Chapter 57

Chapter 57: Sword Cultivator Abandons the Sword

Li Shuang kept her cool, distant look.

At that moment, many memories rose in Long Yan’s mind.

He had not been born with a body. At first he was only a small, sleeping lump of spirit. In a haze, he heard someone say this spirit seemed lacking, maybe a Defective Sword Spirit, and asked Li Shuang if she wanted to give up.

He had no true self then, only a rush of panic. He wanted to say he was not defective, that with patience and careful waking he could become strong. But he could not speak and only curled up, uneasy.

How did Li Shuang answer?

She said without a second thought that since she had carried the Dragon Roar Sword out of the Sword Pavilion, it proved they had a bond. From then on, the Dragon Roar Sword would be her partner, and she would never abandon her partner.

Hearing that, even in his half-sleep he felt joy. He vowed that one day he would become strong, a Sword Spirit worthy of Li Shuang.

After that, because he was too weak, his awareness came and went. In the few times he woke, he only remembered that Li Shuang was very busy. She spent long hours in the Library Pavilion, searching for something. That was not enough. She also went to the markets to hunt for manuals, burying herself in stacks of old pages day and night.

One day, he truly woke.

The first thing he saw was Li Shuang’s happy face. She seldom smiled, but in that moment the corners of her lips bent, like the Lotus in Ice that had just bloomed. He was deeply thankful that she had not given up on him and had worked to wake him.

He trained hard with Li Shuang. His spirit grew more solid, and his skill in the Way of the Sword slowly caught up with hers. At first, she was the peerless genius and he feared he would drag her down, yet she praised him again and again. She told him he was the best Sword Spirit. She told him his talent was rare. With her support and praise, he gained confidence and walked the road of strength.

He thought he would be Li Shuang’s Sword Spirit for life.

But then Zhao Zhao arrived.

He learned there were joys beyond dull training. They were things Li Shuang could not give him. Like a child seeing a bright world for the first time, he was dazzled and lost. He grew cold to Li Shuang and fell deeper and deeper for Ye Zhao Zhao.

Long Yan believed he would never regret the choice to drive the Dragon Roar Sword into Li Shuang’s dantian.

But now, as Ye Zhao Zhao’s curses kept falling, he felt confused.

[Was everything I did really worth it? If it were Li Shuang, would she force me into Soul Ignition no matter the cost? If it were Li Shuang, would she scream at me like this? She would not.]

All these years, even when he acted willful and reckless, she never forced him. She still did her best to raise the Dragon Roar Sword to what it was.

But Ye Zhao Zhao?

[Does she truly care for me the way she claims?]

“Long Yan, you useless thing!” Ye Zhao Zhao had shouted for a long time without getting a response, and her face turned cold and mean.

Outsiders could not hear a Sword Cultivator’s talk with a Sword Spirit, but Li Shuang seemed to read Ye Zhao Zhao’s snarl and said calmly: “You do not have to force Long Yan. He burned his spirit to use that move. He has no strength left to strike again. Ye Zhao Zhao, now it is a fight between you and me. The Dragon Roar Sword is in your hand. Show me your Way of the Sword.”

She spoke without emotion.

The arena fell silent. All eyes turned to Ye Zhao Zhao. Sheng Yuan and the others were tense. No one had ever seen the Junior Sister’s sword art. Would they finally see it now?

Ye Zhao Zhao’s face tightened. She suddenly asked: “What does Soul Ignition mean?”

Li Shuang answered evenly: “To pull out the True Dragon Force, he forced himself to use power he should not have touched. His spirit has almost turned to mist. For a while, you should not call on your Sword Spirit at all.”

Ye Zhao Zhao’s face grew ugly, and she blurted out: “Then this Sword Spirit is no use at all, right?”

She said it without thinking.

Long Yan’s spirit shivered. Disbelief flashed in his eyes. Before this, he could pretend Zhao Zhao did not understand his state. But now Li Shuang had made it plain. Her first reaction was not to worry about him, but to say that her Sword Spirit was useless.

Even Li Shuang lifted a brow. This was the Master Long Yan chose for himself, the one he betrayed her to follow. Their break had come even faster than she expected, but none of that mattered to her.

“Draw your sword, or admit defeat,” Li Shuang said, looking at Ye Zhao Zhao.

“Zhao Zhao, do not be polite with her! Show her your strength! Draw your sword,” Chang Le An shouted from the side. His match had been easy and ended early, so he came to cheer for Zhao Zhao. He believed in her without doubt. The Junior Sister was the true peerless genius. She would not lose to Li Shuang.

Ye Zhao Zhao’s face twisted.

[Chang Le An, you fool.]

Draw her sword?

[With what would I draw a sword?]

She forced a smile and said: “Senior Sister Li, I also want a proper match with you, but as you said, Long Yan’s condition is not good. I should go and check on him first. I will count this match as my loss.”

She sounded sincere, as if she could have won, but for Long Yan’s sake she chose not to fight.

Inside the Sword Spirit Space, the suffering Long Yan felt a spark of hope. [So Zhao Zhao still cares about me, right? She was only upset just now, right?]

“Referee, you can announce it. I admit defeat,” Ye Zhao Zhao said with an air of generosity.

The Referee nodded and was about to speak when Li Shuang smiled, twirled her sword, and thrust at Ye Zhao Zhao. A normal Sword Cultivator would raise a blade to meet it, but Ye Zhao Zhao yelped and ran. In her panic she even dropped the Dragon Roar Sword on the stage.

She jumped off the ring, ready to accuse Li Shuang in anger, but Li Shuang put away Black Abyss with an innocent look and said: “Ye Zhao Zhao, I was just swinging a casual flourish for fun. Why are you so frightened?”

Ye Zhao Zhao stared at her for a long time, unable to speak.

“A Sword Cultivator who abandons the sword. So that is your Way of the Sword,” Li Shuang said calmly as she added: “Referee, now you can announce the result.”

After a brief silence, the Referee gave Ye Zhao Zhao a long, meaningful look, then said: “Round-robin, second match. Winner: Li Shuang.”