You Idiot

The outcome of the match hung in the balance, a tense deadlock.
Below the stage, the crowd roared; on the stage, a battle of wits and force unfolded.
The glint of blades, the clash of steel, a flurry of attacks and counters, blow for blow.
“Their spirit energy is almost depleted,” Gong Ning said nervously. “When that happens, it will be a simple, unadorned melee.”
“Calm yourself, you must believe in her.”
Gong Ning subconsciously thought it was Bai Peilan who had spoken, but upon hearing the voice, she realized it was Elder Xue Yingdong’s encouragement.
The Sky-Sword Pavilion’s side was not faring well either.
“Why does Gong Ning have such a disciple? Changqian, didn’t you say her disciple couldn’t even set foot on the Questioning Dao Steps?”
Faced with the question, Gong Changqian didn’t know how to answer.
He had investigated thoroughly; the Heart-Sword Hall had no disciples this term, the only one being an exception Gong Ning had taken in, one who hadn’t passed the trial.
Who knew she would have such strength?
“Young Lord, Gong Ning must have been cultivating such a disciple for a long time, just for this moment…”
“Are you suggesting that Gong Ning foresaw that she would become female, and knew the Sect Master would use this matter as a contract?”
Gong Chengyun glanced at Gong Changqian’s face.
“Never mind, I should have anticipated a variable. How is the matter I asked you to handle earlier?”
“It has been arranged. We are just waiting for Lu Yunling to execute it.”
Within the arena, the situation had once again become a one-on-one confrontation.
Lu Yunling hadn’t expected the ethereal spirits to know swordsmanship, forcing her to expend extra spirit energy to execute more powerful techniques to defend herself.
At this moment, both had only one last breath of spirit energy left.
Seeing Tao Lingling about to use Swift Step Heart-Piercer again, the ethereal spirits at her sides also assumed their stances, but her intuition told her it wasn’t that simple.
In the current situation, Tao Lingling’s spirit energy no longer supported her doing so; therefore, at least one of the attacks would be a feint.
So, what should she do?
Lu Yunling couldn’t help but think of the magic artifact Wang Cheng had given her before she went on stage.
Heart-Stagnation Lock.
This item could only target one person.
In normal times, it was a useless curse-type magic artifact, only somewhat useful in one-on-one situations.
A person cursed by the Heart-Stagnation Lock would have their thought processes slowed down, their reaction and judgment abilities would decline.
And no one would notice she had used it.
It had no spirit energy fluctuations, and even the cursed person would only think they were tired or not in good condition.
In her previous life, the reason she lost in the New Disciple Grand Competition was because she was cursed by this item.
At the same time, Lu Yunling recalled what Tang Qiaohuan had said to her.
“Eldest Senior Sister, you absolutely can’t beat her. But I can give you a good idea. Second Senior Sister’s spirit root is congenitally deficient. Even if her foundation is slightly injured, her spirit energy will quickly drain away. All you need to do is use the Azure Cloud Aperture-Severing Slash…”
This move wasn’t powerful.
If it hit during a fight, the spirit energy would travel through the opponent’s body, causing internal injuries.
Tao Lingling’s current cultivation level must have been achieved by consuming a pharmacy’s worth of pills; any internal injury would be a fatal blow to her.
However, Lu Yunling would not use this move.
She remembered the Witch’s hysterical appearance before her rebirth, and she would not forget her master’s haggard face either.
Tao Lingling always thought that her master disliked her, was always biased against her, but in reality, her master had invested the most in her.
Perhaps it was true that the crying child gets the candy.
Lu Yunling was always sensible, while Tao Lingling was never diligent.
This greedy woman was always demanding her master’s affection, yet always broke her heart.
The Witch died, and everyone was overjoyed; the world was at peace again.
But Lu Yunling would not forget the tears her master shed that day.
What was the Witch like now?
Her sword was still as sharp as ever, and she could still laugh when enduring pain.
But she still chose to become her master’s disciple.
Lu Yunling didn’t care if the Witch had awakened or repented; she only cared about one thing.
If she destroyed her foundation, her master would be heartbroken.
Lu Yunling gave up on executing Tang Qiaohuan’s plan and instead activated the Heart-Stagnation Lock.
But only after using it did she realize—the Witch was not affected by this move.
For some reason, the Heart-Stagnation Lock had no effect, causing her to be unable to see any openings.
Left with no choice, Lu Yunling could only overdraw her spirit energy and use the Azure Sky Myriad Sword Art again.
The consequence of overdrawing her spirit energy was simply a slower recovery, being a step behind in the next exchange.
But, as long as she won the melee, it would be fine.
However, the Tao Lingling before her stopped in her tracks, and the two ethereal spirits at her side also vanished.
In a flash, the two spirits reappeared behind the water swords!
‘So, this thing can turn invisible!’
Lu Yunling was startled and quickly dispersed the water swords to execute a movement technique, but the two ethereal spirits merely took up a stance and did not attack.
A feint, but an effective one.
At this moment, the Tao Lingling in front of her moved again.
Firelight gathered on her sword, gradually condensing.
It was a move she had seen before, Sword Shadow’s Flowing Trail, but Lu Yunling could no longer block it.
The scorching spirit energy struck her body, and Lu Yunling could only support herself by leaning on her sword.
A pity, what a pity.
She still couldn’t defeat the Witch.
She had experienced more battles than she had eaten meals; wielding a sword had become her instinct.
Even with her mind slowed by the Heart-Stagnation Lock, it couldn’t affect her.
There was no need for a melee.
She had thought that after winning, she would personally expose the conspiracy and then report the collusion between the Sky-Sword Pavilion and the Sword-Wielding Abode, and her master’s crisis would naturally be resolved.
But on second thought, perhaps this wouldn’t shake the foundations of the Sky-Sword Pavilion or the Sword-Wielding Abode.
As long as the Sky-Sword Pavilion and the Sword-Wielding Abode existed, her master’s life would not be peaceful.
It was better to continue lying in wait and deliver them a fatal blow in the end.
A pity, ah, a pity, that she couldn’t eat, practice martial arts, and stroll the streets with her master anymore.
She let her legs go limp, about to fall to the ground, but at that moment, she was caught by Tao Lingling.
She heard Tao Lingling whisper to her, “I won, Senior Sister.”
“You idiot… wait for me to come back. Don’t let me see Master looking sad then.”
The cheers from below the stage erupted completely.
“She won! Junior Sister won!”
“Our Heart-Sword Hall is really so strong!”
“I won the bet! I told you to bet on Junior Sister, here comes the money!”
This last disciple was dragged away by the ear by Xue Yingdong, who had appeared out of nowhere.
The people in the elders’ seating area finally breathed a sigh of relief.
“Wonderful, wonderful! It’s been a long time since I’ve seen such a refined match at the Qi Refinement stage!”
Hu Zhenyuan couldn’t help but clap.
A man like him who had survived the battlefield loved blade-to-blade combat the most.
Gong Ning’s heart was also filled with joy.
As a teacher, the happiest moments were when a disciple made a name for themselves, or when other highly respected people showed looks of envy.
Lingling’s use of the Spirit Refinement Art was too good.
That masterful swordsmanship, and the feint of the ethereal spirits, were simply marvelous.
Even converting the final Swift Step Heart-Piercer into Sword Shadow’s Flowing Trail without wasting a single bit of spirit energy was a stroke of genius.
“I’ll have to give her some rewards when we get back. I wonder if there’s enough Cloud-Brocade fabric…”