Chapter 269

Chapter 269: Second Form

Yan Lie’s face darkened at once. He roared: “Feng Yu, rank is not everything. If you have the guts, fight me one on one. Believe it or not, I will smash your brains out.”

Feng Yu glanced at him and said, faint and cool: “A body cultivator is a body cultivator, only good at brawling.”

Yan Lie flared and was about to snap back when a voice rang out.

“Fourth floor trial: Tribulation.”

Without warning, the fourth test descended. Its pattern looked exactly like the second floor’s.

Li Shuang’s eyes shone. The Heaven and Earth Furnace still gave her information. As she had guessed, this time the Five Elements Crystal would be Intermediate grade. The earlier Primary Five Elements Crystal had already given her huge gains. An Intermediate one would be even more amazing.

To claim the crystal, she had to do what she did on the second floor and cut five source threads. She quickly did the math. Cutting all five at once like before was now impossible. Last time, she used everything she had to sever them together. With the higher difficulty now, trying the same would likely knock her out on the spot.

This time, she had to cut them one by one. [Use strength to break all techniques.] As long as she secured the Intermediate Five Elements Crystal, that was a win.

Like before, the Golden Soul Altar gave everyone three days to prepare. All the Trialists seized the time to comprehend like mad.

Li Shuang took a deep breath, and the Black Abyss Sword appeared in her hand. She called softly in her heart: “Li Li.”

Li Li answered at once, clear and crisp. Her Spirit Body turned into a dragon and coiled around the Black Abyss.

Li Shuang triggered the power of the Hidden Dragon Stone. After her battle with Ren Gu that day, she had activated it once more in the Soul Prison. By now, the stone had fully recharged. With her higher cultivation, she could use its power perfectly. Its might was far beyond what it had been two years ago.

If she fought Ren Gu again now, she would not need to burn every trump card to win. Even at Early Divine Transformation Stage, one sword would be enough. [One sword is enough.]

She chose to trigger the Hidden Dragon Stone once at the start. With her strengthened soul backing her, her sword power peaked. Even so, it still took her a full day to cut the first source thread.

Then she raced to the second thread. This floor allowed only ten days in total. If she wanted the Five Elements Crystal, she could not relax for even a moment.

The other eight all chose the safer method: endure the Five Element Tribulation for ten days to pass. Even You Lan did the same. She saw Li Shuang’s choice and felt a small stab of unwillingness, but she quickly set her mind and focused on the five elements.

It was not that she did not want to cut the Five Elements Source Thread. She knew her own limits. Seven years ago, feeling she had improved a lot, she had tried the fourth floor and aimed to sever the threads. The result was that she spent three full days to cut just one. Realizing she had no hope, she switched methods, and because she had not prepped for the tribulation, she almost failed that year.

Another seven years had passed, but the farther one goes in cultivation, the slower progress becomes. Even with almost no rest, her gains were still limited. What she could not do seven years ago, she still had a low chance of doing now. Rather than bet on a tiny chance, it was better to go steady to the fifth floor. She did not know if Li would succeed, but she could not spare any attention. This round was too risky to get distracted.

Time passed. Starting from the fourth day, people began to fall. By the fifth day, only five were left, including Li Shuang. After that, almost every day someone dropped.

By the seventh day, only Li Shuang and You Lan stood on their daises.

By now, Li Shuang had forced her way through three source threads. It looked like good progress, but things only grew harder. She had to face the tribulation’s attacks and keep cutting at the same time. One slip meant elimination.

You Lan only had to withstand the Five Element Tribulation, but her state was not good either.

Two people, two paths. Li Shuang’s path promised greater gains but greater risk. If she failed to pass, all her effort would be reset to zero.

At the Water Screen, everyone watched with keen interest.

One person whispered: “Did you notice her sword style is not the same as before?”

Another nodded: “I saw it too. Before, her sword was only cold and sharp. Now it changes more and more.”

A third said: “She must have absorbed a Five Elements Crystal and gained insight.”

Someone hissed: “She absorbs first, then realizes right after. What kind of monster is that?”

Another voice sighed: “So this is the kind of peerless talent the City Lord raised.”

Time rolled to the tenth day. Li Shuang had fully absorbed the Primary Five Elements Crystal. Her spiritual root was set by fate. She had the Ice Spiritual Root. Ice is the extreme of water. Sometimes she could resonate with water, but she could not directly control the other elements. Yet not being able to control did not mean she could not draw their strengths.

Could ice not hold fire’s burst?

Could it not carry metal’s edge?

Could it not bind like wood, bear like earth, and shift like water?

The extreme of the five elements is not the end of the path but the start of it.

There were only the last ten hours left, but one whole source thread still remained uncut. Cutting the others had drained her. The constant Five Element Tribulation pressed harder and harder. She would not last much longer.

She could switch to You Lan’s method now and pass this floor safely. But was this where she stopped?

She dodged with difficulty, yet layers of sword rain fell. Fresh cuts opened on her face and body. She was about to give out. She stared at the final source thread with a trace of unwillingness. [Only one left. Will I be blocked right at the door of victory?]

Her mind blurred. She thought of the river Lin Qing Ling formed, the red sun Elder Ling thrust down, and the way all living beings on the Sixth Peak of the Grand Dao Mountain had cheered for her. She also felt the five element insights surging in her mind.

People cried out at the Water Screen: “Li is about to fail!”

“She still has one last source thread!”

“What a pity, she chose the wrong path.”

“Wait! Look!”

Inside the Water Screen, Li Shuang raised her sword. In that moment, her eyes shone like stars. A sword path appeared in her mind on its own.

Emotionless Sword Art: Second Form!