Chapter 49

Chapter 49: Ten Years Silent, Her Edge Shows!

Many people had heard of the Li Shuang from ten years ago. When she entered the sect, the Sect Master and the Peak Masters fought to recruit her. Normally Peak Masters choose disciples. With Li Shuang, she chose her master. Among all those who competed for her, she chose Immortal Ling Xu without hesitation.

She didn’t waste the title of genius either. Three years to reach Core Formation, ten years to reach Nascent Soul Formation; she broke sect records one after another. The Sword Sect was thrilled and thought they would finally see a peerless genius rise from their ranks.

Then Li Shuang… fell with no warning.

Ten years. That is a long time. For mortals who live less than a hundred years, remove the hazy first decade and the failing last decade, and only a few prime decades remain. Ten years is a large slice of life.

Right when everyone thought Li Shuang would keep soaring, she went quiet for ten full years. In that time, too much changed. For many, her shining entrance had become just a rare memory.

Now she made them remember.

Even after ten silent years, even after Abolish and Reforge Cultivation, a Qi Refining cultivator could defeat Foundation Establishment. She was still that Way of the Sword genius. She had changed swords, yet the blade in her hand was still razor sharp.

After a brief hush, the place exploded with cheers.

“Li Shuang! Li Shuang!” Luo Ming Yue waved a banner and shouted until her voice cracked. Her eyes were a little red.

When Li Shuang first went quiet, Luo Ming Yue only felt regret. But lately she had understood Li Shuang’s pain and seen her unfair treatment. Even if Li Shuang no longer cared, Luo Ming Yue wanted to care for her.

Today the Way of the Sword genius Li Shuang cleared her own name. Luo Ming Yue called out louder.

The next moment, “Li Shuang! Li Shuang!” the chant shook the clouds.

Not for anything else, but for this: after ten years of silence, her edge finally shone.

At a side arena, Ye Zhao Zhao held the Dragon Roar Sword. It looked like she controlled it, but the one truly guiding the moves was Long Yan inside the Sword Spirit Space. Without his master’s help, Long Yan found using sword arts hard, but he had once been Li Shuang’s Sword Spirit. Ye Zhao Zhao’s opponent was not strong, so Long Yan easily suppressed him.

A faint smile rose on Ye Zhao Zhao’s face. No wonder this was the peerless sword that had followed Li Shuang to Ascension. In the vision she saw of the future, when Li Shuang ascended, she split the tribulation clouds with one strike, and the sword she used was this Dragon Roar Sword. This peerless treasure now belonged to Ye Zhao Zhao.

Long Yan worked hard to show his value, throwing out one dazzling move after another. At the end, with a flashy finisher, the opponent fell from the platform.

Ye Zhao Zhao had won.

Right then, a wave like mountains and seas roared all around her. She blinked.

Was her match drawing that much attention? Were they cheering for her?

It made sense. With three spiritual roots, she had cultivated to this level and already become a legend in the Sword Sect. This was also her first time fighting sect disciples in the ring, so extra attention was normal.

Smiling, Ye Zhao Zhao turned to accept the cheers.

The next instant, “Li Shuang, Li Shuang!” the cheers found their true target.

Her smile froze.

Li Shuang? They were shouting for Li Shuang.

Some disciples had been watching Ye Zhao Zhao’s fight, but once the roar began, everyone was drawn away, flowing toward the Central Arena. Even the steward in charge of her match kept glancing over there, looking like he wanted to clock out early and run to the Central Arena.

Ye Zhao Zhao gripped the hilt hard. From within the Sword Spirit Space, Long Yan heard the chant too. He hesitated, then slipped out and looked toward the Central Arena.

“You want to see her too?” Ye Zhao Zhao’s voice held a chill.

Long Yan’s heart jumped. He hurried to say: “Zhao Zhao, you and I are one. I only thought that knowing the other side means we never lose. Li Shuang clearly stirred something up. She’ll be our enemy for sure, so we should understand what’s happening first.”

Ye Zhao Zhao’s face stayed dark. She said coldly: “Come, let’s see.”

Watching her anger, Long Yan felt a secret sweetness. Zhao Zhao was angry because she cared about him. She rarely hid her negative feelings in front of him, and because of that, he believed he mattered to her and she mattered to him.

They were born for each other.

Following the crowd, Ye Zhao Zhao reached the Central Arena. She heard the referee announce: “Winner: Li Shuang.”

On stage, Li Shuang nodded calmly. She lowered her eyes and gazed gently at Black Abyss, then sheathed the sword.

From the chatter around her, Ye Zhao Zhao learned what had happened. Li Shuang had won. A cultivator at the Qi Refining Stage had beaten Late Foundation Establishment.

“Senior Sister Li’s new cultivation race is too fast. It’s only been a short time, and she’s already at the ninth layer of Qi Refining. Before the secret realm opens, she’ll probably reach the tenth layer of Qi Refining.”

“Geniuses are still geniuses. Even starting over, she’s ahead of the crowd.”

“Before, Senior Sister Li reached Foundation Establishment in half a year and Core Formation in three years. Now that she’s rebuilding, she might break the very records she set.”

The disciples spoke with lively interest.

Only Ye Zhao Zhao’s face grew uglier.

The System had said their fortunes rose and fell opposite each other. If she lost a part of her cultivation, Li Shuang would gain a part. Li Shuang’s fast growth meant she had stolen Ye Zhao Zhao’s cultivation.

She could not say this out loud, so she shouted it only in her heart. Forcing herself to calm down, she thought: [There’s still time. There’s still time.] Li Shuang hadn’t even reached Foundation Establishment. From the look of it, she would almost certainly enter the Langya Secret Realm. That would be the perfect chance to make her fall inside.

Even as Ye Zhao Zhao soothed herself, envy and anger gnawed at her. With her unwilling help, Li Shuang’s cultivation rose again, breaking through naturally to the tenth layer of Qi Refining. Thoughtful, Li Shuang looked through the crowd at Ye Zhao Zhao. She caught Ye Zhao Zhao’s twisted expression head on, then lowered her lashes.

[Interesting. Ye Zhao Zhao really does seem tied to my growth.]

On the high platform, Meng Yi Fei watched Li Shuang’s back, still full of joy.

“Sect Master, did you see? Li Shuang not only knows the basic use of the Sword Domain; she can also compress it,” Lin Qing Ling said with a smiling squint: “even that genius from Cangyuan Sect hasn’t learned this trick yet, has he?”

Meng Yi Fei nodded without thinking.

“Don’t let such a genius grow cold,” Lin Qing Ling said with meaning.

Meng Yi Fei’s eyes flashed as he came back to himself. Right. There was still the matter of Chang Le An to settle.