Chapter 481: The Divine Sword's Approval (Second Update)

"Brother! We really can't wait any longer!"

Suidan felt the judge's scrutinizing gaze sweeping over them from time to time, his heart sinking. He sent a voice transmission to his still-hesitant brother: "If we keep waiting, I'm afraid the judge will rule us as having lost!"

The match had been going on for the time it takes to burn an incense stick, but the battle had yet to begin.

Although both sides were competing passively, judging from their previous records and their current aura, it was clear that Li Qiushui's side was superior to theirs.

They were holding back out of fear, while the other side was calm and composed; comparing the two, the difference in skill was immediately apparent.

This situation was very disadvantageous for them.

Taking a gamble might lead to success, but if they continued to stand off like this, they would only face the possibility of defeat.

"Mm, I understand," Suishuang responded in a low voice.

He was very confused.

Having observed for so long, no matter how he looked, he could not discover the secret hidden within that Snow Heroine opposite them.

No matter how he looked at her, she was just an Earth Realm cultivator who had just entered the Dharma Aspect stage; she wasn't weak, but he truly couldn't feel any threat.

This is impossible!

Is her disguise really that seamless?

Is the gap between us really that large?

Facing this insurmountable gap, Suishuang felt powerless.

"Is this the gap between us... Heh, it's truly laughable."

Although he still had doubts in his heart, he understood that the current situation no longer allowed him to remain so cautious.

Hardening his heart and gritting his teeth, he growled, "Forget it, let's take a gamble! Let's go, brother!"

"Alright! Let's go!"

After being cautious for so long, the Sui Clan Brothers finally couldn't hold back anymore, and with a desperate attitude, they charged forward side by side!

Charge!

The opponent (Shi Xue) was extremely powerful; rather than splitting their forces and being picked off one by one, it was better for the two brothers to join forces, which would allow them to exert greater strength.

Go for broke!

No matter the result, we must make those two women who look down on others understand that our brothers are not to be trifled with!

Under this mindset, the momentum of the two swelled again, like two wild beasts eager to devour people.

!!!

Shi Xue, who had been putting on an empty-fort strategy for a long time, had already become somewhat bored, and was now given a huge fright by their appearance.

What are you doing?

I haven't done anything to you.

We have no past grudges or recent grievances, is it necessary for you two to be this agitated?

If the other side were merely testing her, Shi Xue could still trade a few blows, but since the other side was clearly risking their lives, there was no point in Shi Xue taking further risks.

"Sigh."

Shi Xue sighed lightly, shook her head slightly, and slowly raised her right hand, preparing to signal the judge that she was forfeiting...

"She's going to make a move!"

"We can't give her the chance!"

Seeing that she finally reacted, the Sui Clan Brothers became even more nervous, their footwork quickened, and they unleashed their techniques.

Whoosh—

Shi Xue: Hm?

I was about to forfeit, what are you doing?

"You..."

Don't come over here!

But before Shi Xue could finish speaking, the moment the Sui Clan Brothers were about to close in, the Long Sword on the knees of her shield, Li Qiushui, erupted with a powerful Sword Qi.

Clang—

That Sword Qi was violent, directly severing the two's techniques, and without losing momentum, it slashed directly onto the two of them!

Boom!

"Oh no!"

"Pfft—"

The Sword Qi was extremely fast and powerful, not something an ordinary Incarnation cultivator could withstand.

At the final moment, Suidan pulled Suishuang behind him and blocked the Sword Qi alone!

Ssh—

The Sword Qi entered his body, easily tearing through his physical defenses, and finally barely lodged itself against his bones.

Thud!

His knees hit the ground heavily, and Suidan couldn't control himself as he fell forward, only to be caught by Suishuang, who rushed up before he could hit the ground.

"Brother! Brother, are you alright!?"

At this moment, Suishuang no longer had his previous calm and cautious appearance, looking instead like a panicked child.

"Brother, cough!"

Suidan opened his eyes, spat out a mouthful of black blood, and gave his brother a miserable smile, "You were right... as expected, it was a trap!"

After finishing his last sentence, the mortally wounded Suidan could no longer hold on, his head tilted to the side, and he collapsed into his brother's arms.

"Brother—"

Suishuang's expression changed drastically; he picked up his brother and turned to shout at the judge.

"We concede! We concede! Someone come quickly and save my brother!!!"

If the Sui Clan Brothers were putting on a deeply moving blockbuster film about brotherly love, then Shi Xue was putting on a silent film without a single word.

"……Hmm?"

Shi Xue blinked in confusion, unable to react to what had just happened for a moment.

However, although her brain hadn't reacted, it didn't hinder her body from making a reaction.

And the reaction her body gave was...

No reaction at all.

After the Sword Qi erupted, she still stood quietly in place, her right hand maintaining the posture of being half-raised, pushing a palm forward.

From an outsider's perspective, it looked as if she had raised her hand and pushed after a sigh, causing Sword Qi to erupt from Li Qiushui's body, directly defeating the two of them.

It was as if Shi Xue had given them a chance, but the other party hadn't seized it, and they were easily defeated in the wave of a hand.

A·master·is·lonely.

"They conceded? So we won?"

It took Shi Xue a good while to react to what had happened; she thought for a moment, slowly lowered her arm, and hugged her sword again, falling into silence.

Although she didn't know exactly what had happened, in any case, she shouldn't speak first.

Don't talk, continue to pretend to be a master.

And just as Shi Xue was pretending to be a master without saying a word, the real master slowly woke up.

Li Qiushui stood up with her brows tightly locked; after standing straight, she clamped her legs together somewhat unnaturally and cursed "obscene" under her breath in her heart.

"Hmm?"

The awakened Li Qiushui looked at the residual blood and Sword Qi on the arena in front of her and blinked in confusion.

She had thought the match would end quickly once she entered meditation, but she hadn't expected... it seemed they had won?

Li Qiushui turned her head to look at Shi Xue and asked a soul-searching question.

"Won?"

"Mm, it seems so?"

"Not strong?"

"Should be, not strong... right?"

"Hmm?"

Xiaoxue, why are you using an uncertain tone to answer my question?

"Mm..."

After meeting Li Qiushui's confused gaze, Shi Xue silently looked away.

Because Shi Xue couldn't be sure what exactly had happened either.

Don't ask me.

I don't know what happened either.

……

……

"It's already been the time it takes for a stick of incense to burn, and there hasn't been even a single reaction; he must have already failed, right?"

After being scolded by Zhao Yundan once, Zhao Chaofeng was a bit more well-behaved; she didn't continue to spout nonsense but asked in a low voice.

"……Mm, it does look quite bad."

Zhao Yundan stared at Ren Yidao for a long time, nodded slowly, and then shook her head, "But it's hard to say when the Sword Casting Pavilion will officially deem him to have failed."

The Sword Casting Pavilion's goal wasn't well-hidden; anyone with a discerning eye could see the problem. They weren't aiming to win at all, and they wouldn't easily judge Ren Yidao as having failed.

"Perhaps we'll have to wait a while longer... hmm?"

Just as Zhao Yundan was prepared to continue waiting, there was suddenly a reaction on the field.

"That is!"

To be precise, it was the Sanlu Sword in his hand that reacted.

This Spirit Sword, which hadn't had any reaction from beginning to end, suddenly flew up on its own and charged headlong into the depths of the Sword Casting Pavilion's mountain gate.

"What is the situation? The Spirit Sword flew away on its own?"

Zhao Chaofeng had low strength and a narrow perspective, so she couldn't understand the scene before her.

But this didn't prevent her from feeling a bit gleeful, because from her perspective, this scene clearly meant Ren Yidao had annoyed the Spirit Sword, forcing it to leave on its own.

However, before the Empress could speak, she noticed the atmosphere on the field was wrong, because it seemed that apart from her, everyone else—though their expressions varied—was not gloating.

Could it be that what I'm thinking is wrong?

Soon, the flying Spirit Sword returned, carrying a stone slab on its blade, and landed in front of Gongye Dachang.

"Lord Spirit Sword, you are..." Gongye Dachang also hadn't figured out what had happened and asked respectfully.

The Sanlu Sword had always been quiet and unwilling to communicate with outsiders; what was wrong this time?

The Sanlu Sword indeed could not easily communicate with outsiders.

But!

It could write.

Throwing the stone slab for Gongye Dachang to hold, the tip of the Sanlu Sword slid rapidly across it.

Swish, swish, swish...

Gongye Dachang looked at the characters gradually being carved onto the stone slab, studied them carefully for a good while, and only then laboriously recognized the crooked handwriting.

【I am lending myself to Ren Yidao for thirty years!】

"……"

Swish, swish.

【Understand?】

The handwriting was a bit ugly, but at least there were no typos.

"... I understand."

After nodding, he drew a sharp breath, then said with a headache: "Lord Spirit Sword, but this matter, you also know, your significance to my Sword Casting Hut is extraordinary..."

Swish, swish, swish.

【What, are you unconvinced?】

Gongye Dachang felt like his whole being was unwell.

"... Convinced, this junior is naturally convinced."

He had an illusion, feeling that what he was facing was not a Spirit Sword, but his Grandmaster from when he was still a junior, with that same hooligan-like, overbearing tone.

I am already the Sect Leader, I never thought I would still be able to experience this feeling...

Although Gongye Dachang could forcibly suppress the Sanlu Sword, after hesitating, he still did not make a move.

Strictly speaking, the seniority of the Sanlu Sword was higher than everyone currently in the Sword Casting Hut.

Who would dare stop an ancestor from doing things!

"Then please let Lord Spirit Sword understand one thing: you are the Spirit Sword of my Sword Casting Hut, not his Spirit Sword."

【Does that even need you to say it?】

Swish, swish, swish~

【Leaving! Don't come looking for me if there's nothing going on!】

After obtaining the promise from Gongye Dachang, the Sanlu Sword flew toward Ren Yidao in an excellent mood and inserted itself into the scabbard in his hand.

Click, click, click.

Ren Yidao could not understand the sword language of the Sanlu Sword, but he could feel its joy and knew that the matter had been settled.

So he raised his head, smiled slightly at the complex-looking Sect Leader Gongye, performed a salute, and said loudly:

"Yidao has fortunately not failed the mission, and luckily obtained the recognition of the Spirit Sword."

But the innocent smile on Ren Yidao's face at this moment, in the eyes of Gongye Dachang, had completely turned into another kind of feeling.

"Old geezer, my Ghost Star is parked downstairs of your building! Don't be ungrateful!"