Chapter 101

Chapter 101: The Key

In the earlier rounds, when this lotus appeared, it meant Li Shuang was about to win. Under her strongest move, those Demonic Beasts had not been able to hold on.

This time, as the Ice Lotus bloomed, the Frost Dragon did freeze for a moment, but in the next heartbeat she broke free.

Li Shuang had not counted on a single move to win.

The instant the Frost Dragon burst out, Black Abyss Sword was already at her. The Frost Dragon flicked it aside with a claw and said in a chill voice: “Is that all? Now it is my turn.”

She rose into the air and breathed out Dragon Breath that froze all things.

A raging blizzard fell over the world.

The storm deepened the cold biting Li Shuang, yet within it the Frost Dragon moved like a fish in water and her power soared.

Even with a Peerless-grade Ice Spiritual Root, this was the first time Li Shuang had been pressed down by ice power. Under the blizzard, her Sword Domain shrank, and many of its subtle uses were hard to bring out.

As Li Shuang faltered, the Frost Dragon’s tail lashed out without mercy.

Li Shuang shifted with effort. She avoided a vital spot, but she was still a moment too slow.

One strike left a fresh wound on her.

The Frost Dragon held nothing back. Seeing blood, she pressed the attack in wave after wave.

For a moment, all Li Shuang could do was dodge.

The Frost Dragon’s eyes stayed calm. She had waited for so many years. Of course she wished to leave. But picking a weak successor meant nothing. That kind of person would never reach her in the first place.

She had thought that this human, after taking the Ninth-Grade Lotus Seed, might be worthy. Now she seemed short.

A hint of disappointment flashed in the Frost Dragon’s eyes. It looked like she would have to keep waiting.

Even though the fight had turned against her, Li Shuang’s gaze did not waver. [Dragon or not, I will win. I only need to find the right moment.]

She dodged with difficulty and stared into the blowing snow.

The blizzard.

A Frost Dragon at the Foundation Establishment Stage did not have many strong attack skills. Her absolute edge came from this terrible storm.

A thought rose in Li Shuang’s heart. This blizzard felt like a kind of domain too.

Sword Cultivators have a Sword Domain. Other Cultivators have their own fields.

After taking the Ninth-Grade Lotus Seed, Li Shuang’s Sword Domain gained a slowing effect, but that came from the lotus seed, not from her own insight.

The blizzard was different.

It seemed to hold a deep and subtle intent inside.

Li Shuang slowly closed her eyes. [An intent?] A faint light flickered in her mind. [If I can catch it, I can beat the Frost Dragon.]

In the Jade Slip Space, Su Mu watched with an expectant look.

At her age, Li Shuang could already control a Sword Domain. That was a gift from the heavens.

But her foe was a Frost Dragon, a powerful Demonic Beast that had already grasped an intent.

At the same level, only intent can fight intent. In the eyes of true experts, a field without intent is like a person without a soul, easy to break. Only when she realizes her own Sword Intent can Li Shuang’s Sword Domain have a true soul.

This was the lesson he had planned to guide her into next. Under the Frost Dragon’s pressure, Li Shuang might grasp Sword Intent early.

From the sky came the Frost Dragon’s soft sigh as she said: “That is enough. It ends here.”

Right after, the falling snow thickened.

Li Shuang’s figure was buried under the storm, and the Frost Dragon’s claws came down.

In that same instant, Li Shuang suddenly opened her eyes.

For a heartbeat, the blizzard seemed to freeze in place.

The Frost Dragon let out a soft sound of surprise.

The next moment, Li Shuang’s Sword Domain, once squeezed small, stretched out freely.

Lotus petals turned into countless ice blades, slicing a clear pocket of space within the storm.

Su Mu smiled and drew back his gaze, going back to his fishing. [This time, I really should thank the Frost Dragon.] The insight Li Shuang would have needed one or two more years to learn had been forced out early.

From now on, her Sword Domain could have its own name.

Ice Lotus Sword Domain. [How about that?]

Su Mu watched the fish in the lake with easy calm. The result of this battle no longer had any suspense. He could keep fishing in peace.

The prettiest lotus petals unleashed the sharpest strikes.

At the moment the blizzard stalled, Li Shuang used Lotus in Ice one last time.

All her power drained away at once. The storm and the layers of ice blades froze in midair.

The Frost Dragon, shocked, was frozen on the spot.

The last thing she saw was a brilliant arc of sword light.

The mechanical voice rang out: “Congratulations, Challenger. Challenge complete. You have obtained one Langya Palace key.”

As the Frost Dragon fully vanished from the stage, a key appeared before Li Shuang.

When she grasped it, the key turned into a mark and stamped into her palm.

Then the mark faded from her skin.

If not for the faint thread linking her to the key, Li Shuang would have thought it was a trick of the eyes.

With the trial complete, the tight string in her heart could finally relax.

She tried to take a step, but her legs went weak. She could not stand and fell onto the ice.

Liu Jun Cheng reacted at once and rushed over, shouting: “Little Shuang!”

In a strange palace, a water mirror showed the image of Li Shuang falling.

A man with two horns on his head looked toward a cold-faced woman and snickered as he said: “Boss, your Foundation Establishment Stage beast body just got beaten.”

The woman shot him a cold glance.

His heart jumped, and he shut his mouth at once.

The woman said coolly: “This is only the beginning. Among those Challengers, her current strength is probably the weakest.”

Another man with a few sharp fangs laughed as he said: “What is there to fear? Thirteen whole years remain before the Langya Palace opens. Maybe she will come from behind.”

The woman’s voice was like frost as she said: “Thirteen years from now, I look forward to it.”

Silence fell over the world again.

Ten days later, inside a cave, Li Shuang slowly opened her eyes.

The ice lake trial had used up all her strength, and she had fallen straight into sleep.

With the Supreme Emotionless Art running, if any danger had appeared, she would have been woken up at once.

But this time, she slept a solid ten days, only waking after she had fully recovered.

She looked around and thought: [Since when is the Langya Secret Realm this safe?]