Chapter 185

Chapter 185: She, the Brightest on Fengling Terrace!

Mei Mei rolled her wrist. The Falling Plum Sword’s tip traced a fast flower in the air, then stabbed for Shen Sang Ruo. As it passed, red plum petals seemed to fall.

The angle was tricky, covering three directions behind and to either side of Shen Sang Ruo. Mei Mei had searched a long time for this chance. Shen Sang Ruo’s brows flicked, and she swept the Luan Feather Fan downward. A small Wind Domain formed under her, lifting her into the air. The sword’s tip grazed her skirt and shaved off a bit of cloth as she slipped past the strike.

A shout rose from the crowd: “Immortal Maiden Azure Luan’s technique. Shen Sang Ruo knows it too.”

Shen Sang Ruo smiled, and this time it was from the heart. [How lucky I am to have met Immortal Maiden Azure Luan and Immortal Lord Chang Li. And Daoist Wu Wei too, who taught me how to run a sect and how to refit a tool.] To her, Immortal Lord Chang Li was not her only master. Each of them had taught her.

Across the way, Immortal Maiden Azure Luan and Immortal Lord Chang Li glanced at each other, pride bright in both their eyes. They had shaped this disciple bit by bit with their own hands.

The crowd gasped in wonder, then began to puzzle over it: “She even uses techniques from Immortal Maiden Azure Luan, who is not her master. Master Ling Xiao’s arts are so strong. Why isn’t she using his?” Master Ling Xiao’s face grew even darker. He thought, [I knew it. Immortal Maiden Azure Luan is no good either. Same kind of people.]

Mei Mei did not lose heart after missing. She kept swinging to look for the next chance. Having found Shen Sang Ruo’s weak point, her attacks grew more aggressive. Shen Sang Ruo dodged again and again while sensing the flow. [Almost. Show me your full strength, Mei Mei.]

Right now, Mei Mei pressed her hard. People who had favored Shen Sang Ruo began to worry. Someone murmured, “Will Shen Sang Ruo be suppressed and eliminated like this? Her close combat isn’t good.” Another said, “It looks bad. Once Mei Mei closes in, it is hard to open the distance again.” A third said, “Mei Mei is no ordinary fighter. She found Shen Sang Ruo’s weak point and is targeting it.” Someone else added, “Even if others found that weakness, they could not get close to Shen Sang Ruo like she did.” One voice jeered, “People with poor character should not make the final. Support Young Sect Master Mei to deliver justice.”

Even Fang Yu and Ji Zi Cang grew anxious. But Ninghua Sect’s members stayed calm. Daoist Wu Wei stroked his beard and waggled his brows as he said, “This girl is sly to the core.”

Mei Mei seemed sure Shen Sang Ruo had no way to resist. She ended her testing and went all out. Her swordwork’s speed and power jumped several more levels. What she had shown earlier had been only the tip of the iceberg. Even Shen Sang Ruo clicked her tongue and thought, [Good thing I held back.] Since Mei Mei revealed her trump card, it was time for Shen Sang Ruo to counter.

Mei Mei chopped down with another strike. This time, Shen Sang Ruo did not dodge. She lifted the closed Luan Feather Fan to block. The soft teal feathers hardened like iron. When they met the Falling Plum Sword, sparks flew.

Surprise flashed in Mei Mei’s eyes as she realized something, and her expression turned grave. The fan was short and the sword was long. Even if Shen Sang Ruo had some close combat skill, Mei Mei still held the advantage. But in the next instant, the fan broke apart into a storm of razor feather blades.

The feathers streaked at Mei Mei. She spun her wrist and set the Falling Plum Sword before her, batting them all aside. The clashing made a crisp ringing.

The deflected feathers did not fall. They flew back to Shen Sang Ruo’s hand. Part reformed into the Luan Feather Fan, and part she kept throwing out at speed to harry Mei Mei. Gripping half a fan, Shen Sang Ruo rushed in after them.

In her hand, the feather fan became a short sword as the main attack, with scattered feathers as support. Mei Mei had to deal with the feathers that messed with her sight while guarding against Shen Sang Ruo’s sudden thrusts with the fan.

Like this, Shen Sang Ruo, using only half a Luan Feather Fan, fought the sword-proficient Mei Mei to a standstill. The Falling Plum Sword carried a chill edge like plum blossoms in snow. The Luan Feather Fan was wrapped in a skin of orange flame.

No one was more shocked than Mei Mei. Trading blows with Shen Sang Ruo, she could feel how deeply Shen Sang Ruo understood swordwork. Shen Sang Ruo had an answer for each move. Otherwise, she would not have been able to fight Mei Mei at all. It was as if she had dueled Sword Cultivators countless times already.

Shen Sang Ruo smiled. Since refitting the Luan Feather Fan, she had focused on raising her close combat skills. In Ninghua Sect, Ye Huai was her best sparring partner. Ye Huai’s sword arts needed no praise. Months of practice and bouts made Shen Sang Ruo very familiar with Sword Cultivators. Even Ye Huai had praised her sharp comprehension. Mei Mei and Ye Huai used different styles, but skill shares the same roots.

Their fight burned hot. The watching cultivators did not dare to blink. Under Shen Sang Ruo’s control, the Luan Feather Fan kept breaking apart and reforming, dazzling the eye and overwhelming Mei Mei.

Each feather glinted sharp, like Shen Sang Ruo’s gaze.

At last, every feather returned to her hand. Catching an opening in Mei Mei’s sword, Shen Sang Ruo widened the gap and sent five fan strikes in a row. After such a fierce fight, she could still unleash five powerful strikes. Many cultivators began to doubt whether she was really only at Late Golden Core.

Glazed Flame filled the sky like grand fireworks, celebrating Shen Sang Ruo’s victory. The members of Ninghua Sect, Fang Yu, the Beast Taming Sect’s Yuan Jin, and Ji Zi Cang all cheered for her.

The referee announced, “Shen Sang Ruo wins and advances to the final.”

From falling behind, to a sudden counterattack, to victory at the end, it took only a few minutes. But those few minutes amazed everyone on Fengling Terrace.

People exclaimed, “Wasn’t her tool just a fan? How can it change shape?” Another said, “Before, when she only used her arts, close combat was her weakness. Now her fan changes into a melee weapon, and her close combat is no worse than Mei Mei’s.” A third shouted, “Doesn’t that mean she has no weak point now?”

Whether it was the Sunset Glassfire Art, or the Luan Feather Fan in its melee form, each by itself stood at the top of its field. And in spirit beast battles, she also had a very strong Contracted Beast.

With all three auras on her, no Disciple on Fengling Terrace could overshadow her light. She was fated to be the brightest, most stunning presence in the Disciple tournament.