Second Senior Sister Has A Highly Dangerous Profession - Chapter 63

Cheng Luocen’s sword was fast and sharp.

When sword cultivators learn the sword, they must first learn sword techniques and forms before practicing. Over time, they achieve beauty and fluidity, but speed is rarely a descriptor used, especially for female cultivators. Female sword users often emphasize the elegance of their techniques, such as Ji Xiangtao’s earlier footwork, which was as light and graceful as a butterfly fluttering. But in a real battle, no enemy would allow a butterfly to dance freely.

A cold glint flashed, and the galaxy remained calm.

The fluttering butterflies were swiftly struck down. By the time Ji Xiangtao regained her senses, Cheng Luocen’s sword was already pointed at her neck.

The young man stood extremely close to her, so close that she could see the coldness in his eyes and the tight line of his lips.

He harbored killing intent, but it was restrained. He simply looked into her eyes and said, “You lost.”

Ji Xiangtao felt a shiver run through her.

As the eldest daughter of the Ji family, she had always been pampered since childhood. No one had ever dared to get this close to her, point a sword at her, exude such killing intent, and speak to her in such a manner.

Yet before she could respond, Cheng Luocen had already sheathed his sword and stepped back, turning to the referee: “Next.”

“You stubborn stone, just you wait!” Ji Xiangtao, still unsure why she was trembling slightly, was already filled with anger.

The old man’s remnant soul gloated, “See, you’ve angered the girl. She’s telling you to wait, tsk tsk!”

Cheng Luocen ignored her and simply repeated, “You lost.”

His implication was clear: she should step aside and not interfere with his next match.

Ji Xiangtao took a deep breath, both furious and embarrassed. She had never expected to be eliminated so early. Now, she felt as though all her fellow disciples watching were laughing at her. Her eyes grew slightly moist, and with a stomp of her foot, she ran off.

“Aren’t you going after her?” the old man’s remnant soul chuckled.

“Why should I?” Cheng Luocen asked, puzzled.

“Who is she, and what does she have to do with me?”

The old man’s remnant soul was left speechless, but many in the audience were indignant at Cheng Luocen’s sword.

Xia Yiyao’s heart stirred slightly. She had come to see Cheng Luocen’s humiliating defeat, but instead, he stood there, his clothes torn by Ji Xiangtao’s strikes, yet completely unmoved by her antics.

Although Xia Yiyao appeared to be close friends with Ji Xiangtao, and their relationship was indeed good, deep down, she couldn’t help but feel a twinge of envy—or perhaps jealousy—toward Ji Xiangtao.

Ji Xiangtao came from a prestigious background, being the eldest daughter of the Ji family, a prominent cultivation clan. In terms of appearance, she was also exceptional.

Among girls, there was always an unspoken competition over looks and family status.

Now, seeing Cheng Luocen remain indifferent, Xia Yiyao’s opinion of him rose slightly, and she felt a hint of goodwill toward him.

But she only glanced at Cheng Luocen a couple more times before quickly running off to catch up with Ji Xiangtao.

Cheng Luocen paid no attention to the commotion at the edge of the arena. His next opponent happened to be one of Ji Xiangtao’s admirers. Having angered her earlier, it was natural that someone would seek revenge on her behalf.

Thus, sword lights clashed, and sword intents intertwined. Cheng Luocen raised his sword and fought. Though he grew increasingly disheveled, he never lost.

Everyone watched as he, despite appearing to be at a disadvantage from the start, remained calm. Whenever he spotted an opening, he would strike, and every strike was decisive.

“You lost.”

“Next.”

After these words were repeated three times, the crowd realized that he had already won three consecutive matches and advanced to the group stage. But from his demeanor, it seemed as though he intended to fight all ten matches in one go!

Did the people of Qianya Peak have no sense of martial etiquette?!

…

While Cheng Luocen’s battles were intense, Huang Li on the other side was in an awkward situation.

Huang Li nervously carried a hoe onto the stage. His opponent was Feng Su, an inner disciple of Liuguang Peak, who had already won two matches. The young man was staring wide-eyed at Huang Li’s hoe.

Feng Su meant no harm; he was genuinely curious.

He stared at the hoe, as did the audience below, and even the referee couldn’t help but ask, “Young Master Huang, are you sure… you’re going to use that hoe?”

Huang Li scratched his head, “I’m used to it. It feels right in my hand.”

The referee thought to himself that the question wasn’t about comfort. There were countless artifact tools in the world, and he was no stranger to them, but a hoe was a first. He couldn’t help but doubt its effectiveness as a weapon.

The audience below also looked on with a mix of embarrassment and disdain. Having cultivated for so long, they naturally viewed the hoe as a mundane object, unfit for the elegance of the Dao.

Suddenly, a clear voice rang out. A young girl shouted, “Junior Brother Huang, use that hoe to strike him!”

Feng Su found the voice familiar. He turned to look and couldn’t help but feel annoyed.

“Sun Tian’er, you’re not even on my side? You’re actually cheering for this guy from Qianya Peak?”

Sun Tian’er snorted, “Who told you to stare at his hoe? Junior Brother Huang’s hoe once slew nearly a hundred snake demons in the Kongti Desert. How much blood has your sword seen?”

The crowd suddenly realized their shortsightedness. A hoe was indeed a tool for farming, but it could also be a weapon for slaying demons.

Huang Li, though not overly bothered by the stares, still felt somewhat uncomfortable. He was grateful to Sun Tian’er for standing up for him and decided that since Feng Su was her senior brother, he would try not to make his defeat too humiliating.

After exchanging formalities, Feng Su had already put away his curious gaze.

“Please.”

Though he said “please,” Feng Su was the first to move.

He was a talisman cultivator, and his sword intent was also his talisman intent. With each stroke of his sword, he drew a line, and with three strokes, he completed a talisman. The talisman intent and sword intent combined, creating an overwhelming force that was hard to defend against.

The previous two opponents had lost because they were unfamiliar with this talisman technique, or perhaps even if they were familiar, they still couldn’t withstand it.

But Huang Li had spent countless days on Qianya Peak watching Yi Zui practice his sword techniques. Yi Zui was naturally outgoing, and since there were few people on Qianya Peak, with Cheng Luocen being a silent and uncommunicative companion, Yi Zui often proudly showed Huang Li any new talismans he had created.

Over time, though Huang Li couldn’t draw talismans himself, he had become extremely familiar with talisman intent.

Feng Su was confident. With three strokes, he completed a talisman, but just as he was about to finish the last stroke, a hoe silently appeared at the exact spot, severing his talisman intent.

Feng Su: ?

The young man, unwilling to accept this as a coincidence, spun around and drew another talisman, only to have the crucial stroke interrupted once again by the hoe.

Feng Su: ?

Both sword intent and talisman intent required the flow of spiritual energy. After failing to complete the talisman twice, Feng Su was already feeling internal injuries. By the third time, he could no longer withstand the backflow of spiritual energy. He took half a step back and suddenly vomited a mouthful of blood!

The knowledgeable spectators were shocked by the precision of Huang Li’s three hoe strikes, while the less informed were baffled. The two hadn’t even exchanged many moves, so how had Feng Su, who had just won two matches, suddenly vomited blood?!

Was the hoe… really that powerful?!

“You… you know talismans?” Feng Su looked up at Huang Li in disbelief.

Huang Li scratched his head, “No, I don’t.”

Feng Su didn’t believe a word of it.

“Then how did you see through my sword techniques?”

Huang Li looked confused, “Aren’t you trying to hit me with your talismans and sword? If you hit me, I lose, right? Although your last stroke is always a bit off, my hoe is a bit crooked too, so…”

Feng Su almost vomited another mouthful of blood.

This guy claimed not to understand talismans, yet he was criticizing his talisman strokes for being crooked?!

What kind of person was this?!

Did the people of Qianya Peak have no sense of martial etiquette?!

…

Yu Xizhi had won two matches in a row, or rather, the Yanxiao Sword had won two matches. The audience was stunned by her ability to seemingly learn sword techniques on the spot and execute them with such ease, as if it were nothing remarkable.

Steward Chen was deeply shaken, but as the one overseeing the competition, he had to continue the matches.

Almost mechanically, he called out the next name.

Yu Xizhi smiled and asked, “Are you going to fight Yanxiao, or me?”

The third opponent was a junior brother from Taiqing Peak.

This junior brother, surnamed Liu, smiled wryly, “To be honest, Second Senior Sister, I once mocked you for not striving to improve, for occupying the resources of a direct disciple while spending your days cooking chicken soup and dumplings, and having braised pork rice with a fried egg for dinner. Now that I’ve seen your sword skills, it seems I was the one with limited vision. Of course, I can’t defeat you, and I originally intended to concede, but as a sword cultivator, I will never admit defeat.”

Yu Xizhi looked at him for a moment, then suddenly asked, “How did you know I have fried eggs with my braised pork rice?”

Junior Brother Liu: …

The young man’s face turned red, then pale, then red again. Finally, he blurted out, “It smelled so good that I couldn’t resist. Once, when you were feeding the cat, I stole a piece of fried egg.”

Yu Xizhi was shocked, “So it was you who stole my fried egg? I thought it was the orange cat, and I even smacked its head, only to get scratched in return!”

Junior Brother Liu, hearing the muffled laughter around him, turned red from the tips of his ears to his neck. He whispered, “I apologize, Second Senior Sister. I really… couldn’t resist.”

“Enough talk. Draw your sword,” Yu Xizhi said, seemingly unmoved by his apology.

Junior Brother Liu bowed deeply again, suppressing his embarrassment. Taking a deep breath, he placed his hand on his sword and became serious.

As a junior brother from Taiqing Peak, Liu naturally started with the Taiqing Moon Gaze technique.

Starlight flashed, and the moon hung high. Though Junior Brother Liu had a penchant for sneaking food, he was still at the Foundation Establishment realm, and his sword intent was even stronger than Xia Yiyao’s when she had performed the sword dance in front of the Taiqing Peak main hall!

The young man let out a clear shout, his sword sweeping forward with an imposing aura, heading straight for Yu Xizhi!

Yu Xizhi raised her sword to block, but the young man suddenly changed his technique mid-swing.

The initial move had been a feint; the true sword intent was in the downward strike aimed at Yu Xizhi’s side!

The two swords clashed in mid-air. Yanxiao descended from above, using the exact same technique as Junior Brother Liu. Two crescent-shaped sword energies collided, and at first glance, it seemed like a single clash, but the ringing sound was continuous.

Upon closer listening, the continuous sound was actually the result of countless rapid clashes. In an instant, the two had exchanged numerous blows!

At the start, their sword intents were evenly matched. Yu Xizhi didn’t use her golden core level cultivation to suppress her opponent, instead lowering her own strength to the Foundation Establishment realm.

But while her cultivation was suppressed, her sword energy was not.

Thus, with each of her strikes, Junior Brother Liu was forced back, until he was at the edge of the arena with no room to retreat.

Yanxiao clashed with his sword one last time, and the young man could no longer hold onto his weapon.

The sword fell to the ground with a clear clang.

The girl stood before him, sheathed her sword, and bent down to pick up his weapon.

She handed it back to him, hilt first, and smiled, “Next time, don’t steal. Just knock on my door and ask. I’ll fry an extra egg for you.”