Chapter 57: The Heaven's Pride Level

Mu Yue tightened the veil on her face and spoke softly, “Senior Sister, there’s no need to worry. I have great confidence in my own strength. I will win this battle.”

As her melodious voice faded, Mu Yue, like a celestial maiden banished from the heavens, floated lightly through the air. Her robes clung to her form in the wind, outlining a graceful and captivating silhouette.

She landed on the arena with barely a sound.

The crowd rose to their feet, applauding Mu Yue’s exquisite movement technique. Although many of them didn’t understand the meaning of applause, Qingxi had started the trend earlier. Now, quite a few people found this method quite useful to express astonishment.

Qingxi gazed at Mu Yue on the stage, took a deep breath, and leapt up.

The two stood thirty meters apart, quietly sizing each other up.

An invisible pressure quickly enveloped the arena, spreading outward.

“Why does it feel like the atmosphere is so oppressive?” a young man whispered, his throat dry.

Someone nearby glared at him and said, “Don’t speak. Just watch.”

Mu Yue calmly observed Qingxi, taking in his aura, appearance, movements, and even his expression, missing nothing.

Finally, she parted her delicate lips and said, “Your aura is powerful, no weaker than a spirit-grade spiritual root, but you seem shrouded in a layer of mist, making it hard to see clearly. Even so, you won’t defeat me.”

“Winning or not doesn’t matter. I just want to fight you,” Qingxi lied through his teeth, while in his heart, he cursed Old Man Hong Jiu a thousand times over.

On the rooftop, Hong Jiu heard Qingxi’s words and laughed heartily. “That boy has made an unexpected breakthrough to the peak of Qi Refining and possesses impressive combat power, but he’s still no match for my beloved disciple. This battle is as good as won for us!”

Suddenly, Hong Jiu sensed something and sharply turned his head to the rooftop ten meters away.

There, without his notice, stood a figure shrouded entirely in a black robe. The strong wind pressed the robe tightly against her body, tracing out an alluring and commanding silhouette.

A sharp, overwhelming aura slowly seeped out, forming a miniature domain that made Hong Jiu’s pupils contract.

“Qiu Yingying, what brings you here?” Hong Jiu instinctively peered through a gap in the tiles below, his gaze settling on Wang Shuiling. “Are you here to challenge Wang Shuiling?”

Qiu Yingying smiled, her voice clear and cold. “Is Wang Shuiling really worth my coming all this way to challenge?”

Her words brimmed with arrogance and pride, yet Hong Jiu could find no grounds to refute her.

Although both women were the chief true disciples of their respective sects, both possessed profound-grade spiritual roots, and both had been selected for the Seventy-Two New Stars of Yunchuan Prefecture this year, there was a considerable gap in their rankings.

Qiu Yingying held an advantage of ten places, standing above Wang Shuiling.

Therefore, Wang Shuiling was naturally not worthy of Qiu Yingying’s journey here.

But if it wasn’t for Wang Shuiling, what was Qiu Yingying doing here?

Hong Jiu’s brows furrowed deeply as he pondered, but dared not ask.

As a senior, Hong Jiu’s strength was formidable, comparable to the late Innate stage, but he knew even if he fought with all his might, he might not be a match for Qiu Yingying.

While Hong Jiu was puzzling over Qiu Yingying’s intentions, she took a step back, propping herself on the difference in height between the sloping roof and the ridge, her cheek nearly pressed to the tiles as she peered through a crack at the arena below.

There, Mu Yue unfastened her cloak, letting it fall freely to be caught by a Water Immortal Gate maidservant below the stage.

She spoke, “I am Mu Yue, disciple of one of Water Immortal Gate’s ten inner elders, currently serving as master of Volcano Island, under the guidance of Hong Jiu.”

With each sentence, she stepped forward, her voice growing more resonant: “I accept your challenge!”

As her words fell, the sound of a sword being drawn echoed through the hall.

A slender sword, brilliant as snow and engraved with snowflakes, appeared in Mu Yue’s hand, radiating a chilling, razor-sharp aura.

The swordsmen present suddenly noticed their own swords trembling violently, as if ministers before a king, betrayed by a very human fear.

“It’s sword intent!”

“Mu Yue of Water Immortal Gate has actually comprehended sword intent!”

Amazed, the crowd was too stunned to continue eating the delicacies before them.

Compared to Mu Yue’s dazzling display and the imminent duel, none could summon any appetite.

Qingxi felt the fierce aura and thought to himself that sword intent was indeed formidable. Even his high-grade spirit sword trembled, as if cowed.

He furrowed his brows and gripped the hilt tightly. The sword stopped shaking. He pointed his blade at Mu Yue and said, “Then, please enlighten me!”

“I possess sword intent. My sword energy is exceptionally sharp. If you cannot withstand it, you had best concede,” Mu Yue raised her icy sword, her gaze turning as keen as a blade.

“Thank you for the warning. I understand.” Qingxi nodded, no longer daring to joke. Countless scenarios flashed through his mind as he considered the best way to respond.

Comprehending sword intent meant that Mu Yue had an unshakable will and even greater sword energy. In terms of sheer combat power, Qingxi knew he could not surpass her.

Yet, he was not without hope of victory.

“Look sharp!”

Mu Yue lifted her sword and brought it down in a straight arc. Spiritual energy burst forth instantly, forming a crescent-shaped sword energy as thin as a cicada’s wing. It swept through the air with a chilling coldness, reaching Qingxi in a blink.

“So fast!”

Qingxi’s face grew solemn. He used the Wave-Stepping technique to dodge to the side. A lock of hair, too slow to escape the cutting force, was severed and fell silently to the ground.

At the same time, a section of his sleeve drifted down to the arena.

Qingxi looked at his hand and found a faint line of blood. Though he had avoided the sword energy’s direct strike, its sharpness still cut through the air above, slicing hair and cloth from half a meter’s distance.

If not for his increasingly resilient physique, skin nearly as tough as iron, the wound would have been far worse.

Mu Yue did not follow up after unleashing the first sword energy.

This was a contest, not a life-and-death struggle.

If it had been to the death, she needed only to release multiple sword energies at once, weaving them into a net that would instantly slay a peak Qi Refining cultivator.

Qingxi realized this as well and cupped his hands, saying, “Thank you for your restraint. Your strength is truly formidable.”

“You should concede. There’s no shame in it.” Mu Yue’s sword arm dipped slightly, a clear sign she had no intention of continuing the fight.

The onlookers all agreed with Mu Yue’s words.

The dangerous aura of that sword energy had been clear to everyone. Its sharpness and irresistibility were undeniable.

Even geniuses like Wan Hu, Hua Rui, Ru Hong, and Li Xingyao, all peak Qi Refining cultivators with spirit-grade spiritual roots, believed they could not withstand that attack head on.

Because it contained sword intent, it was simply too sharp.

Even with a spirit weapon, trying to block it might result in the weapon being cleaved in two.

“She’s a true prodigy, destined to become one of the Seventy-Two New Stars of Yunchuan Prefecture!” Wan Hu exhaled a heavy breath, feeling a sense of insurmountable defeat.

The crowd, hearing this, stared in awe at Mu Yue, silently acknowledging her overwhelming strength.