Chapter 70: 70. Chapter 70

70. Chapter 70

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Bai Tian's hand gripped the black and red hilt; on the surface, she was no different from any other day, but inside, she was already filled with an eagerness born of mixed killing intent and battle intent, and this very eagerness came from the black longsword in her hand.

Truly worthy of being my Sword.

She thought nonchalantly; this feeling of being in perfect harmony was hair-raising, as if someone were peeking at your thoughts in your mind, or as if a soulmate were pouring their heart out to you—no matter which, it was irresistible.

At this moment, whoever came to her side would only result in a battle, so when she saw Bai Xinli's figure appear outside the door, she was ecstatic.

The Bai Xinli spoken of by the Bai couple.

The Bai Xinli she had not seen for fifteen years.

The Bai Xinli who had changed her Fate.

The Bai Xinli who could suppress her completely with a single glance.

Too strong, too strong, too strong.

Too good, too good, too good!

She was going to draw her Sword against Bai Xinli!!

Atian knew she was going mad.

A clear-headed madness.

But so what?

She was never destined to be a well-behaved young lady, so what was wrong with going a little mad?

The hilt in her hand turned from cool to hot, and two flushes of red crept onto her cheeks; Lady Bai, who was determined to raise Atian into a refined young lady, naturally would not spend money to hire a martial arts instructor for her, so her fighting moves were all street-brawling styles, and she couldn't even clench her fists correctly, let alone wield a weapon.

However, for a Sword Cultivator, the least necessary thing to learn is how to hold a Sword—something born with, does it need to be taught?

Bai Tian, naturally, was the same.

As soon as Bai Xinli's words, "Junior Sister Bai, please," came out, she thrust her Sword backhanded without a second thought, flames gathering on the pitch-black blade to form a vortex, coordinating with the tip of the Sword to point straight at Bai Xinli's heart.

Her hand holding the Sword was steady, the blade was steady, and the thrust was accurate and powerful, as if it had been practiced ten thousand times; even the slight lateral spin of the tip gave one a feeling of precision to the finest degree.

This is a Sword Cultivator; they are born for the Sword.

However, there are levels among Sword Cultivators.

This strike was blocked by an invisible wall an inch from Bai Xinli's chest; the moon-white hair ribbon obscured his vision and covered his expression, but Atian guessed that he must be just like that day, as noble and pure as the bright moon in the sky.

Then, she was sent flying by a powerful impact.

Smashing heavily into the wall behind her, Atian slid to the ground, a tearing pain coming from the web of her right hand, with sticky liquid gushing out and dripping down the hilt.

Pain.

An unprecedented pain assaulted her from her back, instantly sweeping through her internal organs and turning them into a mess, yet she wanted to laugh out loud, her fingers even trembling slightly from excitement.

Bai Xinli did not draw his Sword; he did not even move, yet his protective Sword Qi alone gave her a severe warning.

She to Bai Xinli was like Song Zhicheng to her—a mayfly shaking a tree, not worth mentioning—but yet, but yet, this was exactly how it should be!

Her Sword Bone Completed, while Song Zhicheng's had only just sprouted.

Bai Xinli had achieved success in Sword Cultivation, while she had not even entered the gate.

Song Zhicheng wanted to become her, and she wanted to become Bai Xinli.

And what was wrong with that?

Bai Tian climbed up shakily, leaning on her Sword, shook the remaining blood droplets from her right hand, and gave Bai Xinli a brilliant smile, "Again!"

She thrust another strike, faster and trickier than the last, yet the flames still could not pierce the invisible wall, and she fell heavily to the ground once more.

"Haha..." She wiped the blood overflowing from the corner of her mouth with the back of her left hand and raised her Sword again, "Again!"

It was easy to guess that the next time she was sent flying awaited her.

Atian climbed up using her Sword for support, her white inner garment already stained with spots of red plum blossoms, yet she laughed heartily and said, "Again!"

Raising her Sword time and time again, only to be sent flying time and time again, until finally, the blood on her hands made it impossible to hold the Sword, and she had to let the hilt slip from her palm; her body was enveloped in intense pain, unable to execute the commands sent by her brain, so she just leaned against the wall and gave a shy smile to the approaching Bai Xinli.

As if to prevent her from rushing up recklessly again, Bai Xinli reached out a hand and gently tapped her forehead with his index finger; his body temperature was slightly cool, completely out of place in this room filled with flames.

And as for Atian, she gasped for a moment, slowly reached out, and her drooping fingertips brushed across his chest, leaving a red streak on his moon-white robes.

"Ah, I stabbed you," Atian said with a smile.

Before losing consciousness, she seemed to hear Bai Xinli sigh.

When Atian woke up again, she was still in her room, only now she was lying on the bed; everything around her was as usual, and only the scorch marks on the walls and ceiling and the pain in her body proved that the raging flames were not a dream.

"You're awake."

Su Ying, sitting by the bed, frowned at the bronze mirror in her hand; she had recently felt that a dry line had appeared under her eyes and was troubled by it, though for her true age, a face full of wrinkles would be normal.

"Does it hurt? It should hurt, to let you learn your lesson! Provoking Senior Brother, you really don't want your life!"

Su Ying didn't even look up, but that didn't stop her from lecturing.

"Speaking of which, I heard the commotion you made last night was quite something; luckily I was on night duty, otherwise it would have been me facing you last night, and I don't have Senior Brother's ability, so I might not have been able to restrain you."

Finding her Life-bound Sword at the head of the bed, Atian reached out to touch it and felt a little more at ease, then felt a chill on her chest; looking down, she discovered she was only wearing a single undergarment.

"Eek!" She shrieked and shrank into the quilt.

"Eek what eek," Su Ying put down the mirror, her tone filled with lingering schadenfreude, "You were the one wearing this outfit last night, pestering Senior Brother and not letting him leave; what's the use of being shy now!"

"A refined young lady must be shy," Atian retorted seriously.

Su Ying was surprised by her professionalism and, deeply moved, handed her a bronze mirror, "Wake up! I've never seen a refined young lady who drags a man to spar in the middle of the night and sets fires!"

Atian rubbed her bruised forehead, feeling a bit aggrieved.

"Speaking of which, helping Junior Brothers and Junior Sisters overcome the restlessness brought on by Sword forging is also one of Senior Brother's duties, so you don't need to feel bad."

"Restlessness?" Atian, who didn't feel bad at all, repeated thoughtfully.

"The Sword is a weapon of slaughter; once it leaves its sheath, the desire to fight will inevitably rise, and your Life-bound Sword is closely linked to you yourself, so being affected is unavoidable."

Su Ying explained earnestly.

"A sword is at its sharpest the moment it is unsheathed, relying on an indomitable, forward-pressing spirit. If you aren't allowed to fully vent that spirit at that very moment, I fear your Sword Heart will be damaged in the future."

Atian felt embarrassed to tell her Senior Sister that she was usually just as crazy and foolish, so she could only nod repeatedly to show she was listening.

"Since you have successfully forged your sword, there are some things that must be said," Su Ying said, her tone suddenly turning serious. "Have you felt it, your Sword Heart? Do you know it, your sword's name?"

Sword Heart and sword name, the two most important things for a Sword Cultivator.

Bai Tian gently stroked the long sword in her hand, but she brought up another completely unrelated topic, "... Senior Sister Su Ying, Senior Brother, he is very strong."

"Why bring this up all of a sudden?" Su Ying frowned.

Atian smiled, "Because I also want to become that strong!"

Upon hearing this, Su Ying fell into silence. She pondered for a moment, then finally sat on the edge of the bed with her legs spread wide in a bold, unconstrained posture, and said to Bai Tian, "Junior Sister Bai, do you know what Senior Brother's sword is called?"

Atian thought of the beautiful White Jade Sword with red silk that Bai Xinli wore at his waist and shook her head.

"Senior Brother's sword... is called 'No-Self'," Su Ying's face was full of solemnity. "Of the three thousand Daoist methods, all methods are 'No-Self'; that is what this 'No-Self' means."

"The reason Senior Brother is highly praised as 'the person of the younger generation closest to the Heavenly Dao' lies in this. What others pursue for a lifetime, he attained from the very beginning, but a higher starting point also means the road ahead is even harder to walk."

"How can one maintain 'No-Self'? Losing one's self leads to eternal damnation, while being too self-centered makes every step impossible. The difficulty and suffering of a failing Sword Heart—I fear only he himself knows."

"I am already beginning to forget Bai Xinli."

That sentence, which Atian could not fathom, echoed in her ears.

Speaking of this, a bitter smile appeared on the corner of Su Ying's mouth. "Come to think of it, I am a few years older than Senior Brother's mother. I raised him from a young age, but unfortunately, ever since he began to nurture his sword and hide his edge, even I have not been able to understand him very well."

However, the self-pitying mood did not last long; Senior Sister Su Ying, who could never help but break character, indignantly slapped the head of the bed. "How could that brat hide things from a motherly Senior Sister like me? It is truly unfilial! It is simply outrageous!"

Atian nodded her head like a chick pecking at rice.

Calming her emotions, Su Ying changed the form of address back. "A Sword Cultivator cannot choose their own Sword Heart, nor can they change their original intent. Even though this path is infinitely difficult, Senior Brother can only face the challenge head-on."