Chapter 47: The Destined Conclusion
Li Shuang remained as distant and unmoved as ever.
Long Yan’s eyes instinctively fell on the Black Abyss Sword at her side. Its dark blade hung lifeless, as if it had lost its spirit. Yet somehow, a quiet relief filled him.
His decision had been right.
Leaving Li Shuang behind, he would forge a brighter future for himself. And as for her? Without him, she would cling to the Black Abyss—a sword far inferior to the Dragon’s Roar.
The Dragon’s Roar Sword shone with honed splendor, while the Black Abyss was but a dull scrap in comparison.
“Zhao Zhao, I will give my utmost. Today, you need not step forward—I alone will wield the Dragon’s Roar,” Long Yan declared with firm resolve.
Ye Zhao Zhao answered softly, “Long Yan, I trust you. I have always believed that a Sword Cultivator and a Sword Spirit must raise each other. I have never seen you fight with your true might. Now, you may reveal all your strength.”
Long Yan nodded. “I will not let you down.”
Even as Long Yan spoke with Ye Zhao Zhao, Li Shuang turned her gaze away, her expression as calm as still water.
“They are so brazen,” Luo Ming Yue murmured under his breath. “It seems you have held Long Yan back all this time!”
Li Shuang only smiled gently. “Let them say what they will.”
Her calm was not born of indifference, but of a deep, hidden resolve.
From the moment Long Yan had left her side, his fate had been sealed in silence.
A deep glimmer sparked in Li Shuang’s eyes.
By now, Long Yan must have sensed the signs.
His spirit was dimming, and the power of the Dragon’s Roar Sword was fading with each passing day. It would not be long before its brilliance was no more.
And with Ye Zhao Zhao’s gentle nature…
Once Long Yan and the Dragon’s Roar were stripped of their former glory, would she still treat him with such kindness?
A memory stirred in Li Shuang’s heart.
Over a decade ago, she had forged her Golden Core and entered the Sword Pavilion, where she was granted the sword embryo of the Dragon’s Roar.
At that time, Long Yan had lain in deep slumber within the sword’s depths. Soon, Li Shuang realized something was amiss—the Sword Spirit of the Dragon’s Roar was flawed.
Normally, a Sword Spirit is born pure and sharp with its blade. But Long Yan had been tainted from the start, clouded by impurities. The disciples of the Sword Pavilion said he was a defiled Sword Spirit—a rare and troublesome case, nearly impossible to cleanse.
Most disciples would have abandoned such a sword.
But Li Shuang could not bear to let go.
She pored over ancient scrolls, searching for a way to purify a tainted Sword Spirit. And she found a secret—a method hidden in an ancient manual. The remedy was to cleanse the Sword Spirit continuously with a cultivator’s Sword Energy.
Overjoyed, she devoted herself to this task. For forty-nine days and nights, she poured her own Sword Energy into Long Yan, purifying him until he awakened.
From that day, she kept Long Yan by her side, always watching, always ready to cleanse him again whenever darkness crept in. She never told him he was flawed, but only praised him, calling him a peerless blade worthy of the heavens.
In time, her constant praise had made him proud and arrogant, convinced of his unrivaled talent.
Li Shuang chuckled softly.
Mastering the Grand Supreme Emotionless Art did not mean she had lost her human feelings. If Long Yan had spoken honestly and said he wished to follow Ye Zhao Zhao, she would have let him go. She would have even revealed his true nature.
But he chose betrayal. Worse yet, he sought to take her life.
And so…
The moment he turned to Ye Zhao Zhao, his downfall began.
The moment she cast him aside, her retribution was set in motion.
Now, she would wait.
[She would wait for the moment fate caught up with them.]
“Here comes the Sect Leader!”
“The Five Peak Masters have arrived!”
“And Hall Master Pang too!”
Excited whispers spread through the crowd.
The Sect Master of the Sword Sect, Meng Yi Fei, along with the leaders of the Five Peaks and the One Hall, had come together.
From his high seat, Meng Yi Fei’s eyes shone with hidden expectation as he gazed toward the central arena.
Lin Qing Ling smiled boldly, his excitement almost touching the sky.
Yet True Immortal Ling Xu wore a deep, serious look. He had heard tales of the Sword Domain, but he was not easily convinced—a single recorded image was far from proof.
After the leaders took their seats, a steward announced, “The first round of the tournament is about to begin. All disciples, take your positions.”
Ye Zhao Zhao cast one last glance at Li Shuang before moving to her arena.
Chang Le An snorted coldly and then stepped back.
…
The Central Arena
All eyes fixed upon the central stage.
Yet even the gathered throng could not disturb Li Shuang’s calm.
Step by step, she ascended the arena with the steady grace of a flowing river.
Opposite her stood Duan Zi Yu, his face grave. Though he had fared well in the preliminaries, it was only because he had lingered at the Foundation Establishment Stage for too long.
In innate talent, he was far behind a true prodigy.
Yet today, he was placed in the central arena—not because the Sect Master had taken a sudden interest in him.
No, he was here solely because his opponent was Li Shuang.
The Sect Master was using him as a whetstone—to sharpen Li Shuang’s blade!
Even so,
If he was to be a whetstone, he would show his worth!
If Li Shuang wished to pass this trial, it would not be easy!
“Senior Sister Li,” Duan Zi Yu said with solemn respect, “please.”
Li Shuang nodded calmly as she unsheathed the Black Abyss Sword, its dark blade flowing like ink on ancient parchment.
Duan Zi Yu did not lower his guard. He gripped his Earth-Rock Sword tightly, his spiritual energy surging as he readied for battle.
Their eyes met for a fleeting moment.
Then—both leapt into action.
One moved with the swift grace of the Energy Refining Stage.
The other, with the seasoned might of the late Foundation Establishment Stage.
From the start, the battle was uneven.
Li Shuang’s sword could strike countless times.
Yet for Duan Zi Yu, one successful blow would grant him victory.
Meng Yi Fei watched the arena, anticipation burning in his eyes.
“Come, Li Shuang. Show the depths of your talent!”
In this clash of spiritual power, only the mastery of the Sword Domain could bridge the gap between them.
Duan Zi Yu, born of water and earth spiritual roots, had mainly honed his earth power. He now employed the Stonewall Sword Technique—a balanced blend of offense and defense, leaning toward the latter.
As his sword danced, his body seemed shielded by an unyielding fortress. But if an opponent thought him merely defensive, they would soon fall to his swift counterattacks, for he was a foe not easily bested.
Li Shuang closed her eyes slowly.
In that moment, the Sword Domain revealed itself.
Within its reach, Duan Zi Yu’s weaknesses shone clear. Yet the chasm between their cultivation was vast.
To win, she had but one chance.
She must gather every drop of spiritual energy to deliver a single, fatal blow.
If she wasted even a little energy too early, she would expose a weakness she could never mend.
“So it is… the Sword Domain,” murmured Meng Yi Fei, his gaze fierce with admiration.
To master the Sword Domain at such a young age…
Had even the famed genius of the Primordial Blue Sect achieved this so early?
By the measure of years, Li Shuang had mastered the Sword Domain a full decade sooner than he had!
Grand Supreme Emotionless Art… Sword Domain…
Was this truly the will of the heavens, heralding the rise of the Sword Sect?
Yet as True Immortal Ling Xu watched the duel, his expression grew even darker.
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