely.
Because Shen Qingming was still young, he could only be nominally an outer disciple. However, he usually lived in the inner sect with Elder Shen and rarely came out. He had almost never attended any outer sect courses. Therefore, although people had heard of him, not many people knew him.
Upon hearing that it was the rumored young master, the news spread like wildfire, drawing even more attention to venue number two.
"So it was Shen Qingming. No wonder his swordsmanship is so skillful."
"The way these two moves flowed together so well... It's so good that the inner sect elders personally taught us. Who ever told us something like this before..."
"The young master doesn't look very tall, he must be only fifteen or sixteen years old, right?"
"He is seventeen years old. He was born weak and sickly, so Elder Shen takes good care of him."
...
After chatting about Shen Qingming for a while, someone suddenly asked:
"Who is it in the outer sect who is fighting Shen Qingming to a standstill?"
No one present could answer this question.
The hillside was some distance from the field, and the outer disciples generally lacked sufficient cultivation. Even with their cultivation techniques activated, they could only barely make out the figures of the two people. In addition, the two people moved extremely fast, making it impossible to see their faces clearly. They could only tell that one of them was a woman.
The group counted all the outstanding women in the outer gate.
Just then, everyone was present, and every time someone was mentioned, a voice would say, "It wasn't me."
I counted on my fingers again and again, racking my brains but still couldn't figure out who it was.
Suddenly, a low, hoarse voice came: "It's that sect servant."
Everyone turned to look, and the speaker was a woman dressed in the sect's standard long robe, with a simple hairstyle. She had delicate features, but her eyes were as calm as water.
If Sheng Zhiyi were present, she would immediately recognize that this was the person who helped her enter the sect token when she entered the library.
"How did you know it was her?" someone asked, puzzled.
Even if Liu Suxin knew that servant, how could she be sure it was him from such a distance?
Liu Suxin remained calm and spoke softly, "I saw it."
The crowd erupted in uproar.
The hillside was far from the field, and it would take a lot of spiritual power to cover one's eyes to see clearly. No one in the outer sect was confident that they could see the faces of the two people on the field. Liu Suxin was always plain and low-key, and followed the rules. She was a disciple who did not make mistakes but was never outstanding. Yet she said that she saw them.
How powerful must this spiritual energy be?!
Facing the surprised or disbelieving gazes of the crowd, Liu Suxin pursed her lips and said, "I just saw her walk past."
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
It wasn't that they didn't believe it, but it was just too impossible. With that kind of spiritual power, one would have been able to join the inner sect long ago.
Considering that Liu Suxin is usually honest and composed, even somewhat dull, and completely unrelated to the words "clever and quick-witted," how could she possibly possess such cultivation?
As everyone's gaze shifted away, Liu Suxin lowered her head and looked at her hands.
She could feel the surging spiritual energy flowing rapidly through her meridians.
turn out to be……
Even someone like her, who was criticized as "dull-witted" by the teachers at the training school, could have such a day.
"Look! They've slowed down!"
Someone exclaimed, and everyone looked back at the field.
A fine layer of sweat appeared on Sheng Zhiyi's forehead, and her eyes were fixed on Shen Qingming opposite her.
This was the first time she had encountered such an opponent.
During her previous battle with Qin Shaoyang, she had already discovered that her swordplay was incredibly fast, even faster than that of many outer sect disciples.
However, Shen Qingming acted even faster.
He was carefully instructed by the inner sect elders, and his application and connection of sword techniques were more proficient and adaptable than hers, who had figured out her own methods on her own.
However, he lacked experience in fighting enemies and lacked that indomitable spirit. In terms of momentum, Sheng Zhiyi was slightly better than him.
The difference is extremely subtle, and the two men's strengths are, to some extent, the same.
The drawbacks are also consistent.
Neither of them possessed sufficient spiritual power.
Sheng Zhiyi's cultivation time was too short. After changing her spiritual root, she only had two days left, which she could not make up for even if she cultivated day and night.
Shen Qingming, on the other hand, was unable to settle down.
Practicing sword techniques allows you to see tangible progress, and it's easier for others to motivate you, making it more effective in the long run.
However, the mental cultivation method is different. It requires the practitioner to concentrate their mind and focus their inner self, and no one else can interfere. Moreover, progress is extremely slow. Often, even after sitting in meditation for half a day, one cannot feel the accumulation of spiritual energy, and the cultivation effect is not very obvious, making it easy to give up.
Shen Qingming was frail from childhood and confined to his home. Practicing swordplay finally allowed him to stretch his muscles and bones, which he naturally found very enjoyable. However, when it came to meditation, even for the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, he simply couldn't sit still.
Although their reasons differed, they ended up in the same place: they were both skilled in swordsmanship but not in spiritual power.
The half-day duel felt like fighting another version of myself.
Shen Qingming's forehead was covered in even more sweat, which fell into his eyes and stung them, making them slightly red.
He spoke breathlessly, "I didn't expect you to be so capable..."
Sheng Zhiyi was slightly stronger than him, and she gritted her teeth to continue her offensive, afraid that if she opened her mouth, her momentum would immediately collapse.
Shen Qingming is now exhausted, which is a rare opportunity. She must press her advantage and end this match as soon as possible.
Thinking this, Sheng Zhiyi channeled the little spiritual power she had left, and her sword strikes came even faster.
The sword's aura was chilling, piercing straight into the heavens.
Seeing the situation, Shen Qingming raised his arms to try and block Sheng Zhiyi's attack, but his footwork had become somewhat disordered, a stark contrast to his previous measured advances and retreats.
Sheng Zhiyi naturally noticed this as well. She suddenly leaped up and gracefully descended from mid-air, her clothes fluttering like scattered flower petals, but the stamen in the center shone with a chilling light.
He thrust his long sword straight at Shen Qingming's forehead.
Unstoppable!
The sword tip moved as fast as a shooting star, leaving no afterimage.
It pierced Shen Qingming's forehead hard.
Sheng Zhiyi even saw his eyes widen instantly, his pupils dilating slightly.
Startled, she quickly drew her sword and retreated, her mind a jumble of confusion.
She remembered that the rules stated that the venue was protected by a barrier that would not endanger the athletes' lives, but Shen Qingming's body was already slowly collapsing.
"Shen Qingming!"
With a loud "boom," Shen Qingming's body exploded into a cloud of smoke.
Before Sheng Zhiyi could react, she felt a chill on her neck.
A clear and lively voice rang in her ear: "You have such a kind heart, I want you to be my maid even more."
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