Chapter 213: Sword

Qingque crouched in the bamboo forest, a freshly snapped grass stalk clenched in her mouth, squinting as she watched the "immortal duel" on the clearing, her little mind already whirling several times.

(Something's off, very off.)

She spat out the grass stalk and touched her chin.

(I, Qingque, the Tai Bu Si‑recognized master of goofing off, have always had excellent sleep, staying sound through thunder until sunrise. How could I be dreaming, and this dream so vivid with noses, eyes, plot, NPCs, even realistic combat effects? This bamboo forest, these stone steps, these two people… the modeling is pretty detailed, huh?)

She recalled the jade‑like token she had fiddled with before sleep, its warm smoothness still lingering on her fingertips.

(Could it really be that thing causing mischief? Damn, thought I'd found a loophole, but it turned out to be a "Strange Encounter Task"? Could there be an old man's lingering soul inside, ready to teach me a peerless card technique?)

While she was lost in wild thoughts, the battle on the clearing seemed to enter a new phase.

The sword‑wielding girl kept attacking without success, growing impatient; her sword technique became ever more fierce, azure sword qi slicing across, shredding the surrounding bamboo leaves into a rustle of falling fragments.

Yet the gray‑haired one remained as steady as a rock; between her fists and palms she always defused the seemingly dangerous onslaught with the simplest, most direct method, her movements so clean and crisp that even Qingque, a layperson, couldn't help but cheer silently in her mind.

(This… the approach is wild, ah no, it's just right. Clearly built on a terrifyingly solid foundation; no matter how many variations you throw, I can break it with a single punch. Damn, this round's got that girl almost bursting into flame.)

Qingque watched with relish, almost reaching for a snack from her pocket—unfortunately she hadn't brought any in the dream.

Just when she thought this instructional bout would end with Li Su Shang exhausted and conceding defeat, a sudden anomaly erupted!

Li Su Shang abruptly retreated several steps, her long sword held upright before her; the azure sword qi ceased scattering outward and instead spiraled around the blade like returning home, growing ever denser.

She closed her eyes, her long lashes casting faint shadows beneath them, while the aura around her suddenly changed.

It was no longer merely the sharpness of a warrior, but added a hint of intention?

Qingque instinctively held her breath.

Though her own martial cultivation was zero, having been in Tai Bu Si so long gave her a vague sense of "aura."

At that moment Li Su Shang felt to Qingque like an uncarved jade suddenly infused with some ancient, keen "soul."

In the next instant, Li Su Shang's eyes snapped open!

In those once clear and lively pupils, a flash of sword light seemed to flicker and vanish.

She did not swing her sword, merely lifted her head and gazed at the sky.

Qingque couldn't help but lift her head as well.

Then her mouth slowly formed an "O" shape, her neck arched so far it almost emitted a "cack" sound.

The cloud layer… was being torn apart.

No, not torn apart.

It was a sword, a sword whose enormity defied description, breaking through the sea of clouds from the nine heavens above, slowly "probing" its way down!

Even just the tip of the blade already shaded a small slice of sky, its shadow instantly cloaking the entire hilltop, dimming the bamboo forest's light.

The chilling, vast sword intent cascaded like solid ice waterfalls, Qingque even felt her thoughts beginning to freeze, her teeth uncontrollably chattering.

(WTF…?!)

Those two characters flashed across Qingque's mind.

(Is this some kind of weapon‑function special effect?! Is this the main cannon of a star‑annihilating ship?! Does Xianzhou's "Cloud‑Rider Sword Technique" have this move?! No way?! Absolutely not?! Even Brother Yan Qing would have to shout "senior" when he shows up?!)

She finally became convinced this was far from an ordinary dream!

Who could dream up such high‑spec "special effects" in a dream?!

This is definitely "immortal craft"!

No escape!

Though Xianzhou folk live long and are powerful, the direct summoning of a "Heaven‑Base Kinetic Sword"…

Ah no, the scene of the "Sun‑Obscuring Sword" clearly exceeds her understanding of "conventional martial force."

On the clearing, Hua gazed at the sword that seemed poised to judge heaven and earth, a calm, unruffled face finally showing obvious surprise.

She could sense that this was not a mere illusion; it contained an extremely profound Sword Path truth, wholly different from any technique she knew, yet forming its own school with astonishing power.

"This sword… is not ordinary."

She murmured her appraisal, a faint gleam of predatory delight flashing in her eyes.

Facing the overwhelming sword pressure, she did not retreat; instead she stepped forward, lowered her hips as if mounting a horse, clenched her right fist at her waist—a simple, straightforward power‑gathering stance.

No dazzling brilliance, no sky‑splitting momentum.

She simply concentrated all her spirit, will, and every ounce of strength her body could muster into the forthcoming punch.

Where her fist pointed, the air itself seemed to grow heavy.

The massive sword slowly fell, appearing sluggish yet bearing an unstoppable, towering will, locking onto Hua below.

At the very Shana the sword tip was about to touch Hua's crown—

Hua exhaled, shouted, and unleashed a punch!

"Buzz—!!!"

Not the earth‑shattering explosion she had expected.

The moment the fist met the sword tip that could crush mountains, time seemed to freeze for a frame.

Immediately, a ring of visible transparent ripples burst outward in all directions!

"Whoa!"

Qingque let out a startled cry, tossed by the sudden gust she rolled twice through the bamboo forest, dizzy and disoriented.

She clutched a thick bamboo stalk tightly, preventing herself from being blown away.

The surrounding bamboo forest, as if struck by a twelve‑level typhoon, toppled in sheets outward; the leaves were swept high then shredded by an invisible force.

At the center of the gust, the luminous sword's phantom, from the point of contact with the fist, began to sprout fine cracks.

The cracks spread like spiderwebs at lightning speed, soon covering the entire blade.

Then, amid a low, distant, ancient‑sounding shatter, the sword transformed into countless points of blue‑tinged light, like a reverse‑flowing star river, slowly dissipating into the air.

The pressure suddenly vanished.

Li Su Shang, as if exhausted, drops to one knee, bracing her sword on the ground, chest heaving violently, forehead drenched in sweat, her small face turning a bit pale, yet her eyes shine astonishingly, full of excitement and admiration: "Grandmaster! You're amazing! You even shattered the prototype of the Divine Essence with a single punch!"

Hua slowly withdraws her fist, breath a little uneven, but still stands perfectly upright.

She looks at her own fist, then at the dissipating sword light, and murmurs: "This sword intent… massive and vast, directly pointing to the source, almost the Dao. You call it Divine Essence?"

"Yes!"

Li Su Shang catches her breath and, as if presenting a treasure, explains, "This is the fifth essence of Great Void Sword Qi, the Divine Essence! Though I'm still far away, I only brushed a tiny edge; the condensed sword form is merely a faint outline, but it's already impressive, right?"

A hint of pride tinges her tone, then her face falls: "But still, you Grandmaster knocked it out with a single punch…"

"Great Void Sword Qi…"

Hua repeats softly, noting down this unfamiliar term.

She steps forward, reaches out to pull Li Su Shang up, pats her shoulder, and, unusually, her tone carries a hint of praise: "You're so young, yet you can reach such a realm; that's rare. Sword Qi has form, sword intent is endless. Train diligently, the future holds promise."

"Yes! Grandmaster!"

Li Su Shang, encouraged, instantly feels revitalized.

In the Zhulin, Qingque, who had been shaken by that wave of Qi into a completely disheveled state and barely managed to get up, brushes the mud and bamboo leaves off his grimy face, feeling a lingering dread inside:

(Goodness, this isn't a duel, it's demolition! Luckily it's a dream, otherwise my little body would…)

She just lets out a sigh, ready to keep hiding, planning to wait until those two "immortals" leave before figuring out how to "wake" herself, when she looks up—

She meets two pairs of eyes staring straight at her.

Li Su Shang lifts her sword, with a face that says "Sure enough, there's something fishy."

Hua's gaze falls calmly on her, the Remaining Might from that punch still lingering, making Qingque feel the air a bit stagnant again.

(It's over, I've been discovered!)