Chapter 80

Ah? You still know swordsmanship?

Xiao Yuan stared blankly at Qian Renxue; Le Zheng Ling's soul power level is so high that she even has time to learn swordsmanship—she's just too talented.

Hmph! I'm a genius!

Qian Renxue wore a gray-white uniform, making her figure appear even more slender and graceful. Her blond hair was tied high into a ponytail, a few stray strands casually hanging over her forehead, adding a touch of carefree beauty.

Her delicate features, illuminated by the light of the training chamber, resembled carved beautiful jade, with only pride shining from her violet eyes.

Qian Renxue drew a practice sword from her storage bracelet with a backhand grip, tightened her hold on the hilt, inhaled lightly, exhaled slowly, and in an instant the surrounding air seemed to freeze.

Only to see her body move like a dance, the long sword in her hand flowing forward; at first, it was like a gentle breeze brushing the face, soft and slow.

Her wrist turned flexibly, the blade tracing beautiful arcs in the air, as if writing elegant verses.

As the sword technique unfolded, Qian Renxue's movements gradually quickened, her posture becoming more agile; each turn was just right, as if she and the sword had become one.

The sword's force grew stronger, like a phoenix's cry piercing the nine heavens, fierce and overbearing.

Though no flame was ignited, each of her moves seemed to carry an invisible scorching power, making one dare not underestimate.

Xiao Yuan stared blankly at Qian Renxue's sword dance, his gaze completely captivated by her posture and sword momentum.

His eyes widened, unblinking, as if afraid to miss any moment; Xiao Yuan's mouth slightly opened, yet he forgot to breathe.

Every movement of Qian Renxue, every swing of her sword, plunged Xiao Yuan into a state of obsession.

Finally, Qian Renxue leapt into the air, spinning, her sword following her turn to form a circular sword curtain, like a phoenix dancing above the nine heavens, mighty and capable of defending against attacks from all directions.

His body leaned slightly forward, his heart rising and falling with Qian Renxue's sword moves; Xiao Yuan was completely immersed in her beautiful yet fierce sword dance.

After landing, Qian Renxue paused, slowly retracting her sword, then gently exhaled a breath that turned into a faint mist in the light-attribute-rich air.

Qian Renxue calmly looked at Xiao Yuan and asked, "What is the name of that move I just used in the air?"

Xiao Yuan continued to stare blankly at her, as if he had not yet recovered from that splendid sword dance.

"Ah... that... that's called Phoenix Dance Nine Heavens."

"Phoenix Dance Nine Heavens? Great name, Xiao Yuan, your body is really too stiff; you can't perform many sword moves, what a pity."

Qian Renxue implied, "This sword technique is too wasted in your hands; wouldn't it be better to give it to me?"

"Ah Ling, can you teach me how to use a sword?"

Xiao Yuan immediately wanted to ask Lezheng Ling for advice; she actually knew how to use a sword, and had even learned it from watching his earlier dirty moves.

Qian Renxue crossed her arms, giving Xiao Yuan a scrutinizing look, "What benefit can you give me?"

Xiao Yuan said somewhat embarrassedly:

"Well... benefits... I... we're not on the same team? Can't we help each other?"

Qian Renxue scoffed disdainfully, "Mutual aid? Jun Wuchen hopes you train hard, yet you don't appreciate it?"

"I don't want my good intentions to be wasted like feeding a donkey's liver; besides, I haven't acknowledged you, we're not friends—if you want to trade something with me, how about that?"

Xiao Yuan smiled helplessly, his eyes showing a mix of indulgence toward a little sister and a hint of mischief.

"This is my sword technique, Ah Ling; are you trying to trade my sword art for something of yours?"

Qian Renxue pinched her own tender cheek to show her thick skin, saying, "Well, I'm just that shameless, so do you want to trade with me?"

Xiao Yuan was amused by her; who says they're shameless? He helplessly shrugged.

"But I don't have anything valuable; how about this—I'll trade a secret for you: I'll tell you a secret, and you teach me the essence of the Fire Phoenix Sword Technique moves."

Qian Renxue thought to herself, "This guy really is a textbook case; the protagonist's classic shrug has arrived—when will the bitter laugh and nose-touch come?"

"I have no interest in hearing your secret; you asked me to teach you sword moves, so you ought to pay, right?"

"Hehe, you can listen to me finish before deciding, can't you?"

Qian Renxue snorted, lifted her delicate chin, signaling him not to waste time and to speak quickly.

Xiao Yuan walked toward Qian Renxue with a smirk, taking two steps closer, his face bearing a mischievous smile.

"You don't want others to know you're cross-dressing as a male, do you? Ah Ling."

Qian Renxue instinctively glanced toward Jun Wuchen's direction, seeing his eyes tightly closed, as if still cultivating soul power, but her mental power sensed his mental fluctuations were quite obvious; she guessed he was pretending, he had already awakened.

Xiao Yuan laughed as he placed his hand on Qian Renxue's shoulder, his heart thrilled—Ah Ling, you're under my control, right?

"Don't worry, Ah Ling; only I know about this. Jun Wuchen is still in meditation, he doesn't know anything yet, but if you don't obey, later whether he knows or not is uncertain."

Jun Wuchen sat on the futon, eyes half-closed, fists slightly clenched, a few white scales creeping up his arm; for some reason, he suddenly felt the urge to punch Xiao Yuan, that good-for-nothing, to death.

"Boom!"

Qian Renxue suddenly kicked Xiao Yuan in the stomach, her movement swift as lightning, this kick carrying considerable fierce momentum.

Xiao Yuan had no time to react; he felt a huge force strike him, his whole body instantly flying backward.

His face showed pain and astonishment, eyes wide open, hands instinctively covering his stomach.

With a "boom," Xiao Yuan heavily fell to the ground, kicking up a mist of light-attribute energy.

He lay on the ground, curled into a ball, gritting his teeth from pain, letting out painful groans; the intense pain caused his stomach to spasm, he barely held back from vomiting, Qian Renxue's kick left him lying there to recover for a while.

"... Ah... Ah Ling, you, aren't you afraid of others finding out your gender?"

Qian Renxue's violet eyes flashed with killing intent, coldly staring at him: "You've been practicing sword for so long, sweat all over your body, yet you dare wipe it on my new clothes; not kicking you to death counts as me being in a good mood today."

Xiao Yuan looked bewildered, holding his stomach, "What the heck? You kicked me just for your cleanliness obsession?"

"You... you're doing this just for that? Aren't you afraid I'll expose your gender?"

"Crazy, expose then expose; worst case I'll drop out of school, hum! You actually dare threaten me."

Qian Renxue truly didn't expect Xiao Yuan to pull that neon-lit trope on her—do you think you're some hentai male lead? You're so asking for a beating; she really knows a bit of martial arts.

Xiao Yuan trembled, barely propping himself up with the Subduing Jade Sword; that kick was too heavy, he didn't care about his life but it hurt terribly. He grimaced: "No no no! Ah Ling, I was just joking with you, please don't be mad, okay? Don't drop out of school, I swear I won't tell anyone!"

"Just joking! Lezheng Ling dropped out, yet he's still this close to her."

"He just didn't expect Lezheng Ling's reaction to be so big; it's all his own rashness."

After suffering the painful cost of that kick, he now understood: this little phoenix's temperament is arrogantly unbearable; threats and force won't work on her, especially since he can't beat her—this is utterly frustrating; he must coax and use tenderness to win her over.

"I don't accept verbal apologies; bring out something substantive. I'm a realistic woman, understand?"

Xiao Yuan racked his brains, wondering what he could use to make amends—he had nothing himself! Gold soul coins? He was dirt poor, and besides, she was a rich woman; the only valuable thing he had was his astonishing talent, but Yue Zhengling's talent was even more terrifying.

Even the sword moves of the Fire Phoenix Sword Technique, she understands at a glance.

"Wait, she probably doesn't know the heart method of the Fire Phoenix Sword Technique, right?" Xiao Yuan immediately asked Jin Huang'er, since he'd learned this sword technique from her, so he had to ask.

【Sister Jin Huang'er, may I ask if I can teach the heart method of the Fire Phoenix Sword Technique to others?】

【.】

Jin Huang'er fell silent for a moment; she never imagined that the Fire Phoenix Sword successor she had chosen would ask such a question—does he even know what "successor" means?

Since this is your own choice, she won't hold back—having one more successor means one more path. Compared to the other eight obstinate Sword Lords in the Sword Mark Space, Jin Huang'er may be impatient and immature, but she's quite adaptable.

Just now she also saw that Qian Renxue, watching Xiao Yuan practice sword, had actually learned the moves on her own, and she danced them beautifully; where Xiao Yuan made mistakes, she could correct them herself—though still a bit off, she was mostly spot on.

【Others may not, but you can pass this on to that girl.】

She greatly looks forward to Yue Zhengling's future; if his disposition is truly excellent, the Fire Phoenix Sword will indeed have a successor. Having just taken over Xiao Yuan's mess, Jin Huang'er still has a bit of fallout; she needs to observe for a while, lest she act and then regret it.

In the Fuyu Sword, it's still okay—the Fuyu Sword Lord died, merely sleeping and waiting for the next person. Although for her, who likes lively swords, it's no different from being dead, in the end one can start over; it's just a matter of waiting another thousand or ten thousand years.

But if she leaves the Fuyu Sword, she can never turn back—she must be cautious!

As for Xiao Yuan, let him be; as long as he doesn't suddenly die before her assessment of Yue Zhengling ends, her demand of him is that simple.

Having obtained Jin Huang'er's permission, he immediately went to bring Qian Renxue some benefits.

"Ah Ling, you teach me the sword moves, and I'll teach you the heart method of the Fire Phoenix Sword Technique—how about that?"

"Deal, but you have to give me the heart method first, then I'll teach you."

Xiao Yuan nodded helplessly, "Of course, but you'd better make sure to teach me properly."

Qian Renxue lifted her chin, "Who are you looking down on? Sword moves are that easy—how are you going to give me the heart method? From an ancient text?"

"Uh... he doesn't understand this either."

Just as the two stared at each other, the sword-shaped mark in Xiao Yuan's left hand suddenly blazed with light.

In an instant, a fire phoenix burst from the mark, its whole body engulfed in roaring flames, heat waves rolling.

Qian Renxue's beautiful eyes filled with surprise; she unconsciously stepped back.

The fire phoenix circled Qian Renxue once, then turned into a stream of light that shot straight into her forehead.

Qian Renxue instinctively used her spiritual power to resist, but soon relaxed; no matter who, unless they were a Title Douluo specializing in spiritual power, daring to come fight in her sea of consciousness is like lighting a match in a toilet—asking for death.

Qian Renxue's delicate body trembled as she felt a mighty power and complex information flood her mind,

a somewhat weak, clear female voice transmitted into Qian Renxue's mind.

【This is the heart method of the Fire Phoenix Sword Technique; strive to cultivate it, and if Yue Zhengling you truly succeed, I will later come to your side and become your capable assistant.】

【Huh? This is actually your spiritual power? Wait… wait! How is this possible!? You're only rank nineteen, right? Holy crap! Such a massive soul power total! Ah? Rank fifty! You you you! You're only six years old!?】

【.】

Silence—basically, it's just very silent.

Qian Renxue closed her eyes, quietly sensing the profundities of that heart method; after a moment, she slowly opened her eyes, a flicker of joy flashing in them.

"Thank you." Qian Renxue whispered her thanks, her voice clear and moving; this time she did not hide her tone, using her natural voice.

【Wait, wait a sec! I don't want to leave! I just want to stay here—I need to move my home first! Don't move around here, wait a moment! I'll go fetch a sword tomb for you!】

The female voice suddenly rose in pitch—"Holy shit, fate's been good to her! She just pulled a colorful legendary UR today! Damn! Who could rival her luck? Those eight nasty wives in the Sword Mark Space, bye-bye, never to see them again, sisters first out! Qian Renxue touched her forehead in surprise, feeling it warm there—this is the spot of the Angel Mark, which is also why she dared let that fire phoenix rush over.

If she really wanted to cause trouble, the Angel Mark would be enough to make her drink a pot of tea—unexpectedly, the Angel Mark showed no reaction; could it be because that fire phoenix meant no harm?

Suddenly, that fire phoenix again shot out in a panic from Qian Renxue's forehead, then returned to the sword-shaped mark under Xiao Yuan's eager gaze.

Xiao Yuan finally breathed a sigh of relief—Jin Huang'er is his cheat-code big sister; he can't lose her, for without her he'd be nothing.

Heaven knows what his mood was when he just saw Jin Huang'er rush into Qian Renxue's forehead—he only felt the world spin, his heart pounding wildly, terrified of being abandoned.

As soon as Jin Huang'er returned to the Sword Mark Space, she turned into human form and sprang into action in a flustered hurry.

She looked hurried, her hands constantly rummaging through every corner, her forehead already covered in fine beads of sweat.

She quickly stuffed some precious treasures and secret manuals into a cosmos bag, muttering incessantly, "Nothing can be left behind—everything must be taken."

Her gaze was firm and urgent, without a hint of hesitation.

Having packed her things, Jin Huang'er came to the Sword Tomb; with a gesture, she saw the massive sword tomb gradually shrink, turning into a light that vanished into her palm.

She drew a deep breath, her face showing a resolute expression.

Next, she mobilized her bloodline power; her whole body glowed with a strange light, within which a faint phoenix illusion flickered.

"Yue Zhengling, wait for me!" Jin Huang'er said in a low voice.

Just then, a female voice suddenly came from the sword tomb to Jin Huang'er's left; this tomb was covered in ice and snow, bitterly cold, with the three characters "Da Xuan Ning" carved before it.

"Holy shit! Jin Huang'er, you've gone crazy! What madness is this neurotic acting up again?"

Two chapters today, guys! Vote for us, reward the hardworking author! The authors have seen the brothers' reactions to Xiao Yuan, hehe, now we'll start cleaning him up! Brothers, don't rush, let the bullets fly a bit.

(End of chapter)