Unexpected Turns in the Sparring Match

The zero-frame initiation from a Foundation Establishment late-stage cultivator was so swift that Xia Yi found himself unable to react in time.

Fortunately, shielded by the Extreme Yang True Flame, he escaped without sustaining significant harm.

Seizing this opportune moment to press her advantage, Bing Yingying conjured ice lotus flowers that bloomed rapidly across the ground surrounding Xia Yi.

Still trapped in a state of rigid immobility, Xia Yi knew he was in dire straits the instant his eyes fell upon the blossoming lotuses.

Though their encounter was merely a spar, it was evident that Bing Yingying was engaging Xia Yi with the full extent of her power.

The ice lotuses beneath Xia Yi’s feet detonated in an instant, their every petal transforming into a razor-sharp projectile that lanced towards him.

With no viable escape, Xia Yi was forced to absorb a portion of the incoming damage, parrying some petals even as he unleashed a surge of sword qi towards Bing Yingying.

Xia Yi’s decisive action caused Bing Xingwen’s eyes to brighten; such audacity instantly earned the young man a high score in his estimation.

Fortunately, Bing Yingying’s combat experience proved somewhat lacking. The optimal strategy against Xia Yi’s impromptu sword qi would have been to evade it while simultaneously maintaining magical suppression.

Instead, Bing Yingying chose to parry.

This lapse in judgment inadvertently granted Xia Yi a crucial moment to recover.

Capitalizing on the precious seconds Bing Yingying spent deflecting his sword qi, Xia Yi soared into the air with a powerful leap.

He had discerned her strategy: since Bing Yingying’s techniques relied on the ground for zero-frame attacks, his simplest counter was to remain airborne.

True to his prediction, Bing Yingying launched no spells at the airborne Xia Yi; instead, she brandished her scythe and charged directly at him.

A perfect opportunity!

Witnessing Bing Yingying opt for close-quarters combat, exactly as he had anticipated, Xia Yi knew the rhythm of the battle had now shifted decisively in his favor.

Xia Yi held his left hand before his chest, and above his head, a colossal white sword began to coalesce.

Heavenly River Draining Dream.

This was one of the novel techniques Xia Yi had devised, mimicking a certain peerless Sword Master of the Immortal Boat (TL Note: A powerful individual from a fictional setting, known for their unique fighting style) who, despite being unmatched among their peers, specialized in challenging and defeating their seniors.

As this was merely a sparring match, Xia Yi refrained from deploying his two most lethal techniques: the Vast Righteous Sword Intent and the Extreme Yang True Flame.

He executed this cultivation-enhanced version of Heavenly River Draining Dream solely by channeling his spiritual energy and utilizing his Immortal Spirit Root.

The colossal white sword gleamed with an icy sheen, descending upon Bing Yingying with an unstoppable, crushing momentum.

While the thirteenth layer of Qi Condensation was comparable to the early stage of Foundation Establishment, Bing Yingying possessed the undeniable strength of a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator.

Moreover, Xia Yi had not incorporated the Vast Righteous Sword Intent or the Extreme Yang True Flame into this particular sword strike.

Consequently, in a mere two breaths, Bing Yingying effortlessly shattered Xia Yi’s imitation of the Heavenly River Draining Dream.

Nevertheless, this exchange had successfully bought Xia Yi precious time to react.

The moment he landed, Xia Yi positioned his spirit sword at his side, its tip angled towards the ground, while his left hand extended, pointing directly at Bing Yingying.

Observing Xia Yi’s return to the ground, Bing Yingying immediately unleashed another identical zero-frame initiation, causing ice spikes to erupt.

This iteration of ice spikes, however, differed significantly from the previous slender projectiles intended merely to wound Xia Yi.

Instead of mere spikes, these were colossal ice pillars, forming an impenetrable cage that enveloped Xia Yi.

As the ice pillars enclosed Xia Yi, the ice lotuses that had seemingly grown within them detonated in perfect synchronicity. This, he realized with a jolt, was a combined spell!

“Yingying!”

Neither Pei Yunxiang nor Fei Miaoyun showed any immediate alarm; instead, it was Bing Xingwen who cried out in surprise. His original intention had simply been to have Xia Yi spar with his daughter, to gauge whether the young man possessed the requisite strength to become his son-in-law.

He had never imagined that his own daughter would unleash her full power against Xia Yi, who was merely in the early stages of Foundation Establishment.

From the instant Xia Yi had resolutely endured injury to break free from Bing Yingying’s suppression, Bing Xingwen had already been deeply impressed. By the time Xia Yi unveiled the Heavenly River Draining Dream, Bing Xingwen had firmly decided that this young man was indeed worthy of becoming his son-in-law.

Yet, just as he prepared to halt their bout, his daughter unexpectedly unleashed her full might.

What if Xia Yi were to be seriously injured, and in a fit of pique, decided against marrying his daughter? Who, then, would provide him with the grandchildren he so desperately craved?

To begin with, Bing Yingying’s frigid demeanor, enough to freeze a person solid, meant that even with her undeniable beauty, few men were willing to take her hand in marriage.

Furthermore, her atavistic bloodline and her unique position as the sole daughter of the Bing family naturally deterred most individuals harboring ulterior motives.

Added to this was the curse of a shortened lifespan, preventing her from living past thirty, a consequence of her atavistic bloodline.

These damn ‘buffs‘ (TL Note: A gaming term referring to beneficial status effects) were practically stacked to the heavens.

Now, after all this, a young man had finally emerged—one who met all his criteria, possessed an impeccable background, and was willing to marry his daughter. Moreover, he was the very son-in-law candidate his own wife had so enthusiastically endorsed. If this promising prospect were to vanish due to his own misjudgment…

Then, by a conservative estimate, he would be relegated to sleeping in the living room for at least a decade.

Thus, for the sake of his future domestic tranquility and his daughter’s happiness, Bing Xingwen made to intervene, only to be promptly halted by Pei Yunxiang.

“Patriarch Bing, there is no need to panic. My disciple is not so fragile.”

As both Xia Yi’s revered master and his beloved wife, Pei Yunxiang naturally possessed an intimate understanding of his capabilities.

Xia Yi was not one to act without a plan. Having already ascertained the difficulty of overcoming Bing Yingying while grounded…

Yet, upon returning to the ground, he did not immediately ascend again, clearly indicating he had a strategy of his own.

Furthermore, even if one were to consider the most extreme scenario, Xia Yi had once withstood a killing blow from a half-step Core Formation realm cultivator. A mere attack from a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator would hardly inflict severe injury upon him.

Besides, she had an ample supply of life-saving elixirs at the ready. Thus, Pei Yunxiang remained unperturbed, eager to witness the full extent of her Yi’er’s capabilities.

Mere moments after Pei Yunxiang restrained Bing Xingwen, the colossal ice pillar cage abruptly shattered into countless fragments.

“Imprint the Name of Strife!”

Though Xia Yi remained unseen, his voice resonated clearly. All eyes witnessed scorching white flames erupting, followed by a colossal, pure white sword blade that cleaved through the earth and hurtled irresistibly towards Bing Yingying.

This was the Calamity: Soul-Slaying Burning Decree (Cultivation Version), a counter-attack technique Xia Yi had unleashed, mimicking a certain savior’s transformed state.

Naturally, Xia Yi’s current cultivation level did not allow for the exaggerated effects depicted in games. His cultivation-enhanced Soul-Slaying Burning Decree merely cleaved the ground for approximately a meter.

Furthermore, Xia Yi had still refrained from incorporating the Vast Righteous Sword Intent into this particular technique.

He simply wished to ascertain the true power of the technique he had independently researched and imitated, having no desire to engage Bing Yingying in a fight to the death.

In Xia Yi’s estimation, Bing Yingying should be capable of withstanding this counterattack, though not without considerable effort.

However, just as Xia Yi’s sweeping white greatsword was poised to clash with Bing Yingying’s scythe, a single ice-blue speck of light shot forth from the pavilion, coming to rest precisely between them.

Before anyone could fully comprehend the situation, the ice-blue speck of light erupted with a potent, instantaneous suction force, drawing both the utterly unprepared Xia Yi and Bing Yingying towards it in the span of a single breath.

Crucially, this formidable suction was directed solely at Xia Yi and Bing Yingying, leaving everyone else completely unaffected.

As Bing Yingying and Xia Yi, drawn inexorably together, were about to collide, they twisted and vanished from that space, their forms merging as if depicted on a fusion card illustration (TL Note: Referring to the visual effect of two characters combining, often seen in card games or anime).

Bereft of Xia Yi’s spiritual energy, the colossal sword instantly dispersed, leaving behind only a single jade pendant, which now hung silently suspended in the space where they had vanished.

“Yi’er!”

“Yi’er!”

“Yingying!”

“Yingying!”

This sudden, unforeseen turn of events caused all four individuals to cry out in alarm. They swiftly converged around the mysteriously suspended jade pendant.

Upon seeing the jade pendant, which glowed with a faint luminescence, Bing Xingwen’s pupils constricted sharply; he instantly recognized it!

It was the Inheritance Jade Pendant, a sacred artifact passed down through the Bing family since its very inception!