Second Senior Sister Has A Highly Dangerous Profession - Chapter 59
Chapter 59
Six or seven communication talismans were ignited simultaneously, as if they were free, and a cacophony of urgent voices chirped and clashed, creating an effect akin to a lively opera being staged right beside one’s ears.
Yu Xizhi couldn’t make out a single word, but the noise effectively jolted her awake.
The sky was already bright—more than just bright.
Blinding sunlight pierced her eyes the moment she opened them, forcing her to sit up abruptly.
During the Sword Selection Conference, classes at the academy were suspended, so the Tianxin Bell had been borrowed.
Its sound now resonated across Kunwu Mountain, revitalizing everyone who heard it. Even though the Qianya Peak was located a day’s journey from the academy, the bell’s chime had managed to drift there through the air.
Yu Xizhi, half-dazed and groggy, hadn’t rested like this in ages.
The lingering fog in her mind made it hard to react promptly.
Hearing the bell, her first instinct was that she was late.
The chaotic chatter from the communication talismans suddenly quieted down.
Yet, since she hadn’t responded, someone awkwardly lit another one.
“Second Senior Sister! Come quickly to Ziyuan Peak! Your match is about to start! Hurry up!!!”
Ziyuan Peak? What match?
Yu Xizhi sat in a daze for nearly half a stick of incense before her mind finally raced through the events of the past few days.
When the memory of tempering her body with Sword Intent surfaced, she involuntarily shivered under the scorching sun.
She instinctively turned her head, but the spot where Xie Junzhi was supposed to be sitting was empty.
She let out a breath of relief, feeling as though a burden had been lifted.
After casting a cleansing spell on herself, she finally regained some clarity.
Her long hair was disheveled, and the little twig she used to tie it up was likely left behind in that nightmare-inducing cave of raging Sword Intent.
She had no intention of stepping into that cave again anytime soon.
Picking up the Tianzhao Brush instead, she casually twisted her hair into a bun.
Only then did she calmly reply to the communication talisman: “What match?”
“What do you mean, what match?! Second Senior Sister, have you lost your mind?! The Sword Selection Conference is starting, and your turn is in less than half a stick of incense!”
Half a stick of incense—that was roughly the same amount of time she had spent spacing out earlier.
Kunwu Mountain Sect didn’t permit the use of teleportation talismans within its grounds, so it was impossible for her to get there in time.
Though she wasn’t particularly concerned about her match, she was well aware of the rules.
Due to the overwhelming number of participants, the individual matches were divided into five rounds.
The first round, called the “Free Challenge Stage,” required a contestant to win three consecutive matches on the arena platform to advance to the next group stage.
After three victories, they could either choose to defend the stage or withdraw.
If they chose to defend and won ten matches consecutively, they would secure a spot in the top sixteen.
However, if they achieved two consecutive victories followed by a loss within the first three matches, they would be placed into a queue for another chance to challenge the stage.
Conversely, a record of one victory and one defeat, or an outright loss in the first match, meant immediate elimination.
In short, to have a chance at advancing, one needed at least two consecutive wins.
Some criticized this format as being too harsh—what if a strong contender faced a formidable opponent right at the start? Wouldn’t they be doomed to fail without a single victory?
But the Sword Selection Conference was a thousand-year-old tradition of Kunwu Mountain Sect.
Given the sheer number of participants, a round-robin format might be the fairest, but such an event would drag on for months.
To address concerns of fairness, the tournament used enchantments to restrict participants’ cultivation levels.
The match would be conducted at the lower cultivation level of the two opponents.
Although this appeared to handicap those with higher cultivation, it was actually a valuable experience.
Encounters with cultivation suppressions, whether in secret realms or against formidable demons, were commonplace.
Gaining such experience early was seen as beneficial.
All this meant that if Yu Xizhi didn’t arrive within half a stick of incense, she would be considered to have forfeited, which counted as an immediate loss.
The title of Sword Champion was merely a hollow honor.
What mattered to Yu Xizhi was breaking free from the original plot, avoiding the fate of being pierced through the heart by her junior sister Xia Yiyao.
Participating or not wasn’t particularly significant to her.
But she had promised Xie Junzhi to strive for the championship.
So, she had to go.
“Has Second Senior Sister responded? Can she make it?” Huang Li anxiously wrung his hands.
“What should we do if she doesn’t show up?”
Yi Zui looked utterly despondent.
“Second Senior Sister asked me what match it was. Does she not even know the Sword Selection Conference starts today?! What did the Junior Master Uncle do to her? Normally, she’s sharp and quick-witted, but now she sounds dazed and foolish in the talisman! Was she struck senseless?”
“But if she doesn’t show up, it’ll count as a forfeit,” Cheng Luocen said with pursed lips.
Yu Si’s tone was sharp with frustration.
“Was it Ziyuan Peak’s responsibility to notify her, or what?”
“You don’t understand,” Yi Zui lamented dramatically.
“It’s all my fault. I broke through yesterday, and Second Senior Sister suffered a lot because of me. Ultimately, it’s all because of me!”
As he spoke, the arena had already been cleared.
The next opponent, standing on one side of the platform with his sword in hand, glanced at the large purple hourglass floating midair.
The hourglass, as tall as half a person, was typically used in the academy for timing practice sessions.
Normally, its slow trickle of purple sand felt endless, dragging out the wait for class to end.
But now, to those watching from Qianya Peak, the sand seemed to be flowing dozens of times faster!
“That’s a disciple of Ziyuan Peak,” Yi Zui muttered, frowning at the small red characters embroidered on the opponent’s chest.
“Where’s Senior Brother Shen? Can we ask him to request a delay?”
The mention of Shen Ye elicited some hope.
That day, after Shen Ye saw the characters “Qianya” that he had written, he actually came back to request the characters “Ziyuan.”
Ziyuan Peak had the largest number of inner and outer sect disciples in all of Kunwu, but as the senior brother of Ziyuan Peak, Shen Ye had exceptional coordination and execution abilities.
He managed to ensure that every disciple of Ziyuan Peak had characters emblazoned on their chest.
As a result, the other peaks were not pleased.
Liuguang Peak, proficient in talismans, had Master Jiwen personally use the Taimei Talisman Brush to write the characters “Liuguang,” which appeared boldly in silver strokes on the chest of every Liuguang Peak disciple.
Following that, Master Jiliang from Xuecan Peak shamelessly sat in the main hall of Liuguang Peak for most of the day, successfully obtaining the characters “Xuecan” as well.
As for Taiqing Peak, Master Huaiyun was too preoccupied to bother with such matters.
Seeing how much everyone wanted the characters, Yu Si took it upon himself to have Yu Xizhi write “Taiqing,” since both Yi Zui and Yu Xizhi were, after all, disciples of Taiqing Peak.
Given that Yi Zui had written the characters for Qianya and Xuecan, it was only natural for Yu Xizhi to pick up the brush for “Taiqing.”
When the distribution took place, everyone was thrilled.
Only Xia Yiyao hesitated slightly when she heard that the characters had been written by Yu Xizhi.
Her fingers paused momentarily, but perhaps out of fear that Yu Si might notice something and overthink it, she ultimately gritted her teeth and affixed it to her chest.
From that day forward, however, whenever she looked at her own robe, there was always a faint trace of gloom in her eyes.
Now, every Kunwu disciple had a chest emblem clearly indicating their peak of origin—it was as obvious as could be.
Yi Zui’s suggestion in the current predicament was more like grasping at straws, as if he hadn’t said anything useful at all.
They certainly couldn’t have Senior Brother Shen Ye persuade the opponent to forfeit voluntarily.
Compared to that, having Yu Si, who bore a vague resemblance to Yu Xizhi, dress as a woman seemed far more plausible.
But now, the hourglass was nearly empty.
The Ziyuan Peak disciple on the stage briefly glanced at Yi Zui in confusion but ascended the platform as the time expired.
The referee, Steward Chen, waved his chess piece and announced loudly, “Wang Gu from Ziyuan Peak versus… Yu Xizhi from Taiqing Peak!”
“Wait!”
Yi Zui’s eyes lit up as he seized an opportunity to stall.
“Why Taiqing Peak’s Yu Xizhi? Shouldn’t it be Qianya Peak?”
Steward Chen frowned slightly.
“Little Immortal Yi is also still listed under Taiqing Peak. What’s this about Qianya Peak?”
“But Second Senior Sister and I haven’t returned to Taiqing Peak in almost a year!” Yi Zui argued confidently.
“And it’s not Little Immortal Yi—it’s True Immortal Yi!”
Steward Chen was momentarily stunned, and the surrounding disciples who had come to watch the match also paused, belatedly realizing—
So the commotion at Qianya Peak the previous day was truly the thunder of a Core Formation tribulation!
And that tribulation was brought on by Yi Zui!
Yi Zui was no longer just a “little immortal”; he was now True Immortal Yi, one who was overseeing the world!
Steward Chen snapped back to his senses.
With Kunwu producing two Core Formation cultivators in succession, it was indeed a blessing for the sect.
He gave a genuine smile and cupped his hands in congratulations. “Congratulations to True Immortal Yi on your Core Formation.”
He then straightened up with a wry smile.
“We’re all aware that True Immortal Yi and Little Immortal Yu have been staying at Qianya Peak recently, receiving extensive guidance from the Junior Master Uncle. However, I’m but a lowly steward. This roster of matchups was handed down from my superiors. Where the match results should be recorded is not something within my authority. Since there’s room for discussion, perhaps we can sort it out later. The records won’t be falsified, and the details can be adjusted as needed.”
Steward Chen’s tactful attitude left Yi Zui with little room to argue further.
However, Yi Zui’s primary goal wasn’t to resolve the matter but to buy time.
Just as he was about to say more, Steward Chen scanned the area and asked, “But why does it seem that Junior Master Yu hasn’t arrived?”
Yi Zui: …
Any further delay might make his true intent obvious.
Cheng Luocen decisively bowed and admitted, “Steward Chen, we, her fellow disciples, were negligent. We forgot to inform our Second Senior Sister about today’s match. We only just sent a communication talisman to her. However, the distance between Qianya Peak and Ziyuan Peak is significant. Even with sword flight, it would take at least the time it takes to burn one stick of incense. I wonder if—”
“Rules are rules. Leniency is out of the question,” a cold snort interrupted from an elder with a white beard, sipping tea from a purple clay cup and leisurely crossing his legs.
As Yi Zui shot him an indignant glare, the elder barked back irritably, “Why are you looking at me like that? I’m just here to watch the show. Over decades of observing matches, I’ve never seen a case where delays were permitted. The match has already begun, and if the contestant doesn’t arrive, it counts as a forfeit!”
On the stage, Wang Gu of Ziyuan Peak had been eagerly anticipating this match.
That day when Yu Xizhi battled Ziyuan’s Four Sacred Sword, he wasn’t present.
Later, he heard the awestruck and fearful descriptions from others in the same peak.
Ever since then, Wang Gu had been holding onto a strange sense of frustration.
Perhaps because of that, his progress over the past six months had been remarkably rapid, to the point where he had already established his foundation.
When he heard that his opponent in the arena match would be Yu Xizhi, others looked at him with a hint of sympathy.
Yet, he was secretly delighted.
He wanted to see for himself whether this Second Senior Sister, who had been spoken of so highly, was truly as formidable as they said—or if it was all just an exaggeration.
With no opponent present, the arena’s boundary suppression defaulted to his cultivation level of Foundation Establishment.
Yi Zui glared at the elder while the audience erupted into a mix of opinions, with some suggesting waiting longer and others insisting on counting it as a loss.
Steward Chen, trying to strike a balance, smiled and announced, “According to standard rules, we must count down from ten before determining the winner. Ziyuan Peak’s Wang Gu, please draw your sword—”
Since there was no opponent, the countdown began upon drawing his sword.
“Ten… nine… eight…”
Steward Chen’s voice was calm and measured.
The Qianya Peak disciples wore resigned expressions, their hope slipping away.
They were already preparing to face the wrath of their Second Senior Sister upon returning to the peak.
Yi Zui, inwardly lamenting, thought, Second Senior Sister, I really did my best. You can beat me up or yell at me later. I promise not to retaliate..Wuu..wuuu!
The Ziyuan Peak spectators, however, began to cheer.
Wang Gu’s easy win would be a great boost for their peak.
Just as the count reached “four… three… two…” a flash of sword light tore through the boundary, interrupting the count before the final “one” could be uttered.
Wang Gu’s heart tightened as he instinctively raised his sword.
The strike he unleashed was his strongest move!
The clash of the two swords caused Steward Chen’s final words to circle on the tip of his tongue before being swallowed back down.
He discreetly wiped the sweat off his palm by his side.
Wang Gu’s expression faltered as the sword light forced him to retreat three steps, nearly stumbling off the edge of the arena in a single step!
After the dazzling sword light faded, everyone finally snapped out of their daze.
Yi Zui clenched his fists excitedly, wondering if Second Senior Sister had slapped seventeen or eighteen speed talismans onto her sword—how else could she have arrived so quickly?
Yet, as the sword light slightly subsided and everyone could finally see what was happening on the stage, they were stunned all over again.
Only a sword.
A lone sword—Yanxiao Sword.
Yu Xizhi herself hadn’t arrived; her sword had come in her stead.
A hush fell over the audience.
Moments later, whispers erupted.
“Wait, can this even be allowed?”
“Well, swords are indeed faster than people… but does this really count?”
“Probably not, right? Don’t you need someone to wield the sword for it to be considered valid?”
“Not necessarily. A sword always belongs to its master. If it’s confirmed to be Yu Xizhi’s sword, I don’t see why not.”
Even the ever-resourceful Steward Chen appeared unsure how to handle the situation.
Yi Zui first thought, “Second Senior Sister’s move is brilliant and cool,” and before Steward Chen could come to his senses, he said, “My Second Senior Sister is here! The competition can continue normally!”
“Where? I only see a sword!” a Ziyuan Peak disciple protested.
“What are you going to do? Shout at the sword and call it ‘Second Senior Sister’?”
Yi Zui, shameless and quick-witted, retorted, “And why not? Second Senior Sister! It’s me, your dear Third Junior Brother, Yi Zui!”
To everyone’s astonishment, the Yanxiao Sword gave a small nod in his direction, as if acknowledging him.
Yi Zui smirked triumphantly, placing his hands on his hips.
“See? What did I tell you? This is my Second Senior Sister!”
“…You!”
The Ziyuan Peak disciple was utterly stunned.
He had never expected someone to be this shameless, claiming to be a “dear junior” and even addressing a sword so intimately.
Frustrated, they turned to the elder who had spoken earlier during the match.
“Elder, surely this can’t be counted as valid?”
The white-bearded elder, sipping his tea with legs crossed, blew his whiskers in mock irritation.
“Why wouldn’t it count? Sword cultivators are defined by their swords; seeing the sword is as good as seeing the person. Back in Kunwu’s heyday, the five peak masters didn’t even need to gather in person for meetings—they simply sent their swords to attend and communicated via voice transmission. If that was acceptable for meetings, why wouldn’t it be acceptable for a duel?”
Yi Zui didn’t expect that this old man would agree with him. He couldn’t help but look at him twice more.
The elder, noticing this, narrowed his eyes. “What are you looking at, boy? It’s rude for a junior to stare at his seniors like that!”
Yi Zui, ever adaptive, immediately switched to flattery.
Since this elder was speaking on Second Senior Sister’s behalf, that meant he was on their side.
Quickly, he fished out a beautifully wrapped box of two taels of rare Yuqian Panhua tea from his storage pouch and presented it respectfully.
“Forgive my rudeness, Elder. Please accept this tea as my apology.”
The finest teas in the world come from Panhua.
The tea Xie Junzhi used that day to pour onto Orange Mimi’s tail was also Panhua tea,but Yuqian Panhua was another rare and precious variety.
Yi Zui had wrapped this elegant box tightly, ensuring no tea fragrance escaped, but the box bore the distinctive mark of Rain-Preceding Panhua. The elder, being a tea connoisseur, naturally recognized it at a glance.
While the box was sealed tight and didn’t give off any aroma, it bore the distinct markings of this premium tea.
The elder, an aficionado, recognized it instantly.
The elder gave a cold snort. “Flattery won’t get you far, boy. Who needs your tea as an apology?”
Despite his words, he swiftly accepted the gift without hesitation.
Seeing this, Yi Zui promptly sat down beside the elder and called out cheerfully, “Since this esteemed elder, a seasoned spectator of these sword-selection conferences for decades, has spoken, we should abide by his judgment. The match continues as planned. Seeing the sword is as good as seeing the person—enjoy the show, everyone!”
There were still murmurs of dissatisfaction from the crowd, but on the stage, Wang Gu’s expression turned grim.
A proper duel between sword cultivators was, of course, face-to-face and with full strength.
However, fighting a sword remotely controlled by its owner was also a legitimate style of combat.
That said, the further a sword was from its master, the weaker the cultivator’s control over it became.
In other words, no matter what realm Yu Xizhi had reached, by engaging in this form of combat, she had deliberately limited her own combat effectiveness by at least half.
Yet despite this handicap, Wang Gu had nearly been forced off the stage by just one strike from that sword.
Taking a deep breath, Wang Gu steadied himself and raised his sword.
His demeanor shifted to one of intense focus.
He drew his sword.
A gentle breeze rose, followed by a sudden surge of oppressive sword energy that blanketed the field, encircling the Yanxiao Sword in an instant.
Wang Gu acknowledged this sword as a worthy opponent.
His own sword, slender and sharp, radiated the profound intent of the Four Sacred Sword style.
Though he had only scratched the surface of this technique, it was more than sufficient to trap the Yanxiao Sword within his vast and overwhelming sword intent.
“It’s the Four Sacred Sword! Senior Brother Wang Gu has also learned this technique!” someone in the audience exclaimed.
“Indeed, the path of sword cultivation is fair. Senior Brother Wang Gu may not be a direct disciple, but his rapid progress and his recent breakthrough to Foundation Establishment speak volumes about his talent. With such pure sword intent, it’s no wonder Master Han is willing to cultivate him as a rising star!”
Disciples from Ziyuan Peak clenched their swords tightly, admiration shining in their eyes.
They thought to themselves that if they worked hard enough, they too might one day achieve what Senior Brother Wang Gu had.
The elder with the purple clay teacup nodded approvingly.
“Not bad, not bad. Old Han has finally come around and stopped hoarding the Four Sacred Sword like a treasure egg. Kunwu’s future lies with its disciples, not with that old relic of a sword in his hand.”
Easily Zui was secretly alarmed, thinking to himself, This elder really speaks without restraint.
Master Han, as the peak master of Ziyuan Peak, could hardly possess a “relic of a sword.”
Ziyuan Peak is in charge of the outer sect affairs, and also the disciples task hall.
Master Han Fengzhu wielded the legendary Qianren Sword (Thousand Ren), named after the idiom: “A thousand ren tall, insurmountable; a thousand jin heavy, immovable.”
The Qianren Sword was the sword of successive peak masters of Ziyuan Peak and ranked among the top swords of the current era.
Curious, Yi Zui tentatively asked, “Elder, might I inquire which peak you hail from?”
The white-bearded elder instantly grew wary.
“Why do you ask? Planning to track down where I live and take back my tea? Let me tell you, once a gift is given, there’s no taking it back!”
Yi Zui: …?
No, Elder, let me explain!
On the stage, the Yanxiao Sword trembled slightly within the encircling Four Sacred Sword intent.
It seemed to attempt a breakthrough in every direction but found itself unable to escape.
For the moment, it truly appeared to be trapped.
Wang Gu allowed himself a small smile.
Though his use of this sword technique was still immature, it had clearly paid off.
So how could Yu Xizhi have possibly defeated Master Han’s…?
His thoughts were still swirling when, in the next moment, the Yanxiao Sword came to a brief halt.
The blade of the Yanxiao Sword was slender, and in that instant of stillness, an ethereal sword intent began to emanate from it.
It was the same technique Yu Xizhi had used to block Master Han’s Four Sacred Sword on that day.
The audience widened their eyes, expecting the Yanxiao Sword to counterattack in the same way.
Instead, the blade subtly rotated, and its sword intent suddenly grew sharp—so sharp it seemed capable of piercing one’s eyes!
“The third form of Taiqing Gazing Moon!” exclaimed Yu Si, his eyes lighting up as he instinctively stepped forward half a pace.
“So this sword can be used like that?”
Before his words had fully fallen, the sword intent from the Yanxiao Sword had already carved out a narrow space for itself to maneuver.
The blade quivered slightly, then slashed downward at the Four Sacred Sword intent!
Wang Gu, after all, had only just reached the Foundation Establishment stage.
His mastery of the Four Sacred Sword was rudimentary at best and far from touching upon the concept of a sword domain.
He didn’t yet realize that maintaining his sword intent to trap the Yanxiao Sword was essentially an attempt to uphold a nascent sword domain.
Though he had used this technique before, he had never maintained it for such a prolonged period.
Now, beads of cold sweat trickled down his forehead.
When struck by the Yanxiao Sword’s powerful intent, his control wavered.
“Senior Brother Wang Gu! Hang in there!” A voice rang out from the crowd. Disciples from Ziyuan Peak stood up, cheering to encourage him.
This encouragement did allow Wang Gu to hold on for a moment longer.
But only for a moment.
The third form of Taiqing Gazing Moon struck with force, tracing a sharp crescent arc through the air.
Like a barbed hook, it tore through the Four Sacred Sword intent from within, utterly shattering it!
The Four Sacred Sword intent broke apart like fragments, scattering into the air.
However, the Taiqing Gazing Moon sword intent continued forward, unstoppable, and slashed directly toward Wang Gu!
Wang Gu raised his sword to block, retreating step by step, but managed to stop the attack in its tracks.
His face was as pale as paper, and he had no time to plan his next move before the Yanxiao Sword was already hovering right in front of his face.
He had only managed to block a single wave of sword intent, but not the sword itself.
The young man stood frozen, speechless.
He stared at the Yanxiao Sword for a long while.
Its slender blade was the kind of lightweight sword a girl might favor, but its sword intent was anything but delicate.
Though no one wielded the sword, he felt as though he could see the person who should be holding it.
If he couldn’t even defeat her sword, how could he possibly stand against her?
Wang Gu slowly lowered his sword, took a deep breath, and bowed solemnly to the Yanxiao Sword.
In a steady voice, he declared, “I admit defeat.”
It was only at this moment that a figure finally appeared on the horizon.
Yu Xizhi, with her robes billowing, lightly stepped on a freshly snapped tree branch and descended like a meteor from the heavens.
She landed in a rush, exclaiming breathlessly, “Did I make it? Did I make it in time?”
